Hello Again

So, it's been a while since I blogged. I can give you a laundry list of reasons why I haven't, but in the end it all comes back to I just didn't have/make the time. There's been a lot going on with me so I won't try to fit it all into one post. First, I have not completed my re-organization project! Again, many (valid) excuses, but no time to get it done. I was able to manage going thru all of our closets and boxing up items that we haven't worn in a year. Needless to say, my clothes took up the majority of the boxes. I'm not sure where I'm gonna donate them, so I'm open for suggestions on that one. Now if I could just get the clothes that I decided to keep in some sort of order......priorities, priorities.

My big project at work (annual Open Enrollment) went off without any major glitches *saying one more prayer of thanks for dat one!). I know that some people were looking for me to fail, but sadly they GETS NUTTIN'! As always, situations arose that required on-the-spot resolution and I was up to the task :-)! It was enlightening to see this process from a perspective other than a typical employee or from an Associate role. I did A LOT of networking and *hopefully* made some beneficial contacts. You never know when you'll need those.

On the creative side, I finished the baby boy gift album for my friend. She still hasn't had the baby...poor thing! She really appreciated the hard work I put into it, she's a scrappin' sistah also. I'll have to edit and post the slideshow of the completed album later.

I've also taken on a few event coordinating jobs on the side! It started out as one wedding. Then it grew to two weddings, then I added two baby showers! In the end, I dropped one of the weddings because the bride was not showing very much interest for someone whose wedding was 3 months away! I'm done with one of the showers. The mom-to-be had a blast and her co-workers loved it. I'll post updates about all of the events at a later time.

So that's pretty much all I have going on right now. What's going on in your world?

Be honest, is it me?

So my bff & I were to spend the day together at the spa for my birthday on Monday. She talked me into taking the day off to have a 'Girl's day out' to celebrate. Only that's not exactly how it happened. We were supposed to meet at my house at 9:00, she got there at 11:30! At this point I hadn't had breakfast and I was HON-GA-REE!! So we went to the restaurant she wanted to go to for lunch, no biggee (again, I was HUNGRY). As we're leaving the restaurant she called her boyfriend, who then asked her to bring him lunch. OK, not in the original plan but they're in that 'puppy love' stage and I wanna support my girl so I keep my mouf closed. Plus, he lives pretty close by so it'll just be a lil detour. While we wait on his order, she dropped me off at Michael's for a lil browsin' and maybe a lil shoppin'......COOL! 25 minutes later she pulls up and we're on our way to drop of ol' boy's food. She gets on the expressway heading south. We pass our workplace........

*thinking to self: AIGHT, WHERE ARE WE GOING?*

We keep riding and I'm still looking puzzled. Finally, I come to the conclusion that we're taking this to his workplace CLEAR on the other side of town. At this point it's 2:00 & I haven't had nary a toenail clipped nor a cuticle pushed back........RIGHT! So, we get there and she says "I'm gonna run up to his office, drop this off and come right back!" Famous last words! After 30 minutes of me sitting in the HOT ASS FLORIDA SUN with no a/c (did I forget to mention she took the keys) her and ol' boy come strollin' out hand-in-hand. At this point my attitude has gone from 'Woohoo girls day out' to 'This girl has lost her LAST good mind' and it's written ALL OVA my face! I was able to muster up a 'Hello, how are you?' which is a major accomplishment for me! As we're leaving, he hands her an envelope. I didn't ask what it was cuz #1- At this point I didn't give a flyin' fuk and #2- It wasn't my business. As we're getting back on the expressway (at 2:40) she asks me "Where's the nearest Compass Bank?" Aww hell naw! Nye I gotta ride with you to go make a deposit for ol' boy? I inform her that there's one that she can stop by on her way to take me home! We make the deposit and get to my house at about 3:30. I just wanted to go inside, calm down and take a nap. NOPE, she wanted to come inside to hangout before she went to class at 5:00. I was soooo pissed, all I kept thinking was "I took a day off from work to have lunch and run errands for my friend's man?" I could've saved my 8 hours of paid leave and taken my ass to work! Long story short, the day was a complete waste and I ended up thoroughly pissed off at my friend. So much so that it affected my attitude at work yesterday! I was short with everybody, including my bff. One of my co-workers put a "Don't start none, won't be none" sign on my door as a warning to all those who dared to enter! She knows me very well, so she didn't really say too much yesterday. I wasn't in the right state-of-mind to talk to her about it yesterday, but I plan on having that conversation today.

Now be honest, am I wrong for being pissed off? You can tell me if it's me, I can take it I'm a big girl ;-)

Happy birthday to me!!

So today is my 29th birthday....YEAH!!! I took today off to chill & hang out with my best friend. So far we've had lunch & are headed to the spa for massages, facials, manis & pedis! I hardly ever get to treat myself (even on my birthday) so this is a welcomed treat :) I hope you all are enjoying your return to the grind, I'll be joining you tomorrow.......But until then, have a drink with/for me!

Organization: Part 1

So, I mentioned that I wanted to get my house more organized and that I wanted to start with my shoes. Here are the details..... I'd like to do this in the small reach-in closet (9h x 2w x 3l) in our master bedroom. The only thing in this closet is a 'standard' Closetmaid clothes rack. It's not big enough to hold my clothes, so all I store in there now are my handbags and luggage. The other closet in our bedroom houses my husband's clothes and shoes so there's no room for my shoes (that's another post). I have about 100 pair of shoes & boots that I need to store. Here's a pic I took with my Centro (sorry, I deleted the pic on my point-n-shoot):

This is just some of the shoes. I kept finding more pairs after this. I love strappy stiletto heels and hardly ever wear tennis shoes. Some of the shoes that I rarely wear will be donated to Goodwill or a local church. So, does anyone have ANY suggestions? I'm desperate here, so any and all suggestions will be taken into consideration :-)

Bad Blogger, Bad bad blogger *pic heavy*

OK, so I've been MIA for a while......sowwy. So let's catch-up :-) Monday was RJ's birthday! My baby is TWO YEARS OLD now, I can't believe it! We had his party in my hometown (which is 70 miles away) to appease the grandparents *smile* They complain constantly about having to travel to parties that we have or to see RJ. I'm sad to say that I didn't get very many pics of the party. I was too busy running around playing 'hostess' and playing on the kids' playground! My favorites of the few pics that I did take are here:

Here's a pic of my little man with cupcake all over his face & in his nose.

Here's a pic of RJ with his uncles and another of just his uncles. They REALLY think they're the shit & I need these lil' girls to stop making them think that......PLEASE!!

I'm still working on the baby boy album I mentioned before. Here's the progress I've made on that (still haven't figured out the scan-n-stitch feature):






The rest of my time has been consumed by work. I'm spear-heading our benefits open enrollment this year for the entire hospital & all of the clinics. That's about 3,500 employees and 50 vendors to be responsible for! I've enjoyed the added responsibility, but it has been a TON of work. I'll be glad when it's over!




This weekend was pretty easy-going. I've been sick with a sinus infection & was pretty much home-bound all weekend. I did make it out to Michael's to pickup a few items for a baby shower I'm planning. I'm also in the process of trying to get my house organized. First up is shoes & trust me, I need MAJOR help in that department! Watch for updates with pics this week.........


Later

Mojo's Rockin' & New Hire No-No's

It is very rare for my mojo to be on-point for 3 of 4 days straight. So I figured I'd better take advantage while I could. I finished another 2-page layout for the baby boy book I'm working on. Here it is:

Did I mention how much I love to stitch on my layouts, LOL! My goal is to complete a 2-page layout each night until I've finished the 42 pages needed to complete the book. Lofty goal......I know but I'm sure I can get it done! *fingers crossed*

On the work-front, we had a new hire show up yesterday for orientation that shouldn't have been there. We tried reaching her numerous times the week before to clarify the situation.......to no avail! Of course, when we inform her that she cannot start because she failed to disclose a misdemeanor conviction on her criminal background she flipped out! She kept saying "Why would THIS keep me from getting a job? It says it's only a misdemeanor!" The associate explained that it wasn't the actual charge that prevented her from being hired, it was the fact that she falsified her application by not disclosing it. Then we get yelled at, cursed at and a lil' mean-muggin' for good measure....LOL! I tell ya there's nothing like the folx that come thru here.....NOTHING! Moral of the story: do not falsify your application and if you do, don't sho' out on the HR staff......this ensures any and all future apps will be brushed aside ;-)!

Weekend Recap *Pic Heavy*

Whew! That about sums up my weekend! Friday was a crazy day and it all started with work. Have you ever had someone come to you in the 11th hour and demand request something that they need ASAP? My director did this to me on Friday. No big deal because he's a good guy and an even better boss. Another thing, why is it that this ALWAYS happens as you are about to leave for lunch or decide that you are leaving work early?Add in the commotion coming from the daycare lobby and it was a hectic day! Who brings FOUR children with them to apply for a job? It wouldn't have been so bad IF they were mannerable or quiet. These children were jumping from chair to chair and playing with the computer workstations! Of course, the applicant got a few 'side-eyes' and a little unsolicted, but very much needed advice about controlling her children. After work, I had to pack up my supplies for the all-day crop that I was attending on Saturday. I couldn't decide what I wanted to bring so I brought a lil' bit of everything.......sad shame :-(

One of my LSS usually has one of these crops at least once a month and I make every attempt to attend and show my support. My friends and I had a great time at the crop. We got a lot done (pictures to come)! I finished 7 pages of a baby boy album I'm working on (can you say PROGRESS). One of the ladies in my group was a newbie. I was LOL observing her reaction to some of the things you could do with paper, pictures and adhesive! I think we've converted another one, LOL! We played fun games and had excellent food and snacks! I won three 20% off 'everything within your reach' prizes and my table won the Scrappin' Squares game to earn 40% off any one item (which completely blew my budget)! Here are my 20% and 40% off purchases:

I love minibooks, they're my latest addiction. I've wanted more of the Bazzill In Stitch'z line since I purchased my 1st set of templates. I've also been stalking all the craft stores for the scalloped square punch, no one ever seems to have it in. I guess it was my lucky day because I found everything I wanted and I got it all on sale :-)! Here are the pages I completed for a 'baby boy' album I'm working on:

*sorry about the quality of the pics. I'm working on figuring out the scan & stitch technique*

Sunday was a cleaning and laundry day. Well, what I could manage in between watching NASCAR, NFL and the women's final at the US Open...LOL! Did I mention that I love sports? Of course, at this point I was missing my little man so I put down the remote long enough to scoop him up from Granny's. Now I have to "re-train" him to get rid of all the bad habits he picked up this weekend :-(! What is it about grandparents and their need to spoil and cater to everyone of their grandkid's needs? So, what did you do this weekend?

Who am I?

I figured that I should do more of an introduction than I offered in my maiden post. My name is Kee Kee and I am 28 years old. I am a graduate of the University of Florida (Go GATORS!!!) with a bachelor's degree in Human Resources and a minor in Business Administration. I work as an HR professional in an urban healthcare facility. When I tell you that you will see and hear it all at SJ, I truly mean it. That place has yet to disappoint when I need an interesting 'people watching' session. I'm sure you'll hear little snippets of the goings-on at work because there's almost something crazy happening on a daily basis, LOL!

I met my husband (we'll call him 'Mister R') in 1997 during my freshman year. We've been together pretty much ever since then. We've been married for 5 years and have a soon-to-be two year old son, RJ. I've always had an interest in crafts and sports. I'm into crafts more so now that I'm older and have a family. I've been scrapbooking since 2003...yeah I got into it after I got married ;-)! I grew up in a family that lived by the D.I.Y. philosophy. My grandmother ("Bigma") was a big influence in my craftiness. She was an amazing seamstress and the ultimate domestic diva. She taught me everything I know about keeping up a home and family.

Now to the love of my life, my little RJ! He is the typical 23-month old boy. He loves to test boundaries and he tests them OFTEN! He's the funniest little person I know. He's loves being silly and saying funny things to make people laugh. He's also the sweetest little person I know. He always gives me kisses and he's always the first to ask "Momma, it hurt?" if he sees me coughing, crying or just perplexed. Stay tuned, there's lots more to come from RJ. Probably on a daily basis :-)

The first love of my life, Mister R! He's a good man. He's loving, supportive and loyal to all he holds dear. These first 5 years of marriage have been fun, sad, and crazy all in one. Somehow, we've managed to balance it and remain a team. In a lot of ways we are opposites. I'm bad with saving money and sticking to a budget.....he's great at that. He doesn't really think about the little details when it comes to everyday life....I'm all about the details. So, you get the point. Like a lot of husband's he sometimes leaves me thinking "Really, did you really just do/say that?" or "Surely Ashton Kutcher must be hiding behind a corner waiting to jump out and yell 'You've just got PUNK'D!' because there's no way this just happened!" He keeps me on my toes, LOL!

So that's me. I'm hoping to use this as an opportunity to share my experiences with others and meet exciting people that I otherwise wouldn't have.

Hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend! Later.

Intro

Hello Blog World!

I'm new at this, so you'll have to bare with me :-)! I've been interested in starting a blog for a while now and decided to just 'bite the bullet' and do it. So you're probably wondering what you can expect from me. Well, you can definitely expect to hear about a lil' crafting, a lil' sports, a lil' work, lots of family and friends and a whole lotta randomness! This will be a journey for me and I hope to meet a lot of interesting people along the way!

Later ;-)