Gimmeakiss Farewell

I've been in a bit of a blogging rut lately.

It's not that I haven't been doing anything worth sharing, I just haven't felt like posting. In fact, I have many posts that I promised you and then never followed up on, like a full re-cap of my cruise; all the thrifty finds I bought at the beach; my fully re-decorated bedroom... and the list goes on. In case you're wondering, the resolutions to those cliff hangers are: I don't like Jamaica and having food poisoning on a boat SUCKS; I bought a weird mirror, vintage cocktail skewers and a brass pear dinner bell; my bedroom still isn't 100% clutter free but all the furniture is final. Now you can sleep at night. You're welcome.

So, that being said, it's time to step away from this little blog of mine.

I think it's the time commitment. Even with the minimal posting schedule like I have, it still takes time to do projects, take and edit photos, and write my content. I read many great blogs with few words and fewer pictures, but that's just not me. I'm a go-big-or-go-home sort of gal.

I'm not going to delete the blog. You can still browse the archives, if you're into that. You can follow me on Instagram. (My account is private but, don't worry, I'm not stingy with the 'accept' button). I'll still be active over on Peanut Stand, mainly because with a 2.5 year old in full toddler mode, most of that content writes itself. I may even make a reappearance here down the road. Only time will tell.

Until then, happy trails!

The Beach, In Pictures

I've already told you about my coastal thrifting* adventure but now I'm back to show you the actual beach stuff, as told through pictures. The hubby, Luke and I stayed at my grandparents' condo with my mom and step-dad. Luke slept in a twin bed for the first time (and rocked it out) but preferred the pool to the ocean, we visited the aquarium, my step-sister's boyfriend took us out on his boat, and there was much lazing about taking place. It was wonderful. Now, to the photos...

*My iPad autocorrected this to thrusting. That would be the perfect adventure to share on the blog, don't you think?

date night for the hubby's birthday :: summer wheat, convertible time, birthday crab legs, The Campaign

North Carolina Aquarium :: turtle rodeo, swimming turtle, jellyfish, so tall!

kite store beauty, sleeping in a big boy bed, mother daughter drinking, moody storm clouds

kite flying, juice box break (booze optional), writing in the sand, wrinkly pool feet

on a boat, part 1 :: marina, sunset, sunset, underbelly of a draw bridge

on a boat, part 2 :: not sure about boating, obligatory self-portrait, hubby, glamorous mom

squatting is the only way to sit in a tree, home of the shrimp burger, you are what you eat, bye bye beach

What have you been up to this summer?

Seriously, My Job is Amazing

You're probably tired of hearing about my job but until it stops being amazing I'm going to keep being in awe of my amazing fortune.

Last week we had a company-wide quarterly meeting/party where all the employees gather to watch "The Show" an internal video series that highlights the goings on in the company. It's a bit of a party because snacks and drinks are provided. This Show we had ice cream and a keg, so I was pretty ecstatic.

After The Show was over I got my first bit of company swag. Now I'm bonafide.

Testing 1... 2... 3...

I am trying out a new mobile blogging app that will allow me to blog from my phone or my iPad.* So far so good, but I haven't done anything complicated yet.

test photo of my little rock star

OK I spoke too soon. It took me a little bit of effort to learn how to add photos but it was pretty painless. I'll keep you posted.

*PS I got an iPad!


 

More Cows

The Cow Parade continues and although we are no longer collecting cow drawings I managed to squeeze in 2 more cows of my own.

First I drew an architectural section and elevation of a cow. I am no artist so I was quite pleased with myself for free-handing that cow. Yes it might look a goofy cow, I'm just happy it looks like a cow at all.

My last cow is Ground Chuck Taylor. This pun of puns struck me in the shower one morning and who was I to ignore it?

In other bovine news I got to help paint Ruby, our almost-life-size blank cow. Here's me putting a coat on Ruby's red pedicure.

Yep, my job still rocks.

I Love My Job

Seriously, it's freakin awesome. I know I've only been there a short while but the perks keep piling up.

Perk of the Day: opensource.com. What does that mean to you? Probably nothing. What does it mean to me? It means I get to make my own little photoshop creations whenever I have a bit of downtime.

Here's a few details: Red Hat provides open source software. The company is so supportive of the open source method they preach the idea that open source can work for lots of different processes, in a variety of fields. So they sponsor the Open Source website and provide graphic images (licensed in Creative Commons, of course) for the article writers and anybody else that wants to use them. It's great stuff, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'd rather show you what I made.

Just a little graphic of ants marching along, carrying a stick together. For those that don't get subtlety, collaboration and sharing make awesome things happen. Meaning "Yay open source!" We're allowed to design whatever we want, but really the point is to provide images for the website.

I also made one, sans dirt, for the purists out there.

If that's not enough pants-wetting job awesomeness for you, how about this:

That's the cow drawing I contributed for our Cow-laboration project. What is a cow-laboration project? I have no idea, I just wanted to draw a cow. See more awesome cow contributions here.

Jealous yet?

New Job... Again

I have some awesome, fantastic, and entirely amazing news. I have a new job! Started last Monday, actually. Where am I working now? Here's a not-so-subtle hint:

Yes, ladies (and gentlemen?) I am working for Red Hat. Which is a software company, and I am no software expert. Not even close. So what am I doing for them? Here's a diagram:

I just love diagrams. In a nutshell I will be providing wall graphics for our office spaces so that they are on brand (meaning they reflect the ideals and culture of the company) but also represent the local and regional culture of the office. Remember, Red Hat has offices all over the world so it's important to honor the local atmosphere.

How did I get such an awesome and perfect-for-me job? That is all thanks to my good friend Libby. She works for the Brand Communications team and when she heard about the job opening she emailed me and asked if I would be interested in a job that is a little bit architecture, a little bit interior design and a little bit graphic design. Yes, yes, and yes. This job seems to be perfect for me in every single way, so of course I had to get her a kick-ass thank you card to express my gratitude.

card by Fancy Seeing You Here

I'm a total nester so I wasted no time in personalizing my nook of the office. Home is where the art is.

I hate desk clutter. When I saw this little appetizer plate at Target for only $1.50 I knew it needed to come live on my desk and keep my glasses, phone, keys, etc in one place. I was right - it's perfect. I also snagged a red one for my nightstand for my glasses, watch, and earrings at the end of the day.

So, this also means I had to say goodbye to Home Depot. I felt bad leaving after only 3 months or so but, come on, the retail hours were killing me. Early mornings, late nights, weekends - not fun. It was wearing on the hubby too. He said that whenever I worked on the weekends it didn't feel like a weekend at all for him because he had to be 100% in charge of Luke making it hard to be relaxed or productive. Then when I was home during the week I had the same problem. To say I am looking forward to having a regular schedule and spending quality time with my family again is an understatement.

I'll be sure to keep you posted if I do anything awesome.

Et tu Brute?

Yep, I'm a traitor. I've only been at my current job for 3 months, but I'm leaving for (hopefully) greener pastures. Even worse, I'm leaving  my company (Shmowe's) and going to work for their biggest competitor (Shmome Shmepot). I guess it's fitting that the new job offer came a few short days after the Ides of March. bewaaaare

image source

Why am I leaving? I am currently a cashier and I was offered a cabinet designer position, which is a) more hours, b) better pay per hour, and c) somewhat related to my architecture background. You'd take it too, right? I do feel terrible over leaving because I really do love it at Shmowe's* and I'm going to miss my co-workers terribly. I am one of those people that thinks everything should be open, honest and fair and I have a hard time having interactions (usually in business situations) where I have to withhold information or tell partial truths. And to me, going to work with a smile on  my face when I know I'm in the process of getting another job is one of those situations. Everyone tells me "it's just business" and "you need to do what is best for you" but I still feel bad for leaving. Most people seem to genuinely like and appreciate me where I am and I feel awful, like I am betraying them somehow. I keep justifying my actions with this: I didn't set out to leave my job. I applied to both companies at the same time, and it just worked out that the better offer came about 2 months after I had accepted the first offer. So I guess I'm only a partially terrible person.

Today is my last day as a cashier and I start my cabinets job bright and early Monday morning, assuming no one stabs me between now and then. Wish me luck!

*Is it weird that I'm still writing "Shmowe's?" I think it might be, but I can't stop. Or bring myself to write the company's actual name even though I know you know what "Shmowe's" means.

New Year, New Job

Guess what? I'm employed again! I know you guys are probably tired of the hired/laid-off/hired roller coaster. Well, I'm tired of it too. But life goes on and I blog about my life, so that's that. I had some behind-the-scenes training last week and today was my first day on duty. All my co-workers seem very nice and the job itself seems straight forward and stress-free.

I won't tell you where I'm working, but let's just say it rhymes with "Shmow's" and I have to wear a red vest. No, my current position isn't really related to by design background but it's a company I believe in and I'm happy to be there. Plus, they are big on promoting from within and I could see myself moving up and getting comfortable over the next several years.

What's new with you in 2012?

Back In The Saddle Again

photo by Creative Commons user Wonderlane

Friday was the last day of my temp contract at the architecture firm. As a temp, you hope the client loves you to pieces and wants to bring you on full-time, but that's not always the case. I enjoyed working there, but I have to say the commute was painful. But the beauty of the temp system is that you get to try on lots of different jobs until you find something that feels right.

So now I'm back to looking for work, still with my temp agency but open to other opportunities as well. If any of you guys want to start your own business and hire me to be awesome and do awesome stuff, you just let me know. In the meantime I'm going to throw a lot of time towards Carolina Pear and the freelance design work I'd been doing.

Sidebar: Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a picture of a saddle, an actual horse saddle, with all the hipsters posting pictures of their stupid bikes on flikr? It wasn't easy my friends.

What The F*@& Universe?

Just yesterday I was telling you all how wonderful my birthday had been, that the Universe banded together to make my day. It was a day so perfect I wanted to meet it at summer camp and become pen pals with it.

Apparently the Universe had one more gift in store for me because I woke up this morning with something strange growing out of my head. I hesitate to call it a gray hair - I don't want it to become too familiar with me and invite its friends - but it's definitely lighter and more wiry than the rest of my hair. Not cool, Universe. GO TO YOUR ROOM.

I didn't pluck it because, for the moment, I'm choosing to refuse it exists. Except for the whole 'telling the Internet' part. You see, this alleged gray hair is throwing a wrench in my plans. I had always thought of myself as someone that wouldn't fret over gray hairs and wrinkles, someone who would just age naturally and gracefully. But that was assuming I wouldn't get a gray hair until I was 30. This rogue hair is AT LEAST 3 years premature and I don't know how to deal with it - dye it, pluck it or fuck it?

At least it's in the front so maybe I can rock a saucy gray streak, a la Stacy London.

image source

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday I turned 27 years old and the Universe banded together to make sure I had a fantastic day.

- I gave myself a shot of birthday confidence by donning my red skinny jeans (a birthday gift from the hubby)...

...and my most bad-ass high heels.

clearly, my shoes are very mysterious.

- The hubby took me to lunch for some yummy pizza.

- When I got back to work there was a big brownie parfait in the kitchen that just happened to have one serving left. I took that as a sign and devoured it. NOM.

- Around 3:00 some flowers were delivered and they were *gasp* for me! I've never had flowers delivered to me, so that was a very, very nice treat from Luke and the hubby.

not pictured: how jealous you are

- I answered my office phone and it was Alvin and the Chipmunks singing "Happy Birthday" to me. It turned out to be a birthday wish/prank from one of my co-workers. How funny!

- My Mother-in-Law gave me a gift certificate for a massage. I've only had one massage before, but it was when I was pregnant and could be considered painful but productive. I'm very much looking forward to a massage of the soothing Swedish variety.

- I enjoyed dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants with the hubby, Luke, my mom and my step-dad. On the menu: Roasted Tomato Soup, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Creme Brulee. NOMx2

- I got a bazillion birthday wishes on Facebook. Nothing make you feel like you have loads of friends like the Internet.

Does This Job Make Me Look Fat?

Holy paycheck, Batman! I'm employed! See, here's proof:

photo not-so-stealthily snapped with my phone in the middle of the day

No, I'm not important enough to have my own name plate. Why do you have to bring that up?

After months of fruitless job searching I signed on with a temp agency to make them do the work for me to expand my horizons. I sent a resume, did some skills assessments and met with a recruiter. Much to my dismay she was all "I'm not sure what to do with you. You're trained as a designer yet you're trying to find administrative work." Well, yeah. If there was design work available I WOULD BE APPLYING FOR IT. But there's not, thus the temp agency.

Jump forward 2 weeks and I get a call from my recruiter. There's an opening for a temp-to-hire* receptionist at an architecture firm. Is that something you would be interested in? Hell yes, lady! Sign me up! Granted it would be admin work, but I'm all about keeping a foot in the door. The temp agency forwarded my resume, the firm liked the look of it and invited me for an interview. At my interview they were super pleased that I have a design background, told me I would be able to assist the design team with various architect-y tasks and offered me a job on the spot. All I had to do was swing by my temp agency and fill out the paperwork.

I wanted to shout my good news from the rooftops on the internet but the hubby was more than a bit wary after my last job offer. For someone who claims not to be superstitious, he is very weird about sharing good news too soon for the fear it would jinx something. No matter how many signs pointed to yes they actually intend to let me come to their office and pay me for it he said he wouldn't consider me "having a job" until I was actually there and working.

Today was my second day, so I'm officially allowed to broadcast it. Heh. I'm getting settled and everyone seems very nice. There are even some familiar faces amongst the crowd, so that helps me feel more at home. Plus, you have to love a job where you're allowed to read if you have downtime.

*That means the job listing is for a short term contract, facilitated by the temp agency, and the company is free to hire me at the end of my contract if they think I'm cool. Which they'd better.

If Dog Is Man's Best Friend...

... then cats are those friends that REALLY can't take a hint that you need some space.

Most days I sit on the daybed in the playroom with my laptop. It lets Luke have supervised play time while also allowing me to do Carolina Pear projects, bloggy stuff, or general internet goofing off research. I research A LOT of stuff. Typically Pop-Tart lays at my feet and naps like a normal cat.


Other times she decides she has to be as close to me as is physically possible. You see that black mass at the bottom of the picture? That's Pop-Tart, laying across my wrist, making it darned impossible to move or do anything productive.


You know how most cats get pissed and run away if you even flinch near them? Not Pop-Tart. I wrestled my hand free to take a picture, but she's still holding down the fort. Here's another angle to illustrate just how persistent she is.


Luckily Yo-Yo likes to amuse himself by cramming into small boxes/bags and going to sleep, which is way more hilarious than irritating.


Are you pets clingy too? Dish the dirt!

Are You Ready For Some (Fantasy) Football?

*If you didn't read that as sung by Hank Williams, Jr then there's just no hope for you.

I was talking about football over on my other blog, which did 2 things:
1) It gave me an excuse to post some pictures of my kid.

Whoops, there I go again.

2) It made me realize I have some football-related awesomeness to share with you guys.

pictured: awesomeness

That bug wearing boxer shorts is the mascot for my fantasy football team, Bloomer Crickets. For those of you not well-versed in ridiculous Southern slang, bloomer crickets is another way of saying crabs. The STD, not the kind you serve with butter. Don't ask me why that's my team name, but it makes me laugh and that's good enough for me.

I have played fantasy football in the past, but this year my best good friend Rachel and I started a women's only fantasy football league. We named it... wait for it... A League of Their Own. Awesome, right? We got 6 football loving ladies to join our league, but the hubby strongly felt the league would be more fun if we had 2 more teams. We were fresh out of actual women, so he suggested that he and Rachel's hubby join the league. But to keep with the women-only part, the guys would play on behalf of our female cats, Pop-Tart and Eureka.

That's right, I run a fantasy team AND shit in a box. What can you do?

Since he was officially playing as Pop-Tart, hubby wanted a cat-centric team name. And what hilrious team name did he come up with? Hans Cougar, an homage to Die Hard's famous villain. That's right, the family that puns together stays together. To hammer the point home I photoshopped Pop-Tart's face onto Hans' head, which is a sight that is equally awesome and terrifying.

Hans Cougar in the flesh fur

We have our league set for this year, but we hope to expand (and kick the boys out) in the future so if you are interested in playing next year let me know!

[Insert Austin Powers joke here]

Why Austin Powers? Because I've lost my blogging mojo, that's why.

At least that's my excuse for my lack of blogging lately. I've been hard at the job search - had an interview today,actually - which seems to have sapped me of all my blog writing powers. Seriously, job searching is the pits. The hubby and I actually just over-hauled our junk storage facility office and turned it into a guest room and play room for my newly mobile toddler. Sadly, I can't work up the energy to photograph and write about it. Maybe this weekend, because let's face it, I got to organize and label things and I want someone to know about it.

Also, to fill my time (and make a little cash) I've been doing some freelance design work for a local restaurant. Mostly menu design for now, but I've been told there are other projects coming down the pipeline.

Funny story: last weekend the restaurant's electrical meter caught fire, causing a power outage, and the restaurant had to close and they lost $20,000 in business and product. OK, ok, I know that's not funny. At all. I'm getting to the funny part. After the fire my (conservative) father-in-law proclaimed me a jinx and ordered me to go get a job in Washington, DC. Heh.

I Can't Catch A Break

I try not to overwhelm you readers with my personal life. I know you're here for DIY craftiness and sarcastic rants. HOWEVER, it's about to get personal.

By now you're all well aware that I am unemployed and pathetic. Architecture isn't exactly recession-proof. Every time I feel like things are looking up, I just get knocked back down yet again. You've already read about my (seemingly) positive interview last month - only interviewed 2 candidates, referred by my cousin - that turned out to be a dud. But hey, on the bright side, it got me a Pity Kindle.
P.S. Kelly arrived in the mail this week. She and Kendall are BFFs already.

Jump to last Thursday afternoon: my old boss (2 lay offs ago) e-mailed me out of the blue to ask what my employment situation was. He said the firm is desperate to hire people and my name came up in a team meeting. I called him back IMMEDIATELY and he asked me to come in the next morning. I showed up on Friday wearing my most kick-ass interview outfit, portfolio in-hand. He barely flipped through my portfolio because "we already hired you once and we know we like you." Also, in addition to architecture, he was looking for someone that can take on some interiors work. I can TOTALLY do that. After a quick run-down of the projects they had on the table he offered me a job. On the spot. It was only a 3 month contract job, but he was optimistic they would extend it if the work was there. He had to run some numbers by his accountant but I could expect a formal job offer early the following week. I headed off for my beach vacation on cloud nine.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... ECONOMIC TURMOIL! Debt ceilings, and stock markets and national credit ratings, oh my!

It is now the following Friday and I still haven't heard anything. I call my neighbors who have been checking my mail; I haven't received anything from Supposedly Awesome Architecture Firm, LLC. I call my old boss "just to check in" and try not to sound too desperate as I leave him a voice mail. Two hours later I get an e-mail...

"I am sorry to communicate back to you so late in the week... Several things have occurred this week... I regret telling you to expect an offer... There is just too much volatility in the economy... I wish you success in you continued search for a position... blah blah blah"

So yeah, this isn't my week month year.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not mad at my old boss. At all. Our economy is turning to shit and there's nothing he can do to stop it. He's doing the best he can to protect the employees he's already got. But, guys, THIS BLOWS SO HARD. Also, after this many lay offs and almost-hires you would think I would be immune to it. But no, I still cry like a little bitch. Every. Single. Time.

So, uh, what's up with you?

Take The Good With The Bad

So, remember last week when I told you guys I was kicking ass all over the place? You know. Awesome portfolio, positive job interview, ARE pass letter #3.

Well, my portfolio is still awesome and I'm still 3 for 3 on my AREs, but I got passed over the job. Bummer, I know. Friends and family have being trying to cheer me up left and right, so I have already heard the following:
- Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.
- At least you're getting more time at home with Luke.
- You'll find something even better.
- Well, you avoided a bitch of a commute.
- If they aren't smart enough to hire you, then you'd probably not want to work there anyway.

All of those are cycling through my head in my own personal "No really, you don't suck" motivational mantra so if you want to make me feel better, at least get some fresh material. My misery needs your best one-liners.

But, I did say there was some good today, so let's talk about that. Hubby's grandmother, who treats me so well I think of her as my grandmother, took pity on me and bought me a Kindle.* I was thinking about asking for one for my birthday - October 25 for those keeping track - but she got it early so I can take it to the beach next week and drown my sorrows in the sweet, sweet words of Tina Fey.
*For those that are curious, I picked out the Wi-Fi only model with special offers, i.e. advertisements. After moderate research I determined the 3G wouldn't be necessary for my lifestyle and that the ads really aren't annoying. In fact, some offer really good deals on Amazon and Kindle products, so it seems like a bonus to me.

Help me Tina Fey. You're my only hope.

I have already heard having a Kindle is going to be amazeballs, but it brings up my latest dilemma. WHICH COVER DO I GET?!? You would think still being jobless would be my latest dilemma, but no, it's all about the stuff.

OPTION 1
Kindle Lighted Leather Cover - $60

PROS
-Integrated attachment clips, no elastic straps, assures a good fit
-Integrated book light that draws power from the Kindle (no need for batteries) and stows away when not in use

CONS
-More expensive
-Only available in 7 leather colors, no prints

OPTION 2
E-Reader Hardcover Case - $25

PROS
-Less expensive
-Available in attractive fabrics, even customizable with fabric choice

CONS
-No integrated attachment, relies on 4 elastic corner loops
-Fabric will be less durable than leather

I posted my query on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and have gotten a resounding "GET THE AMAZON COVER!" but I wanted to poll this sector of the internet, too. I don't want buyer's remorse, so help me out!

Kicking Butt, Architecturally Speaking

I have a super busy day planned today, but I wanted to pop in with some rather good news. Yesterday I had a job interview - for an actual architectural job, not just flipping burgers or folding sweaters. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

I re-did my portfolio for this round of job searching and I think it turned out nicely. The interview seemed to go really well, and my prospective boss even took me out to lunch. That's a good sign, right? To add to the "good" column, there is only one other candidate being interviewed and the firm is considering adding 2 team members not just one. So my odds are miraculously good. Then when I got home I finally got my results letter saying I passed my 3rd architectural exam. WINNING!

Be Careful What You Wish For

I was just complaining that I don't have enough time to blog because of test taking, baby wrangling and business starting. Well, I shouldn't have said that because now I have lots of time to blog because I got laid off.

I got the bad news last Friday afternoon, just a few hours after my whining post was published, but I've had too much on my plate to tell you until now. Tuesday morning we took ARE #2 and Tuesday afternoon we flew to Las Vegas to visit hubby's grandparents, which meant we spent the whole weekend cramming info into our brains and clothes into our suitcases. While in Vegas we have been spending time with family and helping around the house. Well, I'm helping when I'm not glued to my laptop. Resumes don't write themselves, people.

I already have some leads, so I'm feeling hopeful that I will find something that's right for me. Keep your fingers crossed for me!