There's a Blog Party goin' on...

Hi! I'm Elliemae and you may have been transported to my wonderful day from 5 Minutes for Mom! I'm so glad you decided to stop by. I am a little late in joining the party. I finally got a moment of peace and quiet to write a party post!

Wife, Mama, San Diegan...

I am a full time working Mom. I try to find time here and there to keep a simple journal of my life to let family and friends know what I'm up to. J, my husband of almost 10 years, is my best friend and soulmate. We have S.O. much fun together! J was born and raised in San Diego. I have been a San Diegan for almost 12 years. I am originally from a small town in Texas. Our son, Lil'D, is 21 months. He is jabberin' up a storm right now. It's so amazing to have small conversations with him. We have 2 cats: Dark, an orange tabby, she is 12 years old. Shadow, a black tuxedo, she is only 2 years old. Shadow keeps Dark young. (and really angry because she won't leave Dark alone.)

Work...

I feel very blessed that since I have to work that I have a job that I love. I have been a kitchen designer for 13 years. Specifically, I am the design assistant to the owner of a small, high end remodeling firm. My strong point is N.O.T. meeting with clients, that is why I am an assistant. I have no desire to be a lead designer...ever. I L.O.V.E. being behind the scenes. I go to client meetings with my boss usually to take notes and measure. Once we leave that jobsite, the job is all mine. I lay everything out in AutoCAD. I love to space plan. It is what I was born to do. I re-arranged my room almost every month as a kid. I design the floorplans, elevations, and electrical plans. I don't just design kitchens either. I design, baths, entertainment centers, outdoor bbqs, bedroom furniture, libraries, bars, wine cellars...you name it I design it. Once the designs are approved we move on to style of cabinetry. My boss does all this. I have my own opinions about what I like, but I'm not good at telling other people what to like. Once the style of cabinetry is chosen I put together a proposal package. I price out EVERYTHING from the custom veneers, woods, plumbing, electrical, appliances, countertops, flooring and much, much more. Once the client has signed the proposal package I submit working drawings to our cabinet shop. We go back and forth with revisions until it is perfect. Meanwhile, I start to project manage the jobsite, making sure it is ready for installation. I manage the sub-contractors and the installers during the entire installation. Once the job is complete it can look like this. I really love my job!

Creative, Favorite color, Hobbies...

I am a super-creative person. My only problem is I don't have enough time so sometimes my creative brain is a curse to me. My favorite color is PINK. My favorite crafting time is spent crocheting right now. I have just recently made two of the no-sew fleece blankets. Those are so awesome. I've got it down to one hour. I love to read, again not enough time in the day. I have about 60 pages left in the Chronicles of Narnia. I have been reading this book for over a year. I am so ready for a new book!! I have also been dabbling in making some jewelry. We will see where that goes, but again my time is so valuable I have to spread it out. I love handbags and Hello Kitty. The handbag I am carrying right now is Kathy Van Zeeland. I have Hello Kitty hanging from my rear view mirror. I try to keep her to a minimum...but I lover her so much!

So, now that I finally joined in the fun I have my list of what prizes I like best:

#74 - The Paper Goodies & Baker's Twine from Pink Paper Peppermints. I so love her site. It's just so yummy with all it's beautiful color, fabric, projects!

#11 - $40.00 gift certificate to Good For Kids. I love everything on this website! It is full of beautiful wooden toys, adorable stuffed animals and so many other cool stuff!

#58 - customized 6 Week Fitness Plan from Go Workout Mom. I would love this...with my schedule I really need help!!

I also love: #7, #72, #135, #111, #109, #103, #62. In that order!!!

Hope you enjoyed your stay in my day. See you tomorrow!