Currently...

Heyyyyy friends! Long time, no see! I'm not even going to waste your time by going in to a long, drawn out story about where I've been the past two months. Ain't nobody got time for that! Is that still cool to say?!  I am alive and well! I thought I would come back and share what's going on with me currently. I have seen this cool blog post idea around the blogosphere, so I thought I would share too!

+ Crafting: Well I have a quite a few crafting projects that I want to work on...BUT I'm one of those people who find things I want to craft, especially using things I find on my thrifting trips, and then they just find a home in a closest FOREVER! Must do better...

+ Cooking: To be quite honest, I'm still patting myself on the back for the Thanksgiving meal my honey and I prepared! We decided to stay home this year because for one, we didn't get Little R until 6:00 pm, and we were going to be in Virginia with my family the following Saturday for my cousin's 40th birthday party. Long story short, Big R smoked two whole chickens and a turkey and I cooked all the sides (mac and cheese, candied yams, Big R's mom's dressing recipe, greens, corn, and mashed potatoes) All of it was bangin'! Since then we've ate out a few days. (So bad!) I'm happy to get back in the kitchen this week and take control of what I'm putting in my mouth!

+ Drinking: Mostly water! I haven't been drinking coffee as much lately (gasp! I know) -- more on that later!

+ Reading: I started reading the Fault in our Stars weeks ago. Great book, I just have to force myself to separate from my phone and laptop and actually read more!

+ Wanting: To marry Big R already! -- more on that later!

+ Playing: Nothing - I don't really play any games. Never really been my thing. 

+ Wishing: My dad was here to see me get married and the birth of his first grandchild (my niecy pooh will be born late December/early January) 

+ Enjoying: Writing this blog post! Gosh I've missed blogging sooooo much!

+ Waiting: Christmas! I just love the Christmas holiday. It's the one holiday that gives you such a warm and fuzzy feeling year after year

+ Liking: Seeing all the Christmas decorations in our neighborhood. I like to have my decorations up by December 1st, well that didn't happen. So hopefully I will have it up by the end of this week!

+ Wondering: What I will get Big R for Christmas. 

+ Loving: Weekends with Big and Little

+ Needing: A new hair style. Early September I had to get several inches of my hair chopped off, and I'm still not used to it yet!

+ Smelling: Glade Vanilla Frost Plugin

+ Wearing: t-shirt and shorts. I don't wear pajama sets. Do you?

+ Watching: Just finished watching Sunday's episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons

+ Listening to: Big R's phone conversation with an old coach/friend

+ Obsessing over:  The changes occurring in my life over the next year!

+ Shopping for: "Santa" shopping for Little R, Christmas gifts for Big R, gifts for my niecy pooh!

+ Learning: More about the MBA program I will be starting in January 

+ Wasting time on: Youtube videos, blog reading, and trash tv

+ Working on: Growing with my company

+ Looking forward to: My birthday (12/21), Christmas, and then skip right on to SUMMER! : ) 

Until Next Time, 

<3 Keia

The Friday Five

Happy Friday, y'all! When I tell you that I can't wait to stretch across the couch this weekend!! It's not a game!!

Let's get into this week's Friday Five. Mmm, k?

1| basically.

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2| cute, right?

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3| one day.

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4| just call me Kim Jr.

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5| where's the magic wand? I need this replicated in my home office.

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I hope you have a great rest of your Friday lovelies!!! ; )

Until Next Time, 

<3 Keia

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner| Dollar Tree Style!

Happy Wednesday! Happy Hump Day! All that good stuff.

I've decided I am going to pop in every now and then to share things that I find useful in my everyday life. I hope you are able to find some of these things useful too!

I have a question for y'all. Do you watch videos on YouTube? I'm not talking about music videos or those viral videos that pop up on your Facebook feed. I'm talking about lifestyle videos and vlogs? Well I am A-D-D-I-C-T-E-D!!!! Like no joke! I swear to you I can watch YouTube, and not need an actual tv...it's that real! Anyhoo, one of my favorite YouTubers is Kathryn from DoItOnaDime. She gives really useful tips about organization and decorating your home on a budget. A while ago she mentioned these glass bowls from the Dollar Tree.

They are perfect for portion control! Goodness knows I need to be in control of my portions!

So the next time you are in Dollar Tree, get yourself some of these!!!

Until Next Time, 

<3 Keia

Week in Review| Sunday, June 1st - Saturday, June 7th, 2014

Hey friends!!! 

Before I started writing this post I went back to see when I wrote my last Week in Review, and it has been a good minute! I know I say it all the time, but life happens. It just does, you know?! And just to be real with you...some weeks just aren't as exciting as others. So don't count on these posts every week, but I will try to post as often as I can!

This past week was an interesting one to say the least! I think all weeks have highs and lows, and that was definitely true for me this week. Overall though, the week was great! I can't even begin to explain to y'all how blessed I am. I sometimes don't know what I did to deserve the life I live. I thank God for it all very often! I know none of it would be possible without HIM!  

Anyway, let's get into the happenings from this past week!

I've shared in the past that Little R spends a good amount of his time in NC with his dad and I, and the other part of the year his is in VA with his mom. This past week started summer visitation, which means that he will spend a week at a time with us, and then a week at his mom's. Since he will be with us more, you can expect to see a lot more of him here on the blog!

|Little R|

So I know I am biased, but Big R is such an AMAZING dad to Little R. They spend so much time together. From playing basketball together, learning new football drills, to spending time at the pool. They are inseparable. I love the love they have for one another. Warms my heart all the time. In the last picture, Little R was getting a lecture about something or another. I have no idea why they decided to have the conversation on the floor, but whatevs! Big R will certainly shape Little R to be a great man someday!

Little R had been dying to try a mohawk for quite a while. His dad finally gave in, and we tested out for a few weeks. Well...it just didn't work out too well for the kid, so he got a fresh cut early in the week. He looks civilized again. LoL. 

Little R and I decided to kick it out in front of our house one afternoon while we waited for his dad. Little R was too busy listening to Chris Brown on his Beats to talk to me. He didn't want to take any selfies with me either! What is that about? I don't know. Then his dad comes out the door, and tells me that he read that people who take selfies have self-confidence issues. The nerve! Men don't understand, or at least my man doesn't!

This child kicks it around our house like he is a king, or as if he pays some bills! LoL. He is getting so big! Make it STOP please! And thank you!

|Carowinds|

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We spent Saturday afternoon at Carowinds. This was Little R's first amusement park experience. He had so much fun!!! We spent the first few hours enjoying the water park. Then we grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to ride some rides. Little R got off every ride screaming, "That was AWESOME!" "That was AMAZING!" LoL. It was adorable. Big R on the other hand, had a hard time. He's not a fan of rollercoasters, but he toughed it out and rode all of them with Little R and I. We had a blast! We plan to go back later this summer!

Despite the looks on their faces, they were having a good time. Just a little impatient while waiting in line. LoL. 

And that's it! I hope to come back next week with another Week in Review! 

Until Next Time, 

<3 Keia

DIY Framed Art| Motivation Wall

Happy Friday!!! I hope that your Friday is going well. Are you looking forward to the long holiday weekend like I am?!

So I actually mentioned this DIY project weeks ago! Oops! I don't really have a good reason why I took me so long to get this post up!

Anyway, this project is SUPER, SUPER simple! It was also a very inexpensive too! Can't go wrong with simple and inexpensive if you ask me!

So let's get started: 

|WHAT YOU NEED| 

-12 month calendar with nice graphics. {For this project in particular, the calendar I used had a tabbed page with a motivational phrase for each month, but you can use anything. I think black and white photographs would be really nice for this project for example!}

-12 frames. {I purchased my frames for a $1 each at the Dollar Tree}

|OF SPECIAL NOTE|

-I purchased my calendar at Walmart last year for $4!

-The frames I purchased at the Dollar Tree also came with matting, and I think the matting adds a nice touch. It makes the look more polished overall, but you certainly don't have to buy frames with matting! It's optional. ; )

-Use 3M strips to hang the frames! I LOVE me some 3M strips. I don't have time to measure and hang things with nails and all that jazz! #ainthappening 3M strips are right up my alley. You can eyeball where you want your frame to go, slap it on the wall, and if you find that you need to adjust the frames you can easily just pop the frame off the wall and try again. 

|HOW TO|

{Step 1}
Simply remove the art from the calendar. Then cut off the spiraled edges.

{Step 2}
Place the art into the frame.

{Step 3}
Arrange the frames as desired. (I just arranged the frames on the floor by the wall I planned to hang them on. This step is especially important so you can get an idea of spacing.)

{Step 4}
Hang the frames on the wall.

And voila!!! You have yourself some lovely, framed motivational wall art. I basically completed this project for $12 since I already had the calendar sitting around. Winning! 

I decided to add the frames to my side of our master bedroom, just beside my closet. The quotes add some quick inspiration whenever I feel like I need a little boost.

Just in case you are interested, here are the motivational phrases:

Every Year. Day. Hour. Minute. Second. Is A Chance To Start Over.

Smile. You’re Beautiful.

Don’t Fall Back On What’s Behind You, Spring Forward To What’s Ahead.

Do One Thing Every Day That Will Make Someone Smile.

Dreams Bloom Best In A Well Tended Garden.

When Life Gives You Lemons Ask “Is That ALL You’ve Got?”

On The Road Of Life – Always Follow Your  <3 {But Make Sure Your Brain Rides Shotgun}

Today Is A New Day.

Your Life Should Not Be A Game Of Follow The Leader. Pave Your Own Path & Dance All Over It.

Your Days Are As Fun As You Make Them.

Life Goes On. So Keep On Keeping On!

Be Glad Life Doesn’t Come With An Instruction Manual. {It Is Way More Fun To Wing It Than Follow Directions}

So, what to do you think? Would you like to see more DIY projects in future posts? Let me know what you think about this DIY project in the comments! 

Until next time,

<3 Keia

New Gig. New Cubical. New Decor.

In my new position I will be working in cubicle land again, well I'm at least 85% sure I will be, based on what I gathered on my visits to the office for all THREE of my interviews. Anyway, I'm so excited for a fresh start. I just can't begin to describe my excitement to y'all! I'm just as excited to snazz up my new work space as well. The collection below includes the items I deem to be most essential for my cubicle area. 

Cubicle Decor by lakeia-gill featuring coffee mugs

What (I think) you need:

1 | A cute calender

2 | Some greenery (even if it's faux greenery)

3 | A coffee mug!!!! Can't live without my coffee.

4 | A pen holder 

5 | Some artwork Whatever suits your fancy in that department.

The day I got the job offer, I ran over to Target to hit up $1 bin for some new odds and ends for my new desk area!!! I couldn't help myself...I felt like a needed to treat myself! #dontjudgeme  LoL! Here's a snapshot of what I picked up:

How do you all decorate your office space? What do you consider the "essentials"? Let me know if you guys enjoy posts like this? What do you want to see next? Let me know!!!

Until next time,
<3 Keia