Cleaner heaven

As we all know, I am an OCD-aholic. I have trouble watching people wrap a gift when I know I can wrap it better. Everything needs to be just so at work and at home. So you may all die a sudden death when I tell you that I am allowing my new cleaner to use my washing machine!

Is your jaw scraped up off the floor? Are you back in a stable seated position?

You see I love my new cleaner! I really do! I organised her to work at my office once-to-twice a week to help keep things neat and tidy. And once I realised what a gem she is, and that I was in desperate need of her help at home, I immediately organised for her to come to my house once a week.

And she’s amazing! On her first day here she cleaned out the fridge! Not just throw out the things that needed to be tossed, but she also wiped down all the shelves and cleaned out all the baskets. She also wiped down all the kitchen cupboards ensuring there were no oily marks left. All without being asked to! She also ironed and mopped and swept, and then she phoned me to say that she was all done and would it be okay for her to leave. This is quite unusual for me considering most of the cleaners I have had have left at their “chosen” time whether their job was finished or not. I was floored and so I decided that she must be worthy of using my washing machine.

Yes, I am a little mad. But there’s a little bit of madness in everyone, so what’s yours?!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

Appreciate my specialness

I’m special! And not in the “I’m unique and there’s no-one else just like me” way. I’m talking about a “slightly normal with a touch of crazy and weird”. I know my fiancé appreciates my specialness because of certain things I do:
1. I make the bed in the nude (not only does it make bed-making fun, it also allows me to cool off after a hot bath)
2. I am a heater (I make winter nights more acceptable because I’m a human hot water bottle)
3. I am a neat freak (which means he hardly needs to clean/tidy up because I’ve done it way before the mess has had a chance to irritate him)
4. I am a control freak (which means he doesn’t get to do any laundry because I just have to do it myself)
5. I am a present-wrapping-slut (I absolutely adore the process of wrapping presents and decorating them, and he hates anything to do with presents, so it’s a win-win)

I’m weird and wonderful and loved for just the way I am!

What 5 things make you special aka “slightly normal with a touch of crazy and weird”?

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*Picture credit

Perfectionistic intentions

I got this quote from Alet’s blog and when I read her post last night it really hit home!

For those that know me well, you’ll know that I find it very difficult to relax. I can’t come home after work and just sit still when there are things to be done. I will sort out the laundry or put a load in the machine, I will clear away plates and mugs from the coffee table and stash them in the sink, or I’ll sort out only-worn-once-mostly-clean clothes that have been stashed on the chair in the room. Or I’ll just potter around putting things away etc. Gary regularly forces me to sit down, put my feet up and take a breath.

And when I read this quote I realised that I am trying to do everything at once and tiring myself out in the process. I am trying to be the perfect fiancée. I am trying to be the perfect house-fiancée by doing the laundry and tidying up so the house is neat and tidy and presentable. I am trying to be the perfect employee by staying late to finish off costings, missing lunch because I’ve lost track of time (and then it’s too late to eat lunch because I won’t have space for dinner), and trying to fit a thousand and one things into each day to be on top of my work. And I’m trying to be the perfect me.

I know perfect isn’t everything, but to a perfectionistic OCD person like me, it is!

Is this just a me thing, or is it a woman thing?

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

P.S. I am happy to report that tomorrow I have a me morning planned. I have a pamper session at 9am where I’ll be waxed and plucked, have my toes done, and have a facial (and while the mask is on, I’ll have a shoulder and neck massage too). And afterwards I’m off to the hairdresser to touch up my highlights and get a trim. See, I can sit still if I have to…

Confessions of an OCD-aholic

Hello, my name is Jessica, and I have OCD. No, scrap that…I have major OCD! I am OCD to the point that perhaps I should be put in a straight jacket… Okay, maybe I’m not that bad!

I obviously spend the majority of my time at home and at the office, so my OCD is at it’s craziest there:

At work…
1) I have a specific filing system on my PC which I think is very necessary, very easy to put in place and easy to maintain. I pride myself on the fact that should I be out of the office (at an event or off sick), anyone can get onto my PC and find what they’re looking for. Okay…so maybe I have gone a bit overboard by creating folders in my emails, but this helps me a lot! Not only do I know that the emails sitting in the inbox are the ones I have not processed (etc), I am able to find emails pertaining to X company’s event that happened in X year by looking in that folder.
2) I have a very specific way of keeping my desk which is also very important. Yes it can get a bit crazy and messy when I’m working on two exhibitions/events at once, but anyone will be able to find what they’re looking for because it’s clearly marked. Each function has it’s own folder (with it’s name on the cover) where all information is stored pertaining to that event. Should this folder get too full, I’ll transfer it to a lever arch file where I’ll hand-make file dividers. (Hand-making file dividers is not as time intensive as you might think. Plus it saves the company money – go me!) These folders/files go with me to each event so it’s important that they’re kept in order.

I have always thought that my pedantic-ness is the perfect trait for the line of work I’m in – events management. You have to be super organised and super efficient to make any event run smoothly. (Here’s me doing a sterling job of explaining my OCDness!)

At home…
You may laugh at this and think I’m completely bonkers, but I have a certain way of doing everything at home, though I won’t make you go crazy by specifying every little thing. (I’m crazy enough for the both of us!)
My maid comes once a week and I like to make sure that all the laundry has been done so she just needs to iron it. Firstly because I like to make sure that the laundry is properly dried. She often washes the towels and packs them away while they’re still damp. And once anything has that damp and musky smell, it’s super difficult to remove it. Secondly I don’t like my maid using the washing machine. The washing powder gets everywhere but the drawer it’s supposed to be in, and if she does mess, she doesn’t clean it. There are a ton of other rants I have about how she doesn’t do things properly (like not putting the duvet the right way round into the cover, even though I’ve shown her…) but I suppose I can’t expect her to clean and do things like I would – like the crazy freak that I am. The only thing I can do is point out the things that she needs to do differently.

So, yes I’m crazy! Who doesn’t have a bit of craziness in them?! And yes I have super high standards! But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing… Here’s to hoping I’m not admitted to a crazy hospital one day!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*Picture credit

Hello and Welcome to Jessica Giggles

Hello and Welcome!

I have finally been persuaded to start my own blog after years of writing “Princess Jess” emails to my closest friends each week. The emails basically served to keep my friends in the know of what was going on in my crazy life! And it helped me to feel like I was keeping in touch with them even though I only saw them a few times during the year…

And so after a month of hinting, persuading, and generally trying to get me to do something about it, Gary (my fiancé) won! So late last night we set it all up. Unfortunately my preferred domain name was taken (Princess Jess), but “Jessica Giggles” suits me just fine!

I hope to write at least once a week. And I hope you’ll enjoy reading the goings on in the life of an event manager, with crazy OCD tendencies, and not to mention the love of all things chocolate and #SexyShoes!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles