by Joey | Aug 7, 2014 | Throwback
**Saturday night, I ended up on the couch. That. Should. Never. Happen. Why? Oh, well the hubs snores. That’s nothing new. But normally when I awake to the wood sawing snoring, I kick him gently nudge him and he rolls over & stops. Well Saturday night we were both exhausted. He was out cold, and my futile attempts to roll him over were causing me to wake further and further up. So finally, I grabbed my pillows and huffed into the living room. The next day, I bought silicone putty earplugs. I busted out the big guns, y’all. I wasn’t playing games anymore. Those suckers work. So for under $4 I’ve slept like a baby the last week. Thank you, Walmart.
**I got a new computer on Tuesday. It’s true, folks. My husband spoils me rotten. It’s so pretty. And shiny. And you know not crashing every 30 seconds! Whoop whoop! My old computer hasn’t been able to support a new operating system in a few years–so making the jump to the newest one is taking a little getting used to, but I’m loving it.
**I made this recipe last week and ate it for days. DAYS! It was so good I could cry. I don’t know why it never dawned on me to make stuffed shells. I’d never had any other than those sad little frozen dinners. They were surprisingly easy to make and absolutely delish.
**I am absolutely shocked at how many requests I’m getting for a sequel to Yeah, maybe! It makes me so excited to get back to work! I know I keep saying this, but you all have no idea how much of a dream come true all of this is for me. I’m still walking around on cloud nine. And you know what? There’s a lot of nail polish up here!!
**Every time the bestie calls me, my heart jumps into my throat. Because yup. It’s that time. We are officially in the baby could come any minute zone. And I am so. freaking. excited!!! I’m doing my best to make sure everything I can possibly arrange is in order because the second that call comes in–I’m out the door!
**Remember about a month ago when I shared that someone from my past passed away? He was a die hard Broncos fan his entire life. His uncle wrote to Peyton Manning, and the next thing we all know Chris has made national news. Peyton honored him by wearing a towel during camp with his name on it. Manning… what a stand up guy. Find the story here. Chris’s family is very important to me, and I know that this is something they appreciate so, so much.
by Joey | Aug 6, 2014 | Throwback
Hi Friends!!
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared my monthly favorites with you, so let’s just jump right into it!
1. Very Large Round Brush: Like my technical term? Yeah? Me too. Anyway. Since I hacked in some short layers into my long locks, I’ve fallen back in love with the good old fashioned round brush blow out!
2. Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain: I’m usually a pansy when it comes to bold lips, but these guys are super fun! The formula is amazing (it’s gel-like and sheers out nicely without losing too much pigment). And the colors are so pretty! I’ve been loving India Intrigue and Barcelona Nights. (Quick tip: these suckers are close to $10 at drugstores but are in the $5-6 range at Target).
3. Maybelline Falsies Flared: This is an old favorite. I picked up a new tube a little while ago, and I fell back in love with it all over again! It’s a good daytime stand alone mascara.
4. B&BW hand lotion: (not necessarily in the Carried Away scent, but I must admit I’m kind of loving that, too). I guess B&BW reformulated their lotions? I had no idea. My bestie sent me home with this when I was at her house for her baby shower, and it leaves my hands so soft! They’ve upped their game!
5. Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream: It’s come to my attention that there’s a possibility that I’ve never mentioned this beauty on le’blog. I’ve mentioned it (a few times!) on instagram, though. This is my number 1 favorite cuticle cream of all time. As you continue to use it, it seems to actually change your cuticles. All my life mine have been ragged and almost painful. Now they’re clean and soft! I owe it all to this baby! Also? The smell, you guys? I want to eat the stuff.
6. Neutrogena Skin Clearing Foundation (I wear color 60 Natural Beige): This is my go to every day foundation. I’m still in love with my beloved bare minerals, but for every day use (when, let’s face it, I probably won’t even see anyone), I’ve been reaching for this stuff. It doesn’t make my oily skin extra oily, and it wears nicely without feeling like a film over your skin. It also has salicylic acid in it to help with breakouts, but I’m not sure how much that actually helps with me (I have some serious acne prone skin).
7. Runtastic App: This baby tracks my runs. It tells me how long I ran, how far, and what my average pace is. I’ve stopped “timing” my runs (meaning, I just go out and run somewhere then turn around and come back. I no longer run for a specific amount of time waiting for a timer to ring telling me I can stop). It has a voice over feature that will come over your music and let you know each mile you’ve run, but I actually turned that off for now. I found that I was letting myself stop after 1 mile too easily with it turned on. It’s a great app, though. Oh. And it’s free!
8. Wet N Wild Wild Shine in Blazed: First of all, this baby is cheap. Really cheap. The formula was great, and the color is on point. But all that aside, this polish is the one that rekindled my love for a good jelly polish. I just love the soft color tone jellies offer!
I still can’t believe July is already over. Training camp is in full swing, and my best friend sends my heart into my throat every time she calls because she’s that close to going into labor! August! I have big plans for you!
What were your July favorites? Be sure to link up with Mia!
by Joey | Aug 5, 2014 | Throwback
I don’t think that’s actually a thing, but it worked for this post!
Like anyone else, I spend entirely too much time sitting at my desk. It never really bothered me before, but now that I’m paying a little more attention to my physical activity–I decided to ditch my old, uncomfortable desk chair for a yoga ball.
A few years ago (you know, back when two incomes were a thing), I had a membership to Massage Envy. It wasn’t because I wanted monthly massages (I mean, that part didn’t suck), but I was battling my posture. Let’s just say…my posture wasn’t pretty.
Now that I’m running, I’m stretching. And by golly, wouldn’t you know my posture has pretty much straightened out. But in my old desk chair, I’d sit in all kinds of contorted positions. I even brought one of the ottomans in from the living room so I could slouch even further. Hashtag: lazy.
So on Sunday, all that changed. The desk chair got the boot. Aside from helping with my posture, sitting on a yoga ball engages your core. You know, so you don’t go rolling off of it. Core strength is such a huge part of running–so I’m down for anything that might help in that department.
Would you consider ditching your desk chair for a yoga ball?
Do any of you already do this?
NYC Long Wearing: 152 Tudor City Teal
This jelly formula teal is absolutely to die for. And you know what’s even better? It’s 99 cents! (I just heard my husband bust into Thrift Shop in my head). I’ve mentioned before I’m a huge fan of the cheaper brands. Sometimes you have to hunt a little, but there are some serious gems. This went right onto my list of favorites. The formula was great (like most jellies, it’s a little sheer. I used 3 coats), and I just love the soft color the gel gives!
by Joey | Aug 4, 2014 | Writing
I’ve decided to make the book thing into sort of a series. To sit here and just tell you how I did it is only half the story. It’s not as simple as just following things step by step. At least it wasn’t for me. So sit back, get comfortable. Here we go.
For as long as I can remember, writing has been important to me. Every single year of my life from ten on is painstakingly documented. I have an entire bin of journals here at the house. There’s another in my parents’ attic. I’d panic at that, admitting where my journals are stored, but my parents lived it the first time around–and I always got caught when I did something I wasn’t supposed to. It’d be a waste of their time and quite frankly nothing they’d be interested in. Drama. That’s what it was to all of them. My family, that is. That’s not me calling them out, I promise. I’m the baby of five, they were just…over it. Drama to a bunch of adults is just…drama.
But to me? Pair my high school experience with my desire to write, and I guess you have Joey Hodges Author. I’ve been a writer my entire life, I just didn’t share it with anyone. And the thing is, when things happened to me, I felt them. They’re tattooed on me (not literally, Mom. Stop freaking out). They rocked me. They shattered me. All those things people said? I can still hear them all. When I was sixteen, I had some things happen. And I remembered feeling…sort of alone. What was happening was drama. That’s all it was, I know that then and now. But it didn’t make it feel any different. It was still happening.
So that night, I sat on my bedroom floor and wrote about everything. I wrote until my eyes were finally dry and my heart felt empty. And I closed the entry with I promise I’ll never forget what any of this feels like, what being a teenager feels like. I’ll never lose this perspective.
Some people have a soft spot for babies. Others really like the elderly. Me? Give me all the teenagers. I understand them. I empathize with them. I remember what it was like to be them. I made a point of it. And I remember thinking when I was a teenager that I wish someone would just get it. I wished that what was happening and what I was feeling wasn’t reduced to just drama.
I think that night, the night I wrote that journal entry, was the night I decided I’d write Young Adult fiction–before I even knew what Young Adult was.
I wanted to put something out into that world that would make at least one teenager feel less alone. I wanted to put something out there that would validate how they’re feeling, even when it’s just drama.
And because posts are more fun with pictures, I give to you…High School Joey:
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by Joey | Aug 1, 2014 | Throwback
Sally Hansen Insta-dri in Peachy Breeze
Wide brush
Formula: a little thick. First coat streaked. Second coat applied fine.
**I used Out the Door topcoat for the first time. It’s okay. I like Seche Vite better for 2 reasons:
- It dries all layers of polish quicker (no risk of any dents).
- It’s shinier. It always leaves the appearance of gel.
Seche Vite might be a few bucks more, but it’s worth it, in my opinion.
Can you guys tell I’ve been in a pink mood? Actually, that’s not really even true. I’ve just been on this perpetual hunt for the perfect soft light pink/coral color.
++I finished season three of Scandal, and now I don’t know what to do with my life. Maybe I’ll actually finish the three books I’m in the middle of right now. But go ahead–throw some (Netflix) shows at me! (Actually, you can throw some amazon prime shows at me too–because I have the best
gushfriend on the planet).
++ I’m in this weird in between busy and bored state now that the book is done. I certainly am not as busy as I was with the book–but there’s just enough to do that I can’t just sit on the couch all day–and that, for some reason, means I have zero motivation to do any of it. Why is it that when we’re busy as crap, we get so much done. But when we have all the time in the world, nothing gets done?
++ I’m almost out of my Chi volumizing mousse that I got when I bought my Chi straightener (yeah, it’s that old. Sue me). It does the job without leaving a seriously nasty residue in my hair (you can feel it’s there, but it doesn’t change the texture of my hair–if that makes any sense). But my hair certainly looks thicker (and the roots lift) when I use it. Do any of you have any drug store mousse recommendations?
++ I have gotten
a lot (way more than I ever expected) of emails from people telling me they want to write a book and asking what the process was like. First of all, I’m seriously flattered. Secondly, I’ll work up a post with the dirty details, but please know and understand that the process is different for everyone. What worked for me might not work for you. There isn’t some standard formula anymore. I’ll do my best to give whatever advice I can, though! (PS–If you haven’t already, snag my
book!)
