by Joey | Sep 29, 2015 | Throwback
Saturday mornings, I clean. I keep telling myself I’ll implement a cleaning schedule to maintain throughout the week to avoid spending any precious weekend time scrubbing toilets, but that hasn’t happened yet.
But I woke up tired on Saturday with a pile of work to finish. So I threw a hat over my dirty hair, sipped coffee and worked away in my dirty home while the rain chucked down outside.
When I ended up working through an event where I was supposed to meet
Kristina (and finally see her face now that she’s a permanent Queen City resident once again), she said not to worry, she and her fiancé would just pop by for a quick visit.
I didn’t panic. I didn’t tell her not to come. Because the truth is, my house isn’t always clean, but it is always visitor ready. And with a few, easy tricks, yours can be too!
Find A Place For Everything.
And put everything in that place. If you know you’re going to dump your stuff on the kitchen table at the end of the day, remedy that. Hang your bag on an out of the way chair instead, leaving your table top clear. Do you normally sling your jacket over any available surface? Keep extra empty hangers in your coat closet and take the two seconds to put it away. When you use anything, follow through and put it back in its spot. Even if you can’t keep up with it as you go, it makes tidying up in a panic before visitors drop in.
Keep Closet Doors Closed.
Truth time. If you open any door in my (very tiny, limited storage) apartment, it looks like Monica’s secret closet. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but you get the picture. Our living space is kept very neat and tidy, and part of that is because most everything has a place behind closed doors.
Make. Your. Bed.
Here, I’ll say it again. Make your bed! It’s such a simple chore that makes your place look so much tidier. Get in the habit of doing this daily.
Keep dishes out of your sink.
This is my number one rule. I cannot stand dirty dishes in the sink at any given time. 1) I don’t understand it. 2) In my opinion, there’s nothing grosser than dirty dishes just hanging out in the open. Even when we lived in a house without a dishwasher, I didn’t have dirty dishes in my sink. Take the extra second to place them in the dishwasher. It makes all the difference and keeps your kitchen looking extra tidy. Plus, it’ll probably smell better…just saying.
Keep your guest bathroom clean.
Okay, so these are supposed to be “tidying” tricks, but this one is important. We luckily have two bathrooms in this very small apartment. I make a point to keep the toilet, counter, and sink clean in there. That’s the bathroom your guests will see and use. We don’t have a shower curtain in there yet (I know, I know), but I will tell you to keep it drawn. It just makes the space look neater and more inviting.
So while I didn’t get around to vacuuming, sweeping, mopping or scrubbing bathrooms on Saturday morning, my home still appeared clean. Burn a fresh smelling candle, open some windows, and you’ll be good to go!
What are some of your tips for faking a clean home?
**And in case you were participating in the how many cups can I spot game, the answer is 2.
I might be tidy, but there will always be cups.**
by Joey | Sep 28, 2015 | In the kitchen
I live a double life. At home, I am wife, pet parent, and writer. But at my day job, I have four kids who just returned to school. And we all know what that means: the return of homework, after school activities, and chaos. I’m easily overwhelmed, so it’s necessary for me to establish my back to school routine.
I’m constantly searching for quick but healthy meal options for both home and work. Most nights, I end up cooking two dinners #ThisIsMyLife. Trust me when I say convenience is everything.
I’m not the most gifted cook in the world, and with four new critics added to my audience, it’s important to me (and well, to my ego) that what I cook for dinner is something I can rely on pleasing everyone. The simplest way is to reach for an old favorite.
Back to School Dinner Sure to Please
What you’ll need:
1 head of cauliflower
steam in bag broccoli
- Cook the marinated pork sirloin per the instructions on packaging.
- Remove the cauliflower from the head.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Place cauliflower in pot and boil for 20 minutes.
- Pour cauliflower into colander, drain. Return to pot.
- Mash cauliflower, adding salt and butter to taste. Taste as you go.
- Microwave steam-in-bag broccoli according to instructions on package.
The
marinated pork sirloin comes out so tender and juicy every single time, and the mashed cauliflower is a surprising hit. My carb loving husband and cauliflower hating rental kids
absolutely love it. It’s such a delicious way to sneak in a few extra nutrients, making this back to school dinner a hit not only with the kids but with the parents, too.
Whether I’m cooking for my work family or for the husband at home, I don’t want to spend any more time planning or prepping dinner than I have to. I’m a huge fan of any product that does the work for me.
Visit
DeliciousinMinutes.com for easy recipes, great for any night of the week. Share your favorite recipes with friends to earn additional entries into the $5,000 kitchen makeover sweepstakes while supplies last.
by Joey | Sep 25, 2015 | beauty, Loves
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Jamberry nails. Set up much like Mary Kay, you find yourself a consultant and make purchases through their Jamberry site. You can host parties (which earn you free products), make a single purchase, or even buy into the business yourself, deeming yourself a consultant.
The concept is cool. And when it first hit the market, everyone and their mother screamed that I should partake, much like the Julep hype. For the record, I am not and will not be a Jamberry consultant. But I have tested out the product for you, and I’m here to give you a run down.
Pricing:
Each sheet will set you back $15. You will get two manicures, two pedicures and one accent nail from each sheet.
What’s Available?
Everything. No, really. They have solid, patterned, and holiday themed sheets available.
How does it work?
- Prep your nails like you would for a normal manicure.
- Match the wraps to each of your fingernails according to size.
- Cut the wrap in half & peel off backing
- Heat the wrap for 5-10 seconds with a blow dryer.
- Press the wrap to the nail neat the cuticle. Apply firm pressure and use the cuticle pusher to make a firm seal around the edges.
- Trim and file downward at a 90 degree angle to remove excess. Then trim just the tip downward at a 45 degree angle to ensure there is no overlap.
- Apply heat & pressure again.
Why it might be for you:
If you’re impatient and always smudge your nails, this is for you. If you love a nice manicure but aren’t particularly talented in the painting department, this is for you. If you like funky accent nails but have zero patience or an unsteady hand, this is for you.
Why it’s not for me:
I love nail polish. And I get why everyone pushed Jamberry at me–it seems like it would make sense. But the reality is, I love actual polish. I enjoy painting my nails. I can rely 100% that I’ll have a perfect (to me, anyway) manicure every. single. time. I paint my nails utilizing different tips and tricks I’ve collected along the way (do you want a post on those?). While nail art is cool, I think I’ve moved into a nail-art-free phase of my life.
Thoughts Overall
The product works and the selection is practically endless (they’re constantly releasing new patterns, shades, etc, much like a regular nail polish company). The price point is fair considering what you’d pay for a salon manicure. Jenn, the consultant who sent me the products, encouraged me to try the
7 day challenge. I applied a Jamberry sticker to one nail and painted the remainder with Revlon Gel Envy in Ace of Spades. The polish chipped in 4 days. But for the sake of full disclosure, I removed the Jamberry sticker off at that point.
I don’t do chipped nails. But yes, Jamberry lasted longer than regular polish. And I’ll admit, it did look cool. I’d like to think I’m remotely talented in the nail art department, and I definitely couldn’t pull off any kind of design like that.
Would I recommend it?
Sure! It’s definitely a neat concept, and the product did work. It’s just not really for me. I can absolutely see how it could be a saving grace to some, though. It is something I would consider purchasing for a fun holiday accent, but I don’t see myself investing in several sheets for day-to-day manicures.
Special thanks to
Jenn for reaching out and sending me some samples. If you’re interested in trying Jamberry Nails for yourself, enter the giveaway! She was kind enough to include a half sheet for me to enjoy, but I thought one of you might get a better use out of it!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Joey | Sep 24, 2015 | Throwback
>> Through an unfortunate series of events dealing with a hair salon, I ended up cutting my own hair on Monday night in a fit of frustration. Bangs, no less. They turned out okay considering I broke the cardinal sin of womanhood. I did eventually make it into a salon to texturize them, but they’ve been pinned back ever since because I absolutely hate them. Go figure. I’d share a picture, but no. I did document it on snapchat though (johodgespodges).
>> I’ve been living through music lately. When I was young, I would sit for hours in my room with the radio on feeling everything and journaling it all out. It was cathartic and important, better than therapy. I’ve strayed from it lately because really…who has the time for that? I think maybe that’s why I enjoy running so much because it’s just me and the music.
>> Speaking of music, I finally watched the last season of Glee. I’d given up on that show years ago. I’ve basically quit watching live TV all together, and Glee got the ax in that shift. I always have such sad feelings watching the final episodes of a show, but not in the way most do. Sure, I liked the show and I’m sad it’s over–but I have this weird thing where I can’t stop thinking about the actual actors in that situation. That graduation feeling, knowing a beautiful chapter of your life is ending. And this particular series ending induced all the feels because of losing Cory Monteith. Such a sad situation, and now that whole chapter of these actor’s lives is over. Life, it goes on, huh? #DeepThoughtsWithJoey
>> I got to grab coffee with sweet Erin of Why The HECK Not blog on Tuesday, and it was easily the highlight of my week! Such easy conversation and an all around lovely girl. She’s relatively new to blogging so go show her some love! I’m already eager to have another coffee date! So many
That’s all I’ve got for today! Hope you all have a great Thursday. Now, it’s your turn!
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by Joey | Sep 22, 2015 | Throwback
I picked up a writing book the other day while browsing Barnes & Noble with ATA. I instantly flipped it open to chapter one and read the first line. I don’t read the backs of books, so this is how I gauge my decision to buy or not.
The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is all about telling the truth.
–Anne Lamott Bird by Bird
(for the record, I know it’s shameful I don’t own this book)
You all know that I take pride in this little space for being honest. For telling the truth. But lately I feel like I’ve been flitting around, skirting the issues, afraid to make too much of a splash. It’s something I’ve struggled with all of my writing days. How honest is too honest? How much of this story is mine to tell?
I never want to tell a story that isn’t mine, hurting someone in the wake of it all. An empathetic person at heart, I’m constantly worried about how my words might affect others. The very same writer advises to tell your story. That you own everything that’s happened to you. You’ve probably seen the famous quote floating around or maybe it’s only famous to us writers…things I’ll never know for sure.
You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.
I have a story. A few, actually. And they’ve been bubbling up inside of me, screaming to get out. I’ve touched on how certain things have made me feel lately, but I haven’t gotten into the guts of it all. It all boils down to fear. I’m afraid to tell the truth, to lay it all out there in black and white. I’m not ready for the judgements, to have the world know my story and see the weakness inside of me. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for the questions because I still have questions myself.
I am who I am because of these stories. I’m the person I’ve become because I had to rise above. But part of me still feels like a child, like my stories can somehow get me in trouble. I shrink back down into a meek teenager, afraid to disappoint, desperate to please everyone.
I have a past, a history. I think everyone does. Everyone’s story is different, but we all have them. We all have something that makes us feel less-than. We all have memories that we can’t quite be sure happened because if they did, how did we survive?
Sometimes I look back at who I was as a teenager and crave that strength now. I had such conviction. I was so sure that one day I’d grow up and tell it all, my anthem, sure it would save some young girl from feeling the way I once felt.
I’m standing at the base of a wall, staring up. I know what’s on the other side, but I’m not quite sure where to step first, to pull myself up and over.
