Sunday, March 30, 2014

Greige -

This is a blog post in pictures tonight.  It's all about one of my favorite colors - GREIGE (grey-beige).  Kind of brown, kind of grey and now this sounds entirely lame. But whatevers (whatevers is the new term for people with a lot of time - instead of shortening a word we make them longer by adding esses and things to the end).

Blurry greige toeneails

Greige boots and greige Tom's - I was trying to be creative with this shoe shot. These shoes look good with every color.




Here is an outfit featuring a greige tee.  I googled "how to take fashion photos for a blog" and read LOTS of EXCELLENT info. Stuff about side lighting and a short focal length (or was it a long focal length) and how to edit the background, etc - really quality information. But then instead I just took this photo with my phone while standing on my tip toes because I am more of a Tired Girl and less of a fashion blogger.  And Yes, these are the same yellow jeans from the first photo and I do wear other things, but I just like these. The scarf I used to wear with this outfit was in my purse when it was stolen from me.  So I have revamped it with the blue.


Here is what happens when you try and have a photo shoot with a puppy - what you don't see is one of my sandals in his mouth.


Greige clothes - a tee and a cardigan (two of m favorite things)


Obviously I have a greige sweatshirt - it actually used to be yello but was such an ugly yellow in the end I dyed it "black" and black and yellow mixed to create a greige sweatshirt. It was meant to be.
Greige nail polish - I use the "gel" version.  Another blurry photo for your pleasure.


In closing I will share that many of the walls in my parenst house are "greige" the paint color was called "Starbuck" and we stinking love it. In my old house I had a lighter tone called "Quahog" - like a clam color - equally warm gray and pretty but just lighter.
A beautiful color.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Shoe stretcher -

It will not be a surprise, I am sure, to hear that - as a Tired Girl - I like comfortable shoes.  But as a human woman sometimes I have to wear heels. If it's a fun event with gorgey shoes to match a gorgey dress then it feels worth it, but otherwise it just feels annoying.  


I bought one like this at Target for about $10.
I will cut to the chase today - in case you are in a hurry. I bought a shoe stretcher and it works - the shoes are quickly made more comfortable.  Done.  

Here is more if you are avoiding doing something else:

There is a long story to tell you why I ordered a pair of shoes on ebay that are exactly like a pair I already have. I ordered these in a different color though and without eight years of breaking them in they - shocker - didn't fit as well. 

As usual I hit the internet and discovered a "shoe stretcher." I found several nice looking ones, but they needed to be ordered and more money than I anticipated was required. 

Cut to me at Target (a typical scene), and I bought a Kiwi Shoe stretcher for about $10.  I really don't see how this one isn't as good as the $22 dollar ones from Amazon and Zappos.  Ebay has some from China and you can a set of two for $12, but I had to WAIT for them to arrive and I wasn't in the mood for that.

So I jammed these things in my first set of ill-fitting heels and I hoped for the best.  I could tell you all minutiae of how I put them in each shoe in a very organized schedule to properly "stretch" them the same but you can piece that together.  



on their way to slightly less miserable feeling
In the end -- it worked!! I have "stretched" two pairs of heels and both are as comfortable as eight year worn in heels.


All stretched and ready to be worn. 
Who knew?? I didn't.  And I am so pleased to have a way to make heels more comfortable without sacrificing my feet.  There are lots of tricks out there to breaking a heel in further - heating up the shoe with a hair drier and wearing them around in your socks, etc.  That's awesome and all - no judgements or comments if that works. 
Could be interesting - it is a TWO-WAY stretcher - from Amazon.

I think if you are going to wear heels you need to be able to walk in them - looks so dumb to stumble and clod along.  So here's to wearing and walking in heels! 






 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A Puppy -

When you have a puppy you do not get to do certain things like prepare and post blogs, or shower regularly, or sleep, or wear normal clothes.  Instead you just get to survive, and talk and sing incessantly while performing a normal task like pouring water to keep the puppy entertained so he doesn't start chewing on the shoe you are wearing. Or you look up the weather each night to make sure no rain is in the forecast, because by God you will still be outside playing, you will just be wet.  But also when you have a puppy your house feels full and lived in, and you get to carry laundry with a furry body right in between your ankles and you are sure everyone will break something, and you get breathed on in a different way than normal, and the puppy lays down in front of the shower so he doesn't miss a second with you.
the man

I assume this survival mode mentality - wipe food on your shirt and nobody MOVE when he is finally sleeping kind of attitude is similar to having a baby except there is no puppy maternity leave and no one has brought us casseroles (that is a hint).

On Sunday I will write about Tired Girl things and today I will tell you I am too tired with my new puppy - my life has been hijacked by sweet puppy breath and a wagging tail and the need to always have something in his mouth - always! Always! Do you understand - always.  

and P.S. We are crazy about him.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Juice Bitch II

As I discussed in my original "Juice Bitch" post - I have been making fresh veggie/fruit juice and drinking it and liking it.  You can read about the idea of juicing for normal people in that post. 

Today I am going to discuss three things: juicing for Tired Girls, how the heck to use kale,
kale in motion
and my two favorite recipes.


Juicing for Tired Girls - Frankly I don't want to do much of anything except interact with people/animals I like, shop for stuff on ebay, lay in bed and read, and make sure my life has purpose and meaning. Outside of that list a lot of things feel like a chore - and food prep is a major one.  Here I compared making juice for a meal and making an actual meal:

-You do have to shop for veggies and fruit (but you have to shop for some kind of food).  
-You have to rinse and cut up veggies (but you have to do something with other food).  
-You have to rinse off the juicer and clean up the debris (you have clean food prep and dishes also).  

The good news:
-  I barely cut up the fruit and veggies.  I started juicing by cutting up these darling pieces of carrot and apple and now - whatever - just cram it in. Seeds?  No problem.  As long the item fits in the juicer thingy then we are good. 
- The masticating juicer creates juice that doesn't go bad as quickly - so while I have everything out, I will make a lot of juice - a few servings for each of us at least. So it's one prep and a few meals.  Like juice leftovers!

How the heck you use kale - So kale is going to save us all I guess.  How did we survive so long without eating it every meal?? How does a food get popular? I don't know but in the meantime I am in. Kale it is. 
- I juice my kale and then add it stuff all week. (I haven't mastered or tried kale chips or kale in soup, etc - not yet.)
- On the weekend, usually, I buy two clumps of kale from Publix/Wal-Mart/Farmers market. 
- I break kale in to smaller pieces (but not too small - about the length of your smart phone) and place in my salad spinner
- I rinse and spin and juice.  While the juicer drips the last bits into the container I break off more kale, rinse and spin and juice more. 
- I juice both bunches - for me it makes about a cup to a cup and half of kale juice. I put the stems and everything in. 
- The kale juice is dense - like ink.  AND it stains - like ink (goodbye cute J Crew shirt I paid almost full price for).  So a little goes a long way. 
kale juice!
For whatever reason I like getting the kale done all together and in advance - then it's easy to pour in to other juice or a smoothie or whatever.  It does have a flavor but is not dominant - in my opinion - I can barely taste when I add it to smoothies - just turns it green. 

My two favorite recipes - I get comfort in ritual. I like knowing exactly how much to put in and what it will taste like. I don't need variety with my juice. I do need to be able to do it in my sleep.  So this is basically all I ever make.  It was originally a recipe to treat endometriosis, but ultimately it is just an anti-inflammatory mixture. No uterus, no problem - still good for you. 

- 1 apple (no peeling, no de-seeding, just chop up)
just waiting to be juiced
- 1/2 red pepper (cut up to fit in juicer tube)
-  about 3-5 carrots depending on size (I get organic - no peeling necessary)
- kale juice or about 5-8 phone size pieces
- slice of ginger ( I get the big root at the store and just slice off a piece the size of a quarter - no peeling - I really like ginger though). 

Grind it through and serve over ice - I like it cold!  
I will add a starfruit for my husband if I have it on hand (which I rarely do - who buys star fruit?? Joe does that's who - he loves that dang starfruit).

My second recipe is really a smoothie - with kale.

- Glob of plain greek yogurt
- Glob of all natural peanut butter
- Some almond milk
- A banana
 - Kale juice

- I use my handheld mixer and drink for breakfast usually.  You could add egg whites too or wheat germ or flax or other fruits. You literally can not taste the kale at all - it is the weirdest thing - I think banana and peanut butter dominate. But the smoothie is bright green.  

Anyone have a simple juice recipe?  I hate 20 ingredients, but I would still read it.  I do not like cucumber in my juice at all - anyone like cucumber juice? Bleh.  Would anyone wear a shirt that says "This Tired Girl is a Juice Bitch." if I made them?  Me neither. 







Wednesday, March 12, 2014

TG Mullet -

Today I have a Tired Girl Mullet. It’s not business up front and party in the back.  Instead it is clean and dry up front and pulled back in a messy weird half ponytail in the back.  Sometimes it is not even all that clean up front but more just “neat” in front and pulled back in a messy weird half ponytail in the back.  It counts as a “do” because I gave it a name.  I bring it up though because it buys me more time on a busy day and for that it is an integral part of my life. 

Beware- DO NOT google "easy updo" as you will see lots of very uneasy dos.

DO NOT watch videos on youtube for ideas of ways to put your hair back in a "fast" or "easy" back-do as you will see complicated configurations or girls whose hair looks so perfect to begin with that anything they do will look great.

DO NOT feel bad about yourself.

What does your real human Tired Girl Mullet look like?  Send me pics or a description. I can block your eyes out if you want.  


I choose not to post unrealistic photos (today only) of gorgeous and definitely NOT easy back-dos.  Especially on 20-year-olds with professionally done makeup.  Also I think bad news (like banned content) is more palatable in Tired Girl pink.  And also, yes I am grumpy.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Hey girl, be nice

I originally posted this in January of last year, but was recently reminded the importance of being nice. A friend of our family always says in a sassy voice - "Manners will get you where money won't." - which is a tweak on the Margaret Walker quote.

This skill is imperative for Tired Girls and nice humans.

January 10, 2013
Be nice.  People will like you even better… and when people like you they overlook things.  Like, the fact that you are leaving their party early (because you are tired), or you didn’t call them back for a week (too tired to talk), or you don’t volunteer with them over the summer to organize the science kits and textbooks (seriously?), or your dog always barks at them when they innocently walk by your house, or you need someone to not hate you (because you were late for your appointment).  Instead, they unconsciously know that when you are with them: You. Are. Nice.   Don’t be fake, just be nice. 

It's helpful if you actually like and enjoy the people you are being nice too, and strangely once I take the time to go that extra little bit for someone, I  find that I often (but not always) do like them.  But even if you don't -  smile and say "thank you," and "you’re welcome," and" have a great Thursday," and "please,"and "those cookies look yummy," and "your car is so clean," and "that dress makes you look skinnyyyyyyy!!" (saying these things in  that crazy Oprah voice where she drags it out and goes up at the end is even better). 


You don’t have to be best friends with everyone – nor do I recommend that – just be nice to people. It’s the whole “pay it forward” and “you get what you give” theory, and us Tired Girls will inevitably need to be given something at some point (like patience… or help… or more patience).  So, you better give it when you feel good and awake so that when you are tired and don't (and aren't), people will like you anyway. 
if you ever get the chance you should google image search "ryan gosling hey girl" 

be this nice person by being nice to all

Aaaaand one more word about this. Be nice – not because you plan to need something at some point – but just because it’s nice to be nice (and all that other stuff about how it will come in handy when you botch something up.)  

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Tired Girl - friends

Not tired girlfriends (although it is really what they are), but rather Tired Girl - friends.  As a Tired Girl it is sometimes hard to maintain friendships, because - wait for it - I am tired.  Wah Wahh (sad trombone). Someone I like calls me and two weeks later I call them back.  Some girls are great with that and some not so much.
seriously

The friends in my world are hardy stock. They are not easily daunted; their feelings aren't hurt; there is no guilt; we all GET IT.  If it takes my TG friend Ashley four days to text me back I am cool with that and when it takes me three or eight days to write her back she is cool with that.  I wrote about my friend theory here in my post called Other People's Jerkiness:

- Survival of the fittest and nicest.  Some people make me feel guilty when it takes me awhile to call them back, and when that happens it takes even longer the next time.  Who wants to spend their precious energy being made to feel guilty when the phone works both ways? Not me.  The friends I have fit in to the survival of the fittest and the nicest category.  These are the people that don’t get their feelings hurt when I don’t attend the bachelorette party or take a little too long to email them back.  These are true friends. They truly love me and because of it they will take me with my flaws (tiredness) and all.  

That was quite a rant. I also understand that someone may not be interested in having a friend who is so unresponsive at times.  Some people like to actually interact. Thanks to all my friends that put up with me.



I would be shocked about the language, but I am not, and I agree with this.



Sunday, March 2, 2014

Survivor Tired Girl -

I wouldn't make it four minutes on the show Survivor. I drink a lot of water, I use chapstick and handlotion 11 times a day and I have to pluck and shave my body hair daily. I would not be camera ready with all that eyebrow hair, and they wouldn't want to show me plotting and scheming and swatting away mosquitoes looking like a wolf contestant.

One of my favorite past times, though, is to think about what my one "luxury item" (
 they used to do that, don't know if they still do) would be if for some miracle I was on that show.  This thinking has morphed in to wondering what products I really need to look nice enough to be on TV (or really just hanging out in real life).  I have decided on these four things: 

 - Clear skin (which I cannot control so this list already sucks)

 - Clean hair
 - Lip Gloss
 - An in-shapeish body (this is all relative and we all have different ideals for our bod)
 - A smile (ick what lame bumpersticker idea- you just need a smile and your whole dang life will be awesome). 
My most favorite lipgloss -
Buxom in "Clair" - a magic color.

There is something wrong with each of these items, but what I have decided (I always have to decide something) is that ultimately these are the best accessories a woman can have. Jeans, suits, pj's, a cranky mood, whatever, all look better on someone with these specifics.


So, while I often don't have some or most or any of these (today I have clean hair and a smile

 and that's all folks), maybe I will have some combination. The goal would be to have all of these every day.  I hope this doesn't sound vacuous (oh wait it totally does).  


My mom  can go a long time with out washing her hair, if needed, and it still looks great.  So that may not be on her list.  Obviously everyone's list is different. The other day I had 12 minutes to shower and leave my home.  It was interesting (to me only)  what was most necessary that day.   


This is as survivory as I get - with my Rafa Natural Dead Sea Mud Mask -
trying to get my skin glowing as "clear skin" is on my "most necessary" list.
As I have mentioned - I am terrible at selfies - probably
because I choose moments where I am half awake and covered in mud
to take some shots.
What is on your "most necessary" list?  You don't have to tell me or anyone else, but for some reason I think it's fun (ish) to know what's on my list. 
Though having perfect eyebrows is not on my "most necessary" list and having perfect eyebrows is not attainable for me,
but these are very good tweezers - and they come in "Tired Girl Pink"






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