via www.target.com
I picked this up for $5 at the grocery store. ELF has a reputation for having good quality shadows at dirt cheap prices. If you want to experiment with daring colors without the commitment, look for this palette. There are some good neutrals in there, too.
These boots aren't my usual style but man, putting these on at the end of a long day is the best. They're also great when the dog drags me outside in the morning and my feet would really rather stay in bed. The sides are open so they can accomodate wide calves and the foot is wide, too. These types of boots tend to stretch out a bit so if you're between sizes, I'd size down.
So yeah, I kind of suck at keeping up with this blog, right? I've just been dealing with a lot of stuff, mostly health issues. I may or may not be narcoleptic, so that's fun. I'm not sure if I think I am but I do know that it's nearly impossible to get through a day without a nap. But I'm not the type to fall asleep randomly while sitting up or anything so if I am narcoleptic, it's mild. Either way, being tired a lot makes it hard to be motivated to do much of anything other than the critical stuff.
I really do want to write here more so I think I'll commit to writing 3 short posts a week until I get back into a groove. To get things started, here are some pics of my dog on Halloween. Yay!
Wendy Shanker, author of your favorite book The Fat Girl's Guide to Life has a new book coming out very soon. Next week, in fact. Wendy contacted me to see if I'd like a copy to review and me being the pushy, annoying blogger I am, I asked her if I could give a copy away to one of you as well. I got not one but three copies to give away! I know, the word giveaway has you all perked up like my dog when she sees me grab her leash. You have to read my review first, though. It's only polite.
The book is called Are You My Guru?: How Medicine, Meditation & Madonna Saved My Life. I already like it because Madonna is right there in the title. It's about how Wendy contracted a rare autoimmune disease right as her whole life was taking off - single girl in Manhattan, writing for television (a little channel called Oxygen), interviewing celebs, the whole deal.
Far from a misty-eyed recollection of life revelations discovered while meditating and sipping tea, Wendy goes through a lot of shit with her illness and is brutally honest about much of it. There are endless days of depression and isolation, drug cocktails that make her feel worse than the disease does, a $600 wig, colonics and chemo.
Feeling that she's not making enough progress with Western medicine alone, she turns to all manner of new age-y woo woo cures and treatments. Some of them help, others don't. But what's interesting isn't just what changes with Wendy physically during this time, it's what happens emotionally and spiritually. Illness sucks but at least it teaches you something about yourself, even if you don't want to hear that at least illness teaches you something about yourself.
The thing I love about this book, and the Fat Girl's Guide, is Wendy's conversational writing style. It reads very much like Wendy is talking to you, but not in that corny way that comes off as silly and "Hey, girlfriend!" You know what I'm talking about. It's like you asked "So tell me what happened" and she hands you a cup of tea and spills the beans on the whole ordeal. This all means that even if you've never been sick a day in your life, you can still see yourself through Wendy's words.
All in all, a great read and when it comes out on September 7th, I recommend that you pick it up. The giveaway ends before then so you'll know whether or not you need to make a little trip to Borders.
Ok, now the fun part. Enter your name and email address in the form below and I'll draw three winners on Monday morning. I'll email you to tell you that you've won and to get your mailing address. Wendy's publisher will then send you a copy of the book. You will read the book, enjoy it a lot, and tell your friends to read it, too.
Update: Thanks to everyone who entered! The contest is over and I've sent an email to the three winners - Molly, Tristy and Jocelyn. Thanks again to Wendy and her publisher for providing the books.
I'm really going to miss summer. It's been pretty great - lazy afternoons on the beach, street festivals, long walks with the dog, time with my family and friends. But fall is closing in and it's time to start thinking about what I'm going to do with myself during the colder months to ward off the crazies.
Chicago winters are long and miserable. They start out nice with the fluffy white snow, prepping for the holidays, and snuggling into sweaters and scarves. But around the middle of January, you want to either sleep constantly or move to the Bahamas, or maybe move to the Bahamas so you can sleep on a beach (that might just be my fantasy). You have to have a plan for keeping yourself going. Here's my list.
1. Write a lot more. I'm going to start by putting aside a designated 15 minute block of writing time each day and then work that up to say, an hour and a half. I think maybe if it's part of my daily routine and I stick to it, I'll get back into the groove. I don't know what I'll write, probably content for this blog or just general journaling. I love writing, I just need to make it a habit.
2. Set up my home office. A huge part of why I rented this apartment is because it has a small second bedroom that's perfect for an office space. I decided to let myself off the hook and put off setting it up until the fall so it's almost time.
3. De-clutter my wardrobe. It's a mess, a total and complete mess. I have more than enough closet space now and most of my clothes are in laundry bags and baskets. I really, really need to go through and decide the fate of each and every item of clothing.
4. Other misc. apartment related to-do items. I have bookcases that I need to assemble, areas that will dissolve into clutter if I don't intervene soon, etc. I don't plan on moving any time soon so I need to work on making this apartment super comfortable.
So the main focuses are working on my apartment and making it a habit to write on a daily basis. I think this is a really doable list that will keep me busy all the way to spring. Plus, I have a Kindle
I ordered these shoes from Zappos
on a total whim. They make it so easy to return stuff that I do that sometimes - order something, mostly expecting to send it back but hopeful anyway. Much to my surprise and delight, these shoes rule.
I ordered an 8.5 wide and not only are they comfortable, they're almost a touch too wide. I always have trouble with shoes like this fitting my instep (the area between your toes and ankle on the top of the foot) so the fact that these fit and are comfortable is nearly miraculous. That buckle in the front is functional, too.
My only complaint is that the back strap isn't adjustable so it slips down a bit on me. The wedge heel is a little taller than it looks online but even I can walk in them without toppling over. There's a gel cushion thing in the heel and the cork is sturdy but not heavy like a freakin' brick. I'm really tempted to order another pair in red but I'll restrain myself. I got the black and will wear them with bright red toenail polish. Whee!
Warning: if anyone comments and calls them granny shoes, I'll cut you. Having wide feet makes finding cute shoes nearly impossible and these are super cute, even for a wide width shoe. Otherwise, if you have wide feet and need a fun summer sandal, this one might be your winner.
