Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!
Feb28

Annual Checkups To Schedule Today

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Annual Checkups To Schedule Today

Even if you’re feeling healthy, it’s important to have regular checkups with your doctor. However, some annual checkups are more important than others and should never be neglected:

Your Physical Health:

During your physical, your doctor will examine your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and other vitals. They may also do a screening for cancer or other diseases. If your doctor detects any problems, they can be treated early on before they have a chance to become more serious, which is why it’s so important to go every year. If you notice any changes in your health or believe you have been exposed to a virus or even unsafe chemicals, schedule an appointment with your doctor ASAP. They will want to run tests and monitor you closely. Should you have had a chemical exposure, you might even be able to learn about pfas legal claim payout details based on your doctor’s findings.

Your Mental Health:

Your mental health is just as imperative as your physical health. During a mental health checkup, your doctor will assess your mood, anxiety levels, and overall mental health. If any problems are detected, they can be treated early on and recommendations can be made for the best way to go about it. Some people use things like marijuana and gummies to help them stay calm and reduce anxiety. The best Delta 9 gummies are great for that.

Your Dental Health:

During a dental checkup, your dentist will examine your teeth and gums for signs of disease or infection and determine whether or not you need dental implants. They may also do a screening for oral cancer. It is best to go to the dentist every six months for a good cleaning to keep your smile radiant.

Your Vision:

You should get a comprehensive eye exam every year. During an eye exam, your optometrist will check your eyes for signs of disease or infection. They may also do a screening for glaucoma and other eye diseases. Even if you think that your vision hasn’t changed, it is still good to go and make sure.

The Mammogram:

A mammogram is a screening test for breast cancer. It involves taking x-rays of your breasts. Mammograms are recommended for women over age forty, but younger women should also have them if they have a family history of breast cancer.

The Pap Smear:

A Pap smear is a test for cervical cancer. It involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix to check for signs of cancer. Women should have a Pap smear every three years until they reach age 65, and then they can stop having them unless they have other risk factors for cervical cancer.

While these are the most commonly recommended annual checkups, they are not the only ones you should consider. Talk to your doctor about what other screenings and tests you may need based on your age, health history, and risk factors. Make sure to schedule appointments for all of them every year!

Featured Image By: Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Feb28

February 2022 Finishes

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February 2022 Finishes

Hellooo everyone and happy last day of February! I don’t know about you guys but January seemed like it lasted a year and February went by in a week! Today, we will be wrapping up the month by discussing my beauty finishes and there are a lot of them so let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

St. Ives Scrub: I love me a St. Ives scrub and, although there are reviews about how bad they are for your skin out there, I really don’t care lol. I have been using these scrubs for well over a decade now and have literally never had a problem with them. The Coconut & Coffee scrub is SO nice in the mornings and using it always made me feel much more alert and invigorated.

It took me twoish months to finish the bottle and I noticed a difference in my skin right away when I was no longer using it. My skin looked a little more tired and my pores felt clogged. I think I will have to incorporate a scrub as an all the time product in my beauty routine.

Innisfree Mask: I received this mask as a freebie from a Sephora haul and it has been sitting on my bathroom counter for months now. I finally decided to finish it a few days ago when I noticed that my skin was looking a bit lackluster. While I did think it helped clear my pores a little bit, I wasn’t blown away by any means and felt just as ambivalent as the first time I used it. I got three uses out of the travel size pot and would not bother using it again.

Hyaluronic Acid Serum: I haven’t been a fan of the Hyaluronic Acid serum by Tree Of Life since I got it in a multipack about a half a year ago and have been using it simply because I have it. Despite morning and night use, I never noticed a difference in how my skin looked or felt. It takes me about three or so weeks to finish one bottle and once I was done, I was eager to start using the Vitamin C one again. The Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum is one that I would definitely recommend and I always love seeing a difference in my skin’s brightness after just one use.

TBS Body Butters: I have been diligently chipping away at my travel size body butters from a Christmas gift and the Shea and Almond Milk & Honey were the last of them. They also happen to be two of my favorite product lines from The Body Shop. Their rich and creamy scents are so soothing and my winter skin has vastly improved from using them in terms of red and dryness. It took me about a week and a half to finish each mini jar with nightly use on my hands and areas with stretch marks.

Despite some duds in February’s beauty finishes, I am very happy with everything else. I am even happier to use more products from my beauty hoard, though, after all of these empties!

Which products did you finish this month? What are your thoughts on any of my empties if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Feb27

What Have I Been Up To?

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What Have I Been Up To?

Hi! It has been a while since I’ve filled you all in on the comings and goings of my day to day life and, honestly there’s not been too much! The weather in good ol’ Akron, Ohio has been total crap with heavy snow and rain making outdoor activities few and far between. We actually had a close to sixty degree day earlier this week and then the temperature plummeted again, which was such a cruel tease of spring weather!

With both mine and Johnny’s busy work schedules, we spend a majority of the time during the week at home. However, we do try to have an outing every weekend, which is a nice change of pace from a year ago when we legit weren’t doing anything because of the pandemic. We’ll usually go have a drink at a bar or lunch at a restaurant but our best outing was definitely our evening in Cleveland seeing Jesus Christ Superstar. Other than getting married, this was seriously one of the most exciting things that we have done since the start of the pandemic lol.

The time at home is just fine, though, because Johnny and I have a lot of work to do! As I’ve mentioned before, we are trying to move into a three bedroom apartment soon and need to get our place in tip top shape for a walk through. I am so looking forward to the additional space and it will be great when we are watching our little niece. I can’t wait to have her over for sleepovers filled with our favorite Disney movies and dancing while Johnny plays guitar!

When we’re not cleaning and organizing our space, I have spent a lot of time both cooking and reading. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been able to shake up my dinner menu and it has been a lot of fun! I forgot how much I enjoyed cooking until I began trying new recipes instead of the same old favorites time and again. I have also been trying to finish a book per week and am currently working on Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Keep it posted for a Lil Red’s Book Club review soon. 😀

Obviously, we don’t lead the most thrilling lives at the moment but I love our happy little bubble no matter what. When the weather changes to more moderate temperatures, our activities will pick up once more. Including going ice skating at least twice a month for me. This January, I stopped attending my lessons because the Omnicron variant was skyrocketing in Ohio. I can’t wait to go back once my evenings aren’t filled with cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning.

That’s about it in Lil Red’s world right now and, as always, keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

What have you been up to? Have you done anything exciting recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb26

Dinner Time!

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Dinner Time!

Hello! Ever since discovering the joys of Pinterest, I have become a woman obsessed and have spent a considerable amount of time checking out vegetarian recipes. During my last shopping trip, I bought the ingredients to make baked ziti and spinach and ricotta Stromboli and was daydreaming about it until I finally made it this past week. 

Once I arrived home from work, I spent about an hour cooking with the recipes I found from DeLallo for the ziti and Kitchen Cat for the Stromboli. Johnny and I agreed that they both turned out excellent and I will definitely be making this meal again in the future:

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^^^ And, yes, I am so aware that I need a bigger casserole dish but you work with what you’ve got lol!

Both of these recipes were incredibly easy to make but next time I make the Stromboli, I will be following the recipe to the T and making calzones, instead. My lazy ass decided that the Pillsbury croissants would be a simple fix as opposed to pizza dough and I was dead wrong. While in the oven, the croissants pulled away from each other leaving the middle bare of breading. It still tasted great but it looked less than presentable and was a pain in the butt to cut into pieces.

I also will be the first to admit that I should have left the ziti in the oven for longer than a half hour because it wasn’t piping hot. But, Johnny and I were starving and it was nothing that a little blast in the microwave couldn’t fix. We were both already hungry before the food went into the oven but when the aromas started wafting around the apartment we were ravenous!

Although there were little blips in this dinner in terms of heat and presentation, they are both still recipes worth trying out. Peep DeLallo and Kitchen Cat for the full posts! 😀

What is your favorite thing to cook? What do you like to look at on Pinterest? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb25

4 Tips To Improve Your Personal Presentation

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4 Tips To Improve Your Personal Presentation

People work hard to attain the skills and knowledge to stay progressive in life. They will invest heavily in those areas, often creating specialties that can help them create a stable career and lifestyle for themselves. However, those elements are not the only things contributing to your progress. It might not feel like an important matter, but how you present yourself is critical.

Body language, posture, and self care will be a few indicators of how well you present yourself. Its effects might feel like an effort to please others, but it is actually an opportunity to take care of yourself more. The confidence you can achieve from improving your image can help you interact with others better, even leading to the point where they compliment your efforts. As a result, people have more reasons to listen and believe you.

However, it can be challenging to identify where to start. If you want to enhance how you present yourself, these tasks will be ideal for your daily routine:

Personal Hygiene:

Your self image relies heavily on physical appearance. The first thing people will see is your face and body, and they might already have plenty of stuff to say about them. Flaws will stand out. Walking into a room full of talented professionals means you must also present yourself that way. Unfortunately, you might pop out in the wrong way when you have messy hair, unorganized clothing, and look disheveled. Odors and bad breath could also have more significant consequences for your self image.

Fortunately, you can eliminate those minor physical flaws through your daily hygiene routine. Showering, brushing your teeth at least twice a day, and applying deodorant might be enough to help you stay clean and neat. Your efforts will ensure that you are presentable, making it the first step towards an improved self image.

Skin Care:

Proper hygiene routines can help you stay clean. However, it does not mean you are automatically presentable. They aim to maintain neatness, but you might have to do something more to improve your physical appearance. A good skin care routine can be incorporated to help minimize wrinkles, acne, or age spots. Even sunscreen can do wonders for your appearance. A consultation with a dermatologist can be a good start and will help increase your knowledge of self-skin care routines.

As you explore different options for skin care, it’s important to be able to identify what your skin type is. Then, you can buy products to help improve and enhance it. Looking up skin health information, advice, and tips can help make you more knowledgeable when it comes to perfecting your skin care regimen.

Active Lifestyle:

Going to the gym, playing sports, and performing at home exercises can help you improve your shape. However, the results might be challenging to achieve without a healthy diet. Cutting down on carbs and removing fast food from your life can help reduce weight and prevent illnesses like diabetes and obesity. An active and healthy lifestyle can help you present your physical appearance better, even improving your posture, balance, and self esteem.

Fashion Trend Updates:

The steps mentioned above allow you to make a routine that improves how you present yourself. They might be fixed guidelines that every person must pursue, but another element can make you stand out even more. Your fashion sense will play a huge role in helping you present yourself better.

Experimenting with a few accessories and pieces of clothing will allow you to improve your fashion sense. However, fashion trends pop up unexpectedly. You must find ways to keep up, which means going shopping every once in a while. You can shop for Kate Spade items online to make the experience more convenient or have a treat day at your favorite store.

Keeping yourself presentable is necessary in life, even though it feels like less of a priority than knowledge and skills. Incorporating these routines means that you will always be in peak shape whenever you are in public, because you never know who you’re going to meet!

Feb25

Lil Red’s Spring Cleaning Pro Tips

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Lil Red’s Spring Cleaning Pro Tips

Howdy!! In about two months, Johnny and I are possibly moving into a three bedroom apartment which means that we need to get our place in tip top shape to prove ourselves worthy. The timing is perfect because it coincides exactly with spring cleaning! Slowly but surely, we have been tackling this task and it’s not as bad as I thought, especially when following these tips:

Declutter:

A true deep cleaning of your home can’t happen without a good decluttering session first. Johnny and I are still on this phase in several areas of our apartment but I can already see a big improvement. I knew that we both have a lot of stuff but I don’t think I realized just how much until we began going through everything piece by piece.

When decluttering be sure to organize like so:

  • Throw away: Anything that is damaged beyond minor issues, garbage, and don’t forget anything past its expiration date in the pantry!
  • Donate: Items still in fair condition that are no longer needed including clothing, electronics, home goods, even dishes! Johnny and I have SO. Many. Glasses. which I definitely plan on downsizing.
  • Hand Me Downs: If you have close friends or siblings that might be interested in any of your donate items, feel free to pass them on. I know my sister will want a peek at any of my clothing or accessories that I no longer need!
  • Buy, Sell, Trade Groups: Facebook Marketplace and the like are a great way to make some extra cash for unneeded things. This is especially good for more expensive items or larger ones that you could see someone else wanting. You can use your new funds for more cleaning supplies. 😀

Deep Clean:

Once your unwanted items are out of the way, it will make a good deep clean so much easier. This is when you pull out all of the stops – dusting, sweeping, disinfecting, and so on. Prior to your cleaning session, just make sure you have all of the products that you need to accomplish it. Once you have motivation to complete this task, a run to the store can burst that bubble really quickly!

Remember that you will need specific products for different types of cleaning and some things might require more care than others. For a really good deep clean, it can help to call the experts in. For example, a company like Hydra Clean NW (or a similar one in your local area) would be a good idea to call for tough stains in upholstery and carpets. You will be amazed at the difference it will make once those unsightly stains are gone for good!

Work In Sections:

No one says that spring cleaning has to be done in just one day! Sectioning off your cleaning and working in small bursts will help decrease the stress of such a big chore. I try to work in half hour or so increments every other day and always feel pleased with my progress afterwards.

During my cleaning, I have been working on the easy stuff first while slowly pecking away at the bigger projects. My kitchen and bathroom are small so those were the best places to start whereas my living room will need a lot more effort. Long story short, sectioning off is the way to go when spring cleaning!

Delegate Tasks:

I am a huge fan of organizing and I don’t mind cleaning all that much so those are the chores that I have been working on. However, there are things that require heavy lifting or a lot of elbow grease that I’m just not capable of and will be Johnny’s assignments. If you have kids, a chore chart will be helpful and you can throw a pizza or ice cream party when the work is done to celebrate your nice, clean house.

If you live alone and could use some extra help, invite some friends over and have them lend a hand. Pizza and ice cream also goes a long way for adults! Also, there is no shame in hiring someone to clean, either. Johnny and I are going to take care of a majority of the work but when we move out, we will be hiring my sister’s friend to make the apartment look the best it can and get my security deposit back lol. If you don’t have a connection in the cleaning business, services like those offered by Squeaky Clean Homes (or a similar company in your local area) will help save you so much time and energy. Especially if you need a deep clean to get your place back in order or are preparing to move or sell. A clean home is a happy home and whether you DIY or hire a helping hand, you will be so happy when all of the chores are crossed off of your to do list!

Entertainment:

When I am cleaning, I can’t stand to work in silence and will put on my favorite music or something that I have already seen on Netflix. The key words being “something that I have already seen” because nothing kills motivation quicker than getting way too into whatever is on TV! Once your tunes are on or you’re laughing along to your favorite scenes from The Office, the task at hand doesn’t feel so bad.

Reward Yourself:

No one wants to spend their weekend or evening after work cleaning when they could be relaxing. I sure don’t! After I complete my cleaning burst, I try and do something that I enjoy like reading, playing Animal Crossing, or settling down with a movie. But it could be anything! You could treat yourself to some take out or have a nice, hot bath. You so deserve it!

Cleaning is a necessary part of life in your home and while it isn’t the most fun thing, it doesn’t have to be completely miserable, either. Use the tips above and soon your place will be as fresh and clean as a spring day!

What is your least favorite chore? What are some of your spring cleaning tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb24

Have Fun & Stay Active With Bowling

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Have Fun & Stay Active With Bowling

Did you know that bowling is one of the most popular activities out there? Most people don’t associate it with a sport, but it is. Just because you don’t need to be extremely athletic, doesn’t mean it isn’t a proper sporting activity. In fact, this makes it a perfect way for people to start exercising and being more active. If you’re new to the whole fitness thing, bowling is a brilliant way into the door. It gets you up and moving, but without loads of heavy impact or crazy strain on your body.

So, if you like the sound of this, how can you get started?

Buy the gear:

Another reason to take up bowling is that it doesn’t require a lot of gear. Usually, all you need are some bowling shoes, bowling gloves, and a bowling ball. Now, it’s important you understand what kind of bowling ball is best for you based on your ability and physical strength. It can be good to start with a lighter one and make your way up. Also, bowling alleys do supply all of these things for you anyway. So, when you’re just starting out, maybe don’t invest in the gear just yet. Play with what they provide, see if you enjoy bowling, and then commit to buying your own stuff.

As you get more into bowling and perhaps assemble a recreational team, it can be fun to go all out with some matching gear. From gloves to roto grip T-shirts or even matching bowling shoes it is a great way to symbolize your camaraderie.

Find somewhere to play:

You’ll be surprised at how many bowling alleys are close to where you live. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that every city in the country should have at least one bowling alley. Look online for your closest one, see the reviews, and pay it a visit. It can be a good idea to go to multiple places before you decide on one to visit regularly.

Book your slots/buy a membership:

Some bowling alleys let you buy a membership that grants you unlimited access to the facility whenever you want. You still have to book a slot, but you don’t have to pay every single time. However, the majority of places will just make you pay every time you book a slot. Either way, figure out the best time to go bowling. If this is something you want to do on your own or just with a couple of friends, it can be best to book slots around the busy periods. Those of you that have free time during the day should book during weekdays as it means kids won’t be around. It can be harder to get slots after schools close because lots of kids love bowling.

From here, you’ll reap the health and fitness benefits of bowling, while also enjoying a very fun and sociable activity. Who knows, you might get good enough to go pro someday! 😀

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb24

The Busy Life Of A Modern Woman: Health Risks & Self Care Tips

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The Busy Life Of A Modern Woman: Health Risks & Self Care Tips

Right now, modern living essentially means busy living, particularly for women. Being busy may mean making money, thriving to get ahead of your career, fulfilling ambitions, keeping in touch with friends, raising a family, exercising, and so much more. Jam packed schedules force them to put their physical and mental health at the bottom of their priorities. In general, two things hinder women from maintaining a healthy lifestyle: not prioritizing themselves and the lack of time.

Many women lead high pressured lives as they struggle to balance their careers and personal lives. However, health is essential, not just for yourself but for the well being of your family and the people around you. Let’s delve into this a bit more:

The discrimination against women in the global society typically puts them at a higher health risk than men. Unfortunately, access to health services and health care are intertwined with socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the health risks for modern women occur due to the following:

  • Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse
  • The lack of access to education and equal employment opportunities
  • Society’s exclusive perception that women are meant to reproduce
  • Inequality in relationships between men and women
  • Poverty, involving malnutrition and an unhealthy environment

The Jean Hailes’ Women’s Health Survey has also emphasized the relationship between women and health, stating that at least one in six women experienced discrimination in having access to healthcare.

Health Risks for Modern Women:

Health problems may affect women in various ways. Some may experience physical health issues, while some women may suffer mental health problems or a combination of the two. These problems go undiagnosed most of the time, causing them to worsen. Health risks in busy and modern women often include depression, anxiety, breast cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases.

If you are noticing new symptoms or have simply been living with them, it is so important to go to a doctor to determine the source. Regular visits to your GP should be maintained as well as an annual well woman check with your gynecologist. Issues like cervical cancer rarely show symptoms and it’s crucial to have these appointments so your gyno can monitor anything unusual. Well reviewed practitioners like Dr Hugo Fernandes (or a similar one in your local area) can not only assist with your gynecological health but with fertility treatments as well. Dealing with infertility can be very hard on your mental health and you owe it to yourself to explore all available options.

Leading a Healthy Life:

A healthy lifestyle can help prevent health risks, improve quality of life, and prolong life expectancy. Keep the following reminders in mind to keep yourself healthy and happy:

Practice Self Care:

Self care comes in different forms. But as long as it involves maintaining your health and attaining a great sense of happiness and fulfillment, you are doing it right. It could be as simple as exercising regularly, having a nice warm bath at night using your vitamin C whitening and moisturizing soap, or watching a movie to relieve stress. Self care can be pampering yourself at the salon, visiting your doctor for a routine checkup, or enjoying healthy snacks. It’s all about having routines that promote a better quality of life.

While self care often comes in smaller forms, it can also be something major to improve your confidence like looking into plastic surgery. There is nothing wrong or taboo about it and a procedure from an excellent surgeon can really transform your life and how you see yourself. You could be opting for filler or Botox injections or even a breast fat grafting with lift in Phoenix (or your local area). This procedure uses your body’s own fat to help reshape and elevate your breasts for a more contoured appearance. This can be a huge boost if you have breastfed, lost a significant amount of weight, or simply want to enhance the way you look even more.

Manage Stress With Healthy Habits:

Stress is the common root cause of many health problems and, unfortunately, many people tend to rely on unhealthy habits to reduce stress but doing so only makes things worse. For example – smoking cigarettes, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, or engaging in dangerous activities, which only puts them more at risk of health problems.

Learn how to manage stress with healthy habits. You can go hiking with your friends, finish a book while drinking tea, get a massage, or do meditation. You could also attend a women’s workshop or two to shake off the stress and empower yourself and others. There are various ways to manage stress without compromising your health and safety so always choose what’s best for you.

Think of Your Future:

You may be young and full of energy, but that will not stay that way forever. Think of the future you will have if you keep neglecting your health. What do you think your future will be like if you keep practicing unhealthy habits? You need to invest in your health while you’re still young and reap the benefits once you reach old age. If you want to live a long and happy life, you need to start making changes in your lifestyle as early as now.

Women need to focus more on their health because they have so much on their plates. The good news is that womanhood involves a supportive community that encourages them to uplift each other. Talk to your family and friends about the importance of health, share tips, and build goals so all of you can lead a healthier lifestyle together.

Feb24

Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

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Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

Hello! This past Saturday was an absolute delight filled with dear friends, family, and delicious food. Johnny and I met up with two of our favorite people for lunch at Barrio, which is one of all of our favorite restaurants. Barrio is a build your own taco restaurant and they also have the literal best Margaritas that I have ever had:

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The food and drinks were divine but the company was even better and Johnny and I had such a fabulous time! Since Johnny and I don’t go out too often, it makes every lunch or drink at the bar an occasion to get dressed up for. I had grand plans of having him take my pictures in downtown Kent but, unfortunately, it was SO. Freaking. COLD!!

It truly is such a Midwestern statement but it wasn’t the temperature that made it cold, it was the constantly blowing wind. And, for once, I even agreed that it wasn’t the day for outdoor pictures, which is really saying something. I was disappointed because I loved the outfit that I was wearing so I just had him take some shots on the staircase in our apartment, instead:

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Who? What? Wear?

I will be the first to admit that this outfit was definitely not appropriate for the weather but that has never stopped me before lol. While selecting my outfit, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear and, then, I remembered my Scotch & Soda blazer that I am obsessed with. Although it is a recent purchase, I kind of forgot about it because it has been too cold to wear it. Granted, it was way too cold to wear it on Saturday so I am looking forward to warmer weather even more so I can rock it without freezing my nads off.

The Scotch & Soda blazer is very light, making my black cami the obvious choice to wear underneath. Anything bulky would ruin the way that the blazer lays because it’s so form fitting. My distressed jeans were also, admittedly, not the best choice for a cold day because the holes in it are huge but I never get to wear them during the work week since they’re not the most appropriate!

With the base of my outfit complete, it was time for shoes and accessories. I chose one of my favorite necklaces by Mia Fiore to add some visual interest and it played beautifully against the deep gold accents in the blazer. I also liked the bold chain against such a delicate pattern. Normally, for earrings, I always rock dangly pairs but that wouldn’t work with the necklace so I went with some small studs, instead.

For my shoes, I toyed with a lot of different options but most of them would have broken up the sleek silhouette that I was working with. I finally ended up with my original thought of my platform loafers by ModCloth. They are not in the best shape because they’re pretty old but I loved how they looked with my OOTD.

With the loafers selected, I knew that I needed some type of sock with them because I am nothing if not sensible lol. I had a sheer white pair with daisies on it in mind but I couldn’t find them anywhere. It was all good, though, because I think my black ruffled ones looked even better. I thought it was so cute how you could still see the ruffles with the jeans I had on, which made for a really fun touch!

Was this a good outfit for the weather? Absolutely not. But was it still a good outfit? YES! I fricken love this OOTD and just had to share it with all of you, even if it was just pictures in my apartment! 😀

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? How would you style my blazer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb23

Tips For Making The Best Coffee At Home

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Tips For Making The Best Coffee At Home

A lot of people hit the coffee shop for a freshly brewed cup during the day. But what about those times when you’re at home and need a caffeine burst? Brewing your own cup of joe can save you money and time, but with so many methods and flavors out there, how do you know which way is best? We have outlined ten tips that will help you make better tasting coffee from the comfort of your very own kitchen:

Grind Your Beans Just Before You Brew Them:

Freshly ground coffee is the best way to ensure that you’re getting the freshest flavor possible. Coffee starts to lose its flavorful oils as soon as it is ground, so using ground up coffee will give you a subpar taste. If you can’t grind your own beans, try searching for a grocery store, cafe, or supplier that specializes in Coffee Supplies. These websites can be an invaluable tool for stepping up your coffee game as you’ll be able to obtain the appropriate products to begin grinding coffee on your own.

Use Filtered Water:

If your water tastes bad, so will your coffee! Make sure to use clean cold water without any hidden odors of chlorine for the best results. If you don’t like the taste of tap water (or don’t have access to safe drinking water), bring filtered or bottled spring water to a slight boil and cool it for a couple of minutes before pouring it over your coffee grounds.

Avoid Grounding Beans In A Machine With Metal D Blades:

Ground up metal is not going to taste very good! Invest in a blade free or a burr grinder, which will ground all of your beans easily and consistently.

Clean Your Machine Often:

Coffee oils build up in household coffee makers quickly, creating an intense flavor that can be nearly impossible to clean out completely after every use. Make sure to keep the machine clean by running through several cycles without any coffee in it at all. A good rule of thumb is to clean it once a week or after ten uses, whichever comes first.

Avoid Over Filling the Basket:

Coffee machines are measured by how many cups they hold but, if you’re filling the basket with too many beans, you’re going to end up with watered down coffee that lacks flavor. Generally, one rounded tablespoon for every four ounces of water in your machine will produce an optimal cup of coffee.

Grind Your Beans To The Right Consistency:

It may be tempting to grind your beans to an incredibly fine powder so that more oils get trapped. However, this can create a gummed up mess in your grinder and lead to an over extracted cup of coffee. A slightly course grind will lead to a smoother cup of coffee with less grit.

Temperature Matters:

Water temperature is crucial in coffee brewing because it takes away any unpleasant, bitter flavors before the flavor has a chance to develop. In order for your water to be at an optimal temperature, bring it to a boil and let it cool for 30 seconds before pouring over the ground beans.

Get a Coffee Server:

Making coffee can be time consuming, but if you invest in a coffee server to keep your pot warm all day long, you’ll never have to waste the whole pot again. Instead, just pour yourself a cup whenever you want one! Buy the Hario Pour-Over Coffee Server Set to get started.

Skip the Sweeteners:

Coffee is a great way to clear up your skin, detoxify your body, and provide your brain with an energy boost so don’t ruin all of those benefits by adding in creamers or sugars that will increase your calorie intake and reduce the health benefits. Instead, try using natural substitutes like honey or maple syrup to add flavor without all of the empty calories.

If you’re looking to take your morning cup of joe up a notch, try these tricks for making the perfect pot every time. Cheers!