Earlier this week I mentioned to my parents that I would like to start a map tracker of where all of my lovely blog readers are located around the world. My dad promptly went down into our scary basement and returned with a huge map of the world. I finished all of my homework super early today (pat on the back for me!) so I thought tonight would be a great time to get to work on my project, and here’s the final result: (All of the European countries are basically stacked onto each other because my post it notes were too big! Sorry! But I can assure all of you that I labeled every single country that I have a reader from with care 🙂 )
This evening I printed out my list of countries that have viewed http://www.lifewithlilred.com, laid my map out onto the hallway, and got to work. It was SO fun labeling all of the different locations, because it was like a scavenger hunt to find all of the home lands while the map text was in such a small print! I almost needed a magnifying glass for some of the itty bitty ones! It made it even better that my dad helped me find all of the places that I had trouble locating. I was honestly blown away by how knowledgeable my dad was about geography. There were so many times this evening when I would holler “DAD! Where is (insert country name here)?!” and without thinking my dad could give me an exact location of what I needed. My father loved traveling back in the day. He’s been all over Europe and lived in Thailand for about a year when he served in the Navy. Remembering these things about my old man made me appreciate our time together making this project even more. I felt like he enjoyed it just as much as I did, and that was really special to me. Every day my dad makes it a point to ask me where I have readers from, and it really touches my heart. The fact that he shows interest in my blogging which I enjoy so much really means a lot to me. Unplanned daddy daughter time tonight was a definite success!
I want to thank everyone who takes the time out of their day to read my blog. Please consider my mapping project tonight as a tiny gift from me to you. I thought about all of you guys when I was labeling my map. What you were up to, what the weather was like, what time of day is it in your home land. When I was working on this map, it was a weirdly warm October night. The sky in Akron, Ohio gets dark so quickly now so it looked like it was way later into the evening than just seven o’clock. I thought about the sun setting and rising in different areas of the world, and I felt so connected with all of you, and it was really amazing. Every day I look forward to reading all of your fantastic thoughts in your articles, and I hope the feeling is just as mutual for mine! Have a lovely Tuesday night, and know that someone in A-k-Rowdy, Ohio is sending some good vibes your way.
As a friendly reminder, it’s Hump Day tomorrow and you know what that means…AMERICAN HORROR STORY!!!!!!! It’s one of my favorite things in the world to write my weekly episode reviews, so make sure you check back in with me tomorrow for my thoughts on episode four! Goodnight! -Sarah
Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :
1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!
2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.
3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.
4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.
5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!
6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.
7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/
8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.
9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!
10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!
So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah
This is a special thank you letter to my mom and dad. A thank you for them being so accepting of their extremely unique looking daughter. My mother took me to get all of my piercings done from the time I was fifteen until I was eighteen and old enough to get them done on my own. If you’ve read my original post Body Mods, you’ll know that I’ve gotten pierced and repierced over thirty times, and my mom was there for more than half of these. My dad was never really thrilled when I’d come home with a new piercing, however he’d rarely let me know it. And when he did, it was as nice as he possibly could make it, which usually just involved asking me if I was ever going to take any of my metal out. Not only was my parents cool with my body mods when I was younger, they were also fine with taking me to the hair salon to get my hair dyed and styled into my signature bright red semi short hair. Words can’t really express how much this means to me now. The fact that I was only a teenager but my parents were giving me the freedom to express myself and look the way I want is something I don’t thank them for enough. I should really start. My mom and dad treated me like an adult in the sense that I was able to make decisions on my appearance completely on my own. I’ll never forget all of the times my mom and I would come waltzing into the tattoo shop and being greeted by all of the guys working. My piercer absolutely adored my mom and we visited him frequently enough that my mom would drop the classic phrase of “you can be my adopted son” whenever we would see him. It was always so fun for me to see my mom chat and laugh with all of these pierced and tatted up guys as if she was the mother of all of them. Watching her interact with them and pass no judgement on any of them was amazing. My mom is sixty and my dad is sixty-six and I really think its cool that both of them are totally okay with having a daughter who looks like me. Most people my parents’ age are very set in their ways which tend to be more traditional. When I came home with my newest tattoo yesterday (see the article Body Mods! Part 2 for more information on that), my mom was so eager to see it that she was genuinely upset when I told her I couldn’t take the wrapping off for another two hours. My dad was amazed when he found out his little girl sat through five hours worth of pain to get it done, “how in the hell did you do that?!” There’s so many parents in the world who wouldn’t be okay with their kids opting for a more unique look. And there’s probably a lot of parents who don’t agree with my mom and dad’s acceptance of my appearance. But that’s okay, to each their own. My mom and dad accept me for who I am because I’m my own person and I like what I like. And most importantly, nothing will change the fact that I’m their little girl. My gratitude to my parents for everything knows no bounds, and I am so beyond lucky that I have them. If you guys haven’t read my newest Body Mods article, this is my newest tattoo which I got this weekend:
Take the time to thank your parents for something they did that you really appreciate. Has there ever been a time where your parents shocked you with how cool they are? What was something that your mom or dad did that you’ll never forget? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday. -Sarah
One thing I love more than anything in the world is giving and receiving letters. My beloved grandmother (RIP <3) instilled in me at a very young age the power of hand written letters. Growing up, I remember getting so excited to see letters from my grandma in the mail. It wasn’t long before I began to write to her individually and eagerly anticipate a reply back. I loved reading my grandmas beautiful flowing cursive in rich black ink, because she always used brand new ball point pens. I’m actually getting insanely emotional as I type this, because now that my grandma has passed, the letters that I saved from her are even more dear to me. I began thinking about how no one really writes letters anymore while I was writing today to my sweet friend Neva, who you can read all about in my post Thankful. Neva was one of my grandma’s friends, and she’s sort of like my pen pal in between when I visit her. There’s something so beautiful to me about a handwritten note. A note just for you. A note that someone took the time out of their day to sit down and write, because they were thinking about you. That’s just so amazing to me. Whenever I would receive a letter from my grandma or Neva, thoughts like that would fill my head, and make the gift of the letter that much more special to me. The personal touch of a letter is far beyond anything a quick text message, email, or phone call can give you. Whenever I read old notes from my grandma from over a year ago, I can still hear her saying her written words in my head. It’s like an extra special hug from her to reread her telling me that she loves me. What could be better than that? Letters make me happy. It makes me feel good every time I send a letter to Neva, because I know she’s going to open it up and smile at my words. Brightening someones day like that is what I live for. The power of words never ceases to amaze me. Honestly, I’m not sure why people don’t write anymore, especially knowing that writing a quick ten minute note could make someones day. Who wouldn’t take the time to do that? Maybe I’m an old soul at heart, but I’d rather get something handwritten than all this virtual mumbo jumbo any day.
The picture above are just a few of the notes and cards I have saved from my grandma and Neva. I have them tucked safely away in my desk drawer, where I can look at them any time I want. I can’t encourage you guys enough to sit down and write a letter today to someone who means something to you. They’re going to appreciate it more than you know, I can promise you that. Have a lovely Tuesday evening! -Sarah
My mom and I are absolutely in love with the show Parks and Recreation. We binge watched up to season five and were SO disappointed to have to wait for such a long time to see season six, as it only came out on Netflix and DVD a few days ago. Lucky for us, we finally snagged the DVD set from the library, and have been watching our usual two episodes per night, just like before! My P&R time with my mom is very similar to my Dancing With the Stars time with my dad (see previous posts!). It’s our special time with each other, where we don’t have to think or do anything other than laugh. We love the cast of the show so very much. I’ll be honest, I used to despise Amy Poehler before I started watching Parks. I found her quite annoying. But after spending six seasons with her on this show, I adore her. She’s the cutest little thing ever! I love how passionate her character, Leslie Knope is about her job and her coworkers. I find it so adorable just how much she goes above and beyond for all of the members of the Parks team. Leslie Knope is thoughtful and goofy! Poehler is just fantastic at portraying this. Another fan favorite of ours is Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger. (Anne Perkins!) This guy cracks me up! Everything said by Traeger is either funny or indirectly funny because of his delivery. Seriously every time he opens his mouth it puts my mom and I in stitches. The chemistry between the cast is really something special. They also have a great script to work with as well. The writing on Parks is sharp and quick. I love the different types of humor it touches on, everything from sarcasm, satire, to complete silliness. Even the smallest backhanded comments on each episode pack a humorous punch. I’m looking forward to watching more of season six. My partner in crime and I are on episode five and so far so good!
If you haven’t watched Parks and Recreation, I can’t recommend it enough. Fantastic writing, a solid story line, and an all star cast including Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, and Adam Scott to name a few. Did I forget to mention Guardians of the Galaxy super star Chris Pratt is on the show too?! He’s a trip. Here’s a few snippets of some funny moments from the show:
Where are all of my Parks and Rec fans on here? What’s your favorite episode? (Mine is the Sexual Education epi on season 5!) Who’s your favorite character? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah
Family is so important to me. Monday nights always hold a special place in my heart because it’s when I get my cherished one on one time with my dad. And it’s no secret that I’m the ultimate daddy’s girl. Monday nights (AKA Middle Aged Monday – AKA MAM) is when I get a full two hours just for me and my dad when we watch Dancing With the Stars together. It’s been a tradition of ours for years now, and it’s time that I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. Every Monday night like clockwork at eight o’clock we settle into the living room with our snacks and soda and indulge in our television guilty pleasure of DWTS. Every season we tell each other we’re not gonna get sucked into watching…and every season we find ourselves glued to the tv set every Monday night. It’s always so fun to be daddy’s little girl and cuddle up next to him, laugh at all the commentary, and tell each other “I could do that” to all the moves in the routines. During commercial breaks we dance around the living room and recap the just performed dances. We comment on all the racy costumes and snicker at all the dances that we declare “I could have done better than that!” I love it when my dad is goofy with me, and I love seeing him laugh and enjoy himself. One on one time with each of my parents is so special to me, and it’s memories like Monday night tv time that I’m going to cherish for forever. Simple things like watching a television program with my dad or going on a quick shopping trip with my mom hold very dear to my heart, and I’m so lucky that I can indulge in time with one or both of my parents whenever I want. I’m so thankful that for my entire twenty years of life, I’ve truly been a mama and daddy’s girl. I’m feeling incredibly grateful right now. It’s so nice to be able to look forward to Monday night tv every week and to have the two hour daddy daughter hang out exceed expectations. My DWTS time with my dad is the equivalent of a daddy daughter dance to me, and how lucky am I that I get to attend a daddy daughter dance every week. I am content. I am thankful. Have an amazing night guys. Be well. -Sarah
It’s family movie night tonight and let me just say, I am thrilled! There’s seriously nothing better than putting on a pair of sweats, making love to a big bowl of popcorn, and enjoying a stupid funny movie with the fam. Tonight our movie of choice is Super Troopers. We’ve never seen it before, but have seen it multiple times on top funny movie lists, so we figured we’d give it a go. My family bonds over stupid funny movies. Our fan favorites include: Old School, Zoolander, The Internship, Step Brothers, Office Space, and Anchorman just to name a few. Honestly, family movie night is the one time I’m not slightly annoyed by anyone, because no one is talking! Ha. It’s always so fun to hear huge belly laughs and a symphony of “ohmygods” and “did he just say that?!” fill up our living room. One of my favorite things about movie night is that we have something to talk and joke about for the next few days. The playful back and forth quote banter between everyone is the best! It may seem lame, and I guess it kind of is….but, I think I’d rather be at home with my crazy sibs and parents watching a dumb comedy than going out on a Saturday night. No matter how much my family drives me crazy, (and believe me, they drive me freaking nuts) I still cherish my time with them. I’m such a hot head (and that’s not a redhead pun!!!) that sometimes all I can handle is something simple and small like movie night. These are memories I’m going to keep for forever, and smile every time I think about them. There’s something really special about these nights, and I’m really excited to get some quality time with the crew. MUSHENHEIM FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT 2014: COMMENCE!
What are some stupid funny movies that we should watch next movie night? What’s your ultimate favorite comedy? Leave me a comment and let me know so my fam can add it to our “to watch” list! Have a great Saturday night! -Sarah
Middle Aged Monday is upon us again, with another solid episode of Dancing With the Stars tonight. Season 19 is starting out strong with a cast full of fun contestants. Not only do we have a great new cast, but we also have a new judge, Miss Julianne Hough. I absolutely adore her, as does my dad 😉 she’s just so talented and sweet, and she’s not hard on the eyes either! My personal fan favorite so far is Mr. Alfonso Ribeiro, best known as Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That man has swag. He has great musicality and he can really move! His partner, Witney is just fabulous as well. Her choreography is outstanding. Who knew that Alfonso could bust a move other than “the Carlton”?! My dad and I are also having a blast watching Tommy Chung, “the original stoner” perform. His partner in crime, Cheech makes guest appearances through out the show as well, so it’s always a riot watching both of them together. Tommy Chung is 76 years old, but he’s so young at heart! He doesn’t move like a senior citizen, that’s for sure. The fact that he can keep up with his partner, Peta Murgatroyd’s choreography is mind boggling…the fact that he somehow manages to look great performing the choreography is a natural phenomenon all on its own. I seriously live for Monday nights. I enjoy and value the time with my dad so very much. I really lucked out today because I was originally supposed to close at work, but my coworker asked me to switch with her, so I got to open the store and be home this evening to indulge in my Middle Aged Monday treat. Who are your favorites so far on the show? Who do you dislike? Any early predictions on who’s going to take home the Mirror Ball Trophy this season? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah
I had a lovely afternoon outing in Kent today with my parents at Beckwith Orchards. It was the perfect fall day in Ohio to go to the apple farm! The property is just gorgeous, filled with flowers, honey bees, and apple trees as far as the eye can see. They have a biking and hiking trail and a super quaint little gift shop filled with bakery, decor, and a million different types of apples to taste test. The orchard has been family owned and operated for over 125 years, and you could definitely tell. There was a home like atmosphere throughout the property, and all the workers were extremely knowledgeable about the apples and the products they sell. They were so friendly too! They all seemed to really be enjoying themselves, which added to the family like touch of Beckwith. I could have spent hours just roaming their acres of land and filling my bag with the luscious apples adorning each tree. If you live in Ohio and are looking for a fun afternoon trip for your family, I definitely recommend giving Beckwith Orchards a try. Make sure you get some of their apple cider while you’re there, it’s so ridiculously delicious!!! Here’s their website with their hours, directions, and event calendar: http://www.beckwithorchards.com/index.html
Above is a Pic Stitch I made of just a few of the batrillion pictures that I took today. My featured image is of my parents being all cute and walking the property:) Happy Sunday! -Sarah
Today I got to spend time with one of my favorite people in the world. My sweet southern belle, Neva. And for that, I am SO grateful. I met Miss Neva about ten years ago. She was living in the same Christian retirement center that my beloved grandma was living in. Whenever I would visit my grandma who is now passed (I love you!!!!), she would introduce me to all of her friends, so it was just a matter of time before I met Neva. I instantly took a liking to her, with her sweet southern drawl, her gaudy jewelry, and her blonde bouffant wig. Over the years, we developed a very special friendship with each other. My grandma passing was extremely hard on me, and being able to mourn with her when I came to visit her was always very comforting to me, because she too lost a dear friend in my grandma. I try to visit Neva as often as I can, because her friendship is very important to me. It makes me happy to know that I make her happy. And the joy she brings me is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Whenever I visit, it’s seriously just two girls hanging out. We gossip and gab about our families,the retirement home residents, our beauty and fashion secrets, and anything else that comes to mind. Neva used to be an extremely talented painter, and bless her heart she still continues to paint her days away, so whenever I come to see her, she always has plenty of new art pieces to show me. I cherish our time together, and seeing her today made my day off perfect. Have a great Friday guys. Spend time with someone you love. -Sarah
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