Category Archives: Friends

Jan10

Blogging BFF!

Posted on by
Standard
Blogging BFF!

Hiii everyone and happy Tuesday! Over the years that lifewithlilred has been up, I have been lucky enough to make some amazing Blogging BFFs that I keep in touch with pretty frequently. Thanks to email, Facebook, and commenting on each others blogs, it is easy to become fast friends with some of your readers. Today, I got a little post holiday prezzie in the mail from one of my favorites, Carlie, over at Bombshell and wanted to give her a special shout out! I love getting letters and packages in the mail so it was so fun to open this little ditty today:

necklace

Thank you so much again, Carlie, I love it! Please be sure to take a minute to check out her blog and be on the lookout for a collaboration post between the two of us coming soon! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Weldon Carpenter: A New Friend

Posted on by
Standard
Weldon Carpenter: A New Friend

Hey everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful, relaxing weekend. This past Thursday, I had to venture out to the Tri-C campus in Parma, Ohio for an extra credit lecture. Because I’m literally never in Parma since I don’t attend that campus, I decided to make a post on my Facebook to let my friends in the area know that I will be there for the afternoon in case anyone wanted to meet up afterwards. My friend, Danielle, replied and we decided to meet up at the bar that she works at in Lakewood which was about fifteen minutes away.

Because Danielle’s work didn’t open until four, we started at a bar that was down the street called The Patio. Danielle was treating me to twenty-first birthday drinks even though it’s over a year late so that’s what made me justify drinking at the bar at three in the afternoon! About halfway through our time at The Patio, an older gentleman walked into the bar and within ten minutes he came up to us and asked if we liked Playhouse Square (the beautiful theater in Cleveland).

Being an avid lover of the theater, of course I replied with an enthusiastic “YES”. This sent who I now know was Weldon Carpenter off to his car to retrieve a photo album and a surprise treat. While Weldon was at his car, the bartender explained to us that he was a historian and photographed Playhouse Square and the surrounding theaters since their openings. She also told us that he used to work as the personal chef to the one and only Miss Judy Garland.

Just as the bartender was finishing up her briefing on Weldon, he came walking in with a thick photo album and two teddy bears for me and Danielle. He told us that he has over one hundred and fifty little stuffed animals that he keeps handy just to make people smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a stuffie sitting on the bar that he must have gifted to the bartender when we weren’t looking. “Aren’t they beautiful?” he asked as Danielle and I held our new bears on our laps. And they really were. The beauty lied in the gesture and the bear he picked for me couldn’t have been any more perfect considering it was sporting a black t-shirt!

After we settled in with our drinks and teddies, we began to look through Weldon’s album, page by page. With every picture of each theater, there was a story or memory that went along with it and I was just mesmerized. To watch him smile and speak enthusiastically about the memories that he loved so much was something that was really special to me. None of my grandparents are alive so I haven’t conversed with someone in that age range in quite some time. Speaking with Weldon felt good and safe. It made me want to curl up in a blanket and hear more.

With every page turned, Weldon insisted on either one of us taking whichever photo we liked. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of copies and I give them all away for free”. His gentle prodding led to both of us picking out a photo that we loved and you could tell how pleased he was that we did. This man genuinely loved sharing what he felt was beautiful – and it was.

After we finished looking at Weldon’s photo album and listened to a few stories about how he met Judy Garland at his friend Mae West’s party we unfortunately had to part ways. Danielle had to be at work so we had to head down the street to the bar for a night of serving for her and more drinking for me. But all evening, I was still enraptured by the kind stranger who we spent a half hour with in the bar. The man who bore gifts and treats for complete strangers and left them feeling like they had just met their guardian angel or long lost friend.

When I got home, I Googled Weldon and found so many articles boasting that he was one of Lakewood’s local legends. Pages full of articles telling tales of theaters, photos, and stories similar to the one that I just told you. I felt proud. I felt proud that the city that he seemed to love so much loved him back. I felt proud that he was sharing his beautiful spirit and stories with the world. I felt proud that I just met him.

Will I ever see Weldon again? Maybe, if I head up to Lakewood around three or so, I’ll find him at The Patio enjoying a glass of red wine that he will be diluting with shaved ice. Maybe I’ll see him sharing a photo or a stuffed bear with another person at the bar. But until then, I’m so happy to consider Weldon Carpenter as A New Friend.

Apr15

You’ve Got Mail

Posted on by
Standard
You’ve Got Mail

Hi everyone and TGIF! This has been the week of treats for Lil Red! Thanks to my previous post, Beauty Bloggers: HELP! Again., I got spoiled with Avon samples from my friend, Angela. But the wealth continued to be shared because yesterday I was surprised with a package of Arbonne samples from the darling Nicole over at wychwoodwayfarer. I don’t get fun stuff like beauty supplies in the mail very often so thanks to Angela and Nicole, this week has me feeling like a kid on Christmas morning!

I had so much fun sorting through my haul of Arbonne samples that Nicole sent me with my mom. We divided the goods because I was sent doubles of some samples and I don’t use a night cream, I prefer masks. My mom was so happy to be included in the beauty festivities and I felt the same way times a billion! This morning I enjoyed using my samples of a cleanser, toner, eye cream, day cream, and serum from Arbonne. They were all simply fantastic. I especially enjoyed using the cleanser because the one I’m using currently sucks. -__-

I can’t thank Nicole enough for shipping such amazing samples to me and it was so nice to be able to try so many new products! I’ve never used or heard of Arbonne before and I think I just found a new favorite skin care line. Again, please be sure to check out Nicole’s page at wychwoodwayfarer and take a look at all of the wonderful Arbonne products that she has for sale! You’re fabulous, Nicole.  ❤

I hope everyone is having a great week so far with many fun things to look forward to this weekend. Has anyone received a surprise gift in the mail lately? Who is a fan of letter writing? (ME!) I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr13

Avon Calling

Posted on by
Standard
Avon Calling

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! A week or so ago I posted the article Beauty Bloggers: HELP! Again. because I was in search of a new serum to add into my daily beauty routine. I was so blown away by all of the wonderful suggestions and helpful tips that all of you commented. But I want to give my friend, Angela, from dazzelme an extra special shout out because she was kind enough to send me some Avon serum samples in the mail.

Angela was so incredibly sweet and helpful when we communicated via email. It really was such a treat to receive a package in the mail from her with a catalogue stuffed with samples and a handwritten note. I am so excited to test out all of the goodies that she sent me and am so happy to have gained such a fabulous new friend! I encourage all of you to check out her page at dazzelme and be sure to take a look at all of the gorgeous Avon products that Angela has for sale! Thank you again so much, Angela! You’re amazing!  ❤

Mar18

Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure

Posted on by
Standard
Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure

Hey everyone and TGIF! Last week my best friend, Lea, and I had the best time coloring Easter eggs. Lea and I have been BFFs for over seven years and dyeing Easter eggs is one of our many bestie traditions. Every year we always have so much fun, even though our eggs never really turn out all that great! This year, Lea’s mom de-yoked the eggs so we were working with empty shells for the first time. It was all very well until I walked away from the first egg that I sat down on the table for one second and it rolled off! Lucky for me, it only left a crack and we had no further incidents! Take a look at our eggs and us being cute and then let’s discuss further:

^^^ I love us! :*)

As you can see, our eggs clearly aren’t worthy of gracing the Good Housekeeping pages BUT we have a really good excuse for it! The colors in the egg coloring kit that we got sucked! It was seriously the most random compilation of colors ever, with two blues, one green, a yellow, one pale orange, and a pink. I wouldn’t be so upset about the color selection that we were working with had they been bright and vibrant but these colors were dull as dish water! Part of it may have been that we mixed the dye wrong but I’m just going to go ahead and blame it on the coloring kit. 😉

So our eggs didn’t turn out picture perfect – big deal, because we still had such a good time! I can remember dyeing eggs in high school with my bestie so the fact that we have kept this tradition alive after all of these years makes my heart feel very warm. There’s nothing better than sitting at the kitchen table, dyeing sub par Easter eggs, and having girl talk with your best friend! We dyed our eggs pretty early in the month, so who knows? Maybe another Eggcelent Adventure is in our future soon. With much better colors, hopefully!

❤ Love you, best friend! ❤

So there you have it, Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure! What concoction do you use to make Easter egg dye? What is one of your favorite traditions with your BFF? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Quick shout out to myself because I think that the title of this post is a hoot! I’M SO FUNNAYYYYY! #ihatemyself

Feb18

Why Can’t We Be (Facebook) Friends?

Posted on by
Standard
Why Can’t We Be (Facebook) Friends?

Hiiii guys! I hope you’re all having a stellar Thursday! I’m just gonna go right out and say it…I need your help!! I am about 200 friends away from reaching the 5,000 friend limit on Facebook and I really wanna get there! I love interacting with all of you so much on lifewithlilred so let’s take these friendships a little bit further and make it Facebook official! 😉

You can shoot me a friend request at my personal Facebook page and a like on my page for lifewithlilred wouldn’t hurt either! While you’re browsing through my Facebook please make sure you view the ads that I have posted for Twistfire Media because they’re fun AND it helps me get paid! If you’re interested in signing up for Twistfire, you can always shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com! Thanks everyone! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This past week, my Special Olympic ice skaters competed in the winter games and it was totally awesome. The events took place on Wednesday and Thursday and they were single handedly some of the best days of my life. On Wednesday my sister, Kristen, joined me at the competition and the banquet that followed later in the evening. It was so nice to have her keeping me company and all of my skaters and their families just loved her! The days of the competitions were long but they were so worth it, so let’s discuss:

Wednesday’s competitions were the races for the speed skaters and then the figure skaters would compete in their skills and compulsorary events. On Thursday, the figure skaters would perform their music routines. Wednesday started out much too early for my liking because I had to get up, get ready, pick Kristen up, and then make the twenty minute drive to the rink so I could prepare my skaters for the events an hour or so beforehand. I felt like a zombie but god knows I looked fabulous! 😉

Once we arrived at the rink, my tiredness was a thing of the past because seeing all of the athletes and their families was so energizing! Everyone was so excited and I couldn’t wait to soak up all of the positivity and happiness that everyone was exuding. It was so much fun to make my rounds to all of the athletes upon our arrival and introduce my sister to all of my friends. I was so touched by the warm greetings I got from all of my skaters and their families. I think the athletes were more excited about Kristen being there than me though because they got a brand new person to show off to!

The events started promptly at ten with the speed skaters on the hockey rink and the figure skaters on the practice rink. I had athletes competing on both rinks so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I had skaters to give pep talks to, athletes to cheer for, and competitors that I had to track down that were going to be competing next. I didn’t mind the fast pace though and thanks to my time management skills, I was able to watch almost all of the skaters that are in my group compete.

Saying that I was proud of all of the athletes was a severe understatement and before I knew it, the events were over for the day. After all of the events were complete, we made our way to the hockey rink for the award ceremony. It was so special to be able to watch the athletes and my students receiving their medals on the podium. I loved seeing the big smiles, surprised faces, and arms raised in victory of all of the competitors. One of my students, Rick, ran to his family after he received his medals and went in for a big hug from his aunt. During the hug he kept saying “I’m so happy, I’m so happy” and I started bawling my eyes out! I was so proud of everyone and being able to see them celebrate and know that they did a fantastic job was the cherry on top of a perfect morning.

After the award ceremony, Kristen and I stuck around for a little bit while everyone had lunch and then we rolled out. Kristen treated me to lunch and then we went back to her apartment to rest and watch Netflix until the banquet in the evening. The banquet for the Special Olympics winter games was held at the Clarion Hotel. There was going to be speeches, dinner, and some good old fashioned tom foolery.

Kristen and I got to the hotel around six and made it right in the nick of time because shortly after we got there it was time to eat. Dinner was served buffet style followed by a huge piece of chocolate cake. Once everyone finished eating, there was a bit of a lull so we could all chat and digest while the dance floor got cleared off. Before we knew it, the dance floor was cleared, a DJ was playing, and disco lights were flashing. That’s when the real fun began!

As soon as the music started playing, Kristen and I ran to the dance floor with our friends so we could get our groove on. We were all dancing and singing along to songs from Grease and the Top 40 hits. My sister and I had such a blast dancing the night away. We were on the dance floor for over an hour and by the time we left, everyone was still dancing and jumping around! Clearly, all of the athletes have far more energy than I! Take a look at some of my pictures from the banquet:

^^^ I love us!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million more times, I am so unbelievably proud of all of my students and the athletes who competed at the Special Olympics winter games. I’m so thankful for all of my new friends and I’m so happy that my sister got to share in the fun with us. It has been such a privilege to be able to coach such a talented group of athletes and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything! Coach Sarah loves you guys! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition! The winter games were a great success and I’m so grateful that I could be a part of it. What is your favorite winter sport? What sports did you used to compete in or are competing in now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan27

Sunshine Blog Award

Posted on by
Standard
Sunshine Blog Award

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope all of you are having a fantastic day so far. Last week I was nominated for my first Sunshine Blog Award by the super sweet Valentina over at: valentinablingbling! Her blog is fabulous so make sure you check it out. I have so much fun whenever I get to make an award post and I’m so excited to answer all of the questions that Valentina has asked her nominees. Check out the rules to the Sunshine Blog Award and then let’s get to it!

The Rules:

  • You must thank the blogger who nominated you.
  • You must answer the questions asked by that blogger.
  • You must nominate another set of bloggers.
  • You must ask a few questions of your own to those bloggers.
  • You can’t nominate the blogger who nominated you!
  • Notify the bloggers you nominated about the nomination.

Q & A:

What is your favorite color?

Red (obviously) and black.

Does the color of your clothes reflect your mood for the day?

Right now I’m wearing black, grey, and burnt orange and it doesn’t really reflect my mood. I’m usually always pretty happy and to me these colors don’t exactly exude happiness. People probably think I’m super depressed because more often than not, I’m wearing all black!

What do you do when your mood is off the mark?

Take a bubble bath, eat comfort food, and binge watch shitty reality TV.

Why do you blog?

It’s fun! I love to write and have always been into journaling so lifewithlilred is essentially my online journal. I also like being able to communicate with all of my readers! Blogging is a great way to meet new people from all over the world and I love being able to say that I have friends in over one hundred and fifty countries!

What sort of blogs do you like to read?

Fashion, beauty, photography, and travel just to name a few.

How do you select the blogs that you follow?

Usually if you follow me, I’ll follow you back. But if that isn’t the case, I tend to follow the bloggers who I would like to interact with and are writing things of interest to me.

What does romance mean to you?

Enjoying the company of your significant other over things that aren’t necessarily “romantic”. On a post that will be coming up on my blog this week, I’ll be talking about when my boyfriend took me ice skating this past weekend. Kyle has never been ice skating before and I was a competitive figure skater for ten years. Needless to say, I was skating circles around him but just the fact that he put in the effort to take me and give it a try was super romantic to me!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

Nope! Never have, never will.

Do you enjoy changes in your life or do you shy away from them?

Yes and no. When things are going my way and life is good, I never want things to change. But when my life is super sucking, I say “bring it on” when it comes to switching things up. I tend to not mind changes as much when they’re minor but I do have a bit of a hard time with ginormous and unexpected changes.

Who and what would you take on a desert island with you?

A captain and a boat! 😉

Describe yourself in one word:

Red!!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. What celebrity, dead or alive, would you pick to spend one day with?
  2. What was the name of your childhood pet if you had one?
  3. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were little?
  4. What is your number one pet peeve?
  5. What was the last TV show or movie that you watched?
  6. Describe your personality in three words.
  7. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
  8. Would you rather wear the same outfit or not wear makeup for a month?
  9. What qualities do you look for in a friend?
  10. Describe your favorite article of clothing in your wardrobe.

Thank you so much to my friend Valentina at: valentinablingbling for my Sunshine Blog Award nomination! I had such a blast answering all of your questions! How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? What are some of your questions for me? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Liebster Award #3

Posted on by
Standard
Liebster Award #3

Hi everyone and happy weekend! I hope everyone is having a fabulous day so far. I got nominated for my third Liebster Award by the darling Camille over at mrsshern a couple of days ago and am so totally flattered! Her blog is a real gem so make sure you check it out. It’s always so much fun to participate in these blogging awards and get new people involved! Of course with all of these awards comes a set of rules for those who have been nominated to follow. Read the rules over and then see how I answered the questions that Camille asked to her nominees:

The Rules:

• Tag the person who nominated you and thank them.
• Answer the 10 questions you are given.
• Nominate 10 new bloggers and tag them.
• Give them 10 new questions to answer.
• Notify your nominees.

Q & A:

Describe your blogging style in best FIVE words?

Quirky, witty, sharp, insightful, and interesting (I hope!).

What is the best ONE beauty product you can’t live without? Why?

NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick because it’s the perfect shade of red, the best matte lipstick I’ve ever used, and it completes the Lil Red look.

If you are to do a makeup look for ONE person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

Uhhhh….I don’t really know how to answer that question because I suck at doing makeup for other people. Haha, I guess doing stage makeup would be fun. I used to be really in to acting and I envied everyone who could do their makeup on their own.

What is the ONE best advice you would give your younger self when it comes to beauty? Why?

Let’s see…Probably to learn how to dye my hair at home because it would save you a fortune! The money I’ve saved from dying my hair with boxed color is insane.

If you are not a blogger, what would you be doing right now?

Working a shitty retail job. Blogging has given me an awesome way to earn some extra money while I’m in school full time at Tri-C.

What is ONE funniest beauty horror story you had?

Oh gosh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever had a real “horror” story when it comes to my makeup. However, last time I got my hair cut my amazing stylist gave me this awesome pompadour with twisted braids on both sides of my head. I was so happy with how it turned out but as soon as my boyfriend and I got home, I changed shirts from the cute one that I was wearing to a comfy t-shirt for lounging. By the time the t-shirt was on, my perfectly styled tower of hair had fallen and all that was left was a crunchy and hair sprayed mess. I was SO so pissed because it was one of those things that I should have seen coming a mile away but naturally I disregarded it!

What is ONE product that you keep inside your every day makeup bag that you don’t really use at all?

Hmmm…I don’t really have anything in my makeup collection that I don’t use. I hate clutter, so I try to be good about throwing away old makeup products or giving the things that I don’t want to my sister.

What is the first thing you do in the morning as soon as you wake up?

I hate saying this…But I check my phone! It’s like the millennials version of reading the newspaper and I hate myself for it!

What is ONE beauty routine you can’t live without?

Washing my face with a really good cleanser. I can’t stand the feeling of my skin being dull or dirty so skin care is a must for me.

What is your main goal as a blogger?

To make a living out of it! I’m so passionate about lifewithlilred and I’m working very hard every day to make it a success.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. If you could spend a day with anyone in the world, who would it be?
  2. What is your least favorite color?
  3. Would you rather have bad breath or a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth all day?
  4. What is your favorite candy?
  5. What is your favorite store to go shopping at?
  6. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were little?
  7. If you could have one super power what would it be?
  8. Where is one place that you would like to travel to?
  9. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
  10. What is your favorite thing to write about?

Thank you so much again to my friend, Camile, at mrsshern for the nomination! Liebster Award #3 was a blast to fill out and I am so thrilled to be nominated again! How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? What is everyone up to this weekend? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

Best Friend Christmas Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Best Friend Christmas Haul

Helloooo everyone and happy 2016! My best friend, Lea, and I were a little bit late in celebrating Christmas with each other but it finally happened this past week and it was glorious! We had such a wonderful time opening our presents, eating Taco Bell, and girl talking to our hearts content. Take a look at what I was gifted with by my darling:

IMG_5406

From Lea I got:

  • A cozy fleece blanket (which I’m wrapped in right now!)
  • A to go coffee mug (which I’m obsessed with)
  • A Starbucks mini ornament
  • Bath & Body Works lotion
  • A coffee mug filled with bath and body products

I love everything that Lea got me so much but honestly I didn’t need anything from her. Our over seven years of best friendship is enough for me! It was a bit funny opening our gifts, however, because we got each other very similar presents. I got my girl a new mug and bath and body care goodies, as well, among other things! We seriously know each other too well and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m so looking forward to a new year full of hang outs with my best girlfriend and I’m so thankful for her friendship and the beautiful Christmas gifts I received! You’re such a doll and I love you, Lea!! ❤

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year’s weekend! Make sure you tune in with me for this week’s Monday Update so I can tell you about how I rung in the new year! Until then, how did everyone celebrate the arrival of 2016? Who has been doing some last minute Christmas gifting to your friends and family? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah