Happy Happy Mother’s Day to all of the beautiful mothers out there!!! I’m talking all mothers!
Happy Mother’s Day to the women who treat their pets like children.
Happy Mother’s Day to the mamas who put their babies up for adoption in the hopes that the child would have a better life.
Happy Mother’s Day to the sweet moms who had to go through traumatic miscarriages or the death of a child. I hope you receive lots of hugs and love always and especially today.
Happy Mother’s Day to the mommies who are struggling to have a baby on their own. Today is your special day too!
Happy Mother’s Day to the adoptive mothers – the super heroes who are giving a little one a brand new and amazing life.
Happy Mother’s Day to the foster moms, who are constantly trying to better the lives of their foster children.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the cuddly, scaly, feathery, and furry animal mommies out there! I’m hoping your day is full of frolic and fun!
And most importantly, Happy Mother’s Day to my mom! The best mom on the planet. My partner in crime. My confidant. My shopping buddy. My absolute best friend in the whole wide world! I love you so so so so so so much!! Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin. Thank you for forever making me laugh with your goofball antics. Thank you for editing my college papers. Thank you for allowing me to be your seux chef while we’re cooking dinner. Thank you for reading in my bed at night with me. Thank you for being a gracious loser every time I annihilate the game in Scrabble. Thank you for saving the Jumbles in the newspaper for us to do together. Thank you for discussing your favorite TV show, The Voice with me, even though I really don’t care. 😉 Thank you for always providing for me and my siblings. Thank you for offering a helping hand or encouraging word no matter what the situation is. Thank you for EVERYTHING!!! BFFs!!!!
^^^ Friendship est. June 7th 1994! I love these pictures so much, and my mom looks freaking gorgeous even after birthing me! Now I know where I get my good looks from, HOLLA! 😉
Once again, Happy Mother’s Day to all of the ladies celebrating today! Thank you for everything that you do. Much love. -Sarah
Hello one and all and Happy Easter a bit early to those who celebrate! I won’t be checking in tomorrow, so I thought I’d send you all a quick hello now! I decided that I needed some fun new pics for lifewithlilred today, so my mom took some lovely outdoor pictures of me! Spring has finally sprung in Ohio so it was the perfect weather to rock a little skirt and heels combination! Pardon me while I flood you with photos of myself! 😉 AYYYYYY
Holla atcha girl!! Here’s a break down of what I was wearing in these pictures:
Polka dot blouse: Aerie
Faux suede skirt: H&M
Heels: TJMaxx, BCBGeneration
I absolutely adore this sassy spring outfit! My H&M skirt is one of my newest purchases and I was so excited to break it out today. It matches perfectly with the golden polka dots in my navy blue blouse and the tan heels tie the look together to perfection. I can’t wait to wear this outfit to class because I feel like it’s such a smart and chic look. It’s a fairly preppy outfit, but the faux suede of the skirt and my chunky heels definitely give an edgy twist that I always try to incorporate in all of my looks. If you’re a fan of the skirt, it should be available in stores and online at http://www.hm.com! AND if you sign up for their weekly newsletter you get a twenty percent off of one item coupon! You’re welcome! 🙂
The Easter fun continued into the evening when I went over to my sweet best friend Lea’s house to color Easter eggs. It’s one of our favorite best friend traditions and we always have an absolute blast! Here we are looking fierce:
Our eggs turned out fabulous and vibrant and I had such a lovely time hanging out with her and her family! And FYI, twenty years old is not too old to color Easter eggs! 😉
I hope all of you have a wonderful time celebrating Easter tomorrow if that’s your thing or just hanging out and having a normal day! Don’t miss me too much tomorrow and make sure you check back in with me on Monday for the usual Monday Update segment! What are some of your favorite Easter traditions? If you dyed eggs, how did yours turn out? And if you got super creative with your eggs…how did you do it?!! Lol, Lea and I could barely handle a different color on the top and bottom of ours!! I’d love to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great rest of your weekend. -Sarah
PS: Special thanks to my gorgeous mama for taking my pictures today! Love you! ❤ Even though you were just aimlessly “pressing buttons” the whole time! 😉
I had an absolutely magical night yesterday thanks to my beloved best friend Kate, whom you guys know all about! For my Christmas gift, Kate got me tickets to see 2Cellos – AKA two hot guys playing classic rock and looking fine as hell. Last night was the night of the concert and we celebrated the belated holiday with a bang! To start the evening we went to the mall and did a little shopping, while sipping the most sub par coffee ever from Starbucks – but that’s okay! After an hour or so of perusing, it was off to dinner at Bravo, an absolutely delightful restaurant right across from the mall. I had never been there before and it was so delicious!! Bravo is an Italian restaurant, and it’s like a step up from the Olive Garden. I got the Penne Mediterranean and it was so insanely good! Penne pasta with a butter garlic sauce, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and feta cheese. YUM!!! After a beautiful meal it was off to EJ Thomas Hall, which is a stunning concert hall located near the University of Akron. As soon as we neared the university, the traffic was insane (it was a sold out show, so that explains it)! Luckily, Kate goes to Akron U, so she knew a super secret parking spot and we were able to beat the crowds of people waiting to park. Mwahaha. It was a bit of a trek to EJ Thomas, and it was freezing cold out! I instantly regretted wearing a maxi skirt and my beloved Vera Wang wedges…but not really – beauty is pain. Once we got into the warmth of the theatre, we found our seats, which were the most PERFECT nosebleed seats ever. Like seriously, they were amazing. We were smack dab in the middle of the row and we were essentially looking down on the stage so we could see everything perfectly! At EJ Thomas we were joined by Kate’s sister Erika and their lovely family friend Donna, whom I had never met before but heard amazing things about so that was such a treat! Here’s a few of the pre show selfies Kate and I took:
^^^^ I LOVE US!!!!
Anyways, the 2Cellos show was nothing short of phenomenal! The studs in my featured image picture are from Croatia and it’s safe to say that I’m in love with both of them. Throughout the night, the boys played some classical numbers, but mainly played cello versions of classic rock, like U2, Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC, Nirvana, and Michael Jackson. The music was astounding and the light shows put on were great as well. The best part of the night was when the beautiful blokes played their version of U2’s “With or Without You” which is mine and Kate’s favorite. We held hands (even though both of ours were super sweaty) the entire time and it was such an amazing moment to share with my best friend. Another awesome part of the performance was when they did a medley of Michael Jackson songs, including “Smooth Criminal” which was SO COOL!! The lights that were used during that number was perfect – bright whites and dark blue. WOOF! Needless to say, the music was impeccable, the night was lovely, and the boys of 2Cellos were so hot that they literally made me clutch my pearls. What more could a girl want?
^^^ Posted above are some of my favorite covers that 2Cellos performs, which I was lucky enough to see last night! If you enjoy good music, please PLEASE give these videos a watch….it will blow your mind!
So there you have it, mine and Kate’s late Christmas celebration extravaganza! We had such a beautiful time and I’m so lucky to have her as my best friend, partner in crime, and soul mate. Have any of you guys heard of 2Cellos before? What’s your favorite cover that they do? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much Love. – A Very Happy Sarah
Hey guys! So yesterday I had an absolutely lovely day of Valentine’s Day shopping – TJMaxx and Target were very good to me! I had to treat myself like a princess yesterday because no one else did (lol) and no fucks were given…because no one loves Lil Red better than Lil Red! So here’s the purchases that set my bank account back a little farther than I’d like, but it was so worth it!!!
As usual, here’s a list of the brand names of each item. (All of the pieces pictured above are from TJ’s.)
Pointed toe ankle boots: Vince Camuto
Quilted tall boots: Rampage
Lace peasant skirt: Flying Tomato
Harem pants: Japna
I was SO excited when I found my pair of Vince Camuto’s. These beauties were on the clearance rack and I got them for twenty-nine bucks as opposed to the original one hundred and twelve! Such a steal!!! I have a feeling that these are going to be my new go to booties, I seriously plan on wearing them with everything. I’m looking forward to wearing them with my new harem pants, dresses and tights, and of course my black coated skinny jeans (I only wear black coated denim!)! But the beautiful thing about these booties is that they can easily be worn in the summer time as well (which is a nice thing to fantasize about considering it’s a whopping zero degrees in Akron, Ohio -___-). I can’t wait to pair these bad boys with cute little shorts, maxi skirts, and sun dresses all summer long! At Target I found a plain black crop top and a really pretty white lacey one that I tried on but didn’t buy. Naturally, I couldn’t stop thinking about them when I got home, so I went to Target’s website and was so happy to see that the tops were twenty percent off online on top of the extra five percent I get for using my Target Red Card. With all of these deals I got both crop tops for twenty dolla AND I got free shipping. #fabulous I’m pretty hyped about the white crop top because it’s going to match perfectly with my new lace peasant skirt!! It’s gonna look so pretty! :*) I’ve been meaning to get a plain black crop for forever now, so I figured “why not” and bought that too. You can’t beat two for twenty! #treatyoself
^^^ Best shopping themed song EVERRRRR! Jupiter Rising is such a guilty pleasure!
So there you have it, my special Valentine’s Day treat to my favorite gal in the world…ME!!! How did you guys celebrate V-Day yesterday? How did you treat yoself or your significant other? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much Love. -Sarah
Hey hey guys. Alright: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – so take a deep breath and allow me to be the voice of reason to those of you who aren’t doing a damn thing tomorrow….because I’m right there with you! Here’s a few things for you to remember before you binge eat seven boxes of chocolate and let the water works flow free while you watch The Notebook for the ninety-second time:
1)You’ve been single every day this year….Valentine’s Day is no different!
^^ A little harsh, Grumpy Cat…but you get the point. I get so annoyed by the whiny people who are desperate for a Valentine. Riddle me this: Do you really want a date for one night with some equally desperate sleazeball who’s probably more concerned about having sex than anything else? The answer is no, you don’t! And if you get approached by one of these said sleazeballs, flip your gorgeous mane of hair and walk away. STORY TIME! So I don’t know if you guys remember when I told you about that pathetic excuse of a man who broke up with me via Facebook, but he got in touch with me this week. (#ew) He suggested we go see a movie – I suggested he go fuck himself. Moral of the story: I could have easily said he should take me out on a Valentine’s Day date this weekend but I have standards. AND I hate him! In other words, don’t let your standards drop for one night of frivolity.
2)Valentine’s Day can be just as fun without a significant other – hello Galentine’s Day!:
I LOVE Galentine’s Day! Me and my beloved best friend Kate will be having our G-Day festivities tonight and it should be a beautiful time! What are we gonna do? I honestly have no idea, actually. Probably shovel bread sticks from the Olive Garden into our pie holes at a record speed, get wine drunk, and go see 50 Shades of Grey. Note: We absolutely will be wine drunk at the movie theater, and I am SO okay with this. Who needs a date night with a guy when you can have a date night with your best girl friend? Long live Galentine’s Day!!!!
3) If I knew you….I would date you:
That’s right, you heard me. If I knew all of you fabulous readers, I would take you on the hottest date imaginable. So if you’re lonely and feeling down and out tomorrow, do me a solid and just think about me. I can guarantee you that I’m going to be having just as shitty of a time so send me the good vibes and I’ll send them right back your way. To prove just how serious I am, let me spit a little poetry at ya:
Roses are red. Violets are blue. When I see dat ass…I don’t know what to do. 😉
Still don’t believe my sincerity? Then I also dedicate this thought provoking poem from one of my personal favorites “The Ladies Man” to you:
DOES NOT THE WIND LOVE THE DIRT?!!? Inspiring.
Alright guys, I’m peacing out but I just wanna let you know that you’re all gorgeous, fabulous, and fine as hell. Have a splendid Valentine’s Day doing whatever it is that you do. If you’re having a lovely candle lit dinner with your lover, think about me doing nothing tomorrow. If you’re laying in bed surrounded by used Kleenex and a half empty bottle of wine…think about me doing nothing tomorrow. What’s everyone up to for V-Day? Do you have any stories of a Valentine’s Day gone wrong? What was the best V-Day gift you ever received? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much Love. -The very single Sarah ❤
So last night as I was brainstorming new post ideas for lifewithlilred, it occurred to me that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. As usual, I’ll be single as fuck this Valentine’s Day. This is the twentieth V-Day in a row that I’ll be wining and dining myself, because getting an extra lollipop from this little boy in kindergarten who wanted to be my Valentine doesn’t count. To elaborate further on that, I’m pretty sure I kicked him in the shin and ran away. I’m not going to mention his name, but you know who you are and if you’re reading this – call me! So what do the people who are forever alone on Valentine’s Day do other than sob and eat chocolate from a heart shaped box in bed? Well contrary to popular belief, being single on Valentine’s Day is just as if not MORE stressful than being in a relationship because you have to think of ways to make yourself feel not pathetic all day. So here’s my without fail guide to making myself feel like the only girl in the world on Valentine’s Day, because I’m a strong, independent woman WHO DON’T NEED NO MAN!
Waking Up: Good morning, single lady and happy Valentine’s Day to you! First things first, you need to work up the inner strength to get yourself out of bed. This is a struggle in itself, so take as much time as you need, pray on it if that’s your thing, take it nice and slow and hoist yourself out of bed while whispering “you can do this, you can do this” to yourself. As soon as you’re out of bed, pat yourself on the butt because no one else is gonna do it for you today and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
*V-Day Pro Tip: Make your alarm clock ring tone Beyonce’s single girl anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).
Have A Pep Talk With Yourself: It’s time to get ready for the day, so make your way to the bathroom to take care of your daily beauty routines, be careful not to over exert yourself. Once you’re safely in the bathroom, it’s time to give yourself a Valentine’s Day pep talk. Look yourself dead in the eye in the mirror and repeat after me: “I am single. I am sexy. I will eat as much Taco Bell as I want today. I will get wine drunk and watch Legally Blonde. I don’t need a man to complete me.” Cry, and repeat. Once you’re all hyped up or possibly more depressed, get yourself looking fierce as hell because you have a hot date with yourself for the day.
*V-Day Pro Tip: There’s nothing wrong with listening to “Eye Of The Tiger” as you give yourself your pep talk.
Lunch Time: Alright sassy girl, it’s time for lunch, so make your way to the nearest Taco Bell immediately. Strut your sexy self to the cash register, and flirtatiously tell the cashier that you’ll take one of everything. If you really are ordering one of everything, I commend you for having a stomach and will power that is far greater than my own. If not, proceed with your order. DO NOT feel ashamed at how much you order from TBell, because the beauty of that place is that you can order hella food and no one will ever really think anything of it. It’s such a blessing. Get your food, and enjoy. You deserve it. Savor the glorious artificially cheesy taste and take shots of mild sauce. Feel free to get seconds or thirds, this is YOUR day.
*V-Day Pro Tip: If you flirt hard enough with the Taco Bell cashier, you might get free Cinnamon Twists.
Afternoon Of Sass: My number one rule for Valentine’s Day is and feel free to take notes: Get all of your out and about activities done before the evening. The evening is when the couples come out of their happy relationship nooks and crannies and display their boyfriend/girlfriend status for all to see. And honey, you don’t have to witness that. Anyways, it’s the afternoon, you’re probably still bloated from Taco Bell, but that’s okay. I’m an avid believer in treating yourself no matter what the day, but since you’re your very own hot Valentine’s Day date, you have full permission to go crazy for yourself. Get a manicure AND pedicure, buy that Michael Kors purse you’ve been lusting over for three solid weeks, open a bottle of wine in Giant Eagle and drink the entire thing in one gulp then run away. ANYTHING GOES. This Valentine’s Day I plan on getting some major shopping done in the afternoon and possibly getting my hair dyed at the salon instead of doing it at home. #treatyoself The afternoon is a perfect time to start drinking as well, so throw back a few cosmos and give the death glare to anyone judging you.
*V-Day Pro Tip: Give yourself a spending limit for the day, because two bottles of wine in and online shopping can lead to bankruptcy.
Friendly Reminder: While you’re having your out and about afternoon it’s crucial that you remember to get a few things:
Chick flicks
Wine and/or hard liquor
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
Chinese take out for dinner
*V-Day Pro Tip: Make sure you have an abundance of tissues handy. You’ll thank me later.
#Datenight: Alright my single ladies, it’s time for your evening of solitude. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!! So it’s time to get into your comfiest, coziest pajamas or just get completely naked, whatever makes you happy. This is your day! Prior to your Valentine’s night rendezvous with yourself, I’d recommend getting one of those super soft fleece blankets if you don’t have one already – they’re great to cuddle with! Now is the time to bring everything into bed with you – your dinner, chocolates, alcohol, ice cream, tissues, tampons, and gossip magazines because it’s chick flick time! Legally Blonde is always one of my all time favorites to watch, but other good ones include The Devil Wears Prada, Clueless, or the Jennifer Lopez classic: Gigli. (Please PLEASE know that that was a joke. Do not, I repeat DO NOT watch Gigli.) Avoid romantic movies like The Notebook at all costs and steer towards some feel good female empowerment flicks. You don’t need a Nicholas Sparks movie to remind you further of your singlehood. Crack open the vino, shovel chocolates down your gullet at a rapid speed and enjoy!
*V-Day Pro Tip: You are GORGEOUS and I would date you!!!!
Alright my lovely single ladies, there you have it – my guide to Valentine’s Day! Please know that this post was all made in good humor and that there is nothing wrong with being a single chicka on V-Day or any day!
What are some humorous Valentine’s Day activities that I missed? What’s your favorite single girl activity to do on V-Day? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Friday! -Sarah
Hello one and all and Happy New Year!!!!! Whatuppppp 2015! I had a hell of a time bringing in the new year with my sister Kristen, her boyfriend Ramon, and a great group of friends. Best believe that white girl wastedness was a very real thing last night. I thought I’d upload some pictures of my new years fun, while nursing a slight hangover. -_____-
Unfortunately all of the other pics that I have from last night are of me doing a keg stand which is not about to go up on the internet any time soon! I was actually really hyped on that because it was my first time keg standing (Do people say that? They do now.) and I lasted a whole EIGHT SECONDS! Not bad, right? Maybe? I don’t know! Best of all, I had a whole crew of people holding my dress while I was getting my keg stand on…like a real lady! 😉 Either way, it was SO MUCH FUN!!! There’s nothing that I love more than a night of frivolity with a bunch of my favorite people. I’m so thankful for the wild and safe time that was had last night. I’m especially thankful that my sister, my BFF, my one and only was my New Year’s kiss!!!
^^^^^ Speaking of my one and only!!!! I made this fun little Pic Stitch sister collage! :)) Love her!!!
I hope all of you guys had a fantastic time bringing in the new year in whatever way you chose to celebrate! If you’re stuck with a hangover like I am, I feel your pain all the way from Akron, Ohio. How did you guys welcome 2015? What were you drinking on? Who was your new year’s kiss? I want to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Laterrrrrrrrr. -Sarah
Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! It’s almost the start of 2015, therefore I feel obligated to jump on the bandwagon and make a New Year’s resolution post. I’m not going to try to do things in the new year that I know I’m not going to follow through with, such as working out or not eating at Taco Bell every week. These resolutions are going to be more mental, so I can work on myself for a change. Before I get started, here’s some New Years tune-age for your enjoyment! 😉
^^^^^ I had to, guys. I just HAD TO!
ANYWHO, here’s my New Years resolutions for 2015:
Stop being so hard on myself: I’ve always been my toughest critic and this needs to stop. I’ve been especially hard on myself since I quit my stupid job, but really I should be proud of myself. I was getting sexually harassed there to no end and I finally said enough is enough…that shouldn’t be something that I’m shaming myself with. I’ve been so worried about money since I quit a little less than two weeks ago, but I need to keep reminding myself of how lucky I am. I’m still living at home and I’m pretty sure that my parents don’t plan on throwing me out on the street….yet 😉 I need to embrace everything about myself, including some of the things that I’m not so thrilled with. Once you acknowledge your shortcomings, you can change them.
Stop comparing myself to other people: This kind of goes hand in hand with beating myself up constantly in my mind. For example, when I was at a get together about a week ago with some people who I absolutely despised from high school, I felt like such a failure. I felt like a loser for not having a job or for not being at a classic university setting for college. Instead of comparing my situation to the other people in the room, I should have just confidently told them all that I was rocking life when asked what I’ve been up to instead of muttering that I’m at a community college. (Which there is NOTHING wrong with! TRI-C REPRESENT!!!!!!!) When I start getting into the comparing and contrasting game in my head, I need to start giving myself a friendly reminder of where I was at a few years ago. A few years ago I was suicidal, depressed, a bulimic, and a cutter….I was in absolutely no state to attend college. Instead of comparing myself to people who probably didn’t have issues similar to mine, I need to be grateful that I’m finally in a place to start thinking about my future instead of dreading it. I need to give myself more credit, because I’ve come a very long way.
Strive for no instances of self harm: In 2014 I can count the amount of times I’ve cut or made myself throw up on five fingers. For this new year I want to strive for ZERO instances of self harm. One of my problems is that I genuinely hate asking for help, but when it comes to my personal well being I need to start doing so. When I feel the urge to cut or the god awful rhyme “urge to purge” I need to call up the friends who have been telling me to call them when I feel that way for years. I need to start writing in my journal again, which always calmed me down when I got the sensation of needing to self harm before. I also think it would be a wise decision to possibly find a therapist that I could start going to a few times a month so when I need a good venting session, I have a safe and confidential environment to do so.
Be my own best friend: Would a best friend beat yourself up verbally enough to make you want to cry? Would a best friend constantly compare you to people who are living their life differently than yours? Would a best friend be okay with you cutting yourself or making yourself vomit? The answer is a big fat NO to all of these questions. Therefore, I need to become BFF’s with Sarah. I need to treat myself like my best friends treat me, with respect, kindness, and a whole lot of love. And if being my own BFF means taking myself out for a beautiful dining experience at the local Taco Bell, THEN SO BE IT……oh wait….I already do that. -____- Maybe treating myself to a manicure every so often is a better idea! 😉
So there you have it, Lil Red’s New Years resolutions! I hope all of you have an amazing time celebrating on New Year’s Eve and the best of luck sticking to your resolutions in 2015. It’s been a pleasure writing on lifewithlilred these past few months in 2014 and I am so thrilled to come back even stronger in the new year! What are your New Years resolutions? What was one resolution you made that you didn’t stick to? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love -Sarah
Hello one and all!!!!! Happy happy holidays and Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate. I had a really beautiful visit today with one of my dear friends that I’d like to share with you. My spirits have been pretty low lately, but this afternoon definitely put me back into the holiday swing of things. Hopefully this story will do the same to you!
This will be the second Christmas that my beloved grandma (rest her soul) will not be with us. But it still feels like just yesterday when she passed. She used to live in an assisted living center ran by devout nuns. During the years that she was there I became quite familiar with the Sisters, the residents, and one lady in particular: Neva. If you recall, I’ve wrote about her and our visits before. To give you guys a little refresher, Neva is a Southern Belle with the most fantastic Kentucky accent I’ve ever heard. She’s known me for over ten years now, and we truly have a mother/daughter relationship. Although my grandma is no longer with us, I still very much like to go and visit Neva and everyone else in the home. So today, I filled a bag full of Miss Neva’s favorite candy (Hershey’s chocolate kisses!) and drove off for a Christmas visit. It always makes me so happy when Neva answers the door to the room and sees that it was me who was knocking. Her eyes light up and she always greets me with a warm “Hi, Honey!” After our hugs hello I presented her with her bag of goodies, and she handed me a bracelet that matches the one she has in green, as seen below:
I was so touched by this gesture and was smiling from ear to ear. It was just so thoughtful and now I feel close to her even when we’re apart. After we exchanged our gifts I asked her to show me around the residence hall, because it’s always decorated so beautifully for the holidays. We gazed upon tree after tree and admired all of the ornaments and lights displayed on them. We then walked into the Chapel where all of the Poinsettias that still needed to be put out around the building were kept. In the Chapel we ran into one of the Sisters who was a main care taker for my grandma when her health started declining. “You’re all grown up!” She said as she greeted me with a warm embrace. At this point I was getting incredibly emotional, and she held me tighter as tears fell from my eyes. “You miss grandma, don’t you?” She asked, and all I could do was nod into her shoulder. After we let go she told me that last weeks Masses were held in memory of my sweet grandma, which made me cry even harder…but they were happy tears, because I know that her memory is eternal in the halls of her home and the hearts of everyone. Sister and Neva both told me how proud they were that I’m now in school and it made me feel so good. After a long hug good bye from Sister she told me that myself and my family is welcome in the halls of the residence anytime. I will definitely be taking her up on that. After our visit with Sister, Neva and I headed back into her room for some girl talk. We gossiped about boys and her family and danced around her room to Christmas carols. While sitting on her bed with my head on my shoulder, she stroked my hair and told me that I’m just like a daughter to her. How can you not feel amazing after hearing that? It was an absolutely glorious afternoon that I needed more than I realized. Here’s a picture of me and my dear friend, Neva:
I am wishing everyone the happiest of holidays. Whatever you celebrate, spend it with loved ones (pets included!) and good cheer. Special thoughts are sent to anyone who will be celebrating the holiday season without a loved one – my heart goes out to you more than you know. Love and good tidings to all of you! -Sarah
PS: Happy holidays from my doggies Gem and Winston!!!!
I absolutely LOVE shopping for Christmas gifts…and just shopping in general, so I’ve had a blast putting together my holiday gifts this year! Instead of venturing into the craziness at the mall to do my shopping, I’ve been purchasing all of my presents online at http://www.amazon.com – and let me tell you: it’s the best decision I’ve ever made! There is absolutely NOTHING better than shopping stress free from the comfort of your own home. After I stopped working at the mall in September, I haven’t really frequented it, aside from a handful of times. When I went to visit my sister at work on Wednesday afternoon last week, the mall was jam packed and it gave me anxiety!!! There were way too many people and the stores were so trashed that it made even window shopping obnoxious. One of the best things about Amazon is that it’s literally a one stop shop. They have everything you could possibly need to put together an awesome gift. There’s a few gifts that I’ve grown particularly fond of giving over the past few years that I’d like to share with you guys. Hopefully this will spark some ideas to help finish all of your holiday shopping!
TV Series Box Sets: These are literally the bread and butter of my Christmas gifts. It all started years ago when my mom would get my dad the Seinfeld seasons for his birthday or holidays. Then we started watching Curb Your Enthusiasm once we were confident that we’ve seen every Seinfeld episode known to man kind. My mom would get the seasons from the library but that gets annoying really quick when the DVDs skip from being scratched so much. So I took it upon myself to carry on my moms tradition and buy my dad a season or two for every gift giving occasion until we had the complete series. He loved it! Box sets of TV shows are so convenient, especially when the show you like to watch has to be accessed on the computer. Last year my sister was obsessed with Breaking Bad, but she could only watch it on Netflix, so Sarah the Gift Giving Extraordinaire got her the DVDs to solve the problem of her always hijacking the computer. This year I got my parents the box set of Six Feet Under, their new obsession that they can only access on http://www.hbogo.com. I also got my sister the last seasons of Breaking Bad to complete her collection and season one of The Strain. Unfortunately, Kristen already knows that she’s getting The Strain because she told me a few days ago that she planned on buying it so I had to tell her that I already had it pre ordered for her! She was still really happy all the same though!!
Board Games: This might be kind of a lame idea but I promise you that it’s effective!!! Nothing makes parents more happy than family game night….okay well maybe there’s a few things that make them happier – but still. This year I bought a strategy game Cards VS Dice for my brainiac brother and his fiance. My sister has been talking about wanting to get Cards Against Humanity for a while and I’ve heard that it’s a lot of fun, so I bought the starter packs of the game as a gift to everyone in the family. Some other fun games that I’d recommend if you’re thinking about giving a board game gift to your family are: Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples, Crush, and Quiddler. Another thing that falls under the game category would be puzzles. I got one of my brothers a jigsaw puzzle of one of his favorite football stadiums so that we could assemble it together. After the puzzle is complete I thought it would be cool to glue it together and frame it for a cool addition to his room.
Bath & Body Products: I know, I know – this is an obvious one. But let me fill you in on why I’m writing about it. Have you ever felt like a gift that you purchased just wasn’t enough? BOOM. Bath and body care is the perfect add on to a gift to make it feel more full and complete. The nice thing about getting somebody gifts to pamper themselves with is that they might not buy stuff like that on their own. Apparently not every grown woman buys bubble bath products anymore. Go figure. But anyways, I always buy some goodies from The Body Shop for my girlfriends to add on to their presents, and they love it every time. Just an FYI that in store and online The Body Shop has some extremely cute and very reasonably priced gift sets – you can check them out at http://www.thebodyshop.com!
Vacation Planning Books: Is there anyone in your family or friends that loves planning vacations? My dad would be that person in my family! He loves traveling and planning amazing family vacations. Next summer we plan on going to Universal Studios in Florida, so as part of his gift I bought him the 2015 guide to the amusement parks. I’m well aware that lots of local libraries carry these travel books, but it’s nice to own them so you can take notes and highlight things that look like fun in them. Do you know for sure that you’re going to be going on a vacation with family, friends, or a significant other? If so, another fun gift for the vacation planners would be purchasing a gift card to a restaurant in the area or making I Owe You cards for dinner or souvenirs from your travel location.
Gifts That Serve a Purpose: How many gifts have you received over the years that sit in your closet to this day? My number one rule for gift purchasing is buying things that I know for a fact the recipient is going to use. My best friend Lea loves writing down her daily schedule for school and work in a planner, so I got her a really cute 2015 planner and a travel coffee cup to match it. My parents like having a 365 day calender to look at over breakfast in the morning, so naturally that was an obvious gift to get them. My mom needs a new laptop case for work, so of course I’m going to get it for her. Gift giving becomes super easy when you think about what each person would definitely use. There’s also a 99% chance that the people who you’re purchasing for are going to love the handy gift you got them, which will save you from the awkward “did you happen to save the receipt” conversations!
So there you have it, the Lil Red Recommends – Holiday Gift Edition! Hopefully these suggestions will help with your holiday shopping this year! What was your favorite gift you’ve ever received? What gift are you most excited about giving this year? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah
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