Jan4

Lil Red Lifestyle

Posted on January 4, 2015 by lifewithlilred

This past year I’ve discovered a lot about myself. 2014 was a time for learning new things about Lil Red and improving on things that needed worked on. In 2014 I developed a lifestyle that I wouldn’t change for anything which is appropriately titled the “Lil Red Lifestyle”.

Back in the day, I was extremely ashamed of who I am. I was content with just staying in the shadows and only speaking when spoken to. It honestly took me being fed up with myself and my depression to decide to want to change. You can only take so much of being sad and mopey all the time until you finally say enough is enough. After this revelation, I worked extensively and intensively on myself. I found my voice, I found my style, I found what I genuinely like, and just as importantly I found the things that I don’t want in my life any longer. I eliminated the people and the choices I was making that were bringing me down instead of lifting me up. I learned to love myself enough that I didn’t want to cause harm to myself. I can count the slip ups on my self harm and bulimia sobriety on five fingers this past year. That was a vast improvement from my previous occurrences of doing it every day. With this new found inner strength, self control, and will power, I was able to fully enjoy my life and the person who I’ve become.

The Lil Red Lifestyle is all about accepting and loving who you are. I can honestly say that I love who I am for the first time in my life. I love the way I look, which is another first. I love my bright red hair. I love my pasty pale skin. I love my hazel eyes that change color every day. I love my piercings and tattoos. I love my red lipstick and personal style. Most importantly, I love who I am on the inside. I finally believe that I’m beautiful inside and out, which is something I would roll my eyes at before. I am caring. I am understanding. I am empathetic. I am sympathetic. I am hilarious. I am loving. I am strong. I am brave. I am comfortable in my own skin. This new found confidence in myself has truly changed my life for the better. I no longer let people walk all over me and I let my voice be heard, even if I’m not stating the popular opinion of a group. Being outspoken and having self confidence is another major characteristic in the Lil Red Lifestyle, and I am so thankful that it’s finally something that I posses.

Anyone can employ the Lil Red Lifestyle to their own personal way of living. Having self confidence can be used in the Britney Lifestyle. Accepting yourself and other people can be utilized in the Andrew Lifestyle. Loving who you are and treating yourself like a best friend can be employed in anyone’s lifestyle. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a firm believer in the phrase “fake it till you make it”. This mindset also helped me leaps and bounds in my quest for bettering myself. I would ask myself questions like “how would a girl with confidence speak her mind?” or “How would someone with self control avoid making bad decisions?” I did whatever I thought was true to these questions and eventually they became part of who I am. I am so proud of who I am now, and I never thought that I could say that before. But now that I can say it, here it is one more time: I am proud of who I am….and that is what the Lil Red Lifestyle is all about.

So there you have it, the Lil Red Lifestyle in a nutshell. Who are you and what lifestyle characteristic do you stay true to? What’s one thing you did this past year that you were proud of? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great day! -Sarah

Jan3

Makeup & Skin Care Obsessions

Posted on January 3, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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So earlier today I wrote about my latest fashion obsessions and I didn’t even dabble in the new makeup and skin care that I’ve been using that I’m absolutely in love with. So let’s discuss!

Revlon Matte Balm: I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this little miracle worker before, but because it’s a miracle worker, it must be mentioned again!! This product is the most fantastic thing that has ever happened to my undying love of red lipstick. Before I found this balm, I would apply Covergirl’s lipstick and blow dry it like crazy, because I loves me a matte pout. All of this blow drying and blotting left my lips incredibly dry and flaky. Revlon’s balm goes on perfectly matte and doesn’t budge from your lips at all, so no lip liner is needed and most importantly: NO BLOW DRYING!!! This product has literally saved my lips from a very dry destiny and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you’re not a fan of a matte lip, fear not! Revlon also makes these balms in glossy! I wear shade number 240 “Striking” and paid roughly seven dollars for my matte balm. Revlon products can be found at your local drug store, Target, Walmart, or where ever else makeup is carried!

Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara: I really like this stuff! I’ve wanted to try it since I saw the darling commercials with the beautiful Katy Perry advertising the product. Luckily, I was in need of new mascara anyways, so I figured I’d give it a try. This mascara separates and defines my lashes like no other. Best of all it goes on so lightly, so you don’t have to worry about sticky, clumpy lashes. I use this mascara as a base coat before I apply my heavy duty mascaras. I’m a big fan of extremely black and bold lashes so I use Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes mascara and Covergirl’s Flamed Out mascara combined to achieve this look. If you’re looking for a mascara that gives you rich color, I wouldn’t recommend the Full Lash Bloom. However, if you’re in need of a mascara to give you perfectly separated lashes before you break out the big guns, than I say grab some of this stuff in it’s cute pink container at once!

Regis Designline Hair Oil: Ohhhhhh yes. This stuff is magic in a lovely lavender bottle. My hair has the tendency to get pretty dried out from how often I color and straighten it. I refuse to let my hair be seen if it’s anything but bright bright red and pin straight. Because it gets so dry, when I straighten my hair in the morning it will frizz out towards the bottom and refuse to lay flat. This oil has been the answer to my “fix my frizzy hair” prayers. Literally two drops is all you need for your hair to turn sleek and silky. The great thing about this product is that it doesn’t leave my hair greasy at all. I wash my hair every two weeks, and my hair isn’t insanely oily, greasy, or weighed down by the product by the time I wash my hair. I apply this product after I towel dry my hair as well for a nice deep conditioned feel. Another plus for this hair oil is that it smells like marshmallows! My sister purchased this item at the Best Cuts where we get our hair done, so I’m sure you can find it at any Famous Hair, Fantastic Sam’s, or Best Cuts salon near you!

Biore Deep Pore Cleanser & Scrub: If there’s one thing I love, it’s squeaky clean pores. I use both of these products every morning and my skin has never looked better. The best part about the cleanser is that it’s made with charcoal so it draws out any grime like a magnet. I’ve never gotten a pimple in my life, honest to god truth, so hopefully these products will keep it that way! However, I get very annoying blackheads on my nostrils, particularly around my four nose piercings. Both the cleanser and the scrub are able to eliminate these blackheads completely without irritating my piercings. Your skin will feel so refreshed when you use these products too, because you get an icy cool sensation when you’re rubbing it in and washing it off. It definitely helps me wake up in the morning! I spent about fifteen dollars for both of these items and they were worth every penny. Biore products can be found at your local drug store, Target, or Walmart.

Contact Solution & Witch Hazel: This recommendation goes out to my pierced readers of lifewithlilred. When I got my septum pierced about a month ago, my sister happened to ask me if I needed cleaning solution in front of my piercer. He then asked me if I wore contacts, which I do. He told me that contact solution, or any saline solution really can be used to clean piercings. So for the next week or so I washed my new piercing with my contact solution and it healed absolutely beautifully – better than any of my previous thirty piercings. Another product I like to use to keep my piercings nice and clean is witch hazel. It’s a natural astringent, so I feel one hundred percent comfortable using it to clean my four nostril piercings and my septum every morning and night. I used to get unsightly annoying bumps on my nostril piercings before, but since I started my witch hazel regime, those are a thing of the past!

So there you have it, my newest makeup and skin care obsessions. I blog pretty frequently about beauty products, so definitely skim through my page for more of the products that I can’t life without! What’s one of your favorite makeup items? Do you have any beauty tips or secrets that you swear by? I’d love to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great night! -Sarah

Jan3

Lil Red’s New Obsessions

Posted on January 3, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hello one and all and happy Saturday! These past few weeks I’ve gained a lot of great stuff from Christmas gifts and the extra moolah I acquired to hit the post holiday sales. I wanted to share all of this fun stuff with you guys, especially because all of the items I’ll be mentioning below should still be available to purchase in stores and online if you like them!

Gypsy Warrior Flannels: I absolutely adore these flannels! After I quit working at PacSun, Gypsy Warrior was the one brand that I particularly missed getting clothes from. I already had one of their flannels like these new ones except in a different color, so when I saw that the brand launched some new ones, I immediately added it to my Christmas wish list. I was so happy when I opened this gift from my mom! If you’re interested in buying these flannels, just know that the sizes run more like a mans shirt. I’m 5’1 and 1/4 (because the quarter counts, damnit!) and 113 pounds, and I wear a size small – if that helps you figure out what size you need at all! These should still be available on http://www.pacsun.com and in stores. If you sign up for their email program, you get a 15% off coupon emailed to you!

Betsey Johnson Snake Cuff: This little beauty was another stellar gift from my beloved mama. I was absolutely blown away when I opened this gift, because I had forgotten that I even wanted it! A few weeks prior to Christmas, my sister, mother, and myself took a trip to the mall. In Macy’s they had a Betsey Johnson display up, and I absolutely adore her clothing and jewelry so I had to stop and take a look. Naturally, I liked everything, but this snake cuff really caught my eye because I absolutely LOVE snake jewelry. I pointed this one out to my mom and told her how much I liked it, and then we walked away and it was never discussed again. I was so so happy to add this piece to my collection, I was even happier to hear that my mom got this bracelet at TJMaxx for a much better price than at Macy’s. This bracelet should still be available at TJ’s if you’re lucky, at Macy’s, or on Betsey Johnson’s website http://www.betseyjohnson.com!

Express Sweater & Shoes: Express has slowly but surely become one of my favorite stores to shop at. I never really cared to shop there until a few months ago, when I went in with my sister who needed new black clothing for her job at The Body Shop. I was blown away by how chic and sharp all of their clothing was. I saw my cowl neck sweater that night with my sister, and had my eye on it ever since. A few weeks ago when Kristen and I went shopping, Express was having a half off sale and I knew that the sweater had to be mine! It has become an instant favorite, and I wear it way more often than I care to admit. My snake skin patterned shoes were a Christmas gift from my sister. She originally got me the same shoes in a floral print pattern which I didn’t care for, so I exchanged it out for these bad boys. I absolutely love black snake skin print, and I was so happy when I saw these! They match perfectly with my black snake skin super skinny jeans that I got from Express a few months ago. Who could ask for anything more?! Love it. Both of these items should still be available on http://www.express.com or in stores!

Target Winter Coat: Yesterday when my mom and I were running errands at Target, I found this lovely jacket marked fifty percent off. I was so thrilled when I found it, because it was a great deal, and I don’t have a really warm winter coat to brave the Ohio cold. I love the black and dark blue color blocking going on and I find the shape of this coat so charming! Best of all, it keeps me warm and toasty when I’m out and about. This jacket came with a detachable black faux fur collar, which I clearly have taken off already! However, I put good use to the collar by attaching it to my flannel collars for a fun unexpected twist. This coat should still be available in stores and online for half off at http://www.target.com! This jacket also came in all black without the dark blue color blocking.

BustedTees Shirts: My beloved big bro Peter got me a thirty dollar Groupon to http://www.bustedtees.com and I couldn’t be more delighted by the shirts that I ordered from this hilarious website. All of the t-shirts on BustedTees are simply fantastic. A lot of them are inside jokes from movies, television, or video games. For example, my Speaker City shirt was the company that Beanie founded in the movie Old School, which is one of my favorites! “I built Speaker City from the ground up and I can’t even read. Truth.” The website is filled with shirts dripping with sarcasm and pure wit. Peter and I thought that the Daft Punk shirt pictured below was an absolute riot and I thought that the Reunite Pangaea shirt was great. There is sure to be something for everyone on http://www.bustedtees.com! The shirts fit fantastically and your purchases arrive promptly as well. One of the best things about this website was it’s ingenious size chart. It showed the shirts in a size small, medium, and large, on different girls with different body types. A size small looked like it fit well on a girl shaped similarly to me, so that’s what I got and it fits like a glove! So brilliant!

Peter Pan Book: My beloved best friend Kate got this for me for Christmas in honor of our beautiful evening of decorating ornaments, drinking wine, and watching Peter Pan Live. I was so touched by how thoughtful this gift was and simply stunned by its beauty. The illustrations in this book are just magical and the pages are lined with silver to match the shimmering cover. Kate informed me that she purchased this book at Barnes & Noble, and apparently a lot of beloved fairy tales have been made to look like this one. I definitely would like to add more of these books to my collection. They’re so fun to read and just as enjoyable to admire! When Kate got this book, it was buy one get one half off, I’m unsure of if that promotion is still running, but the book should be available in store and online at http://www.barnesandnoble.com!

So there you have it, Lil Red’s latest obsessions! Was there anything you got this holiday season that you absolutely loved? Did you score any great post holiday deals? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great day! -Sarah

Jan2

Fun & Easy Craft!!

Posted on January 2, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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I had a lovely time this evening getting crafty with my favorite little lady Miss Lea! She’s my go to crafting partner in crime and tonight we created a glitter masterpiece! Here’s the big reveal…*drum roll please*………………………..TA DAAAA! (In case you don’t know, our glitter picture is of Ohio, our home state and the heart on the picture is of our home town of Akron. #REPRESENT)

Before I give you guys the step by step on how to make this fun craft, here’s some tune-age for you to enjoy. Except you have to change the lyrics of “oh you fancy, huh?” to “oh you crafty, huh?” Instant classic.

Alright!!!! This craft is clearly pretty self explanatory, but here’s the how to guide on how to make it in case you can’t figure it out! First things first, here’s the supplies you’re going to need: (All together this craft cost about ten dollars to make)

A canvas board of your choosing. Lea and I opted for an oval shaped canvas.
Paint color of your choosing for the background.
Glitter color of your choosing for the shape you’ll be covering.
Glue
Outline of an object, animal, shape, state, continent, or whatever your heart desires to be on your canvas.
Scissors

Once all of your supplies are gathered, I’d recommend placing some newspaper down so glitter doesn’t get everywhere. You don’t want your workspace looking like Ke$ha rolled around on it.

Step 1) Paint the background of your canvas.

Step 2) Blow dry the paint to get it dry.

Step 3) Cut out the outline of whatever you’re gluing onto your canvas and glue it on.

Step 4) Cover your outlined picture with glue. For an even coat of the glue and to avoid bumpy glitter, Lea and I applied the glue with a paint brush.

Step 5) Pour the glitter color of your choosing over the freshly glued object. The glitter might not cover everything on the first try, so I would make sure that you’re glittering over a piece of paper so you can continue to pour the excess glitter from that.

Step 6) Apply a glitter heart to your glitter picture if you’d like.

And viola! You now have a super fun, quick, and easy craft. Lea and I had so much fun making this! Here’s a few pictures of us and our handy work!

If you have any fun crafting suggestions, please let me know! Lea and I would definitely love to try them out! Have you made any cool crafts or projects lately? I’d love to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great night! -Sarah

Jan1

New Year’s Celebration!

Posted on January 1, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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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

Dec30

Lil Red’s New Years Resolutions

Posted on December 30, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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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

Dec29

Closet Cleaning Revelations

Posted on December 29, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and happy Monday! So these past few days I’ve been heavy duty cleaning my room just because. I cleared off my desk so I could have a space to work when I take my online classes at home, I dusted the bejesus out of my dressers, and organized my jewelry to perfection. Today my task was to sort through my clothes and find things that I wanted to donate, keep, or try selling to Plato’s Closet. It was a daunting task, considering the massive size of my clothing collection but it was so damn rewarding once it was complete! I had a beautiful epiphany while sorting through, refolding, and rehanging all of my beloved pieces of clothing. I’ve known this fantastic truth I rediscovered for a long time, but it came in so crystal clear today and I just had to share it with you guys. But before I do that, here’s a little bit of tune-age for you to enjoy in honor of cleaning out my closet today!

^^^ Sorry…I had to.

ANYWAYS, while I was going through my clothes, I was truly blown away by all of the different styles that I’ve managed to piece into my collection over the years. I found everything from boho, classic, menswear, goth girl, 90’s era grunge, punk, girly girl, librarian chic, urban, and everything in between. As I thumbed through all these different pieces and remembered the occasions that I rocked all of these eccentric looks I couldn’t help but think to myself just how amazing the power of clothing is. Ever since I was able to shop for myself, I like to think that I tried to stray away from the norm. I refused to let myself wear only one specific style of clothing. In all honesty, if that were the case, I probably would be stuck in a grunge inspired look for all of eternity. But I didn’t want that. I wanted everything. I wanted all of the different emotions and feelings I associated with different styles. I wanted the confidence of a woman in a gorgeous trench coat. The go with the flow vibe of a flower child in a maxi dress. The self assured stride of a business woman in a menswear inspired trouser. I wanted the flirty fun feel of a chick in a floral print dress and cardigan and I wanted the nonchalant air of a girl in a killer flannel and black skinny jeans. Thanks to my wardrobe, I get to experience these different feelings through my outfits and it’s done absolute wonders for my self esteem and confidence. I’m a firm believer in the phrase “fake it till you make it” and I feel like personal style and the pieces of clothing in your collection are a shining beacon of truth to that….at least for me anyways. For example, yesterday I wore this really fantastic pair of menswear trousers that I got ages ago from Forever 21 paired with a cheeky crop top, blazer, and kitten heels. This particular look made me feel like I was running errands for a prominent magazine editor instead of running errands for myself. Isn’t that amazing? How just one outfit that you feel fantastic in can open up all of these fun scenarios in your head of what you could be wearing this look for. Fake it till you make it right? My love for all things fashion deepened in a way that I can’t even describe while cleaning today. When all of these different thoughts came rushing into my head, I remembered why I was so attracted to clothing in the first place. It was a very special experience to be sprawled out on my bedroom floor, surrounded by my “babies”, and having a wave of nostalgia hit me like a fast pitched baseball. God, I love fashion.

Thanks for reading me ramble on about my epiphanies while cleaning! Much appreciated 😉 How would you define your personal style? What’s one piece of clothing that you refuse to wear? For example, I refuse to wear anything but black denim because I’m convinced that blue jeans make me look fat. Ha! I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Dec26

New Book Recommendations!!!!

Posted on December 26, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello hello! I hope all of you lovely people had a fantastic holiday! I definitely did, and am extremely grateful for it. I had a really great day today as well. I went out for lunch with my brother and mommy at Fisher’s which is a quaint little cafe that my sister waitresses at. I then got to have some nice hang out time with my big bro before he boarded a plane to Atlanta, Georgia to be with his fiance’s family for some post Christmas celebrations. I got a gorgeous stiletto nail manicure this afternoon AND my mom dyed my hair to my signature flaming red. After all of this pampering and primping, I was finally able to curl up in bed and finish the book that I’ve been working on this past week, The Storied Life of A.J Fikry.

This book was absolutely adorable. It was lighthearted and fun, which is exactly what I needed after reading the addictively disturbing novel The Life We Bury, which I will discuss later! My mom recommended this book to me and we always enjoy reading books at the same time so we can discuss it together. This quirky quick read tells the story of a cantankerous book store owner A.J. Fikry. He is recently widowed as his wife was killed in a car accident and he lives alone above his store Island Books. Everything is relatively normal in A.J.’s world, but that all changes the day he leaves the door to the book store unlocked while he goes out for his morning run. Upon his return he discovers two shockers:

His extremely rare copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tamerlane” has been stolen from his apartment. Only fifty copies of this book exist in the entire world.
There’s a two year old girl on the floor of the children’s book section, with an Elmo doll and a note from her mother explaining why she can’t care for baby Maya anymore. The little girl was dropped off in the store because her mother wanted her to grow up in a place surrounded by books and people who appreciate them.

The story follows the riveting search for Tamerlane and the hilarious trials of A.J. learning how to become a single parent while also learning how to fall in love after his late wife’s death. Weirdly charming characters are peppered throughout the book who you grow to love just as much as A.J. and his brainy adopted daughter. What makes this book extra special is that before each chapter there’s a journal entry that A.J. makes to Maya that discusses a book he recommends to her and the reasons why it reminds him of her. It’s such a sweet testament of the love a dad has for his little girl. If you’re looking for a feel good book with some cheeky humor and a few shocking twists and turns, then The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is the book for you!

Prior to reading A.J. Fikry, I plowed through The Life We Bury and it was absolutely STELLAR.

This was author Allen Esken’s debut novel and let me tell you, he started off with a ginormous BANG. This book follows the story of Joe Talbert and his hell of a life. Joe hasn’t lived the most charmed life in the world, he doesn’t know his father, his mother is a raging alcoholic with a tendency towards abusive behavior, and his kid brother Jeremy is autistic. On top of all of the drama going on in his family, he has to write a biography of someone for his college writing class. College is already a struggle enough, considering he works late as a bouncer at a bar and is often caring for his brother who suffers blows at the hands of his mother and her piece of shit boyfriend. Because Joe doesn’t know his father, he can’t interview his grandparents on his side for the biography, and his grandparents on his mother’s side are dead. Running out of options and with a deadline creeping up, Joe ventures to an assisted living home in the hopes that he can interview one of the residents. Once Joe arrives, he learns that the residents there all suffer from either Alzheimer’s or dementia, except for one…Carl Irving. Irving who has been in prison for the past thirty years for the murder and rape of a fourteen year old girl has been granted permission to stay the rest of his life in the assisted living home because he has stage four pancreatic cancer. The rest of his life is estimated to be about four months. Joe gets permission to interview Irving, and quickly learns that things are not as they may seem about this sickly man. Through digging into Irving’s past as a soldier in the Vietnam War and the trial for the murder and rape of a young girl the question arises of if Irving really did commit this horrific crime…and if he didn’t, then who did? This book is an absolutely AMAZING murder mystery that left my heart pounding like a drum. Try as I may, I could NOT put this book down for the life of me and ended up finishing it in two days flat. If you’re looking for an intense thriller that might not necessarily be for the faint of heart, then The Life We Bury is just the book for you!

So there you have it, some recommendations from yours truly! So now, what I need from you guys is a favor. I need a new book to read, and I am up for any and all suggestions. I just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry this evening, so I’m in the mood for something dark. I don’t shy away from any genres and I love getting hooked on a new author, so if you have any ideas on a book for Lil Red to enjoy, pleeease leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah

Dec24

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Posted on December 24, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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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!!!!

Dec22

Christmas Craft Fun!

Posted on December 22, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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A few days ago I had one of the most fantastic times with my dear friend Kate. I’m sure you recall reading about her, as she’s the girl who I’m planning a trip to Europe with. She’s also my go to shopping partner!! A few weeks ago you might recall me posting about how Kate and I assembled a vintage Christmas tree together in her apartment. Unfortunately, we had no ornaments to decorate our tiny tree with, so we decided to make our own. During this fun filled evening we ate Taco Bell, drank our favorite Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, drank a bottle of wine, watched the live taping of Peter Pan that was released recently, and became the crafting queens. The night started with a trip to Patcatan’s which is a craft store, as you can guess. When we entered the store, we realized we didn’t exactly plan out what we needed very well. (The night that we assembled our tree, we had a Pinterest party to get some ideas for what ornaments to make.) So we made a quick verbal list of what we should get to at least get us started. We left the store with ornaments, black, silver, and pink glitter, a hot glue gun, black and yellow paint, paint brushes, and last but not least: googly eyes. After we finished up at Patcatans, we stopped at Giant Eagle so Kate could run in and get us a bottle of wine for the evening. A night with Miss Kate wouldn’t be complete without getting Taco Bell and Starbucks, so stops were made there as well and then we headed back to her apartment. If you take a look at my featured image, you’ll see our crafting table where all of the magic happened. Here’s a Pic Stitch collage of some of the ornaments that we made that night:

So I’m sure a lot of these ornaments are pretty self explanatory on what they are and how to make them, but here’s a little further detail on all of them:

Top left and bottom right Minion ornaments: If you’ve seen the movie Despicable Me, then you’ll know that these bulbs are supposed to be the Minions! Kate and I adore that movie, and when we saw this craft made on Pinterest, we knew that we had to give it a go. It’s as easy as it looks to make:

Step 1) Paint the ornament yellow
Step 2) Wait for the paint to dry and then paint a black band around the top of the ornament
Step 3) Wait for the black paint to dry and then hot glue the googly eyes on
Step 4) Complete your Minion by painting a little smile on it! 🙂

It’s up to you to decide whether your Minion ornament has one eye or two!!

Top right ornament: This was a really cool one that Kate made. She painted the outside of the ornament with a black paisley pattern and then she filled the bulb with red M&M’s. Super easy, super delicious.

Middle left and right ornament: At one point during our evening of crafting we both got quiet and were working intently on these ornaments for each other. When we both asked what the other was doing we each said something along the lines of “you can’t see it yet!” It turns out we were both making a name ornament for each other at the exact same time. If that isn’t best friend telepathy, then I don’t know what is!

I wrote Kate’s name with hot glue and then coated the glue in silver glitter. I then cut a red heart out of construction paper and put it inside the ornament. Viola!
Kate wrote my name in black paint and then put black glitter over top of it. She tore up red tissue paper and filled the inside of the bulb with it. Done.

Center candy cane reindeer: This is our beloved reindeer named Albert. Isn’t he the cutest?! Making this ornament is exactly how it looks like you would make it:

Step 1) Cut out antlers for the reindeer with brown foam paper and hot glue it onto the candy cane
Step 2) Cut out circles from the brown foam paper and hot glue googly eyes onto the circles. Then hot glue these onto the candy cane for the eyes
Step 3) Hot glue a red M&M onto the tip of the candy cane for the nose
Step 4) Wrap a ribbon around the neck of the candy cane and now you have your very own Albert!

Bottom left and center ornaments: These ornaments were made simply with paper and glitter.

On the bottom left ornament I drew the British flag, the German flag, and a tiny Eiffel Tower and then cut them out and stuck them in the inside of the ornament along with an ample amount of silver glitter. This little baby obviously symbolizes our European trip dream which will be happening in 2016!
The bottom center ornaments have the same “message in a bottle” idea as our dream ornament. They also have glitter….lots of glitter 🙂

So there you have it, some fun make shift crafts to get you in the holiday spirit!! Kate and I had such a blast making these. We also had an equally fun time drinking some delicious blackberry wine and enjoying Peter Pan Live. Here’s a little clip from it and if you haven’t seen the full movie, I can’t recommend it enough!!

Do you have any fun last minute holiday crafts to recommend? Did you make a seasonal craft that you were particularly proud of? I want to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Monday! -Sarah

PS: My brother is home for the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!! Lil Red is a happy camper :))))

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