Feb14

New Jane + Delancey Button Down

Posted on February 14, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello darlings and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! This past Thursday, I had a surprise afternoon off and was able to spend that time with my mom for a girls day out. We started our extravaganza with a delicious lunch at Panera and then shopped till we dropped at TJMaxx. It was perfect and we had so much fun together doing two of my favorite activities – shopping and lunching lol. We also went to TJMaxx at a great time too because all of their new spring arrivals were out and it was glorious. You’ll see more from my haul after a brand new OOTD tomorrow! Now, check out this adorable Jane + Delancey Button Down:

Naturally at TJs, there was a lot of Valentine’s Day apparel on display. Normally, I am not one for holiday themed clothes because the time you can wear them is so limited. I like clothes that will work for a majority of the seasons or year round. However, I just had to add the heart adorned button down from Jane + Delancey to my try on pile. The stark white base with the red embroidered hearts spoke to me and it was so different than the other V-Day clothes available. I was drowning in a sea of pink!

Although I loved the shirt on the hanger, I wasn’t completely sold on it. That is, until I tried it on! As soon as I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it was a winner and, most importantly, my mom agreed too. The fit of the button down was oversized without being huge. It looked flirty and fun and it surprised me by being something that I would happily wear beyond February. I can’t wait to wear it in the summer tucked into a pair of jean shorts with a cute pair of wedges. This top looked even better on than I could have imagined and I can’t wait for you to see it in the OOTD post tomorrow. 🙂

I hope all of you have a wonderful V-Day! You are all my Valentines and thank you for continuing to tune into all of the latest and greatest here on lifewithlilred! ❤

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? How do you feel about holiday themed clothes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb13

Jeans & A V (Neck) OOTD Bloopers

Posted on February 13, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! A brand new OOTD means brand new bloopers so it’s time to peep those from my Jeans & A V (Neck) outfit. Taking OOTD pics in the wintertime just freaking sucks lol. It’s cold, windy, and unpleasant and it’s the kind of weather that makes you want to go inside as soon as you step out. The day we took these pictures, we anticipated pleasant temps because *shocker* the sun was actually out! We got SO much more than we bargained for, however, and it freaking SUCKED! Find out why after these yikes shots:

Wikky wikky wikky DJ Red in the house

Just trying to pretend like I’m not freezing… It didn’t work

Playing a fun game of imaginary catch

A classic “what did you just say?” face

Setting up the shot…

Nailed it! Not.

Before I begin this story, let me first start by saying that Johnny and I have amazing neighbors in the Timber Top community. We are most fond of all of those we have had the pleasure of meeting and it makes the sprawling property feel more like a neighborhood rather than a billion apartments in close proximity to each other. Having said that, when Johnny and I take pictures in the winter – we don’t want to talk to anyone! We want to go out, be as quick as possible, and go back in to get warm.

As I mentioned, the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be nice out. WRONG! It was frigid cold and the blustery wind was nonstop. Naturally, we would get stopped by one of our neighbors who was bundled up warm and ready for a chat. Johnny and I were not in the slightest. We ended up staying in the conversation for over fifteen minutes before it was blessedly over and still had pictures to take! I shit you guys not, after ten seconds of shooting Johnny goes “Can you try not looking so cold in every picture?” LOL, so much easier said than done and we were frozen solid by the time we got back inside. We both had to sit in front of the space heater to thaw out afterwards!

You never know what’s going to happen during an OOTD shoot and, in this case, it was near hypothermia haha. I guess Johnny and I are great neighbors too! 🙂

Do you have any awesome neighbors? How about any terrible ones? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb12

Jeans & A V (Neck) OOTD

Posted on February 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! On Friday the second, I spent a glorious morning and afternoon getting my hair done at the Shear Shop. There is nothing better to me than freshly dyed hair and it makes me want to take all of the pictures! It’s very exciting to get my hair done because my stylist and I never know which colors are going to pull or exactly how the end result will turn out. My new do definitely fell under the “vivid cool” color palette and I knew just what I wanted to wear to accentuate it. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

V-Neck Sweater: Express

Distressed Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Hidden Wedge Boots: Jennifer Lopez, Kohl’s

The tear drop earrings are from Target (I think). BTW – I, too, am shocked that there’s nothing from TJMaxx in this outfit!

The red, navy, and purple palette of my new hair compliments of Pulp Riot makes me feel like an ice queen. The colors are bright, yes, but they have deep, cool undertones and I love how it makes my pale skin pop. To keep with the “icing out” theme, I started this look with a sweater from Express in a white and grey snakeskin pattern with silver rhinestones adorning it. I got this sweater almost ten years ago for dirt cheap when 1) I used to shop at Express and 2) They used to run their bin sales. I rarely wear it, but I can’t seem to part with it! In this case, it was just what I needed and the wintry hues of the pattern let my hair do all the talking.

Next on the agenda was jeans and I went with my distressed pair from American Eagle Outfitters. The sweater really doesn’t allow for anything other than a neutral colored bottom so the distressing added some visual interest. It also helped show some skin because the V-neck in the sweater isn’t a plunging one. Since I was still almost completely covered on top, I had to get some ventilation elsewhere! 😀

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I wore my all time favorite pair of winter boots by Jennifer Lopez. I will never forget when I got these for four dollars at Kohl’s after admiring them and turning my nose up at the one hundred dollar price tag all winter! These boots are very cool because they have a hidden wedge heel and gave me the extra length that I always want when I’m dressing up. And, how cute are those stud details?! As I didn’t have a lot of open real estate for a necklace or bracelets, I simply put on a pair of black gemstone tear drop earrings and called it an outfit!

My Jeans & A V (Neck) OOTD was just right for showing off my new do and I can’t wait to continue styling looks around it. Stay tuned for more fashion fun soon! ❤

Do you prefer warm or cool undertones for your hair or clothing? What is your favorite animal pattern to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb11

V-Day Our Way

Posted on February 11, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello darlings!! Sending hugs and kisses your way because it’s almost Valentine’s Day! V-Day is one of those holidays that you either love, hate, or are totally indifferent about. I have to admit that I am one of those people who are right down the middle. Honestly, every day with Johnny feels like Valentine’s Day, so when the actual day does roll around we’re both just like “oh” lol. While it can be fun to go all out on the day of love with elaborate gifts and dates, Johnny and I do V-Day Our Way. It looks a little something like this:

Gifts:

For a majority of the gift giving occasions, I like to surprise Johnny. However, there are times where we both have specific things in mind that we would like and it’s so much easier to just tell each other what it is. For example, Johnny told me that he wants a new denim jacket because his old one has seen better days. He found the one he wanted and I will order it. This worked out perfectly because I had a gift for myself picked out too: A new Keurig! My old one got waterlogged when my kitchen flooded due to a burst pipe in the building and we never replaced it. Now, I need one desperately because of my 3 AM work mornings and Johnny will order me a new one too and a pack of K-cups. I can’t wait!

Dinner:

Johnny and I rarely go out to eat and find that it is so much more luxurious to DoorDash something! To us, there is nothing better than getting food from one of our favorite places and enjoying it from the comfort of our pajamas. Texas Roadhouse is one of our preferred “special occasion” restaurants to order from so we might end up going that route. But, we’ll see what strikes us the day of… We are always one hundred percent content with getting Taco Bell. 😀

Entertainment:

Valentine’s Day is on a weekday and that automatically makes it highly inconvenient for me and my main squeeze. We both have very early starts to our morning and are normally exhausted by the time we get home. There is a one million percent chance that we will return from our shifts and be ready to turn Criminal Minds on! Over the weekend, I am sure we’ll take the night on Friday or Saturday to make it about us. And, by that I mean, we will play Diablo IV and Resident Evil IV together all evening. We love to game together and that is always our go to way to celebrate. It is never not a complete blast!!

V-Day Our Way looks like any other day for Johnny and I and that is fine by us. We tend to go all out for our Birthaversary and I anticipate slightly more than the usual in June! No matter how we spend the day, I’m just happy it’s with my husband. ❤

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? How are you celebrating this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb10

New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

Posted on February 10, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! There are a few things about my apartment that drives me absolutely nuts. One of which is my under the sink cabinet in the bathroom. At my old apartment, both of these cabinets opened perfectly and I was able to house all of my beauty care supplies. Here, however, the left cabinet is stuck something fierce and it is a pain to open. You literally have to rain blows upon it from the inside to get it to open and it is incredibly annoying. It also makes it very difficult to store all of my products because I can essentially only use one side of the cabinet. So, I decided on a simple AF solution that I am so happy with:

As all of you know, I take my beauty stock pile seriously and it currently runneth over with skin care and Bath & Body Works hauls. What I love most about my hoard is being able to see all of the products and choosing which one to use next because it’s kind of like going shopping. This experience wasn’t possible with the cabinets so I used a chest of drawers to keep all of my goodies in instead. These drawers are old as dirt and I wasn’t using them for anything important – just random odds and ends that I had completely forgot about lol. I did find a ton of socks that I had convinced myself were gone for good, though, so that was a huge score!

Once I cleared out the top two shelves and condensed them to the bottom two, I began to fill each drawer. Bath and body care on the top shelf and skin care on the second one. This process was done in a flash, but it felt so good to do! I always consider my wardrobe to be my own personal boutique and now I get the same vibes with my beauty care. It was most pleasing to line them up in the order I wanted and have a visual of everything. It was pretty hard to tell what I even had in the cabinets when everything was piled on top of each other. In fact, I ended up finding tons of travel size B&BW freebies that got lost in the mix and is proof that this quick fix project needed to happen. 😀

Is this an HGTV level renovation? Not even HGTV Junior lol! But, I was able to problem solve and no longer have to punch my cabinet to get things out of it. Total GREAT SUCCESS!

What is a project you completed recently? What are your favorite things to stock up on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb9

New Glitter Garnet & Ballet Slipper Nails

Posted on February 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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New Glitter Garnet & Ballet Slipper Nails

Hello!! This past Tuesday, I spent some wonderful time getting pampered at Elysian Nails. They had to push my appointment back because my normal gal was having wisdom tooth pain and I could totally sympathize. I definitely know a thing or two about that! This actually ended up working beautifully because I was able to make a quick pop in for a client and run a few errands beforehand. The best part, though, was that I was in and out of the salon in forty-five minutes flat thanks to the super speedy tech who filled in for my fill. I am loving how my nails turned out:

^^^ Also very aware that my right middle finger is still swollen from my tumble, but it’s getting better!

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I decided to use a traditional V-Day palette of red, pink, and all of the glitter. Normally, I shy away from holiday themed nails because they don’t seem very appropriate the day after the fact. However, Valentine’s Day colors look cute anytime and I would use these colors again outside of February. They are so pretty! The garnet is called University Red and it spoke to me immediately. It was exactly the deep shade I wanted to add some edge against the lighter pink I planned on using. I chose Forgotten Pink for that in a soft ballet slipper hue and thought the colors look dynamite together.

Amazingly enough, I didn’t break any nails when I fell and trust and believe that was the first thing that I clocked afterwards lol. I did end up having a nail lift completely off weeks later, though, and that sucked massively! Despite having to do some repairs, my nail tech, Shelly, got me in and out with ample time to spare. She has done my nails several times before and knows exactly how I like them. Her speed and skill will never not amaze me when I’m in her chair and she turned my grown out, janky nails back into a work of art. In record timing to boot!

I feel like a whole new woman with my new hair and nails! It was so nice to get some back to back pampering and here’s to hoping my middle finger will be back to normal next time I get a fill lol SMH.

Do you like to wear traditional holiday colors when they roll around? What color of polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

Step To It

Posted on February 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! I am thrilled to be able to have a shift in my schedule because it is so nice to be able to change things up. I have been working a lot more from home starting in January and I also have been doing several transportation shifts as an Independent Provider too. It has been my wish to work as much as I can from home and I’m happy that it’s becoming true! However, you know that whole thing about the Freshman Fifteen? I’m convinced there is one for WFH too lol.

When you work from home, you don’t realize just how sedentary your day becomes. Paired with the frigid temps of winter, I have felt sluggish this past week and I turned to Johnny for inspiration. Johnny works in a factory and has taken great pleasure in monitoring his steps throughout the day. He has been doing an awesome job and it motivated me to start getting active once my work is done for the day.

Although it’s tempting to crash after a long shift, I have been trying to Step To It while Johnny and I watch TV. It might not be the most exciting form of exercise to march in place or walk back and forth across the room. But, it’s the best I can do until it’s warm enough for hikes after work and I feel good about making this change. I have been trying to get to or close to ten thousand steps a day and I can tell it’s working just after a little bit. I noticed an increase in my energy and stamina from merely pacing the apartment and that’s a wonderful improvement for something so simple. 🙂

My next plan of action to assist with the slower paced WFH life is to order a work out ball to sit on while I’m at the computer. It’s another easy solution to boost my activity throughout my shift and I can’t wait to try it!

How do you stay active at home? Where is your favorite place to walk at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

New Hair, Who Dis?

Posted on February 7, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!! This past Friday was an excellent day! I spent my morning and afternoon getting my hair done at the Shear Shop and had a slumber party with my bestie, Lea, that evening. I haven’t had a day off since the holidays so it was really nice to have a full day dedicated to some R&R and fun! As always, my amazing stylist, Anna, transformed my hair into something fresh and new and I am loving the results. That Pulp Riot color is absolutely everything! Check it out:

^^^ Shout out to my husband for never taking a nice picture with me lol. Also peep a brand new OOTD coming soon from the above look!

Going to the Shear Shop is one of my favorite forms of self care. Spending time with Anna is like seeing a best friend/therapist and I have never once left her chair without feeling like a billion bucks. The past few times we have done my hair, we have tried to incorporate one of our favorite Pulp Riot shades called Satire amidst Nightfall (navy), Pyro (deep red), and Fireball (bright red). When the bright yellow color was fresh, it looked awesome. However, the Satire and Nightfall would begin to blend together after a while and created an unsightly shade of green. Although we’re never normally mad about random colors that pull, this was one we wouldn’t stand for!

This time around, we decided to scrap Satire altogether and use Pyro, Fireball, and Nightfall. Anna also mixed up some lilac dye with the navy to make a deep purple to place throughout the hair. The entire process took about five hours from start to finish and we began with bleaching the roots for about twenty-five minutes. It’s always fun to see how my hair looks after the bleach is out because the colors can look pretty crazy. For example, there were streaks of emerald green in my hair afterwards. I kind of liked it, actually lol.

After my hair was washed and dried, the hair dye application came next. To achieve this look, Anna painted the top of my roots with Pyro. This deep red is stunning and it’s also strategic. The deeper shade against my roots looks so much better as it’s growing out. Then, she painted the framing of my face with Nightfall and did a halo wrap of it around the bottom layer of my hair and streaked it with purple. All that was left after that was to paint the remainder of my hair with Fireball, sit for about an hour, and see what happened!

Beauty is pain, people, because the water Anna used to wash the dye out was bitter cold. Like the coldest I think the water has ever been, but I will do anything for the best results possible. It felt like heaven to get my hair blow dried shortly after! The ice bath was completely worth it because we are loving how my hair turned out. Not using the Satire was a great move and we have never seen the red looking more vibrant since it wasn’t muddled down with another color. I will also never not be obsessed with Nightfall and I think the color is so flattering on me. Not to mention the wonderful haircut that was much needed after growing out for a few months. C’est magnifique. ❤

I feel my absolute best after an appointment with Anna and know I am looking it too. We plan on lightening things up for my springtime session and I can’t wait to see what we come up with!

How long do you go between getting your hair done? What colors should I get for spring? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

Cooking Extravaganza

Posted on February 6, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! To me, there is nothing better than grocery shopping. I love that first week of groceries feeling when you have all of the ingredients you need to make delicious meals. Despite a crazy busy schedule, I try to cook dinner as often as I can. Cooking is something I take a lot of joy in and it makes me feel good to make something that other people are going to enjoy. Whenever I make anything, I like to bring a serving to my beloved downstairs neighbor and parents too and I live for when the food is praised! I am seriously one of those people that ask “Do you like it?” ten times during a meal lol. What can I say, I thrive on positive reinforcement!

This past week, I truly outdid myself with fried mozzarella sandwiches, jalapeno popper quesadillas, and baked cacio e pepe. Everything turned out amazing and we had leftovers for days! Check it out:

When I go grocery shopping, I like to get the ingredients to try at least one new recipe. Other than that, Johnny and I have a lot of tried and true meals and will both be happy whenever I make them. This is my second time making the baked cacio e pepe and it turned out even better than my first attempt. I thought the sauce turned out much creamier, it wasn’t as overpoweringly peppery, and the gnocchi was cooked to perfection. I was thrilled about this because I hosted a friend for dinner when I made it and I never want to serve anything that is less than awesome.

Last weekend, Johnny and I had some friends over for a viewing of the Royal Rumble. Jalapeno popper quesadillas were the way to go to feed our guests and they are always a huge hit. Although the prep work is a bit tedious, it’s such an easy meal to make and turns out fabulous every time. Literally all you have to do is cut the jalapenos and broil them. Then you assemble the quesadillas with cream cheese, shredded cheese, crushed up tortilla chips or Nacho Cheese Doritos, and the jalapenos. All that’s left is to fry them up!

While I love cooking for just me and Johnny, it was a huge treat to be able to share meals with our friends too. And also a huge treat to have tons of leftovers! 😀

What are some of your favorite meals to make? What is something that you take pride in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb5

Sweet Surprises: Painted Parrot Edition

Posted on February 5, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! This past Wednesday, my darling niece, Val Gal, came over for a slumber party. It is something we both always look forward to because it is such fun!! I make us dinner, we have ice cream sundaes for dessert, enjoy a movie, and play, play, play. For our entertainment while we noshed on Mint Chocolate Chip sundaes, Val chose Mulan and I was stoked. That was one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid and we were also eating my favorite ice cream. And I was with my favorite person! As always, our partay was a raging success and a full on rager. I was also presented with quite possibly the sweetest gift ever. Check it out:

Val is a huge fan of crafting. She loves to paint, color, and make masterpieces with Play Doh. For Christmas, I got her a set of animal figurines that she could paint because that is one of her favorite activities. I had honestly forgotten about it when Val told me she brought me something. She handed me a parrot from the set that she painted and said “This is for you, TT. You got it for me for Christmas, but I wanted you to have one too.” Believe me when I say, I completely melted. Out of the mouths of babes!!

My sweet niece is just the coolest kid and Johnny and I cherish the time we spend with her. Val is the best big sister to Raya and is so kind, talented, and absolutely freaking hilarious. That girl keeps me in stitches and I am constantly quoting the ridiculousness she says on the daily. The parrot that she made with love is a testament to what an amazing little girl she is. It was yet another reminder of her thoughtfulness and it really moved me. We are each other’s best friends and she makes my life infinitely better. ❤

My parrot has a prized spot on our knick knack shelf and I smile every time I look at it/think about it. Here’s to many more slumber parties and fabulous memories with my lil BFF!

What is a gift that you cherish? What is your favorite thing that someone made for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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