Dec21

Merry & Bright OOTD

Posted on December 21, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Howdy!! Johnny and I took some couples holiday photos which you saw yesterday to show off some new Misny Merch. My husband simply worked it and our Tim Misny pillow and holiday sweaters didn’t look too bad either! Wearing our Santa suit Tim sweaters together was a hoot. This was my first time wearing a holiday themed piece of clothing since I was little and I couldn’t have picked a better one to break the over two decade long hiatus. While taking couples photos was my primary goal from this shoot, I had to take a few OOTD shots too! May I present, my Merry & Bright OOTD:

Who? What? Wear?

Holiday Sweater: Misny Merch

Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Red Heeled Boots: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Red Heart Earrings: SugarFix by Baublebar, Target

Whenever I am styling an OOTD, I always start out by identifying a key piece to create a look around. While it is fun to go shopping in my wardrobe boutique, it can be overwhelming to have all of those options! My Merry & Bright OOTD was an incredibly easy one to style because the Tim Misny holiday sweater was the outfit’s focal point. Not only is the image on the sweater bold, but it is huge too and that was my sign to keep the rest of the look simple. Additional touches like a necklace or cold weather accessories would have instantly formed a cluttered appearance, which is not the way to go when you want to showcase one particular item.

Next on the agenda was jeans and to maintain the “simple is best” approach, I put on my plain black skinnies. Originally, I had on my pair of coated Seven Jeans and it was an instant no no. The sheen of them against the muted sweater didn’t look cohesive in the slightest. It was more like two separate pieces working against each other rather than being complimentary. Instead of trying on more pairs with distressing or patterns, I went with my old standby and am glad I did!

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. Since the sweater was green and featured a holiday motif, I decided to go red with the finishing touches. For shoes, I selected a darling pair of heeled boots by Bamboo. The pointed toe and bright hue are so sassy and added some fun attitude to the outfit. These boots also feature an amazing surprise, which you can see in the second to last photo. I love the tassel zipper! Last on the agenda was earrings and I chose a dangly pair of red hearts. These helped create some length to my neck since everything else was covered up and tied the look together from head to toe.

If you are loving the Tim Misny holiday sweater, you can purchase it at Misny Merch and help support the Cleveland City Mission. Keep it locked for the blooper reel tomorrow!

What is your favorite charity to support? What do you plan on wearing to celebrate the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec20

Happy Holidays To You

Posted on December 20, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Johnny and I have been having a blast rocking all of our new Misny Merch and we just had to take some couples pictures this weekend to show it off. Misny Merch is truly the gift that keeps on giving. For starters, you will look freaking awesome in it but, most importantly, all proceeds from each purchase goes towards supporting the Cleveland City Mission. You can shop all things Misny Merch here and help battle homelessness in Cleveland with your order! Here are some of my favorite shots with my favorite person and a very special guest:

Unfortunately, our friend Tim Misny couldn’t be with us for this photo shoot. However, we got the next best things! A Tim Misny pillow and holiday sweaters!! Nothing says “merry and bright” like Tim in a Santa suit and I honestly think that Johnny and I will be wearing our sweaters year round. They are SO comfortable and are warm without feeling like you are in your own personal sweat lodge. There is nothing worse than a stuffy sweater and this one by Misny Merch is the definition of “just right”. Whether you wear it on the go or simply to lounge in, this is a piece from the holiday collection that you don’t want to miss!

It’s always fun to play dress up in all of our Misny swag, but the funnest thing was taking pictures with Johnny. As a doting blog husband, he takes my OOTD shots almost every weekend. lifewithlilred would not be the same without all of his help! While we do take selfies fairly often or, rather, I take selfies and Johnny makes a stank face, we don’t have a lot of “nice” pictures together. I was so happy to be able to take these holiday shots with my main squeeze and I treasure them so much. These holiday shots sum up our very loving and very goofy relationship to the T. Showcasing our new Misny Merch was the perfect cherry on top. ❤

Happy Holidays To You from me, Johnny, and Ohio’s own Tim Misny. We hope you have the most amazing time celebrating with your loved ones and basking in the holiday spirit!

Do you have any “ugly” holiday sweaters? What is your favorite merch line by a celebrity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec19

Hats Off: Misny Merch Edition

Posted on December 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hi darlings!! It has been forever since we’ve had a new edition of Hats Off because I haven’t bought a new hat in… Well, forever. That changes today, though, because we have a few hats from the Misny Merch collection to check out! Ohio’s favorite local celebrity, Tim Misny, is the man and it was such a joy to create content with him. We had so much fun showing off the Misny Merch line in its entirety and shining a light on the Cleveland City Mission. All proceeds from merch purchases directly benefit this amazing charity that helps battle homelessness in Cleveland. Tim is a huge supporter of the Cleveland City Mission and I tip my new Misny Merch hats to all of those who give their time and love to those who need it at the CCM. Let’s take a look at this swag!

During the fall and winter, I feel like I am constantly rocking a beanie. They are such a classic cold weather staple and it’s just too easy to throw one on in the morning and call it a day. My go to beanie features the phrase “bad hair day” and, yes, it does cover up my crazy hair from first waking up but also assists in my pure laziness lol. During the work week, I am either up at three or four thirty AM and the last thing I am concerned about is the state of my hair in the wee hours of the morn! I am LOVING my new Misny Merch beanies because they are really similar in style to my bad hair day one and offer an infinitely cooler tagline: A variation of Tim’s signature catchphrase, “I’ll make them pay”.

Another fun item from the Misny Merch line are the baseball caps that say “Misny To The Max”. I think the slogan is absolutely hilarious and I also have this cap in black too. In fact, I wore it in the OOTD I styled to win the contest that put me into Tim’s orbit. Everything that Tim does, trust and believe he does it to the max. Whether that be helping the Cleveland City Mission, taking on a personal injury case, or even decorating Misnyland – he’d rather go big or go home. These hats are a fabulous reminder to do everything to the max and see what happens. It applies to me firsthand. If I didn’t have a “to the max” attitude, then I never would have secured the interview that made me and Tim instant besties!!

Live your life to the max and good things will come your way. Live your life in a “Misny To The Max” baseball cap and you’ll look cool while doing it. Buy yours today at Misny Merch and support the Cleveland City Mission!!

How do you live your life to the max? What is your favorite style of hat? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec18

5 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Laundry

Posted on December 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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5 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Laundry

You might think that there isn’t anything that could go too wrong with your laundry. However, if you want to keep the quality, color, and reliability of your clothes, then you had better be ready to offer them the care that they need. Here, we’re going to look at all-too-common mistakes people make when doing laundry, and what you can do to prevent them:

Not sorting them by color:

Yes, you still need to sort your clothes by color. Dark clothes should be washed with dark clothes, light with light, and white with white. We have heard a lot of people saying that many modern t-shirts don’t really require this as much because production doesn’t use dye that can come off in the wash. Unless you know precisely how each piece of clothing is going to act when swirling in hot water together, don’t chance it.

Not following the instructions on the tag:

You might think that the instructions on the tag are just a suggestion and that nothing bad is likely to happen if you don’t follow them. Or, you might be like many people who never check the tag at all when washing clothes. If that happens, then you should expect tearing, shrinking, or stretching as a matter of course. If you want to keep your clothes like new, you have to follow their instructions.

Neglecting to check for optical brighteners:

This is a tip that a lot of people don’t know about. There are laundry detergents out there, sold with the express intent of washing clothes, that don’t really wash them too well. Optical brighteners are a somewhat common ingredient. Rather than focusing on washing them, getting out stains, and keeping them fresh, these detergents act as a sort of dye, brightening the laundry instead. Needless to say, most people want their clothes washed, not just having the appearance of being washed.

Keeping the temperature too high:

Another common mistake is thinking that “hotter is better.” Yes, in higher temperatures, dirt and stains might be able to dissolve more easily. However, this is also worse for your clothes, making them more likely to stretch and lose their consistency, as the high temperatures also add wear and tear to the mix. A cold wash can do your clothes a lot of good and uses less energy than usual.

Not cleaning your washing machine:

You have to take care of your washing machine for it to take care of you. Mold, mildew, detergent residue, and hard water buildups can begin to affect the effectiveness of your clean, as well as the health of the machine. A self-clean cycle with a good washing machine cleaner is all you need.

Many of the mistakes above can be a force of habit, so you might not realize exactly what the problem is until you stop it, and find the alternative a lot better. These tips will help you end up with cleaner, fresher clothes, that don’t suffer any unexpected changes in the process of washing them!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Dec18

Misny Merch Reveal

Posted on December 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Way back in May, I won a contest to hang out with one of Ohio’s biggest local celebrities thanks to this OOTD. His name is Tim Misny and he is our premiere personal injury lawyer best known for his billboards that are literally everywhere and signature catchphrase of “I’ll make them pay”. Fast forward to November and I got to spend time at his estate called Misnyland with Johnny and other contest winners. During the party, I was able to snag an interview with Tim and we became fast friends. So much so that we are collaborating together to create content!

This experience has been a whirlwind and Tim and I had an absolute blast making a video to showcase his Misny Merch collection. You can peep the video on his Facebook page or mine at Sarah Mushenheim! The coolest thing about Misny Merch is that all proceeds from each purchase benefits the Cleveland City Mission, which is a charity very close to Tim’s heart. You can shop the merch line here and I’ll be doing my own reveal on lifewithlilred with all of my Misny swag. Check it out:

When I say that Tim is iconic in my neck of the woods, I mean he is iconic. The image featured on these products can be seen on billboards all throughout Ohio and everyone would know that eyebrow arch anywhere! In the video we made together, we got to show off the entire merch collection with a special feature about the holiday line that includes goodies like the Tim Misny ornament, stocking, puzzle, and apparel that you will see later on my page. These make for a perfect gift for yourself or a friend and is a gift that keeps on giving because it helps the Cleveland City Mission. Talk about putting your money to good use!

Johnny and I are stoked to put our Tim Misny puzzle together and we plan on gluing the end result to hang up in our apartment. The stocking is hilarious and our ornament is proudly displayed on our knick knack shelf that holds our ornament collection that has been growing since the beginning of our relationship. It just might be my favorite one yet! The travel and coffee mug have already been put to excellent use and as Tim would say, “it’s my mug on a mug” lol. There’s no better part of waking up than with Tim Misny on your cup or whatever that coffee slogan is. 😀

Modeling for the Misny Merch collection has been a dream come true so keep it locked for more reveals and OOTDs coming soon. Be sure to put your merch orders in ASAP before they sell out and help support the Cleveland City Mission!

Who is a local celebrity in your neck of the woods? Can you arch your eyebrows? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec17

Chipotle Taste Alike Recipes

Posted on December 17, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Taco Bell will always be my A1 ride or die fast food establishment. However, I also have a very soft spot in my heart for Chipotle too. I like to think that my homemade guacamole is very similar to their recipe and I found an awesome cilantro lime rice taste alike recipe on Pinterest that I love to make. I decided to try making the additional fixings for a Chipotle burrito bowl from home this past week and it turned out pretty good! Thanks to Pinterest, I found tons of recipes for black beans, fajita veggies, and steak for Johnny that all claimed to be just like Chipotle’s. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss further:

Recipes Used:

Cilantro Lime Rice: Downshiftology

Black Beans: Dinner Then Dessert

Fajita Veggies: Downshiftology

Steak: Culinary Hill

To make my at home Chipotle burrito bowls, I cooked five different recipes that took about two and a half hours to make in total. None of these recipes were difficult to make and the most time consuming thing was chopping all of the different veggies. To start, I prepared my own personal recipe for guacamole which wouldn’t have taken long at all, but the avocados were really hard. To rectify this, I cut each avocado in half, wrapped them in paper towel, and microwaved them to soften them up. It worked like a charm even though it was a slow going process and I was able to cross it off of my “to cook” list.

Next, I started prepping the fajita veggies and black beans. Overall, I was happy with the fajita veggies but they were missing that extra something. The only seasoning this recipe called for was oregano and salt and pepper to taste. When I make it again, I plan on adding a bit of spice to give the veggies some more kick. The black beans was my biggest bugaboo from this cooking session and is the one recipe I wouldn’t make again. This recipe turned out really saucy and I didn’t care for the amount of onions it called for. I almost think I would be better off cooking the beans in vegetable broth along with the seasoning so I will be winging it the next time I have a taste for Chipotle taste alikes.

The final steps in my cookathon was making the rice and steak. As always, the cilantro lime rice turned out delicious and was easily the best copycat recipe out of all of them. It definitely helped invoke all of the Chipotle vibes and I really think it tastes exactly like theirs. This was my first time ever cooking steak and I can’t say if it was a true Chipotle taste alike or not as a vegetarian, but Johnny loved it and that’s good enough for me! The only thing that I would do differently about the steak is marinate it longer. I let mine sit for over an hour and we both felt that it could benefit from some more time. I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when Johnny gave me his stamp of approval, though, because I had no idea how it would turn out!

The finishing touches on my burrito bowl was adding lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa on top. Even though I wasn’t wowed by the black beans, I was pleased with everything else and it was fun to try and make recipes from one of my favorite eateries from scratch!

What is your favorite copycat recipe? What is your favorite fast food spot? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec16

Sweet Surprises: Lovely Ladybugs Edition

Posted on December 16, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Sweet Surprises: Lovely Ladybugs Edition

Hey darlings!! Tuesday was a banner day for your girl because I got Santa Mail from my sweet Kate of Live In The Nautical AND from the beautiful Carlie of Bombshell. These lovely ladies have been my blogging besties since lifewithlilred started all the way back in 2014. In this almost decade tenure of being in the blogosphere, I have had the joy of collaborating and becoming friends with Carlie and she is nothing short of a delight. She is cool, crafty, and the spooky match to my spooky soul. Carlie gifted me with the most adorable pair of earrings that I have ever seen and I just had to share them with all of you:

When I saw my package from Carlie, the vampire goddess herself, I tore it open like a rabid animal. In the packing envelope, I found a little red box and that was already perfect in and of itself. As my blog tagline goes, Life is better in red, and that applies to jewelry boxes too! After smiling to myself about Carlie’s perfect gift box choice, I opened the lid and was delighted with my findings. These delicate gold ladybug earrings are so precious and they warmed my little heart. I absolutely love ladybugs and I love them even more when they are gold and have pink rhinestones! 😀

Being a blogger is awesome because writing is my passion. What makes it the awesomest, however, is all of the wonderful people I have been able to connect with through lifewithlilred. Carlie lives in California and I would have never met her otherwise. Through my page, we became fast friends via text and FaceTime and meeting her was like meeting my blogging big sis. Every day, I am SO thankful to the blogosphere for bringing such amazing friends like Carlie and Kate into my life. And, of course, all of you too. ❤ ❤ ❤

My girl Carlie is an absolute queen and you can keep up to date with all of her fabulousness by giving her a follow on Instagram: @carliemichelle66 . Thank you for my earrings, doll – love you!!! ❤

Have you met any friends through blogging? What is something cool that your blog has done for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec15

BFF Christmas Gift

Posted on December 15, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hi darlings!! In the past few days I have received so many early Christmas gifts and it has warmed my little heart. My Christmas countdown has been going on since the beginning of the month and these early prezzies are the perfect thing to tide me over until then. I am SO looking forward to some time off to celebrate with my family and finally giving them the gifts that have been sitting in my apartment for months! This Tuesday, I was delighted to receive Santa Mail from my beautiful angel best friend, Kate, of Live In The Nautical. She is my blogging/IRL bestie and her gifts this year simply sleighed – check it out:

For literally every gift giving occasion, Kate wins. Lol, I consider myself to be an excellent gift giver but my best girl is on a whole other level. For my Christmas prezzies, Kate gifted me with a hand massager and an amazing set of horror themed bath bombs by Rusted Acre Soap Co. What I love about presents from Kate is that her gifts are always perfectly tailored to me. They are SO thoughtful and I can tell that she saves little tidbits from conversations in her Christmas Rolodex to find something just right. In fact, her gifts to me are either something that I would buy for myself or think about purchasing but never do. It’s that best friend telepathy, baby!

Kate gave me the gift of pampering this year and I can’t wait to use all of my new goodies. A car accident when Johnny and I first started dating left me with a lot of issues in my hands and arms that come and go. Spending a ton of time on the computer doesn’t exactly help the cause either lol so the hand massager is going to be fabulous to use! It is also so sweet to me that Kate clocked my complaints of hand pain throughout the year and said “I know the gift for her”. Johnny is also most eager to use it too haha so it’s a double gift. 😀

The piece de resistance, however, is the horror themed bath bombs by Rusted Acre Soap Co. Kate and I are both avid true crime fans, but she is SO not a horror movie gal! Yours truly, on the other hand, lives for them and I clutched my pearls when I opened my bath bomb box. These bath bombs are the absolute coolest and they look so great that I almost don’t want to use them. I totally will, though, and I just know they are going to be awesome. Bath bombs are a product I love, but rarely buy for myself and they are almost always a staple in Kate’s gifts. She has gifted me with spooky bath bombs before, but these ones take the cake!

The best gift of all will forever be having a best friend like Kate. I thank my lucky stars for her every day and for the wonderful blogosphere that brought us gals together. I love you, BFF!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

What is your favorite scary movie? How did you and your bestie meet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec14

Sweet Surprises: Early Christmas Gift Edition

Posted on December 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Sweet Surprises: Early Christmas Gift Edition

Hello!!! I had a pretty difficult day at my job as an Independent Provider this past Monday and it hit me really hard. It is always the worst when I have to let go of long term clients, but that is just what had to happen and I was beside myself. It was a rain cloud on this past week for sure, but a rainbow appeared on Wednesday morning when one of my clients decided to give me their family Christmas gift early. Oddly enough, I was actually thinking of bringing their gifts in that very day! This was, hands down, one of the most beautiful, thoughtful gifts I have ever received and reminded me why working in the field is still exactly where I needed to be. Maybe that family decided I could use a pick me up that day and it worked like a charm. Check it out:

The inside of the sun and moon patterned bracelet says “You were made to make a difference” and the inside of the plain one says “You make the world a better place”.

Guys, when I tell you I was ugly crying when I unwrapped my presents – I mean I was ugly crying. I adore the mini cuff message bracelets so very much and have at least six of them in my collection. The very first one I got was from my mom when I was a teenager and it sparked a love of them ever since. My clients’ family had no idea about this and I was flabbergasted when I opened them up and simply verklempt when I read the sweet sentiments inside. The messages that these bracelets held were exactly what I needed and given to me exactly when I needed them. It was so unbelievably special to me and once the waterworks started, there was no stopping it.

I love my job so much and always will, even on hard days. But, I think anyone who works in the care field wonders from time to time if they are ever actually making a difference – especially after a bad day. These bracelets were the confirmation I needed that, yes, I am changing the lives of the people I serve and, yes, the world is a better place because of it. It was humbling and beautiful to see this written plainly across the bracelets I received. This gift was so comforting because it told me that I am still doing everything right by my clients and people who I will have the pleasure of helping in the future. I just renewed my certification as a provider and I can’t wait to see where my next three years in the field takes me!

This is the literal first time that I have cried over a gift and I will treasure these bracelets until the end of my days. It was given to me by a family who is so special to me and I take pride in the fact that I am special to them too. ❤

Have you ever got emotional over a gift? What is the best gift you have ever received? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

Give Me A Boost

Posted on December 13, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!!! Johnny and I had the misfortune of getting Covid late this September and it was about a bitch lol. The last time we had Covid was in 2020 and we were both completely asymptomatic. If I didn’t know I was exposed, we never would have known we even had it. This past time around, we had ALL of the symptoms and it sucked. The general rule of thumb is to wait three or so months to get a vaccine or booster shot post Covid and I finally was able to get my updated booster this past Friday and… it SUCKED!!!!!

I have gotten every Covid vaccine and booster available and I have never reacted well to them. I’m not sure why I expected this time to be any different and, bully for me, because this was probably my worst experience yet. Pretty much immediately after my shot, my arm was extremely sore but I was still feeling okay physically. Fast forward to that night after a delightful hang out with my bestie and I spent my slumber sweating to the oldies. My pillowcase is now a shocking combo of red and blue hair dye because of it SMH.

On Saturday, I woke up with a pounding headache, nausea, and a fever that flip flopped back and forth with chills. I spent all day watching Criminal Minds and My 600 Lb Life and despite them being two of my favorite comfort shows, I was not comforted one bit! I had no appetite, felt so run down, and couldn’t wait to go to bed with the hopes that I would feel better on Sunday. I slept and sweat for a solid twelve or so hours and somehow managed to wake up feeling worse.

Sunday was a doozy of a day and my nausea was at an all time high. I ralphed four times and only started feeling slightly better when I was able to keep some food down for dinner later that evening. Thankfully, after another super sweaty night, I am feeling much better as I write this Monday morning. I can only compare this booster experience to my day three or four of having actual Covid and it was a pretty miserable way to spend the weekend.

Having said all of that, I am SO happy to be boosted up just in time for the holidays. I consider these booster shots to be a necessary evil because of how poorly I react to them. However, I know that if Johnny and I were to get Covid again, it would be so much worse without the added protection. Even though it was a major bummer to spend the weekend feeling like ass, I knew that I would feel better soon and that was good enough for me. I’m just glad to be over and done with it and now I have the pleasure of taking care of Johnny when he gets boosted this upcoming weekend! 😀

Unfortunately, Covid is something we’re always going to have to deal with. The vaccines and boosters make me feel much more comfortable with that fact and I am proud to do my part to keep myself and those around me safe. ❤

How did you react to your Covid vaccines and boosters? So so or oh NO? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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