Tag Archives: best friends

Jul12

BFF Garden Party

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BFF Garden Party

Hello!! My bestie, Lea, recently moved into a beautiful new house and it is awesome! I am so proud of her and want to do everything I can to assist in the projects that she needs help with. That’s what best friends are for, after all. One of the major things that needs done on her property is the gardening. The upkeep from the previous owners had been nonexistent and it all fell on Lea’s shoulders. Luckily, I am a huge fan of gardening and couldn’t wait to get to work! 😀

This past week, Lea and I headed to Meijer’s to buy some plants, Peach White Claw, and sushi for dinner. After our surprisingly good store bought sushi, we set off to our first task of clearing the planter boxes around her porch and filling it with hostas in various colors and sizes. It turned out GREAT! Check it out:

How It Started:

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How It’s Going:

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Our first order of business was to give ourselves a blank canvas for the hostas. We began pulling out the weeds, rocks, and random plants that peppered the planter boxes. Everything was going swell until I noticed an ant crawling on my arm. Then, I looked down to find that my gardening gloves were covered with them. It. Was. Awful. While pulling out a bushel of dying tall grass, Lea and I discovered that I had unearthed a ginormous ant colony. It. Was. Terrifying. Lol they were literally everywhere! 😮

The Attack Of The Ants happened at the far edge of the planter box and we refused to go anywhere near it. But, we completed the opposite end and stopped about two feet shy of the scene of creepy crawlies. To start, I taught Lea about the merits of cutting the plastic container the hostas were in so we wouldn’t hurt the plant while attempting to pull it out. Then, I showed her how to break apart the roots to make it perfect for their new home. After the demo, we began working separately and she did wonderfully. With the know how to DIY, she planted the remainder herself once the ants cleared out a bit. We were both very happy with the end results. 🙂

Lea and I had a fantastic time during our Garden Party hangout and we already have our next project planned out. I can’t wait to get our hands in the dirt again and get some flowers planted soon!

What projects are you working on around the house? What is your garden like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun20

BFF Birthday Gift

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BFF Birthday Gift

Hello!!! My bestie, Lea, and I have been BFFs since we started high school in 2008. We have fifteen years of best friendship under our belt and our love only grows fonder with each passing day! For this past decade and a half, we have celebrated holidays and birthdays together and for my 29th birthday jubilee, I requested a low key hang out. We had a slumber party in her brand new house and it was the best! It’s funny because we have only had one sleepover in our teens and have now had another when we are almost thirty lol.

During our celebration, I received the grand tour of her home while we sipped on champagne like the rich and famous. We dug into oven pizza, White Claws, and girl talked the night away while her precious cats, Fin and Win, kept us company. It was a blast and just what I needed as Johnny and I didn’t have a big birthaversary celebration this year.

For all gift giving occasions, Lea and I love to spoil each other and she truly knocked it out of the park this year. For my birthday, she surprised me with a GORGEOUS new pair of earrings that you can see soon in an upcoming OOTD! Check it out:

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Lea and her mom and sister enjoy going to craft fairs together, which is where she found this amazing pair of earrings from Janell & Co. She actually bought them half a year ago because she knew that they would be perfect for my birthday. As always, she was SO right! I literally gasped when I opened my parcel because I have seen similar items on Facebook ads, screenshotted them, and never bought a pair for myself. These were even better than anything I could have purchased because they supported a local artist and were way prettier than I remember the other pairs being.

I am a huge fan of big statement earrings and I was so eager to wear my birthday gift that I just had to incorporate them into an OOTD shoot the following day. As soon as I put them on, I couldn’t stop shaking my head to make the rain drops dance! Every step invited delightful movement of the earrings and they were magnificent when they caught the light just right. I am so lucky to have such wonderful besties who spoil me so much every trip around the sun!

Thank you times a trillion to my darling Lea for the best birthday gift and hang out in the world. Here’s to not waiting twelve years for our next slumber party! I love you! ❤

What is the most “you” gift you have received? Who is your favorite local artist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun13

Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

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Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

Hello!!!!!! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my best friend, Kate’s, birthday! Kate of Live In The Nautical is my sweet angel Gemini Twin and it is our happiest time of the year. The blog gods and stars and whatever else truly aligned when I started lifewithlilred because they brought me an instant BFF. Comment and blog collabs quickly turned into texting nonstop and FaceTime dates and nothing has changed in almost a decade. Wait… pretend you didn’t read that last part because we both turned twenty-five this year! 😉

Kate is such a firecracker and a force to be reckoned with. She gives so much, does everything at 150%, and asks for nothing in return. She reminds me so much of me and with all of our similarities from our upbringing and hobbies to current struggles, we really were destined to be best friends. Whether we need a laugh or a vent sesh, we both know who to go to and it is nothing short of an honor to be that person for Kate.

Even though Kate and I are in completely different states, it always feels like she could be right next door whenever we talk. We have probably texted each other a Stephen King length novel in our years of twinship! Johnny now knows without even having to ask who I’m texting when I’m feverishly typing away and always pauses whatever we are watching until my novella is complete lol. What can I say, we just have a lot to say to each other!

My life is SO much better because Kate is a part of it and anyone who has the pleasure of meeting her will say the exact same thing. Her personality and the way she chooses her words can connect with perfect strangers and I know that firsthand! I am the luckiest gal in the world to call Kate my best friend and she deserves to be celebrated every second of every minute of every day. And, even more so on her birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, Gemini Twin! I love you!!!!! ❤

Jun6

BFF Birthday Haul

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BFF Birthday Haul

Hello!! It is birthaversary week for myself and my darling Johnny and it is also Gemini season, baby! Not only is this a special time of the year for me and my main squeeze, but it is also a month long celebration with my Gemini Twin and best friend in the entire world, Kate. Kate is the fantastic author of Live In The Nautical and we became fast friends almost a decade ago when lifewithlilred first began. We share almost week apart June birthdays and, although I am not very into astrology, we both definitely live up to our Gemini status!

Every year for birthdays and Christmas, Kate spoils me rotten and she truly outdid herself this year. Both of us share a passion for musicals and she hooked me up with all of the swag from one of my all time favorites – Sweeney Todd. Check it out:

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This haul was more like a giftathon because every other day for the past week, I received another package in the mail from my bestie. Every time I got a call from my dad saying that another package arrived, I would rush over to my parents, who live not even five minutes away to pick it up. It was so exciting because I would text Kate immediately after opening a gift and couldn’t believe it when she told me that there was more!

I am loving my new coffee mug to add to my huge collection and the soft and comfy as can be T. The true piece de resistance, however, was the cutting board fresh from Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shoppe. I actually really wanted a new cutting board for my birthday, which Kate didn’t know and just shows how strong our bestie telepathy is! She knows me so well. ❤

Every day since Kate and I met, I am so thankful to the blogosphere for bringing us both together in a perfect instance of cosmic fate. We basically skipped the line to best friend status and my days feel SO weird if we haven’t texted at least once! Kate is such a shiny, bright light in my life and has and always will be a complete godsend – especially during this current rough patch that I am going through. Her constant care and support never fail to make me smile no matter how bad I am feeling and I am the luckiest gal in the world to be able to call someone like her my best friend. ❤

Thank you to my BFF and Gemini Twin for the amazing gifts, love, and years of beautiful friendship. Here’s to living all year round like it is Gemini season – you know both of your favorite bloggers will be! ❤

What is your favorite musical? Have you met any friends through the blogosphere? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May14

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!

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Happy Mother’s Day!!!!

Hello everyone and Happy Mother’s Day!!!! Today, we celebrate all of the amazing moms around the world and I like to think of this as my first Mother’s Day now that I have Melvin and Penelope lol. Hey, they are the closest thing Johnny and I will ever get to having kids! Of course, the real star of the day is my wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, strong, hilarious, and every good adjective that I can think of mom. ❤

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My mom is my ride or die, A1 bestie. I am literally obsessed with her and we are typically in constant contact throughout the day because she shares the same sentiments about yours truly. We end up missing each other as soon as I leave the room or hang up the phone! My mom is a true class act and handles every difficulty life hands her with the utmost strength, grace, and resilience. She is a fighter, warrior, and the best mom; being her daughter is an absolute gift and I feel proud of that every single minute of every day. I love her so much I can hardly stand it! ❤

I would not be the person, friend, wife, and business owner that you all know and love without my mom guiding, supporting, and cheering me on every step of the way. We are each other’s own personal cheerleaders and I always know who to go to when I have exciting news, need a kind word, or just want to chat about nothing. The bond I share with my mom is something that I am eternally grateful for and I wish I could shrink her cute little self and carry her around in my pocket all day. Lol, is that weird? 😀

My mom deserves to be celebrated every day and I cannot wait to create more memories with my partner in crime by my side. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you and I love you, mom, more than words can say!

What is something special about your mom? What is your favorite memory with your mom? MOMS!! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Mar25

Are You Ready To Rumble?!

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Are You Ready To Rumble?!

Hello! After years of himming and hawing, Johnny and I finally took the plunge and invested in the Peacock streaming service. We have been pretty impressed with their selection of scary movies and documentaries but, of course, the huge perk is binging The Office and Parks & Recreation for the millionth time! When we first got Peacock, we started noticing lots of commercials for wrestling events, primarily the Royal Rumble, and we became nothing short of intrigued. So much so that we invited our bestie, Cliff, over to watch it.

Within minutes of our first Royal Rumble viewing, we were hooked. We knew it was going to be a good time because we’re the three best friends that anybody could have, but we weren’t expecting this! It was the funniest, most ridiculous thing on planet Earth and watching big beefy men in Speedos trash talking is all we needed to turn us into wrestling super fans. Thanks to Peacock, we have access to over thirty years worth of Royal Rumbles and it has become our tradition to watch one almost every Saturday night.

Johnny and Cliff are my best boys and I look forward to our Saturday night dose of wrestling all week. We try to DoorDash something different every week for dinner, Cliff insists on making specialty Royal Rumble cocktails, and we settle in on the couch and have a ball. Normally, I can’t stand commercials on a streaming service but I am very grateful in this case. I don’t think we ever would have started our weekly tradition without it!

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Johnny and Cliff have been hard at work creating a new podcast (It’s awesome!) and I’m always touched that they take time out of their preparations to hang out and include little old me. Before our viewing of an early Royal Rumble this past weekend, they entrusted me to take promo shots for their podcast. They turned out EXCELLENT, if I do say so myself! While I can’t tell you the name of their show, I can say that it is airplane themed, which you probably figured out due to the pilot hats. My boys insisted that I wore one too because I’m part of their team and my heart melted. ❤

Johnny and Cliff have been best friends since kindergarten and nothing has changed in almost three decades. Ever since Johnny and I started dating, I have been welcomed with open arms into their hang outs and tom foolery and it means the world. As silly as it sounds, the Royal Rumble is now very special to me because it gave us our first BFF tradition all together. Bring on the Royal Rumble tonight, baby!!

Who else is a wrestling fan? What are some traditions you have with your besties? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar22

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!

Hello!!! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my mom’s birthday!! My mom is my best friend in the whole world and, I hate to brag, but she’s the best mom in the whole world too. Every day she inspires me with her strength, bravery, and positivity and I am a better person because of it. People always seem to have a fear of turning into their parents as they age, but that is far from the case with me. As I get older and catch myself doing “mom-isms” of my own, I feel proud to be even an iota like her! Check out this stunning beauty:

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My mom fiercely loves her family, grandchildren, and pets and faces every single hardship with a smile on her face because of it. She radiates joy and it is impossible to be in a bad mood around her. And, if you are, you’ll forget about it after just a few minutes of being with her. Even at almost twenty-nine, a hug from my mom still serves as my favorite cure all and I always can’t wait to see her again as soon as our visits end. ❤

As I type this, Melvin and Penelope are out running around and I have my mom to thank for that. Watching her care for our family dogs and be an A+ pet parent all of my life makes me want to provide nothing less for my bunnies. As I type this, my watercolor flowers that we just painted together are still on my desk and I have my mom to thank for that too. By signing herself, me, and my sister up for a class this past summer, she gave me and her a brand new hobby to do together. I feel proud that she encouraged all of us to try something different and that we are still painting several months later.

Everything I love, I have my mom to thank for because she has been with me every step of the way with her endless support and unconditional love. Being her daughter is a gift and I love her so very, very much. Happy birthday to the best mom and I will see you later today!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Jan17

Double Date Night

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Double Date Night

Hello!! Johnny and I have a select few people that we regularly hang out with and my best friend and her husband are two of them. Lea and Brandon are our favorites and ever since Johnny and I got married, him and Brandon have become straight up besties. It’s so cute! Once a month, we get together for a double date night at either of our apartments or out on the town. This past week, we were supposed to hit up our go to haunt of Bucca De Beppo but didn’t feel like making the forty-five minute drive to the restaurant. So, we substituted for Mexican food at El Meson and it was just what the doctor ordered!

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El Meson is an absolute staple in Cuyahoga Falls and it is SO good every single time. It is the perfect place to go for a quick dinner and drinks and was the obvious next choice when we weren’t in the mood for our trek to the Bucca. The restaurant has the most fun, lively atmosphere and it’s safe to say that we go there a lot when the staff members recognize us! Their to go Margaritas were also a life saver when we were craving Mexican during the pandemic but didn’t want to go into the restaurant. 😀

After a few past hang outs at our places, it was so nice to have a night out with our main baddies. It also couldn’t have come at a better time because I just got an amazing job offer shortly before meeting up. We turned this dinner into an impromptu celebration for my good news and to hype Brandon and Lea up as they begin house hunting. Our meals were delicious and, as always, their drinks were out of this world. Our server must have been able to tell how much we were enjoying them because he offered us two large additional Margs for us to share that was a mistake from the bar. He knows us so well. ❤

Lea and Brandon are our only married friends and Lea and I are over the moon at how well our guys get along with each other. Our double dates have become a monthly must and it gives us something to look forward to as soon as date night draws to a close. I am already daydreaming about Bucca De Beppo for next time!

Do you like double dates? What is a staple restaurant in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec20

Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

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Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

Hello!! My best friend, Lea, and I have celebrated fourteen Christmases together and we had our annual holiday hang out this past weekend. It was a hoot! I made us a big baked ziti dinner and our husbands had a man date playing banjo together while Lea and I girl talked the evening away. After almost a decade and a half of prezzies purchased, you would think that Lea and I would be fresh out of gift ideas. That’s far from the case for us, though, and Lea is one of my favorite people to shop for! As always, she knocked it out of the park for me too. Check it out:

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Until a week or so ago, I never appreciated the joy of fuzzy socks. However, one of my clients gifted me with an amazing pair of slipper socks last week and I am obsessed. So, I was insanely excited to receive some more pairs from Lea! These holiday socks are the softest, most comfortable things that I have ever put on my feet. They keep my tootsies toasty and they are too cute to boot. The polka dot pattern is so sweet and how adorable is that little hedgehog?! 😀

Lea loves to frequent craft fairs during the holiday season and the jewelry dish and T-shirt were both bought at one she went to with her mom. The jewelry dish is going to be perfect for housing my stud earrings, which is just what I need. I have so many pairs throughout the house that I have taken off and never bothered to put back smh. This dish is so pretty and simple and the cream base with the mauve rim is divine.

The piece de resistance from this holiday haul is, of course, the hilarious T-shirt that Lea got me. I have never owned any type of Christmas themed clothing and this shirt is the one to have. Its sentiment speaks to me on a spiritual level and I would have bought it for myself if I saw it while shopping. What can I say, after fourteen years of best friendship, Lea knows a thing or two about me! Although this is a holiday shirt, I will be wearing it year round. In fact, it just might make an appearance in an OOTD coming soon!

I had the best time celebrating Christmas and comradery with my best friend. I look forward to our holiday hang every year and here’s to fourteen more years of them!

Do you have any holiday traditions with your bestie? Where do you like to shop for holiday gifts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov22

Planning The Ultimate Girls Night In

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Planning The Ultimate Girls Night In

Hello! It has been snowing in Ohio for the past couple of days so, as far as I am concerned, winter is officially here. While it is always fun to have a night out, the cold weather makes me want to stay in until spring! Those winter nights gives the perfect opportunity to host the ultimate girls night in because why leave the comfort of your own home if you don’t have to?! Call up your besties and find your comfiest pajamas because it’s time to plan a GNI so good that it will make you scoff at a night on the town:

So Many Activities:

While nothing pleases me more than a good old fashioned girl talk, a night in begs for some fun activities to do together. This could be anything from pulling up a YouTube tutorial and having a wine and paint night to baking and decorating holiday cookies. How about making your own pizzas together instead of ordering delivery? Or putting together an ice cream sundae bar? Hey, a girl has gotta eat!

Spa Treatments:

A girls night in staple is, of course, getting to pamper yourselves. We’re talking face masks, painting nails, and aromatherapy – the works! Have your best girls bring their favorite products and turn it into a swap so that all of you can try something new. You could even create your own face masks and hair treatments with ingredients in your kitchen. Who knows, your girls night might turn into your first small business meeting with your skin care creations!

Snuggle Up:

What is a good girls night in without some chick flicks? Pop all of the popcorn and pop the champagne! Movie time means snuggling up, getting cozy, and unwinding so lots of soft blankets and fuzzy socks are a must. You could even order matching PJs if you want to be super extra! On the subject of blankets, fleece throws are super easy to make and can be added to your growing list of activities.

Cocktail Creations:

If you plan on indulging in the drink, how about creating a girls night signature cocktail (Or mocktail!)? Wine or champagne is always a good choice but it will be a blast to shake things up literally and metaphorically. Get inspiration for cocktails on Pinterest and put your own twist on it. You or your friends might just find your new calling as the best bartender ever. 😀

Playlist, Please:

Having awesome music on as you craft, eat, and talk the night away is so essential. Even more important is your selection, which means no mopey ballads! Girls night in means girl power anthems, one hit wonders, and beats that get you in the spirit for an impromptu dance party. And, what is a girls night in without Queen Bs, Britney Spears AND Beyonce? The answer is: NOTHING!!

If the winter weather has driven you to hibernation mode, you might as well have some fun. Your girls night in will be a GREAT SUCCESS and you could turn it into a tradition with a different host every month. Now, where’s my invite?!

What are some girls night in essentials? What is your favorite night in snack or drink? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah