Tag Archives: besties

BFF Holiday Hangout

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BFF Holiday Hangout

Hello!!! This past Friday, I had a wonderful post holiday hang out with my BFF, Lea. This was fantastic because I spent the entirety of my Christmas break sick so it was nice to have a celebration that I was up for. We hit up our favorite bar, the Cashmere Cricket, for drinks and dinner and it was divine! We sipped on martinis (Lavender Fizz for me and Key Lime Pie for her) and had a delicious meal. I have never ate at the Cricket before and I am still thinking about their grilled cheese dippers! SO yummy. What I am swooning over the most, though, are the most amazing gifts from my bestie:

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Lea and I have been best friends since high school, but the novelty of gift giving for Christmas and birthdays has yet to wear off. We both agree that we are each other’s favorite person to shop for because it’s fun lol. Whenever I hit up my preferred TJMaxx or she attends a craft fair, we are very much in tune to the prezzies that we would go wild over. Her and I know exactly what each other would like and we always end up with gifts that we would have bought for ourselves or would want to buy. It’s a beautiful thing. ❤

For Christmas, Lea gifted me with a bottle of Peach Moscato, cocktail mixes, a gorgeous pair of skeleton hand earrings, and a lounging skeleton pillow. Lea and I are peach wine girls and that is forever a staple in our gifts during exchanges. The Farm Fresh wine was very tasty and it was so nice to sip on during a weekend viewing of My 600 Lb. Life. She also got me cocktail mixes in Cherry Limeade, Citrus-Berry Sangria, and Strawberry Pineapple. I have never seen anything like these drink pouches before, but all you have to do is add wine or vodka and water and sip away. These are going to be a blast to try out!

What I am loving the most from my gifts from Lea has got to be the earrings and pillow. Lea knows that all things spooky speak to my soul so anything with skeletons is A-okay with me. In fact, I was wearing a sweater with a skull print when we were together! I cannot wait to wear my new earrings and am shocked that I don’t already own something like them. They are creepy while still being delicate in sparkling silver and will be a welcome addition to one of my next OOTDs. And, of course, how fabulous is that pillow? The lounging skeleton is perfect for… Well, lounging lol and how fun are those tassels?! It matches mine and Johnny’s emo aesthetic to the T. 🙂

Having a best friend like my Lea is the absolute best gift I could ever have and I look forward to our annual holiday hangouts every year. Our summer birthdays are still way over the horizon, but I already can’t wait to shop for my best girl! ❤

How do you and your friends celebrate the holidays? How long have you been friends with your best friend for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Merry & Bright OOTD Bloopers

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Merry & Bright OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Merry & Bright OOTD! This past weekend, Johnny and I took some charming couples shots and OOTD pics of us rocking a sweater from the Misny Merch holiday collection. Working with Tim Misny is, easily, the coolest thing that my blog has ever done for me other than meeting all of my amazing blogging besties. He is an absolute hoot and it is such fun to create content with him! Unfortunately, Tim wasn’t with us when Johnny and I took pics, but we did have the next best thing: A Tim Misny pillow and a whole lot of bloopers. Check it out:

Rocking that stank face

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I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Trying to pop my foot: A saga in four parts…

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This is NOT going well. Lol the look of pure terror!

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How did it come to this?!?!

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Laughing it off and pretending this epic failure didn’t just happen

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Not much else to do but get my phone and give up. Maybe next OOTD I can get that foot poppin!

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I have often been asked since I started to work with Tim Misny how it even happened in the first place. To better explain, let me create a timeline for you…

May: Tim announced the launch of Misny Merch along with a contest to snap a pic rocking your purchase for a chance to meet him at Misnyland. I told my dad about it and he bought me some swag for my birthday.

A Few Days Later: I shot this OOTD and entered the contest. I later learned that I won!!

November: The Misnyland party got pushed back from a summer BBQ to a fall celebration. Johnny and I went together and nearing the end of the party, I asked Tim if he had time for a quick interview. This “quick” Q & A turned into a half hour long conversation and we only ended our gab sesh because he had to bid farewell to the party guests. We did, however, exchange our contact info with the promise of working together again.

Here & Now: Since the party, Tim and I have been in frequent contact and ended up shooting a holiday video to show off the Misny Merch. You can peep the video on my Facebook page (Sarah Mushenheim) or his (Tim Misny). We have grand plans for all of the content including creating a podcast together, tons of videos, and lots of photo shoots!

This newfound friendship with Tim has been a whirlwind and Johnny and I enjoy our time with him so very much. All I can say is, if you ever have an opportunity put in front of you: Go for it! I was SO nervous to ask Tim for a chat at the party, but I did and everything is coming up Misny and lifewithlilred. I can’t wait to see what we come up with next!

What opportunities has your blog given you? What is something that you were nervous about but did anyways? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Remember that all proceeds from a Misny Merch purchase goes towards supporting the Cleveland City Mission!

Happy Holidays To You

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Happy Holidays To You

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:

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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

BFF Christmas Gift

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BFF Christmas Gift

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:

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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

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

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

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!!!!! ❤

Musings From A Hospital

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Musings From A Hospital

Hello!!!! My darling best friend/Gemini Twin, Kate, of Live In The Nautical and I have so many similar things about us that it’s honestly insane. We both come from funeral home families, we are both former figure skaters, have the same birth month, and share a passion for fashion, musicals, and movie magic. The one thing that I desperately hoped we would not share twinship in is a loved one being in poor health, but here we are.

From the hospital, we have been texting nonstop about the similarities from the Cleveland Clinic and her stomping grounds in North Conway and I guess we are twinsies in that way too. Obviously, we are both incredibly grateful for the wonderful care our loved ones are receiving, these are just the petty things that make us laugh during a tough time. I am genuinely curious – has anyone noticed some of these things in the hospitals in your neck of the woods or is it just us?

Really Crappy Art:

Okay, I will be the first to admit that the Cleveland Clinic has some awesome art installations. Having said that, there is some art hanging throughout the hospital that is not the best. I hate to be judgy but some of it looks like my four year old niece could have made it and the art in the outer ICU was arguably the worst. The art in the other areas of the hospital, I get it. BUT, you would think they would show out a bit in the ICU when people are going through the literal worst time of their lives! SMH.

Really Uncomfortable Chairs:

Ah, yes. Hospital chairs – SO uncomfortable!! From the rooms in the hospital to the waiting rooms and family areas scattered throughout the floors, the chairs are not great. Are we expecting a plush armchair? No, even though that would be awesome lol. BUT, the lack of padding on all of them makes it so hard to get settled – especially when you are posted up there for a while. Also, all of the wall length benches tend to have dividers on them, like the evil tactics used to keep homeless people from sleeping. So, long story short, any hope of giving your poor back a break is simply out of the question. SMH.

Really Lackluster Vending Machine Selection:

Lol, okay, I get it. We are in a hospital and junk food isn’t going to be pushed in vending machines. BUT, come on!!! Sometimes, you just need that comforting sugar rush or salty snack and they are nowhere to be found!! The vending machine selection in the family room in the ICU was one of the saddest displays I have ever seen. It was basically trail mix, Almond Joys, York Peppermint Patties, chapstick, and bottled water. Major shout out to my diabetic dad because he now keeps a candy stash on him for that reason and it comes in handy. What can I say, we love a Hershey and Heath bar! SMH.

Really Amazing Staff:

Like I said above, Kate and I were cracking up from the little things that are so similar in the hospitals states away from each other that we are spending a lot of time at. We aren’t Gemini Twins for nothing! BUT, the staff at both of the hospitals are just fantastic and the gratitude we feel is unmatched. Every time I visit the Cleveland Clinic, I joke that I’m the mayor because I can’t walk anywhere without running into someone who has helped my family in some way shape or form. That sense of community puts me at some semblance of ease even at the most stressful times, as does knowing my loved one is in the best hands. The Cleveland Clinic staff has done more for my family than words can say and almost every single one of them holds a very special place in my heart. Not SMH at all! ❤

The next step in mine and Kate’s twinship is for the people we love so much to be in perfect health and we are both eagerly anticipating that day. Until then, her and I will continue to support each other endlessly and, yes, be a bit petty with our musings! 🙂

Can anyone relate to the sentiments above? Do you have an unofficial twin in your life? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Anniversary To Us!

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Happy Anniversary To Us!

Hello!! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is mine and Johnny’s second wedding anniversary! When we set our wedding date, we decided to make a week long celebration better known as our birthaversary. Johnny’s birthday is on the first, our wedding anniversary is the fourth, and my birthday is on the seventh. Other than Halloween, it is the happiest time of the year!

Last year, we had a big housewarming/birthaversary party to ring in our move to a bigger apartment and it was a hoot. This year will definitely be more low-key and that is A-okay with us. These past few months have been nuts and we have something to keep us occupied all weekend long – the release of Diablo IV! We have been looking forward to it for so long and it is, honestly, the best gift we could have! 😀

After getting married, the resounding question that Johnny and I were asked was if anything felt different. We always said no because it didn’t! Married or not, we are still the exact same goofy, fun loving couple and we love each other with the heat of a thousand suns lol. But, we are both so very happy to be married and it was the best day ever:

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^^^ Lol

Despite mine and Johnny’s big personalities, we had a very small wedding ceremony with our closest friends and family and it was perfect. From our all black attire to the fact that I walked down the aisle to the Family Matters theme song, our little wedding was one million percent us and I wouldn’t trade one part of it for the world. We look back on this day with so much fondness and still laugh about when our ordained minister bestie described our relationship as a “fresh of breath air”. We also have a laugh attack every time we think about the young drunk stranger who insisted we shotgunned Trulys together while we walked to our hotel. I mean… you’re not going to not! 😀

Mine and Johnny’s wedding anniversary falls very shortly after my parents’ who just celebrated their 42nd anniversary. In forty-two years, Johnny and I will still be the most emo, amazing couple around and I can’t wait for every day of the rest of our lives. ❤

Are you celebrating a special occasion soon? Are there any other Diablo fans in the house? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Husband!!!!

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Happy Birthday, Husband!!!!

Hello!!! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my sweet husband, Johnny’s, birthday!!! Today rings in the beginning of our birthaversary, as our two year wedding anniversary is on the fourth and my birthday is on the seventh. I can’t wait to celebrate!! Johnny is my darling, angel, love of my life and he is the absolute best husband, uncle, and bunny dad in the world. No matter what we do together, we always have SO much fun. Johnny isn’t just my husband, but my AI ride or die bestie too! ❤

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Mine and Johnny’s first date almost four years ago was truly love at first sight and we have been inseparable ever since. It was most definitely a whirlwind romance and we are still going stronger than ever all of these years later. Johnny is the most funny, kind, talented, smart, hardworking man and he makes me so proud every day. His endless love and support have gotten me through some really hard times these past few months and he knows how to make me smile even when I don’t feel like it.

Being with Johnny is so easy and we spend ninety-nine percent of our time laughing! We genuinely enjoy each other’s company and it is such an effortless relationship. And to think, I swore off of dating the week before Johnny asked me out. We were both unknowingly crushing on each other on Facebook so I wasn’t about to say no! Our first date was, hands down, the best date of my life and every day since has been the best too. I just love him more than words can say. ❤

Happy birthday to my Johnny, who has made me the happiest gal in the world. Here’s to many, many more birthaversaries together! I love you!!!!!!