Tag Archives: blog husband

Autumn Awesome OOTD

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Autumn Awesome OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! As far as I’m concerned, it becomes fall as soon as it turns September and it is my favorite time of the year. Crisp weather, all of the autumn activities, Halloween, and, of course, the clothes! Nothing pleases me more than the arrival of cozy sweaters, cardigans, and coats in stores and I have a recent haul from TJMaxx to show for it. This Autumn Awesome OOTD features one of my new purchases:

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^^^ The mural was painted by Lizzi Aronhalt.

Who? What? Wear?

When trying on my new Rachel Zoe sweater at TJMaxx, my mind was swarming with OOTD possibilities and this look is the first one that flashed before my eyes. It just feels like the perfect fall outfit and I love it oh so much. I can definitely picture myself at the pumpkin patch, apple picking, or on a hay ride while wearing this OOTD and that means I accomplished my goal of an ideal fall fit!

It’s easy when we think of fall to associate it with deep burgundy and jewel tone colors and that’s fine. However, I think people often forget about the softer tones that look stunning come autumn too. The dove grey, camel, and periwinkle palette of my sweater is a unique take on fall colors and I like that it’s not your typical oxblood or plum.

When I first purchased my sweater, I thought that the diamond patterned stitching throughout it was black. It’s actually a chocolate brown, which would make it so cute with some brown velvet skinny jeans. But, I didn’t have any so I just went with my favorite AEO black skinnies. You would really have to look closely to notice the small color difference so it was good enough for me.

With the base of the outfit settled, it was time for accessories and I knew exactly what I needed thanks to my fitting room vision. There is nothing better than a cool pair of boots in the fall and I chose my Olivia Millers with the chunky chain embellishment. I love clothes and accessories with a little extra something to it and these boots added some flare to a relatively simple outfit. They were also a steal at only twenty dollars and you can’t beat that!

Of course, no fall outfit is complete without a cute hat and my camel one by Peter Grimm was the winner. It matched perfectly with the sweater and I am obsessed with the toggle strap, allowing you to wear the hat on your head or on your back when you tighten it (You can see pics featuring the latter option tomorrow!). Hats are, easily, one of my favorite accessories and are also the easiest fix when you need your hair done – which I do desperately lol.

I wrapped up my accessorizing with some rings from Target to add some extra bling. They are, honestly, old as dirt but I still love them! I didn’t want to add a necklace as the hat strap acted as a pseudo one. I also didn’t want anything to take away from the pattern on the sweater. Always remember that less is more when it comes to finishing touches on an outfit!

With an Autumn Awesome OOTD ready to go, Johnny and I headed to a nearby metro park to snap some shots. It was a beautiful location and you can see more of it all of this week in some bonus pics and bloopers. I also just want to say that I changed into a shorts and T-shirt immediately after taking these pictures because it was hot AF out lol. Mentally, I was feeling very fall, though! 😀

What is your favorite cold weather accessory? What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Best Grilled Cheese EVER

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The Best Grilled Cheese EVER

Hello! I pride myself on my cooking and I LOVE making dinner for my husband and family whenever I can. It feels so good to make something that everyone enjoys and it is a true labor of love. This past week, however, the tables turned and my sweet Johnny ended up making dinner for me. I was craving a grilled cheese something fierce all day and he definitely delivered:

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^^^ He was so pleased with himself for “plating it up” for me!

Last week was a whirlwind between work and helping out at my mom and dad’s house. Every day when I got home, I pretty much just sank into the couch and prepared to do it all again the next day. By Friday, I had averaged a solid 11,000 or so steps per day and walking up the stairs to my apartment was a monumental feat on my aching legs. I was also freaking STARVING.

Rather than become one with my couch, I had to make my way to my office to finish some billing and online work. I am one of those people that can’t do anything else until all of my work is completely done but the rumbling in my belly was proving troublesome. So, I decided to ask Johnny to make me a grilled cheese to which he replied “of course” even though he was worried it wouldn’t turn out as good as mine!

By the time I finished my final tasks for the day, my dinner was ready and I couldn’t wait to chow down. It looked AMAZING and it tasted even better. Food always tastes better when someone else makes it for you and this sandwich was a true testament to that! I was so thankful to Johnny for lending me a hand but he was even happier that he could cook for me for a change. He was so proud of himself and, damnit, I was proud of him too. ❤

With so much going on in my life, Johnny told me that he will cook anything that he is capable of for me. AKA eggs and, now, grilled cheese. It was the sweetest thing and I really do have the best husband/grilled cheese chef ever!

What is your favorite simple thing to cook? What is your go to comfort food? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from part two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD series! When Johnny and I take blog pictures together, it takes roughly ten minutes. In that time, he literally does not stop taking pictures and that’s a good thing! This gives me a considerable amount of great, good, and yikes shots to sort through. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a bit time consuming but us bloggers do anything in the name of content! Here are the shots that definitely didn’t make the original cut – Until now, that is:

I LOOK GREAT!! 😀

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Sassy ladyyyy

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About to drop some mad truth on Johnny

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Having a full blown discussion with my imaginary friend

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I actually kind of like this one lol

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Would you look at that?!

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It looks like something really pissed me off!

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Johnny is always making me laugh!

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Johnny has been assisting me with my OOTD shoots for well over a year and the process truly runs like a fine tuned machine now. Prior to developing his own method of rapid fire shooting, taking pictures used to take way longer. He used to take a few shots, show me, then try again. Now, it’s more like he takes fifty shots in a row, I take a quick look, and we move onto the next thing.

I am a huge fan of this method for many reasons. The most important one being that I usually don’t get hit with the “are we done yet?” until we’re about to wrap up lol! And, of course, it gives me a plethora of options to use that just weren’t possible before Johnny’s PPM (Pictures per minute) wasn’t twenty or so. He finally understands what I mean when I say “take a lot of pictures” and I am so appreciative and thankful for it!

The rapid fire method is obviously liable to lots of bloopers but it sure is fun to share them with all of you. Keep it posted for a Date Night OOTD soon!

How many pictures do you take during a typical OOTD shoot? Where is your favorite place to take pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

Hey! Today, we are going to check out some bonus pics from Part Two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD. Johnny took these pictures and prior to being with him, I always got a kick out of the “husbands of Instagram” posts. I thought they were so funny and sweet and I admired the significant other for assisting in all of the pictures. They seemed like the partner to have and I feel like the luckiest girl to have me a blog husband of my own!

Not only is Johnny the best in every aspect of my life but he turned out to be a formidable iPhone photographer as well. His method of “just take a million pictures” works perfectly every time and I am so appreciative whenever he helps me out for my OOTD shoots. Take a look at his handiwork:

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Taking pictures used to be something I was really self conscious about due to constant battles with low self esteem. To this day, I still don’t let just anyone take my pictures and have a handful of people that I like to work with. In fact, the first time Johnny took some OOTD shots, I was SO nervous! That feeling quickly dissipated, however, because he treats every photo shoot like an America’s Next Top Model moment… Even the bloopers!

Johnny’s comments of “you’re working it”, “you look great”, and “are we done yet?” make all of our photo sessions a joy. He truly makes sure that every picture he snaps is shot just the way I like it and has also gotten so good at not cutting my head or feet out! My blog is something that I take a lot of pride in and being able to collaborate with my husband for OOTDs is really special to me.

A HUGE shout out to my sweet blog husband for indulging me in my OOTD shoots. He is the behind the scenes hero of almost all of them and my love and self confidence soars with every picture taken. I LOVE YOU, BABE! ❤

Who is your favorite person to take pictures with? What or who makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sweet Surprises: Funko Fandom Edition

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Sweet Surprises: Funko Fandom Edition

Hello! Johnny and I are constantly surprising each other with little gifts, favorite meals, and upgrades to our Halloween decor. It is always so nice for us to come home to a treat, especially with things being as stressful as they are in my life right now. This past weekend, Johnny went to a convention with my brother at the Akron library that featured all things anime, comics, super heroes, and various fandoms. These are the prezzies that I returned home to:

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Although mine and Johnny’s Funko Pop collection pales in comparison to my brother’s, we have our fair share too. Our Funko shelf includes characters from Seinfeld, Diablo, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and the incomparable Bret Michaels from our days of obsessing over Rock Of Love. What a crazy time for TV that was!

The Elvira Funko that Johnny brought home is one that I get. She’s a goddess among mere mortals and everyone should feel lucky to share planet Earth with her. The Igor Karkaroff one, however, was a head scratcher lol. Johnny and I love the Harry Potter franchise but it’s not like Igor is our favorite character of all time. In fact, I feel like we have never even mentioned him in passing when watching the movies. I am so not mad about whatever urge Johnny felt to purchase it, though, because it was such a random funny thing when I walked in the apartment.

Not only did Johnny come home with new Funkos but he also got me a new sticker for my laptop. Lol at it being Hogwarts Castle as the White Castle logo! I adore the book marks he snagged for free from a local artist, Griffie – Kiss for him and movie monsters for me. This was so thoughtful because he noticed that I had an old receipt tucked in a book and thought that’s what I was using to mark the pages. Little did he know that was unintentional and it just happened when I had it in my work bag. Regardless, it was really sweet!

What a guy, am I right? Johnny is such an angel and these Sweet Surprises were just what I needed to put a smile on my face. ❤

What do you like to surprise people with? Which Funko Pops do you have in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Couple’s Country Concert Photo Shoot

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Couple’s Country Concert Photo Shoot

Hello! This past Friday, Johnny and I got dressed up in our country best to go see Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. We didn’t end up attending the show but if you have a killer OOTD and didn’t take pictures, then did you really wear it at all? Lol, Johnny ended up snapping some pics of me like the amazing blog husband that he is and we took pictures of us together afterwards. They turned out ultra cute minus one MAJOR issue – can you spot it? *Massive eye roll*

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Who? What? Wear? Johnny’s OOTD:

  • Button down Western shirt: Straight To Hell
  • Skinny jeans: Hot Topic
  • Pointed toe boots: Amazon

If you said that the glaring problem with these pictures is that Johnny is flipping off the camera, then you are absolutely right! I seriously had no idea and when I commented on how nice the pictures of us turned out, Johnny started laughing. I asked what was so funny and then the realization dawned on me. Guys, I was SO. Freaking. Annoyed lol. It’s not just that he’s flipping the bird – it’s how pleased with himself he looks in all of them. He seriously looks happy as a clam and I know damn well it’s not because he was taking pictures with me! SMH!!

After I did a quick look through of the pictures taken, I made us a simple dinner of quesadillas and my annoyance quickly dissipated. While I was finishing up in the kitchen, Johnny took his first bite and went “mmmmmmmmm” and I just melted haha. He is always so appreciative of my cooking and it never fails to warm my heart. After that little display of cuteness, I was able to forgive but I will NEVER forget. Husbands, am I right? 😀

This concludes my Country Concert OOTD series and I can’t think of a better, sillier way to wrap things up. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did making it and keep it posted for lots more fun on lifewithlilred!

What is something annoying that your partner does? How about something adorable? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Country Concert OOTD Bloopers

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Country Concert OOTD Bloopers

Hello!! It’s time to wrap up my Country Concert OOTD with everyone’s favorite segment: The blooper reel! I don’t know about all of you, but some of my favorite parts of comedy movies happen in the bloopers during the credits. It’s a true testament to not everything being a perfect take – for actors and influencers alike. Before I began doing blooper posts, the following pictures would have been deleted without a second thought. Now, I think otherwise and love sharing them with you:

Waving to my fans on the red (or green) carpet

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Practicing my zombie walk

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Three cheers for me!!!!

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I have NO idea what is happening here

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Yoo-hoo!

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Nothing like a good old fashioned dismount shot

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About to spill the tea to Johnny

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Always keeping those nails fresh!

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Pissed off when Johnny told me the mailboxes were in the background lol SMH

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It’s safe to say that none of these shots would make the cut as the cover of my country album “Timbertop” (In honor of my apartment community) but they certainly have a place here on lifewithlilred. Actually… Now that I think of it, Timbertop is a great name for a country album! For me, OOTD shoots are a lot of play and little work and it’s fun to team up with Johnny to create some photography magic – the good, the bad, and the yikes!

Tune in tomorrow for one more peek at my Country Concert OOTD in the form of a couple’s shoot with Johnny. The pictures are pretty adorable minus one glaring issue… You’ll know what I mean when you see it!

What is your favorite comedy movie? Do you delete or save “bad” pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Country Concert OOTD

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Country Concert OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I were supposed to see ZZ Top and Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. However, we decided at the last minute that we weren’t comfortable going due to the newest highly contagious COVID variant. My sister is about to have her baby (Yay!!) and we didn’t want to take any risks to prevent us from seeing our new niece.

Even though we didn’t attend the concert, taking pictures was an obvious must because your girl was feeling herself! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

When it came to styling an OOTD for a Country Concert, I had literally no options in my wardrobe lol. Thankfully, Johnny has plenty! The Rock N’ Roll Cowgirl shirt is his and, yes, he is my lil rock n’ roll cowgirl! I love wearing my husband’s clothes and adore his personal style so marrying him was like inheriting another wardrobe – GREAT SUCCESS!! 😀

I have actually been lusting over the silk fringe button down for ages and never had an opportunity to wear it. Although no one but Johnny saw me in it on Friday, it was still really fun to wear and take pictures in! I loved the way the fringe moved and had a blast dancing around and invoking my inner rock n’ roll cowgirl lol. It was seriously the perfect top to wear for a country show and so easy to style an OOTD around.

Little blue jean shorts were a must for a country concert and I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll say it again: The shorts from American Eagle are simply the best. They are so flattering, not too short, and fit well without being really tight. The distressed detailing on these shorts also added a little country flare and I found myself thinking “I feel like Dolly Parton” the entire time we were taking pictures. It. Was. Awesome. 😀

Of course, some cowboy boots would be the way to go for a country inspired OOTD. However, I didn’t go this route and chose my army green Guess wedges, instead. As someone barely over 5’1, it’s important for me to create length in all of my OOTDs. Flat shoes would have made me look squat in this outfit and we can’t have that! Although my wedges aren’t country in the slightest, I loved how the army green complimented the mustard yellow and burgundy flowers on the top.

To complete my Country Concert OOTD, I tied things together with my grandpa’s bolo tie. I have quite a few of his bolo ties from his days of line dancing with my grandma and I’ve never been able to wear any of them. It was SO special to me to have it on and it looked amazing with the rest of my outfit. The burnt orange stone and brown leather against the cream colored button down was stunning!

Even though I was all dressed up with nowhere to go, I am obsessed with this OOTD. I hope you can find inspiration from it if you are attending any country festivals this summer. Keep it posted for more pics from this shoot, bloopers, and an adorable couple’s photo shoot with Johnny!

Have you attended any concerts this summer? Who is your favorite country artist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Date Day (Ish) OOTD

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Date Day (Ish) OOTD

Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had plans for a date day that went sour because he had a lil belly ache. We were supposed to go out to lunch (Which we did), take OOTD pics (Which we sort of did), and have drinks at our favorite bar (Which we didn’t). For lunch, we went to a brewery down the street called R. Shea’s and it was SO yummy but when a wave of nausea hit Johnny it was pretty much game over from there lol. Peep this glorious grilled cheese, though!

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^^^ Cilantro jalapeño hummus for an appetizer and a beer cheese grilled cheese for the main dish. Still daydreaming about it!

After lunch, we headed home and Johnny rallied enough to take some quick pics in the apartment because I loved the outfit I had on:

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^^^ Lol, I honestly forget what Johnny said to warrant that face in the last picture but it is such a mood!

Who? What? Wear?

  • Persimmon top: Solitaire, TJMaxx
  • Skort: Almost Famous, TJMaxx
  • Heels: Reaction By Kenneth Cole, TJMaxx
  • The belt is from some store in the mall that doesn’t exist anymore
  • The cuff bracelet is from Aerie, which I also got forever ago

Although I didn’t get a full photo series of this Date Day (Ish) OOTD, I still love it all the same. This look is a really good example of a color blocked outfit and is exactly what I pictured when I purchased the Solitaire top during my last TJMaxx haul. There are a few rules of thumb to follow for a successful color blocked OOTD so let’s discuss:

Colors That Compliment:

The best and most obvious rule for optimum success is to choose colors that compliment. As you can see, aside from my black skort that acted as a neutral, I went with a warmer palette for everything else. You want the colors that you use to interact with each other in the most positive way for a cohesive look.

Try looking at the rainbow for inspiration. For example, if I had a yellow skort, it would have worked just as well as the black since red, orange, and yellow work together in tandem. For a more jewel toned look, the base of this OOTD in green, blue, and violet would be ideal. If you want to do some advanced color blocking, take a look at a color wheel to use true complimentary colors like blue and orange or red and green.

Choose Clothing Styles Wisely:

A color blocked outfit is a huge accessory in itself and we all know that too much of a good thing can take away from the overall look. I kept things sleek in my OOTD and used the top as the main piece and then incorporated matching accessories. But maybe you want to do something more bold and we’ll use ruffles and complementary colors as an example…

Let’s say you have a magenta top with ruffled tank sleeves and you want to pair it with a bright green skirt. This alone would be a great choice but you could take it a step further. What if your green skirt has ruffle accents too? Then, it would be a home run because you’re using complimenting colors AND styles.

Different types of styling all demand cohesion and some options, like mixing and matching, allow you to be really creative. Of course, you are being creative with color blocking but it’s also a logical way of styling too. By observing not only colors that complement but styles too, you are going to have a cohesive look no matter what you choose. That’s just brain power, baby!

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^^^ Lil buddy was all tuckered out after his big day!

Despite not having many pictures of this Date Day (Ish) OOTD, I hope you learned a thing or two about color blocking. This is one of the easier styling methods so don’t be afraid to break out the color wheel and have some fun!

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

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

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Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

Hello everyone!! It is a happy, wonderful day because it is my darling husband’s birthday!! Johnny turns the big 3-3 today and I am so excited to celebrate him even more than usual. My Johnny is the best husband, blog husband, friend, and partner in crime that a gal could ever ask for and I am so lucky to be his ol’ ball and chain. ❤

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Ever since our first date, Johnny and I have basically been joined at the hip and every second is an amazing one. Whether we are out and about or just sitting at home, we always have the best time together because we are in our own bubble of happiness and jokes that only we find funny. Speaking of funny or as Johnny would say “funny looking”, he constantly has me in stitches and there have been times when we are laughing so hard we end up crying!

It is never a dull moment with my husband and even the most mundane things end up being an adventure… Five minute drives that I insist on calling “road trips”, grocery shopping, and even housework turns into us just having fun. A prime example of this is when we were moving and I was getting frustrated and Johnny spent a solid minute dancing behind my car before I could make another trip for more boxes. My annoyance turned into belly laughing and it is the image that I think of when I reflect on our moving day.

Our almost three year relationship has been a whirlwind of big events from Johnny’s concerts, family vacations, moving in together, getting married, and moving again. The little things are always what sticks in my mind, though. OOTD shoots, date nights, movie marathons, and even Johnny hovering in the kitchen when I’m cooking tie together the mosaic of our lives with love and lots of laughter.

I love you so much, darling Johnny!

Happy Birthday!!!! ❤