Tag Archives: daddy dearest

May Flowers

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May Flowers

Hello! This past week when I got to my parents’ house after work, I found my dad in the backyard preparing his raised planters for spring flowers. It was a gorgeous day outside and it was going to rain that night, making for the perfect conditions to plant. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bask in the sunshine and spend some quality time with my dad and even though I was dog tired, I offered my assistance which he happily accepted. We spent a glorious hour or so together creating beauty and I am so pleased with our handiwork. Check it out:

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Ever since I can remember, my dad has been an avid gardener and all spring, summer, and fall long you can catch him outside tending to the yard. During the warm months, we enjoy the bounty of his vegetable garden and the bouquets he makes weekly for my mom. Not only does he have two green thumbs, but he is also a very gifted flower arranger and his bouquets are stunning. Last year, his veggie garden went into overdrive with hauls so big we simply didn’t know what to do with everything. So, he decided flowers were the way to go this summer since all of our lives are crazy at this current juncture.

When I was younger, I loved to help in the garden and as I grew up, I tried to help as much as I could with planting and upkeep. It had been a while since I gardened and I forgot how much fun it was! Seriously, all of it was a blast from donning ridiculous gardening gloves, handling the delicate flowers, and cleaning up the dirt that got on us with the garden hose. And, of course, doing it all side by side with my dad. For the past few months, the time we have spent together is almost always driving to the Cleveland Clinic, so it was SO awesome to be able to do something with him for the joy of it.

Our garden day was the first time I had spent a considerable amount of time outside in so long. It only recently got nice out in Ohio and the previous weather had been absolute garbage. Being outside, soaking up the sun, and making something grow was just what I needed. Once we returned inside, I wanted to go back out again to plant more and I found myself thinking that I would like more house plants when I got to my apartment. I might just have a green thumb yet!

My dad has now started to plan his garden projects with my help in mind and I am more than up for the task. In fact, we will be planting flower seeds later this week. I can’t wait! πŸ™‚

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What do you and your parents do to spend quality time together? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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5 Ways To Treat Your Dad This Father’s Day

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5 Ways To Treat Your Dad This Father’s Day

Switch up Father’s Day this year by creating an unforgettable day geared specifically toward your dad’s preferences, likes, and wants. From exclusive experiences and thoughtful gifts to delicious meals and heartwarming moments – here are five ideas to ensure it stands the test of time:

Take Him On An Adventure:

How about organizing a day trip to one of your nearest national parks for a leisurely hike and picnic lunch? Alternatively, you could book him an adrenaline-inducing activity such as skydiving or bungee jumping for him to experience! Indulging in activities that excite him, and treating him to a day all about his favorite hobbies, will help create a memorable experience he’ll never forget.

Get Him Something Unique:

Father’s Day is an opportunity to show your father just how much you value him, and one way is by getting him something unique. From jewelry and watches to tech gadgets and lifestyle accessories like a drone, there’s sure to be an item or two out there that would bring a smile and add excitement to his everyday life! Giving something you think your dad wouldn’t buy for himself will always be an awesome Father’s Day surprise. You could even try to find a Rolex for sale that he has been ogling since forever!

Plan A Special Meal:

Enjoying a wonderful meal together is one of the easiest yet most meaningful ways you can show your dad just how much he means to you. Try planning breakfast-in-bed, dinner at his favorite spot, or even something truly original, like making him something yourself that honors his heritage or favorite cuisine. Spending time enjoying meals together will bring great pleasure on all sides!

Spend Quality Time Together:

Sometimes the greatest gifts don’t come wrapped up neatly – show your father just how much he means to you by setting aside quality time just between the two of you. Plan an afternoon of golf together or invite him over for homemade treats and old classic family movies at your place; whatever it may be, both of you can relax while reconnecting.

Write Him A Letter:

Father’s Day provides the ideal opportunity to show your dad how much he means to you by writing him an emotional, heartfelt letter. Express how proud of him you are; recall fond memories together and express how important he is to you; even include photos as an extra special gesture! Your letter can become something lasting which will always remind him how special the love you share is! A thoughtful letter makes an everlasting keepsake that can be looked back upon with fondness for years afterward.

No matter how you spend Father’s Day, enjoy yourselves! Whether you’re out for an adventure or a low key day, the time spent together is the most important thing!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Hello everyone! Today is a happy wonderful day because it’s my dad’s birthday!! Although he hates celebrating his big day – I sure don’t and it will always be blog worthy in my world. ❀ My dad is the best, funniest, kindest man on the planet and he sure is handsome too. He deserves to be celebrated every day and I am so lucky to be his daughter!

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My dad is a gardening expert, a friend to all of the little woodland animals, and is a vacation planning extraordinaire. He is always cracking a joke and I am constantly in stitches in his company. One of my favorites has to be before I got married and informed him that I just had one last appointment to get my tattoos touched up before the big day. Without missing a beat, he replied with “How about getting some of them removed?” Lol, what a card!

I love my dad’s relationship with my mom and he is such a doting father and grandpa too. Whenever my parents are out shopping, he is constantly on the lookout for new toys and books for my niece! It is so sweet to watch them together. I truly couldn’t ask for a better dad and even though he’s probably annoyed at this post, I think he’ll secretly like it anyways. ❀ πŸ˜€

I love you, Dad!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

Garden Tours

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Garden Tours

Hi! My dad is, hands down, the best gardener in the world and has a million green thumbs. Whenever I’m over at my parents, I always enjoy our “Garden Tours”. My dad and I will walk through the backyard together and check on the progress of his flowers and veggies. There is something new to see every time and it never gets old! Take a look at some pics from our backyard stroll and keep in mind that it was all done by a man who recently broke his dominant arm. Like I said, my dad is the best gardener in the world. ❀

My dad’s garden is home to many creatures both real and fake. There are bunnies, butterflies, bees, and bats as well as all of the decorative birds, lizards, frogs, and gnomes! My niece loves to play outside and my dad is always on the hunt for new lawn decorations to surprise her with as she is partial to the fake flamingo he has. It is also so much fun to look for bunnies and butterflies with her. πŸ™‚

A few weeks ago, we had a family visit to the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield. The botanical gardens were splendid, but I don’t think they have anything on my dad’s backyard and I live for our Garden Tours. What a guy!

What are you growing in your garden? What is your favorite flower? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Pansy Party

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Pansy Party

Hi! My dad is an avid and exceptional gardener but, unfortunately, broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder about a month ago. Needless to say, his injury put a huge damper on his plans for his flower and vegetable garden this spring and summer so everyone in my family has stepped in to help make it happen anyways. This past week, I spent some time outside with my dad planting pansies while he oversaw the process and we are both very pleased with the outcome of our first project! Check it out:

I used to love helping my dad in the garden when I was younger and our afternoon planting flowers brought me back to those happy times in the sunshine with him. He was so sweet to provide gardening gloves for me to protect my talons with and it felt really good to metaphorically get my hands dirty and make something beautiful grow. Our pansy patch was a team effort and my dad and I planned the layout together and I dug the holes while he removed the flowers from their containers.

I absolutely love pansies because I remember helping my dad plant them back in the day and my grandma used to have them growing outside of her funeral home. I feel so proud every time I see our completed project in my parent’s yard and it immediately brings me back to the time I spent with my dad making it happen.

We gardened on the most glorious spring day and it was a blast to enjoy the weather and talk and laugh about anything and everything. In fact, it was so warm out that day that I was wearing shorts and my legs got pretty filthy. Just like in my youth, my dad helped me hose off all of the dirt once the flowers were planted and it was the perfect way to end our Pansy Party. I can’t wait to start our spring veggie garden next!

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What do you plan on growing in your garden this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hello! As soon as March hits, it becomes a birthday extravaganza in my family. By June 7th, we will have celebrated seven birthdays and each one is extremely special. In fact, today is a very happy wonderful day because it is my dad’s birthday! I am a huge daddy’s girl and can always count on my dad when I need a laugh, advice, or some good company. CHARLES is a man of many talents and I feel so lucky to have spent my life enjoying his beautiful gardens, incredible vacations, and infamous laugh attacks.

Despite my dad’s injury this past month of a broken arm and dislocated shoulder, he still takes care of his animal friends outside every day by filling their feeders. My dad’s appreciation for the outdoors has instilled a “stop and smell the roses” attitude in me and whenever I see spring flowers or hear birdsong, I always think about him and smile.

I love watching my dad be a grandpa to my niece and nephew and, even as an adult, I can still come to him with all of my problems knowing that he will help me. My dad inspires me, humors me, and encourages me and I simply cannot wait for him to walk me down the aisle when Johnny and I get married. I am so proud to be his daughter and it is an honor for him to be proud of me too. ❀

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

I love you!!!! ❀

Cheer Up, Charles!

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Cheer Up, Charles!

Hello! My dad, CHARLES, is always spreading joy in the home with his beautiful bouquets and I look forward to seeing what arrangement is going to be on the kitchen table every time I stop by. This is his latest work:

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My dad is the best, funniest, most wonderful man I have ever known and, unfortunately, he broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder this past week. 😦 It makes me so sad and we are all hoping for a speedy recovery for him and are extremely thankful that he’s okay.

I wanted to make a call to action for Operation: Cheer Up, Charles and would love it if all of you could please comment with your favorite flowers and any well wishes. It will be like my readers are sending him a virtual bouquet! It would be so very appreciated and will be sure to make his day.

Thanks in advance to all and get well soon, Dad. I love you! ❀

A Flower For Me

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A Flower For Me

Hello! On Father’s Day, my sister and her daughter arrived at our parents’ house at the exact same time that I did. We didn’t plan it at all and it was perfect because we all had the maximum time together before we split back up for the day. Beautiful presents and lots of love were gifted to our dear old dad but I think I got the most special treat of all that day. Check it out:

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After presents, we all took a pause and went to the backyard so my niece, Valerie, could move and groove before my sister took off. My dad loves to show Val his flower and vegetable garden and she loves it too. More often than not, you can see my dad smelling the flowers with her and then he will help her pick a bloom for her mom.

On Father’s Day, Val wanted a flower for each hand once she picked her favorite. Then, she toddled up to her auntie and handed me a flower with a big smile on her face. And, right at that moment, our Golden Retriever gobbled up the flower in the hand she wasn’t paying attention to. *Face palm*

Once Val realized her other flower was missing, I offered her mine to make up for it. But, she just kept handing it back to me. I have to say, I was really happy she did because there is literally nothing better than getting a pretty little flower from your fifteen month old niece. I brought it home with me and put it in my dried flower collection and it’s never not going to make me smile whenever I see it. ❀

How did you celebrate Father’s Day? How is your garden doing this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Hello! March through May is a stretch of the year where birthdays are plentiful in my family. It starts with my niece’s birthday at the beginning of March then goes to my mom, dad, sister, and brother ending in mid May. Today, we are on birthday number three in my family, which belongs to my dear old dad. Despite him despising birthdays, I can’t not give him a shout out on lifewithlilred so here it goes:

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Ever since I was little, I can remember my dad’s lament that birthdays are “another year closer to the grave” and he still feels that way today. Lol so, needless to say, his birthday is filled with begrudgingly opening presents and accepting birthday wishes. The best part, though? I think we can all tell that he secretly enjoys himself and that makes the obnoxiously huge birthday hugs I give him even more fun. πŸ˜€

Although we all love pushing my dad’s birthday buttons, it really is a special day. My dad is one of my favorite people on the planet. He is so funny – like so unbelievably funny. The humor is then amplified by his infamous and infectious “laugh attacks” which is the cherry on top of whatever my family was joking about.

What I love the most about my dad, though? He is such a thoughtful man and it always makes me so happy when my boyfriend gifts me with flowers or cooks dinner for me because my dad is constantly doing stuff like that for my mom. He provided me with the best guidelines of how I should be treated in a relationship and I am so thankful for that.

When I had a really early class in college and had to drive an hour to get there, my dad would always get up and make coffee for me so I could have it during my commute. That’s the kind of guy my dad is. Sweet gestures and kind words from my father will forever be treasured by me and he is a man who deserves to be celebrated… Even though he hates his birthday. πŸ˜‰

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!

I LOVE YOU! ❀

Holiday Haul: Last But Not Least Edition

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Holiday Haul: Last But Not Least Edition

Hellooo! The last gift from my Holiday Haul, but certainly not the least, that I would like to share with all of you is from my dear old dad. Last year, I was gifted with a true crime daily calendar from my dad that was an absolute hit. In fact, it was one of the first gifts that I think my dad actually picked out for me, instead of just having “from mom and dad” written on the label.

With the calendar being such a success last year, I was presented with the 2020 version from my dad and I am very happy with it! Check it out:

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A day to day calendar is truly the gift that keeps on giving, especially if you are interested in the subject. I, for one, am a huge lover of all things true crime and it makes changing the page every day exciting because I never know what I am going to learn about next! It will also be especially fun to tuck into this calendar with my boyfriend because he is a true crime aficionado, as well, and we love flipping through the pages together.

Although this gift may seem simple, so much thought went into it and I am thrilled to be welcoming 2020 with a present that was seemingly made for me!

What is the subject of your calendar? Where are my true crime fans at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah