Tag Archives: enjoy

Apr17

Honey, I’m Home!

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Honey, I’m Home!

Howdy! This past weekend, I took a little trip with my mom to Atlanta, Georgia to visit my brother and sister in law. This was actually only my second time on an airplane, which was super exciting in itself! It was a whirlwind of a weekend beginning on Friday afternoon and arriving home around eleven in the morning on Monday. Despite being insanely tired, it was a fun trip and it was nice to spend some time with family before my big move this weekend. But, I am happy to be home so that I can continue to bring you the latest and greatest here on lifewithlilred. Keep it posted for more on my trip, coming soon!

Where is the best place to go for a weekend getaway? What is your preferred method of travel? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Apr10

Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

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Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

Hi hi hi everyone! This past weekend, I enjoyed hanging out with my dear friend, Markus. He is actually my sister’s boss and has taken up a photography hobby a few years ago. So, when he contacted me to see if I could help him with a project for school, I was all for it. For this project, he had to use lighting to create a look for a business, beauty, and emotional style outfit. He also was able to work in some time to take some pictures for lifewithlilred!

I enjoyed working with Markus so much and it was such a delight to see how much he has improved since he began his photography journey. The featured image photo and the one below is a little sneak peek for all of my darlings. And, be on the lookout for an OOTD post coming soon!

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What is your favorite hobby? How do you make time to practice your craft? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr4

April 2019 Funky Time Jams

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April 2019 Funky Time Jams

Hiiii everyone! When I am making my schedule for work, I prefer to work two or three really long days so that I can have a few laid back ones during the work week. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my schedule and am going to keep it that way. But, the eleven plus hour days can get exhausting. So, when I am driving from client to client, I use my time in the car with my music to refresh myself. And, that is what this month’s Funky Time Jams are all about – the songs that help me keep going during a long day:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to these songs or videos.

When I’m driving and I’m kind of tired, my soundtrack is all about music that I can sing along to. I turn the volume up and I put my air on and I just sing at the top of my lungs and it always manages to get me bright eyed and bushy tailed for the next person that I’m working with. That’s why all of the songs above are more fun ones than my normal all emo everything. Of course, if I’m having a bad day, then it is absolutely all emo everything, though lol.

All of the songs above are ones that I know by heart and they instantly make me dance and I end up feeling so rejuvenated afterwards. But, it’s definitely not hard to feel that way after playing a little Pharrell or Duran Duran! Eighties music is another must to help perk me up and my car dance parties are honestly what keeps me sane sometimes during my super busy weeks. The power of music!

What do you like to play to help get you through a long day? What kind of music do you listen to to get you in a fun mood? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar18

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Silent Patient Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Silent Patient Edition

Helloooo! I just recently finished a book called The Silent Patient and, although I figured out the major twist before the grand reveal, I really enjoyed it! A thriller through and through, this book explores the effects of childhood trauma in an adult and what it means to be psychologically “killed”. Part detective story, part diary, and one hundred percent awesome, The Silent Patient was definitely worth the read.

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Alex Michaelides’ psychiatric facility thriller revolves around Theo, a psychotherapist, and Alicia, a patient who hasn’t uttered one word since killing her husband via multiple gunshots to the face. Theo transfers to the failing facility that Alicia is at with the intention of “rescuing” her. To do this, Theo begins to visit her estranged family and former business partners to gather a better understanding of who the mute Alicia really is.

In doing so, Theo learns of a troubled childhood and past that closely resembles his own family trauma in his youth. Then, things get especially interesting when Alicia bestows her diary onto Theo and we find out that in the days leading up to the murder she committed, she was being followed. Which begs the question if she really committed the murder at all.

Filled with multiple twists, turns, and Red Herrings, The Silent Patient was a fast read, because it was impossible to stop! I finished the three hundred twenty-five page book in two days and only wish that it could have been longer. If you are like me, then you enjoy trying to figure out the major plot twist before it happens. I revel in solving the mystery before it is revealed and my advice to those who will read it is to go with your gut instinct as soon as you start because, chances are, you are right!

I give this book a ten out of ten, no questions asked. It was one of the most unique thrillers that I’ve read in a good long while. The mental health aspect of it was fascinating and there was not one single character that I didn’t enjoy reading about. Give it a try, because you will not be disappointed. 😀

What is your favorite thriller? Do you like to try and solve the grand reveal while reading or watching a movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar14

Hosting A Book Club

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Hosting A Book Club

Hosting a book club can be an exciting new venture. It provides you with an opportunity to discuss books that you have genuinely enjoyed reading with others. You can put across your own understanding and analysis of the book and also open your mind to new ideas by listening to others’ comprehension, thoughts, and feelings. It’s also a great way to meet people with similar interests to you. You can form bonds with a whole new friendship group! But hosting a book club is by no means a simple feat. It entails a whole lot more than simply sitting around a table with a copy of a book and talking. You will need to prepare and put a fair amount of thought into ensuring that your book club really stands out from the rest.

Setting Up:

Setting up is, perhaps, the most time consuming process of hosting a book club. You will need to draw up some sort of guest list, set a date and time, and set a place where everyone will meet. Generally speaking, it’s best to communicate with participants throughout this process. What best suits you may not best suit the majority. You may have to be a little flexible and lenient to get the ball rolling.

Nominating Books:

Choosing the book that you are all going to read can be relatively difficult. Attendees are likely to have different tastes and preferences, but emphasize the fact that a book club is a great opportunity for people to introduce themselves to new authors, genres, and forms of literature. Engaging with something unfamiliar could help people become exposed to something that they actually love but would have never tried themselves.

Creating a Comfortable Setting:

If you are meeting in a public space, try to make sure that it is comfortable and appropriate. If you are hosting at home, make sure that there are sufficient seats for all attendees and that the room doesn’t feel cramped with a bunch of bodies. Consider lighting – you don’t want it to be too bright or too dark.

Background Music:

You don’t want music blaring while you’re trying to hold a conversation about Edgar Allan Poe’s assonance. But, it is a good idea to have some sort of quiet background noise. Quiet music can make people feel a little more comfortable in any social setting. This tends to be why bars, restaurants, and cafes all have a quiet soundtrack playing at all times. You can find plenty of royalty free music to use at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/. Make up some sort of playlist that can be looped so you’re not having to play DJ throughout the event.

Provide Snacks and Refreshments:

You may want to consider providing snacks and refreshments or requesting that people bring their own. Rumbling stomachs and thirst can detract from people’s experience, so keep everyone full, quenched, and content. Make sure you’re aware of allergies or special diets ahead of time.

There is a lot more than one might think when it comes to running a book club! The above areas are just a few to consider. Hopefully, they will help to make your book club memorable and enjoyable for all involved.

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Mar14

Making Your Life That Little Bit Better

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Making Your Life That Little Bit Better

There’s always room for improvement in life. So, if you’ve decided that you want to be that little bit happier each time you wake up in the morning, now is a better time to start than ever! Leading a better quality life is more fulfilling and will leave you feeling more content. You will be able to enjoy your life to the utmost and minor problems won’t seem all that bad. So, what can you do to improve your quality of life? Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

Wave Goodbye to Unhealthy Habits:

We tend to get entangled with unhealthy habits, as we find engaging with them enjoyable or pleasurable in the first place. We get some sort of immediate benefit from unhealthy substances and continue to engage with them as a result. But over time, they can prove significantly detrimental to our overall health and well being. The good news, is that there are ways to kick unhealthy habits. You can:

  • Quit smoking with nicotine replacement products.
  • Combat excessive alcohol consumption with men’s sober living.
  • Tackle obesity with a balanced diet and exercise regime.

These are just a few examples derived from common bad habits that people have. But, whatever your unhealthy habit may be, it’s time to wave goodbye to it!

Assume the Best in Others:

Many of us spend time ruminating on others’ wrongdoings and negative experiences that we have had with other people in the past. Betrayal, deception, and other harsh acts can make us skeptical of others and their intentions. This, in a way, can help us. We are less likely to be caught off guard or hurt. But, at the same time, we can find ourselves cutting off potentially positive relationships because we assume the worst in someone who has given us no reason to doubt them. So, start assuming the best of others. It will open you up to better and more rewarding relationships and provide you with a more positive mindset.

Pick Up a New Hobby:

So many of us waste hours on end scrolling through social media feeds and yearning for the fun filled lifestyles that others seem to be leading. But, this is counterproductive. Instead, why not get out there and actively engage with something that you genuinely enjoy? You could put your spare time to much better use. Pick up a hobby. Choose something that appeals to you. Common hobbies include:

Not only can having a hobby provide you with something stimulating and rewarding to do, but it can expand your social circles, putting you in touch with others who have similar interests to you.

These steps may seem relatively basic. But, it’s definitely worth putting a reminder out there. Following the above advice could help you to live your life to the utmost and wake up with a smile on your face!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Mar10

Lil Red’s Book Club: YOU Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: YOU Edition

Hi! A handful of months ago, the Lifetime series, YOU, turned into a phenomenon once the premiere season was added on to Netflix. I absolutely jumped on the bandwagon and enjoyed the smart, sexy, and oh so creepy episodes staring a Mister Penn Badgley as the super stalker Joe Goldberg. I admit that I was caught up in all of the excitement of chit chatting about it with friends in person and on Facebook that I didn’t even know the show was derived from a book! Shame on me.

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Book Depository Image

Usually, I always prefer to read the book before watching the show or movie that it’s based on. But, when it came to YOU, I did things backwards. I finished the book a week or so ago and I enjoyed it even more than the TV series, which is pretty common. However, I will say that the show did an excellent job of keeping close to the book, minus a few liberties and I definitely appreciated that.

YOU tells the sickening saga between obsessive Joe and oblivious Beck, a customer who he met one time at his book store. The book is told completely from Joe’s point of view, which was really interesting. If you watched the show, you know he was a total creepazoid. But, reading all of his perverted and violent thoughts as he narrates his story created a bone chilling sense of disturbia.

Desperate to get close to Beck, Joe plants himself in just the right places to run into her or just watch her from a distance. As he discovers more about his dream girl and falls deeper into his obsession, he is willing to eliminate or do anything that stands in his way of the relationship he so desperately wants.

Set in bustling New York City, such a highly populated location, you can literally feel the spine tingling sense that somebody is watching you through the massive crowd. Joe locked his sights in on Beck and through master manipulation and deception hones in on the girl of his dreams, which becomes a nightmare for her.

YOU was a book that I could not put down, which surprised me, because none of the characters are particularly likeable. Joe was a psychopath, Beck was a downright horrible person despite Joe’s fantasizing about her, and all of Beck’s friends were nightmares in their own right. But, the story line and the expert writing of Caroline Kepnes was so intense that none of this mattered. Because the story was told by Joe, you got an intimate peak into his twisted brain and it felt impossible to not keep turning the page to find out what he was going to do next.

I rate YOU with a ten out of ten. It was delightfully reminiscent of one of my favorite books, The Collector, but it still felt original and fresh. It was horror and suspense and it really tuned into the modern world of cyberstalking gone horribly wrong. I have the sequel on hold at the library and cannot wait to get it so I can see how Joe works himself out of the dilemmas that he created in YOU as well as all of the creepiness to come!

Did you watch or read YOU? What were your thoughts about the book or series? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah