Tag Archives: fun

Jan6

Houndstooth, Honey OOTD Bonus Pictures

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Houndstooth, Honey OOTD Bonus Pictures

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my Houndstooth, Honey OOTD! My Johnny is the ultimate blog husband who has improved leaps and bounds in taking pictures of yours truly. Originally, he would take five or so pictures at a time, then consult me. It worked, but it turned our photo shoots into a time consuming effort.

Now, he takes a million pictures at once, providing me with tons of options to pick from. This has slashed the amount of time for OOTD pics considerably and, in total, it takes about ten minutes to get things done. However, it takes me a lot of time to sort through all of the shots afterwards! That’s more than okay, though, because it gives me ample pics to share with all of you!

Today, we are going to look at some bonus pics from my shoot and tomorrow you can peep all of the blooper shots that Johnny captures. Let’s get to it:

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As mentioned yesterday, Johnny and I walked through Lock 3 in downtown Akron to take these pictures. Lock 3 is an Akron staple that boasts concerts, fireworks, and food festivals in the summertime and a skating rink and holiday market come winter. It is surrounded by fabulous eateries and bars and is the place to be during any time of the year for a fun outing.

Lock 3 is an amazing place for the community to come together and it features lots of cool sights to see. Of course, there is a lock, wonderful landscaping in the summer, and an industrial vibe from the brick apartments, towering fire escapes, and murals painted on the walls. It definitely makes for an awesome setting to take pictures at!

Akron isn’t just where it all began for our hometown hero of Lebron James – it is so much more than that. Small businesses, the Akron Civic Theater, Lock 3, and all of the amazing people who live there make our city so special. Not to mention our beautiful library and Akron Art Museum. A hop, skip, and a jump and you are in the middle of an exciting place to be and I loved spending time in the A-K-Rowdy with my husband! ❤

Who are some of your hometown heroes? Do you have an area similar to Lock 3 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

Dec29

LEGO Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets Completed Set

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LEGO Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets Completed Set

Hello! During our holiday break, Johnny and I completed the final set from our LEGO haul, which means that it’s time to buy more! We spent about three hours building the Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets from Harry Potter and it turned out great. With fun surprises everywhere you looked and awesome extras like Chocolate Frog cards, glow in the dark pieces, and a golden Voldemort, this might be one of my favorite builds yet! Check it out:

Johnny and I are frequent builders of LEGO and I can tell that our skills have improved. Considering the size of this set, it didn’t take us too too long to complete it. We were so pleased with our handiwork! Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is one of my favorite books and movies in the series and this set definitely did it justice.

While the builds for Hogwarts in itself are always really neat, the Chamber Of Secrets gives it a wonderful contrast. I love how you can make the basilisk move in and out of the chamber just like in the movie. It also includes a slide for the Minifigs to go down and the snake adorned door to enter the depths of Hogwarts. I wish that there was a set just of the Chamber because I would be all over it. 😀

My favorite part of this set is, easily, the pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart and I laugh every time I look at them – they are so funny! Expertly placed Chocolate Frogs and Cornish Pixies are also much appreciated and I can’t wait for my niece to come over to see if she can find them all. She is our future LEGO Master!

Johnny and I are fresh out of LEGO now but I already know which sets I want next, as always. I have my eye on the Astronomy Tower and Hogsmeade Village and I can’t wait to get them!

What do you like to build with LEGO? Did anyone receive any LEGO sets for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Dec23

Preparing Your Backyard For Parties

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Preparing Your Backyard For Parties

After being tucked away from the cold this winter, it’s only natural to be daydreaming about warm weather, outdoor activities, and parties hosted from your own backyard. Not only are outdoor get togethers a lot of fun but they are much safer from a COVID perspective too. If you have hosting an outdoor gathering on the mind, think about the following as you make your preparations:

Set The Space:

If you don’t already have a patio in the backyard for lawn furniture, this could be a great project to undertake. Stone or terracotta tiles set in a pleasing arrangement can provide the perfect space to set up an outdoor dining arrangement for your cookouts. If you’re not keen on doing this yourself, there are sure to be lots of local professionals who can make this happen. Getting the driveway interlocking services will greatly elevate the curb appeal. It’s a win/win situation!

Outdoor Activities:

Enjoying the great outdoors with your friends is a good way to get active so take advantage of it! Badminton, volleyball, cornhole, croquet, and bocce ball are all sure to be a hit. Hosting tournaments for some friendly competition will definitely get you moving! If you and your guests have green thumbs, you could have a literal garden party and plant flowers or veggies together. Don’t forget the lemonade and finger food to snack on.

Add A Fire Pit:

Your new patio will also be a nice space to set up a fire pit for an evening get together. Roasting marshmallows and hot dogs while the sun sets is always fun and will provide a touch of warmth during those chilly summer nights. A fire pit can also serve you well in the wintertime too to sip hot chocolate and munch gingerbread cookies around.

Keep Pests At Bay:

There is nothing worse than getting bit up by mosquitos during an outdoor gathering so a supply of citronella candles will go a long way. You also might want to consider calling in local experts if you have a lot of burrow holes on your lawn. You don’t want anyone tripping and spraining an ankle during your volleyball tournament!

Spring and summer activities are not as far off as we might think! Put your daydreaming of fun in the sun to good use by preparing your backyard soon.

Dec14

Warm Up With These Indoor Winter Activities

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Warm Up With These Indoor Winter Activities

Hello! I love the way the snow makes everything look like a holiday greeting card… and that’s about it lol. Driving in it is for the birds and as someone who is constantly cold, I can do without the extra dose of brrrrrr. So, needless to say, I like to enjoy my winter activities from the great indoors! If you feel similarly, try out these ideas all from the comfort of being wrapped in your favorite blanket:

Present Wrapping Party:

I absolutely LOVE shopping for holiday gifts but wrapping them? Not so much! Of course, it is a necessary evil and making it more fun can make it, dare I say, pleasant? Invite your friends over for a present wrapping marathon complete with hot cocoa and holiday movies. You can even have a gift swap at the end as a little reward for a job well done.

All Aboard:

In my neck of the woods, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers all kinds of fun winter activities and you can peep the falling snow without being stuck in it! For the little ones, they offer the Polar Express and for adults, there tends to be a beer or wine tasting event as you ride the train. If there is something similar in your area, it could be a fun way to shake things up for a unique winter memory.

Craft Competitions:

There are so many winter baubles and trinkets that you can craft and you can up the ante by turning it into a competition. How about a gingerbread house bake off? Creating your own candles with festive scents? Or decorating ornaments for your tree or mantel? The prize could simply be bragging rights or a small gift to commemorate their victory.

Santa Hat Movie Viewing:

If you’re looking for a boozy time with friends or drinking a lot of hot chocolate, then have I got a game for you! Whether it’s a holiday movie or not, put a Santa hat on the corner of the TV and when any character ends up “wearing” it, take a drink. I promise that it will make the Hallmark movie marathon way more bearable! 😀

Winter Game Night:

Game nights are always fun and, this time, you can put a holiday twist on it. Try charades with famous holiday movie scenes to act out. Or, go around in a circle and each person will have to say the next word of a Christmas carol. Pin the ornaments on the tree? A holiday edition of Never Have I Ever? You could even make a photo booth set up for goofy holiday pictures… The possibilities are endless! Don’t forget a hot chocolate bar or trail mix station for your guests!

Don’t let it snow on your parade with the ideas above and stay comfy cozy all while achieving the ultimate holiday spirit! 😀

PS: Spread the joy by putting a “buy in” to each event you host by having your guests bring a canned good to donate to a local shelter. ❤

What is your favorite winter activity? What puts you in the holiday spirit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec12

Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD Bonus Pictures

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Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD Bonus Pictures

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pictures from my Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD! These pictures were taken when Johnny and I celebrated our six month wedding anniversary and it was such a wonderful day. Take a look at my bonus shots including one hilarious blooper and let’s discuss what we did to make our day special:

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Can you guess which one the blooper is lol?! Like any good blog husband, Johnny takes So. Many. Pictures. in rapid fire succession and this includes the dismounts, awkward shots, and pictures that I didn’t even know he was taking!

To start off our day, Johnny and I met up with my parents and our niece in downtown Cuyahoga Falls for a puppy parade. While we got the time wrong on the parade itself (whomp whomp), we still got to see tons of dogs dressed up in their holiday best. We had so much fun pet watching and petting all of these adorable pups and it was truly dog heaven.

In the indoor area set up, the pooches could get their picture taken with Santa and owners could shop with local vendors for stocking stuffers for their pets. Our niece was able to meet Santa and by that I mean she just stood there in stunned silence haha. She eventually warmed up enough to give him a high five, though! 🙂

After the outing with our family, Johnny and I enjoyed a big lunch at Barrio where you can build your own tacos. Barrio is one of my favorite eateries and they have the best margaritas I have ever had. We got tacos for now and tacos for later and I am already itching to go back. 😀

When we were done eating, we checked out Off The Wagon and got a new board game to add to our vast collection. Then, we went to the Zephyr for a drink before heading home. Once we were back at the home front, an evening of video games and music commenced and it was an absolute blast. If our half year wedding anniversary was this good, I can’t imagine what our full year anniversary will be like!

No matter the occasion, Johnny and I always have the best time together and our date day was no exception. He is the best husband ever! ❤

What is your favorite restaurant? How does your community celebrate the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec8

3 Delicious Baking Recipes For The Holiday Season

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3 Delicious Baking Recipes For The Holiday Season

Tis the season of going home for the holidays, staying close to those you hold dearest, and decorating everything with a sprinkle of joy. Most importantly, tis the season to experiment in the kitchen. Yes, most people have enough extra hours at work, renovating with a Renewal by Andersen Windows, or being a full time parent. But, you’ve seen the films of families getting together and baking a splendid dessert. There’s no reason for you to miss out!

This article will teach you baking is for everyone and give you the chance to impress your loved ones. It’s time to get creative, throw on an apron, and decide what type of dessert calls out to you:

Gingerbread Cookies:

Gingerbread cookies are a holiday tradition and for a good reason. They are a taste of holiday possibility best accompanied by hot cocoa with marshmallows. Baking gingerbread cookies is a fantastic activity for young children to participate in and feel included in the festivity preparations.

Ingredients:

  • Brown sugar
  • Egg
  • Molasses
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Cloves
  • Nutmeg
  • All-purpose flour
  • Butter

Prepare: For this recipe, you will have to whisk the following ingredients together in a bowl: baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, ginger, and flour. Next, you will beat the dough and add the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Finally, add the previous flour mixture to the dough and beat until combined.

Then, you must chill the dough, first dividing it into two parts and rolling them into a ball. Next, flatten the ball and wrap it in plastic wrap inside the fridge for close to an hour. Once chilled, unwrap the dough, place it on a floured surface, and use a cookie cutter of your preference.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for eight to ten minutes. Finally, take your cookies out of the oven and let them sit for five minutes. Eat them with a glass of milk, coffee, hot chocolate, or start decorating to enjoy at a later time.

^^^ Image By: Jill Wellington on Pixabay

Linzer Cookies:

Nothing like some good Linzer cookies to dip into milk…

Ingredients:

  • Flour
  • Almond flour
  • White sugar
  • Butter
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Powdered sugar
  • Raspberry Jam

Prepare: Like most baking recipes in this article, you’ll prepare the dough. Have the butter, white sugar, and cinnamon ready to beat in a bowl. Carefully add the yolk and vanilla to combine them. Whisk the salt, flour, and almond butter together in another bowl. Combine both of the mixtures.

Just like the gingerbread cookie recipe, repeat the process of dividing and refrigerating the dough. Take out the dough from the fridge and allow it to soften for five minutes. Roll one disk on a floured surface and use the desired cutter to give shape to the cookies.

Bake the cookies for fifteen minutes and then let them cool for a few minutes. Powder your cookies with powdered sugar and add jam to their center. Cut a hole on top of other cookies and place those on the first ones.

Picture By: Devanath on Pixabay

Cinnamon Rolls:

The smell of cinnamon rolls is truly enchanting. Ask anyone within reach of a bakery and they’ll tell you how cinnamon rolls bewitch the heart. 

Ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Instant yeast
  • Two percent or Whole milk
  • Salted butter
  • 1 Egg
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla

Prepare: You’ll have the perfect cinnamon rolls to dig into in six easy steps. First, you will add salted butter, yeast, milk, egg, salt, brown sugar, and water in a bowl. When you’re done with the mixture, heat water, butter, and milk together to add it to the butter mixture.

Time to knead the dough! Don’t be afraid to make a mess. With your hands, knead the dough. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and prepare the ingredients for your filling: sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Get your dough, roll it out, spread some butter, add cinnamon, and sprinkle some sugar. Roll the dough and cut it into even pieces. Grease a round pan and place your rolls inside. Allow the rolls to rise for sixty minutes.

Finally, bake the cinnamon rolls until they look golden brown. The only problem left is resisting the temptation to eat them all in one sitting!

Picture By: Monika on Pixabay

Call a friend, bake with family members, or spend this time with whoever makes your day. You will have amazing memories and treats to show for it!

Featured Image By: Jill Wellington on Pixabay

Dec4

Flight Of Fancy OOTD Bonus Pictures

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Flight Of Fancy OOTD Bonus Pictures

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pictures from yesterday’s Flight Of Fancy OOTD! That Saturday was such a fun day of playing model with my husband, having a libation at our favorite bar, and enjoying a community holiday activity with my family. It was the perfect day immersed in holiday spirit and I loved every minute of it! Let’s get to it:

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Over the past several years, downtown Cuyahoga Falls has transformed itself into a happening little place. Prior to the renovations, this area had more closed down shops and restaurants than open. Now, every storefront is practically filled with unique eateries, boutiques, and novelty shops. Not to mention all of the amazing holiday activities and festivals that are hosted there throughout the year.

This past Saturday, downtown Cuyahoga Falls opened up its outdoor skating rink and had a Santa parade, fireworks, and tree lighting ceremony to celebrate. Johnny and I met up with my parents and niece for the festivities and had an absolute blast. Our niece got to see her TT skate for the first time and she also got to see Santa riding on a firetruck through the streets.

Not only was the area beautifully decorated for the holidays but it was also snowing which made for a scene fresh out of a Hallmark movie. There was music playing, people dancing in the streets, and an indoor area to warm up, sip hot chocolate, and have the little ones write their letters to Santa. So much fun! 😀

A wonderful time was had by all this past weekend and I am so appreciative to my hometown for hosting such awesome events to bring the community together. ❤

How does your neck of the woods get in the holiday spirit? Is there a similar area to downtown Cuyahoga Falls where you live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec2

Completed Whomping Willow LEGO Set

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Completed Whomping Willow LEGO Set

Hi! Johnny and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and I hope that all of you did too! We built LEGO, had a day date, took our niece to see Santa, and (as always) watched so much Criminal Minds lol. I had a hankering to work on one of our Harry Potter LEGO sets and we completed the Whomping Willow in about two hours this past Friday. 

Although this set is a lot smaller in comparison to what we like to build, it is an important one to have. The Whomping Willow set connects some of the ones that we already have like The Great Hall and Clock Tower to make our Hogwarts castle even bigger! Check it out:

Building LEGO with Johnny is one of my favorite things to do on a day off and it’s such a great project to complete together. While I prefer the big sets for more of a challenge, it was fun to bust out the Whomping Willow set quickly. As with all of the LEGO sets, there were tons of cool surprises tucked away in the build like Trevor the frog, the spinning Whomping Willow, and the potions and baubles throughout each room. These little details make even the smallest set exciting to put together!

Now that this set is complete, all Johnny and I have left from a previous LEGO haul is the Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets and I am itching to start it. As usual, I already have my eye on what I want next which is the Astronomy Tower and the Hogsmeade Village. In non Harry Potter news, the LEGO Haunted House looks amazing and really speaks to mine and Johnny’s spooky selves. 😀

Unfortunately, we don’t have lots of room in our apartment to show off our completed builds so at some point we are going to clear off our Spooky Shelf to showcase our work. Keep it posted for the end result, which we’ll get to eventually lol!

Who else likes to build LEGO? Where can you score great deals on new sets? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Nov22

3 Ideas To Get Your Kids Interested In Nature

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3 Ideas To Get Your Kids Interested In Nature

By now, you have no doubt heard of the great mental health benefits of getting outside. But, while you might love the outdoors, your kids may still be on the fence. After all, it’s always more comfortable to sit inside, especially when the temperatures plummet. This won’t do them any favors, though, so it is important to try and get them more interested in nature. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are three ideas to help:

Show Them How Fun It Can Be:

Many kids will associate being outdoors with walking and walking far. There’s some truth to this, but it’s not the walk that makes nature fun, it’s seeing everything along the way. However, when they’re young, kids may not notice or care about this. All they see is a lot of green and brown.

You can change this attitude by considering the different ways to make nature walks enjoyable for kids, such as scavenger hunts, identifying different plants, animals, or bugs, or playing I Spy along the way. If possible, look for a trail that has a play area at the end, as this will give them something to look forward to, as long as they aren’t too tired by the time you arrive.

Bring Nature Indoors:

If your kids don’t appreciate nature as much as you’d like them to, how about bringing nature indoors? This is especially useful if you live somewhere cold and wet, making it difficult to get outside too often.

The benefits of houseplants can make them more appreciative of nature, and as you add more to your collection, they might become even more interested. You might get to the point where they want to help water them, care for them, and give them enough sunlight so they can thrive. It can be tricky to see plants grow outside, but having them inside allows your kids to see the entire lifespan.

Encourage Their Education:

While there might not be much in the school curriculum, you can still speak with their teacher and ask what they are doing to encourage a love of the outdoors in their students.

Depending on what they say, there is a range of resources they can use, including succulent classroom decor by Miss Jacobs that could be a small but inspiring module for your kids and their classmates. As it covers science, it can easily apply to a lesson, even if it’s something done to make up some time once all other lessons are finished.

As much as some people do not enjoy being outside, it’s fair to say that the majority of people can always find something to love about it. Whether it’s the positivity they feel after a long hike or the stunning views that they wouldn’t get from sitting on the sofa, your kids could experience the same shift, and soon, you won’t be able to keep them indoors at all

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Nov22

Love To Read? Start A Book Club!

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Love To Read? Start A Book Club!

Hello! When I am not working, binging Criminal Minds, ice skating, or playing way too much Animal Crossing, I absolutely love to read. There is nothing better to me than cracking open a good book and reading “just one more chapter” for hours on end! While I don’t belong to an in person book club, I take a lot of pride in Lil Red’s Book Club on the ol’ blog and so enjoy sharing my latest reads with all of you.

If you and your friends are avid readers too, there is no better time to start a book club. The cold winter months means extra time at home and nothing says comfy cozy like curling up on the couch with a new book. It doesn’t take much to create a book club of your own and you can get started with these ideas:

Decide What To Read:

First and foremost, you have to decide what your book club will be reading and how these books are being chosen. Will each person take turns selecting a book? Will you be reading popular books from different genres? Or maybe going with authors in an alphabetical order? You could even make your book club exclusive to one genre like romance or true crime.

However you go about choosing your books, it is important that everyone agrees on it. If you are going the true crime or horror route, do screen the book ahead of time in case there is any subject matter that might be triggering to any of your club members.

How Often Are You Meeting?

Whether you’re meeting in person or virtually, make sure that you come up with a schedule and follow it. Should your members have a book finished in one month to discuss? Or, perhaps, they might read forty pages per week? Keep in mind that everyone’s schedules are different and you don’t want anyone to fall behind with their reading. It can be discouraging if one member is flying ahead in the book while everyone else is stuck on chapter three!

What Will You Talk About?

Some book clubs use an open discussion format when discussing their latest book while others might have a list of questions or topics that they want to talk about. Prior to hosting your book club session, come up with key talking points ahead of time to keep the conversation moving. Some books as well as author’s websites include book club questions which are all great starting points for inspiration.

Snacks & Drinks:

A five course meal is definitely not necessary for your book club meeting but some light snacks and drinks are a must. You could sample different teas, beers, wines, and finger foods popular in where the book is set. Or, you could have themed treats like button cookies if you read Coraline or endless supplies of chocolate if your club just finished Chocolat. If you are having virtual book club meetings, then fear not. You can leave treat bags at each member’s house.

Book clubs are an amazing way to bring fellow reading enthusiasts together for an evening of good company and conversation. Don’t forget that you can host movie nights too if the book you have read has been made into a movie! 😀

What is your favorite book turned movie? What is your book club currently reading? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah