Tag Archives: fun

Hats Off: Peter Grimm Edition

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Hats Off: Peter Grimm Edition

Yo! Aside from shoes, which we all know are one of Lil Red’s major vices, I am definitely a hat girl. This gene was single handedly passed down from my grandma (my mom’s mom), who owned over one hundred hats. I began my own collection when I was fifteen or so with a deep purple cloche number, and it has expanded from there. In fact, quite a few of the hats in my collection are from my beloved grandma, so I know that she’s happy up in heaven that this love for her favorite accessory was passed down to one of her granddaughters. So, I’m positive that she’ll be pleased with my latest headwear purchase – I know I am! Take a look:

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I scored this Peter Grimm beauty from TJMaxx for seventeen bucks and, when I looked on the website for Peter Grimm, it was sixty! It was a total steal for such a cool hat, especially since I don’t own any in the camel coloring. I don’t know why I used to associate tan with being boring, because the color of this hat made my red locks POP. So, major shout out to Mister Peter Grimm for helping me to adjust that major character flaw.

What I love about this hat, is that it’s safari inspired with the faux suede rope and adjustable toggle, but it looks so damn chic because it’s attached to a somewhat bowler style hat instead of a traditional safari one. I can picture this Peter Grimm number with a cargo jumpsuit or romper, obviously. But, because it’s so neutral, it can be worn with literally anything to add some unexpected spice to an outfit. For example, I can totally see myself pairing it with my Fervour skeleton jumpsuit just because for a look that’s quirky cool – my specialty!

Who else is a hat lover? What is your favorite style of hat? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!

Greetings everyone and a very Happy Halloween to all of you! I hope that all of you who celebrate enjoy a day of tricks and treats and, to those of you who don’t partake in the festivities, have a great normal day! Here is a friendly reminder of my angry dog in her minion costume last year wishing everyone a wonderful day:

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Gem says…

Happy Halloween!!

Carl Sandburg Home

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Carl Sandburg Home

Hi! During my family vacation, we visited the incomparable Carl Sandburg Home. Although we didn’t go inside the house itself, exploring the gorgeous property and playing with goats (Yes, goats!) was more than good enough for us! During our time at the Carl Sandburg estate, we learned a lot about the great American poet and, even though I wasn’t familiar with his work before, this might have been my favorite part of our trip. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

 

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So, how did I get up close and personal enough with a field full of goats to be able to take a selfie with one of them, you might ask? Well, these goats are direct descendants from the ones that Carl’s wife, Lilian, raised until her passing. All of the goats are handled by humans as soon as they’re born, so they’re incredibly friendly and love having visitors. Each goat has his or her own name, which you can see on their collars, and they are all so tame that you can approach and handle them without any fuss. It. Was. AMAZING!

And, of course, the property was spectacular, too. The foliage was beautiful, the walking trail was pleasant to stroll through, and all of the homes on the estate for Sandburg’s family looked so quaint and charming. We spent a good few hours at the Carl Sandburg Home and I honestly would have been happy spending an entire day there! The scenery and especially the goats stole the show and I would love to go back. 12/10 Would recommend visiting if you are in the area.

What is your favorite animal? Who is your favorite poet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sky Top Apple Orchard

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Sky Top Apple Orchard

Howdy! When my family vacations in North Carolina, we always go apple picking. This time around, we visited Sky Top orchard. And an appropriate name it is, indeed, because it’s at the very top of a mountain! Unfortunately, we came at a bad time, because a huge school field trip was just finishing up, so the trees were pretty much picked clean. But, we still managed to get a basket full of delicious Pink Lady, Cameo, Honey Crisp, and Fuji apples. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

 

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Although I had a lot of fun at the orchard with my family and the caterpillar friend I made along the way, I preferred other orchards that we visited over Sky Top. Because of the mountainous terrain, exploring the massive property was anything but pleasant. The hills were incredibly steep and the orchard didn’t seem to be very well maintained. Along every row of apple trees, the ground was completely littered with rotten fruit and flies, bees, and ants were swarming all over. I absolutely understand that an orchard isn’t going to be totally pristine, but you literally couldn’t step anywhere without a rotten apple squishing beneath your feet and bugs flying on and around you. Gross.

Having said all of that, their market area was really cute and clean. And, an entire bucket of apples to pick was only twenty dollars, which was a great value. It was nice to visit a different orchard in North Carolina but, next time that we go, I hope that we stick to Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, which was scenic (without being mountainous) and well maintained outdoors and in their market.

Who else loves going apple picking in the fall? What is your favorite type of apple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

ModCloth Haul: Sweet Socks

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ModCloth Haul: Sweet Socks

Hi! Remember when I had that Super Awesome Great Day a few weeks ago and went hard AF at Target? Well… I went hard AF on ModCloth’s website, too. There were a few things that I have just been dying to get, and since I was already on a spending spree, I figured why not! In my haul, I got an absolutely amazing jumpsuit, platforms, a balloon kit for Valentine’s Day blog fun, and these Sweet Socks:

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For the past year, I have been utterly obsessed with finding frilly little socks to wear with my heels. I have had no luck in stores and I was aware that ModCloth had them, but they only offer free shipping with purchases of seventy-five dollars or more and I felt like I would be spending money just to spend it to get free shipping for five dollar socks. So, when there was clothing that I liked enough on MC to buy, trust and believe that these socks were the first things that went into my cart!

There is something so sweet to me about a sexy pair of heels paired with cute as can be socks and I am so looking forward to wearing this combination before the temperatures drop in Ohio. Because it is still hot as the dickens in here, I can finally wear these bad boys with dresses and short shorts to add some sugar to all of that spice! Black and white frills and sunshine daisies adorn my new socks and I am so happy to finally have them after a year long hunt for the perfect pairs!

How do you incorporate Sweet Socks into your outfits? Do you wear matching or mismatched socks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Super Awesome Great Day

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Super Awesome Great Day

Hellllooo everyone and happy weekend! This past Tuesday was one of the best days off that I’ve had in a good long while. To start my morning, I had a work review for one of my jobs and passed with high flying colors. Then, to celebrate, my mom and I went to Target so that I could shop to my heart’s content. Upon returning home, I shopped to my heart’s content on ModCloth – I’m so bad! And, to top it off, we ordered take out from one of my favorite restaurants, Aladdin’s, as a hurrah to cap off a great day.

I have been working a lot lately, and it felt so good to have all of that hard work verified by an excellent review. It was also really nice to spend the rest of the day with my mom, because I’ve been working a lot! We had a blast shopping together and you can check out my haul below and, then, we will go over my new fall pieces individually for the next few days!

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My haul from Target brought me a lot of autumn essentials. Funky jeans, a midi skirt, a kimono, a cardigan, and hoodie that, for the most part, can all be mixed and matched really well! Fall clothes will always be Lil Red’s jam and Target did exceedingly well this year in providing high quality and unique pieces for its shoppers. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we discuss one of these pretty little numbers in detail!

What is your favorite season to dress for? Describe one of the best days that you’ve had recently. I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My Scary Movie Must Watch List

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My Scary Movie Must Watch List

Hello! With October officially among us, it is scary movie central now more than ever. But, who am I kidding, it ALWAYS is for Lil Red! If I get to pick the movie, trust and believe that it’s a scary one every time – they’re my fave! There’s something about cuddling up on a chilly October night that takes watching horror films to the next level, though, and below are my must watch films for the month:

  1. The Nun: I actually already saw this movie in theaters and I enjoyed it so much that I’d like to go again. I love The Conjuring movies and I thought that The Nun was excellent. It was dark, the acting was good, there were some amazing scares, AND it tied into some of the story lines from the first and second Conjuring movies. Two thumbs up.

2. Ils: Ils, aka “Them” in French is hands down my favorite horror film aside from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A fantastic, fast paced flick that comes to a shocking halt when you realize who’s hunting the hunted. I made my mom watch this movie with me years ago and there’s still certain noises that remind her of the film and freak her out to this day. SO. GOOD. Ten thumbs up!

3. The Strangers: Ils actually leads me into my third must watch pick, which is The Strangers. This is the Americanized version of Ils and, although it didn’t get the best reviews upon release, I deeply enjoyed it. I had to include The Strangers on my list, because it recently got added to Netflix and just seeing the movie cover creeps me out. So much so, that I literally had nightmares about it last night and woke up screaming. True story. It’s your classic home invasion story, but I think that it’s done really well and is definitely worth the watch.

4. 31: I LOVE Rob Zombie movies and, although 31 didn’t receive the best reviews, it’s probably my favorite RZ flick. A campy survival of the fittest film where the unfortunate players of the twisted torture porn game of 31 get killed off one by one by crazy clowns. It has an all around humor to the movie and you can tell that Rob Zombie had a ball making it. It’s also pretty scary, to boot!

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: To me, the pinnacle of horror films is the 1974 classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nothing beats it and other than my modern favorite of Ils, it remains untouched by any other movie as my go to flick. It’s raw, it’s intense, and it combines so many elements of really fucked up shit into an actual story line instead of a hodge podge of torture porn. I have seen this movie countless times and it STILL gets me whenever I watch it. It’s the best of the best.

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to these movies or trailers.

Listed above are just my top five picks and will without a doubt be watched by me this month. But, I also plan on peppering in some of the following:

  1. Saw 1-7
  2. Eden Lake
  3. The Conjuring 1 & 2
  4. Sinister 1 & 2
  5. The Devil’s Rejects
  6. And, of course, seeing the new Halloween in theaters and watching the original.

What is on your Scary Movie Must Watch List for the Halloween season? What are your thoughts on the movies listed above? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

October 2018 Funky Time Jams

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October 2018 Funky Time Jams

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! As all of you know, the only social media that I have is Facebook. Between the blog and my FB page, anything else would just be too much to maintain. And, I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t enjoy scrolling through my newsfeed throughout the day! During one of my scroll sessions, I saw lots of people post a status encouraging others to put their iTunes on shuffle and comment what song it ended up on. It seemed fun, so I thought that I would do that with my October Funky Time Jams. Check it out:

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

As you can see from eight songs on shuffle, I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. From girl power queen Christina Aguilera to funky legend Prince and punk icons The Ramones, I truly never know what I’m going to get when my iTunes is on shuffle. But, above all else, I am definitely an indie girl at heart when I’m not feeling super emo! I love upbeat Los Campesinos! and the more experimental Handsome Furs and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. Pepper in some of The 1975 and Tears For Fears and I’m golden! 😀

What song shows up when you put your music on shuffle? What is your favorite music to put you in a spooky October mood? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My October Wish List

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My October Wish List

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! The glorious month of October is among us, which means I get to enjoy all of my favorite things. As I lover of all things horror, I get to finally get down with my spooky self and drag my boyfriend along for the ride! Because, all of the fall things wouldn’t be complete without a special someone or bestie to revel in the fright with. Here are a few things that I hope to do this month and, so help me god if I don’t, because we’re gonna have some issues!

  1. HAUNTED HOUSES!!!!!!!!!! All of the haunted houses. So many haunted houses. I LOVE HAUNTED HOUSES. The thrill, the scares, the anticipation! I spent two Octobers in my teenage years working at a haunted house and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. Ohio actually offers some pretty good haunts, if you’re willing to venture a little ways to get to them. So, road trip and spookfest, anyone?
  2. SCARY MOVIES!!!!!!!!! All of the scary movies. So many scary movies. I LOVE SCARY MOVIES! Of course, I am eagerly anticipating the theater release of the new Halloween movie but, October is also a time to revisit old favorites. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Strangers, Ils, Hush, and all things Stephen King for starters, please.
  3. PUMPKINPALOOZA! So, I’ve never carved a pumpkin before and, frankly, I don’t think it’s the best idea. (Sarah + a carving knife sounds like a pretty bad equation!) But, my boyfriend wants to, so it’s the least I can do! Regardless of if I can carve a pumpkin adequately enough, it will still be fun to complete a traditional Halloween craft together.
  4. Pumpkin Spice, Please: I know, so basic. But, I always have to get at least one Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks this month. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be back to all iced coffee everything in no time!
  5. Take A Hike: I also want to get in lots of hikes in some of Ohio’s many wonderful Metro Parks. There is nothing better than being amongst all of the trees changing color and crunching through fallen leaves on the ground during a blustery fall day. It’s so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like exercising. 😀

What is on your October Wish List? What is your favorite thing about this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Step-By-Step Guide On Finding A Gift For Someone Special

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Step-By-Step Guide On Finding A Gift For Someone Special

Buying someone a present is something that is extremely fun, but it can also be very stressful at the same time. This is because new products and goods are released onto the market each and every day. This is obviously great in one sense because it means that with so much choice people are bound to find something perfect for the person that they are looking for. However, it also makes it increasingly difficult to come to a final decision because one cannot make up their mind.

This blog post aims to help people out with that, as it will provide guidance and tips regarding what one should look for when they are buying a gift for someone they are close to in order to help them narrow down their search:

Budget:

The first thing that obviously needs to be considered is how much the individual in question is willing to spend on the present. It can often be tempting to buy a gift that is elaborate, exciting, and impressive but also highly expensive in price. But, buying a present should be fun; it shouldn’t be something that causes damage to one’s bank balance. The first thing that anybody looking to buy a gift should do is sit down and come up with a limit on how much they are going to spend. This is a good idea, because not only does it help people to keep their finances in check but it also helps to narrow down the search for a gift dramatically.

Brainstorm:

Once a budget is set, the best thing to do is to take a piece of paper and brainstorm some facts about the person that they are buying for. There are a whole host of different things that people can write down. The following are just a handful of things which can be considered; the person’s favorite color, where they were born, their favorite alcoholic drink, whether they are a handbag or a shoe person, do they wear a lot of jewelry, what was their most memorable holiday, what is their favorite scent, etc.

This brainstorm is highly useful, because it will allow the person buying the present to open their mind in order to find inspiration for the types of gifts that the person would like. People always say it is the thought that counts and that is certainly the case. The brainstorm is also great, because little things can spark off a plethora of present ideas. For instance, if one’s favorite smell is lavender, then you could buy the person lavender scented candles, a floral based perfume, or a lavender-scented sachet. Or, if the person likes to travel, you could buy a toiletry bag, a guidebook on their new destination, and a new book to keep them occupied on the plane.

Always remember that gifts with some thought behind it are the best way to go, and will always be cherished by your giftee. Happy shopping!

Featured Image By: Pexels