Tag Archives: happy

Jun19

Monday Update: Canine LifeLine Edition

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Monday Update: Canine LifeLine Edition

Good morning everyone and happy Monday! I had a lovely afternoon yesterday with my mom and sister. We all volunteer for the rescue group, Canine LifeLine, and each of our schedules worked out so that we could go together and walk some of the pups that are up for adoption. It was a beautiful, dog-filled time and it was nice to be able to walk the puppers all together for the first time in the years that we’ve been volunteering.

Canine LifeLine is the rescue group that both of my sweet pups, Gem and Ollie, were adopted through. CLL brings dogs up from rural shelters (both of my dogs are from Kentucky) and provides them with medical treatment and a new shot at life in Ohio. I believe so strongly in the work that this group does and it only makes sense to try and give back to them as often as we can since they made our home complete with our two beloved pets.

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^^^ My babies! ❤

If you are located in Ohio or have family and friends here that are yearning for a rescue pup, please direct them in Canine LifeLine’s way! There is sure to be a sweet dog for you and you might just run into yours truly! And, of course, if you have no Ohio relations, then we always accept donations too. 🙂 #shamelesspromotion

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Canine LifeLine Edition! Do you have a beloved pet at home? Who else is a proud dog mom or dad? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun18

Super, Crazy, Exciting Week!!

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Super, Crazy, Exciting Week!!

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Omg. I am literally SO excited for tomorrow and Tuesday that I really just can’t even. Tomorrow, my darling boyfriend is moving back to Ohio from North Carolina to be with yours truly. We are so in love and so unbelievably thrilled for the next steps in our relationship. This week we’ll be looking for apartments for him and I have a few in mind so it’s going to be really fun to explore all of them together! I’m picking him up from the airport tomorrow morning and I’m so insanely happy that I don’t even care about waking up at the (butt)crack of dawn to do it. Eeeeeee!!!!

So, my boyfriend moving back home is super exciting BUT that’s not all!! My sister, Kristen, is literally my favorite person on the planet. Perhaps even more so now considering that she’s taking me to see my favorite band on the planet, AFI, on Tuesday for my birthday. My emo fantasy band is performing at my favorite venue on the planet, the House Of Blues, in Cleveland on Tuesday and I get really verklempt just thinking about it.

I have been BEGGING Kristen for months to get me tickets for my birthday ever since I saw that my boys were coming to our neck of the woods and, like an amazing sister/best friend, she pulled through. I am more than prepared to headbang and cry the entire time and it’s going to be a beautiful, wonderful, fantastic night! And, in our sister tradition, we are totes getting Taco Bell after the show, which is what we always do after going to the House Of Blues. I LOVE US! ❤

I am so beyond ready for my Super, Crazy, Exciting Week and I can’t wait to tell you all more about it as the days go by! Who else has exciting plans for the week? What summer concerts are you planning on attending? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun16

Exciting News!!

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Exciting News!!

Helloooo everyone and TGIF! So earlier this week, I got contacted by one of my former teachers inquiring about a consultation with yours truly for her humor based memoir. We had our first meeting today and it went absolutely swimmingly. I will be helping her out as far as editing/prompting/and adding on goes and it’s such a joy to learn more about someone who I considered one of my “favorites” in high school.

Because lifewithlilred is a platform for all voices, not just mine, some excerpts from her short stories will be featured on my page for your viewing pleasure. Feedback is an important part of the writing process, so it only makes sense to showcase her work to my darling readers so we can hear all of your thoughts! I am SO excited for what promises to be a fantastic partnership and am looking forward to sharing some of the works in progress with all of you! ❤

Who else has some exciting news to share? What are you up to this weekend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

THANK YOU!!!

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THANK YOU!!!

Hello!!! I just wanted to write a quick post to thank each and every one of my darling readers for all of the happy birthday wishes. I had an absolutely fabulous 23rd birthday yesterday and am looking forward to continuing my celebrations with friends and family throughout the rest of the week.

I got to spend my birthday morning with my beautiful sister (who got me concert tickets to see my favorite band, AFI, at the House Of Blues!!), my afternoon with my boyfriend who drove from North Carolina to make it for my birthday, and the evening with some of my best friends at my favorite bar, the Cashmere Cricket. Today, one of my girlfriends is taking me out for lunch and then I get to spend the evening with my beau. Tomorrow, I’ll be celebrating with my family. And finally, over the weekend, my boyfriend has a bunch of birthday surprises for me! So, obviously, I have a really good rest of the week in store!

I am so thankful to all of my friends and family who reached out to me with well wishes whether it be on the blog, Facebook, text, phone call, or email and all of you truly helped make my 23rd birthday a special one! I LOVE YOU GUYS! ❤ -Sarah

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May30

Why You Should Care About Your Employees’ Health

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Why You Should Care About Your Employees’ Health

As a business owner, you might think that you have more pressing concerns than the health of your employees, like running the business properly for a start, but here’s the thing – the health and well being of your employees should be one of your most vital concerns. Here’s why:

Employees Who are Healthy are More Productive: When your employees feel well, they operate at optimum levels. Healthy employees have bundles of energy and that means that they will work harder than employees who are sick, ill, and unfit. It, therefore, makes sense to encourage your employees to live healthier lifestyles in any way that you can, including by bringing in spectrum healthcare to run corporate wellness checks in the office periodically or offering free or subsidized gym memberships to all of your staff.

Healthy Employees Will Take Less Sick Days: Obviously, employees who are in good general health will take fewer sick days over the course of a year. This will not only ensure that your productivity stays high, but it could also save you a lot of money, especially if you have a lot of employees.

Sickness Won’t Be Spread: We’ve all seen it happen – one person comes into the office with a cold, and the next day three employees call in sick, the next day ten people aren’t there, and so on and so on until it seems like the whole office is wiped out and you’re struggling to keep the business running. By offering your staff immunizations for common illnesses, you can stop the spread of sickness and keep your business running come what sore throat, horrible flu may.

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Pixabay Image

Healthy Employees Have Their Heads in the Game: When you’re sick, you will know only too well that you start to ruminate about your illness. You start to think the worst and you worry if you’ll ever feel better. This can take your head out of the game and make it difficult to concentrate on your work. When your employees are ill, then it can be all too easy for them to make mistakes that they wouldn’t usually make and this could cost you your company’s reputation or a lot of money, depending on how serious those errors are.

Healthy Employees Will Be Less Stressed Out: Stressed employees, again, are more likely to make mistakes and be less productive than those who are completely relaxed and healthy. Not only that, but stressed employees can make for a tense and often unpleasant environment, which is why taking care of your staffs’ mental health needs by providing meditation classes, yoga, or other relaxing activities can be really worthwhile and pay off in the long run.

Healthy Employees are Positive Employees: Sick people tend to be naturally more negative because they are worried about themselves. Like stress, this can cause a negative atmosphere to develop in the workplace. Healthy employees, on the other hand, are more likely to be positive more often, which will make your workplace a happier place to be.

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Happy, healthy employee!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

May10

Mini Makeup Haul

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Mini Makeup Haul

Hello everyone and happy Hump Day! To conclude my Target Haul appreciation posts, I am here to talk to you about two gorgeous new makeups that I purchased this past weekend. I’ll be honest with you guys, I am not a big makeup girl. I stick with what I know and I legit paint my face the same way every day – which my sister LOVES to dog on me about. So I thought that I would take a step out of my comfort zone with a beautiful emerald green eyeliner by Maybelline. But I am a creature of habit, so back into my comfort zone I went with a lovely new red lipstick by L’oreal, which I am so obsessed with! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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My Purchases:

  • Maybelline Glossy Emerald eyeliner #608
  • L’oreal Ruby Flame lipstick #317

As I’ve mentioned about a million times on lifewithlilred, fifty shades of green is my color. With pasty pale skin, bright red hair, and hazel eyes that frequently change color to green or golden yellow, green is one of the colors that always looks good on me. When I worked at The Body Shop, I was definitely more adventurous with my makeup and I can remember using deep green eyeshadows as eyeliner and loving the way that it looked. So I thought that I would revisit that and attempt something different than my normal gold eyeshadow with a bright emerald liner…

The only problem is, is that I freaking suck at applying eyeliner to my top lids so this is definitely going to be a trial and error type of thing! But hey, we’ll see what happens and maybe then my sister will get off of my back for wearing the exact same makeup every day of my life, lol smh.

Now, as for my new L’oreal lipstick – I LOVE it. I have been on the hunt for a red lipstick with glitter in it for the past month and am so happy with this shade in Ruby Flame. When I took my sister shopping at Sephora for her birthday at the beginning of April, I tried my luck there for a lipstick shade that I liked but nothing spoke to me on a spiritual level. Not only did I hate everything that I tried there, but I wasn’t too keen on spending over twenty dollars for a lipstick, anyways.

I wasn’t expecting to find a glitter red that I loved for a whole seven bucks at Target! I had originally seen this L’oreal shade at the drugstore when I was killing time in between meetings for work and I really liked it but didn’t buy it. But, I made note of it for future purchasing purposes and I am really glad that I did! Ruby Flame is exactly what I’ve been searching for. A gorgeous shade of red, a light overlay of fairy dust, and a reputable brand that wasn’t going to break my bank. I am SO pleased with this find and cannot wait to use it on my next night out!

My Mini Makeup Haul at Target left me with a revamped version of a tried and true favorite in L’oreal’s Ruby Flame lipstick and a *gasp* not gold eyeshadow with Maybelline’s Glossy Emerald eyeliner. I’m looking forward to giving both of these new makeups a try and we’ll see what happens! How do you step outside of your makeup comfort zone? What is your go to shade for eyeshadows and liners? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

13 Reasons Why I’m Happy Challenge

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13 Reasons Why I’m Happy Challenge

Hey everyone and happy weekend! So my friend Charlie girl over at CharlieeStar tagged me in the 13 Reasons Why I’m Happy Challenge and I love these little awards and tags posts so I figured why not. Charlie is going to be featured during my Salute To Summer guest bloggers series so be on the look out for her! But until then, make sure to check out her wonderful blog! Okay, here we go. 13 Reasons Why I’m Happy in no particular order:

  1. I’m waiting for my pot of coffee to cool down to make some iced coffee and I’m really excited about it because I got a new creamer to try last night.
  2. I just walked my two rescue dogs, Gem and Ollie, with my mom and the weather in Ohio is actually acceptable to walk in, as it’s been raining here ALL WEEK.
  3. I’m talking to this really cute guy who’s coming up from North Carolina at the end of the month for my birthday.
  4. My mental health is finally in check, so that’s nice.
  5. There’s a Taco Bell within a mile of my home so that’s a blessing.
  6. I graduated college in December and I’m still happy about that!!
  7. I have a handful of really good friends who I love dearly. Quality over quantity and whatever.
  8. My family, obvs.
  9. All of the wonderful friends that I’ve made through lifewithlilred. I always get so happy every time I think about that!
  10. Bubble baths, face masks, and moscato.
  11. My background as a competitive figure skater has given me some rock solid legs and a sturdy gait that keeps me away from spine surgeons, which is also a blessing haha.
  12. Whenever I’m writing my talon nails click away on the keyboard and I love that.
  13. My personal style. I have a closet full of beautiful clothes, shoes, and accessories. Wonderful makeup, bright red hair, long acrylic nails, piercings, and tattoos and I love it all.

Well that was fun! I thought that this list would be a bit harder to make but I actually feel like I could have kept going, which is a pleasant surprise. I’m not going to tag anyone in this because it’s more up to you if you want to participate in the 13 Reasons Why I’m Happy Challenge, but it was most enjoyable!

Thanks again to my Charlie girl for the tag, you’re a doll! What makes you happy? What bums you out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May3

New Tattoo Excitement!!

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New Tattoo Excitement!!

Heyyy everyone and happy Hump Day! So I am wicked excited for Saturday the 20th at 1 o’clock in the afternoon because I have a tattoo appointment!! I was planning to get a new tattoo for my birthday in June, but I saw that the artist who I am going to is running a percentage off special in May so I figured that I might as well get it now and save some money on it. It has been literal years since my last tattoo. Jeez Louise, I think it might have been back in 2014. Yikes!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t want more tattoos because I want a bunch. But, when I started college in 2014, I didn’t exactly have money to just throw around on extra things like body mods, clothes, and accessories because they were just extra and text books are no joke. But, now that I’ve been graduated since the end of 2016 and am actually making money instead of constantly spending it on college related fees, I feel pretty okay about getting a TREAT YOSELF/early birthday tattoo!

So what am I gonna get, you might ask? Take a looksee:

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If you aren’t familiar with the book The Little Prince, then you are missing out because that’s where these drawings are from! I plan on getting the first image of him flying with the birds on my side but I want him dressed in the clothing from the second image. The birds are going to go up onto my back and probably end close to my bra line. Then at some point, I’ll work in a quote en francais as well as the horizon line at the end of the book. AHHHH!!

For those of you who don’t already know, The Little Prince is one of my all time favorite books. It just is. I could read it every day until I die and never tire of it. I think that it is so beautiful and every time I read it (which is quite frequently), I fall even more in love with the words and imagery scattered like petals throughout the pages. I am super excited to get my undying adoration for this book commemorated in tattoo form and it has been a long time coming because I’ve wanted this done for five-ever.

May 20th can’t come soon enough and I have a feeling that I will be in the tattoo chair quite a lot this year! How’s that for some New Tattoo Excitement?! Who plans on getting a new piercing or tattoo soon? What is your favorite tattoo or piercing that you have? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr26

April 2017 Finishes

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April 2017 Finishes

Helloooooo everyone and happy Hump Day!! This month has brought me many wonderful finishes, which has been fun because April has been a pretty blah month for yours truly. As most of you know by now, I refuse to not finish things that I start when it comes to beauty products, so it’s always nice when the “must finish” items are pleasant to use! Take a look at this month’s empties and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake body wash: MAYBE
  • Fashion Fair Santorini Getaway body butter: YES
  • Design Line Fiji Therapy styling oil: YES
  • The Body Shop Nutriganics eye cream: YES
  • Arad moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not:

Philosophy Body Wash: Okay, you guys know how I feel about Philosophy bath and body products because I’ve said it time and time again: Had I not been gifted with the products, I would never buy them for myself. My ex boyfriend got me the Vanilla Birthday Cake body wash for Christmas and it was nice and it smelled good but SO many other shower gels are nice and smell good for a fraction of the cost. Granted, I’m sure he got the gel at TJs or Marshall’s, but still. All things considered, this sixteen ounce bottle of body wash lasted me for three months, which is impressive. It lathered well and left my skin feeling hydrated, but it is not something that I plan on using again in the future unless it shows up underneath my Christmas tree!

Fashion Fair Body Butter: This body butter is actually another Christmas gift from my ex and I freaking LOVED it. For starters, the Santorini Getaway scent was so freaking delightful. It was citrus-y without being overpowering. Imagine the richest, creamiest lotion ever that smells like freshly whipped cream and add the lightest splash of citrus and you would have this Fashion Fair body butter. YUM.

Not only did it smell divine but it absorbed and moisturized SO WELL. The texture was nowhere near as thick as a body butter from, say, The Body Shop but it was definitely thicker than your average cream. Even so, this lotion absorbed into my skin instantly and without leaving any type of residue behind. All that was left after applying this lotion was the gentlest touch of summer citrus and I would one hundred and fifty percent use this product again. I completed this body butter after about six uses.

Design Line Styling Oil: I have been using the Design Line Fiji styling oil in my hair for ages. The only reason why it never appears on my Finishes posts is because my mom will always swap out my almost finished bottles with a new one without telling me! Then, by the time I think of it, she has already used and thrown away the remnants of my half used bottle.

Anyways, I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. As you guys know, I don’t wash my hair. End of story. Point blank. Period. And you would think that if I’m putting styling oil in my hair almost every day, my hair would get super greasy. Right? WRONG. Not only does this oil have the perfect touch of a tropical scent but it is such a light to the touch product and it leaves my hair feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated with every use. I use it almost daily before I flat iron my hair and my locks are all the better for it. It takes me about four to five months to finish a bottle of Design Line Fiji styling oil and at thirteen bucks a pop, it is worth every penny.

TBS Eye Cream: Oh, my Nutriganics eye cream. A product that I truly could not live without. I have been using the Nutriganics eye cream from The Body Shop for literal years now and the thin and sensitive skin around my eyes thanks me for it daily. Not once since using this product have I been concerned about fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes because a strict and set in stone for ages regimen of applying this product ceases all worries for me. The areas around my eyes looks bright and youthful and I can’t ever see myself not using my Nutriganics eye cream on a daily basis. It takes me about five months to finish a bottle of this cream, which is also a fantastic value!

Arad Moisturizer: I bought this product from TJMaxx compliments of a gift card from one of my beloved Special Olympics students. I have to say that it was nothing special but I would use it again if the opportunity arises. This moisturizer smelled great because it is made with coconut extract, which made putting it on in the morning really nice. It also absorbed well and my makeup laid nicely over top of it. However, I will always be partial to my much loved and used Vitamin E moisturizer from The Body Shop, so anything else kind of pales in comparison! It took me about one month to finish this moisturizer.

Overall, April was a very successful month in terms of my product finishes. I enjoyed using all of my empties and I can definitely see myself (almost) using all of them in the future!

So there you have it, my April 2017 Finishes! Which beauty products did you use up this month? Has anyone used any of the products on my empties list before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr17

Monday Update: Special Delivery Edition

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Monday Update: Special Delivery Edition

Hi everyone and a very happy Monday to all of you! This Friday, a super special package was delivered to yours truly from a giveaway that I won and I’m so hyped that I just had to blog about it. Seriously, I never win anything. Ever. So, obviously, I was extremely excited when I found out that I won a giveaway that the darling Julie was running on her page, Beauty & A Book. I wouldn’t say that I have “bad” luck, so to speak, but my luck is never exactly “good” either, so after a super sucky week thanks to the Little Red Love Machine getting tboned, a giveaway win was just what the doctor ordered! Take a look at my new hair care goodies:

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^^^ Woohoo!

My Prizes:

  • Salon Tech heat protecting spray (which is awesome because I flat iron my hair every day)
  • Salon Tech shampoo (which will be going to my mom because I don’t wash my hair)
  • Eurora face and body moisturizer
  • A new copper core brush

Okay – and just to clarify, yes: I don’t wash my hair. Well, I wash it once a month when I’m redying it but that’s all. Although, I wouldn’t even consider that “washing” because I only condition my hair after dying it. My fiery red locks would be nonexistent if I washed my hair frequently. The last time I remember thoroughly washing my hair was…I actually don’t remember! But, my hair is all the better for it and that’s all I have to say about that!

ANYWAYS, I want to send a HUGE thank you to Julie from Beauty & A Book for sending your girl some giveaway loving. It infinitely brightened a super dumb week so merci beaucoup!

I would love to be able to send Julie some followers on her social media platforms because, unfortunately, I only have a Facebook! So please give her a follow on Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat with her handle: jeweleemc

THANKS!! 😉

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Special Delivery Edition! How was everyone’s Easter weekend? Would you consider yourself as having good or bad luck? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Life Over Latte