Tag Archives: lilred

2023 All About Me

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2023 All About Me

Hello!! Your favorite Lil Red blogger has had a very busy past few months. Between bunny parenthood, new jobs, and the kerfuffle of daily life, I am ready for a little break any time now! It has been a while since we have had an updated All About Me post and I figured no better time than the present to talk a bit more in depth about everything happening in Lil Red’s world. Let’s get to it:

Bunny Babies:

Johnny and I have had our Lionhead bunnies, Mel and Penelope, for over four months now and they are thriving! In fact, I would say that they are fully settled to their new lives with us. Melvin is as adventurous as ever and loves to evade his dad by getting under the couch and exploring the non bunny proofed area while he plays video games lol. He is never too quick for his dear old mom, though! Melvin is not quite a year old yet and he is also never too old for an evening cuddle with me. It’s so sweet! ❤

Penelope took a decent amount of time to get acclimated to her new setting and I think that we are finally there. Her favorite activities are eating leafy greens from my hand and chilling out in her go to spot behind the hutch. Pen and Mel both also really enjoy being brushed, which is great as they are long haired and shedding season has been nuts! I was very proud of Penelope because this past week, she explored a few stairs for the first time but was scared to go down. She let me know of her distress by making some noise and allowed me to pick her up and take her back to the floor. Pen still isn’t the biggest fan of Johnny, but she sure loves her mom! 😀

New Job, No Prob:

I have a very entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy both my work as a provider for people with special needs and a writer so much. In the new year, I was really hoping to take my writing work to the next level and that happened on January third. I am currently managing a plethora of social media pages and building websites and businesses with my new boss and it is awesome! Between three jobs, it can be a bit stressful during the work week but I make it work. I am learning so many new things and being able to work from home a lot and hang out with Mel and Pen is such a joy. Eventually, I will decrease my work out in the field but, for now, I am just loving the experience!

Accomplishing Goals:

One of my other goals for the new year was creating a lot more OOTD content for lifewithlilred and I have been very dedicated to it. My sweet blog husband is also most helpful in that regard too! During the work week, I am rarely in the general public and put minimal effort into outfits and makeup. Saturday, however, is a totally different story! On Saturday afternoons, Johnny and I go on an outing for a lunch date, errands, or a visit at his or my parents and end up taking OOTD pictures some time in between. Johnny is always so accommodating and Saturday has definitely become our designated picture day. This setup has worked wonderfully and I look forward to our date days every week. ❤

Birthday Extravaganza:

Starting on March 7th and ending on June 7th, Johnny and I have lots to celebrate. In three months, there are seven birthdays in my family and mine and Johnny’s second wedding anniversary. I love this time of the year because I LOVE shopping for birthday presents and taking part in someone’s special day. I am also very excited for mine and Johnny’s second birthaversary jubilee and cannot wait to put together another get together to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary in one mega event!

Nothing Too Exciting:

As I have been working three very involved jobs for the past three months and Johnny is in a constant state of tired from his demanding job, we haven’t been doing much of anything. Part of it is the weather and part of it is exhaustion! That’s okay, though, because we rally around this time of the year when the sun starts setting later. We might not do anything during the work week but we do end up staying up later than our normal seven PM bedtime and that’s good enough for me. We are thinking of doing a few weekend trips this summer and it will be so nice to have a getaway of our own considering we haven’t even had a honeymoon yet. All in good time!

As busy as these past few months have been, I will never be too busy to post daily on lifewithlilred or get my nails done. Peep those tomorrow and keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

What is new in your world? Is anything exciting coming up for you soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Lil Red Says: Check This Out!

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Lil Red Says: Check This Out!

Hello!! Way back in January of 2016, lifewithlilred had been up for a year and a half and opportunities for collaborations and money making were non-existent. So, you could imagine my surprise when the amazing fashion designer, Sujata Gazder, offered me my first go at guest blogging. The goal was to create a modern and edgy look with one of Sujata’s gorgeous wedding dresses and it was so much fun! After the post was published, Sujata and I remained friends across social media and would check in with each other from time to time.

For over seven years, I have enjoyed ogling all of Sujata’s extraordinary designs and am constantly blown away by her talent. I feel so lucky that we kept in touch after our paths crossed and I will always be cheering her on from afar! This past week, Sujata’s official brand website launched and I just had to share it with all of you. You can visit her page here and be sure to enter your email for the newsletter and alerts to receive ten percent off of your first order.

Not only can you browse Sujata’s jaw dropping collections but you will also be able to shop skin care too! The skin care line is the latest endeavor in the Gazder empire and it looks simply divine. I am currently daydreaming about the body bar and cannot wait to use it. Do be sure to keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for a review of that and more updates on Sujata as they come up. I think you will be seeing a lot of her on my page in the near future! ❤

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Yet again, I find myself so thankful to lifewithlilred for introducing me to an entire world of new friends. I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Sujata again at the place where our friendship began: Right here!

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Do you have any close friends that you made on your page? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Take The Compliment

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Take The Compliment

Hello! One thing that I have always struggled with is receiving compliments and I’m sure that I am not the only one who has similar sentiments. When I was at my lowest, I genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone would want to compliment me and all it did was make me paranoid and even more miserable. It’s hard accepting compliments when you don’t feel worthy of getting them in the first place! It’s also so easy to deflect a compliment and just turn it around to the other person, instead. IE: “You look great”. “No, you look great”.

For several years, I was never able to simply say “thank you” for a compliment and it took a lot of mental health work on my part to get to that point. After coming to terms with my own problems and gaining some self esteem, I realized that I have improved tenfold in my compliment accepting abilities. It actually didn’t really click until I saw these two pictures taken at Playhouse Square this past weekend:

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^^^ When snapping some pics before seeing Beetlejuice, someone told me they liked my outfit mid-pose and the second picture is of me being ecstatic about it!

As I was scrolling through photos of my night on the town, these two pictures really stuck out to me. As I sat and mused, I wondered what the second picture would have looked like if I was back to my depression days. Chances are, I wouldn’t have had a huge smile – rather, a look of confusion as if someone was trying to play a joke. Recognizing that and being able to see it so plainly in front of me made me feel proud of my own personal growths.

lifewithlilred played a big role in helping me muster up some confidence about myself in general and my appearance. Through OOTDs, I was able to develop my sense of style and writing about my issues in early posts assisted in sorting out my emotions and learning from them. And, while saying “thank you” for a compliment online isn’t the same as in real life, it was a great first start. Having people comment specifically on my page was a turning point and I was able to see the compliments for what they really were – something nice.

As I began testing my new skills in public, it began getting easier and easier to say “thank you” to the point where I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. I also loved how much more genuine it felt to give a person an actual compliment back instead of just replying with an Uno Reverse card lol.  It wasn’t until seeing the pictures above that I put some thought into it and saw what a major improvement has been made. 🙂

If you can relate to this post, my best advice is to Take The Compliment when you receive one. It might be really hard at first but just saying “thank you” is a small step in making some big changes!

What is something that you struggle with? Is it hard for you to accept compliments? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy New Year!!!!

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Happy New Year!!!!

Hello everyone and a very Happy New Year to all of you!!! I am so thrilled to be able to celebrate another holiday here on lifewithlilred and continue on with another year of daily content and fun on my page. Most importantly, I’m excited to share it with all of my dear friends and readers and I thank each and every one of you for stopping by! I don’t know about all of you, but 2022 mainly sucked eggs for me so here’s to lots of good things in store for 2023. And, yes, I definitely did type 2022 first instead of 2023 lol I’ll be doing that for a while. *Face palm*

I have never been one for making New Year’s Resolutions like working out or eating less Taco Bell and when I have, I didn’t keep them. Rather, I like to set goals that I want to accomplish in the new year and see what happens. For example, it would be awesome if the followers on lifewithlilred and my social media platforms (Instagram @lifewithlilred94 and Facebook is: Sarah Mushenheim) increased and I will be working hard to achieve that. I would also LOVE to take a mini vacation of some kind with Johnny, which would be our first time doing so. Maybe this summer?!

As you might have deduced if you keep up on my page, the last several months of 2022 were not good for me in any way shape or form. So, I am trying to manifest all of the positive things to come mine and my family’s way in 2023. I think we could all use a break! During happy or sad times, however, it always brings me joy to sit down and write a post for my blog and I am so thankful to have that and all of you as a constant in my life – no matter what the year is! ❤

I hope that all of you and yours have the happiest, most prosperous, and safe new year. Have a blast celebrating and keep it locked for another year of your favorite Lil Red blogger! Here’s to 2023 – Let’s make it our best year yet!

Happy New Year!!!!

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Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? Was 2022 a good or bad year for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Merry Christmas!!

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Merry Christmas!!

Hello everyone and a very Merry Christmas to you!! Whatever holiday you celebrate this winter season, I hope that all of you have been having the best time enjoying great company and food and making wonderful memories. This is the eighth holiday season that I have had the pleasure of wishing good cheer to my dear friends and readers throughout the blogosphere and it never gets old. Each and every one of you are the reason why I get up extra early to write every morning and my page would not be what it is without that constant motivation. You are all so amazing!

I’m sure all of you have family gatherings to attend and gifts to open so I will keep this post short and sweet. I just wanted to personally send my well wishes to you and yours for a fantastic holiday season and prosperous new year. Thank you for being my friend and for taking the time out of your days to keep up with Lil Red. I love you all!

Merry Christmas!! ❤

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It’s Not Just A Phase OOTD Bloopers

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It’s Not Just A Phase OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my It’s Not Just A Phase OOTD!! This is one of my favorite looks I have done on lifewithlilred in 2022 and I think the pictures that were non bloopers rule. However, it wouldn’t be an OOTD on my page without the blooper reel of pics that most definitely didn’t make the cut let alone be seen by the entire world. OR SHOULD THEY?! I think so! Check out these yikes shots that truly capture the goofball essence of everyone’s favorite Lil Red blogger:

This way to the gun show!!

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I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!

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Miss Thing has got an attitude

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Sporting the demon chic look and clearly about to open a can of whoop ass

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*About to shake hands with someone* AYYY PSYCH!!

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This bird of paradise is spreading her wings and flying

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Hey uhhhh do you have a cigarette?

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Trying to stand on my toes and epic failing

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Shout out to the one piece of hair that always sticks out no matter what *eye roll*

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Hoisting myself up for more fun on lifewithlilred. Let’s go!

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When it comes to taking pictures, give me a brick wall and I will work the ever living hell out of it. That is all I wanted for this shoot and, honestly, the location is a blooper in and of itself. The brick wall I chose was the bathroom building of a local park lol. But, hey, you work with what you’ve got and it was a mighty nice brick wall! This was a brain blast when we were about to head out to downtown Cuyahoga Falls for its excellent brick building selection and what we ended up with just makes me like these shots even more. You are never too old to be an emo kid OR laugh about bathroom related humor. 😀

This shoot was such a hoot and it really did take me back to my days of yore when my badass little self loved to post up by a brick wall and have a cigarette. Obviously, I thought I was the coolest. Judging by my popularity in high school, clearly, I was not lol. Be that as it may, these pictures are the coolest to me, bloopers and all and I hope that you enjoyed this photo series as much as I did! ❤

What was your high school self like? What is your most cringe worthy high school memory? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Coming Soon To lifewithlilred

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Coming Soon To lifewithlilred

Hello! You might have noticed something severely lacking in the content department here on lifewithlilred and that is OOTD posts. For a while, I was so happy to have almost weekly photo shoots to share with all of you that coincided with date days with Johnny. Then, the metaphorical shit hit the fan and date days just weren’t an option due to pure and utter chaos in Lil Red’s world. That is why I am so pleased to say that coming soon to theaters everywhere will be not one, nor two, but THREE new OOTDs on lifewithlilred!

Three?! Yes, three. This past week, Johnny and I had not one, nor two, but THREE Thanksgiving celebrations and you’re not going to not look your best when you’re just sitting there eating lol. I have missed having some fashion fun so I am very excited about this recent development and hope that all of you are too. I also have my fingers crossed that all of these clothes will still fit after three Thanksgiving feasts. 😀

Tune in tomorrow for outfit number one from my Thanksgiving look book and, for now, enjoy some pictures of your favorite Lil Red blogger and JOHNNY!!

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^^^ Besties! ❤

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

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! The holiday season is now in full swing and I am so thankful to be able to share in it with all of you for the eighth year in a row. Normally, Thanksgiving is my freaking JAM. A family meal with all of my favorite foods makes for a very happy me. However, that will not be in the cards this year because it has been a very tough few months for my family and we will be missing someone at the table until she is able to come home. Rather than feast, I will be spending my day being incredibly thankful that that special someone is on the mend and will be back really soon. Although the food is important to me (lol), feeling #blessed on Thanksgiving is what the day is all about and I’ll be doing that in spades. ❤

Holidays are such a special, joyous time and it can be hard when they don’t feel that way. If that is the case for you too, then we can look forward to better days ahead together. If that is not the case for you, then please take some time out of your day to feel thankful for it. While my stomach won’t be full of my beloved green bean casserole (Hate all you want!!), my heart will be bursting at the seams for all of the good that has happened and will be coming up soon.

Thank you to all of my sweet lifewithlilred family for being a reason why I will be smiling today. My message to you today is that even when things suck massively – there is always a reason to smile. No matter how you spend the day, have a very Happy Thanksgiving and I am thankful for each and every one of you! Much love. -Sarah

Updated All About Me

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Updated All About Me

Hello! In September, lifewithlilred celebrated its eight year blogiversary, so I figured it was high time to do an Updated All About Me post. So much has changed since I started my page as a twenty year old college kid – a husband, nieces and a nephew, and becoming bunny parents! Although I can’t say I’m thrilled to be approaching thirty in barely two years, it has been amazing to measure the time here on lifewithlilred. If you are just tuning in or have been a long term reader, here are some fun facts/updates about yours truly:

  1. After wanting bunnies for forever, I finally have them: I have always thought that having pet bunnies would be the best thing since sliced bread and it really is! Johnny and I are so obsessed with Penelope and Mel (a mother and son duo) and we have barely had them for over two weeks! Of course, we love their names but they have plenty of nicknames as well. Because, let’s be real, are you really a pet parent if you aren’t calling your pets anything but their real names? 😀

You can catch me calling Penelope:

  • Mama
  • Miss mama
  • Miss lady
  • Mama’s girl
  • Missy miss

Melvin’s nicknames include:

  • Mr. Melvin
  • Mister mister
  • Mister man
  • Mama’s little man
  • Tiny wanderer

2. Johnny and I are the “cool” aunt and uncle: Whenever Johnny and I are asked if we are going to be giving our parents grandchildren, we reply that the best we can do is grandbunnies lol. However, we LOVE being the cool aunt and uncle to our nieces and nephew, Valerie, Raya, and Patrick. They are the sweetest little humans and we revel in treat days when we can spoil them rotten. The best part? When the fun is over, we can give them back!

3. Married life rules: Johnny and I have been together for over three years and have been married for one of them. It’s actually literally no different than when we were dating but it’s still awesome because it was awesome when we were dating lol. The best part is definitely the novelty of saying “husband” and “wife” and I don’t think that it will ever get old. ❤

4. A new-ish apartment: Johnny and I moved into a new apartment in May that is much bigger than our old one but still in the same community we were already living in. Compared to our old place, this one feels like a luxury resort and I still can’t believe it sometimes! Having windows that actually open, a functional air conditioning unit, and better heating is so fantastic that it’s crazy to think about the pure discomfort we were living in before. The best part, however, is having two bathrooms – one on the upstairs floor and one downstairs. This makes me feel like queen of the castle when I don’t have to stumble my way downstairs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. GREAT SUCCESS.

5. The Lil Red lifestyle hasn’t changed: lifewithlilred started out as a place for me to express myself, make some friends, and have fun and that hasn’t changed at all. I wanted to create a space to celebrate uniqueness because it’s safe to say that I’m pretty unique when you look at me! The Lil Red lifestyle is all about being true to yourself and living life in a way that makes you happy. I have tried to embody this since the start of lifewithlilred and am proud to say that I’m still holding to that eight years later.

6. Best jobs ever: When I am not doing freelance writing, I work with people with special needs and it is simply the best. I have been in the field for close to eight years and have been an Independent Provider for almost five of them. Every day, my clients teach me something new and it is such a joy to be an important part of their lives. Having a job where you feel genuinely happy at every day is a blessing that I don’t take lightly and I pay homage to that by being my best self daily for each person I care for.

7. Still a Diet Coke fiend: Diet Coke has always been my all time favorite drink and that has yet to change! Since being with Johnny, I have learned the joys of the Diet Coke from McDonald’s because, surprisingly, I have never had it until a year or so ago. Now, it is such a treat when I can get a real CRISPY DC from Mickey D’s and it’s a wonderful change of pace from the canned Diets that I am constantly guzzling lol. #blessed

While some things in my life have changed drastically, I am still the fun loving, goofy Lil Red that you met eight years ago. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this crazy ride and here’s to eight more years of lifewithlilred! Although in eight years, I might have to change my page’s name to lifewithmiddleagedred… We’ll see what happens! -_-

What are some cool updates in your life? What are some fun facts about you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello! This past Wednesday, I had a wonderful afternoon of pampering at The Shear Shop to not only freshen up my hair but to improve on the changes that my stylist, Anna, made the last time. While we loved the combination of Pulp Riot colors Fireball (bright red), Pyro (deep red), Satire (yellow), and Lava (orange), we weren’t seeing enough of the yellow, which is both of our favorites. Thankfully, my friend and stylist is a literal genius and gave me a gorgeous halo of Satire that I am beyond thrilled with. Check it out:

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^^^ This was the outfit I wore to see Cats this weekend. While this isn’t an OOTD post, here is the outfit info anyways:

Who? What? Wear?

To begin the process of allowing each Pulp Riot shade to pop rather than blend together, Anna started by bleaching my roots as well as my bangs and the surrounding circle for Satire. Now that we have moved past my white and red hair, the bleaching process is much shorter and easier on my hair because it doesn’t have to lift as much. The bleach only had to do its thing for about twenty minutes until it was ready to wash out and I can tell. My hair feels way healthier and my ends aren’t fried, which is a huge plus!

Once the bleach was washed out and my hair was cut and dried, it was time for the fun part – the color! To achieve this look, Anna painted my roots with Pyro. Then, she began to expertly place each additional color. Satire was next, followed by Lava, and Fireball at the tips. As always, the Pulp Riot colors are simply spectacular and the dye smells like Sweet Tarts. This only seems appropriate with candy colored hair. 😀

As Anna painted each chunk of hair, she wrapped it up in foil and it wasn’t long before I was completely protected from aliens. The color sat for about thirty-five minutes or so until it was ready to be washed out and the results were exactly what we wanted. By changing up the order of colors and the space that they were painted on, each individual hue became infinitely clearer and was much truer to our fireball inspiration. The color and cut are divine and I also am very much enjoying having bangs to add some more variety to my look!

There is nothing like a day at The Shear Shop to lift my spirits and have some fun. My stress melted away as soon as I walked in the door and I am so thankful to my wonderful Anna for always keeping Lil Red looking her best! ❤

What is your favorite Pulp Riot color? Do you have any plans to change up your hair soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah