Tag Archives: lol

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hiiii everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day! Unfortunately, I have no cute OOTD for this post, because I suffered from Canttakeagoodpicturetosavemylife-neosis. It’s a rare disorder when you look cute but just can’t seem to take a good picture to save your life, as the name clearly states. So, instead, I will just be wishing all of the love birds a very happy day celebrating their relationship. ❤

What will I be doing, you ask? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. When you’re chronically single, Valentine’s Day is just another day and I will be working, working. I won’t even get to treat myself to a nice soak with a bath bomb from Lush, because I’ll be working late. But, hey, single on Valentine’s Day means that I won’t have to share my chocolate with anyone else, so here I am always looking on the bright side! 😀

No matter how you spend your day, in a relationship or not, just remember that Lil Red has love for all of her readers. And, at the end of the day, that’s the love that really matters. 😉

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How are you spending V-Day? What has been your favorite Valentine’s Day celebration? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Stingy Girl Secret

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Stingy Girl Secret

Hiiii! Okay, so before you read this post, a back story is definitely required. Because, even I have to admit, my Stingy Girl Secret makes me sound like the biggest cheapo on the planet. But, I promise you that this was the most unintentional hack I’ve ever come across. Let’s begin:

As all of you know, I had a really unfortunate oral surgery in December that left me suffering for an entire month. Although I am feeling much better, I am still having issues with beverages that are too cold. During recovery, I could only drink or eat anything that was tepid in heat because of the extreme sensitivity that my mouth was experiencing. With that in mind, we may proceed.

Monday is essentially my busiest day of the week, because I have back to back clients all day. Because of this, I like to get a little treat before I start my work day. AKA, I go to Starbucks after I fill up my car at the gas station. It has been my routine for some time now, and my day always feels off if I falter from that.

Normally, I enjoy an iced coffee to start off my work week. But, after an unfortunate incident, I just haven’t had the taste for it. (Long story short, my mouth started bleeding profusely when I was at a client’s house while drinking my iced coffee. The bleeding had nothing to do with the drink but, for now, I just can’t stomach it.)

Anyways, I’ve been on a big green tea kick from Starbucks since that happened post surgery, but I know that my mouth couldn’t handle a hot or an iced tea. So, upon my first trip back to Starbucks when I felt up to it, I went into the store instead of the drive thru, because this required the utmost sensitivity. I hesitantly walked up to the counter and asked for a room temperature green tea with anxious thoughts rushing through my head.

Is this request even possible?

Will they deny me my request for a not hot but not cold beverage?

Should I just run away screaming and never show my face again?!?!?!

Luckily, I didn’t have to run out of the door in shame and return only with a paper bag on my head, because the barista said I could do an iced green tea with no ice. An iced green tea with no ice?? My god, it’s so simple. So brilliant. So exactly what I needed. An iced green tea with no ice. It was a revelation. I paid for my drink and eagerly awaited for it down the way. Once my name was called, I reached for the cup and I couldn’t believe it.

IT WAS FILLED TO THE BRIM!!!

In my hazy post surgery gone wrong trauma, I really don’t know what I was expecting. For them to just fill the cup halfway because of the no ice request, I guess. But, no. My Trenta cup was filled all the way to the top with BEVERAGE. It was a miracle.

I really didn’t realize how little drink that I was getting from an iced beverage when the ice was actually in it. On my normal Monday morning commute, I would finish my drink on my way to work. But, now that I have a filled to the brim drink, I can sip on it happily for a while when I’m working. And, to this day, I always ask for my iced drink with no ice so that my sensitive teeth aren’t screaming at me and I can get a full whopping thirty ounces of beverage with no questions asked.

Stingy? Yes. But, this find was so unintentional and honestly so simple, it’s a bit stupid. BUT, it was literally the only highlight of the major trauma that I went through last month and I had to share it with all of you. I don’t know what I was getting at with this essay but, I’ve said my piece, and I feel really great about it – so thanks for reading! 😀 lololol

What is one of your stingy secrets? How do you save money when you treat yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Poshmark, Please

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Poshmark, Please

Hi! Have you ever thought about a piece of clothing or accessory that you didn’t buy, but really really wish that you did days, months, or years later down the line? No? Maybe it is just me. Anyways, that’s what this blog post is about today and how my memory of an elephant, some help from a blogging friend, and an obsession with getting some cheetah print reunited me with this beautiful Kensie moto jacket:

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^^^ Thank you, @sundaygirlpicks !!

Once upon a time, I found this jacket at TJMaxx and I have no idea why I didn’t buy it. I guess at the time (Say, two years ago) I just wasn’t interested in cheetah print. And, then, a few days ago, I became obsessed with all cheetah print everything. It’s funny how people’s tastes and opinions can do a complete one eighty in time! I began scouring TJMaxx’s website and all I could find was faux fur cheetah print which, sadly, would make me look like a (Very high class) hooker. You may laugh, but it is oh so true.

After inspecting the site further, I realized that, for once, I was out of luck on TJ’s website. And, like magic, a memory of me trying the above coat on in the TJMaxx fitting room went through my head. All I could think about was how I wish that I just bought the damn thing and began a new quest for a moto or denim style cheetah print jacket. It was so on. I looked through Asos, Nasty Gal, Shein, Romwe, Nordstrom Rack, and Zara but I couldn’t find NOTHIN. I was crushed. And I was desperate.

In this state of frenzy, another little ditty popped into my head, because a similar situation has happened to me before. This took place in the form of a faux fur vest that I had bought years ago, but didn’t have the self confidence to wear. And, once I gained an improved self esteem, I wanted that vest back REAL bad. A fellow blogger left a comment on the post that I linked to and recommended that I try Ebay or Poshmark, because they might have it. And that is exactly what I did with my Kensie jacket…

But, at the time, I didn’t know that the brand was Kensie. So how the HECK did I find it, you might ask? Well, my friends, the revelation came to me in a place where I do my best thinking. On the toilet.

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The toilet. The john. The loo. The porcelain throne. Whatever you may call it, is where a vision came to me. Before doing my business, I was typing brands into Poshmark willy nilly hoping that I would strike gold, but it just wasn’t working. I tried Carolina Belle and Sanctuary and a handful of other brands that TJ’s carries and was having absolutely no luck. I thought that my search was nearing its end when, all of a sudden, I had to WHIZ like crazy.

A combination of coffee and Diet Coke that day left my bladder on the fritz, and I ran up the stairs to my bathroom so that I could have some peace and quiet. It was midstream that my final vision of the night came to me. It was crazy because, in my head, I could see the brand tag on the jacket at TJMaxx so clearly and it said KENSIE. I hurriedly finished the task at hand, ran back to the computer, typed my desire into Poshmark’s search bar, and there it was.

I couldn’t believe it. My size. The right price. The right brand. MY jacket. Without a moment’s hesitation, I shot up, grabbed my wallet, created a Poshmark account, and made my purchase. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new Kensie moto jacket and I’m not sure why I felt so inclined to share this story but it was so crazy that I just had to. Yes, this was a rambling post but, goddamnit, I’m so excited that I don’t even care. I DID IT! Long live fashion! Long live TJMaxx! AND MANY THANKS TO POSHMARK!!

Has anyone ever experienced a similar ordeal to mine? Who else uses Poshmark or Ebay to update their wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Edena Fashion

Flashback Fun

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Flashback Fun

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! When I talk about my dogs to anyone who will listen, nine times out of ten, I end up showing them the pictures of my rescue pups dressed up for Halloween. Ollie, my terrier mix, and Gem, our Golden Retriever, make up a huge part of my happiness. And, when I think about them, I often flashback to their Despicable Me minion costumes for Halloween this past year:

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I LOVE the polar opposition in these pictures between my babies, because Ollie is just going about his day as normal. Gem, on the other hand, looks freaking PISSED. I am that crazy dog mom who would have pictures of them in my wallet if I could. But, when dogs are the topic of discussion, showing these pictures from my iPod always gets a laugh – and hopefully it makes you laugh, too! It’s just a fun party trick of mine, you know?

Do you dress your pets up for Halloween? Are they like Ollie or Gem when it comes to wearing clothes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Adorable Cuteness Overload Pt. 2

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Adorable Cuteness Overload Pt. 2

Hiii everyone! So you guys saw my dad’s surprise get well shrine for my mom yesterday – cute, right? Lol, well he added a new member to the sunshine crew and it was so funny that I just had to share it with you all:

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In case you were wondering, yes, that is a cut out head of a monkey sending his well wishes. Wait, what? Haha, I guess we got some magazines from one of the wildlife programs that we donate to, and we got two copies of the monkey edition. Since we had two of a kind, my dad decided that it was okay to cut up the cover to place with the gnome, dog, and flowers.

Naturally, my mom did not want this decapitated monkey picture hanging out on our kitchen table, so my dad retired him to his new location after only one short hour with the sunshine crew:

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I just really can’t even, and it was so funny in the “what the hell” type of way that it only felt necessary to share with each and every one of you. 😀

Does anyone else have weird mascots hanging out in their home? What is the weirdest thing that you or a friend owns? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition

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Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to the conclusion of my Holiday Haul, once again compliments of my sister. Kristen was truly the Christmas MVP this year so cue the applause for that wonderful woman! The Room is easily my favorite bad movie ever and it brings me so much joy introducing it to other people. It took Kristen a long time to accept The Room for the hilarity that it is, but her life changed for the better when she finally did.

We recently enjoyed a sister date night to see The Disaster Artist and were in stitches the entire time. Our next “The Room” related festivities include going to the midnight showing of it in Cleveland that happens monthly at an indie theater. I CAN’T WAIT! For Christmas, Kristen gifted me with two of the following prezzies that Tommy Wiseau would be proud of:

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Seen above is a shirt featuring the infamous tagline of “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa” with Tommy Wiseau in a moment of frustrated passion. There is also a homemade card that she ordered from the flower shop “Hi, doggy” scene. If that isn’t prezzie perfect, then I genuinely don’t know what is. Kristen and I were absolutely dying when I opened this gift and I am so excited to finally own some merchandise from The Room!

This Holiday Haul was incredibly successful and I had an amazing time celebrating Christmas with my family. The company, food, and tom foolery was all as good as it can get, and it was definitely one of my favorite Christmases yet.

So there you have it, my Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition! Who else is a fan of the infamously bad flick, The Room? What is your favorite cult film? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oh, Christmas Tree

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Oh, Christmas Tree

Hello everyone and happy holiday season! My family is…eccentric to say the least. We have our quirks and distinctive personalities and I’m confident that people would pay to hear our daily banter. One of our infamous “parlor tricks” is leaving our Christmas tree up for just a little bit longer every year. First it was March, then June, then July…you get the drift. And now, our tree has just been up all year because, apparently, we like it too much to take it down. Take a look:

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My family, especially my father, loves ornaments. On vacations, I normally treat my dad to a new one as a special surprise from our travel destination. Our tree is filled to the brim with lights and baubles and it has become such a statement piece in our home that no one really questions it anymore.

Not only has our tree been up for a year now, but we decided to decorate it for the different holidays, as you can see by our Easter bunnies and eggs that are still up. We revel in our ornaments from organizations that we donate to, and we can’t pass up a good bargain. For example, the speaker that you see by the figure skater ornament (Compliments of when I competed in New York!), is attached to a four dollar strand of Rudolph themed ornaments that sing holiday carols. We were all pretty pleased with that one!

The never taken down tree in our living room has truly become a Mushenheim staple and I think that it’s hilarious. Much like a collector of coins or stamps, we take pride in our ornament collection and have it proudly displayed for the world to see…all year round. Lololol. #ohchristmastree

What is one of the quirks that you and your family share? What is the longest that you left your Christmas tree up? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Pre Date Night Frenzy

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The Pre Date Night Frenzy

Going on a date is a serious business, right? We want to look good for our intended beau! However, in the run-up to the big night, logic seems to go out of the window. Partly due to stress, as well as ensuring we are the only girl on the guy’s radar during the evening, we take part in some weird rituals and habits that might seem a little crazy in retrospect. Take a look at what we mean below, and see how many you are familiar with:

Getting ready hours before the date: We want to look our best, so with all of our giddy excitement, we start getting ready hours before we are due to go out. There’s a lot of prep to be done, from choosing the outfit that we are going to wear to working out what makeup will match the look we are going for. We want to impress the guy, not look like something the cat just dragged through the back door, so we make every effort to get things right.

dateeAnd it’s only 9 AM!

We look to Hollywood for advice: You may not be going to the movies on your night out, but you can still pick up a few handy lessons from Hollywood in the day’s leading up to your date. If you want what she’s having, you may pick up some tips from Meg Ryan in ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ and if you want to know what not to do, there’s no better place to learn than from a ‘Bridget Jones’ movie. Of course, Hollywood isn’t reality, so don’t assume all of your Cinderella fantasies will come true. Real life is far more complicated, although watching Bridget make another embarrassing faux pas is going to lighten your mood before you go out.

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We sabotage our good looks: While trying to look good for our date, we stand a greater chance of ruining things for ourselves if we overdo it. Popping zits may seem like a good idea, but it only increases the chances of another outbreak. Hint: Use decent acne cream, instead. Then, when waxing to get rid of body hair, we are in danger of breaking out in unflattering red bumps. Hint: Use these helpful tips to soothe skin after waxing. Hello, silky smooth skin!

We change your mind about the outfit…again: Remember that outfit you picked out at the start of the day? Maybe it’s not the right one after all, so you should probably try something else. You FaceTime your besties and ask (order) them to give you their valued opinion. After listening to their advice for an hour, you hang up on them. They clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. That blue dress with those shoes? Are they mad? In a frenzy, you go back and forth in your mind and body trying on each outfit, trying to preempt your guy’s opinion. In the end, you decide the outfit you chose the first time was the right one after all. Classic.

We become proficient at telling the time: What time is it now? Oh, it’s okay, there’s still hours to go before the date. What time is it now? Oh, it’s only two minutes after the last time you looked. Look, you aren’t going to make time fly by checking your watch every few minutes so relax and give yourself a break. Do something to distract yourself, and you won’t fret as much. Play some music, chat with your friends, watch Bridget Jones for the third time today. What time is it now? AHH, you’re meeting him in five minutes and you still haven’t done your hair. Where did the time go?!

We play the date through in our head…a hundred times: There’s no way that you will know how well the date will go until you actually get there. That doesn’t stop you from going over every eventuality. In your first daydream, you step out of your car door and into your fella’s arms. He whisks you off of your feet and into a ballroom in a scene that is reminiscent of that one part in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Only, he’s no beast, he’s absolutely gorgeous, and he proposes to you before the first dance is over. ‘Yes’ you shout out, and everybody applauds as they relish in your celebration. Second daydream: you fall out of your car into a muddy puddle, ruining your dress. The guy doesn’t so much whisk you off of your feet as drag you through the mud as the crowd begins to gather. You stand in the middle of the puddle, just a girl standing in front of a guy, only you are no longer the Julia Roberts in your head, and you have stepped into the cringy world of Bridget Jones. Yikes!

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And then: After going through everything we mentioned, you finally get to your date. He compliments you on how you look and you tell him it was just something you threw together. When he then asks you how your day was, you look at him straight in the eye and say it was fine, just another chilled out day. Of course, you know different. Let’s just hope the date is worth it!

The pre date night frenzy is real and sometimes it can be brutal. Take a deep breath, eat some chocolate, and CHILL OUT! You’re great and it’s going to be a wonderful night!

Four Legged Friend Friday

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Four Legged Friend Friday

Hey everyone and TGIF! With Halloween now behind us, I had to dedicate one last post to some spooky fun on lifewithlilred until next year. My two beloved rescue pups, Gem and Ollie, got a little more than they bargained for this Halloween when my mom and I decided that dressing them up as Despicable Me minions was the way to go for our neighborhood’s trick or treat:

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As you can see, Ollie doesn’t seem to care too much about his new side job as one of Gru’s pill shaped sidekicks.

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Gem, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get out of her costume immediately!

I hate to say that I was laughing at poor Gem’s expense, but oh my goodness – I could not stop laughing. Despite how cute she looked in her minion garb, nothing was cute about her STINK EYES that she gave to literally every single member of my family as we tried to snap some pictures. Gem is a really emotive dog facially and her death stare, as seen above, says that she was not too pleased about her costume.

Even though Gem was a total diva while we prepared her Halloween wardrobe, she definitely perked up once the trick or treaters started arriving at the door. Gem and Ollie enjoyed all of the attention and were happy to have made all of the little kids laugh. But, best believe, that they were happiest of all once their minion costumes came off and were retired to the closet until next year!

My Four Legged Friends were an obvious hit this Halloween and they sure are cute – costumes or not! Did you dress up your pets this Halloween? What should Gem and Ollie be next year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cleaning Out My Closet

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Cleaning Out My Closet

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Okay. We all know by now that I am a clothing hoarder. Everything from accessories and shoes to purses and a closet full of gorgeous duds – I have a lot of it. It’s no secret that I love to shop, BUT it’s also not a secret that I rarely do a closet overhaul because I never know when I might need that five year old cardigan!!

My clothes make me happy to look at, but even I have to admit that it was becoming a chore to squeeze new purchases into my overflowing closet and dresser. It really had me wishing I had a team like those at Closets Etc. to help me organize the clothing chaos! Alas, it was left to little old me so I made an effort to go through my clothing collection and take the rejects to Plato’s Closet and then donate the items that they didn’t want. I have to say – it was really hard!!

During my closet clean out, I tried to follow the “if I haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it” rule. However, this proved to be pretty difficult since I really do wear everything that I own. When I go on shopping trips, I purchase things that I know that I will get a lot of use out of. I am mindful of the quality of the piece that I’m considering and if it will still be in excellent condition one, two, or five years from now. So, with that in mind, you can see how this overhaul was a struggle. It was seriously almost like trying to decide which one of my two beloved dogs that I like the least. Lol, as you can see – I really love my clothes!!

Despite what myself and the good lord knows was a difficult task, I was able to manage filling up my vacation bag with clothes and accessories to take to Plato’s Closet. Although I do try and wear all of the pieces in my wardrobe as often as I can, there definitely were some items that haven’t been in the spotlight for quite some time. Maybe not an entire year’s worth of time, but long enough that I could picture myself without having the top, bottoms, etc. So, into the bag it went.

I would be a liar if I said that I wasn’t pleased with myself. Even though I had a hard time with my closet clean out, I still managed to purge a decent amount of stuff. With an “I just finished a marathon” smile on my face, I made my way to Plato’s Closet to see if I could get myself at least a tank of gas with my fallen clothing friends. I had a pretty good feeling about this, because I take excellent care of my clothes to the point where my wardrobe looks like it’s filled with brand new pieces. But:

APPARENTLY PLATO’S CLOSET DIDN’T THINK SO!!!

Plato’s Closet baffles me – which is why I don’t even like going into the store. They always seem to take the clothing that I wasn’t confident that they would want but threw in the bag anyways, rather than the actual nice pieces that I have to offer. Out of the lovely fall coats and sweaters that I was willing to part with, they ended up taking the random odds and ends of my unwanted items, instead.

It was just confusing to me as to how I only received seventeen dollars for clothing that I know will be marked up to an ungodly price. Does this sound petty? Yes. But it’s okay, because everyone who has sold to Plato’s Closet before has thought that so it definitely needed saying. Of course, I’m happy to be rid of some if the items collecting dust in my closet, but there’s always going to be that “wtf” confusion when an old T-shirt was chosen rather than something with the tags still on it (Gifts! I buy my clothes to wear, remember?)!

Am I bitter? I’m always bitter. But, I did get a tank of gas out of my closet cleaning Plato’s Closet excursion, which is what I set out to do, so it’s cool. (It’s not.)

Cleaning Out My Closet proved to be immensely difficult and the payoff was minimal, but I’m glad to have gotten it over with! What are your closet cleaning tips? What are your thoughts on Plato’s Closet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: PopKey