Tag Archives: love

May8

The Tiniest T-Shirt

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The Tiniest T-Shirt

Hello! Johnny and I had SO much fun online shopping for our wedding outfits and we cannot wait for our big day! Of course, our shopping wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t find a rock n’ roll inspired outfit for our niece and little flower girl, Valerie, and her TT went all out for it. Thanks to the Etsy shop, Pinehart, I was able to order her the tiniest Rolling Stones T-shirt which I was having a lot of difficulty finding. The Rolling Stones is Johnny’s favorite band and we had to have Miss Val represent! Check it out:

^^^ Is that not the cutest thing you’ve seen in your life?!

Pinehart had an amazing selection of shirts and patterns to pick from in sizes ranging from infants all the way up to men’s and women’s. In fact, Johnny is so jealous of his niece’s new shirt that I’m going to have to order one for him too! I was highly impressed with the quality of this little T-shirt as the material is thick and sturdy and I have no fear of the logo peeling off, either. It is printed on there so well and that was a concern of mine because we all have had an experience where a logo on a shirt seems to be crackly or flimsy enough that you could just take it off yourself.

I paid under twenty dollars for this tiny top and I considered it such a steal. Pinehart even sent me a coupon for ten percent off all of my future purchases which is so generous and much appreciated because I plan on being a repeat customer so Johnny can get another Rolling Stones T-shirt to add to his massive collection. I swear, he could wear a different Rolling Stones T every day of the week!

Prior to being engaged, I have never really shopped on Etsy before and have now made several purchases through the site. I have been blown away by the quality, prices, and fast shipping of all of my orders and am looking forward to finding even more favorite Etsy shops in the future. 😀

What is your favorite Etsy shop? If you have an Etsy shop, feel free to leave your link in the comments too. I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

The Best Day!

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The Best Day!

Hi! Although Johnny and I had a rough bout with side effects from the Moderna vaccine this past weekend, it was still a great one because my brother, sister in law, and their son traveled from Georgia for a visit. My family is fully vaccinated and it was such an amazing gift for all of us to be together for the first time since our family trip to Kentucky last summer. When my nausea subsided enough on Saturday, Johnny and I enjoyed a quick trip to the park with our nephew and it was so fun watching him run around and play. However, Sunday was the best day I have had in forever.

On Sunday, my entire family: Mom, dad, sister, brother, brother, brother in law, sister in law, niece, nephew, and fiance went to the Akron Zoo together. To visit the zoo according to their COVID standards, you purchase tickets for a time slot and a limited amount of people are allowed in the park. We got to view the Akron Zoo on a beautiful day and it wasn’t as crowded, which was really nice.

Of course, I love going to the zoo any time any day but it was the absolute best to be there with my whole family and see my little niece and nephew have fun. They both loved riding the carousal, seeing the Grizzly bears swim around in their exhibit, and each getting a stuffed bear from their TT at the gift shop. My only regret is how quickly our two hour time slot went by because I could have stayed there for hours with everyone if we could!

After our outing at the zoo, we had dinner on the patio of one of my family’s favorite Mexican restaurants, El Campesino. This was such a treat for me because Johnny and I haven’t been to a restaurant since the pandemic began. It was so special to share a big meal with every single one of us at the table and it was also so special to me to have my first Margarita in over a year lol! The food was delicious and just like our trip to the zoo, I was sad when it was over because I wish we could do family days like that all of the time.

Being surrounded by all of my loved ones on Sunday is a memory that I am going to cherish for forever. It was just awesome to see my brother, his wife, and my adorable nephew for the first time in so long and also a small miracle that we found a day that worked with everyone’s hectic schedule. I cannot wait for our next family event which can now happen more frequently since we are vaccinated and, until then, I’ll be replaying our joyous day on repeat in my head! ❤

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

Apr30

*Way* Early Birthday Gift!

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*Way* Early Birthday Gift!

Hello! When it comes to gift giving occasions, I always can’t wait to give my giftee their presents and am notorious for buying gifts way ahead of schedule. Johnny’s birthday gift, for example, was purchased four months before his actual birthday! I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t constantly asking people to give their gifts early and Johnny is, normally, pretty good about waiting till the day of the occasion. This past week, however, was a totally different story.

Unbeknownst to Johnny, I had arrived home before him after work and errands and was there when he walked in the door with a huge gift wrapped box. Because I had already seen my early birthday gift, he agreed that we could open presents a month and a half prior to our birthdays and I was gifted with the following:

For one of my early birthday gifts, Johnny got me a huge standing makeup holder for all of my must haves that are maybe always cluttering the bathroom! Not only will it be perfect for all of my lipsticks and glosses that I feel like I am misplacing constantly but it will also provide a safe space for my makeup brushes, eyeshadows, and highlighters which I have had to replace before from water damage.

This gift was so thoughtful because Johnny told me he remembered how much I liked it while he was browsing through additional storage options for our apartment. I had, honestly, forgotten about it and love my new makeup holder so much because it is something that I wouldn’t buy for myself. Rather, I’d probably end up buying more makeup lol!

If there’s one thing Lil Red loves, it’s organizing and I really enjoyed arranging my jewelry boxes and wall hangers just so for easy access to all of my favorite accessories. I expect that my makeup holder will be no different and am looking forward to setting it up to my liking. I also think I am going to end up finding tons of products that I forgot I even had so it will kind of be like shopping in my own apartment. 😀

After mine and Johnny’s super early gift exchange, we played video games and listened to records for hours and it was the best month and a half early birthday celebration ever! I can’t wait for more festivities with my fiance on our actual birthdays in June. ❤

How do you keep your makeup or accessories organized? How early do you like to shop for gift giving occasions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr27

Accessory Story: Little Red Riding Hood Pin Edition

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Accessory Story: Little Red Riding Hood Pin Edition

Hello! Have you ever ordered something online and realized after the fact that you forgot to put in a coupon code? It is the literal worst and as a seasoned online shopper, I am ashamed to say that that is exactly what happened to yours truly when I ordered my wedding heels. While making my purchase on Wildly Untamed Boutique I was so excited that I didn’t even realize the website was running a ten percent off promotion and didn’t find out until a few hours later when I just had to see my shoes again.

I reached out to Wildly Untamed Boutique’s customer service to see if there was anything that they could do since it was so shortly after the order was placed. I wasn’t expecting much because it was my mistake and I would have completely understood. So, imagine my surprise and total appreciation when they offered me a free item because the price couldn’t be adjusted!

I got to choose between a pair of stud earrings or a Little Red Riding Hood inspired pin. While the lipstick kiss studs were adorable, I much prefer dangly earrings and went with this super unique brooch, instead. I’m obsessed!

I am not a stud earring wearer and I’m actually not a pin wearer, either. However, this fairy tale themed brooch was just way too cool to pass up. I have never seen anything like it before and am already picturing all of the different ways to incorporate it into my outfits. This pin definitely makes a statement and is a wonderful tip of the cap to my love of the slightly macabre.

I had never heard of Wildly Untamed Boutique before until their ads began appearing on my Facebook newsfeed. I always remember being tempted by all of the beautiful clothes and shoes and have many a screenshot saved for potential future purchases. After a long time of window shopping, I decided to check their site out while wedding shoe shopping and I am so glad I did!

Not only was Wildly Untamed Boutique’s customer service impeccable but their selection will leave you with a wish list a mile long. I know for a fact that my wedding heels will not be the last purchase I make on their site and, in the meantime, I will be pinning my brooch to all of the button downs and light jackets this spring. 🙂

What is your favorite fairy tale? What is the best or worst customer service you have had? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr26

New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

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New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

Hello! Because of a busy work schedule, it took me longer than usual to get into Elysian Nails for my monthly fill and let me tell you – I needed it! My nails were so grown out and I broke one of them at work and it was unbearable to me to have a stumpy nail for over a week. Thankfully, my go to girl, Gabby, always gets my nails looking right and I am in love with my new claws. Check it out:

I have been getting my nails done for years and Gabby is, hands down, the best nail tech I have ever been to. She works so quickly but in that time she creates masterpieces and her attention to detail is astounding. I was really impressed this time around because she didn’t even have to remove my nail that broke which is what I have always experienced before. She shaped a good as new talon out of the broken remnants of my pointer finger and free shaped the acrylic to lengthen the nail. This was so awesome to me because I absolutely hate getting acrylics removed and this was a pain free and crazy quick alternative.

As per ushe, my nails turned out flawlessly and I am completely obsessed with my color combination this time around. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted for this fill as I have been more focused on what my nails for my wedding will be like – especially because I’ll be getting them done at my next appointment! I normally have a pretty good idea of the colors I would like to have before I go to the salon so I approached the polish wall hoping that a shade would jump out at me. And that’s exactly what happened!

The first bottle of polish that I saw was the sparkling raspberry red and I fell in love with it instantly. The hue made me think of a freshly opened can of Diet Coke (My fave!) even though the cans are silver! I decided a cherry cola theme was the way to go and settled on a pinky mauve shade which worked perfectly because of its brown undertones. The end result was even better than what I had in mind and I can definitely picture myself getting this combination again.

Saying I look forward to my monthly fills is the understatement of the century and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks and then some. I simply cannot wait for my appointment for my wedding nails to get here and know that I will be in the best hands at Elysian Nails! ❤

What do you call pop in your neck of the woods? What were your nails for your wedding like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr20

Reunited And It Feels So Good

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Reunited And It Feels So Good

Hello! After many a video chat dates with my BFF, Lea, we finally were able to reunite in person as she is fully vaccinated and Johnny and I just need our second shot. I had been looking forward to our real life reunion for several months and, needless to say, I was counting down the hours until I was done at work and could see my bestie again.

As always, Lea and I had a fabulous time girl talking, reminiscing, and laughing hysterically for hours on end and I felt so incredibly thankful for that time with her. It also gave me the opportunity to officially ask her if she’d like to attend my family only wedding ceremony! Throughout the pandemic, video chat dates with my friends helped keep me sane but there is nothing like seeing someone who you love so much in person after months of going without.

With so many of my family and friends getting vaccinated, it truly feels like a bright light at the end of such a dark tunnel. Seeing Lea was my first in person hang out with one of my friends since mid December and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time because I had had a rough couple of days. Taking a break from my stress even for just a little while to go through a litany of all of the dorky things my BFF and I did in high school was the best thing for me.

I always say that every hang out with Lea is my favorite but this reunion definitely tops the charts. I cannot wait to get more real life hang outs scheduled in the books and I am so delighted for my best friend to be able to join Johnny, myself, and our families on my wedding day! ❤

Have you been able to reunite with any of your loved ones recently? What are some of your social distanced summer plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr16

Pansy Party

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Pansy Party

Hi! My dad is an avid and exceptional gardener but, unfortunately, broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder about a month ago. Needless to say, his injury put a huge damper on his plans for his flower and vegetable garden this spring and summer so everyone in my family has stepped in to help make it happen anyways. This past week, I spent some time outside with my dad planting pansies while he oversaw the process and we are both very pleased with the outcome of our first project! Check it out:

I used to love helping my dad in the garden when I was younger and our afternoon planting flowers brought me back to those happy times in the sunshine with him. He was so sweet to provide gardening gloves for me to protect my talons with and it felt really good to metaphorically get my hands dirty and make something beautiful grow. Our pansy patch was a team effort and my dad and I planned the layout together and I dug the holes while he removed the flowers from their containers.

I absolutely love pansies because I remember helping my dad plant them back in the day and my grandma used to have them growing outside of her funeral home. I feel so proud every time I see our completed project in my parent’s yard and it immediately brings me back to the time I spent with my dad making it happen.

We gardened on the most glorious spring day and it was a blast to enjoy the weather and talk and laugh about anything and everything. In fact, it was so warm out that day that I was wearing shorts and my legs got pretty filthy. Just like in my youth, my dad helped me hose off all of the dirt once the flowers were planted and it was the perfect way to end our Pansy Party. I can’t wait to start our spring veggie garden next!

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What do you plan on growing in your garden this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr10

Dresses, Shoes, & Veils – Oh My!

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Dresses, Shoes, & Veils – Oh My!

Hello! When it comes to planning our wedding, Johnny and I are basically all done and will work on preparations for a reception when it is safer to have a party (By the way, Office Anything has awesome reception desks that you can decorate to your liking to welcome guests at your next party!). Like I said in previous posts, we are having a very small ceremony so we really don’t have too much to plan for! That doesn’t mean that we aren’t taking our wardrobe incredibly seriously, though.

While I am still waiting for my dress that I ordered to get here, Johnny’s wedding clothes have already arrived and his look is perfect. Because this is a nontraditional wedding in every sense of the word, Johnny and I both know what each other will be wearing. In fact, we helped each other pick everything out and he was so sweet to always sit by me and give his opinions on the endless pages of veils, shoes, and dresses that I had pulled up. We not only assisted in what we would be wearing but our rings too. For a nontraditional couple, we obviously couldn’t do with basic rings. We went the custom route with each other’s help and you can find a one of a kind ring for you with a simple search of “custom wedding rings melbourne” or for your local area.

Like any bride to be, I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t a little worried about what I will be wearing. However, with Johnny’s help, I feel so confident that everything I ordered will look great and I truly believe that because of his reassurance. When it comes to any type of clothing, Johnny and I have very specific tastes and we each know right away whether we like something or not. We are also excellent at shopping for each other so it’s hard to second guess something that I found that we both think would be ideal for our big day.

I loved being able to online wedding shop with my fiance as well as show our findings to my mom for her opinions too! I am really looking forward to all of my pieces arriving so I can see the vision that we came up with come to life and be one step closer to getting married. ❤

Where did you shop for your wedding? What were your wedding colors? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr8

Happy Birthday, Sister!!

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Happy Birthday, Sister!!

Hello!! The birthdays in my family just keep coming because today is my beautiful sister, Kristen’s, big day! My sister is my absolute best friend and I cannot even put into words how proud I am of her. She is a legit wonder woman and I am constantly amazed by her motherhood journey. Her and my brother in law’s daughter, Valerie, is a huge light for me and I have seriously never met a happier, more loved little girl in my life.

Not only is Kristen an incredible mom to her daughter but she is a pet parent and advocate, as well. She has two dogs and two cats and her newest passion is fostering senior dogs from One Of A Kind Pets, the shelter that she works at. Her empathy and love truly knows no bounds and she is so dedicated to giving the best life to the animals who haven’t had it easy. In fact, her most recent senior foster named Baby just got adopted into her Furever Home!

Kristen inspires everyone that she meets – myself especially. As my big sister, I have looked up to her my whole life and that is still the case to this day as twenty-somethings. A sister is a built in best friend and Kristen is always there for me whether I need a laugh, girl time, or to vent. Everything we do together is like an adventure to me – whether it be going to concerts, Taco Bell dates, or taking her daughter to the park to play. I am, honestly, the luckiest girl in the world to be able to not only call her my big sis but my BFF. 

Happy Birthday, Kristen!!

I love you!!!!!!!!! ❤

Apr6

Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hello! As soon as March hits, it becomes a birthday extravaganza in my family. By June 7th, we will have celebrated seven birthdays and each one is extremely special. In fact, today is a very happy wonderful day because it is my dad’s birthday! I am a huge daddy’s girl and can always count on my dad when I need a laugh, advice, or some good company. CHARLES is a man of many talents and I feel so lucky to have spent my life enjoying his beautiful gardens, incredible vacations, and infamous laugh attacks.

Despite my dad’s injury this past month of a broken arm and dislocated shoulder, he still takes care of his animal friends outside every day by filling their feeders. My dad’s appreciation for the outdoors has instilled a “stop and smell the roses” attitude in me and whenever I see spring flowers or hear birdsong, I always think about him and smile.

I love watching my dad be a grandpa to my niece and nephew and, even as an adult, I can still come to him with all of my problems knowing that he will help me. My dad inspires me, humors me, and encourages me and I simply cannot wait for him to walk me down the aisle when Johnny and I get married. I am so proud to be his daughter and it is an honor for him to be proud of me too. ❤

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

I love you!!!! ❤