Tag Archives: love

Mar10

Seahorses, Butterflies, & Toucans – Oh My!

Posted on March 10, 2021 by lifewithlilred

Howdy! Having a little niece and nephew is so fun and I love spoiling them both for birthdays and Christmas. My niece, Valerie, just turned two this past week and I had a blast online shopping with TJMaxx to purchase her prezzies. Among a Paw Patrol gardening kit and a sand castle table, I couldn’t resist buying my lil future fashionista some new summer dresses. Not only were the prices for these frocks cheaper than Target or Carter’s but they are, quite possibly, the cutest things that I have ever seen and I couldn’t not share them! Check it out:

All I have to say when I clothes shop for Val Gal is “where was all of this stuff when I was a baby?!” because you know I stayed rockin that Osh Kosh B’Gosh twenty something years ago lol. I thought all of these dresses were so summery and sweet and Val loves animals big and small so the patterns will go over perfectly with her! In fact, one of her favorite things in the summer time is butterfly watching with her grandpa. 🙂

The denim blue butterfly dress by Nula Bug absolutely melted my heart when I saw it during my online shopping. The pink butterfly buttons?! Stop it! I also didn’t notice in the pictures of the dress online that it has pockets so my heart melted again as soon as it arrived in the mail.

I would never pay an extravagant price for clothes for my ever growing niece and nephew and felt comfortable with what I spent at TJs. Especially because I did all of this shopping during their winter clearance sale! Shopping during the transition of seasons is a sure fire way to save some money and TJMaxx updates their sale items frequently. This is always a good thing to keep in mind if you like to do birthday or holiday shopping early, like me.

Being an aunt is the best thing ever and the past two years have been so much brighter for me because of my niece and nephew. I sure wish time would slow down, though, it feels like just yesterday when they were both born! ❤

Which stores have the best seasonal clearance? Who is your favorite person to shop for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

Goddess Style OOTD

Posted on March 6, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! You might remember Libby from The Goddess Attainable through her guest post for lifewithlilred or our collaboration article. Libby has become a great friend and is so fun to work with that I just couldn’t wait to do another collab with her and, today, I am going to share an outfit that I feel like a goddess in. This particular outfit was one of the few that I made an effort to put together in the past year due to the pandemic and wore it to visit my cousin’s microblading studio in October. However, I never got a chance to have someone take pictures of it.

Cue: My boyfriend, Johnny! This past weekend when I asked him if he could take my blog pictures for the first time, he happily obliged and with a bit of coaching turned out to be a formidable iPhone photographer. It was impossible to not laugh every time he did his goofy photographer routine of “be a cat, be a tiger”, though!

My Goddess Style OOTD is one that I have no shame in wearing again and again and you might recognize quite a few of the following pieces from previous pictures and posts. But that’s okay! I would like to start doing a new OOTD series to help people re-imagine what they already have in their wardrobe and, because of that, this is the perfect place to start. Let’s take a look at an outfit that makes me feel confident and completely goddess-like:

Who? What? Wear?

Navy striped sweater: Cynthia Rowley, TJMaxx
Plaid high rise jeans: Sound & Style, TJMaxx
Pink plaid platforms: Sugar Thrillz, Dolls Kill
Lipstick: Smashbox, 9 To 5

This outfit is really amazing to me for a few reasons and the first one being: How visually interesting it is. My Goddess Style OOTD is like a master class in mixing patterns with like colors and it makes your eyes dance between each different piece. When done correctly, mixing patterns can create outfit magic. However, when done wrong it can look sloppy and we don’t want any of that!

Just remember when mixing patterns that there has to be a similar color linking each piece of your ensemble together. For example, the horizontal striped sweater wouldn’t have worked against the vertical plaid stripes of the pants if they weren’t both of a navy base color. Just like the Sugar Thrillz platforms would have looked out of place if the pink didn’t mesh with the dark rose stripes in the pants and my hair.

You also never want to overwhelm the outfit with multiple loud patterns or accessories. My sweater was bold because the pattern on the jeans used muted colors and thinner lines. I also kept my accessories to a minimum other than simple dangle earrings to keep the outfit looking sleek. You want your outfit to flow as a cohesive look and jewelry, clashing patterns, or unmatched colors all can take away from that.

My OOTD was insanely fun to style but it is even more fun to wear! The first time I sported this look, my sister told me that I looked like a Bratz doll and it was basically the best compliment I have ever received. From that point on, it has since remained in one of my top favorite outfits and I think it’s because of how perfectly it captures my personal style. I love to have fun with fashion and create statement outfits that not only look good but make me feel good and this OOTD legit makes me feel like a model.

While Goddesses aren’t afraid to show their outer beauty, they have inner beauty that speaks for itself and part of what makes this outfit special to me is how well it reflects my personality too. I am a bright, bubbly, outgoing gal who always tries to see the positive in a situation. I also love to make people smile and laugh and I truly feel like you can see all of that in this look.

My personality and fashion sense are two of my favorite things about me and I would consider them to be personal Goddess qualities. My Goddess Style OOTD showcases both of these attributes beautifully and I feel proud to be me when I am wearing it. If that isn’t goddesslike, then I don’t know what is!

I want to thank Libby of The Goddess Attainable so much again for having some fashion fun with me and you can check out her look now or tune in tomorrow to see it here. If you have any OOTDs that you are proud of and would like featured, you can always shoot me an email at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com 🙂

What makes you feel confident? How would you describe your personal style? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

Love It: Contact Free Grocery Shopping

Posted on March 5, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, it is always best to find ways to limit whatever exposure you can and contact free grocery shopping is an amazing way to help with that. Johnny tried curbside pickup grocery shopping from our local store, Giant Eagle, earlier in February and loved it so much that he claimed he will never grocery shop any other way. With such praise, I figured I could give it a try too and ended up doing our shopping curbside pickup style at the end of February. I have to say, Johnny was so right – it was great!

Giant Eagle’s curbside pickup program has one of the employees do your shopping through a list created online and then you go to the store and your purchases get loaded into your car for you which allows for a completely contact free experience. It also gave me the thrill of online shopping even if it was just for food, lol! At first, I was having a lot of problems with Giant Eagle’s website running super slowly but once I logged on at a less peak time it was smooth sailing from there.

Online shopping for groceries was kind of weird at first but it actually ended up being really easy and insanely convenient. It was nice to be able to see all of the sales and promotions clearly from the website and apply coupons on the spot. I felt like I was able to take my time browsing the site instead of power shopping to get out of the store quickly which introduced me to options that I didn’t even know existed. Like frozen buffalo cauliflower!

I also was so thankful for the option to edit the cart once my order was placed because, in true Sarah fashion, I forgot a few things that I needed. I swear, I am always forgetting at least one or two things that I needed when I grocery shop which always ends up turning into an extra trip to the store. Online grocery shopping was no exception but, this time, I got to go back to my order and add the items that I forgot. No extra trip necessary. 😀

In my youth, I can remember how much I enjoyed grocery shopping with my mom and, pre-pandemic, I loved my trips to the grocery store. However, it is so important right now to utilize the options that different businesses have available to limit exposure for all parties involved. I am so glad that I gave curbside grocery shopping a try and plan on using it until it is safer. 11/10 would recommend!

What do you like to shop for online? Would you ever try using curbside grocery shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

What A Guy!

Posted on March 3, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! Last week was a particularly stressful one and, due to a family emergency, I arrived home from work a lot later than usual on Wednesday. Thanks to Aunt Flo hanging out I was exhausted, had cramps, and was freaking starving. However, after literally one step into my apartment once I arrived home, all of that extra irritability and tension dissipated immediately. Johnny was at band practice so I knew I wouldn’t hear a video game or documentary when I walked in. Rather, I heard the dishwasher running and saw a bag of Taco Bell waiting for me on the stove top:

My heart absolutely fluttered upon both of these discoveries and I, honestly, felt like a princess – which I texted him right away, of course. I am a woman of simple pleasures and it really doesn’t take much for me to feel spoiled by someone and, in this case, I felt spoiled rotten. After a long day I didn’t have to cook or clean – I just had to sit down and enjoy my food while watching Demon Slayer. It was perfect. Also the Taco Bell was A++++++ 🙂

My Johnny is simply the best and this sweet surprise is a shining example of how thoughtful he is. How did I get so lucky again? What a guy, what a guy, what a heck of a guy! ❤

What is your favorite fast food? When do you feel spoiled? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb19

Fun & (Video) Games: Valentine’s Day Edition

Posted on February 19, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Fun & (Video) Games: Valentine’s Day Edition

Hello! Johnny and I are both avid gamers. In fact, we just got done playing about an hour and a half of Diablo III on the Switch before I sat down to write this, lol. My absolute favorite video game of 2020 has to be Paper Mario: The Origami King, which Johnny gifted me with for our one year anniversary this past September. When I first learned that there was a Paper Mario game for the Switch, I was so eager to play it and devoured it in about a month.

I was looking forward to that game so much because, way back in the day, I rented Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door from Block Buster (That just aged me so much!) and never forgot how much fun it was to play. I also never forgot the fact that I got to the final boss but was never able to beat it, smh. After enjoying The Origami King so much, I told Johnny that I would give anything to play The Thousand Year Door again for the GameCube. However, I knew this was unlikely because the GameCube is no longer made, therefore, the used games are uber expensive.

I had come to terms with the fact that I would probably never play my favorite childhood game again – Until Johnny gave me my Valentine’s Day present, that is. My darling boyfriend surprised me with The Thousand Year Door a week before V-Day!

Johnny spent the Saturday afternoon prior to Valentine’s Day running errands, but he wouldn’t tell me where he was going. I knew he was going to be getting me my V-Day gift, though, through girlfriend instinct and I couldn’t wait for him to come home so I could maybe sneak a peak at what kind of bag it was in! I wasn’t expecting him to give me my gift when he walked in the door but he was so proud of visiting two different Exchanges to get the game that he just couldn’t wait. 🙂

After I gifted Johnny with his prezzie of the LEGO Architecture Paris skyline set, we spent the afternoon with him building our own mini Paris while I played my new game. It was absolutely perfect and The Thousand Year Door was just as fun and adorable as I remember it being. Whether Johnny and I are trying to beat an impossible seeming level of Mario Galaxy or slaying hell’s demons in Diablo III, I love our video game time together.

I am so blown away by Johnny’s gift and how thoughtful it was because it shows me that he listens when I tell him about my favorite things and that’s what means the most to me. Celebrating holidays with Johnny never gets old and I can’t wait for infinite more Valentine’s Days with him. ❤

What was your favorite childhood video game? What video game are you currently playing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat!

Feb18

New Slate Grey & Denim Blue Nails

Posted on February 18, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! For Valentine’s Day, I just had to treat myself to a fill for my talons even though it was a bit earlier than my four week mark between appointments. I had an insanely busy week and the fact that I could get pampered at the end of it definitely helped get me through the long work days. My go to girl at Elysian Nails was unavailable, however, another of my favorite techs was able to fit me in and it was so nice to catch up. She also did a fabulous job on my claws! Check it out:

Normally, it takes me a fairly long time to pick out the perfect color combination for my nails. This time, though, I walked up to the polish station and my eyes immediately locked on a bottle of rich denim blue by OPI. I was in love and decided to go with a slate grey because of its blue undertones to enhance the beautiful blue even more. I am particularly fond of the shade of slate grey that I picked out and have used similar colors before but this one is definitely my favorite! I also love the fact that, in certain lighting, the denim blue looks black – it’s like having two different polish colors in one. 😀

I knew I was in good hands with my nail tech and we spent my entire time at the salon gabbing away about quarantine life, our favorite TV shows, and the traditions of Lunar New Year, which my tech was kind enough to teach me about. I also happened to get my fill on my favorite day at Elysian Nails: Throwback Thursday! They play the best hits of the late 90s and early 2000s all day and every time a new song would come on, we would both reminisce on how it was our jam. And apparently still is now!

Elysian Nails is, hands down, the best salon that I have ever been to. The nail techs are so incredibly talented and I enjoy getting to know each of them. The atmosphere created in the salon is not only fun with the great music and constant chit chat but I also feel safe when I go there because of their dedication to following COVID-19 regulations and then some. Whenever I go there, I not only get to be pampered like a queen but I get to see all of the techs and the owners who I am lucky enough to consider friends now. ❤

What is your nail salon like? What color of nail polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb16

Daily Dose Of Cuteness

Posted on February 16, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I don’t know about you guys, but there is never a time for me when I don’t want to see pictures of someone’s pets. Dogs, cats, rabbits, lizards, fish – I don’t care what it is, I want the 411. Their names, funny stories, which rescue organization they came from, the list goes on! My life would not be the same without my family’s sweet rescue dogs, a tiny Terrier mix named Ollie and a Golden Retriever named Archie. They are both very good boys… Actually, they’re the best and here they are:

My family will always be eternally grateful to the rescue organizations, Canine Lifeline and One Of A Kind Pets, for giving us the opportunity to care for both of our boys. Ollie is our more mellow of the two, who loves napping, playing with squeaker toys, and stepping out in his finest bandanas! On the other hand, we have Archie, our rambunctious puppy who is a HUGE lover of playing, kisses, and chewing all of the things! Both of our pups have such unique personalities that are so different from each other, but they get along just fine. 🙂

In my household, we are passionate about animal rescue and are so thankful to all of the amazing organizations for their hard work that saves countless lives. Nothing makes me happier than playing tug of war with Archie or snuggling up with little Ollie while he snoozes. The connection between a pet and its owner is so therapeutic as it is such a pure form of love and I am so over the moon about both of our angels.

Ollie and Archie send a virtual tail wag your way with the hopes that their precious pics puts a smile on your face today! ❤

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

Jan31

New Hair Selfies

Posted on January 31, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I am so in love with my new hair compliments of my brilliant stylist and Pulp Riot colors in Fireball and Blush. Saying I feel pretty in pink is a severe understatement because I have been feeling my damn self ever since I left the salon! So much so, that I just had to have a little selfie shoot to show off my new do. Check it out:

Every time I see my hair in the mirror or pictures, I am always blown away at not only the brightness of the colors in my hair but how shiny and healthy it looks too. I am so thankful to my stylist because that is not an easy feat, especially considering how much we had to bleach my hair to get the colors just right. She truly is a hair magician but I value her friendship so much more and it delights me to reminisce about how much fun we have during all of my trips to the salon.

The color is beautiful, yes, and the haircut is phenomenal too! It has so much movement and I find myself constantly running my hands through my hair in mild disbelief that it’s actually mine. You can’t rock candy colored hair without a super fun cut and the combination of the two together gives me the ultimate Hayley Williams of Paramore vibes. Actually, it gives me all of the Lil Red vibes because my new hair is one hundred and fifty million percent me. ❤

How do you rock candy colors? Are you considering doing something different to your hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan28

New Hair, Who Dis?

Posted on January 28, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I have been hinting at a big change to my hair for a while now and I finally was able to see my stylist after over three months of going without. I don’t even want to talk about how bad my roots were but I do want to talk about how freaking amazing my Strawberry Shortcake inspired hair turned out! Thanks to Pulp Riot’s red in Fireball and pink in Blush, all of my candy dreams have come true and I am in absolute love. Check it out:

Don’t get me wrong, I was feeling myself with my Pulp Riot red and yellow hair but this bubblegum pink with the fiery red just hits different. I feel like a fairy princess/cartoon character/super model all in one and, let me tell you, there is nothing better! Between the bleaching process to get the yellow out and my roots lightened as well as having to redye some yellow patches where the dye didn’t stick, I was at the salon for close to six hours and it was worth every single minute and then some.

I used to pride myself on my red boxed color but after several months of having Pulp Riot dyed hair, I refuse to use anything different. The cool thing about Pulp Riot color, other than the fact that it smells like Sweet Tarts, is that the dye is the exact same color out of the bottle that it ends up as on your hair. As soon as my stylist began applying the blush and red, I already had a solid idea of what my results would be and I just couldn’t wait for the color to sit!

I have envied bright, candy colored hair for years and I am so thrilled with how my take on it turned out. My hair is exactly how I pictured it and I can’t thank my brilliant stylist enough for executing it to perfection. We already have the color to replace the pink this summer picked out but I will definitely be enjoying my Strawberry Shortcake hair to the fullest until then. Make sure you keep it posted for new hair selfies coming soon! ❤

What is your dream hair color? How do you rock candy colors on your hair or clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan27

At Home Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Posted on January 27, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! Valentine’s Day is, hands down, the most romantic day of the year for couples and if we weren’t in the midst of a pandemic, then I’m sure all of the restaurants and cocktail bars would be jam packed full of love birds celebrating. V-Day is going to be different this year, as staying at home is the best option for everyone right now. But, that doesn’t mean that you still can’t have a romantic evening in! Try the following for a fun and totally safe Valentine’s Day from home:

Clear the floor:

If you and your SO love to dance, then clear out a big section of floor space to create your own at home dance floor. Make a playlist with all of your favorite songs and a few ballads, of course, and dance the night away. Don’t forget to light some candles and dim the lights for an even more romantic atmosphere!

Cocktail hour:

On Valentine’s Days past, you and your partner might have enjoyed a cocktail hour at your favorite local bar. So bring the bar home! Get all of the fixings for both of your go to drinks and play bartender for each other. And don’t forget some light snacks so it doesn’t all go straight to your head! Pop on a rom com while you sip your drinks and it will be even better than being at the movie theater!

Plant some flowers:

Who needs a bouquet when you can plant some potted flowers for your house together? Pick out a packet of seeds, a beautiful terracotta pot, and soil and get your hands dirty. Watching your flowers grow together will be a sweet reminder of how your own love blossomed and you will be able to enjoy them for much longer than a bouquet that will wither within the week.

Should you not have a green thumb, a flower delivery is sure to make your partner’s day. Companies like Daily Blooms delivering flowers throughout QLD (or a similar business in your local area) will bring a stunning bouquet straight to your door. You can have it customized with your significant other’s favorite flowers and a pretty vase to display in your home. Once the bouquet begins to wither, you could even press the flowers as a keepsake of your Valentine’s Day together.

Sweet treats:

If you and your partner both have a sweet tooth, then try your hands at making and decorating some delicious desserts. From cookies and chocolates to cake, cupcakes, cake pops, and chocolate covered fruit, you will have plenty of options to pick from. Or, if you want to make a day of it, you can bake a little bit of everything! So sweet and so fun too. 🙂

Dinner dress up:

After you’re done preparing dinner or waiting for your take out to arrive, head to your closet and you can both style an outfit for each other to wear during the meal. This will be really fun if you two have an eye for fashion and you will each get to see what your partner thinks you look best in. And, yes, sweat pants and pajamas are both viable options!

In my opinion, creating your own special memories at home seems even more intimate and romantic than a dinner out. Who needs a traditional Valentine’s Day, anyways? ❤

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

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