Tag Archives: love

Jun17

Accessory Story: New SJ Pearl Obsidian Necklace

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Accessory Story: New SJ Pearl Obsidian Necklace

Hello! Last Monday, I had a very successful shopping trip at TJMaxx with a new friend. I got all kinds of cute stuff with my birthday gift cards, including a new SJ Pearl necklace that I love so much. Part of the novelty of shopping at TJMaxx that never gets old is being introduced to new brands that you haven’t heard of before. I purchased two SJ Pearl necklaces almost three years ago from TJs and still find myself looking for more every time I go.

On Monday, my prayers were finally answered and there were several new SJ Pearl necklaces on the jewelry counter. I knew the brand as soon as I saw it from aisles away and couldn’t reach the display fast enough. There were three different designs to choose from and, honestly, I wish that I bought them all lol. Here is what I went with:

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Despite having a huge jewelry collection, I always seem to gravitate towards my SJ Pearl necklaces to spice up an OOTD. They are, easily, some of my favorite pieces that I own and they add a unique touch to the most simple of outfits. I love the reassuring weight of them around my neck as they are fairly heavy because of being made with precious stones. Obsidian is used for protection and, maybe it’s just in my head, but I do feel more at peace just knowing that it’s on.

My other SJ Pearl necklaces are shorter in length, although they can be adjusted. So, I was very excited to find my new one that is longer. It is such a stunning design and I can’t wait to wear the jet black beads against cream colored blouses to add a major pop of visual interest. Also, if anyone knows more about the image on it, then please fill me in because I couldn’t find it when scouring Google.

My new necklace is the last thing from my TJMaxx haul and it was definitely one of the better trips that I have had recently. Once a maxxinista, always a maxxinista!!

What is your favorite jewelry brand? Where do you go to discover new brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun13

Happy Birthday, Best Friend!!

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Happy Birthday, Best Friend!!

Hello everyone!! Today is a special, wonderful day because it is my best friend, Kate’s, birthday! Kate is the fabulous author behind Live In The Nautical and I am thankful every day for how we were connected through the magical blogosphere. Kate and I have been besties since lifewithlilred was created almost eight years ago and a friendship like this is why I started my page in the first place.

The crazy thing about mine and Kate’s best friend status is that we have only met each other in person once several years ago. However, when we are having our five hour long FaceTime dates and textathons, it is like she is right there hanging out in my new apartment. Blogging is so special because it gives you the opportunity to form friendships like this and that novelty has yet to wear off close to a decade later.

Kate is one of the most kind, thoughtful, hilarious, fashion savvy gals that I have ever met. While we both agree that birthdays should be celebrated all month long, she truly deserves to be celebrated every day. Her work ethic inspires me and, despite both of our crazy schedules, we are never too busy for each other and I know that I can go to her for anything. Although my Gemini twin spoiled me for my birthday, she is the best gift in the whole world.

I love you darling best friend and I just know that this will be the best year yet!!

Happy Birthday!!!!! ❤

Jun1

Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

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Happy Birthday, Johnny!!!!

Hello everyone!! It is a happy, wonderful day because it is my darling husband’s birthday!! Johnny turns the big 3-3 today and I am so excited to celebrate him even more than usual. My Johnny is the best husband, blog husband, friend, and partner in crime that a gal could ever ask for and I am so lucky to be his ol’ ball and chain. ❤

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Ever since our first date, Johnny and I have basically been joined at the hip and every second is an amazing one. Whether we are out and about or just sitting at home, we always have the best time together because we are in our own bubble of happiness and jokes that only we find funny. Speaking of funny or as Johnny would say “funny looking”, he constantly has me in stitches and there have been times when we are laughing so hard we end up crying!

It is never a dull moment with my husband and even the most mundane things end up being an adventure… Five minute drives that I insist on calling “road trips”, grocery shopping, and even housework turns into us just having fun. A prime example of this is when we were moving and I was getting frustrated and Johnny spent a solid minute dancing behind my car before I could make another trip for more boxes. My annoyance turned into belly laughing and it is the image that I think of when I reflect on our moving day.

Our almost three year relationship has been a whirlwind of big events from Johnny’s concerts, family vacations, moving in together, getting married, and moving again. The little things are always what sticks in my mind, though. OOTD shoots, date nights, movie marathons, and even Johnny hovering in the kitchen when I’m cooking tie together the mosaic of our lives with love and lots of laughter.

I love you so much, darling Johnny!

Happy Birthday!!!! ❤

May27

Happy Early Birthday To Me!!

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Happy Early Birthday To Me!!

Hello! I am one of those people who simply cannot wait to give and receive presents for special occasions. I am probably the most impatient person when it comes to that! When Johnny and I first started dating, he was pretty good about waiting until a holiday or birthday for gift exchanges. However, over time, he has adopted my early bird method and gifted me with an early birthday prezzie this past weekend:

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Lol, the answer is: Yes, my husband did buy me a sword cane for my birthday – it is exactly what I wanted! As you guys know, I am extra enough to be carrying around parasols, wrapping myself in faux fur, and wouldn’t be caught dead in the summer without a huge sunhat and sunglasses. A sword cane is yet another thing to be added to this arsenal of extraness and I am SO there for it.

At least once a year, Johnny and I have a Harry Potter movie marathon and this present was inspired by Lucius Malfoy’s cane wand. I remember vividly saying that I loved it when watching The Chamber Of Secrets and Johnny filed it away in his mental rolidex for a gift giving occasion. And, as always, he did really good because my cane is incredibly similar to a one Mr. Malfoy’s.

Johnny, apparently, was just as enamored by this purchase as I was because he accidentally ordered two! Instead of canceling the order, he decided to keep it for himself and we have definitely already had fake sword fights at the apartment. Fear not – the blade is less sharp than a butter knife but we both had a blast getting our imaginary Aragorn on!

As you might know, Johnny’s birthday is on June 1st, our wedding anniversary is June 4th, and my birthday is June 7th. We refer to this as our “birthaversary” and it’s such a monumental week that we can’t help but celebrate early… Especially considering that Johnny has known his gift for the past month – an immersive Sleepy Hollow cocktail event. We can’t wait! 😀

Are you an impatient gift giver like me? How do you like to celebrate special occasions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

May20

Sweetest Thing Ever!

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Sweetest Thing Ever!

Hello! The day of Johnny’s show this past weekend, we were just hanging around our apartment when he looked closely at my new nails. Then, he told me that they were the same color I had on during our first date – strawberry lemonade! Needless to say, my heart exploded into a million tiny pieces and I had to pinch myself that I actually have this guy as my husband.

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I can remember our first date very well but obviously not as well as Johnny. For example, I was so nervous that when I got to the Cashmere Cricket, I literally walked right by him without even noticing that he was there lol. Over drinks, we talked about anything and everything and had the best time and have been together almost every day since. Johnny, on the other hand, could tell you verbatim conversations that we had on our first date and it never fails to give me the warm fuzzies.

When Johnny told me his revelation about my fresh fill, my first thought was instantly that “I am the luckiest girl in the world”. And, secondly, I thought that no one should settle for anything less than this. And, believe you me, before I met Johnny I did a lot of settling when it came to relationships and I always wondered why I didn’t have the best results.

Every person deserves to be treated like royalty by their significant others and, despite always thinking this, I never let that rule apply to me. I, honestly, didn’t even know my own worth until I started seeing myself through Johnny’s eyes. We often get from our friends and complete strangers that we are “#relationshipgoals” and that is so sweet. However, we are just two people who are basically exactly alike who found each other at just the right time.

Prior to our first date we had both been unlucky in love and I had sworn off of dating until he Facebook messaged me asking if they made a pair of my Union Jack platforms in men’s. Now, there was a guy that I could talk to! We went out to the Cashmere Cricket that night and the rest is history. Every day I am reminded of how lucky I am to be married to such a stand up guy and his comment about my nails is a shining example. ❤

How did you and your SO meet? What makes you feel lucky? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May17

JCPenney Style Couples Shoot

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JCPenney Style Couples Shoot

Hello!! The last time mine and Johnny’s dear friend, Shannon, came to visit he took some absolutely amazing shots of us. We were feeling very inspired by silly JCPenney style couples portraits and the end result is just perfect. Johnny and I can’t wait to get these pics printed and framed along with our wedding pictures that we haven’t bothered to do yet lol. Check it out:

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The last time Shannon came to see us from Marietta, he essentially brought a photo studio in a duffel bag with him and all of these shots were taken in the living room of our old apartment. He had so many different backdrops, equipment, and equipment hacks to make these pictures happen and Johnny and I couldn’t be more grateful. We had wanted to do a shoot like this for forever and it was definitely worth the wait!

I’m not going to lie to you guys, Johnny and I were pretty hungover when this photo shoot happened and I consider it a miracle that we were able to coax Johnny out of his bathrobe and into normal clothes lol. Our somewhat matching spooky sweaters were just right for posing with our sweet son, Sam, from Trick ‘R Treat and, of course, we had to include some White Claw in for good measure. Who could ask for anything more?

Despite the general ridiculousness of these pictures, they mean so much to us because Shannon took so much time and effort to make them happen. These shots truly showcase the quirky couple that is me and Johnny and we hope that all of you got as big of a kick of them as we did. Thanks again, Shannon – we love you!!! ❤

Do you have any funny couples shots of you and your significant other? What are they like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr29

Summer In Spring OOTD Bonus Pictures

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Summer In Spring OOTD Bonus Pictures

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pictures from my Summer In Spring OOTD featuring myself AND Johnny! 😀 He is so sweet to always be taking pictures of me and sometimes I just have to return the favor by making him take pictures with me lol. I truly have the best blog husband in the world and my OOTDs wouldn’t be possible without him. Thanks for forever indulging me, babe! Now, let’s get to it:

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Of course, I love taking OOTD pictures for the fashion and I very much enjoy being in front of the camera. But, the best part is the time that I get to spend with Johnny who has been my master photographer since we started dating. In fact, when he proposed, he disguised it as him just taking OOTD pictures to surprise me. It was perfect. ❤

lifewithlilred is so special to me and it warms my heart to be able to share it with Johnny. It’s such fun to work together and make my visions happen and I know that no matter how ready he is to be done taking pictures, he will always oblige when I say “just a few more”. What an angel and I am the luckiest gal in the whole world! ❤ ❤ ❤

Does anyone help you with the content on your page? What is your favorite thing to post about? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my April Finishes and then it’s on to some bloopers from my Summer In Spring OOTD!

 

Apr13

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello! This past Friday, I spent some much needed time at The Shear Shop getting pampered by my amazing stylist, Anna. She is the absolute best and almost six hours of hair magic and wonderful company just didn’t seem long enough. This time around, Anna used a new Pulp Riot dye called Ghostblood to help achieve my goals of red and white hair and I am obsessed with the results:

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^^^ The red is Pulp Riot’s Fireball.

As I mentioned before, this new do took a lot of time to make happen and we are SO close to perfect results that I can almost taste it. After some trial and error, Anna decided that the Icy toner by Pulp Riot wasn’t the way to go and opted for the Ghostblood dye instead and I am so glad that she did. All we need is to ice out the white just a little bit more during my next appointment and it will be exactly what I had pictured in my head.

To achieve this look, Anna bleached my hair for about forty minutes to lift the beige out. Then, after washing and drying, she meticulously brushed on the dye and placed each section in foil so the red and white wouldn’t mix. After the color sat and was washed, we saw that the roots of my hair still had a yellow tint to it so Anna applied a little more Ghostblood to solve that problem and it worked like a charm.

The first time the color was washed out, we were pleased with the results. But, the second application of Ghostblood is what really did the trick and I am always so appreciative to Anna for spending extra time so that we both leave the salon completely thrilled. We are both loving this look so much and, now that we know what must be done at my next appointment, I am already ready to go back. 😀

For almost two decades, Anna has gifted me with amazing hair and the best friendship a gal could ask for. I would not be Lil Red without her hair wizardry and I am still riding the high of how much fun we had at my last appointment! ❤

How long has your hair stylist been doing your hair? How do you like to pamper yourself? 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 everyone! Today is a happy wonderful day because it is my big sister, Kristen’s, birthday! Beginning in March until June, it is a whirlwind of birthdays in my family. It starts with my niece, then my mom, dad, sister, brother, and in June Johnny and I celebrate our birthdays and wedding anniversary, then it wraps up with my blogging bestie. It is such a fun time full of presents, get togethers, and dinners and I can’t wait to celebrate Kristen’s big day together!

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Kristen is the best sister and friend a gal could ever ask for and I am so lucky to be related to her! She is an amazing mom, dog and cat mom, and human being and every time hanging out with her is the best time. I love our trips to Taco Bell, getting ice cream, and adventures at the park with her darling daughter. I can’t wait for summertime so we can all go swimming at my apartment complex again. And, yes, having Johnny pick us up TBell once we’re done at the pool. 🙂

My sister is so kind and it really shows in her parenting and love for caring for rescue animals. Her two cats and three dogs have all been given a second lease on life because of her. As little sis, I’m sure there are plenty of instances of me driving Kristen crazy, especially when I constantly send her Bitmojis but I just can’t help myself lol. I miss her as soon as either of us go home and I am always asking her if Johnny and I can live with her family! 😀

Sisters are built in best friends and I hit the jackpot with mine. ❤

I love you, Kristen!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Apr6

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Hello everyone! Today is a happy wonderful day because it’s my dad’s birthday!! Although he hates celebrating his big day – I sure don’t and it will always be blog worthy in my world. ❤ My dad is the best, funniest, kindest man on the planet and he sure is handsome too. He deserves to be celebrated every day and I am so lucky to be his daughter!

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My dad is a gardening expert, a friend to all of the little woodland animals, and is a vacation planning extraordinaire. He is always cracking a joke and I am constantly in stitches in his company. One of my favorites has to be before I got married and informed him that I just had one last appointment to get my tattoos touched up before the big day. Without missing a beat, he replied with “How about getting some of them removed?” Lol, what a card!

I love my dad’s relationship with my mom and he is such a doting father and grandpa too. Whenever my parents are out shopping, he is constantly on the lookout for new toys and books for my niece! It is so sweet to watch them together. I truly couldn’t ask for a better dad and even though he’s probably annoyed at this post, I think he’ll secretly like it anyways. ❤ 😀

I love you, Dad!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!