Tag Archives: Random Thoughts

Blogging Through 2020

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Blogging Through 2020

Hello! For over six years, lifewithlilred has been going strong on the blogosphere and, unless there are some crazy circumstances, I write each and every day. You all have been with me through a lot from graduating college, break ups, car accidents and everything in between. With that in mind, there has never been a lack of anything for me to write about because it always felt like something new was happening.

Then, COVID-19 came around in 2020 and said “hold my beer”. As someone who works with extremely high risk families every day, all of my previous favorite activities fell by the wayside to not only protect me but all of my clients and loved ones. This meant no more shopping in store, no movies, no restaurants, no bars – no nothing, really.

This change from a constant on the go career as well as bopping around here, there, and everywhere with Johnny as his band played shows to a mostly sedentary lifestyle in my apartment was a huge shock. I have never had a lack of things to talk about on my blog but now, some days, I just don’t feel like I have anything to say!

But, we all know that Lil Red having nothing to say is impossible and I still have managed to write every day of 2020 despite the constant ups and downs. This is something that I am really proud of myself for because I have had to get so creative with my content to keep new posts coming, which can be uber difficult when you barely leave the house, lol.

Blogging through 2020 has taught me about finding inspiration in unlikely places and being more forthright in my own opinions and beliefs. I am so thankful that all of my beloved readers have stuck with me through such crazy times and it makes me that much more motivated to get up early every morning and write before I have to head to work.

Honestly, I have always been my toughest critic and it’s sometimes hard for me to come up with nice things to say about myself. It feels so good to see the fruits of my labor every day with a new post on lifewithlilred and having such a sense of pride in my work has increased my self esteem tenfold.

Times are hard right now and everyone’s situation is different. But, in Lil Red’s world, we’re all in this together so thank you for continuing to share in this crazy journey with me! ❤

Has it been difficult for you to blog during 2020? What do you do when you have writer’s block? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Literally Falling For Fall Update

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Literally Falling For Fall Update

Hello! If you have been following lifewithlilred for a while, then you have been with me through all kinds of ouches like when Johnny and I got in a car accident and I was hospitalized and an oral surgery gone dreadfully wrong. My most recent “whoopsy daisy” of taking a tumble on the wet, leaf strewn wooden walkway to my apartment was nowhere near as severe but, gotDAMN did it hurt and I’ve got a hell of a bruise to prove it. Check it out:

Now, this is not a post to get sympathy for this deep purple monstrosity. Rather, it is a reminder to be careful!! Coincidentally, my Johnny took a spill mere hours before me when he was taking out the trash that day and we have since been taking our time making the walk to our apartment on the wet, rainy fall days that Ohio has been plagued with.

Johnny has actually been so sweet because, most days, he gets home from work before me and he’ll text me to remind me that it’s really slick so I don’t take another spill. Falls, tumbles, accidents, oopsies, boo boos, or whatever you call it can be so painful and even fatal for some so this is just your Lil Red reminder to take your time while walking (And driving!) during this slippery weather so you don’t end up with a major bruise on your side too!

What is the fall weather like in your neck of the woods? What are some of your safety tips for bad weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monster Mash

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Hello! A few days ago, I posted about a Halloween craft that I made with my client out of Popsicle sticks. They turned out like this:

While the Barney sticks were for my client, the ghosts, Jack-O-Lantern, and Frankenstein were for Johnny who wanted to decorate his space at work for Halloween. Despite forgetting to bring his flat friends with him on the job for the first few days, my sweetie finally remembered and he claims that he is never going to take them down. 🙂

The day that Johnny brought the Popsicle sticks into work, he took a picture of his decorated area WITHOUT ME EVEN ASKING! Check it out:

I was not expecting my fairly simple crafts to be the crowning jewel of Johnny’s display and it made me so proud that he liked them that much. His little paper cut out ghosts make me smile and that applies for basically everything he does, lol.

While we are all worried about the outcome of Election Day today, I just had to post some mushy nonsense to help take the edge off. And I am so thankful to get through whatever the results will be together with my Johnny. ❤

How did you decorate for Halloween? How is your work space decorated? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Literally Falling For Fall

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Literally Falling For Fall

Hello! Have you ever had a day where you feel like you’re constantly running into stuff, tripping over your own feet, or dropping something? Because SAME – especially last week. Despite many ouches, profanity, and bruises my day ended in an up kind of way so I thought I’d tell you all about it.

My morning started with a fine how do you do of stepping on the plug of my hair straightener and spilling my bottle of serum all over the floor when regaining my balance. I was so pissed about my favorite serum loosing half of its contents onto my bath mat and the plug going into the soft sole of my feet hurt like a mother.

After that incident, I thought my day could only go up from there and my time at work was fairly average. Once I finished driving home in the rain, I was looking forward to having a glass of wine and relaxing but life decided to throw me a few more curve balls.

My apartment complex is located in a wooded area and there are countless trees all over the property. Countless trees equals countless leaves, of course, and my goodness are they slick after it rains. As I was walking towards the stairs to get to my second floor apartment, I tread over a particularly slippery patch of wet leaves. I lost my balance, landed hard on my side, and everything I had in my hands came flying out.

As someone who has figure skated a majority of her life, you would think I would be exempt from slippery falls off ice but that just is not the case. Lol, it hurt SO bad and left a nasty bruise on my leg. After the initial shock and pain of falling, I kind of forgot what I had in my hands and just wanted to get into my apartment. I collected everything I saw immediately on the ground and headed upstairs to tell Johnny my tale of woe.

Johnny and I spent our evening watching a TV show called Slasher and we were in the middle of an episode when we heard a knock on our door around eight. I had no idea who it could be and was shocked to see some neighbors I vaguely recognized in my doorway. They held out my apartment keys to me and said they found them when they were walking up to their own place.

I was SO shocked by the fact that I had essentially lost my keys for an entire evening without knowing it. However, I was more shocked by the kindness of the strangers who returned my missing keys to me – I have no idea what I would have done the following morning when I left for work and realized they weren’t there!

Despite major boo boos, my day ended on a huge high note from my guardian angels who found my keys. I am so thankful to them (and their wonderful eye sight) for locating the keys on the ground, in the dark, while it was raining, and with leaves everywhere. Amazing looking out! ❤

Have you ever lost your keys before? How did you end up finding them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red PSA: Vote, Vote, Vote Edition

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Lil Red PSA: Vote, Vote, Vote Edition

Hi everyone! Election Day is fast approaching and I wanted to use my platform to encourage everyone to participate in their right to vote. This is going to be, quite possibly, one of the most important elections of my lifetime and I can only hope and wish that a more suitable candidate will soon be in office.

I’m sure everyone can guess who I voted for if they keep in touch with me on Facebook but I want all of you to vote no matter who it’s for. Letting my voice be heard politically is something that makes me proud and I am proud of anyone who will be exercising their right as this election draws to a close.

These are extremely scary and tense times and the fate of America’s safety rests in the people’s hands. Send in your mail in ballots and if you’re voting in person, please continue to follow social distancing standards to help keep yourself and those around you safe. ❤

Vote, Vote, Vote

*And remember your loved ones who could be effected if the wrong person gets in the White House!

Featured Image By: Elemant5 Digital from Pexels

Working In The Care Profession During COVID Times

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Working In The Care Profession During COVID Times

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, I am an Independent Provider for people with special needs and I provide care in home and in the community. I have been an essential worker since the beginning of all of this COVID business in March and, I’ll be honest, sometimes I just want to crawl back in bed instead of go to work!

Because I work with some very high risk families, I have been essentially in my own state of lock down for the past seven months. Coffees with friends have turned into FaceTime dates and dinners out with Johnny just means Door Dashing something now. Of course, this is all A-okay, though, because I would never forgive myself if I ever brought this virus to any of my clients. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s just me doing my job.

I have come to terms with the fact that I will not be “going out” and Johnny has too, since we live together (Believe me, I wouldn’t want to. Just the thought of going to a bar or restaurant makes me cringe!). This has put us in very close acquaintance with our TV, Nintendo Switch, and each other literally every day, lol.

Although it can feel like a lot to be so limited to my apartment, I do still treat myself monthly to getting my nails done and it is my outing to look forward to. I know that many of those working in the care and health profession are doing everything that they can to keep their clients and patients safe and I applaud all of them because it’s not easy, that’s for sure.

I also encourage all of us who are hunkered down to participate in a “treat” to help lift your spirits. After a rough day at work or even just hearing the state of the world on the news, I never say no to a pick me up. Whether that be pampering myself with a face mask or maybe ordering something small online – it’s important for me to be in the best mood I can to continue being able to give the best care that I can to my clients every day.

I am very thankful to my clients and their families because they motivate me to be extra careful every day. I am also very thankful to everyone in the health and care profession as well as all employees right now who continue with their duties despite potentially being in harm’s way. We rock and I wish nothing but the best for all of you! ❤

How has your job been affected from COVID? How do you keep your spirits high right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Great Day

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A Great Day

Hi! It is always hard to go back to work after having any type of time off, whether that be from being sick, a vacation, or what have you. When I returned back to work after a stint with a sinus infection this month, I can’t say that I was thrilled lol but the ride to my client’s house with Cardi B bumping was enough to get me right back into work mode and it ended up being a great day.

I had to take my client to the eye doctor as well as help her pick out some glasses – it was definitely a long time coming for a new pair! I have always loved helping people pick out glasses and I take a lot of pride in picking out a lot of the pairs that my mom has had throughout the years, so I knew that we were both going to have some fun.

My client and I both decided that it was time for a totally new style of glasses as opposed to her old metal frames so we experimented with a lot of different styles. After finding a few “winners”, I took her outside so she could she what she looked like in a picture without her mask on. It’s hard to imagine a whole new look with more than half of your face covered!

Once we had a quick photo shoot, we both decided that a funky pair of deep purple square plastic frames were the way to go. And, I’ve got to say, they looked fabulous on her. The best part? She knew she looked awesome too and I could tell my client was feeling herself with her brand new look. My friend had such a sense of pride for trying something completely different and the frames working out perfectly was the cherry on top.

It may seem like a simple outing, but a quick trip to the eye doctor reminded me of how much I enjoy my job. I felt amazing because my client felt amazing and I had something to do with it. It made her day and it made my month! ❤

How has someone made your day recently? What was the last new thing you tried? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Morning Star Meals

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Morning Star Meals

Hello! I have been a strict vegetarian for the closer part of two decades and literally could never imagine eating meat again. Although I have a different diet than Johnny who loves cheeseburgers, bacon, and hot dogs we still both eat the “fake” meat by Morning Star pretty regularly. Check it out:

I have never been one of the vegetarians who are put off by people eating meat so I was tickled when Johnny wanted to try my vegetarian chicken nuggets and sausage patties. I was even more thrilled about the fact that he liked them just as much as me! In fact, I consider it a rarity to have a boyfriend who is excited about me making a veggie option and not asking me to make “regular” meat for him – even though he knows I would be happy to.

We are both huge fans of the Morning Star buffalo chicken nuggets and, this past shopping trip, I got us the buffalo patties for him to try. I was about to start prepping our meal when Johnny took it upon himself to make it, instead. He air fried our patties, then buttered and toasted the buns. We topped it off with lettuce and ranch and my heart kind of melted when Johnny said “it tastes just like a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy’s”.

My Johnny is just so dear to me and him being willing to always try new things is one of the many things I love about him. I know it seems like a little thing but Morning Star meals with my non vegetarian boyfriend will never cease to put me in all of the happy feels. I’m a lucky girl. ❤

What is the most recent new food you tried? Which other brands make the best “fake” meat? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Hold My Beer

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Hold My Beer

Hello! Being self employed is super rewarding and there is nothing better than being your own boss. However, I do have one complaint: Taking time off sucks! When I am sick or going on vacation, I don’t get paid time off so I often end up running myself ragged until all of it catches up with me. Like last week, for example.

I’d like for all of us to take a minute to laugh at what I told Johnny when I returned home from work last Monday. I believe it went a little something like this: “I’m really not trying to take time off until Thanksgiving”. Then, the world said “hold my beer” and I ended up having to take the rest of the week off from being sick.

When I woke up on Tuesday, it was like a switch flipped on and “Sick Mode” commenced. Oh my, was I miserable. I had a hell of a sinus infection and all of the drainage going into my stomach made me nauseous to the point of throwing up. I was so tired constantly even though some nights I slept for close to twelve hours. Needless to say, there was no way I was going into work.

It honestly took falling sick and feeling so yucky for me to realize that I need to be far more generous with my time off – even if I’m not getting paid for it. My health should always come first, especially in COVID times and I can’t take care of my clients or myself properly when I am so worn out and going for months on end without a week day or two off.

Being the CEO to two thriving businesses has its perks. I love making my own schedule, being one hundred percent in control of everything, and only having myself to answer to. But, being the boss also means knowing when an employee needs a break and I plan on being much more accommodating to that from here on out.

I’ll tell you what, being sick and all alone in my apartment while Johnny is at work is for the birds. And not having my parents take care of me like back in the day when I was under the weather is for the birds too. So, here’s to less days off from being sick and more days off for pure fun and relaxation. Let’s get it!

How do you keep sane while self employed? How did you spend your last day off? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Great!

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Feeling Great!

Hello!! With all of the craziness of politics, COVID, and everything in between it is very easy to feel down and out. This is especially true if, like me and Johnny, you are still limiting your time in public. The monotony of my never ending cycle of sitting at home, work, then sitting at home certainly leaves a lot to be desired but, after this past anniversary weekend I have been feeling great!

Johnny and I celebrated our one year anniversary over the weekend with a delicious meal made by a super talented friend in our very own kitchen. It was one of the best dates I’ve ever been on despite not leaving our apartment and we seriously had the time of our lives getting dressed up to stay in.

It feels easy to just turn on another episode of whatever you were last binging on Netflix and make a day of it. And, no judgement here, because that’s what Johnny and I do nine times out of ten. However, one small change up to our routine left me with a newly found spring in my step and I feel much better than I did before.

This is not me saying to go out here, there, and everywhere for something new. Rather, to explore all of the fun things that can be done from the safety of your home. Everything from dress up date nights to even a cleaning spree with the best music and company can get you out of the “I never do anything” slump.

Brainstorm with your friends about your next game night over Zoom, plan a social distanced picnic in the park, or maybe even a long weekend in a cabin? The possibilities really are endless and I promise that it’s going to be infinitely more fun than whatever TV series you were going to cozy up with! Explore and enjoy! 😀

How do you have social distanced outings? What has been the best date you have ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah