Tag Archives: reading

Mar22

7 Things That Make YOU Feel Special in 2017

Posted on by
Standard

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! The following is brought to you by my friend, Eve, at Garage Gym Planner. With almost three months of 2017 solidly behind us, it might be easy to fall into a bit of a mid season slump. So, read this article, take some you time, and come back to tackle the rest of your week with a vengeance!

7 Things That Make YOU Feel Special in 2017

In the modern world, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture and forget about all of the good things in life. Everyone has periods when they feel unwanted, unneeded, and begin to wonder what they are doing with themselves. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to make yourself feel special. Sometimes a small switch up or treat is all it takes to change your life for the better, like the following:

  1. Develop Self Care Rituals

Often, this is the simplest way to make you feel good about yourself. It is the small things that you do which count, and developing self care rituals is one of the most important parts of staying mentally healthy and making yourself feel special. Having a small, routine thing in your every day life that is designed to reinforce you and build you up can be extremely beneficial. It doesn’t matter what it involves or how you go about it: what matters is that you use it as a way to look after yourself and stay mentally healthy, no matter what.

  1. Exercise

Exercise is very closely linked to mental health. Beginning a good exercise program and exercising regularly is one of the best ways to make you feel special. One of the simplest exercises is squats. They can be completed almost anywhere, with minimal equipment, and by anyone.

The benefits of squats are huge and can include:

  • Great legs which you had previously only dreamed of having!
  • An increased blood flow to your brain, keeping you more alert and mentally healthy.
  • The generally fitter and healthier look which you have always strived for.

  1. Say No To Negativity

Feeling bad about yourself is the exact opposite of feeling special. Saying no to the things that make you feel bad is a big step on the pathway to self-development and to feeling comfortable with who you are. Unfortunately, one of the most common sources of this kind of degradation is your ‘friends’. Yes, I’m sure that you have some real friends who care about you and want to see you be successful. However, there is a high chance that you also have people around you who put you down and who make you feel like you aren’t good enough, which is a major problem.

  1. Do Something That You’re Good At

Being good at something can make you feel special and build your confidence. One of the best ways to get good at something is to get out there and try! Everyone has talents: if you don’t know what yours are, then you need to find out this year. Participating in an activity that you are good at is one of the best ways to boost your self confidence and self love.

  1. Read A Book

Reading allows you to explore worlds other than your own. You have an imagination, so use it! When you are feeling down, crack open a book and conjure a world in which you are the hero. Immerse yourself in a good book and let yourself become the main character, feeling their emotions, taking pride in their achievements, and letting this boost your morale.

  1. Dare To Be Different

Don’t conform to society’s expectations and become just another mindless business person wandering through their meaningless zombie-like life. Dare to be different and be proud of your differences. Doing so will allow you to feel special about who you are and what you are doing. Get out there and chase your dreams. Don’t get stuck in a life that you don’t enjoy. Do something that you really find fun in 2017 – even if it is a bit different.

  1. Go On An Adventure!

Who says that adventures are for kids! Your adventure can be big or small. From taking a hike on a nearby trail to going on a cross country road trip, let yourself explore. Adventures are all about getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing something new. Where can you go and what can you do to tune in to your adventurous spirit?

Thanks again to Eve at Garage Gym Planner for these seven tricks and tips to get yourself feeling special in 2017! What do you do to increase your self worth? Where is your dream place to have an adventure? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb17

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

Posted on by
Standard
How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

Hi everyone and welcome to the next addition of my Think Spring guest bloggers series brought to you by Christie from Christie Adams Writer. When we are thinking spring, one not so fun thing that inevitably comes to mind is cleaning! Spring cleaning to many is a must, though, so this post from Christie will teach you how to incorporate your book (or CD and movie) shelves into your cleaning to do list. Take a look:

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime (your excuse to buy more books)

Spring is on its way. Well OK, I admit winter is still hanging around, it seems to get later every year doesn’t it? Anyway, a bit of forward planning never hurt anyone. Spring cleaning your home, cleaning the car, yep, ticked that box? How about reinvigorating your bookcases? I’m not talking a quick whizz over with a feather duster, I’m talking a proper spring clean. If your book collection is a library you may need to break this up a bit, but it’s do-able, honest.

  1. Take a good long look at what you have, then take the books off the shelves:

A good way to ‘see’ things clearly, is to take a photograph or two and put them on one side. You’ll need them later. Taking out the books will probably surprise you. You will find ones you never knew you had. Those beloved sneaky books that have hidden amongst much read favorites. To make it easier and less stressful later on, sort them into two piles:

  1. Keep
  2. Maybe I could let these go

 Don’t know where to start? I try to live by William Morris’

‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’.

The focus will be to cut at least 10%, if not more. You may at this stage also find the odd one you really don’t like. It may have been a gift or a bargain bucket buy. If so, create a third pile somewhere out of sight. You can bring them back into the room when you get to stage 3.

WARNING – DO NOT start flicking through the pages, if you do, you are doomed and will never finish the task in hand!

  1. Clean the shelves and fix any loose or broken bits:

Think serious Health & Safety here. Books are HEAVY. If your bookshelves are not safe and securely fastened it could really hurt someone, or worse. Yes, sadly, people have been crushed beneath falling furniture.

http://www.wikihow.com/Secure-a-Bookcase-to-a-Wall

Once they’re safe, fixed, and empty, you need to assess if they are what you want. This is the time to get reinspired. Remember those photographs I told you to put on one side? Now get them out and take a good close look. Be critical, be detached. If you saw those shelves in someone else’s house, would you love them? Aspire to own them? Want to embrace them in a big hug? OK, a bit difficult to imagine but you should understand the sentiment.

This is the time to repaint, rebuild, extend, downsize. You could go truly minimalist/tiny house and choose to let go of it all and move to a fully electronic reading habit. If so, jump ahead to stage 3 in this post.

Happy? All done? Fantastic, now on to the hard work.

(You could swap stages 2 and 3 if it suits you to focus on your collection, rather than your space or furniture.)

  1. Create a collection of loved literature and beloved battered books:

Now this can be a difficult bit, because it’s time to sort out what you want to keep and what you can let go. Go back to your books in those tidy piles (you did leave them tidy didn’t you?) and begin the process according to these guidelines:

Keep – you can look lovingly at this one, smile, then move on to the second pile.

Maybe I could let these go – you need to sort through these and divide them again into three piles:.

  1. Sell – if you have rare books, first editions, signed copies, then do your research. Contact an expert. If you’re lucky you could pay for a new book, a holiday, or your house! Otherwise, garage sales or online auction sites are your friend.
  2. Donate to charity or friends – do you love a book but know you’ll never re-read it? Why not write a hand written ‘no spoiler’ review note and place it in the book before you donate it?
  3. Reuse – note, there is not a ‘bin’ pile. If you do have any books that are truly falling to pieces why not create some book art (get on Pinterest people, it’s amazing what you can do with the pages of an old book). Your local school or art college may take them off your hands. Final option? Recycling center.

If you find it difficult, recruit a book buddy or cleaning companion, offer them a brew and get cracking.

If you have an electronic ebook/audio book copy, do you need the paperback? Do you have books about garden design but now live in a small apartment? Will you ever learn to play the guitar? No? Then sideline the ‘how to’ book.

Fashions change. Technology moves on. Maps and text books get out of date. Learn to let go people! This cleansing can take as long as you need but once you start you’ll be surprised by how easy it is. Make sure it doesn’t drag on, be decisive, and reach or pass that 10% target.

  1. Decide on how you will arrange your ‘new’ beautiful bookcase and beloved book collection:

Now, you’ve done the hard bit. You should have a (slightly?) smaller collection. It’s time to decide how you’ll show them off and care for them. Will you go ‘library style’ and sort by genre then alphabetical? How about color, blue next to purple, red next to pink etc? It can look awesome if you embrace the idea fully.

Do you have truly gorgeous bound books, how about those being at eye level so you truly enjoy the sight of them every day? Kids books? They need to be accessible to little hands. On the alternate side, you need to put ‘valuable’ (I know they all are, but stay with me here) books away from direct sunlight and away from little hands.

Libraries put books on end for a reason, it preserves them and protects them. Make room for them all stood up, not lying flat. You can be as innovative or traditionalist as you like. You can scribble down ideas, draw out detailed plans, or just move books into yet more piles so you can keep track. I’ve got a small section of ‘will read then let go’ books, too.

  1. Fill The Gaps! Now is the time to celebrate the space you’ve created, by filling the spaces with new books:

Yes, you’ve done it! Your new clean and empty shelves are calling out to be filled. Dust off your books and put them back in their newly well planned home. I start with the big books, which may only fit on one of many shelves. Also, that’s often the safest. You recall I told you to fasten the shelves securely, this is important. If the shelves are not secured (WHY NOT!!) always start at the bottom when refilling. DO NOT make them top heavy by starting at the top.

Just remember your home should be somewhere that you love. Somewhere you’re proud of. Somewhere you feel at home in. I’d love to see how you got on, and how you display your books. When you’ve finished take a picture and share it with me on social media.

You May Also Like:

http://www.christieadamswriter.com/how-to-organise-your-bookshelf/

Get in touch with me from your next coffee shop or library:

^^^ Thank you so much again to Christie for such a helpful and well thought out post! Again, please be sure to check out her blog and give her page some love! What is on your spring cleaning check list? How many books do you have in your collection? 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 a gorgeous OOTD from K.M. at Ankhor You!

Dec28

Update Your Home! Five Appliances That Will Make Your Life Easier

Posted on by
Standard

These days, most of us are obsessed with convenience. We want things to be easy and to take as little time as possible – but at the same time, many of us are concerned with being thought of as lazy by other people. Luckily, there is a middle ground. There are a number of appliances that were once thought to be luxuries that have become necessities in the home over the last ten years – read on to find out more…

Dishwasher: Is there a bigger time waster than having to wash dishes? It’s one of those household chores that will always be done with resentment – especially because with every next meal you’ll just end up with another load of dirty dishes to wash. There’s no need to martyr yourself by doing washing up that you hate. Invest in a dishwasher so you don’t have to waste any more time or energy on your dirty dishes. Or have the possibility of touching wet food in the sink!! YUCK!

easy.png

 Pixabay Image

Heated Towel Rail: Throughout the winter, showering becomes a problem. Of course, we all like to stay clean through the whole year – but no one enjoys that feeling of stripping off their pajamas in the cold air on a winter morning before stepping into the shower! Even worse is the coldness of climbing out again before you have your towel wrapped around you. It’s important, then, to make sure that you have a warm, cozy towel to heat you up when you get out of the shower. It’ll also dry your towel when you’re done, stopping it from smelling like a combination of damp and bath soap!

easy1.png

 I think I need a heated towel rack!

Microwave: A lot of people think of microwaves as the epitome of laziness but that is absolutely and categorically untrue. They promote convenience, but there’s no reason that that is a bad thing. Not only can you make cakes in microwaves these days, but you can also heat up leftovers from the previous day and use them quickly when you don’t want to have to clean up any pans or utensils. Check out Oven Shopper to find out which microwave is the best one for you and your family.

easy2.png

 Dream kitchen!

White Noise Machine: If you don’t sleep well at night, then a white noise machine is an absolutely essential investment. A lot of people can’t sleep in silence and are woken up by sudden small noises. A white noise machine will cover them up and enable you to sleep well in near-silence without the low hum of the TV disturbing your partner. So cool!

easy3.png

 Zzzzzz…

E-Reader: One of the best ways to expand your mind and open yourself up to the world around you is to read. Not only can you explore fictional worlds a million miles away from where you are, but you can also consider new ideas that will challenge you and force you to re-evaluate yourself – which is always a good thing! E-readers are useful because you can keep your entire library with you at all times. That means that you’ll never have to worry about what book to read next – and because of their size and weight, they’re much easier to take on vacation than a huge stack of paperbacks. The Kindle that I got from my boyfriend is one of my absolute favorites and I cannot recommend investing in an E-Reader enough!

easy4.png

 Bragging rights for whoever can name that book!

Dec10

American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

Posted on by
Standard
American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

Helloo everyone and a very happy evening to all of you! Alright, guys. No one can say I didn’t try. NO ONE. But, on this ninth episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, “She Wants Revenge”, I am throwing in the towel. I refuse to spend any more time on this season. Therefore, I’m renaming tonight’s episode, “Lil Red’s Farewell”.

boohoo

Week after week you guys have tuned in for my reviews and opinions on the new episodes of AHS and I am so humbled and appreciate it greatly. However, it doesn’t feel right putting aside an hour for a television show that’s below sub par. During tonight’s new episode, all I could think of was how much I wanted to crawl into bed and crack open Stephen King’s “Cell”, which I began rereading yesterday. I was craving genuine horror as opposed to the soap opera dramatics that AHS has been delivering every week with episodes that have consistently disappointed.

Not only has this season bored me to tears BUT these posts have been boring me as well. Don’t get me wrong, if I was loving the season it would be different – but it’s so hard to crank out similar posts for every episode when nothing exciting is really happening. During Freak Show, I lived for my Wednesday night articles on the new episodes…So you know something is wrong when I dread firing up the ol’ laptop after epis of Hotel!

I gave this season my best shot and the benefit of the doubt for nine weeks, but enough is enough. I now plan on spending my Wednesday nights tucked in with a good book or perhaps watching some old slasher films. I have an insatiable urge to absorb entertainment of quality and Hotel has done nothing to satisfy this. So, that’s that. I bid you farewell, American Horror Story: Hotel because I’m breaking up with you for good this time. Better luck on season six! Now cue the music!

So there you have it, the final post on American Horror Story: Hotel, “Lil Red’s Farewell”. Now if you’ll excuse me, Cell and a midnight snack is calling my name! What are your opinions on this season of AHS? Who has given up on the show? Who is a die hard Hotel fan? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Don’t you worry about what I’ll be filling the Thursday and Friday slots on lifewithlilred with! I have some very fun upcoming posts up my sleeve! ❤ 🙂

Oct5

Monday Update: Lazy Weekend Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Lazy Weekend Edition

Helloooo everyone and Happy Monday!! Thanks to a fantastically lazy weekend, I’m feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to go! My week days are always so crazy now so this weekend I finally got to do exactly what I wanted…nothing! There were lots of things that made my weekend great, like not having to drive, catching up on leisure reading, and lots and lots of sleep! Take a listen to the Bruno Mars theme song to my weekend and then let’s discuss:

During the week I’m constantly on the run in the Little Red Love Machine, driving siblings, driving to school, driving to boyfriend, meeting clients, and running errands. So needless to say, one of the best parts of this weekend was that I didn’t have to get behind the wheel of my car one time! It. Was. AWESOME!! My parents handled all of the driving this weekend and I handled the laying in my bed doing nothing this weekend. 😉

But seriously, you never really realize how nice it is to have someone else drive you until your tucked away in the backseat of one of your parent’s cars. For example, we went to see the new Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro movie, The Intern, and the movie theater was less than five minutes away but even the smallest amount of chauffeuring was great! The movie was so cute and funny, too – I just love Anne Hathaway and her and De Niro made a great pair. The Intern was kind of like a more lighthearted version of The Devil Wears Prada and I really enjoyed it.

My favorite part of the weekend, however, was finally catching up on my pleasure reading! During the past few weeks I’ve been so exhausted before bed that I could barely finish two or three chapters in my book, Night Film, before falling asleep. Usually I’m a ridiculously fast reader – I can finish a five hundred page book in three days flat easily, so the whole “reading barely one hundred pages in one week” thing killed me!

Lucky for me, this weekend I had no school work to worry about so I was a free woman! I got to spend my afternoons snuggled under my blankets for hours on end and was able to complete over one hundred pages each sitting, which is definitely more like it! Reading is one of my favorite past times so the fact that I got to have entire afternoons dedicated to relaxing and flipping through the pages of a book that I love so much made my lazy days perfect. (If you haven’t read Night Film, give it a try! It’s wonderful…so wonderful that one of my tattoos is a quote from the book!)

Last but not least, I got to sleep, sleep, sleep this weekend! If there’s one thing that I love, it’s not having to set an alarm in the morning. These past two days, I got to sleep in to my hearts desire without the incessant buzzing of my phone and iPod to wake me up. On Saturday I slept until 11:15 and it was absolutely amazing! I woke up around seven and nine that morning and it was so nice to be able to look at the time and realize that I could continue sleeping for as much as I wanted. By the time I woke up on Saturday, I decided that it was too late to bother with makeup so I’ve spent both of my weekend days au natural! I definitely could get used to this homebody thing!

nothing

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Lazy Weekend Edition! Now that I’m well rested, I’m ready to take on another crazy week! How was everyone’s weekend? Was it lazy like mine or jam packed with cool stuff? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct19

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Posted on by
Standard
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

I’m currently in the process of rereading one of my all time favorite books, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. I really can’t recommend this book enough. It. Is. Beautiful. Our story begins with an older couple, Harold and Maureen at the breakfast table. Their marriage has been unsatisfactory for years. A lot of bitter feelings, particularly about their son, David has really drawn them apart. The mail arrives during their meal, which includes the usual bills and catalogs – but there’s something else. A pale pink envelope addressed to Harold Fry. The letter inside is from a ghost of twenty years past, Miss Queenie Hennessy. The note informs Harold that Queenie has cancer, and she was writing to say good bye. Harold got up from breakfast, and wrote back to Queenie immediately. He informed Maureen he was walking down the street to the mail box, and was out the door. He began to walk. Once he reached the mail box, he fancied he would walk on to the next one, since it was such a nice day. Once he reached the second mail box, he figured he would go one farther, since it was only a block away. He walked some more, and eventually tired himself out, so he stopped at the gas station for some refreshments. At the station, Harold and the young lady working had a game changing conversation. Once Harold mentioned his letter to Queenie and her current medical condition, the young lady informed him that her aunt also had cancer. She told Harold that he had to remain positive. He had to truly believe that Queenie would recover. She said that the faith that she had that her aunt would feel better was the only thing that gave her aunt hope. Then, Harold had an idea. He would walk to Queenie. He would walk from Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed. And while he walked those five hundred miles, Queenie would keep living. He called the hospice that Queenie was residing at and told the nurse to tell Queenie once she awoke from her nap that he was walking to her, and that she had to keep living until he made it there. He then called Maureen and told her of his plan, to which she scoffed and told him he wouldn’t get past five miles. He exited the phone booth and began to walk. He had no cell phone, no hiking equipment, and no map. He had the clothes on his back, his wallet, and a pair of yachting shoes. The more that Harold walked, the more people he encountered. They shared their stories with each other. These strangers would confide in Harold and hope for the best for him on his journey. While Harold walks, secrets of his past that he thought had been tucked away begin to spill out. His mother leaving, his drunk father, the constant mother figures walking in and out of his life, his son. All of these memories would come to surface as Harold walked. He walked for Queenie. He walked for Maureen, even if she was unhappy with his decision. And most importantly, he walked for David, whose approval Harold was trying to earn for years.

Every chapter of this book introduces either a new location Harold passes through, the story of a stranger, or a memory from the past. It really is a page turner! Rachel Joyce’s writing is just gorgeous. Her ability to paint a picture of the scenery that Harold is walking through makes you feel like you’re putting one foot in front of the other along with him.

Have any of you guys read this book before? What did you think of it?? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Sep29

77 Degrees and Sunny:)

Posted on by
Standard
77 Degrees and Sunny:)

IMG_0820[1]IMG_0821[1]

It’s a GORGEOUS day in Akron, Ohio! A lovely 77 degree day, which is surprisingly warm for the end of September. I had a job interview this morning at a really cool store called Next, in downtown Akron. The area I interviewed in is called Highland Square and it’s this super artsy hang out scene that I would really love to work in, so keep your fingers crossed for me! Once I got home from my interview, I broke out my shorts and a crop top, grabbed my favorite pair of oversize sunglasses, and went outside to my backyard deck to read. (My pentagon shades are from Target. I was so happy when I found these babies for fifteen dollars, while the Miu Miu pair which were identical to these were three hundred!) It felt amazing to sit back in a lawn chair and let the sun beat down on my face as I read. It’s so peaceful to be able to go to the deck, which overlooks a spacious backyard and crack open a good book. It’s a great reading atmosphere to be surrounded by nature: birds chirping, our flower and vegetable gardens, and a long stretch of bright green grass littered with fallen leaves. I’m so close to being done with Gone Girl, so expect to see a post soon with what I’m sure will be my “OMG!” reaction! Keep your fingers and toes crossed that I get this job I interviewed for today, and have a fantastic Monday! -Sarah

Sep21

Gone Girl

Posted on by
Standard

So after completing The Strain trilogy, which was absolutely delightful, I decided I’d like to start reading Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. I have to say, I’m twenty pages in and I’m already hooked. Miss Flynn can write! She has a very dry wit to her writing which I like immensely. When a writer has a sense of humor that mirrors my own, it makes me relate to the characters in the book that much more. It makes me feel like their friend. It makes me feel like I’m in on the joke. Because I already have an instant connection with our main characters Nick and Amy, I feel like the twists and turns of this book are going to be even more shocking. I’m very excited to delve deeper into this story, and find out what all the buzz is about, because I’ve heard raving reviews on this book, but I’ve also heard some mediocre ones as well. I’d really love to finish Gone Girl before the movie comes out. I’ve seen the trailers for it, and let me just say, Ben Affleck is looking mighty fine! HUBBA HUBBA! Have any of you read this book before? What are your thoughts on it? Do you think the movie will do the book justice? No spoilers please!!!! I’m about ready to go cuddle up in my blankies and crack this book open! Have an awesome night guys, sweet dreams! -Sarah

IMG_0482.JPG
^ This picture has literally nothing to do with my post…but it’s just so damn funny to me that it had to be included!!!