Shoes. Make. Me. Happy. Seriously, nothing makes me feel better than adding a new pair of kicks to my ever growing collection. In the immortal words of Madonna “we are living in a material world and I am a material girl,” damnit! But lucky for my wallet, this material girl knows how to ball on a budget, because I got a gorgeous new pair of Madden Girl combat boots for twenty dolla holla today! Special shout out to Journey’s and their amazing winter sale for providing me with a guilt free splurge on an originally sixty dollar boot! Here’s a pic of my pretty new babies:
Ahhhh I love them so much it hurts! Tonight I hit up the mall with my sisters boyfriend Ramon to visit her at work at The Body Shop. It made my retail goddess heart swell with pride to see Kristen in my previous employment stomping grounds! After we hung out with my sis for a bit, Ramon and I did some shopping of our own. I contained myself on making any purchases at any of the clothing stores, which was super hard because everything was so damn cute! I thought that myself and my bank account were home free as Ramon and I started walking towards our exit, when of course, I got sidetracked at Journey’s. A few heels caught my eye and some of the sandals were cute, but when I saw my boots I had heart palpitations. I love Madden Girl shoes so much and when I saw the $19.99 sale price I knew that it was meant to be. When I slipped these bad boys on it was true love. The love was so pure and beautiful and stronger than I feel about most people. (Ha!) In my mind I was thinking “Sarah, you have like five pairs of combat boots at home.” BUT in my defense, my beloved favorite pair in the whole wide world is no longer wearable because the bottom of the shoe is tearing off completely. (I can’t bear to part with them though.) AND all of my other pairs are worn to the ground as well, and Lil Red refuses to wear them. They’re grungy in the gross way at this point, not in the cute 90’s grunge way. Anyways, once I mentally defended purchasing the shoes, I happily treated myself with my new addition to my collection. Best twenty dollars spent EVER! #treatyoself
I have the most delightful apple scented candle burning as I write this post and happy thoughts of all of the outfits my new boots can take part in….it’s glorious! Tonight was absolutely lovely, it was a perfect start to my spring break!! To officially kick off my week long freedom from school, white girl wastedness will probably take place tomorrow! AYYY!
I hope all of you have sweet dreams and make sure to sleep as much as you can since we’re losing an hour this weekend. -___- #UGH Do you guys have any wild and crazy plans coming up? What was your favorite ballin on a budget purchase? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! I leave you with a thought from one of the worst rappers alive, Riff Raff: “I was born to ball (on a budget!), whether it be hoopin or two door Bentley coopin.” The parenthesis were added by me, of course! Goodnight and much love! -Sarah
Hey guys! So yesterday I had an absolutely lovely day of Valentine’s Day shopping – TJMaxx and Target were very good to me! I had to treat myself like a princess yesterday because no one else did (lol) and no fucks were given…because no one loves Lil Red better than Lil Red! So here’s the purchases that set my bank account back a little farther than I’d like, but it was so worth it!!!
As usual, here’s a list of the brand names of each item. (All of the pieces pictured above are from TJ’s.)
Pointed toe ankle boots: Vince Camuto
Quilted tall boots: Rampage
Lace peasant skirt: Flying Tomato
Harem pants: Japna
I was SO excited when I found my pair of Vince Camuto’s. These beauties were on the clearance rack and I got them for twenty-nine bucks as opposed to the original one hundred and twelve! Such a steal!!! I have a feeling that these are going to be my new go to booties, I seriously plan on wearing them with everything. I’m looking forward to wearing them with my new harem pants, dresses and tights, and of course my black coated skinny jeans (I only wear black coated denim!)! But the beautiful thing about these booties is that they can easily be worn in the summer time as well (which is a nice thing to fantasize about considering it’s a whopping zero degrees in Akron, Ohio -___-). I can’t wait to pair these bad boys with cute little shorts, maxi skirts, and sun dresses all summer long! At Target I found a plain black crop top and a really pretty white lacey one that I tried on but didn’t buy. Naturally, I couldn’t stop thinking about them when I got home, so I went to Target’s website and was so happy to see that the tops were twenty percent off online on top of the extra five percent I get for using my Target Red Card. With all of these deals I got both crop tops for twenty dolla AND I got free shipping. #fabulous I’m pretty hyped about the white crop top because it’s going to match perfectly with my new lace peasant skirt!! It’s gonna look so pretty! :*) I’ve been meaning to get a plain black crop for forever now, so I figured “why not” and bought that too. You can’t beat two for twenty! #treatyoself
^^^ Best shopping themed song EVERRRRR! Jupiter Rising is such a guilty pleasure!
So there you have it, my special Valentine’s Day treat to my favorite gal in the world…ME!!! How did you guys celebrate V-Day yesterday? How did you treat yoself or your significant other? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much Love. -Sarah
Guess who’s back? Back again. Lil Red’s back. Tell a friend.
Whatsuppppp guys. Sorry that I’ve been M.I.A. this past weekend, I was and still am extremely under the weather. I have absolutely no clue what’s wrong. 😦 On Friday night I went to an excruciatingly lame party and got a little too white girl wasted. Naturally I woke up with a hella hangover the following morning, but it wouldn’t go away as the day progressed. I was achy, nauseous, and dizzy all day AND unfortunately, I’ve been achy, nauseous, and dizzy all day today. #fml The only good thing about feeling sick is that you have a really valid excuse to lay in bed and watch Netflix all day. Today I indulged in watching over half of season two of The Following and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed season one but never got around to watching the sophomore season. About a week ago I saw somewhere or another that season three will be airing soon, so I thought today would be the perfect day to get myself all caught up. Kevin Bacon and his chiseled features definitely helped me feel a little bit better! Hubba hubba! Prior to this suck ass weekend, I was having a pretty suck ass week. -___- I’ll tell you guys, Lil Red can NOT catch a break! But it’s whatever, because amongst all of the bullshit, I treated myself to a princess day on Thursday. #treatyoself
Mama needed her nails done DESPERATELY, so I decided that I would hit up the salon after my math class on Thursday morning. I got to class, annihilated a quiz, and then sat through more than half of my two hour lecture until I decided to dip out. Yes, I peaced out of my math class to get my nails done – SUE ME FOR IT! I haven’t said too much about my college classes lately, because they’re all going pretty average so far – BUT, I will tell you that my algebra professor is not my cup of tea. The thing is, is that she seems like such a nice person, but she has one major downfall….she has the worst monotone that I’ve ever heard in my life. Math bores me enough already, so when I have to deal with that on top of listening to a robot lecture the class for an entire two hours I naturally am eager to leave ASAP. So I leave class and take my sassy ass straight to the salon to see my beloved nail tech, Vinny. Vinny has been doing my nails for almost three months now and he is absolutely fantastic. This last visit he spoiled me rotten – he spent TWO hours working on my nails, bought me Starbucks, AND told me he was going to take me to see 50 Shades of Grey on Valentine’s Day! Ha! It felt so amazing to have an entire afternoon of pampering and my nails turned out perfectly, as you can see from the picture below:
So obsessed. Red like my hair and black like my heart. ❤ And here’s a few pics of me and my sweet Vinny, who keeps my nails looking fresh all day every day! #pronails
^^^ Lol, I had to!!!
So there you have it, a quick little update on everyone’s favorite Lil Red before I hit the hay. I promise that I’ll be back in action on the ol’ blog once I’m feeling better this week! Btw, who watched the Grammy’s tonight? What did you guys think of the performances? Who got snubbed out of an award? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah
So last night as I was brainstorming new post ideas for lifewithlilred, it occurred to me that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. As usual, I’ll be single as fuck this Valentine’s Day. This is the twentieth V-Day in a row that I’ll be wining and dining myself, because getting an extra lollipop from this little boy in kindergarten who wanted to be my Valentine doesn’t count. To elaborate further on that, I’m pretty sure I kicked him in the shin and ran away. I’m not going to mention his name, but you know who you are and if you’re reading this – call me! So what do the people who are forever alone on Valentine’s Day do other than sob and eat chocolate from a heart shaped box in bed? Well contrary to popular belief, being single on Valentine’s Day is just as if not MORE stressful than being in a relationship because you have to think of ways to make yourself feel not pathetic all day. So here’s my without fail guide to making myself feel like the only girl in the world on Valentine’s Day, because I’m a strong, independent woman WHO DON’T NEED NO MAN!
Waking Up: Good morning, single lady and happy Valentine’s Day to you! First things first, you need to work up the inner strength to get yourself out of bed. This is a struggle in itself, so take as much time as you need, pray on it if that’s your thing, take it nice and slow and hoist yourself out of bed while whispering “you can do this, you can do this” to yourself. As soon as you’re out of bed, pat yourself on the butt because no one else is gonna do it for you today and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
*V-Day Pro Tip: Make your alarm clock ring tone Beyonce’s single girl anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).
Have A Pep Talk With Yourself: It’s time to get ready for the day, so make your way to the bathroom to take care of your daily beauty routines, be careful not to over exert yourself. Once you’re safely in the bathroom, it’s time to give yourself a Valentine’s Day pep talk. Look yourself dead in the eye in the mirror and repeat after me: “I am single. I am sexy. I will eat as much Taco Bell as I want today. I will get wine drunk and watch Legally Blonde. I don’t need a man to complete me.” Cry, and repeat. Once you’re all hyped up or possibly more depressed, get yourself looking fierce as hell because you have a hot date with yourself for the day.
*V-Day Pro Tip: There’s nothing wrong with listening to “Eye Of The Tiger” as you give yourself your pep talk.
Lunch Time: Alright sassy girl, it’s time for lunch, so make your way to the nearest Taco Bell immediately. Strut your sexy self to the cash register, and flirtatiously tell the cashier that you’ll take one of everything. If you really are ordering one of everything, I commend you for having a stomach and will power that is far greater than my own. If not, proceed with your order. DO NOT feel ashamed at how much you order from TBell, because the beauty of that place is that you can order hella food and no one will ever really think anything of it. It’s such a blessing. Get your food, and enjoy. You deserve it. Savor the glorious artificially cheesy taste and take shots of mild sauce. Feel free to get seconds or thirds, this is YOUR day.
*V-Day Pro Tip: If you flirt hard enough with the Taco Bell cashier, you might get free Cinnamon Twists.
Afternoon Of Sass: My number one rule for Valentine’s Day is and feel free to take notes: Get all of your out and about activities done before the evening. The evening is when the couples come out of their happy relationship nooks and crannies and display their boyfriend/girlfriend status for all to see. And honey, you don’t have to witness that. Anyways, it’s the afternoon, you’re probably still bloated from Taco Bell, but that’s okay. I’m an avid believer in treating yourself no matter what the day, but since you’re your very own hot Valentine’s Day date, you have full permission to go crazy for yourself. Get a manicure AND pedicure, buy that Michael Kors purse you’ve been lusting over for three solid weeks, open a bottle of wine in Giant Eagle and drink the entire thing in one gulp then run away. ANYTHING GOES. This Valentine’s Day I plan on getting some major shopping done in the afternoon and possibly getting my hair dyed at the salon instead of doing it at home. #treatyoself The afternoon is a perfect time to start drinking as well, so throw back a few cosmos and give the death glare to anyone judging you.
*V-Day Pro Tip: Give yourself a spending limit for the day, because two bottles of wine in and online shopping can lead to bankruptcy.
Friendly Reminder: While you’re having your out and about afternoon it’s crucial that you remember to get a few things:
Chick flicks
Wine and/or hard liquor
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
Chinese take out for dinner
*V-Day Pro Tip: Make sure you have an abundance of tissues handy. You’ll thank me later.
#Datenight: Alright my single ladies, it’s time for your evening of solitude. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!! So it’s time to get into your comfiest, coziest pajamas or just get completely naked, whatever makes you happy. This is your day! Prior to your Valentine’s night rendezvous with yourself, I’d recommend getting one of those super soft fleece blankets if you don’t have one already – they’re great to cuddle with! Now is the time to bring everything into bed with you – your dinner, chocolates, alcohol, ice cream, tissues, tampons, and gossip magazines because it’s chick flick time! Legally Blonde is always one of my all time favorites to watch, but other good ones include The Devil Wears Prada, Clueless, or the Jennifer Lopez classic: Gigli. (Please PLEASE know that that was a joke. Do not, I repeat DO NOT watch Gigli.) Avoid romantic movies like The Notebook at all costs and steer towards some feel good female empowerment flicks. You don’t need a Nicholas Sparks movie to remind you further of your singlehood. Crack open the vino, shovel chocolates down your gullet at a rapid speed and enjoy!
*V-Day Pro Tip: You are GORGEOUS and I would date you!!!!
Alright my lovely single ladies, there you have it – my guide to Valentine’s Day! Please know that this post was all made in good humor and that there is nothing wrong with being a single chicka on V-Day or any day!
What are some humorous Valentine’s Day activities that I missed? What’s your favorite single girl activity to do on V-Day? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Friday! -Sarah
Helllooooooo everyone and happy almost weekend!!! I’ve had a really fabulous week doing a bunch of fun stuff that I’d love to share with you guys. Maybe these ideas will give you something fun to do this weekend! Let’s discuss!
Cook Your Favorite Meal: Honestly…this one is just for my own personal enjoyment…but everyone likes food so WHY NOT let it be a group effort? During the week I had a really lovely evening with myself preparing my personal favorite meal. For about six years now my mom has made this absolutely delicious pasta salad. It uses red pepper, red onions, sauteed zucchini, mozzarella cheese, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. (You can also add herbs of your choosing and spinach if you’d like!) I could eat this salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…well maybe not breakfast…but it’s THAT good…so breakfast? Sure, why not?! I used to really love cooking and I’m not really sure why I ever stopped. (Maybe because my mom’s food is so good! 😉 ) I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making my favorite dish for a change, and I’m so glad I did! I really enjoyed just hanging out with myself, playing some music, and preparing a meal that I know my entire family enjoys. And guess what?! It turned out great! You know how food that you make on your own somehow always tastes better than when other people cook it? That’s exactly the experience I had when I tried out my rendition of my beloved pasta salad. My dad told me that I’ll never starve now that I know how to make my favorite dish…and he’s absolutely right! Here’s a pic of how my pasta salad turned out, and if you’d like the recipe, please let me know!
YUM!!!!! ^^^^^^
Make Some Candy: I had a glorious best friend afternoon today with my darling Lea, who you guys know all about! It’s very cold in Akron, Ohio (#REPRESENT) right now. Early this afternoon I heard on the news that it felt like -17 degrees outside. Lea and I were supposed to go sledding this afternoon, but when I heard about this drastic cold I thought “oh hell no!” So we opted for a nice, cozy day indoors cooking up some yummy treats. Once we were armed with Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, we began browsing through Pinterest, our activity destination. After ten minutes of scrolling through pages, we decided on making chocolate truffles. We raided the pantry for the we ingredients needed, then ventured back out in the cold to hit up the grocery story for what we didn’t have. The recipe was very easy to make, literally all you had to do was melt your chocolate and other ingredients together, put the chocolate in the freezer to let it stiffen, and then once the mixture is hard enough you roll them into balls and put whatever topping you would like on them. While our chocolate was melting and stiffening, we played Pentatonixs (or however you spell them), looked up the world’s largest body parts on Google Images, and hung out with Lea’s twin brother Bill. When the chocolates were stiff enough to shape them we had a silly time getting our hands dirty, because the chocolate was still gooey! We used peppermint candy that we crushed with a mallet, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips for the toppings on our truffles. They turned out so yummy! You can’t do much to mess up chocolate! 😉 Here’s a picture of us with our finished product! We’re just a bunch of regular ol’ chocolateers!
Once again…YUM!!!! ^^^
Go See Unbroken: This week I had a lovely date night with my other partner in crime, Kate, who you guys also know all about! We went to see Unbroken, which tells the courageous tale of Louis Zamperini as directed by the stunning and gorgeous Angelina Jolie. In the film we see Zamperini, the Olympic track star survive a plane crash in World War II. Unfortunately he doesn’t land to safety in the crash and ends up stranded at sea with two other soldiers. (One of them happens to be Finn Wittrock, who plays Dandy on American Horror Story: Freak Show!) The sailing in the emergency rafts are anything but smooth, and our heroes end up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and eventually concentration camps. Zamperini suffers under the hands of a sadistic camp leader, which are some particularly difficult scenes to watch. However, the story tells an amazing tale. The screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen was fantastic and the cinematography and sound effects in the film were truly awe inspiring. Not to mention my dream woman, Miss Jolie directed the film to perfection. The movie is quite long so I’d recommend peeing a lot before hand. Most importantly, the film really covers some heavy and disturbing issues which might not be suitable for everyone. Fun fact for ya, a man from Stow, Ohio had a few lines in Unbroken, which is a hop, skip, and a jump from where I’m at. So way to represent, Ohio, brother man!! If you’re looking for a powerful and extremely well made movie to go to this weekend, I can’t recommend seeing Unbroken enough!
Listen To Cayucas: I know, I know so typically PacSun-y of me, BUT I CAN’T HELP IT! I love these guys! They’re seriously so beachy fun and I just can’t even. My absolute favorite thing to do is play these guys while I’m taking a bubble bath or shower, because they make me feel like I’m just chilling on the beach with my little toesies in the sand. I’ve never been to the beach before (Lake Erie doesn’t count!) but this group of surfer dudes helps me make believe that I’m there. All of their songs off of their album “Bigfoot” are crowd pleasers, but my particular favorite song is “High School Lover”….and YES we did play it at PacSun, ha! This track is very fun though. It definitely will make you think about that one guy or gal in high school that you wanted to be with so desperately or maybe was the one who got away. A charming sentiment set to a soft surfer rock vibe? It’s a win win. (Soft surfer rock?…I believe I just created my own music genre right there!) 😉
Have A Facial Night: Earlier this week, my sister asked me to give her one of my famous around the house facials, which I happily obliged to. After working at The Body Shop, I developed a love for skincare that will last me a lifetime. Here’s my tried and true step by step guide on how to give a fabulous facial to yourself or a friend:
Remove any facial makeup with one of those terrific cleansing wipes from your brand of choice.
Wet the skin with lukewarm water and if you have a clay, honey and oat, warming ginger, blue corn, or any mask in particular that you like to use, apply and let it sit for the amount of time instructed.
Now it’s time to use a cleanser. If you have a bristle brush, I highly recommend using one of these to give your pores an even deeper clean. If you don’t have a brush, make sure you use circular motions with your hands while using your cleanser.
I like to finish the facial treatment with a scrub. If you happen to use a soft buffer pad I would recommend using a rough, gritty scrub. And if you’re a fan of a more cream based scrub I would opt for an exfoliating loofah pad.
(Apply a toner if you’d like. But I never do.)
After your skin is nice and squeaky clean apply any acne topical treatment you use if needed and a moisturizer.
All of those steps listed above may seem like a lot for the skin to handle all at once, but you have the Lil Red Guarantee that all it can do is help if you use these tips every once in a blue moon! Facials scream “girls night” to me, so plan a fun night of pampering and break out the wine, chocolate, and chick flicks!
Treat Yoself: Annnnnd if you’re looking for a few fun treats to pamper yourself with, here’s a few products from The Body Shop that I’ve been obsessed with lately, which can be found in stores and online at http://www.thebodyshop.com!
Items shown from top to bottom:
Smooth and Renew Loofah Pads
Vitamin C Midrodermabrasion
Warming Mineral Mask
Glazed Apple Bath Jelly
Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt
So there you have it, my Little Red Recommends segment for the week! What are your weekend plans? What did you think about Unbroken? What band should I check out next? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great weekend! -Sarah
Hello all and happy Friday!!!! It’s time for the annual Lil Red Recommends post for the week, so here we go!
Read Before I Go To Sleep: Seriously. Do it. This book is honestly so much better than Gone Girl. In this novel we follow Christine, a forty-seven year old woman with severe amnesia. Her case is unique though, because her memory disappears as soon as she wakes up from a nights sleep. We join her in her quest to regain her memory and learn about her dark and troubled past. This book is such a page turner. I’m more than halfway through and I still can’t draw any conclusions on how the ending will turn out. I’m particularly excited to finish the book so I can see the movie which is out in theaters with my mom. The fabulous Nicole Kidman plays Christine and the DREAM BOAT Colin Firth plays her husband, Ben. If you liked reading Gone Girl, you’re going to LOVE Before I Go To Sleep.
Listen to Courtney Barnett: I absolutely ADORE this chick. We played a few of her songs at PacSun and I had always semi enjoyed them but it was once I started playing her outside of work that I fell in love. Her lyrics are so quirky and cool, IE: “The yard is full of hard rubbish it’s a mess and
I guess the neighbors must think we run a meth lab” from Avant Gardener. There’s so many times when I’m listening through her charming EP “A Sea Of Split Peas” where I laugh to myself and think “what did she just say?!” Her sound is extremely unique as well, it’s fairly folksy but it’s her voice that really does it for me. She has this ability to make her voice sound like it’s droning on for eternity which sounds unpleasant but it’s actually quite amazing. Her monotonous vocals allow you to hear every aspect of the story she’s trying to tell in each of her songs.
Make a to do list: I’ve grown SO fond of making to do lists since I started college. Usually I prepare my lists for each day the night before, so it’s nice to have everything you need to accomplish that day planned out for you. And let me tell you, there’s nothing better than checking off each thing you’ve completed from your list. It’s so damn fulfilling! My to do lists have taught me how to prioritize and learn better time management skills which is going to be so important once I start delving deeper into my college career. A daily to do list is simple but effective and I can’t recommend making them enough!
Get cozy: So if you read my OOTD: College Kid Edition post, you’ll know that I ended up wearing sweat pants to class and it was life changing. So I encourage all of you to get comfy cozy for the day and do work! Wear your favorite comfort piece and flaunt it like the hot tamale that you are. This could be anything – from your hoodie that you sleep in almost every night to your worn in Hawthorne Heights t-shirt that you still have from high school. Anything is fair game. My college sweat pants experience taught me that there’s nothing wrong with “bummin it” every so often. So I guess I’ll be breaking out my Hawthorne Heights tee pretty soon 😉
^^^ JUDGE ME FOR IT!!!
Stock up on cold weather accessories: I LOVE fall and winter time accessories so very much. I’m talking cute boots, knit scarves, stylish hats, and my personal favorite: fingerless gloves. All of these accessories are the epitome of treating yourself. Nothing adds a little extra oomph to your outfit than a fun new fashion statement. I’m really hoping that I can go to TJMaxx soon to pick out some new cold weather gear. As a matter of fact, my favorite all time pair of fingerless gloves came from TJ’s! There’s a really adorable store in a mall that I like going to called Charming Charlie and they’re full of gorgeous winter accessories. If you don’t have one in your area, here’s their website so you can check them out online! http://www.charmingcharlie.com/
Have a dinner date with a girlfriend: This week I had the most delightful time going out to dinner with my best friend Kate. We went to the Cheesecake Factory which is our favorite place to eat at together. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and the yummy food amongst great company. Enjoying a meal where you don’t have to think about anything but shoving more cheesecake down your throat is my definition of a good time. My recommendation is to incorporate a shopping trip into the dinner date as well! Kate and I usually hit up one of the higher end malls in the Akron/Cleveland, Ohio area which makes for a lovely afternoon trip. And nothing says girl time like a shopping day followed by a dinner date – so fun!
^^ Some of the many delicious desserts offered at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m gaining weight just looking at it!
Listen to Hamilton Leithauser: I’ve been really enjoying listening to this young man’s album “Black Hours” as of late. His voice is just intoxicating to me. It’s the perfect combination of folk and rock and roll. His music was played fairly frequently at PacSun and the song that always stuck out to me every time we played it was “Alexandra”. The opening lyrics of “I don’t have to, I don’t need to – but I’m always thinking of you” are so sweet! It makes me wish that I was this Alexandra that Hamilton is singing about!!! HUBBA HUBBA. 😉
So there you have it! My Lil Red Recommendations for the week! What are you guys up to this weekend? Whatever you’re plans are, I hope you have a great time doing them! And if you have any questions or concerns, leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah
Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :
1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!
2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.
3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.
4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.
5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!
6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.
7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/
8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.
9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!
10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!
So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah
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