Tag Archives: treat yoself

Jan10

Merry Christmas To Me!

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Merry Christmas To Me!

Hello!! I absolutely loved completing my Christmas shopping this year and the last person on my list was myself. Every Christmas, I like to treat myself to a gift. Whether that be new tattoos or a spot of online shopping, it’s something I really look forward to each year. For my prezzie this year, I knew exactly what I wanted: The completed set of the Preacher graphic novels. This past week, they finally arrived in the mail and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into them:

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I am an avid fan of graphic novels and the Preacher series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is one of my all time favorites. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to find Volumes Two through Four while shopping at a discount store with one of my clients. It drove me crazy to not have Volume One, but I held strong until Christmas knowing that I could purchase the remainder of the series with gift cards. I was ecstatic when I placed the order because it felt good to spoil myself with something I coveted and I was eager to start reading again.

I don’t have much mental capacity for books anymore and graphic novels are my compromise to that. It has been a while since I read Preacher in its entirety and it’s nice to know that I have each volume at my disposal to work away at. The plot is so exciting, the artwork is insane, and Johnny even told me we could start watching the Preacher TV series again once I am all done reading my completed omnibus. We watched some of it when we first starting dating then fell off the wagon so it’s like a bonus gift! 😀

A surprise for myself was the perfect way to wrap up this holiday season and I can’t wait to share the amazingness that is Preacher with all of you on the next edition of Lil Red’s Book Club!

Did you buy any holiday gifts for yourself? What are you currently reading? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan9

New Lavender & Plum Nails

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New Lavender & Plum Nails

Hello!! My beloved salon, Elysian Nails, takes a well deserved week long break during the first week of the New Year. I am so happy that they do that because all of the techs work incredibly hard and are incredibly skilled. I could not imagine how exhausted they all are after the big holiday rush! I have to admit, I was very excited for the salon to reopen because mama needed a fill and I was able to get a spot with my go to girl on Tuesday. This made for five weeks in between my last fill and I was surprised at how good my nails were looking until my tech took a better look lol. After some repairs for almost popped off nails, shaping, and sharpening, my talons are back to their former glory. Check it out:

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I’m not sure why, but I was in a very purple mood for my nail polish selection. It probably has to do with the fact that I was with my niece this weekend and she always let’s it be known that purple is her favorite color lol. I was in a rush to get to my appointment so with no time to consider other options, purple it was! I went for a pretty, deep plum that is oh so chic for winter and rather than fiddle around with a compatible combo color, I went with more purple! I thought it would look nice to do a dark and light variation with the plum and lavender. And, I hate to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT because I love it!

Once my old polish was off, my tech was properly able to assess the damage of five weeks sans fill. I couldn’t believe how loose three of the acrylics were because they still felt so sturdy to me. A true testament to how amazing she is! As quickly as the worn nails were off, three new ones were placed in what felt like no time at all. Even with this extra step on top of all of the detail work my tech does to keep my stilettos on point, I STILL made it to work on time. My appointments are kind of a mad dash and my tech knows I am in between shifts. No problem with my nails is ever too big to not be handled and I have yet to be back to work late. Once again, I am in the best, most skilled, capable, and speedy hands to boot. ❤

A full set is next on my agenda at Elysian Nails and I am so looking forward to a lengthier, evening appointment so that I can sit back, relax, and enjoy. This fill was an excellent way to treat myself now that it’s back to the grind after the holidays, though!

What are your favorite colors for the winter? How often do you get your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov26

Middle Class Fancy Date Night

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Middle Class Fancy Date Night

Hello!!! While driving home from a particularly long day last Monday, I was already looking forward to the weekend lol. Of course, I was eager to relax but I also wanted to do something fun with Johnny. So, I decided on treating us to a Middle Class Fancy Date Night. I also knew exactly where I wanted to go because I had been craving it something fierce: the Olive Garden! Johnny and I haven’t been there since my thirtieth birthday and the Fettuccine Alfredo was calling my name. As soon as I got home, I announced the Friday night plan and we were excited for it the whole week. We had the best time, even if this picture of Johnny makes you think otherwise:

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There are countless amazing restaurants in our general vicinity that aren’t part of a chain and that’s fantastic. However, Middle Class Fancy nights are all about embracing the chains and we both have our preferred spots. Johnny loves Outback Steakhouse and the Olive Garden is never not far from my mind. A vegetarian can never go wrong with pasta! After work on Friday, we both took a half hour or so to get spruced up and then we made our way to the OG on a rainy afternoon. Despite the weather, it was all sunshine and rainbows in my world because we come alive during date night!

For our meal, we ordered our old standbys: Fettuccine Alfredo for me and the same for Johnny except with chicken. We gorged on our pasta, soup, and bread sticks and sipped on tasty cocktails. The entire time we were at dinner, we chatted away and at some points were in hysterics laughing in our cozy corner booth. This is exactly why I love date night – being in any date style setting with Johnny forever will bring me back to our first date. That feeling that we could talk and laugh until it was time for the restaurant to close and wanting the night to last forever.

After we finished our delicious meal, we had one final stop to make before we could retire home to get comfy: The Exchange. Johnny’s pay day treat to himself is a couple of new records so this was a necessity. He selected a few for himself and then surprised me with a record for my minuscule collection: Rio by Duran Duran. I am an avid Duran Duran fan and as soon as I pointed the record out to Johnny, he plucked it from the shelf and added it to the “To Buy” pile. It was the sweetest! With records in tow, we headed back home to listen to all of them, play games, and revel in a perfect Middle Class Fancy Date Night. ❤

It has been a while since Johnny and I had a night on the town together and this was our reminder that we need to do it way more often. I can’t wait to start incorporating more date nights into our schedule because there really is no better way to wrap up the week!

What is your perfect date night? What is your favorite chain restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov18

Funko Pop Albums

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Funko Pop Albums

Hello! A few weekends ago I went with Johnny and my brother to Akron Comicon and a wonderful time was had by all. It is a tradition of ours and we look forward to it every year. It was so much fun to see all of the vendors, cosplayers, and D-list celebrities and we all walked away with a little something something for ourselves too. I recently learned of the Funko Pop Albums collection when I purchased a Britney Spears one for my sister earlier that week. There were plenty of them at Comicon too and Johnny and I simply had to get these to display by our record player:

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When I saw the Albums Funkos being peddled, I immediately locked eyes on Alice Cooper. Johnny and I are huge, avid fans of his. In fact, we plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl for next Halloween! I honestly don’t think we have ever come down from the joy of seeing him in concert a few months back so the Welcome To My Nightmare Funko was as good as ours. It looks perfect in our record corner where we frequently play his vinyls. And, if you haven’t seen the 1975 TV special that Alice Cooper did with Vincent Price called The Nightmare – watch it and thank me later. It is one of mine and Johnny’s favorite things in the world and we quote it constantly.

What Johnny was drawn to wasn’t Alice Cooper but Angus Young. Highway To Hell by AC/DC is one of his desert island record choices and also features his favorite form of Angus: Lil Devil lol. We got the biggest kick out of the little Funko in his likeness! Johnny dressed up as Angus Young during our very first Halloween together as a couple and it sounds silly but this Funko makes me highly sentimental. His band at the time was playing a Halloween show and I will never forget Johnny in his schoolboy getup duck walking across the stage! All Halloweens are my favorite, but that one holds an extra special place in my heart. ❤

Alice Cooper, Angus Young, and Funko Albums – oh my! We absolutely love the newest additions to our knick knack shelves!

Do you collect anything? What are some of your desert island albums? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov9

New Burnt Orange & Tiffany Blue Nails

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New Burnt Orange & Tiffany Blue Nails

Howdy!! This past Tuesday I enjoyed my monthly break time fill appointment at Elysian Nails. While I absolutely loved my pink and purple nails for my Candy Queen Halloween costume, I was definitely ready to add some fall colors to the mix – especially after getting my hair darkened up for the season. I had a few ideas in my head of what I might like to have for a fall palette. Oddly enough, it was a combination that I live for in the summer… but with a twist, of course! Check it out:

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As soon as the warm weather hits, I instantly want bright blue and orange nails. There is just something about that combo that hits different and it screams fun in the sun. As I contemplated fall nails, I thought about how I wanted something that strayed from the traditional autumnal hues of gold, burgundy, and deep purple. So, I took my go to summer palette and turned it fall. My original plan was to use burnt orange and a deep teal or turquoise. However, none of the shades of blue at the nail polish wall along those parameters spoke to me. In fact, none of the orange ones were either.

When I didn’t have immediate luck, I almost pivoted to an orange and purple motif but that felt too much like Halloween. So, I kept on digging for what I really wanted and ended up finding the perfect shade of burnt orange. The blue hue I was looking for continued to evade me so I threw my hands up, selected a Tiffany blue, and made my way to my tech’s station. My nails were back to their former glory after being expertly repaired, shaped, and sharpened. I still wasn’t sure how the colors were going to turn out, but at least my stilettos were on point!

Happily, these summer inspired fall nails came out even better than I could have hoped. I was slightly worried when the burnt orange applied way darker than what was seen in the bottle. This ended up working out though because the blue was much lighter than what I planned for and added some brightness to the burnt. Now, if only I could find a sweater in that burnt orange shade because I am obsessed!

What are your nails and hair like for the holidays? What is your favorite fall color? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct5

New Light Pink & Purple Shimmer Nails

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New Light Pink & Purple Shimmer Nails

Hi! I live for my monthly break time fills at Elysian Nails and had an appointment this past Tuesday. I am also getting my hair done later this month so LOOK OUT because your girl is about to be feeling her goddamn self. During Treat Day with my niece, I asked her what colors I should get my nails and she suggested pink and purple. She read my mind because that’s exactly what I planned on doing! Check it out:

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I’m not sure if I mentioned what mine and Johnny’s Halloween costumes are so if I did, sorry for repeating myself lol. He is going to be Lord Licorice and I will be a Candy Queen inspired by Candyland. It is going to be cute as can be and I am SO excited to order my costume! As you might have guessed, what I picked out primarily features pink and purple so I needed nails to match the vibe. When I approached the nail polish wall, I found two perfect shades of shimmery pink and purple sitting side by side. It was like they were waiting just for me! 😀

As per ushe, my tech did a bang up job and exceeded her former personal best on my nails. She was done in one hour flat and that provided me with the time to actually sit and wait for my nails to dry, run an errand, and still get to work on time. It was absolutely amazing! Boy, did the hour fly by too. We spent the entire sesh gabbing about the Monsters series on Netflix as we both had recently binged the two seasons. Like everything about this appointment, it was exactly what I needed because I really wanted to talk about the show with someone. That ish was CRAZY. 😮

My nails are fully prepped for Halloween and my hair is next. I can’t wait for all of you (and myself) to see the end result!

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

Oct1

Halloween Haul

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Halloween Haul

Hello!!! In my neck of the woods, Marc’s is a beloved staple. It is a discount grocery store (with lots of random odds and ends) and my family visits it fairly frequently. Around this time of the year, all kinds of Halloween goodies find a home in their “closeout aisle” (that features said random odds and ends). As soon as this happens, my dad always notifies me so I can get first dibs and it never fails to leave me feeling #blessed lol. This past week, I made a Marc’s run to see if there was anything noteworthy and there sure was! I am officially done with my Halloween (all year round) decor shopping from this fun haul. Check it out:

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Surprisingly, the first thing I clocked on the shelves wasn’t any of the bigger treats. It was actually the teeny tiny salt and pepper shaker shaped like The Count from Sesame Street. I literally clutched my pearls when I saw it because I knew Johnny would love it. In his youth, one of the Halloween costumes his mom made for him was of The Count, his favorite character. He looks back on all of the costumes crafted by his mom most fondly and he couldn’t believe my fifty cent find. Unfortunately, it was the only one left so a set wasn’t possible, but I think this lone shaker was meant to find a place on our spooky shelves!

I also added a few tiny treat yoselfs to the mix too. I have desperately needed a new travel tumbler so I can sip on water throughout the day. All of mine are too small and constantly need refilling which is inconvenient, but I never cared to spend an arm and a leg on a new one because they can be rather expensive. I scored the ghost adorned tumbler for three bucks and it is the perfect size and matches all my spooky vibes. The jack-o-lantern tights were also a three dollar addition and I am obsessed. I have seen this design of tights before and never bought them for myself so I can’t wait to break them out with skater skirts this season.

After going through the smaller odds and ends of the closeout aisle, I browsed through the bigger pieces of decor. There, I walked away with the most adorable light up vampire and a walking and light up turtle skeleton. Yes, these were partially for Johnny and I BUT I knew our eldest niece would be delighted by them. She is a huge fan of our Halloween decor and Halloween in general and we are so unbelievably happy for it. I know for a fact that she will want to use the vampire as a nightlight during our next slumber party and will, without a doubt in my mind, make the skele-turtle chase her Uncle Johnny! We have instilled a love for Halloween in her since she has been born and it is the absolute best to share in the season with her. ❤

With that, My Halloween shopping is complete and it couldn’t have ended on a cuter note. As always, discount stores for the win!!!!

How are you decorating for Halloween? What is your favorite Halloween candy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Spooky Surprises

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Spooky Surprises

Hello!! Halloween decor reigns supreme in my household all year round and Johnny and I add a few new things every year when the stores shift to spooky season. For the past two years, my contribution were snow globes with a Halloween twist. I really liked the idea of getting one new snow globe per year as a tradition. During our date day, we made a visit to TJMaxx and, unfortunately, their snow globe selection left a lot to be desired. We did, however, find this ultra cool skull that I am obsessed with! Check it out:

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As we made our rounds through spooky decor, everything was pretty picked over. There were a few things that we took note of but nothing worth buying. That is, until the red skull with blinged out devil horns caught my eye. It was the very last one on the shelf and as soon as I saw the ten dollar price tag, it was immediately added to our cart. We are seasoned pros when it comes to Halloween decorations but I had never seen anything quite like this before. This skull is so different from anything we have and its brilliant shade of red speaks sweet nothings to my Lil Red heart. It certainly makes a statement on our many spooky shelves!!

One final little treat I purchased for myself was a pair of Betsey Johnson spiderweb tights. They were expertly placed in the catch all aisle as you are waiting to check out and that really is where TJMaxx gets you! I am a huge fan of all things Betsey and these tights are just what I needed for fall. Literally every pair I have is riddled with holes and while these are holey, they are purposeful lol. Patterned tights are an amazing way to shake up sweater dresses and skater skirts. They also look so edgy and cool when worn under shorts. I cannot wait to break my spiderweb pair out to add some spooky flare to any OOTD. 😀

These Spooky Surprises were the perfect, cost effective little somethings to bring home during our date day shopping trip. The best surprise, though, is the fact that Johnny asked me to go to TJMaxx in the first place!! 🙂

Do you and your partner like to shop together? What are your favorite stores to visit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep24

Date Day!

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Date Day!

Howdy!! These past few weeks have been insanely busy for me and Johnny and by the time the weekends rolled around, we were too wiped out to do much of anything. After a lull in the craziness, I couldn’t wait for this weekend because Johnny and I made plans for a date day on Saturday. Date days are my absolute favorite thing in the world and it was so nice to get dressed up and go out with my main squeeze after a few sedentary weekends in a row. We hit up both of our happy place stores (Can you guess mine?!) and one of our happy place restaurants too. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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On Friday night, Johnny asked one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard… “Can we go to TJMaxx on Saturday?”. It was literal music to my ears and the answer was a resounding YES. A few years ago, Johnny had an amazing haul of spooky themed socks from TJs and was hoping to find more. This is where our date day began and, unfortunately, there were no spooky socks to be found. We did, however, walk away with a few treats for ourselves including a fabulous new addition to our Halloween decor. It is one of my new favorite things so be sure to peep that later!

After a semi successful bout of shopping, we were both famished and made our way to Barrio for lunch next. Barrio is an Ohio thing where you can build your own tacos. The order sheet looks like a test you would take at school when you have to fill in bubbles for your answer, but you never have to worry about getting anything wrong! It is one of our go to restaurants whenever we are in the general vicinity and it never gets old despite the fact that I get the same thing every single time lol. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! We got tacos for there, tacos to go, and obvi had to get a few margs too. Johnny opted for a flight with a bunch of tropical flavors while I went with my usual – lime, on the rocks, salt on the rim. I was in heaven. ❤

To end our date, we went to Johnny’s store selection called The Exchange which is a buy, sell, trade for video games, movies, records, and everything in between. We were on the hunt to further expand Johnny’s already massive record collection and we did so with some Ghost and Alice Cooper. Then, we returned home to watch Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey lol. It was just as ridiculous as it sounds but surprisingly really entertaining. Afterwards, we put our new records to good use as the soundtrack to play Diablo IV to. They set the vibe perfectly!

As always, our Date Day was the best day with the best company. Stay tuned for the OOTD from our little adventure!

What is your ideal date day? What is your favorite local restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep5

New Burnt Orange & Gold Glitter Nails

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New Burnt Orange & Gold Glitter Nails

Howdy!! My break time fill at Elysian Nails is my monthly treat and I always look forward to it. My nail tech and I have this process down to a science and by the time my nails are semi dry, I am able to get to my next shift with a few minutes to spare. Although I love an after work fill, I love going home after work more so it really does work out perfectly. Despite the super speedy session, I always leave the salon feeling as pampered as if I spent hours there. Going back to work with fresh new claws tends to have that effect! Check it out:

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After a stint of ninety plus degree days in good old Akron, Ohio it has blessedly began to feel like fall. The temperatures have been in the seventies and low eighties and even though that’s still warm, the significant drop feels breezy. I am living for it because I have been waiting for fall since it ended last year lol. With crisp days, crunchy leaves, and Halloween heavily on my mind, I wanted to do an autumn hued motif for my nails. There was an ample selection at the nail polish wall that matched my fall aesthetic and all of them had their merits. My first pick was the lovely burnt orange with some shimmer to it. Then, I went for a glittery gold for a dose of bling and to accentuate the shimmer in the orange even more. The end result? Fall leaves with a boost of sparkle!

Normally when I get a fill, there is almost always a repair that needs done for a lift or break. I am pleased to report that this time around, my nails were in top notch condition minus the regrowth. This was an anomaly that my tech and I both noted and we agreed that she must have worked some magic during my last fill. She always does, but it definitely hit different! Because the time consuming task of repairs wasn’t necessary, I was in and out in record time. I even was able to let my nails fully dry at the salon and that rarely happens! I am keeping my fingers crossed that this fill will be just as successful and knowing my tech, I am sure it will be. 😀

I have been feeling so fall and I now have the nails to match. I just have to smile every time I see the sparkly splendor of my new talons!

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