Tag Archives: update

May13

What Have We Been Up To?

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What Have We Been Up To?

Hello! Johnny and I have been diligently unpacking away after our big move at the end of April. While that has taken up a majority of our free time, we have still been enjoying ourselves and making time for fun things too. And, yes, part of the fun has shockingly come from the unpacking process itself – which I never thought I would say!

Unpacking:

Actually… Let me rephrase that… It’s not so much the unpacking that’s fun rather than all of the opportunities that come with it. Johnny moved into my apartment so there wasn’t much for us to decide on when it came to furniture placement and decorating together. Now, however, with much more room, it has been nice to come up with our apartment layout as a team.

For example, we have a little nook under our staircase that we decided would be perfect for bookshelves to house our massive collection. When I got home from work, it was a huge surprise because Johnny assembled and filled the new shelves while I was gone. This opened up considerable space having the shelves neatly tucked away and we were able to have a lot more options when it comes to placement of other furniture. It looks so nice!

Another fun part about the unpacking process is that we have a goal in mind: A housewarming/birthaversary party. We can’t wait to welcome friends and family into our new place at the end of the month to celebrate all kinds of big events: Our move, Johnny’s birthday, my birthday, and our one year wedding anniversary. I’m so excited! 😀

Entertainment:

Because of having a functional AC unit in our new apartment, it has become the place to chill both literally and metaphorically. We have been having a blast relaxing in a comfortable climate and watching all kinds of good movies and TV. We are currently binging The Man In The High Castle, which is absolutely EXCELLENT. We have also been enjoying lots of movies including The Imitation Game (One of my faves!), Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones, and Role Models (Both of our faves!).

Of course, this was something that we would have done at our old place regardless of the extreme heat. Actually feeling cold and snuggling up with blankets is a brand new sensation to us, though, and we still can’t get over the novelty of it!

Out & About:

Actual spring weather is finally here with some summer like temps peppered in for good measure. We have been making the most of it with outings in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, at hiking trails with my family, game nights with friends, and meeting our new neighbors. It was easy to stay cuddled up at home with the snowy and rainy days last month. But, there is no excuse now that the weather is nice out and we have been trying to have outings together at least once a week.

It has been an exciting and jam packed few weeks for us and I have been enjoying every minute of it… I’ll enjoy it even more, though, when we are fully unpacked and celebrating at our party!

What have you been up to? What are you currently binge watching? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr12

Be On The Lookout!

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Be On The Lookout!

Hey! Lots of fun stuff is coming out on lifewithlilred including new OOTDs (I’m taking pictures today, I hope!), book club reviews, and I’ll be teaming up with Elite Sports and Born Tough to give some of their products a try. I can’t wait! 😀

Keep it posted with yours truly so you can take a look at all of my essentials in my skate bag when I hit the rink. But, if you can’t wait until then, here is some awesome gear by Elite Sports to check out in the meantime:

I love you all!!! ❤

Apr12

GREAT NEWS!!!

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GREAT NEWS!!!

Howdy!! Almost three years ago to the day, I moved into my first two bedroom one bath apartment. When I first moved in, I truly felt like queen of the castle and had a wonderful space all to myself. Fast forward to September of 2019 and Johnny and I began to date. Hit the fast forward button one more time and he moved in with me during March of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began hitting at full force.

When Johnny moved in, of course, I was so happy but I truly didn’t appreciate how much stuff we both had until he was actually here! We made do for a while and then began toying with the idea of renting a house in our general vicinity. Unfortunately, that was a bust because it is nearly impossible to find a house to rent in our neck of the woods. We filled out so many applications and went to viewings but never got a call back. It was pretty disappointing, to say the least.

After our lack of success with finding a home to rent, we decided it was fine to continue living in tight quarters. But, I am pleased to say that at the end of the month, that will be no longer because we are finally moving into a bigger apartment!! We will still be in the same apartment community as we are now but we will be upgrading to a three bedroom one and a half bath. 😀

We began setting our sights on a bigger apartment in the same community about a month ago and after lots of paperwork and crossing our fingers, we got a call saying that some three bedrooms were available. The following morning, I got to the leasing office as soon as it was open, did a quick viewing of our new digs, and signed for it all in a matter of forty-five minutes.

Our new place is great and it felt like a mansion when I did my walk through. I wish that we could have moved in that day! It’s nice and spacious, which is just what we need. But, to be honest, what I’m most excited for is having a bathroom on both floors lol. I hate having to walk down the stairs in the dark to make it to the bathroom every night. And we all know that turning on the lights is a no no unless you want to lose your tired!

Johnny and I have already been diligently packing away and I hope that the rest of the month flies by so we can get this move started. I can’t wait to decorate and show all of you our new place once we’re settled!

What is your home decor style? Do you have any pro tips on moving? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb27

What Have I Been Up To?

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What Have I Been Up To?

Hi! It has been a while since I’ve filled you all in on the comings and goings of my day to day life and, honestly there’s not been too much! The weather in good ol’ Akron, Ohio has been total crap with heavy snow and rain making outdoor activities few and far between. We actually had a close to sixty degree day earlier this week and then the temperature plummeted again, which was such a cruel tease of spring weather!

With both mine and Johnny’s busy work schedules, we spend a majority of the time during the week at home. However, we do try to have an outing every weekend, which is a nice change of pace from a year ago when we legit weren’t doing anything because of the pandemic. We’ll usually go have a drink at a bar or lunch at a restaurant but our best outing was definitely our evening in Cleveland seeing Jesus Christ Superstar. Other than getting married, this was seriously one of the most exciting things that we have done since the start of the pandemic lol.

The time at home is just fine, though, because Johnny and I have a lot of work to do! As I’ve mentioned before, we are trying to move into a three bedroom apartment soon and need to get our place in tip top shape for a walk through. I am so looking forward to the additional space and it will be great when we are watching our little niece. I can’t wait to have her over for sleepovers filled with our favorite Disney movies and dancing while Johnny plays guitar!

When we’re not cleaning and organizing our space, I have spent a lot of time both cooking and reading. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been able to shake up my dinner menu and it has been a lot of fun! I forgot how much I enjoyed cooking until I began trying new recipes instead of the same old favorites time and again. I have also been trying to finish a book per week and am currently working on Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Keep it posted for a Lil Red’s Book Club review soon. 😀

Obviously, we don’t lead the most thrilling lives at the moment but I love our happy little bubble no matter what. When the weather changes to more moderate temperatures, our activities will pick up once more. Including going ice skating at least twice a month for me. This January, I stopped attending my lessons because the Omnicron variant was skyrocketing in Ohio. I can’t wait to go back once my evenings aren’t filled with cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning.

That’s about it in Lil Red’s world right now and, as always, keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

What have you been up to? Have you done anything exciting recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec21

Renovation Station: Updating Your Bathroom

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Renovation Station: Updating Your Bathroom

Winter is the ideal time to complete home renovation projects. Not many people are keen on venturing out into the cold outdoors, which means you will have plenty of time in your home to work on freshening it up. In today’s post, we are going to talk about the bathroom specifically. Nothing is better than having the old bathroom renovated. We do spend a lot of time in there, after all! Let’s get to it:

Is There A Theme?

The first thing you will want to consider during your throne room renovation is a theme. Do you want it luxurious like a five star hotel? A nautical theme? Or just a no muss no fuss bathroom? Once you have a theme in mind, it will be easier to determine the next steps in your renovation in terms of color palette, appliances, and accessories.

Start From The Ground Up:

When it comes to home renovations, it’s always best to start from the ground up. Consider your flooring. Would you like laminate or tile? Perhaps hardwood? Remember, that no matter the flooring option you choose, you will want to invest in things like soft, absorbent bath mats to place throughout the space. There is nothing worse than walking onto a cold bathroom floor in the middle of the night!

Paint, Please:

The bathroom is, ultimately, a place that should be relaxing. For the walls, you will want to go with a soft, soothing color. Think pale blues, creams, powder pinks, or even earthy tones like green or tan. Loud, brash colors are not conducive to relaxation so save that for rooms with lots of activity like the living room or kitchen.

Appliances:

Unless your toilet, sink, or shower unit is on the fritz, then there is no need to replace your bathroom appliances. A mini makeover will suffice just fine. Rather, put it on a renovation wish list for the time being and save that investment for a rainy day.

Accessories:

Your bathroom should be a comfortable space for your family and guests too. Make sure that your throne room is fully stocked with soft towels, scented candles, and toiletries. It never hurts to have spare toothbrushes, lotion, shower gel, and shampoo tucked away in the cabinet. How many times have you spent a weekend with friends only to find that you left your toothbrush at home?!

Ready, set, renovate! The tips above will help you give your bathroom a mini makeover or a full on remodel for ultimate comfort and relaxation.

Nov12

Fun & (Video) Games: Animal Crossing Update Edition

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Fun & (Video) Games: Animal Crossing Update Edition

Hello! One of my favorite hobbies to help me relax is playing Animal Crossing, which I’m sure you all know because I talk about it enough lol. At the beginning of the pandemic when Johnny was furloughed, he played Animal Crossing so much that he could no longer do it and I have taken over on our island ever since. Unlike my husband, I have yet to grow tired of island living and play every chance I can get – especially since the game just got a huge update!

Us devoted Animal Crossing players have been waiting for this update for months and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. There are so many new things to enjoy from this update and after raving about it to Johnny, he even admitted that he might have to start playing again. Yeah, it’s that good.

The biggest things that helped to bulk up your island experience include Brewster’s Cafe, exploring islands with Kapp’n, an outdoor market at Harv’s Island, all of the gyroids, and cooking recipes in your kitchen. Not only can you cook but you can also grow crops other than pumpkins like potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, wheat, and sugarcane. You can even come up with tasty recipes when you go fishing, which makes catching endless amounts of black bass not completely useless.

What I am most excited about from the update is the outdoor market at Harv’s Island. The property behind his house will feature stands for Leif, Kicks, Jolly Redd, Katrina the fortune teller, and much more. Each stand will cost a steep 100,000 bells to activate and, sadly, you can only donate once per day so time traveling will be in order if you want all of the stands quickly. Right now, I only have Leif and Katrina but Jolly Redd is definitely next on the agenda so I can continue growing my art collection.

Another cool thing that the Animal Crossing update offers is 9,000 new items to decorate your home and island with. I am especially partial to the new goodies that you can buy with your Nook miles and have already blown almost my entire savings on my purchases. My haul included a Ferris wheel, balloon stand, carnival games, and train to create the ultimate amusement park on my island. This redecorating is going to take a considerable amount of time to do, though, because I have So. Many. Flowers. to dig up. *eye roll*

If you are new to Animal Crossing, then welcome to the party. And, if you are returning after a long hiatus, then welcome back. This update will have you logging into your island again and again just like the good old days before you abandoned your villagers completely! 😀

What is your favorite part of the Animal Crossing update? Which villagers do you have on your island? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct3

The End Of An Era

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The End Of An Era

Hi! For those of you who don’t know, I have been using the same slide up keyboard phone for the past several years and have never owned a smartphone. For taking pictures and using the internet when WiFi is available, I relied on my iPod Touch and never really had a problem with this set up until recently.

When I first moved into my apartment, I could make phone calls and send text messages from anywhere inside. Fast forward to the spring of this year, and slowly but surely I began having lots of trouble doing any basic functions on my phone. It went from not being able to talk on the phone upstairs and mild difficulty sending texts to not being able to make or receive phone calls at all when I was at home.

As you can imagine, this was wildly inconvenient and I had to resort to using my husband’s phone if I had to make a call for work. However, I still held on to my old school phone because, at the end of the day, I freaking loved it. Until last week, that is.

I don’t know what clicked in my head but I finally said “enough is enough” and purchased an iPhone 12. Talk about an upgrade! I have to say that it is so nice to text and talk on the phone freely when I am at home but that wasn’t the main reason for my switcheroo. I’ll be the first to admit that the pictures on my blog weren’t the best and I was sold on getting a new phone for the better camera.

This is my first experience with an iPhone and I am definitely still getting used to it. I miss my little keyboard more than words can say as I don’t like typing on a touch screen. But, the pictures that this phone takes are great and I do love being able to send Bitmojis to Johnny constantly!

^^^ How cute is that?!

My iPhone skyrocketed me into the twenty-first century and it isn’t all that bad. I am excited to be able to take lots of OOTD pictures and selfies on it rather than having to use Johnny’s phone constantly. And, maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll be more comfortable using it by next year lol! 😀

What is your favorite thing about the iPhone? What is an old school piece of technology that you have? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug18

Keep It Posted!

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Keep It Posted!

Hello!!! Things have been super exciting here on lifewithlilred as we quickly approach my 1,000 day writing streak and the fun doesn’t stop there. I am so excited to begin a collaboration with Elite Sports and Born Tough to try out and review their products! Once the testing phase is complete, be on the lookout for an off ice photo shoot in the coolest work out shorts imaginable. In the meantime, be sure to check out their website here: https://www.borntough.com/collections/mens-workout-shirts and here: https://www.elitesports.com/collections/boxing-gloves for more from Elite Sports and Born Tough!

And, as always, keep it locked on lifewithlilred for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

Aug18

*Updated* All About Me

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*Updated* All About Me

Hi! Every day is one step closer to achieving my 1,000 post streak of daily writing and I am so beyond excited! lifewithlilred will also be fast approaching its seven year blogiversary this September, as well, and I thank all of my friends and readers for joining me on this crazy ride. ❤

It has been a while since I have done an All About Me post and I figure there is no better time than the present to do an updated version, especially with all of these big milestones coming up! Some of these fun facts might be old news to my long term readers but that’s okay. 🙂 Let’s get to it:

1 – I got married this summer! Johnny and I tied the knot on June fourth and it was the best day ever. So many people have asked us if being married feels any different and we both always answer with no. Our two year anniversary is on September first and the honeymoon phase has never ended. The only main difference is peppering in “my husband” or “my wife” in conversations, which we are both incredibly fond of. 😀

2 – I work with people with special needs and have been in the field for over seven years. I recently changed up my work schedule and it has given me the opportunity to learn lots of new things, which I am so thankful for. This past month has actually been really busy because I am working on doing my training to become certified in providing job coaching services. I can’t wait to start this new chapter!

3 – My favorite way to spoil myself is with all of the pampering! In the words of Madonna, I am definitely a Material Girl and I live for shopping trips to TJMaxx, going to the nail and hair salon, testing out skin care and bath and body care, and getting new tattoos. I have over fifty tattoos in total and I have a very high pain tolerance so a day at the tattoo parlor qualifies as pampering for me, lol.

4 – I would never consider myself a “couch potato” but I love my evening and Lazy Sunday TV time with Johnny. We have a lot of favorite shows which includes Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Impractical Jokers, Law & Order, and The Last Kingdom. I am also a huge anime fan thanks to the recommendations from my brother and am currently watching Black Clover. I also love Demon Slayer, The Promised Neverland, Parasyte, and Castlevania.

5 – Since I changed things up at work, my mental health has improved twentyfold and I have really been enjoying cooking again. I have been having so much fun cooking dinner several times a week and love trying out new recipes so if anyone has any favorite vegetarian dishes, send them my way!

6 – Other than cooking, my favorite hobbies include: Reading, learning new languages, playing video games, and figure skating. I was a competitive figure skater back in the day and had just started getting back into it before the pandemic. I even bought new skates! I miss my weekly skate sessions dearly and plan on returning to the rink once I finish up the training for my new job.

7 – Although I love going out and about with Johnny and seeing his band play, I love our weekend at home date nights the best. If we don’t have anything going on, we will usually spend either Friday or Saturday night staying up late, playing video or board games, and listening to music. We each take turns playing our favorite songs and it’s so much fun to sing along and dance with him. In the future, we would like to do some ballroom dance classes and I can’t wait!

8 – My guilty pleasure would definitely be reality TV. I live for America’s Next Top Model, Dancing With The Stars, and literally anything on TLC. My 600 Lb. Life will always and forever be my favorite and Doctor Now is my best friend in my head. ❤

9 – I have had the same slide up keyboard phone for years and have prided myself on never having a smartphone. Unfortunately, my Old Faithful has been on the fritz in terms of getting reception so an upgrade to a smartphone is becoming inevitable. I can’t say that I’m thrilled about it but I am excited to have a good camera for blog pictures!

10 – I used to be a really big coffee drinker but after an oral surgery gone wrong, I lost my taste for it. Now, my mornings would not be complete without a can (or two) of Diet Coke. In fact, I’m drinking it right now. 😀

So there you have it, ten Lil Red fun facts! Once again, many thanks to each and every one of you who continue to get to know me better every day. ❤

What are some fun facts about you? What are your favorite things? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug11

Fun & Games: It’s A Snap Pt. 2

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Fun & Games: It’s A Snap Pt. 2

Hi!!! Johnny and I love to play video games together and I look forward to every weekend when we stay up late, play games, and listen to music. One of my favorite recent releases for the Nintendo Switch is, easily, Pokemon Snap and I have been loving it since it came out in April. Despite having played every course in the game too many times to count, I always seem to discover something new and that’s what makes the game so exciting.

While every course to explore in Pokemon Snap is insanely fun, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for an update of the game every day since Johnny and I beat the main story line. And, finally, on August third my thoughts and prayers were answered with an update that made the game feel brand new again. With more settings to explore, more Pokemon, and new features to the Neo-One this update was everything I wanted it to be AND MORE.

Johnny and I spent a solid two hours this past Friday evening playing the new levels which includes a day and nighttime course of a rushing river, a desert setting, and my favorite: The inside of a tree trunk! That’s right, the Neo-One can now shrink into the size of a toy car making all of the Pokemon huge and providing for amazing photo ops. This allowed me to get new pictures of old Pokemon – some of which were four star (a-thank you!) – and update my Pokedex with brand new Pokemon like Shroomish and the adorable Foongus. 😀

The inside of the tree in the Florio Nature Park definitely took the cake for me and Johnny was partial to the river. We both agree that our favorite addition to the game was being able to photograph Psyduck because he is so goofy! Every time we hit him with a fluff fruit we were in stitches!

When I learned that Pokemon Snap would be receiving an update, I assumed a few new Pokemon would be added to levels that already existed. This exceeded what I had in mind completely and all I can think about as I write this is how I want to play some more. All I can say is bravo, brava, and bring on the next update baby!

What is your favorite course in Pokemon Snap? What is your favorite Pokemon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah