Tag Archives: update

May16

Updated Vegetarian Cheesy Gordita Crunches

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Updated Vegetarian Cheesy Gordita Crunches

Hello!! Last year, I began making vegetarian cheesy gordita crunches as an homage to my beloved Taco Bell. It has become a staple in mine and Johnny’s dinner arsenal ever since, which is fine by me because they are so yummy and crazy easy to make. Also, can we talk about how freaking expensive Taco Bell is now? What used to be a constant in my life has quickly become an every once in a while thing because of it. While it saddens me deeply, I have upgraded my at home gordita game quite a bit and truly consider it to be a Taco Bell taste alike. Check it out:

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^^^ Note that Taco Bell doesn’t use sour cream on their gorditas. I love it though and the Daisy sour cream squeeze bottle is perfect for tacos!

Although I miss TBell something fierce, I do find comfort in the fact that some of their products are available in grocery stores like the taco seasoning and Baja sauce. It takes the edge off, but only slightly lol. I have already been using both of these when making my gordita crunches and the real game changer happened when I discovered Old El Paso made nacho cheese shells. My mind was blown during my last curbside order and so was Johnny’s! The nacho cheese cheesy gordita crunch is his go to order at Taco Bell. 🙂

When I made this dish last week, it was definitely the best ever. I love to cook, but I have never made anything that I considered to be even remotely close to a restaurant or fast food chain before. What made it even better was how simple it was to make. This dinner took under a half hour to prepare with minimal work involved. All I did was make the taco meat for Johnny, heat up vegetarian refried beans for me, and melt cheese lol. This is a meal that I am so fine cooking regardless of how busy my day is and the leftovers turn into more easy peasy dinners throughout the week. You can’t beat that!

With some upgraded ingredients, I was able to invoke the taste of Taco Bell from the comfort of my own kitchen. Even if the prices of TBell went down, I will absolutely still be making my taste alike cheesy gordita crunches at home! 😀

Do you have any restaurant or fast food taste alike recipes? What is your favorite dinner to cook? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

 

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Apr29

Better Design Your Family Home With These Tips

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Better Design Your Family Home With These Tips

When it comes to designing a family home, you want to get it just right! There will be many different things that you need to take into consideration, one of them being the safety of your kids. You shouldn’t buy things for your home that are risky to them like breakable vases or sharp corners. If you are looking to design the perfect home for your family, this post will help get you started:

Add Plenty Of Textiles:

A family home won’t feel like home unless you add in some textiles. You should think about including curtains, cushions, and throws in most rooms in a range of materials so you can create a warm and inviting space. Steer clear of natural materials as these can soak up stains and that’s not what you want with children in the house. Try not to add expensive rugs or sentimental soft furnishing in the main rooms where the kids are because no matter how hard you try, something will always get spilled!

Think About The Maintenance:

One of the best ways you can look after your family home is to think about the maintenance that will be needed when you are designing it. For example, if you are adding an AC system, you need to remember that you will need to add AC maintenance to your yearly list of tasks to get done in order to look after your home. The same applies to things such as your outdoor space. Always think about what it will take to look after the features you are adding to your home before you commit to them.

The Ideal Furniture:

Finding furniture for your family home can be difficult. You want it to look great, however, you don’t really want to spend too much on it. As your family gets older, you will be able to upgrade and buy more expensive pieces, but there is no point while the kids are young. The same applies if you also have pets. Try to avoid any jagged edges and lighter colors. Young children are prone to walking into sharp edges and making a mess on light-colored furniture.

Using Non-Slip Mats:

If you have hard floors around your home, then you should really think about adding some non-slip mats. They will help to prevent slipping from your children. They run around a lot so you need to make sure you add some protection for them. If not, hard floors can spell disaster and they could seriously injure themselves. Make sure to try to cover as much of the floor as possible, non-slip mats aren’t overly expensive and they will make sure your kids are kept safe.

Bring In The Sunlight:

You really want to bring in as much sunlight as possible to your home. If you blackout your windows or dress them wrong you could be creating a dark home. Ideally, you want to create a bright and airy space to enjoy. It will not only create a more positive environment but will boost everyone’s moods. With energy prices continuously going up at the moment, letting in natural sunlight will also help to heat up your home. If you struggle to get more light into your home, think about adding blinds where you can control both the privacy and the light coming in. You could also think about changing the type of bulbs you are using so you can get the vitamin D that you need.

Creating More Privacy:

Your home is supposed to be the most private place that you can be. This means that you definitely don’t want anyone to be able to walk past and see inside. Think about adding some trees to your front garden, or even a fence or trellis. You are only going to feel comfortable in your home if it is private so make sure you put the steps in place to ensure that you get the privacy that you and your family need. If you are thinking about planting trees, make sure you use semi-mature trees so you don’t have to wait years for them to give you the privacy that you are looking for. Consider the point above, about letting in more sunlight to your home. You need to ensure that the trees or fences that you are putting in aren’t preventing the natural light from entering your home. It’s about the right balance.

When designing a family home, it is all about the steps you can take to keep your kids safe, cut costs, and keep upkeep and maintenance low key. These tips will all help steer you in the right direction!

Featured Image By: Paige Cody on Unsplash

Mar11

2023 All About Me

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2023 All About Me

Hello!! Your favorite Lil Red blogger has had a very busy past few months. Between bunny parenthood, new jobs, and the kerfuffle of daily life, I am ready for a little break any time now! It has been a while since we have had an updated All About Me post and I figured no better time than the present to talk a bit more in depth about everything happening in Lil Red’s world. Let’s get to it:

Bunny Babies:

Johnny and I have had our Lionhead bunnies, Mel and Penelope, for over four months now and they are thriving! In fact, I would say that they are fully settled to their new lives with us. Melvin is as adventurous as ever and loves to evade his dad by getting under the couch and exploring the non bunny proofed area while he plays video games lol. He is never too quick for his dear old mom, though! Melvin is not quite a year old yet and he is also never too old for an evening cuddle with me. It’s so sweet! ❤

Penelope took a decent amount of time to get acclimated to her new setting and I think that we are finally there. Her favorite activities are eating leafy greens from my hand and chilling out in her go to spot behind the hutch. Pen and Mel both also really enjoy being brushed, which is great as they are long haired and shedding season has been nuts! I was very proud of Penelope because this past week, she explored a few stairs for the first time but was scared to go down. She let me know of her distress by making some noise and allowed me to pick her up and take her back to the floor. Pen still isn’t the biggest fan of Johnny, but she sure loves her mom! 😀

New Job, No Prob:

I have a very entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy both my work as a provider for people with special needs and a writer so much. In the new year, I was really hoping to take my writing work to the next level and that happened on January third. I am currently managing a plethora of social media pages and building websites and businesses with my new boss and it is awesome! Between three jobs, it can be a bit stressful during the work week but I make it work. I am learning so many new things and being able to work from home a lot and hang out with Mel and Pen is such a joy. Eventually, I will decrease my work out in the field but, for now, I am just loving the experience!

Accomplishing Goals:

One of my other goals for the new year was creating a lot more OOTD content for lifewithlilred and I have been very dedicated to it. My sweet blog husband is also most helpful in that regard too! During the work week, I am rarely in the general public and put minimal effort into outfits and makeup. Saturday, however, is a totally different story! On Saturday afternoons, Johnny and I go on an outing for a lunch date, errands, or a visit at his or my parents and end up taking OOTD pictures some time in between. Johnny is always so accommodating and Saturday has definitely become our designated picture day. This setup has worked wonderfully and I look forward to our date days every week. ❤

Birthday Extravaganza:

Starting on March 7th and ending on June 7th, Johnny and I have lots to celebrate. In three months, there are seven birthdays in my family and mine and Johnny’s second wedding anniversary. I love this time of the year because I LOVE shopping for birthday presents and taking part in someone’s special day. I am also very excited for mine and Johnny’s second birthaversary jubilee and cannot wait to put together another get together to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary in one mega event!

Nothing Too Exciting:

As I have been working three very involved jobs for the past three months and Johnny is in a constant state of tired from his demanding job, we haven’t been doing much of anything. Part of it is the weather and part of it is exhaustion! That’s okay, though, because we rally around this time of the year when the sun starts setting later. We might not do anything during the work week but we do end up staying up later than our normal seven PM bedtime and that’s good enough for me. We are thinking of doing a few weekend trips this summer and it will be so nice to have a getaway of our own considering we haven’t even had a honeymoon yet. All in good time!

As busy as these past few months have been, I will never be too busy to post daily on lifewithlilred or get my nails done. Peep those tomorrow and keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

What is new in your world? Is anything exciting coming up for you soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb20

Surprise Vacation

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Surprise Vacation

Hello!! After writing about my desire to achieve a better work/life balance, I had the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. However, it wasn’t for a great reason. Unfortunately, my parents tested positive for Covid last Tuesday and I genuinely have no idea where they got it from. Thankfully, both of their symptoms were quite mild and they are on the up and up!

Usually, I am at my parents house almost every day of the week for work or just hanging out. Of course, that wasn’t a possibility while my parents were sick and I miss them and my brother terribly! The first day I couldn’t come over, I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself and the free time that fell in my lap. I felt bad all week that I was lounging in the comfort of my home but I also knew that there was nothing else to be done until there were negative tests all around.

During my Surprise Vacation, I caught up on my sleep a lot. Since the beginning of the new year, I have been waking up between 4:45 and 5 every morning to take care of the bunnies, get myself ready for work, work from home, then go to my other job. It was exhausting but necessary, especially as I started a new online gig. During my break, I was able to sleep in until… Drum roll, please… SIX O’CLOCK and it was awesome! I didn’t know how much I needed that extra sleep until I actually got it and it was just what I needed to rejuvenate myself. The extra sleeping in sessions also made it much easier to get up early again when I had morning clients.

I got a lot of work done online during my staycation and I also had time for extra cleaning, cooking, and enjoying some TV time before Johnny returned from work. You already know I watched lots of Hoarders while Melvin and Penelope romped around their bunny-proofed area. I also binged the first half of the new season of You in one afternoon flat. I can’t remember the last time I was able to do that and it felt so good to have a binge-watching session with a show just for me. Also, can we please talk about how freaking crazy that show is? Lol freaking Joe Goldberg, dude.

As wonderful as my mini work vaca was, I was ready for it to be over each day because I missed being able to hug my parents and brother. I can’t wait for negative tests so I can get back to my normal schedule feeling as refreshed as I have been in weeks!

How do you relax during time off? What did you think of the new season of You? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb12

Lil Red Says: Check This Out!

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Lil Red Says: Check This Out!

Hello!! Way back in January of 2016, lifewithlilred had been up for a year and a half and opportunities for collaborations and money making were non-existent. So, you could imagine my surprise when the amazing fashion designer, Sujata Gazder, offered me my first go at guest blogging. The goal was to create a modern and edgy look with one of Sujata’s gorgeous wedding dresses and it was so much fun! After the post was published, Sujata and I remained friends across social media and would check in with each other from time to time.

For over seven years, I have enjoyed ogling all of Sujata’s extraordinary designs and am constantly blown away by her talent. I feel so lucky that we kept in touch after our paths crossed and I will always be cheering her on from afar! This past week, Sujata’s official brand website launched and I just had to share it with all of you. You can visit her page here and be sure to enter your email for the newsletter and alerts to receive ten percent off of your first order.

Not only can you browse Sujata’s jaw dropping collections but you will also be able to shop skin care too! The skin care line is the latest endeavor in the Gazder empire and it looks simply divine. I am currently daydreaming about the body bar and cannot wait to use it. Do be sure to keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for a review of that and more updates on Sujata as they come up. I think you will be seeing a lot of her on my page in the near future! ❤

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Yet again, I find myself so thankful to lifewithlilred for introducing me to an entire world of new friends. I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Sujata again at the place where our friendship began: Right here!

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Do you have any close friends that you made on your page? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan18

How To Make Mealtimes More Exciting

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How To Make Mealtimes More Exciting

Eating delicious food is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Mealtimes are about so much more than simply providing your body with the fuel it needs to function. Preparing and eating food should provide a feast for your senses and social activity to enjoy with friends and family. However, every once in a while, you may fall out of love with food. When mealtimes become tiresome, it can be hard to feel enthusiastic about what is on your plate. If mealtimes were once the highlight of your day but now leave you feeling blah, you should make some changes. Take a look at these ideas to help make mealtimes more exciting;

Try Food From Around the World:

When food becomes boring and you no longer look forward to what’s on your plate, it’a time to shake things up. Trying different cuisine from around the world is an excellent way to regain your enthusiasm for food. Sampling flavors that are entirely new to you is guaranteed to reawaken your taste buds. If you don’t feel like cooking from scratch, you could try the best frozen Chinese food for some new flavors without needing to get creative in the kitchen yourself. Once you find a new cuisine you like, why not continue to sample dishes from that region to continue your food journey.

Put Your Cooking Skills to the Test:

Sometimes, getting back into the kitchen and cooking up a storm is the best way to rekindle your love of food. Experimenting with different flavors and ingredients will liven up your meals and make everyday food far more interesting. Adding an exciting twist to recipes you make all of the time is another way to add interest. You can do this by upping the amount of seasoning that you add to the dish or trying it with a different combination of herbs and spices. Changing the accompaniment you usually serve with the recipe is helpful too. A meal that you usually serve with rice could be even better if you try it with pasta, instead.

Get Inspired:

When you feel unenthusiastic about food, it is often helpful to seek extra inspiration. There are lots of ways that you can be inspired by your food choices to make every meal more exciting. Planning a dinner with friends where you each bring a course of the meal to share will help you to enjoy both an evening of great company and delicious food. This will give you the opportunity to sample each other’s cooking and swap recipes.

Take your taste buds on an adventure by shaking up your meals. Your full belly and invigorated palette will thank you!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan13

Renovations That Make A Huge Difference

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Renovations That Make A Huge Difference

Many people choose home renovation for their New Year’s resolution and for good reason. Renovations are beneficial to you and your family both now and later. It enhances your comfort and enjoyment now while increasing your property value when it comes time to sell. Let’s take a look at a few examples of these projects that your family will be happy that you finally stuck with:

Deck Out Your Backyard:

Installing a deck in your backyard is the perfect way to welcome spring. There is so much potential that comes with a deck – patio furniture, raised garden planters, grills, oversized checkers and chess. It will be the perfect place to sip lemonade in the summer and enjoy a hot chocolate on a warm winter’s day. It will turn your backyard into the place to be for garden parties and family get togethers!

Paint It All:

There is truly something to be said for transforming your interior or exterior space through paint alone. Boost your curb appeal with a brightly colored front door and shutters for an instant face lift. Explore color combinations indoors with accent walls, stripes, and filigree. This is your opportunity to show your creative side inside so have fun with it. 😀

New Flooring:

Outdated flooring with newer appliances or furniture in the kitchen and living areas can be an eyesore. Investing in new flooring can make a world of difference and will transform your home from the ground up. Think sleek tiles in the bathroom and kitchen and warm hardwoods in the living and dining rooms. Don’t forget to add throw rugs and runners where appropriate. This will catch your floor up with the rest of the modern furnishings in your home for an amazing update.

Add-Ons:

Add-on rooms through renovation will be a huge boost in your property value and will provide extra space for your family right now. Popular add-on rooms are finishing a basement or attic. Finished basements could include home gyms, game rooms, and storage space. Attic updates could be a book nook, home office, or craft studio. Sun rooms also make a fantastic addition to a home for the perfect space for house plants and morning coffee. These additions could become major selling points when you put your house on the market.

Home renovations are an exciting undertaking that provides long-term benefits. Send your home into 2023 and enjoy your new year in a newly updated space!

Dec9

Stay On Top Of Business Trends With These Tips

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Stay On Top Of Business Trends With These Tips

Successful modern businesses stay up to date with the latest trends so that their offerings truly match what the customer is looking for at the moment. If you want your business to flourish, then, you need to stay on top of the business trends in your niche. Here are a few things that will help you to do just that:

Read more:

It’s a simple point, but if you want to stay on top of trends in your business sector, then you need to read more about it. For example, if you run a retail business, reading the publication at retailmedia.com.au/product/annual-report-retail-world/ will really help you to keep on top of what is going on. Or if you’re in the fashion industry, reading The Business of Fashion will help to keep things up to date. Read blogs, trade magazines, consumer magazines, books, and anything else that you can get your hands on.

Join industry clubs:

Joining industry clubs and associations is a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in your sector. Most industry associations are really good at keeping members informed of the latest changes and current trends at events and in newsletters, so if you sign up and get actively involved, you will always be on par with, or even ahead, of the competition.

Keep tabs on your customers:

If you want to know what trends are up and coming in your business sector, then it makes sense to follow your target audience and see what kinds of things they are posting about on social media. This will indicate what they are interested in now and what they are likely to be interested in in the future. It may also be worth sending out surveys to existing customers to ask them what kinds of changes they would like to see to your products and services because this will also be a strong indicator of what is on-trend too.

Check out the competition:

It is also a really good idea to keep tabs on your competitors and see what they are offering. If several of your competitors have started investing in new technology, for example, then chances are they are doing so for good reason and that technology is likely to become the next big thing.

Invest in the right marketing equipment:

If you want to stay on top of trends in your business sector, investing in the right equipment can help. For example, investing in a camera pedestal will enable you to produce high-quality videos that are up to date with the latest digital trends, while having a dedicated camera operator will ensure smooth and steady footage. You should also look into investing in a reliable drone, which will help you capture content from a wider perspective – something that is becoming increasingly popular with businesses in all industries.

Think towards the future:

It is important when assessing future trends that you do not just think about what will be trendy in the next year or two, but how you can embrace trends, and how they will affect your company in the longer term. Sometimes, a trend is little more than a flash in the pan, and you will waste time and resources following it at the detriment of your long-term success, so be careful and use trends wisely.

Staying on trend will keep your company current and allow you to always have something to offer the customer, so what are you waiting for? Time to start following those trends!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Dec5

5 Ways To Increase Your Home’s Value

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5 Ways To Increase Your Home’s Value

Increasing the value of your home is a great way to improve your financial situation. Whether you are looking to sell your home or just want to increase its value, there are several smart ways that you can do so. Here are five creative and cost-effective ways to increase the value of your home:

Remodel Your Home:

If you are looking for one of the best ways to increase the value of your home, consider investing in a home remodel. A well-executed remodel can add significant value and appeal to your home without breaking the bank. As an added bonus, many remodels will also increase the functionality of your home, making it more comfortable and convenient for you and your family. With guidance and assistance from a team of qualified architects, you can create a home remodel that fits your needs and budget.

Add New Technology:

Smart homes are becoming increasingly popular as more technology becomes available for homeowners. Installing a few pieces of smart technology like security cameras, connected thermostats, and automated lights can give buyers peace of mind when they purchase your home. It’s also an easy way to add some extra convenience; Who doesn’t love having their lights come on automatically when they walk into a room?!

Give Your Home Curb Appeal:

First impressions count! If buyers don’t like what they see from the outside of your house, chances are they won’t even bother coming inside for a look around. Make sure that your lawn is well-manicured and free from debris. Add plants and flowers for color, paint or replace old shutters, doors, and windows, power wash siding, repair broken fences, install new outdoor lighting, and more. These simple fixes can make a big difference in the attractiveness of your home and they won’t cost you much time or money, either.

Update Your Bathroom:

Updating an outdated bathroom is one of the best ways to increase your home’s value quickly and may even be cheaper than you would think. Consider installing new tile, adding a frameless glass shower enclosure, updating your faucets and fixtures, and switching out or refurbishing worn-out cabinetry. These simple updates can dramatically impact your home’s value, leading to much higher offers when it comes time to sell.

Invest In Energy Efficiency:

Investing in energy efficiency measures such as insulated windows and doors, solar panels, high-efficiency water heaters, LED lighting, or efficient HVAC systems can save you money over time while increasing the marketability of your home when it comes time to sell it. Not only will those features make potential buyers feel confident about their purchase, but they will also save them money on their utility bills each month, something every buyer wants!

With these tips, you can boost the value of your home quickly and easily. It will make things better for you and your family now and much better on your wallet later when you are ready to sell!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Nov27

Get Winter Ready With These Ideas

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Get Winter Ready With These Ideas

Winter is nearly here and preparations need to be done to keep you and yours comfy cozy all season long. From wardrobe updates to weatherproofing and everything in between, here are some steps to get you winter ready:

Update Your Wardrobe:

With winter coming you will want to make sure that you are changing into warmer clothes to beat the frigid temps. One of the best things you can do to save money is to go through all of the winter clothes you have, see what still fits and what you would still wear and then get anything you don’t have. With kids in the house and how quickly they grow, they might need a whole new wardrobe as their winter clothes from the previous year may not fit anymore.

Weatherproof Your Home:

Winter brings a lot of harsh weather and in some areas extremely harsh weather. Different weather can have different effects on your home so there are some things you need to add to your to-do list before it sets in. One of the things you will need to do is to clear out the gutters. You will also want to make sure you bleed your radiators, service your boiler, get a furnace tune-up, and check your doors and windows for drafts. You don’t want the cold weather coming in, especially with the rise in heating costs.

Declutter And Organize:

You most likely will have done a spring clean but a winter clean is also something to be done. One of the things you need to do is organize and declutter what you can. A big area to focus on is toys if you have children. With Christmas coming you want to make sure you have somewhere to put all of the new prezzies. Having an organized and clear home can also help your mental health which can often take a downward turn during the winter.

Car Checks:

The bad weather can affect your car too. You can help prevent issues by getting it checked, checking tire pressure, and making sure your heaters work. If there are any other issues, get them sorted so you aren’t stranded in the snow with a car that won’t work. You will also want to make sure your window wipers work properly to make it safe for you to see in bad weather.

Eating Healthy:

Winter and Christmas bring a lot of goodies and treats and with the darker and colder nights coming it is easy to indulge. During the winter, a lot of bugs and illnesses go around so you want to make sure you are filling your body with goodness and nutrients so your body can fight off the bugs effectively. A good way to make sure you are caring for yourself is by incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you are having eggs for breakfast why not add some tomatoes and mushrooms to fill it out? If you are having pasta for dinner, you can add a whole variety of different vegetables or salad to the meal.

Stay Active:

During the winter months, it is very easy to want to be at home more and snuggled up watching TV. A lot of people normally reduce the amount of exercise they do in winter. You don’t have to go to the gym to work out, you can still do it in the comfort of your own home. There are hundreds of thousands of videos online of different workouts for different levels. You can also make use of the sunlight you have in the mornings and go for a walk or run around your local park. Staying active is beneficial for your health and well-being as when you exercise your body gives you a chemical which makes you feel happy, so exercise is great for improving a blah mood too.

Be in a sunny state of mind all winter long with the tips above. Make necessary preparations now to enjoy a stress free holiday season!

Featured Image By: Pexels