Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! We have another busy weekend ahead. We have 3 softball games, a birthday party for another set of twins, and a massage. Next week is just as busy with the end of the season softball party, a fun modeling shoot, and Memorial Day weekend. And can I mention the amazing weather we have had all week?

Anyways, onto Friday favorites and Happenings.

ONE. Remember how I got the Always Pan from Our Place? Well, I love it so much that when the Perfect Pot released, I knew I wanted it. BUT I always wait for a sale and grabbed it Mother's Day weekend. I got it in the same color as my pan, charcoal, which has a brown tint to it. 

The Perfect Pot comes with the pot, a lid, a spoon with some cut outs on it and a tray for the bottom for steaming and roasting. You can bake in this, roast in it, steam in it and cook just about anything. It is a 5.5 quart capacity as well. 

You treat it the same way you treat the pan. Always let it cool before cleaning it. I use a sponge to clean it as it wipes out so easily. Seriously so easy to use and clean.

Perfect Pot

TWO. Last weekend my mom, sister, my sister's mother-in-law, some friends of my sister and some of their moms all got together for another High Tea. This is the second time we have done high tea in our area and it was just as much fun. 

You get to chose the tea of your choice and this time I chose a strawberry chocolate. It was sooo good. Even better than the lavender vanilla that I chose the first time. They have about 15 teas to chose from in all caffeinated levels. And everyone gets their own tea pot and place setting.

Then we were served four different finger sandwiches: cucumber and dill, egg salad, roast beef with horseradish, and a toast with brie, prosciutto and apples. We also got a cherry scone with clotted cream, lemon curd and raspberry jelly. Then on top was a shortbread cookie, homemade vanilla marshmallow, chocolate covered strawberry and a truffle (carrot cake and rocky road flavors).

I wish we would have gotten a photo of all 8 of us, but we were too busy enjoying each other's company, eating and having tea. So much fun!

THREE. The girls are seriously growing up so fast. My mom and dad got them these dresses from Costco for Mother's Day, but it was too cold to wear them that day. It snowed here and was in the 40s that day. Anyways, they wore them last Sunday and I had to snap a photo before I left for high tea. 

Look how grown up and beautiful they are!

FOUR. This week the girls had a music program with their whole first grade class. I recorded almost every song they did. And fun fact, they sang half their songs in Spanish. Their music teacher said that at their age, they soak in other languages and teaching them some Spanish, especially with songs, helps their vocabulary and helps them retain the languages.

Here are two snaps from after their program.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.    

Father's Day Gifts

 *This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

We were just celebrating Mother's Day and now I am already thinking about Father's Day. Dads are difficult to shop for. Let's be honest. I always have a hard time. I already started shopping for Rory and planning what we are going to do for him. I made dinner reservations and purchased one gift already. I am not sharing it here just in case he reads this post. Not likely, but maybe. And I may even shop my own post later on for another gift to add for him.

Bleu de Chanel Cologne  Rory has this cologne and loves it. He tried it somewhere and had us out buying it that very weekend. I admit, I LOVE this scent too, and I have a sensitive nose.

Apple Watch Band  This isn't something that Rory has, but I think he would like it as he has an Apple Watch and often complains that he can't dress it up. With this band, you could.

Yeti Hopper Soft Cooler  This is another item that Rory doesn't have, but looks so cool. Whether you are tailgating, golfing, camping or backpacking, this would keep your food and drinks cold.

Vuori Kore Shorts  Rory has a lot of Vuori things. I am almost 100% positive that he has these shorts in several colors too. They run true to size as well.

On Cloud 5 Running Shoe  Rory does have this shoe and loves it. He wears it just for daily wear rather than running in, but he says it is very comfortable and stylish.

Moccamaster Coffee Maker  Now I know this is an expensive gift, but we have one and love it. I use it ever single day that I am at home. When I am in the office, I use my Nespresso.

Melin Hydro A-Game Hat  I got this hat for Rory for Christmas or a birthday about a year or two ago. He loves this hat. It floats in the water, is perfect for golf (breathable) and it has a secret compartment inside to put money, a credit card, etc.

Lululemon Commission Pants  Rory does not have these pants, but he does have the ABC pants and loves them. The ABC pants are more golf like (my opinion) and these are everyday wear.

Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Hand Cream  (not an affiliate link, just love) I got this for Rory in his stocking and he loves it. He says it smells good, keeps his hands from being chapped and definitely a favorite of his. He already needs a new one.

LL Bean Men's Hooded Robe  Rory has this one in gray and has had it for years. He loves it. It is heavy, but you can definitely use it during the Spring and Summer. I love that it has a good on it. I have even used it when my robe is in the wash.

What is on your list to get your dad or your spouse?

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! We have another busy weekend ahead of us. Between two softball games, wedding dress shopping (my friend is getting married next June and she is borrowing my veil) high tea with friends and family, and a movie night Sunday with our friends, we have a lot going on.

I have bought a lot of things recently...mostly on sale and wanted to share some of them with you. Some of them are still on sale too.

ONE. My love for Serena and Lily runs deep. I would buy a lot of my household items from there, but they are pricey. I am on the hunt for a certain bath towel from them and that will be my next purchase. 

Anyways, it is getting warmer (starting today) and we need to transition from our flannel sheets and down comforter with a duvet comforter to something lighter. We have been using the same duvet cover minus the down comforter for the Summer months for about 12 years now, and Rory has had this thing for about 15 to 20 years. It was time for a new one.

So I have been looking online and found one that I really like. It is light, bright and feels very beachy/Summery. It is on sale right now and you can get an extra 20% off with the code: GOFORIT.

Serena and Lily Owens Quilt

TWO. I also bought many items from Abercrombie that I shared awhile ago and sadly, all but two were returned. Most of them just didn't fit me. But I was traveling for work and stopped in an Abercrombie store and was able to try on a bunch of things. While I wanted to buy more, I just didn't have a ton of money on my gift card. I ended up returning items and getting it back on a gift card, so I would use it again at Abercrombie.

Here is what I got. I got them on sale for 15% off when I got them, but their sales are constantly changing.

Ribbed Top  |  Linen Top  |  Linen Shorts

So the ribbed top says it is a sleep top, but it was not set out that way at the store. I tried it on with the shorts and it was so cute together. It is a crop top, but since the shorts have a higher rise, you can make it so no skin shows or just a tiny bit. And then white linen top is what "goes" with it. They have two options and this one was so cute and perfect on. And let me tell you about these shorts....they are so comfy. The inside of the pockets is so soft. I got a small ribbed top, medium white linen top and a small linen short.

THREE. So I still love my Kut from the Kloth jeans, but I saw that American Eagle was having a sale on their jeans about a week or two ago and I decided to grab another pair of jeans from them. I have had some of my jeans from AE for years and they were starting to wear out (ie the butt area wasn't shrinking back and staying stretched out and the pocket area was wearing out a bit at the top of the pocket). Anyways, I have been wanting to try out their higher rise jeans. I always get their low rise, and I am constantly pulling them up. 

So I decided to try these out. They have a v cut in the front, so they are very flattering. I am wearing them in this picture below. It was my first time wearing them out. I got them in a 2 long.

AE Ne(x) Level V-Rise Jegging

FOUR. I saw these sandals all over social media and wanted to buy them, but the reviews were so-so. I was in Target killing some time after I dropped Walter off at the emergency vet, so I walked around looking for nothing in particular. But I did find these sandals in store and tried them on. I walked around with one of them on and they truly are comfortable. I tried them on in an 8 and they fit, but the 8 1/2 was just perfect. I just wish I got them in black, but they won't even ship them to my house right now. 

I got them in the tan color and I know they will get a lot of use this Summer.

A New Day Bow Sandals

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.    

Mother's Day Weekend

I want to start this post off by saying thank you to you all. You all are so supportive and gave me so much feedback and advice on what is going on in my life on Monday's post. So thank you!

My Mother's Day weekend was just what I needed. It started on Friday when I got my nails done. I looked on Pinterest for some inspiration and love the way mine turned out.

I also had a Mother's Day cookie date with my girls. Since I can't be in two places at once, my mom came to Sutton's class to enjoy cookies, a song and some fun with the girls.

This is a necklace that Avery made for me. I LOVE it.

These are always my favorite. I love reading what my girls think of me. Ha. This is Sutton's.

This is Avery's. She put her middle name instead of her first name.

Sutton also gave me a handmade card and a painting that she made.

Friday after the girls school, we did Avery's homework and then I got ready for the evening. My mom stayed at the house and then met up with my dad, and took the girls out to dinner and dessert. Rory and I went out for our friend's 35th birthday. I stayed out until 9:15, and Rory stayed out until after midnight. I had to get home to my girls, so my parents could get home to watch my nephew early the next day.

The birthday boy, his wife and Rory and I.

Saturday was pretty uneventful. We had a softball game for the girls which they played soooo well. Then we came home and Walter got himself in a pickle. He was running along our fence line barking at a passing dog, when he landed in the fence post well, flipped over and got a massive splinter in his side. Luckily, it went parallel to his body and not perpendicular. 

We shaved the area, did a warm compress and tried to remove it. The photo above was after removing about an inch or more. We let it be and said we need to get him to the vet on Monday. He wasn't in pain and it didn't seem to bother him.

Sunday was Mother's Day. We all slept in. The girls slept until 9:30. The day before must have worn them out. Then Rory went out and got us coffee and scones. We had those, watched some tv and relaxed as it started to snow. Yes, it snowed on Mother's Day. Most of the day.

I made some grilled cheese for lunch and then the girls gave me more presents. Around noon, we opened a bottle of champagne that I got for my birthday, but never drank. And we used our wedding flutes.

Then Rory took the girls out and I had an at home massage for an hour and a half. It was amazing and soooo needed.

After my massage, I drank a ton of water, relaxed a bit and then got ready for our dinner reservations. Rory and the girls took me to a favorite Italian place that we haven't been to in years. Mostly due to covid. But it was just as amazing as ever and our service was top notch which is truly hard to find these days. 

It was snowing on our way to dinner, so we all had to bundle up.

For dinner we started off with fried artichokes. The girls had homemade linguine marinara and garlic bread. I had a lobster pasta dish that had two full lobster tails, a spicy garlicy tomato sauce and fresh pasta. Rory had veal parmesan that was amazing as well. We ended our meal with tiramisu and espresso gelato. So good. And I am sure I still smell like garlic!

After dinner, we rode the elevator back to our car, but went to the top first so the girls could see the whole city from the top. They loved that!

We came home to relax by the fire and went to bed early. It was the perfect day.

Monday I was on the phone off and on with our vets office about Walter. Turns out that vet offices are so behind and can't get anyone in on emergency visits (even though Walter was in recently for his yearly checkup), so we had to take Walter to the emergency vet hospital. This turned into a 4 hour ordeal for me. And you basically drop off your pet and come back after a phone call. And this was after waiting an hour to be seen. 

It is heartbreaking being there and watching people come in and out of the emergency vet crying. That is not a place you ever want to be in. I am just thankful that Walter's problem wasn't an emergency.

Walter had a checkup and everything was great with him. They were able to remove the splinter (which they gave back to me. It was about 2 inches long and it was wider as it went up.), clean it out and give us an anti-inflammatory and some antibiotics. He is doing better already. But they did shave him up even more. Now let's hope he continues to heal and all is good.

And that was my Mother's Day weekend....spilled out into Monday.

How was your weekend?

Monday Coffee

So last week was a weird week. I went on two mini work trips and it threw me off. I am not used to the traveling and didn't get any posts written, didn't respond to any comments or even read any blogs. I was so busy traveling, working, and then doing my travel claims that I got behind. 

So today is just some randomness. Things that have been on my mind lately. Probably some word vomit.

If we were having coffee together, I would tell you....

...I have shared this with a few people that read here, but not with everyone. And now it is time. At the end of June, I am having a partial hysterectomy. After my last surgery in January to remove the scar tissue, it immediately came back and worse. This time it is invading my uterus and possibly outside of my uterus. We just won't know until they get in there. But my doctor told me the baby that we lost last year just didn't have a cozy environment in my uterus. There was too much scar tissue and now that it is worse, I could try to get it taken out and get pregnant right away, but it still may not stick.

After what we went through last year, I am done. I am keeping my ovaries, so I won't have to be on hormone therapy and I could still do an egg retrieval later on if I decided to have kids again. But I just wouldn't be able to carry said child. They are taking my uterus because that has been the problem and then the tubes as that is the first place that ovarian cancer shows up. The cervix is up in the air for now. 

This has been a tough decision, but one that hopefully leads to a pain free life and no more surgeries. 

...I am loving my Peloton. I have already used it 38 times. I was really hoping that I would get a lot of use out of it and I really have. My husband, not so much. I LOVE taking rides with Denis. He plays a lot of rock, classic rock and some punk rock in there. Another favorite is Bradley. He is from/lives in the UK and he has some pretty fun rides too. A lot of the same types of music as Denis, but Bradley has more punk rock.

...I am so out of sync with traveling. I used to pack efficiently, never forget anything, feel confident in what I packed, how I planned everything out, and now I am lost. As I said, last week I went on two work trip. I kept thinking I was forgetting something, I over packed in some items and then didn't bring my workout gear, so I missed out on a Peloton ride with some co-workers. Ugh. I know with time, I will get back into my groove, but for now, I feel lost. BUT can I just say that I am so thankful to be traveling again?!

...I have been watching This is Us since the beginning. The first season was soooo good. The second season was good too. And then season 3, 4 and 5 were just ok. They progressively got worse. So I wasn't expecting much for season 6. But WOW. This season is so good. I have cried so many times this season already and I fully expect I will cry these last three episodes. I don't want it to end. Why couldn't season 3, 4 and 5 been this good? Are you watching?

...I want to know if you wear a bikini, one piece, tankini or what for swimming. I am 38 and I will be 39 this year. Am I too old to rock a bikini?

...Speaking of surgeries, I need some series to watch when I am at home. It isn't until June 27th, so I have some time to figure out things to watch. But I will be home for 2 week straight, no work, nothing. So send me your favorites.

...I had the best Mother's Day yesterday. I will recap it on Monday, but I wanted to put something here. We celebrated me being a mama and celebrated with my little ladies. And I definitely thought about the little one that we lost last year. I hope however you celebrated yesterday helped your heart heal a little bit too. I know some of you want to be mother's and can't. I know some of you don't want to be mother's at all and that is ok too. And I know some of you have lost your mother's and my heart breaks for you as well. 

...After the last two years, I feel like I am a whole other person. The pandemic really took its toll on everyone. Including me. I am thinking about going to therapy. Just to become a better mom, a better wife and a better friend. I think I have been through a lot in life and need to sort things out. I wouldn't say I am depressed or even sad. But I just want to work on becoming a better me. Do any of you go to therapy? If so, please reach out. I have a few questions for you.

...How do I get my butt back in gear to start reading again? I have so many books available to me, and I keep just passing on them. I love to read, but need to get my reading mojo back.

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and enjoyed a cup of coffee, tea or drink of your choice while reading this.

Wednesday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

So I originally had this post ready for Friday and the one that appeared on Friday to be for today, but I had a deadline that I had to meet and had to change them around. Ugh. But since I had already written both pieces, I still went with them. Just a bit out of order. So you basically get to Favorites posts this week.

ONE. Speaking of softball, the girls have had 3 games now. They should have had four, but one was cancelled due to rain, wind and it being pretty cold. Each game the girls are getting better and better. It amazes me how much they have progressed. 

Here are two snaps from last weekends game.

Sutton (her sister is on 3rd base)

Avery's hit.

TWO. Remember how two weeks ago, I posted that I wanted either Converse or Vans high tops? Well I also mentioned that when we were out shopping for the girls bat (which you can see them using in the above photos), we stopped in Converse and Vans and I tried on both pairs of shoes. The Vans won because they are incredibly comfy and the girls were also getting some (they had a deal going on that day). Rory and the girls got these for me as an early Mother's Day gift.

Vans The Lizzie

I got tons of compliments on these shoes when I wore them out Sunday.

THREE. On Sunday we took the girls to an Aces game. The Aces are the triple A team for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reno Aces were playing the Salt Lake Bees (the LA Angels) and it was a perfect Spring day out. It was 67 degrees out which felt amazing sitting in those stands.

The Reno Aces ended up winning and we had a great time. Here are some snaps from the game:

FOUR. Do you like clean plant based products for your home? I know I do, so when Vanessa from Wiley Body reached out on IG (she lives local to me) to see if we wanted to try out their new line of body lotion and hand/body wash, I jumped at the chance. I love supporting local, I love supporting friends and I love clean products (now I don't always use clean products, but we try to integrate them into our lives more), so I wanted to try them. 

We got these for free, but were not required to post about them, write about them or anything. BUT since I love the products, I am choosing to share them with you all. And no, there is no affiliate link on these.

We received the Grapefruit and Juniper Berry Hand + Body Wash and the Everything Lotion. The girls and I have been using them in our daily lives and love the smell and the feeling. The hand/body wash lathers really well, smells amazing, cleans well and leaves your hands feeling soft and hydrated. The lotion is amazing. I use it daily after getting out of the shower and it keeps me from being flakey all day.

The girls modeled them for me.

Avery modeling the hand soap.

Sutton modeling the everything lotion.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.