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!!! And happy almost December!!! It has been snowing off and on the last two days and I am super excited about it. I hate driving in it, but it is just so beautiful. We have quite a bit on our agenda this weekend, or I do, and I couldn't be happier.

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. We are going Christmas tree cutting today. We have been trying to figure out a time to cut down a tree and it feels like we have no time. So since we get off early on Fridays, we are meeting my in-laws and girls at the ranger station to purchase our tree tag and go out and find a tree!! I hope we find the best one!!!

TWO. While looking at Instagram stories a couple days ago, I came across a DIY Christmas ornaments that I made when I was child. Now I want to make them with my girls. They are the ones that you make, bake and decorate. They would also make the cutest little Christmas presents for family.

I wanted to share the recipe with you all in case you want to make them with your kids.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt

Directions:

1. Add 1 cup of cold water to the flour and salt. Add it slowly and mix.
2. Once it is incorporated, knead your dough for 10 minutes.
3. Let the dough sit for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
5. Roll out your dough and cut out your shapes using your favorite cookie cutters.
6. Poke a hole for a ribbon using a toothpick.
7. Bake for 2 hours.
8. Let them cool down and then decorate.

THREE. This is more of a PSA for people who have dachshunds or dachshund mixes. When we first got Walter, I bought him a gray sweater that we love. It has held up for 6 years, but he really needs a new one. We have bought him about 10 other sweaters over the years and none of them are good. They either unravel after the first wash, unravel after a few days of wear, rub against his legs or are just awful. I wanted to get Walter a new sweater this year and so I searched for sweaters for dachshunds. I found several websites, but decided on the one below. This isn't a sponsored or an affiliate link. I just want to share it with you all in case you have a weenie dog, a mix bread or a dog with a long body.

 Dachshund Sweaters

FOUR. So Monday was Cyber Monday and I went a bit crazy. I bought a ton from Amazon, things from Uniqlo (the best heattech shirts for the girls), new Vans (the best shoes for toddlers since they last through anything), new undies from Hanna Andersson, and a few things from LL Bean for them. Wednesday our packages started arriving. I had 6 packages from Amazon outside my house when we pulled up. Can I just say thank you to Amazon for putting everything in their boxes because I don't want my girls seeing that they are getting new bikes with training wheels and those are huge boxes that I was hoping would be in a discreet Amazon box (they were!). 

But I feel like I need that Ring doorbell more now than ever because people suck and steal things. Luckily, all of my packages were there, but I just hope and pray each day that they are. We used to be able to send them to my work, but people abused that, so that is a no-go now. 

Anyways, do you want to see the things we got for the girls for gift inspiration? Since I mentioned the bikes above, I will share those with you right now.

Joystar 16 inch bike

FIVE. So we have been invited to another New Year's Eve party (the same one as last year) and I need a new outfit and your help. Which should I chose? Or do you have a suggestion?

Glimmer of Hope Sequin Top

So this top with a pair of skinny black pants that I already have from J Crew.

Or this top with my skinny black pants from J Crew.

Holiday Sequin Drape Top

Velvet pants and a sweater that I already have.

Express Velvet Pants

Or this dress from Leith. It is sparkly, longer (the reviews all say it is long which is good when you are 5'9"), and covers me up.

Leith Shine Dress

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!

What's Up Wednesday

*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.

This holiday season is flying by. I feel like we are just starting to enjoy it and it is almost over. We are prepping for Christmas, reminiscing about Thanksgiving and excited for the girls 4th birthday. How did that happen?

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK...

Sunday: We had take out since we didn't arrive home until 5:30 pm and still had to drop off the car rental.

Monday: Campanelle Pasta with Peas and Asparagus

Tuesday: Take out since I am getting my hair done!

Wednesday: One Sheet Mongolian Beef (soooo good)

Thursday: Homemade pizzas

Friday: Not Sure.

Saturday: Not sure.

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

Our Thanksgiving. We had a lot of fun, spent time with family and ate a ton of food. I am trying to hit it hard in the gym in preps for all the yummy food we eat in December. But I am also reminiscing about last year's Christmas and the girls past birthdays. Seriously, time is going by so fast.

WHAT I'M LOVING...

Well I did buy myself a few things lately. Some were in November and some were during Black Friday. I did resist buying on Cyber Monday, but that is because I bought myself a big Christmas present. I finally caved and bought myself LL Bean Duck Boots (the insulated ones). I got them for 25% off and I couldn't pass up that deal.

I have also bought myself some A&E jeans in hopes they fit. They arrived while I was gone, so we shall see if they fit and work. I did buy myself this sweater and I love it.

AE Waffle Cardigan

I also bought this flannel.

I recently bought Stila's lip and cheek compact and I LOVE it. I got the peony color and it goes on with just a finger and it looks amazing along with my blush. I haven't used it on my lips yet, but for the cheek, it is a winner.

Stila Lip and Cheek

When I was in Vegas, my cousin introduced me to Rose Water spray and I LOVED it. We went out and immediately bought some. 

Rose Water Spray

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Well this last month, we have been going to dance class which the girls are really accelerating in. We went to our last home football game. We are getting into the Nevada Basketball season (hello #5!!!). We had Thanksgiving in Las Vegas and now we are getting ready to cut down our Christmas tree and celebrate the Christmas season.

WHAT I'M DREADING...

Nothing really. December and Christmas are amazing times!!!

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

Decorating for Christmas, shopping guides, my shopping lists, planning out the girls birthday celebrations and cookie ideas for Christmas.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

Our long weekend trip to Arizona for Nevada basketball, Christmas and the girls birthday. December is an amazing month.

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

At the end of last month, I downloaded The Good Widow, but I have yet to read a page. I feel like with most of my Christmas shopping done, I can relax and read more in my free time.

As for TV, I have been watching This is Us, a bunch of Christmas movies (Christmas with a View, Christmas Wedding Planner, etc.) Making a Murderer season 2, Grey's Anatomy, Riverdale, Modern Family and Escape to Dannemore.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

Pandora and all of the Christmas music.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

Pretty much all the comfy things. I have been wearing more leggings (which is definitely not like me), sweaters, booties, flannels, cozy socks and sweatshirts. 

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Well on Friday, we are going to cut down our Christmas tree and put it up this weekend. We also have the girls dance class where they are rehearsing for their Christmas recital and it is one of my dearest friends birthdays, so I hope to see him as well.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH...

I can't wait for Christmas with my girls and their 4th birthday!!!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

Nothing much. I am already a pretty open book on here.

BONUS: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ELF ON THE SHELF TRICK?

Well I haven't done any tricks, so I am excited to read everyone's as I need tricks to start this year!

Thanksgiving 2018

Well we survived our Thanksgiving trip and had a lot of fun. We drove a ton. We ate way too much. We lost a football game. BUT we had the best time with family.

Let me back up. On Wednesday morning we got up at our normal time and got ready to hit the road. We stopped at a local coffee shop for some coffee cake and lattes. Then we ventured out. We drove to Las Vegas which is about a 7 hour drive without stops and when you have kids, you stop.

The girls made it about an hour before asking if we were there yet. Even with their Kindles loaded up with videos, they still didn't want to be in the car. I adjusted their headphones a hundred time and changed their movies about the same amount. We caravanned down there with my in-laws.

We stopped in Tonopah for some lunch for about an hour and then again in Beatty for the amazing candy store.  But we made it to Las Vegas and were greeted with dinner, wine, and lots of laughter.

Thursday morning we got up, had some coffee and then a big breakfast. After everyone was ready, we walked to a park to let the girls burn off some energy.

We headed back around 12:30 to make some lunch and put the girls down for their naps. Most of the family headed over to another family members house, but Rory, the girls, myself and another cousin stayed behind. Once the girls got up, we headed over for dinner and football. Plus a little photoshoot with the girls.

 Sutton and her favorite cousin Chandler

Miss Aves and her princess crown

We had homemade raviolis, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, stuffing, cheeses, ham and a bunch of other goodies. Then we finished dinner off with pie and homemade whipped cream. 

One of the little cousins brought a school project home where you take a candy and say what you are thankful for and then eat it and pass the bag on. Everyone did this and it was quite emotional. Between two family members passing away within 3 months of each other, we had a lot to be grateful and thankful for. It was a tradition we are going to keep going. 

We took the girls back to Rory's cousins house to put them down and watch the Wolf Pack basketball team finish their game.

Friday morning we got up and had another big breakfast and then got ready to head to Honey and Salt for auntie Gail's book reading and book release. Gail had finished her book and was in the middle of publishing it when she passed away. The book is done and published, so we had a celebration for her. One of the cousins read her eulogy, others said some words about Gail and we talked about the book. Then we ate.

The girls were cuddled and played with the entire trip!

After the event, Rory and I headed out for some Black Friday shopping while my in-laws took the girls back to the house for a nap. We didn't have much success shopping, but it was good to get out for a bit.

After naps, we were watching some football and decided to head back to the cousins house for leftovers and football. With the turkey leftovers, they made an amazing turkey soup and then we feasted on a bunch of other leftover goodies. The girls even made a gingerbread turkey with my MIL and cousin.

Saturday morning we went to our favorite donut shop and had those while drinking coffee and watching the news. We lazied around the house most of the morning before walking over to Starbucks and to the atm. While the girls napped, we got ready to go to the football game. Nevada was playing UNLV for their final game of the year (minus the bowl game) and a huge cannon is always up for grabs. It is a trophy that is painted and passed around depending on who wins. Well Nevada went in there as the favorite, but lost in the 4th quarter. It was very sad and awful. Ha. 

But we first stopped at one of the cousins house for a pre-party where we ate pulled chicken and pulled pork with salads and other goodies and took a ton of pictures. 

Cousins

Then we took a party bus to the game where we danced, sang and had a few drinks. It was a lot of chaos, but a lot of fun!!!

After the game, we headed back home and went to bed.

Sunday morning we got up, got ready, packed our things and then headed out to breakfast. We had a long drive ahead of us. We only made one stop in Beatty for gas and then in Luning to let the girls use the bathroom. We made it home in just over 7 hours. The girls watched way too much Sing along the way and only melted down a couple of times. They just wanted to be at home with Walter.

Overall, it was a great trip and one to remember for the books.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Cyber Monday

So I had every intention on writing a Thanksgiving update last night, but we got back into town late and then I just wanted to relax after driving all day. That and prep for Cyber Monday. So I will be back tomorrow with a Thanksgiving update. Happy Shopping All!

Amazon Wish List

*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.

It is Friday, so that means it is my last Amazon link up. With Black Friday being today and Cyber Monday on Monday, I thought I would share a few items that are on our Amazon Wish List.

ONE. It seems like everyone wants a Sherpa Pull-Over and I want to try one. This one is only $32 which sure beats the price of the one I wanted at North Face.

TWO. I have a Fitbit Charge 2 and I have had it for almost two years now. While I still love it, I want to upgrade. You know, be able to take it in the water, play music and GPS features. That is why I am looking into the Fitbit Versa.

THREE. I had heard so much about Jade Rollers. I have also read a ton on Jade Rollers and I want to try one out. This one gets amazing reviews on Amazon.

FOUR. I have a Keurig at work, but it just doesn't work right. I don't know why, but the coffee always comes out light and tastes like watered down coffee. That doesn't happen with my parents or my other co-workers though. But after using the Nespresso on my Europe work trip, I fell in love. While I don't love the pods price, it sure does beat going to get coffee everyday.

FIVE. I feel like we have had about 4 different humidifiers in the last four years and they usually get broken when we are refilling them or cleaning them. That is what happened last time and we haven't replaced it yet. This one gets great reviews and with everyone in my house taking turns getting sick, I think we need one or three for the house.

SIX. I love my Shark vacuum, but would like to have the house vacuumed more often. Enter the Shark Robot Vacuum. I have been trying to get Rory to let us buy a robot vacuum for years. Spoiler: it hasn't worked. But I may have have to pull the trigger on one of these or make him vacuum more.

SEVEN. I love making dinner in the crockpot, but my crockpot is only 4 quarts which isn't big at all. I usually have to cut down on the recipe so it won't overflow. I think it is time to retire my old one and get a new one that is bigger.

EIGHT. I love seeing the Ring Doorbell Cams. They seriously work so well. From seeing people trying to steal your packages, break-in or just what is going on around your house, they are amazing. This camera helped my cousin get to his house and minimize the break-in/stuff stolen since he was alerted and saw the guys.

NINE. I already have the Instant Pot and now I want the Air Fryer. This is another gadget that would get a lot of use at our house. We make chicken nuggets, fries, pizzas, appetizers and so much more that would be even better in an air fryer. Do I need it? No. But do I want it? Yes.

What is on your Amazon Wish List?

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours! I hope your day is full of blessings. I know I am thankful for a wonderful family, pretty good health and so much love this holiday season.

My family last year on Thanksgiving

 Our annual dress-up after Thanksgiving (each year is different)

The Girls Amazon Favorites

*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.

As promised, today I am sharing some of the girls Amazon favorites. They may be more of my favorites for them, but I feel like they still love them.

ONE. The girls are blessed with my fine hair, so when they sleep, it gets "ratty" and out of control. We were using Honest Company's Detangler and it was ok, but when we started using Shea Moisture's Detangler Spray, it was amazing. It smells good, goes through the hair nicely, doesn't leave their hair greasy at all and detangles their hair without any tears.

TWO. The girls used to wake up between 5:30 and 6 am every weekend and it was awful. I didn't blame them because they got up that early during the week, but it needed to change. My SIL mentioned a time to wake clock and we tried another one, but the time never stayed. It was always off, so we returned it and got this cute little guy. It is super easy to set, the girls know how to turn off the light when it turns green and they actually pay attention to it. If they wake before 7:05 on weekends, then they can lay there, play in bed or quietly play in their room. And it works!!!

THREE. I use a Wet Brush and now I use one on the girls. It goes through their wet hair with ease (no tears) and it brushes out the tangles way easier then the old paddle brush we used to use.

FOUR. The girls are at an age where they want their hair done every single day. They either want a pony tail, pony tail with a braid, one long braid or pigtails. I have tried many different hairties and these ones are the best. They don't catch in the girls hair, they stretch and are small enough for their fine hair.

FIVE. It is no secret that my household loves slippers. We put them on as soon as we get home and they don't come off until it is time to leave the house. We have gotten two pairs of Kamik Slippers over the last two years and that is only because they outgrew their last pair. These are very durable, cute, can be worn outside and are cozy.

SIX. We also love our Native shoes. I have a pair and the girls have a few pairs. They are easy to slip on, stay on, are breathable and comfy.

Amazon Favorites

*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.

I seriously buy way too much on Amazon, so I thought I would share some of my favorites today, some of the girls favorites Wednesday and my Amazon wish list on Friday.

Basically, I run out of things all the time at the house and I would rather purchase it on Amazon with two day shipping than wait until I can go to Target on a Friday or weekend to pick it up. So here are my favorites and go-tos.

ONE. About a year ago, our washer was smelling funny (all.the.time) and wasn't cleaning the clothes as well (ie soap marks on my black work slacks), so we bought a new one. This one is also a top loader washer and requires Affresh tablets for monthly cleaning. I seriously can only find them at Home Depot. They are always out of them at Target or just don't have them. So I buy them on Amazon in a six pack. And speaking of Affresh tablets, I need to reorder them.

TWO. Kait introduced me to these Tide Travel Sink Packs and they are amazing. I brought them to Europe with me in September and I used all three of them. I was able to wash my socks and underwear, so I wouldn't have to pack 15 days worth. I also washed a couple of shirts that had smoke or Indian food smell on them. Seriously amazing and will be going with me on all trips.

THREE. When I had surgery in August, I was told about Arnica. I ordered the tablets since I couldn't put the gel on my nose with a cast on. I took them every 4 ish hours and went through three boxes of them while I was recovering. My doctor commented on how much my bruising and swelling had gone down each time I went in. I owe it to Arnica. Not only did I keep using it after I was feeling a lot better, but it was perfect for airline travel. I took the Arnica every time after I landed so I wouldn't swell as much. Definitely buying again in preps for my next surgery.

FOUR. I had bought a cheap foam roller from Target years ago and my massage therapist kept telling me to buy a new one. She comes to my house and would see it every time and comment on it. Well, I was having some major knee and sciatic pain and finally bit the bullet. I love this foam roller and use it all the time which I never did with the old one.

FIVE. I used to use a Swiffer Wet Jet on my floors, but I found it just doesn't do an amazing job on them. So I went to Target looking for a new mop and they had two different ones. So needless to say, I didn't buy one. I turned to Amazon and found the O-Cedar Spin Mop. And I love this mop. I have replaced the mop head once since Walter pulled down a bottle of wine from the counter all over my floors and I didn't want to risk there being any leftover glass in the mop head. But I haven't bought another head since because I can put the head in the washer machine. Seriously a great mop.

SIX. This is a newer one, but still a favorite. I got the new iPhone 10s Max and needed a case. I wanted something durable and so I searched for a similar case to the one I had on my iPhone 8. I got the Spigen case and it is great. I have already dropped my phone and nothing happened. Thank goodness. But this case is great....especially when you are clumsy or have kids.

SEVEN. So I have talked about selling on Poshmark and I needed some mailers to send the clothes out in. I bought a few of them at CVS and they are just way too expensive, so I turned to Amazon and bought a 100 pack for $12. I haven't had any complaints about my packages and they seal so well.

EIGHT. Two years ago we were renovating our kitchen and I really wanted to renovate our bathrooms, but it just wasn't in the cards at the time. So I decided to upgrade my shower head as mine was crappy and a hundred years old. So I bought a dual shower head. The main head is huge and the detachable head is smaller, but amazing for cleaning the shower and kids. Ha.

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.

How are we speeding through the month already? I feel like we just celebrated Halloween last week and now we are coming up on Thanksgiving and then I will blink and it will be Christmas. One thing that we are doing that isn't normal for us is decorating early. With all that our family has gone through recently (and I know it isn't as much as others have been going through), I wanted to spread the Christmas cheer early. Usually, Rory asks that I wait until after Thanksgiving, but not this year. We are decorating this weekend (everything except the tree that we still have to cut) and we have already started watching Christmas movies.

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. I have mentioned it here a few times, but I would love to quit my job and be a stay at home mom. Sure, it would be tough at times (kids driving me crazy being with them 24/7), but I think it would be pretty amazing. We would have more home cooked meals, my house would be more organized (I am looking at your Lindsay) and I wouldn't be as stressed. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with my job, but I hate being away from the girls for so long each day.

This week, Lindsay wrote a post on how she has survived financially this last year being a stay at home mom and it was inspiring. She listed the ways they have downsized and several of them I have started doing recently....having a garage sale (this weekend), selling things on FB, ebay and Poshmark, changing out monthly subscription plans (I cut out Hulu and we only have Netflix now), etc. But I definitely could be doing more. I am now looking into different tv options (our cable bill is way too high). I am trying to put out more quality content on here and IG. And we are trying to cut back on our daily coffee runs, ha.

Check out her post here.

TWO. Ever since I was pregnant, my hands don't do so well in the winter. They crack, bleed, turn red, itch, swell and just hurt. I have tried everything for them. Or it feels like I have. I have used traditional super moisture hand creams, gel gloves at night, ecema creams and lotions, lotion after every time I wash my hands, handmade creams and nothing works. I recently ordered some shea butter that my hair dresser recommended but it hasn't arrived. It is raw and unrefined and I am hoping it gives me some relief. But I am asking you all for your recommendations. If all else fails, I will make an appointment with my dermatologist and get my hands checked out and something prescription strength.

This was my thumb Wednesday morning after putting on several layers of a deep moisture hand cream.

THREE. Do you hate chopping vegetables as much as I do? I have a mini food processor that I sometimes use, but you don't get the even potato chunks. When it comes to Fall and Winter, I am all about making soups which usually require you to chop a ton of veggies. Even my homemade spaghetti sauce requires it. I recently bought a heavy duty food chopper and I am soooo happy with it. I can chop my veggies quickly and make dinner way faster which is helpful when you don't get home until 5:20 each evening and you need to get dinner made quickly. I sound like a QVC ad don't I? Ha. But seriously, this chopper is amazing.

Food/Veggie Chopper

FOUR. Will you all still be reading blogs next week? I am trying to gauge how many posts I want to write for next week. I am around Monday and Tuesday, but then we are with family from Wednesday to Sunday. I will definitely be engaging and interacting with you all on Monday and Tuesday and maybe a bit on Wednesday while we make a super long drive. So let me know. Also, is there anything you want to see on my blog in the upcoming weeks, months? Any questions, topics, recipes, etc?

FIVE. Since we are not really doing a themed Thanksgiving this year, I decided to just buy the girls a cute Thanksgiving top and I bought one for myself. That way we can be Thanksgiving festive, but still comfy. I bought the girls t-shirts at Target (linked below) and mine off of Amazon.

Thankful Shirt

Women's Thankful Shirt

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!

Girl Chat - Tips for Juggling the Holiday Season

*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.

It's time for another round of Girl Chat and this month we are talking about tips for juggling the holiday season.

TIP 1: Don't put to much on your plate at once. We host Christmas dinner every year. We have been doing that for about six or seven years now. I love it because everyone comes to my house, so I don't have to drive home later, my house gets a good cleaning, the girls can go to bed whenever and we get to have both sets of immediate family over. 

Each year, I change up the main dish, and I ask my mom and my MIL to bring over one other dish each. Then I usually provide the rest. My MIL usually brings over an appetizer and my mom brings over a side. Then I provide another one to two sides, the fixing with the main dish and the dessert. By asking for a little help, I don't overwhelm myself in the kitchen. Between making cinnamon rolls the day before (tradition) and prepping for Christmas dinner, I don't have time to do it all, so I ask for help and that is ok.

TIP 2: Make a Christmas shopping list for each person you are buying for. I do this early on in November, so I can start shopping around for the best deals. I usually buy almost all my gifts on Cyber Monday, but some of them come before if I find a better deal. Which many places have 40 to 50% off right now. If I figure out my gifts early on, I stay on track and usually don't overspend or wait until last minute. I am all about the lists.

TIP 3: Save money all year. You can do this many different ways. You can put everything on your credit card and use the points at the end of the year towards your Christmas shopping (we do this). 

You can put x amount of money into a savings account once a month, twice a month or however often you would like. Whenever I am saving for something, this is my go-to. I set it up online with my bank to transfer over x dollars from my checking account into a special savings account the day that I get paid (so twice or three times a month).

TIP 4: Use ebates. I use ebates all year long when I make online purchases. I get a little bit of cash back per purchase and then I save it all for the end of the year.

TIP 5: Plan ahead. This one seems so simple, but is the best policy. Or maybe that is just my type A personality right there. If I plan things out, I can make sure I don't double book, book too much in one weekend, or over extend myself or my family. 

TIP 6: Know your limits. This can mean so many things, but you should know your spending limits, your kids limits, your time limits, etc. I usually set aside a budget each year for Christmas. It varies each year and most of our Christmas budget goes to the girls. But if I say we are spending X on Christmas, we don't go over. This means I don't rack up credit card debt (we pay our credit cards off monthly).

Knowing your kids limits is huge. I know that my girls need a nap daily. That nap can go from 30 minutes to two hours, but I know that we have to work that in our schedule. I also know that they usually can only last til about 8:30 pm on most nights. I know that we need to leave wherever we are at before that "witching hour" happens.

Knowing your limits will make for a less stressful Holiday season. 

What tips do you have to share with me?

To link up - just grab our graphic, link up, and let's getting to chatting!  Make sure to stop by a few others linked up for an extra bit of girl chat!  

Danielle / Sparkles and Lattes - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Emily / A Little Bit of Emily - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Lindsay / Lindsay's Sweet World - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Lizzie / This Happy Life -  Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram
Sierra / Beautifully Candid - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram - Twitter

Fall Bucket List Update and a Winter Bucket List

I thought I would give you all an update on our Fall Bucket List and share our Winter Bucket List today. I really thought we would have more items checked off our list, but life got in the way (big time) and we didn't do as much as I would have liked. Oh well, there is always next year. So how did we do?

10 out of 14. So we basically added three more items since I gave you our last update. We were supposed to have family photos on Sunday, but it didn't work out. We changed it to this Sunday and if that doesn't work out, then I don't think we will have a new family photo this year.

TRICK OR TREATING

On Halloween, we took the girls Trick or Treating and had a blast. We were out for over three hours and the girls loved every second of it...including eating candy along the way.

CARVE PUMPKINS

The week of Halloween, we finally carved our pumpkins. We didn't buy any stencils this year and just free handed it. I mainly just wanted to have the girls included and spending time cutting out something hard wouldn't have been as fun for the girls. So we cut off the tops, they helped scoop all the pumpkin guts out and then Rory and I did some simple carvings. The girls helped bring the pumpkins outside and we lit candles in them pretty much the rest of the week. Next year, we will let the girls carve their own pumpkins (with our help).

WATCH HOCUS POCUS

I don't know why it took us so long to watch Hocus Pocus this year, but I finally did the week of Halloween. We had mainly been watching the Nightmare Before Christmas which the girls can't get enough of. They are still asking to watch it. Luckily, it transitions to a Christmas movie pretty easily. I wanted to introduce Hocus Pocus to the girls, but when I saw the rating for it, I thought I might want to wait another year or so. So I watched it instead. I love the movie and couldn't help but watch it.

So I would say we were pretty successful on our Fall Bucket Lists. Now onto our Winter Bucket List.

On another note, we have our monthly Girl Chat link up tomorrow. Don't forget to link up.