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 Last Friday of March! I am looking forward to an easy weekend. The girls don't have dance class since some of the schools start Spring Break next week, so we don't have much planned. I am getting a manicure, we have another birthday dinner tonight and I am hoping to squeeze in a sushi night this weekend.

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. Most bloggers are always talking about making time for yourself and self care. I am a huge proponent of it and definitely do little things for myself. Before having kids, I would get my nails done, get pedicures, get my hair done, get facials, massages, etc. I still do most of these, but not as often as I used to. But my sister and I have started getting our nails done together every two weeks. We get a shellac manicure, spend an hour catching up and our nails always look nice. Plus it isn't that much money and I take some of the money I make on my blog and treat myself.

TWO. It is bathing suit season and I am not looking forward to it. I bought that amazing Amazon swimsuit and I really love it. But I also need another suit. I really only have two others that fit me (before the Amazon one) and with Mexico coming up and Lake Tahoe season, I needed another. I have been patiently waiting for a Prana coupon as my MIL and SIL swear by their bathing suits. I love their yoga and lounge clothes, but never thought to try the swimsuits. But I bought one this week and I can't wait to try it on. If it fits, I will post it on my IG stories. But for now, check out what I bought. They are mother friendly and not revealing.

 Prana Adelita Top

Prana Laclair Bottom

THREE. I had to take yesterday off and I was not happy about it. I don't have a ton of sick leave and I have my surgery coming up that I am using a good chunk of it on. But I woke up with a migraine and it was awful. I couldn't open my eyes without feeling like I was going to pass out or get sick. I knew I couldn't spend the day looking at a computer. What is even worse is I didn't get to go to the gym or eat my lunch from the day before because food just sounded awful. Guess I just needed a day of rest because I feel way better today.

FOUR. I know I have talked about this stuff here before, but I just got a new bottle of the Rosewater spray. I love this stuff. I tried it for the first time last Thanksgiving in Las Vegas and now I use it all the time. I use this stuff all the time when I travel. It gives your face hydration, makes it feel "alive" and just refreshed. After using it since December, I would definitely recommend it to everyone. I would also recommend the spot treatment too. That stuff zaps away zits.

Rosewater spray

FIVE. If you still haven't seen A Star is Born, you need to. I watched it again (off and on) yesterday and I just love this movie. I bought it when I got back from my last work trip and I never buy movies. So do yourself a favor and go watch it (or watch it again) this weekend.

A Star is Born

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

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.

And just like that March is over next week. We are still trying to figure out our weather around here, but thankfully, we have had a few days of higher 50s around here. Now let's keep that up for April and only go up from there, but not too high....just yet.

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK...

Sunday: Spaghetti Bolognese (I feel like every time I post this, we eat this on this exact week.)

Monday: Last week, Nadine recommended Honey Siracha Glazed Meatballs, so I made that along with brown rice and peas.

Tuesday: Sweet Potato Nachos

Wednesday: Magnolia Table's Grilled Raspberry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Yukon Gold Potatoes and Corn

Thursday: Southwest Chopped Salad

Friday: We are celebrating my MIL's birthday again with other family members.

Saturday: Pizza

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

Our past trips to Mexico and when the girls were little. Recently, the girls and I were hanging out and I picked up my phone and we watched video after video of the girls when they were little. I posted a few on my IG stories because I just couldn't believe how tiny they were.

 Newborns

 5 months

7 months

WHAT I'M LOVING...

I am loving J Crew's scalloped tank tops. I wore one on Rory's birthday and it was perfect. I can't wait to wear it with white jeans this Spring/Summer.

J Crew Scalloped Tank

Back when Nordstrom had their semi annual sale, I scooped up this Long Knit Blazer and I wear it everywhere. I wear it on my date nights, nights out with my friends and to work. It is so versatile and comfy.

Treasure and Bond Long Knit Blazer

I am wearing both items here.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Well I went to Israel and Estonia for work, we have been going to dance class weekly, we celebrated my MIL and husband's birthdays and we have been getting ready for Spring and the upcoming gardening season.

WHAT I'M DREADING...

Nothing really. As long as the weather keeps getting better!

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

My blog and my Instagram like always. Along those lines, I have been writing my posts ahead of time and planning out my posts better. This has been helpful in getting posts out on time....cough....on Mondays.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

Well, we are headed to Mexico in a couple of weeks and I couldn't be more excited. This is a trip that just Rory and I are headed out on. I can't wait to sleep in, hang out with my best friend, eat good food and explore. The girls will be with both sets of grandparents and they couldn't be more excited.

Another thing I am excited about...surgery. Not the surgery itself, but breathing. The whistling in my nose has gotten pretty bad. Especially at night and I am constantly waking Rory and myself up from it. I can't breathe out of my right side, especially with allergies getting worse at this time of the year.

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

I seriously made no progress this month on the reading front. I am a few chapters in The Good Daughter and I do really like it, but have chose to look at Instagram or do other things when I have free time. I had every intention on reading that one and then Hidden Bodies when I was on my work trip, but I chose Netflix and new shows on there. This next month, I will be better.

As for TV, I have been watching my usuals like Grey's Anatomy, Million Dollar Listing LA, Riverdale, This is Us, Sneaky Pete (on Amazon Prime) and I started watching Working Moms (so funny and it's on Netflix) and Northern Rescue (really loving it). I have a few shows coming back and I can't wait for them to start.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

Just people's fingers typing. It is pretty quite around here.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

I am finally starting to wear more short sleeve shirts. I haven't worn shorts yet, but I am hoping for that very soon. My legs need it before we head to Mexico. 

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Taking Walter to the vet for his normal check-up and vaccinations, hopefully enjoying the sunshine and not much else. Sounds like a pretty good weekend to me if the weather holds up. Fingers crossed.

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

Well April brings Easter, Mexico and my surgery, so it is looking to be a good month!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

Not much. The girls did move up to a new room at their pre-school. Their teachers felt like they were advancing, so they moved them up to the pre-k room early. A few of their friends came up too, but many of them are still down in the classroom before. Though they still get to see them when they go outside to play.

BONUS: What IS YOUR FAVORITE EASTER SIDE DISH?

Deviled eggs. I am not even sure if that is a real side dish or appetizer, but I can eat ALL.THE.DEVILED.EGGS.

Husbands Birthday Weekend

I am actually doing a weekend update. Who am I? I haven't done one of these in awhile. But since it was my husbands birthday this weekend, I thought I should document it.

Friday after work, I actually went to the gym. Again, who am I? I hate working out on Fridays, but since we had a big birthday dinner for my MIL on Thursday and we were having a big birthday dinner for Rory on Saturday, I decided the gym would be my friend on a Friday. After working out, I grabbed a salad.

We were going to go to the oldest restaurant (not really, but close) in Reno, but when we showed up, they were only taking reservations. That was new to me since I have been going there for years and they never took reservations. So then we decided to go to a local brewery where I chose a salad again, but I did have a beer with it. Then we went to the pet shop to pick up food for Walter and headed home. Super easy and casual Friday night.

We did grab a picture before going in.

Saturday morning we woke up, got ready and took Rory to breakfast for his birthday. We went to an old favorite, Stonehouse where I had chicken sausage, eggs and potatoes. Rory got a hash and eggs while the girls ate pancakes and eggs and watched Frozen. After breakfast, we ran home to get the girls ready for dance class. We took the girls to class and spent the hour talking to other parents since the kids were in a different room working on their recital.

Then we dropped Rory off at home so he could have some time to himself and I took the girls to get a trim. They asked for Elsa braids and then I scooped up local sweaters for them since they were at a killer price.

 They are wearing the Estonia shirts I got them.

We came home and the girls ate their lunch and then took a nap. We watched college basketball while they napped. Once they got up, they watched some Bambi before their grandparents came over. Rory and I got ready and then took a Lyft downtown.

We went to Roxy for martinis and then dinner there. This is where Rory's night got "wild". He started off with vodka, but drank so many other things. Ha.

 The birthday boy enjoying a dirty martini

 My cosmo

For dinner, Rory had a massive steak with all the sides and I had their paela special which was really good.

After dinner, we walked around for awhile and then took another Lyft down to Chapel for drinks with our friends. My friend Mike (whose daughter is also in the girls dance class) had his birthday on Wednesday, so we all celebrated together. Rory had tequila shots and old fashions there. I stuck to vodka.

This was called Dealers Choice (which means call your liquor and they make you a drink)

We got home around 11:30 to relieve my in-laws and went straight to bed. I drank a bunch of water and stuck to vodka, so I felt great Sunday morning. Rory on the other hand, did not. Poor guy, but it was his birthday, so live it up!

I got the girls their breakfast, started doing some Sunday chores and then went out for some coffee for Rory and I. I finally got him out of the house at 11 am and we grabbed some bagels. Then we headed home. The girls took their naps while I cleaned and did grocery shopping. Once they got up from their naps, we walked down to the park to enjoy the nice weather. The girls were wearing their new sweaters.

You may recognize this logo from Garrett (from Becca's season of the Bachelorette) wearing the shirts on his Instagram. I have a bunch of things from Sommer's shop and now my girls own some stuff.

After the park, we walked home and I made dinner. We ate, cleaned up and then cuddled on the couch before bedtime. It was a pretty good weekend! 

What did you do this weekend?

Tallinn Estonia Part 2

I posted about my first couple days of my last work trip in Israel and Estonia here. And now I am back to post the last two days.

On Thursday, we had meetings in the morning, but the afternoon was free. Since we had a free afternoon, we packed in a ton of things. We walked to Old Town first. We wanted to pick up some souvenirs and go on the free walking tour to learn more about Tallinn and Estonia. It was worth it. I would definitely recommend it.

Our first stop was just before the entrance where we came upon rows of flower stands. I would love to have flower stands like this in Nevada.

We went into a local handmade store and bought a few items. Then we made our way into the entrance of Old Town.

From here, we made our way around Old Town. We stopped by a church and then went into an old merchants home and shop which is now a theater.

You can tell it is a Merchant's place by the pulley up top. Also another crazy fact is they were charged taxes by how many windows and sunlight got into the house (only on the front facade).

They painted their beams.

And had very small doors since people were not as tall as they are now. I had to duck way down to go through the door.

Next, we walked out and looked at a church. It used to be the tallest building in Europe at one point, but then the Eiffel Tower was built.

 Next, we learned about guilds in Tallinn. We stopped at this one and I loved the door into the entrance.

They say to build things properly with higher quality and they will last a long time. This clock was built a LONG time ago and it still works correctly.

We then made our way into the Town Center to hear about Thomas and his legend and then the tour was over. After the tour, we picked up some more souvenirs and then went to the Viru Hotel for the KGB tour. I watched Americans and remember the stories from the 80s and the KGB, so this was something that was super fascinating to me.

Basically, the KGB set up rooms in the hotel to listen to people. Plates, hotel rooms and many things were bugged to get intel. It was a fun tour. It is short, but worth it. Plus our tour guide told us the history of the Viru Hotel and the KGB. Definitely recommend this tour and it was only 11 Euro.

You get to go up to the 23rd floor where you can see the sights of Tallinn.

Looking out towards the Baltic Sea

We made our way back inside into a former KGB listening room. I guess the KGB abruptly left the room and they have "preserved" it and turned it into a museum.

This device was used in little spy holes between rooms to take photos of things going on in other rooms.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel. I worked out and then we met for dinner. We went to an Italian place and then headed back to the hotel since we had to be up at 3:45 am for an early flight. But when we got back to the hotel, I made my way over to the Tallinn Park and took some photos of a light display they had up.

Friday morning we were up early for our first flight to Frankfurt. But when we got through security, we walked around the airport and saw just how cool of an airport it was. They had playgrounds for kids, free phone charging areas, free virtual reality areas, ping pong tables, life size puzzles and all sorts of games and things to do in the airport.

I think all airports should have this. Maybe we all wouldn't be so cranky flying.

We were in Frankfurt for a bit before getting on a 12 hour flight to Los Angeles. As I said in my previous recap, I watched A Star is Born again among other movies. On my flight from LA to Reno, we flew over snow capped mountains and Lake Tahoe. Such beautiful sights from the airplane.

That is Lake Tahoe in the background!

And then I was home! I had the hardest time adjusting to PST. I think last Wednesday was the first night that I slept well and didn't wake up all night. And that ends my last work trip.

Have you ever been to Estonia?

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.

I can't believe we are one week away from April. Time is flying by. We are finally getting some warmer weather and I am hoping that we don't dip below 50 degrees again until next Fall/Winter. Life has been pretty crazy with my last trip to Israel and Estonia, but I am getting back into the swing of things (hello jet lag was a b*tch this time) and now only prepping for fun stuff aka going to Mexico!!

Let's get onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. When I was in Tallinn, Estonia, I went shopping around the malls. I happened to go into a department store looking place and I saw all the perfumes. I saw the original Versace perfume that I used to wear everyday until they discontinued it. Well, low and behold, I saw it in that store. The price was pretty good, but I didn't want to chance it breaking on my flight home. I already had a bottle of vodka in my bag and I didn't want another big breakable item. I told myself I would buy it duty free in the Tallinn airport. Well guess what, they didn't have it in the airport. I am still kicking myself for not buying it. Does anyone know where I can get this perfume or know if this Amazon seller is legit? I don't want a fake perfume.

Versace Signature Women's Perfume

TWO. You NEED to read this blog post by Lynn at Dispositive Motion that she wrote this week. She asked 15 ladies, including yours truly, about How We Accomplish It All.

Being a mom, a part-time blogger and a full time working lady means I am juggling all of my roles at once and I still need to make time for myself and my relationships. I shared some tips, tricks and things I do to keep myself sane. I don't have it together all the time and I hope no one expects me to. But I sure do try my hardest to have it together. So please go read it.

THREE. Tomorrow is my husbands birthday. He will be 41. If you remember, last year I threw him a "surprise" 40th birthday party that was 90s theme. We had an absolute blast, but it really isn't my husbands thing. This year we are keeping it simple and easy, but still celebrating my favorite person. We are going out to dinner on Saturday, hopefully watching Nevada basketball (with another win) and spending time with our girls.

Here is a few photos from last years birthday celebration.

FOUR. For my MIL's 70th birthday (yesterday), we got her a beautiful handmade necklace from a local shop, Honey and Goldies. I love this shop. I had her make a custom Nevada ring for me. I went to her shop and picked out a turquoise Nevada of my choice, picked out the setting, the imprints, etc. She is pretty amazing. Go check out her IG to see her in action and see so many of her pieces. No this isn't sponsored. I just LOVE her work.

Crescent Flower Wreath Necklace 

FIVE. Before I went on this last trip, I picked up another pair of my favorite converse shoes. I LOVE the shoreline version. It is the one with the elastic collar so you don't have to tie them. I have them in white and just bought them in black. I used to have the classic low Converse in black, but they were worn out. I wore them everywhere and they needed to be thrown out.

I wore them on the plane and then my luggage was lost, so I wore them for three days straight which broke them in really fast. Converse usually have a break-in period, but I find that the shorelines don't have as much of a break-in as other versions. Which was good considering I didn't have any other shoes for three days and I did a TON of walking in them.

Converse Shoreline Sneakers

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

Have a great weekend!

Israel and Estonia Part 1

*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 got my act together and got my first post from my trip last week done and ready for you all. Granted, it isn't that long due to some complications, but here it is. Enjoy.

I left on a Saturday since it takes a long time to get from the West Coast to Tel Aviv, Israel. We already had a tight schedule, but then delays started happening and our trip to Tel Aviv got shorter and shorter. Our first delay was here at my home airport. When you fly into San Francisco, you are almost always delayed due to weather including rain or fog. This time it was due to massive rain storms along with wind and lightening.

We ended up on a flight that was supposed to leave an hour and a half before ours, but left an hour and 45 minutes after our original flight was supposed to. Basically, we had an hour to get from a domestic gate to the international gate and pray our luggage made it onto our Lufthansa flight. Spoiler: it did not.

We made our flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt. It was a long flight, but I watched movies including A Star is Born. How I hadn't seen it yet was beyond me, but it was soooo good. I totally understand the hype. I even watched it again on the way home a week later and then I bought the blu-ray (+ digital copy) when I landed back in the States.

Anyways, next we flew from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv. It was a long two-ish days. Once we arrived in Tel Aviv, we went to collect our baggage and they were not there. We waited and waited and nothing, so we headed to lost luggage to file a claim and find out where our luggage was. They had no idea where it was, gave us a paper and told us to keep trying a certain website for updates and that we could call the next day for an update as well.

So we headed to our hotel, checked in and then decided to go walk around to get some money and some toiletries. Luckily, there was a "pharmacy" a couple blocks away. I was able to grab a hair brush, some laundry detergent and water. Then we set out to find an atm. It took about 6 different places before we got any money. Then we headed back to the hotel to hand wash our clothes and get ready for our meetings the next day.

Monday we had meetings and we had to show up in our travel clothes. Not what we wanted, but at least they were clean. We used that "baby detergent" and then hair dryers to dry our clothes. Glamorous.

After our meetings, we were able to call Lufthansa to get an update. Our luggage was to arrive that night on a direct flight from SFO, but they wouldn't deliver it in time before our flight the next morning.

We headed out to Old Jaffa to walk around, sightsee a tiny bit and then grabbed dinner before heading to the airport to get our luggage.

 The view from my hotel looking into the city

The view looking out into the Mediterranean Sea

 Looking out towards Old Jaffa

Mediterranean Sea (last time I was here, I got to swim in the Mediterranean)

We got our luggage and got back to the hotel around 10 pm. I was able to actually wash my face and get ready in the morning.

Tuesday morning, we headed out to the airport at 5 am to head to Tallinn, Estonia. But first, a stop in Frankfurt. As we were landing in Tallinn, I snapped this picture and sent it to Rory with the caption "it sure does look cold here".

Once we had our luggage, we headed to the hotel. I unpacked a bit and headed to the gym. Once I was done, we headed out to dinner. We went to a burger place which was pretty good. Plus we paired it with some Estonian beers.

Wednesday we had meetings all day, but once we were done, I hit the gym again and then went to dinner at Tabula Rasa. This place was soooo good. They had amazing cocktails and even better food.

 Artwork

 This was a pork tenderloin with wine braised cabbage, grilled veggies, carrot cream, a potato cake and cranberry sauce. It was heavenly.

 For dessert, I ordered a passionfruit cheesecake which was soooo amazing. Seriously some of the best.

They also brought us out the Napoleon Cake to try (for free) and it did not disappoint either.

The bartender also paired our meal with honey lavender old fashions. So good. It was the best. After dinner, we went to a bar around the corner to meet one of our contacts from the meeting we attended. Then we headed back to the hotel for the night.

And I will save the last two days for another post as I was able to see and do a bit more those two days.