SOCIAL MEDIA

Friday, December 31, 2021

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 New Year's Eve! What do you have planned for tonight? Do you stay in? Do you go out? Or do you just ignore the whole day? Ha. We are staying in tonight. We have a surprise birthday party tomorrow for a friend and then we are just going to soak in the last remaining bits of the holiday season.

Onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. I am going to share some of my favorite gifts this year. Well the ones that I could find online.

First up, I got a new Ugg Robe. I have been wanting a new robe for about 6 months now. I have worn out the one my sister got me. I wore it every single day and loved it. But it was time for a new one. I had been searching online and almost bought a robe a few times this year, but held out. Then I added one to my Women's Gift Guide and got it.

It is amazing. It is reversible, but I have only worn it with the soft fluffy side on the inside. And Rory got it for me in pink. It goes to my knee and is the perfect length. Oh and it has a hood.

Ugg Portola Robe

TWO. I also got another item from Ugg for Christmas...a new pair of slippers. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside of my old ones. They were very worn out. There was no inner sole left, but they still had an outer one, so I wore them daily. 

Then on Christmas morning, I opened a new pair and promptly got rid of my old pair. These slippers last at least 5 or more years. They are so worth every penny. And they make a great gift.

Ugg Scuff Sis Slippers

THREE. About two years ago, Rory got a pair of waterproof outside slipper shoes. I am not even sure how to describe them. But he loved them. I featured them in a gift guide last year I believe. Anyways, he tried to get me a pair of them in women's last year, but they sold out of them very quickly at Christmas. So I shouldn't have been surprised when they were under the tree this year. 

And it snowed on Christmas day and the day after, and I was able to wear them outside while taking the trash out, putting millions of boxes in the recycle bin and even to the grocery store. 

You do not need socks with them and they keep your feet so cozy and warm. I got them in a size 9. I am an 8 1/2, but Rory said his ran small so he got a half size up.

LL Bean Waterproof Slip-ons

FOUR. I also got the Kendra Scott earrings from my gift guide from my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. I wore them Christmas day and they are so beautiful in person. I love the crystal detail. They are light and do not hurt your ears at all.

Kendra Scott Veronica Earrings

FIVE. I asked my parents for a Charcuterie Board for Christmas. I make them all the time, but don't have a board or a serving dish for one. And my parents delivered. It has the board, a storage area for the cutlery, two bowls for nuts, fruits or jams, wine opener, pull out sides for more food, a circular dish for crackers, dips and anything else you want. It has it all. Oh and it came with slate labels and small forks too.

Charcuterie Cheeseboard

Charcuterie Cheeseboard

SIX. Weekly funnies.







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

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

7th Birthday Interview with Sutton and Avery

In honor of my little ladies 7th birthday (today), I wanted to interview them again. Here is last year's answers. Let's see how much they have changed over the last year. I (once again) borrowed my questions from Lindsay since she has a great set of birthday questions on her blog.

Can you guess who is who?

First up, Sutton (since she is the oldest by a few seconds):

1. What is your favorite toy? Phone (old iphones).

2. What is your favorite stuffed animal? Dog (super soft)

3. What is your favorite sport? Golf.

4. What is your favorite book? Peppa Pig (a collection of 5 stories).

5. What is your favorite TV show? Fancy Nancy

6. What is your favorite movie? Rapunzel

7. What is your favorite song? This Girl is On Fire - Alicia Keys

8. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (because you get to open presents and be with family).

9. What is your favorite color? Violet

10. What is your favorite animal? Unicorn

11. What is your favorite snack? Popcorn

12. What is your favorite treat? Mint chip ice cream.

13. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Steak.

14. What is your favorite restaurant? Casa Grande (Mexican).

15. Who is your best friend? I have a lot of best friends. But Evie, Tamsen and Harper (and then Chamille and Avery are left out. I am still there friend).

16. What do you want to be when you grow up? a Chef

Next up, Avery:

1. What is your favorite toy? Septor (a Christmas gift from last year).

2. What is your favorite stuffed animal? Fox/Coyote from Elko.

3. What is your favorite sport? Golf and Tennis. And I like to watch football, not play it.

4. What is your favorite book? Room on the Broom (2 years in a row).

5. What is your favorite TV show? Spirit

6. What is your favorite movie? Ratatouille

7. What is your favorite song? This Girl is On Fire - Alicia Keys

8. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

9. What is your favorite color? Pink and purple

10. What is your favorite animal? Unicorn

11. What is your favorite snack? Rice rollers (from Costco).

12. What is your favorite treat? Ice cream with chocolate morsels and oreos. 

13. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Umm I have three of them. Your pizza (I make homemade pizza often), grilled cheese and spaghetti.

14. What is your favorite restaurant? Bangkok Cuisine (Thai food) and Wild Garlic (pizza).

15. Who is your best friend? Biana, Evie, Harper

16. What do you want to be when you grow up? Chef


Happy 7th Birthday, My Beautiful Girls!

Friday, December 24, 2021

Merry Christmas Eve and Friday 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.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone. I went back and forth on if I was going to post today as I didn't think many people would be around, but I decided to. Plus you can always read this next week if you are taking the day off from blog reading.

Can you believe that Christmas is here (tomorrow)? I can't. We have a fun Christmas Eve party to attend tonight. We go every year to my parents best friend's house and celebrate with them. Last year was very different because of c*vid, and I am thankful for a normal Christmas Eve party tonight.

Anyways, onto Friday Favorites and Happenings. Mostly happenings since I don't do weekly or weekend recaps anymore.

ONE. We finally got some snow around here. It has been pretty dry, but last week we were hit with a huge series of storms and then again this week. And it looks like we just may have a white Christmas! It has been years since that happened.




TWO. On Saturday night we went out to look at Christmas lights again. I had a series of houses to go to, some new and some from years past. Well I feel like someone punked us because two of them were not even there and one was really far out of the way. And these were the new addresses and had been updated on the website I get the information from. Ugh.

But we did go to our favorite house. They decorate for Halloween and for Christmas. Check out the Nightmare Before Christmas house!

Nightmare Before Christmas House Display

Nightmare Before Christmas House Display

Nightmare Before Christmas House Display

THREE. Remember how I posted that we got Walter a Barefoot Dreams Dog Sweater? Well, at last minute it was cancelled and so I quickly pivoted and got him a different color combo for about $5 more and it shipped the next day. 

We got Walter groomed this weekend, so we put his new sweater on him right after. Check out how cute he is! 

Oh and it is amazingly soft and feel just like the blankets, sweaters and cardigans. So worth it.

Barefoot Dreams Dog Sweater
Barefoot Dreams Dog Sweater (we got him a size medium)

FOUR. Last Sunday the girls got to meet Santa, got a present from him and ate all the sweets. Recently, Rory was initiated into the Elks Lodge and they have an annual Santa Christmas Party. This was our first year doing this and it was so much fun.

The girls ate cookies, cupcakes, candies and had some festive icees. Then one by one, each child went up and sat on Santa's lap to tell them what they wanted for Christmas. Then they each got a gift. The girls said they wanted real makeup (check, got that for them for their birthday) and a phone...nope.

Then we all took photos with Santa and mingled around. It was such a fun event for the kids. And check out how legit Mrs Claus looked.


Avery

Sutton

FIVE. Weekly funnies.






Have a great weekend and Merry Christmas! I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything. 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Everything Sequins

*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. 

If you are like them, then you love sequins. I wear them a lot during the holidays and would probably wear them more if I had more things to dress up for. I have sequin pants, shirts, skirts and soon a dress. 

I thought I would share some sequin items that you can wear for New Year's Eve. There is even a pair of my favorite comfy joggers. They are from a local company to me, but they ship and they are so worth it. I have seen reviews online for other joggers that they breakdown if your thighs rub together. Well these don't. My thighs rub together and I have never had a problem with these.

Everything Sequins

Silver Sequin Dress  - This dress is so much fun. I would get it for the holiday party, but it is sleeveless and I will be in freezing Colorado. It is so pretty though!

Black Sequin Blazer  - This is such a fun blazer. I really love it. It would go perfect with the Spanx Faux Leather Pants, a simple pencil skirt or over a dress.

Gold Sequin Duster  - This is on my wishlist. I think it is perfect for a date night. I would put it over one of my simple cotton black dresses and a pair of heels. Or just for a fun addition to jeans and a tee.

Black Sequin Dress  - This is one of the dresses I am considering for the holiday party in Colorado next month. It is on sale for 50% off right now and has great reviews.

Black Sequin Skirt  - This is a fun skirt and similar to the one I wore for Rory's Christmas party. But this one has a beautiful lace end to it.

Black Sequin Pants  - I own these pants. I have had them for a few years now. I have them in size small. They fit well, have stretch to them, have a stretch waist band and are the perfect length.

Black Sequin Joggers   - I have these as well. They come from a local to me store, but they do ship as I said above. I got these in a small, but the medium fit well too. They are comfy, have a drawstring waist and are perfect for lounging in on NYE.

Sequin Bodysuit  - Bodysuits have been pretty amazing lately and I would love to try this one. It would be perfect with the Spanx Faux Leather Leggings, a skirt, jeans, or some black pants.

Do you love sequins? Are you dressing up for NYE? Even the comfy style NYE outfit?

Monday, December 20, 2021

Our Fall Photos 2021

It is finally time to share our family photos from back in October. My amazing friend, Heather took these photos. I booked one of her mini sessions and I am so happy that I did. 

Last year we just took a photo at two different Thanksgivings (one in early November and one on actual Thanksgiving) and went with the best one. They are not my favorite in the sense that they were rushed. They turned out fine, but I wanted the posed and effortless photos. Ok, they were not effortless, but just easier.

If you are in Reno or traveling to Tahoe, please consider booking with Heather. She also travels!















Friday, December 17, 2021

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! The girls started their Christmas break today, so I am working from home and enjoying some time with them. We have some Christmas light looking planned for this weekend and a little Christmas party on Sunday. Other than that, we are going to soak in the upcoming holiday by baking cookies, snuggling by the fire and watching Christmas movies.

Onto, Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. I posted about this last week on my Instagram stories, but I thought I would share it again here. I bought the girls some things from Abercrombie and Fitch and decided to throw in a long sleeve tee for myself since it was on major sale. 

Well I got it, wore it and loved it. So much so, that I checked to see if they were still on sale and they were. And this time I got it in three more colors. You can beat the price reduction from $39 to $19.89. Now I know I am not supposed to get myself anything in December, but I love these tees so I grabbed them. Basically a Christmas gift to myself. 

These shirts are so soft, cover your butt (so can be worn with leggings), have size slits and actually button/snap. I now have it in brown, white, dark gray and olive green. 

A&F Women's Cozy Oversized Henley
Ignore my selfie taking skills.

TWO. Last weekend we did our first night out for Christmas light looking. We are going again tonight or tomorrow with some friends. Our first area was Hidden Valley. We go here every year. They have a community contest, so I save the addresses each year and update them.

Here is a glimpse at the displays. Also, two of these are closer to my house, but we stopped by them on the way home.











THREE. Saturday night was Rory's company Christmas party. It was at a steakhouse and it was so good. It just started late (8:30 pm). And Rory wasn't really feeling well. But we stayed out until 11 pm and had the best time.

And as promised, here is my outfit.



The skirt was amazing, but it rode up a little too much when I was sitting down. I didn't notice it until I saw this picture. But the whole outfit was a hit and so comfy. Also, that purse is an early Christmas gift from my girls and soooo pretty in person. You can buy it here.

FOUR. Last week we went to our friends house for their annual gingerbread house decorating party. It was a Thursday night, and the girls had a blast. And us moms got to hang out, catch up and get some advice on an upcoming trip.

And the boys hung out in the garage bourbon tasting.



FIVE. Weekly funnies.






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