Family Holiday Outfits

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I was recently shopping for Christmas outfits for the girls and I, and I thought I would share some of our top contenders. I also found the cutest boys outfit and I had to share it as well. Do you dress up for Christmas or a holiday party?

Girls Red Velvet Dress  I bought this for the girls. I let them pick out what they wanted and they really liked this dress. I got it in a medium, size 7/8 and it was too big for them. I had to exchange it for a small. It was just too long in the arms and they were swimming in it. Now it fits beautifully. We are pairing it with some black tights and black flats.

Girls Two Piece Tulle Set  This was another cute option we looked at. My girls are very much into skirts right now, so this was almost purchased but they liked the velvet more.

Red Tights  These tights are awesome. They hold up to big time wear with kids. They are so cozy too.

Red Collared Shirt  This shirt is classic and can be worn with so many outfits. I love it paired with the skirt below it.

Black Velour Skirt  This skirt is so cute. It has the perfect amount of flair for twirling and it is super soft. Even though we did not get this for the girls for their holiday outfit, I did buy it during Black Friday sales.

Boys Tartan Shirt  This shirt is so cute. I have the same patterned dress and it is beautiful in person.

Boys Corduroy Pants  The girls have these pants except in the girl version of them. They are very well made and comfy.

Women's Velvet Tiered Dress  This is a top contender for me. I love the tiered look and how it can be worn to so many other events than just the holidays.

Womens Black Cardigan  This is also another classic for the closet that can be used for more than just the holidays.

Tartan Pencil Skirt  I have this pattern in a dress from J Crew and I love wearing it at the holidays. The skirt is just as cute and might be added to my closet.

Sparkle Bow Sweater  This sweater has been all over IG and I can understand why. I went into Express and fell in love with it. Then I saw this skirt/dress with it and wanted it even more.

Satin Dress (can be made to look like a skirt) This is the dress/skirt that I thought would pair well with the Sparkle Bow Sweater.

Are you dressing up for the holidays?

Holiday Dresses

*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 don't know about you, but I am excited to dress up for the holidays. And for the first time in forever, I get to go to a real Christmas party. Rory and I worked (I still work there) at the same place. Their idea of a holiday party was an office pot luck. We did have one co-worker who would put together a holiday party for some of us, but it was always casual. I haven't been to a real Christmas party since previous to this job, and that was over 14 years ago. So needless to say, I am very excited. And yes, it is a small office, so we will be adhering to the rules on gathering numbers.

Anyways, I have been searching around for some holiday dresses. Some of these I wish I could wear to the party, but they are a little too dressed up for it. And they are all under $150. Most of them, but one are under $100.

Top: One | Two | Three | Four

Bottom: One | Two | Three | Four

Which is your favorite? 

TBB Asks - Holiday Edition

It's time for another round of The Blended Blog Asks and this months theme is everything holidays. I love Christmas so much. From the cozy feeling to the decorations to the lite up tree, it is just amazing.

1. Candy Canes? Yes or No? Yes. I really do love candy canes. From the peppermint ones to the fruit ones, I love them all.

2. Christmas morning early riser or sleep in? Growing up, I would be an early riser. Now I love to sleep in, but my kids don't really let me.

3. Did you shop on Black Friday? Yes or No? No. I hate shopping on Black Friday.

4. Christmas tree up in November? Yes or No? Yes. We always put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving.

5. Do you get Holiday ideas from Pinterest? Yes or No? Maybe Elf on the Shelf ideas, but otherwise no.

6. Christmas Glam or Ugly Sweater? For parties, I go with the ugly sweaters, but Christmas day, I usually dress up.

7. Stocking stuffers: wrapped or unwrapped? Both. I wrap some of them, but leave some of them unwrapped.

8. Traditional or modern Christmas songs? I love the traditional ones.

9. Fruitcake? Yes or No? NO!! So gross.

10. Is your Christmas shopping finished? Yes or No? No. I got a lot of it done on Cyber Monday, but we still need a few things, but not many.

11. Is there snow in December where you live? Most definitely!

12. Classic show: A Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph? Charlie Brown. I love them both, but I really do love the Charlie Brown Christmas.

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)

TBB Asks - New Year, New You

It's time for another round of TBB Asks. This time the focus is New Year, New You. Enjoy.

1. Resolutions or no resolutions? Growing up, I used to make resolutions, but now I do not. I feel like I never stick to them, so I just focus on being a better me each year.

2. Love snow or no snow? I love the snow. I hate driving in the snow, but I love the snow. I love sledding, snowboarding and the beauty of the snow.

3. Name a new place you want to go this year. Well I have always wanted to go to Ireland and I am getting to do that for work, so that is one. But somewhere that isn't planned that I want to go to....Italy. I am dying to go there for the culture, food and the shopping.

4. Would you rather have a new hair cut or hair color? Hair color because I can always change it back if I don't like the new color. Yes, hair grows, but it feels like it takes forever if you cut a bunch off. Plus with my sisters wedding in June, I am trying to grow my hair out.

5. Name one special thing you want to do for yourself this year. Give myself more grace. Other than that, I want to try to have a few hours a month just to myself, to focus on just me and being me instead of mommy, wife, etc.

6. Least favorite thing about January. It is just soooo cold.

7. Most favorite thing about January. A new year means a fresh start and who doesn't love a fresh start?

8. When do you take down your holiday decorations? I usually wait until the first weekend in January (or the day after New Years), but this year I took them down two days after Christmas. Since I was home and still sick, I decided to do a bunch of organizing and cleaning. But to be fair, I did leave the tree up with lights on it. Everything else came down.

9. Do you diet in January? Haha, nope.

10. What area of your home do you want to organize the most? Well I was going to say the girls room, but I just did that two days after Christmas. So the next place I want to tackle would be our office. It has a bunch of things that need to be donated, purged and just cleaned.

11. Favorite winter comfort food. It is a tie between meatloaf and lasagna. I love them both so much.

12. Favorite guilty pleasure. Watching my girly shows.

I can't wait to hear your answers. Please drop a link when you respond to the questions.

Friday Favorites - First of 2018

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I managed to blog 3 times this week. #goals Does anyone else feel like it is so hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays? I really do.

But we made it through the week...even though it was only a 4 day work week. We have another jam packed weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow is the girls 3rd birthday party. We have a bunch of twins coming to their party and so many family and friends. We can't wait. Then Sunday morning we have brunch with family and then that evening I have dinner with my sister and a friend who is in town. Maybe next weekend I can relax. Maybe.

Onto Friday Favorites.

ONE. I bought a pair of Allbird shoes a few months back, but had to send them back because they were too small. I had every intention on buying a new pair in a bigger size and then I didn't. But now they have a no lace, slip on version that I really want. I can't decide between pink and black. I am sure black will get more wear because it is universal, but the pink is just as cute.

Loungers

TWO. I saw that Nordstrom was having a sale along with every other shop and I decided to take a look. Big mistake. I wanted so much. But I only bought three pieces and I hope they will be perfect for my England trip.

I have been wanting a cozy cardigan and this one fits the bill. Plus it is in a dusty pink which is a favorite of mine. I paired it with the white tee below. It is still on sale for $37 (40% off).

Ombre Cardigan

Lush Raw Edge Slit Tee

I also wanted a couple sweaters that were sold out in my size, but I did manage to snag this gray sweater.

Currently Sold Out

THREE. I didn't really recap our NYE, so I thought I would share a little bit about it here. We actually went out, but we didn't go downtown or to the bars because it is crazy around here. We actually went to an early dinner at one of our favorite places and had the best pork chop. I don't know how they cook that thick of a pork chop this well, but it comes out perfectly every time. Plus they pair it with a root vegetable and a chutney based on what is in season. Seriously so good.

After dinner, we drove home and too a Lyft just over a mile away from our house to a friends party. They used to be our neighbors, but moved about a year ago after a long renovation to their new house. Let me just say, it looked phenomenal. I LOVED their kitchen and the views were soooo beautiful. It looked over downtown and we could see the fireworks perfectly.

Just after midnight we walked home. Yep. We couldn't find a Lyft or Uber that wasn't over an hour away (super busy) and wasn't insanely priced. We paid $3.60 for our ride to the party and it would have been soooo much more with a super long wait. So we walked. Probably not the best idea in those heels I was wearing after drinking a lot of champagne.

FOUR. I never shared more photos from our Fall/Christmas photos, so I thought I would share my favorites other than our Christmas card photo. Our photographer did an amazing job and I can't wait to frame these. I seriously need to get my butt in gear and get these framed and/or on canvas. If you know of places (online) that have great deal, please send them my way.

FIVE. One of my Christmas gifts from Rory was a wireless charger for my iPhone8. I use my phone a lot at the gym when I work out (hello Netflix) and always burn through the battery. Now the iPhone8 is better with the battery life, but sometimes I also listen to Pandora and other battery draining apps. I told him I wanted a wireless charger after seeing my co-workers and he got me one. This one has amazing reviews, isn't expensive and it works really well. I have a case and a Popsocket on my phone and it still charges through all of that. If you have an iPhone 8 or X, I would definitely recommend this. This isn't a sponsored post. I just want to share this with you all.

Wireless Charger for iPhone 8 or X

SIX. I am participating in a huge giveaway for a $500 Amazon gift card. Who doesn't want to spoil themselves after spoiling our loved ones? I know I would buy a bunch of things on my wishlist. Giveaway winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply to claim the prize. If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours then an alternate winner will be selected. Open to International and 18+ years of age. Amazon giftcard will be emailed.

Use the form to enter below and good luck!!

$500 AMAZON GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Friday Favorites - Christmas

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It's Friday! We survived the week before Christmas. I am calling this week a win, mostly because my office is so dead. People are either out due to the holidays or we are lacking work because others are out for the next two weeks.

I am almost done with Christmas prep. I just need to grocery shop and bake a few things....homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies for Santa.

So let's dive into my Friday Favorites.

ONE. Wednesday was the day the girls were to give their pacifiers to Giuseppe. We allowed them to have them on our drive to daycare (2 minutes) each way and in the evening. Once we got home from work, we gathered all their other pacis in the house and put them by Giuseppe. Then when it was their bedtime, we had them bring over their daily ones and give them to Giuseppe. They did it and were ok with it.

Once they got into bed, they asked for their pacis back for about 10 minutes and then fell asleep without them. Avery did wake up at midnight and came right into our room. She got into bed and snuggled there all night. Sutton woke up (more like half asleep) at 1 am asking for her paci. I told her that Giuseppe took her paci to Santa and to snuggled her blanket. Her mouth was making the paci sucking motion, but she soothed herself back to sleep and slept in her room the whole night by herself.

So the first night went pretty well. We were thinking they would cry all night, but we were wrong. Now let's hope we can have similar or even better nights the next few nights into forever.

After the girls got ready for school, they went to find Giuseppe like they usually do. Once they found him, they saw that they had a big present to share and some mini hair brushes. They opened the big present together which was the Minnie Club House from the Happy Helpers on Mickey Roadsters. They were soooo excited and wanted to open it up right then, but we had to get going to school. We said they could play with it later. They then asked to bring their brushes with them in the car.

So all in all, it was pretty successful so far. Let's hope it continues.

TWO. This week I was browsing IG or FB and saw the coolest dog beds. Walter loves to snuggle. Especially when it is cold outside. He loves his blanket so much that he snuggles under it every night. When I saw this blanket dog bed combo, I really wanted it for Walter. I think he would love it. How cool is this?

Slipper Dog Bed

Your dog gets inside of the blanket, but has a cozy to bed to lay on. Such a simple concept, but awesome.

THREE. I had such a hard time figuring out stocking stuffers for my girls. I searched some of my favorite blogs, I looked through the dollar spot at Target (completely gutted, ugh) and then just went to the store and went through almost all the aisles three times. But I did it. I found some great items and I wanted to share some of them here just in case you need some last minute ideas.

I got them Disney princess band aids (a box for each), a $0.99 tiny carton of Gold Fishes, Cat and Jack Crew Socks, Cat and Jack low cut socks, a pair of wacky socks each, small container of m&ms, Hot Wheels, Burts Bees chapstick, Cat and Jack headbands, silly putty, Paw Patrol bath toy, stickers and a Frozen write and erase pad.

FOUR. Above I said that I was making cinnamon rolls this weekend. It is a tradition started by my mom and one that I carry on now. Last year I posted my cinnamon roll recipe, so I thought I would share it again, in case you want to make them for your family. Note: you need to add a ton of cinnamon and sugar. Add way more than I did last year. I plan to. I used to make a mixture of the butter, cinnamon and sugar. It would be a thick paste and that is basically what you want on our dough (it is just harder to spread this way). So add a bunch and when you think you have enough, add more.

Recipe

FIVE. This isn't Christmas related, but it can be. Remember a few weeks back when I wore my sequin leggings to my friends 30th birthday? Well I am wearing them again for NYE. Yep, we are going out. We never go out for NYE anymore. It is most definitely amateurs night. But this year we were invited to our old neighbors house for a champagne/cocktail party. They only moved about a mile away and we are dying to see their renovated house. It is adults only and most definitely a great networking party. You best bet I will be wearing my sequin leggings with a silvery or fun shirt. Plus they are 50% off right now.

Merry Christmas to all of my blogging friends!

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

What's Up Wednesday - Christmas Edition

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I am back for another round of What's Up Wednesday. I am so glad this link up is this week because I am not sure how much I will even post next week. I do have a post planned for next Friday as it will be my baby girls' 3rd birthday. How is that even possible?

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK...

I am a little embarrassed to post about our meals this week because we are barely eating at home. I blame it on the holidays.

Monday: I picked up salads after my facial for Rory and I. 
Tuesday: Take-out again as Rory has a Nevada basketball game to go to and we have to pick up the girls and his truck from Toyota after work.
Wednesday: I am having dinner with one of my best friends at this yummy Italian place.
Thursday: Dinner at family's house - chili and cornbread.
Friday: Something in the Instant Pot.
Saturday: Not sure.

Sunday: We have our annual Christmas Eve party at my parents best friends house and they have soooo many goodies to eat.

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

My friends just had a baby on Monday morning and she is soooo darling. It made me think about my girls, how they are turning 3 next week and their birth story. It was a crazy story and one that will stick with me forever.

WHAT I'M LOVING...

The holidays. I am soooo excited for this weekend. I have been planning, wrapping and prepping for Christmas.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Other than getting ready for the holidays, not much. I have been prepping for our Christmas dinner. We host Christmas dinner every year and this year is no different. This year we will be having broiled lobster with drawn butter, glazed baby carrots, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, cesar salad and rolls. I am sooo excited to make this meal and can't wait to see how it turns out.

WHAT I'M DREADING...

That my face is going to peel from my brutal chemical peel that I had on Monday. I feel like my face is going to fall off. I don't get peels that often, but wow, this one has been the worst. I think I need to lay off of them for a couple times. Ouch.

What else am I dreading? Today is the day where the girls give their pacis to their elf, Giuseppe, and get a present in exchange for it. I fear for our sleep tonight, so please send a little prayer that the girls do so much better than I am expecting.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

Christmas everything. Planning our dinner, planning for Christmas morning, making cinnamon rolls, etc. Isn't every answer planning for Christmas? Ha.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

The holidays. Seeing my girls open their gifts, continuing Christmas traditions, making new ones and celebrating my girls 3rd birthday.

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

I am still reading The Husband's Secret. How is that even possible? Ha. But I am close to being done. I have been reading it in between everything and am actually really getting into it. I just want to see how it ends. I feel like I fly through suspense books easier because I HAVE to know what happens asap. Fingers crossed I can finish this book and move onto one of the many in my que. 

As for tv, I have been watching all the Hallmark Christmas movies. Plus some movies on Netflix. I loved a Christmas Prince, the Heart of Christmas, Enchanted Christmas, Switched at Christmas and the list goes on. I love these movies even though they pretty much are all the same.

I haven't been watching much of anything else since all my favorite shows are on a Christmas break.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

A lot of Christmas music.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

I am wearing my J Crew peacoat jacket a lot this winter (similar to this one).

J Crew Jacket

I also bought a few Loft blouses for work since everything was 50 - 60% off and free shipping. I needed some new blouses for an upcoming work trip next month. Stay tuned below for where I am off too.

Loft Dot Blouse

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

All things Christmas related.

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

I am heading on another work trip and this time I am going to England (again) and Ireland. I have never been to Ireland and to say that I am excited for that part is an understatement. I can't wait to see Ireland. But what I am not looking forward to? Being away from my girls for 11 days. Seriously that is sooooo long. Plus with the time change, I rarely get to see them via facetime. Ugh. But Ireland, yes! Plus I get to see one of my friends from school days again since she lives in England...and she is an identical twin herself.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

I have been buying things for the girls 3rd birthday party which has the theme of Minnie Mouse. Would there be any other theme? Nope. 

We are having their party at our house and we invited a bunch of twins, plus family and friends. We are having pizza (the girls favorite), snacks and Minnie cupcakes. It is simple, but until they are a bit older, we want to keep it at home.

 Minnie Banner

 Minnie Decorations

 Minnie Globes

Minnie Table Cloth

BEST GIFT YOU HAVE EVER GIVEN A GUY...

This is a hard one, but the first thing that comes to mind was Black Keys concert tickets, along with a hotel stay as it was out of town and all the drinks at the show. I got this for Rory a few years ago and it has been a favorite gift. I would love to receive this gift, but with my favorite band or one of the three bands I have on my wish list: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fights and Metallica. All oldies-ish, but goodies.

Girl Chat - Greatest Gift Received

Today is our last Girl Chat link up for the year. I have had so much fun learning about you all over the last 11 months. I have also had a great time co-hosting this Girl Chat link up. So please join me for the final one of the year. The topic is...What is the greatest gift you ever received?

I answered a similar question in my TBB link up last Monday and I said it was my pink bike when I was about 7 years old. This was a pretty amazing gift and I still remember it. I love looking at the pictures from that Christmas.

But for this link up, I am going to get sentimental here. My greatest gift I ever received was my twin girls.

It took us almost a year to get pregnant (which isn't as long as some, but it was awhile for us) and then surprise, we were having twins. Fast forward a bit to their anatomy scan and we found out they were identical twin girls. I was due to have the girls around February 13th, but with them being twins, they had an eviction date of January 25th, 2015. But Sutton had other plans and decided that December 29, 2014, would be the perfect birthday. Even if Avery didn't want to come out just yet.

I had mild contractions on December 26th, but ignored them and took some meds and went to bed. Nothing happened on the 27th. On the 28th, we thought we should get stuff for the hospital since the girls were due in a month-ish. We went to Target, bought what we needed plus slipper shoes for my insanely huge feet and legs and went home. We had some Taiwanese food and then went to my in-laws house for dessert. I happily ate my brownie and ice cream and on the drive home, I got uncomfortable again. This was the second start to my labor.

By the time I got to the hospital, I was already and 4 1/2 centimeters and just under 3 hours later, I was at a 9 1/2 when my doctor made the decision to do an emergency c-section. The girls were going to be here very soon and NICU time was definitely happening.

I said my prayers and my baby girls were born at 2:37 am. Delivery was rough (read here) and recovery was even harder, but I had my two perfect baby girls. They were my belated Christmas gifts and the best gift I have ever received.

So here is to you, my sweet Sutton Kira and Avery Madison. Thank you for choosing me to be your mother. It is truly an honor.

A sneak peak from our family photos

What was your greatest gift you ever received?

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