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.

We are still working from home right now, but Rory goes into his new office on Monday and I will be home with my pup, Walter. I am not sure how much longer we will be working from home, but I am guessing it will be at least until August.

This week was hard to get back into the groove of things after having last week off in Graeagle, but we survived and are looking forward to this weekend. Maybe even get up to Lake Tahoe and go to the beach. Tonight, we are celebrating Rory's birthday dinner...only three months late. Date night and birthday celebration call for dressing up!

Anyways, onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. When I got back from Graeagle, I knew there was a few items that I needed from Ulta...a moisturizer, a setting spray or my setting powder, and my eyeshadow primer. I hit up Ulta since I had a coupon for there. This was the first time I have been in since the store had shut down and they were out of a lot of items since they hadn't gotten a shipment in the last month that they have been open. There were supposed to get one this week, but I was already in there shopping. 

I did get a setting spray (for travel and to try something new), the eyeshadow primer and my favorite eyeshadow since I can never find it anymore at Sephora. But here is what I purchased. And I am really glad that I held off on the moisturizer since Tarte had a deal where you buy 7 items for $63 and you get over $200 worth of full sized products.

Stilla Kitten Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

I had never tried this setting spray until this week and I really like it. My make-up stays on all day and doesn't need refreshing at all.

TWO. As I mentioned above, Tarte had this sale they do each year where you can get 7 full sized items for $63. You pick an item from each category like eyes, face, lip, etc. and put together a combination and then pick a bag as your last item. I have usually pass on this, but I wanted the Baba Bomb Moisturizer (from when I was at Ulta and they didn't have it) and that is $39 alone. Plus I love the Lights Camera Lashes mascara and that basically covered the entire cost of the order. 

Here is what I ordered:

Babassu Foundcealer I have never used this foundation/concealer, but I have heard good things about it. I had to guess on my color, but I used a color match program that Sephora offers, so I hope it is close to my color.

Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer This is another product that I haven't used, but I love a good bronzer and this one gets really good reviews.

Double Take Eyeliner I use all sorts of brands when it comes to eyeliner. I don't wear eyeliner everyday, but I can't wait to try this one.

Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara This is an amazing mascara. I have been using this one for about 6 months now and I LOVE it. I have tried countless mascaras and they either irritate my eyes or just don't give me the volume and wow factor that I look for. This one does and I won't be changing it up anytime soon.

H2O Gloss I almost bought this stuff during the Sephora Spring sale, but I just didn't want to spend the extra money. But then it was available in the kit and I bought one of the fan favorite colors Room Service.

Baba Bomb This is the moisturizer that I wanted to buy from Ulta that was sold out, so I got it in this kit and I can't wait to try it. The only thing it doesn't have is spf, but I have a lotion that I use daily to cover that.

Tassel Travel Bag

THREE. Last weekend we went to my dear friend, Ashley's daughters 1st birthday party. The theme was rainbows and All You Need Is Love and it couldn't have been any cuter. We went as a family and had a great time. The girls got to play with friends and we got to see our friends. Total win!

FOUR. This week we got some concrete laid beside our house. We used to have a garden here, but it was hard to maintain the soil quality over here. Now we have all of our garden items in old wine barrels. 

Rory has been wanting to do this for years now and we finally did it with some leftover money from our renovation. Now we just need to rebuild the fence and put a bunch of stuff from the garage on this side of the house.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

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

Graeagle Trip

As you may have noticed last week, but I wasn't around because we were on our annual trip to Graeagle, California. I try not to broadcast that we will be out of town until after we get back because of safety reasons. But it was so nice to get out of town and not be near the riots that were going on in our city. Thankfully, they have calmed down and now we are only seeing peaceful protests. I hope it stays that way.

Anyways, we went to Graeagle on Saturday June 6th. We arrived when it was raining, but not hard enough that it hindered us getting into our cabin quickly. We arrived around 4 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening unpacking and getting settled in. 

That day Sutton was talking and we noticed some extra teeth and in her mouth. Her bottom teeth were very loose and she had two adult teeth poking out. We crossed our fingers that her baby teeth would fall out soon and make room for her adult teeth. One is coming in a bit crooked, but we were assured that it still has time to push in properly.

Sunday it rained all day long. We went up to the lodge and allowed the girls to play at the park, downloaded a few of their movies onto their kindles and did lots of indoor drawing. But I think the highlight of the day was making smores over the fire in the cabin.

The rest of the time we golfed (we had a weekly pass to the golf course that our cabin was on), played in the pool, took walks, played tennis, did drawings, went on hikes, went into town for ice cream and shopping, read and relaxed.

The girls went golfing with us two times and they were able to hit their drivers and putters on each hole. They got pretty good and now we want to get them a lesson.

We got my in-laws this fire pit last year for Christmas and we definitely enjoyed it each evening.

Golf Course Views

We didn't see any deer along the resort the first two day due to the weather, but then each day after that, we saw 7 to 10 deer at a time.

On Wednesday June 10th, Sutton lost her first tooth. She was beyond excited. And Avery was excited for her, but also a bit jealous. Sutton's other bottom front tooth will come out any day now and Avery's two bottom teeth are very wiggly too!

We got a peach and apple pie from the local bakery for desserts (and maybe breakfast).

Fraser Falls Hike

We enjoyed ice cream at Millie's Ice Cream shop in town (twice).

We also hit up the Frostee for lunch one after before ice cream.

And that is all the photos I took over the course of our trip. I have many duplicates, but I just didn't find myself taking too many photos this trip and was just in the moment.

We spent 8 days in Graeagle and it went by entirely too quickly. But we got home, got unpacked and had to get ready for a birthday party. My dear friends daughter turned 1 recently and we went to the cutest rainbow/Love is All Your Need party!

Until next time Graeagle! We got back to Graeagle in August (hopefully), but will be staying at another cabin/lodge.

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.

We survived week 13 at home! And we are inching closer and closer to the official start of Summer.

ONE. It is funny as I was talking to Rory about the difference between now and when I was on maternity leave. I had started off by saying that I hadn't ever been out of the office for this long other than when I had the girls. I was on maternity leave for 16 weeks and two of those weeks, I worked from home while the girls were in the NICU since they came out early. I chose to work from home to keep my mind busy and to save some time off. But this time we are working from home and we are approaching the 16th week mark. Yes, we still have 3 weeks to go, but we are not even sure when we will go back into the office.

One thing I do want to stress is that I am so thankful that we have kept our jobs, we have been working this whole time and we haven't felt as much financial burden as others. It is truly heartbreaking watching friends apply for unemployment and have to wait weeks to get it all the while trying to feed their family.

And now with the casinos being open (for a week) our jobs are even more secure.

I really hope you all are doing ok and surviving out there. And my fingers are crossed that this virus is going away.

TWO. Two weeks ago when I bought the Target tank tops, they had a dress on display. I looked everywhere for it, but didn't see it. So I scanned the bar code with my Target Circle app and they only had an XL in black left. I wanted the aqua/mint color, so I saw that another Target in town had it in XS and I bought it for pick up. I picked it up the day after and let me tell you, it is beautiful. It was only $20 plus my red card discount.

This dress is really pretty on. It fits well, the seam hits the waist right, it's comfy and the fabric is stretchy. This is another Target win!

A New Day Sleeveless Ballet Dress

THREE. So now that a few things are taken care of, I can proudly announce that my husband is leaving the Gaming Control Board. He has worked there for 15 years, traveled the world, made great friends and learned a lot. I am still going to be working there, but he has been studying and working his butt off to become a mortgage loan originator. He started this process at the beginning of this year and after some set backs with Covid, he was able to take his test and move on. He passed with flying colors and he did all the other required education. 

So next Friday is his last day at the Board and he isn't even sure if we will get to go into work his last week. He is really bummed because he wants to say goodbye to people in person and finish off his work.

I am soooo proud of my husband. This is risky, but all of our applicants always tell us they never got to where they are without taking risks. Plus, he has a great support system and will be working with one of our good friends. I know he is in great hands and will do great things!

FOUR. The girls started dance class on June 1st and they couldn't be more excited about it. It was a last minute decision and some of their classmates are still doing the Zoom meetings. But my girls went back in with their friend Piper for class. Now the girls don't have to wear masks while they dance, but they are asking them to wear masks upon entering the school (we can't go in with them now) and wear them to their dance room. Once they are in there, they are free to take them off if they want. 

Well, we didn't have masks for them and I couldn't find the throw away ones that you get when you go to the doctor, so I went on Etsy and found them kids ones. I also asked the local girl who made Rory's and mine if she could make them, but she hadn't made the kids sample one yet. So I just bought them on Etsy and they are perfect for the girls. Plus they are even softer than the one I have. Here is the mask just in case you need them for your kids as well. And no it isn't an affiliate link. I just want to make your life easier if you need them for certain places for your kids.

Kids Double Lined Cotton Face Masks

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

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

Father's Day Gift Guide

* 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.

Last week I mentioned that I had a Father's Day Gift Guide/Ideas that I wanted to post, but I held off posting it. Well now I am posting it. I didn't post a Mother's Day gift guide as I never got around to it and I wasn't even sure what I wanted. But I searched around for gifts for Rory, my dad and my father-in-law and figured I would share some of those ideas. And some of these items, at least one of the guys has.

Travis Mathew Polo - Rory has a few polos from Travis Mathew and he really likes them. He wears them golfing and to work.

Birkenstock Arizona Sandal - Rory also has these sandals along with my father-in-law and they both love them. They are waterproof, hold up for years and are comfy.

Moccamaster KBG Coffee Maker - Now I know this coffee maker is a bit pricey, but we LOVE it. It has definitely saved us lots of money during this pandemic. The coffee tastes amazing, it is easy to use, and it lasts forever.

Garmin Vivomove 3 Style - After having my Garmin Vivomove for over a month now, I can officially say that I love it. I love that it tells me to breathe, it monitors my stress levels, it monitors my oxygen levels (better) when I sleep, it gives me miles when I am doing an activity whereas my Fitbit did not. It looks professional, it is comfortable, and it has GPS. I could go on and on about the features, but I won't. I do know that Rory now wants one of the men's styles in it.

Herschel Travel Backpack - A travel backpack is a great idea for anyone who travels, which is most people. Maybe not at the moment, but we will all get back to traveling. I know that I use a backpack every time we travel, even for work.

Travel Gadgets Bag - This is something Rory definitely needs. He is always talking about losing his charger in his backpack and how it would be nice for everything to be all together. This is a travelers friend here. You can even put your ipad or tablet in it.

Fireplace/BBQ Heat Resistant Gloves - Rory has a pair of these, but he has had them for about 3 or 4 years that I can't find them online anymore. He uses them to move around logs in our fireplace and he also uses them when he cooks on the grill, ie when the cast iron skillet is on the grill.

LL Bean Multisport Shorts - Rory bought these for himself for our upcoming camping trips. He says they are perfect for hiking, walks, running, working out, softball, etc.

Cigar Clip - This is meant for the golf cart, but it can also work clipped onto a chair or pretty much anywhere. If your loved one is a cigar lover and takes awhile to smoke his cigar, this is a great option, so you won't have to hold it for them.

Yeti Soft Cooler Tote - I think everyone loves Yeti. Whether it is their tumblers, coolers, or totes, they are just really great products. We have been wanting a Yeti tote for a long time now and hopefully this year we will get one!

What are you getting your father and/or husband for Father's Day?

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.

Are you still working from home? I know I am. We just finished our 12th week at home. Crazy. And we are not even sure when we will be going back in. In Nevada, they have opened up a lot of things, but some are still closed (mainly concert venues, sports arenas, brothels, etc.). We are supposed to go into Phase 3 on Monday the 15th, but we shall see. And maybe that is when we will go back into work. But with the state of the US right now, I am actually ok with working from home a bit longer. 

ONE. Speaking of this pandemic and things changing, the girls went back to preschool on Monday. It was a tough decision, but ultimately getting them ready for Kindergarten won out. I want to make sure that my girls are still learning, being taught by someone other than us (because let's be real, kids don't really listen to their parents), know everything they need to know for their pre-testing to get into Kindergarten, get back into a routine and build a schedule for them.

And don't worry, the girls have sooooo many hoops to jump through in order to go to school. Here is just a few of them. They have to wear pjs or an old dress to school with slippers. Upon arrival, they will get their temperatures checked and give us their slippers. They will use hand sanitizer and then they go into school. They will then wash their hands and change into a different pair of clothes and wear shoes that are not designated as school shoes. Us parents are not allowed in the school unless it is an emergency. All staff are wearing scrubs, have their temperatures checked every morning and follow the same protocols. There is no more family style breakfasts and lunches. They sanitize the playground after each class uses it.

And each morning we have to sign them in, answer questions if they have been exposed to Covid and a few others. Then when we pick them up, a teacher goes inside to get them and then they come out in their socks and clothes for the day with a bag of the items from the morning. Then we leave and start it all over again the next day. We are not sure how long this protocol will last, but so far, we are a week in.

TWO. Ok, I have been searching around for this hat. I don't know what it is about this hat, but I really want it for this Summer. It gives me all the beachy feels and I think it will be perfect for Mexico in October. The problem is: I can't find it anywhere. Our stores just opened and I went to a local one that carries Rip Curl products and they were sold out. I am not even sure how they were as they have been closed for months, but they are. Does anyone know where I can find this hat?

Rip Curl Tropic Coast Trucker

THREE. Do you golf? I do, but I am not by any means a great golfer. But when we go to Graeagle and play the 9 hole golf course at the cabins, you don't need a full set of clubs. Plus you either have to rent a cart or a pull cart if you have a cart bag like I do. Anyways, last year, my in-laws brought their big golf bags and these small carry golf bags. We were able to use them a couple times and it was so much more convenient. You can carry this the entire course, it is light, you can fit 6 or 7 clubs in it and you have room for balls and tees. 

I remembered these golf bags last week and knew that I wanted one for our upcoming (hopefully) trip to Graeagle. This bag is about $33 and sooooo worth it. Did I mention that it comes in 7 colors?

Orlimar Pitch and Putt Carry Golf Bag

FOUR. When I was at Target this week, I stocked up on a ton of items since I hadn't been in the actual store in awhile (I have done pickups there). But I browsed the tank tops and found two really great ones. I wasn't able to try them on in the store as we can't use changing rooms in there, but when I got home and tried them on, they were amazingly soft, fit well and are cheap (I got one for $4 and the other for $7, on sale).

A New Day Slim Fit Tank Top (I got this one in a size small and I could have done a size medium. I like my tank tops fitted and I have a smaller frame, but maybe a medium wouldn't show all the lumps and bumps.)

A New Day Slim Fit Any Day Tank Top (I got this one in a size small and it fits perfectly.)

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything and Becky.

The World As It Stands Right Now

I was going to put out a Father's Day gift guide today, but with everything going on in our world right now, I just didn't feel right doing it. I know some people want to read something more positive than what is going on right now, but I just think it is best to wait. I have been reading blogs, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter the last few days and I just am so saddened by it all. And I haven't posted anything on any platform other than today.

Saturday, here in Reno, there was a Black Lives Matter protest which then turned violent. That has been happening all over America and I am at a loss of words. I think everyone has a right to protest, speak how they feel and make a stand, but I don't condone what some are doing after the protests or during the protests. It completely takes away from the actual protest. Let the protesters protest and let them be heard. And the assholes who are destroying cities after the protests are criminals who are taking away from the protest itself. Most of the people protesting are NOT the ones destroying our cities. They are extremists, anarchist groups, etc. 

My city damaged and we live pretty close to where everything was going down. We were scared that they were going to come out to the suburbs and continue their destruction. It was scary.

I am scared, sad, upset, angry and all around at a loss for words on how I feel about this situation. Just because I haven't posted about it, doesn't mean that it hasn't been on my mind non-stop. I just want this world to be a better place than it is right now. I want my kids to be safe. I want to feel safe sending them back to school and going out in public. I want to spread kindness.

May's Amazon Prime Purchases

* 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 bought a ton of stuff in April and then this month I didn't really buy all that much. Just a birthday gift and a few other items. So what did we buy from Prime this last month?

linking up with Tanya

Earth Rated Dog Wipes

Since we haven't been able to take Walter to the groomers as much as we would have liked during this pandemic, we needed another way to keep him smelling fresh. We had wipes like this before and liked them. This one is plant based and seems to work well.

Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags

Again, we ran out of poop bags during this pandemic and can't go into the pet stores, so I bought these online. Plus, it came with so many that I won't be buying them for quite awhile.

Clip-On Kitchen Food Strainer

I saw these on Instagram and I wasn't sure if they would really work, but I ordered one...mainly to drain the grease out of meat. When I received it, I tried to clip it on my Le Cruset pot and it wasn't working. Then I tried it again when I wasn't cooking and I was able to clip it on easily. You just need to put it on at the right angle. Now I use it all the time and it has been amazing. This one also comes with the brush and garlic peeler.

Gillette Venus Razor Replacements

About 6 months or so ago, I went back to my trusty Venus razor and I needed some replacement cartridges.

Olukai Women's Pehuea Li Sneakers

We bought these sneakers for my sister-in-law for her birthday. We LOVE Olukai everything and I have been wanting these sneakers for quite awhile. I had purchased a pair when we were going to Disneyland, but they didn't arrive in time, so I returned them. Now I wish I hadn't. This color is really a taupe/tan color and not greenish that it appears in the picture;

No Poreblem Primer

This is a re-purchase. I love this face primer and use it every morning that I put on make-up. It smooths out your pores and gives your foundation a flawless look.

What did you buy this month?