Amazon Prime Day Shopping and Amazon Prime 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.

Next Monday and Tuesday are Amazon Prime days. Now I have no idea what deals are going on as I tried to search, but didn't find any. I thought I would highlight some of our favorite prime items from the last year. You can add any of these items to your wishlist or cart and see if they come up in the Prime deals.

This year we don't have many needs, but my in-laws do, so I am seeking out a camera security system for their mountain home, a Roku for their mountain home and possibly a router for their mountain home.

I will be shopping the sale both days and seeing if there is anything we absolutely need or refills on things we consistently buy.

Here are some of our Amazon favorites from the last year:

No Poreblem Primer

I buy this pretty regularly. It is my go to makeup primer.

Nespresso VertuoLine Vanilla Custard Pie

This is my favorite Nespresso Vertuo pod.

Dog Carrier

I wish we would have bought this years ago. Walter loves it and travels so well in it.

Bissell Cordless Hand Vac

This hand vac is amazing. It comes with a usb charger to charge in your car. It is powerful and keeps my car clean.

Cerave Moisturizing Cream

This is the best lotion/cream out there.

QuiFit Gallon Water Bottle

This water bottle is the only way that I drink enough water daily.

Linenspa Shredded Foam Reading Pillow

This pillow saved me after my surgery. Now we use it to lounge on.

Adjustable Phone Tripod

This was a gift to Rory. We have used it at parties, for family photos and for him to record videos for work.

Lingerie Bags

This is such a great deal. I use these for bras, bathing suits, masks and anything delicate.

Blackstone 28 inch Grill Griddle  (36 inch Griddle)

This is my husbands favorite gift. It is amazing and if you can score this on prime, I would definitely grab it. Well worth it.

Lululemon Align Legging Dupes

These leggings are like the Lululemon Align leggings but way less in price.

Bike Inner Tubes

My girls always seem to get thorns in their tires and these come in a two pack.

Gluggle Jug

This jug was a gift, but we have one and love it. It makes a gurgle noise when you pour the water out of it.

Shiatsu Massager

This massager has been the best. I got one for my dad and then one for myself. It is powerful and works amazingly.

Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover

This stuff gets stains out of everything. From dining room chairs to the carpet to even clothes. It is used for everything and we love it!

ChainJoy Women's Polka Dot Skirt

I have this skirt in green and white and black and white. I love it and get so many compliments on it.

Tribe Workout Phone Armband

This workout band helped me keep my phone safe over the last year. I bought it during Covid so I could run outside and listen to music. Now I use it at the gym when I run (not that often anymore) and when I lift weights.

Orlimar Pitch and Putt Carry Golf Bag

This golf bag is amazing for small courses, when you don't want to lug around all your golf clubs or when you walk a course.

What is on your Prime day list?

Show Me Your Books - May

*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.

Oh May, I tried to read a lot more, but the time just got away from me. I had started reading two books, but then my library loan ended and I had to screen capture where I was, so I could read them later when I got them again (which should be soon). I started One to Watch which was really good and I almost bought the book to finish it, but I will just wait another week or two until I get it. And then I barely got into The Good Sister. I was about 15% in, so I will again, wait for it to come back to me. But I did manage to finish The End of Her and it was really good. 

So all in all, I sucked at reading last month. This month has been better and it helps that I had some downtime in Graeagle to make that happen.

The End of Her - Shari Lapena
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

The End of Her - Shari Lapena

The book starts off with Stephanie and Patrick. They just had twins in an emergency c-section situation and are adjusting to parenting life. As you can imagine, this gripped me right away because it described a lot of my emotions in the beginning and how hard it is with twins (any baby really) in the beginning. 

Someone from Patrick's past comes back into his life and wrecks havoc. She is throwing around allegations that Patrick's first wife was murdered, but Patrick insists that it was an accident. Both Erika (the girl from Patrick's past) and Patrick's past starts coming out. Who is Stephanie to believe? Is she endanger?

I kept going back and forth on guessing what really happened and who was telling the truth. I ultimately figured out part of the twist, but not all of it. I wouldn't say this book is a thriller even though it is classified as one. Maybe a drama/mystery is a better description of it.

Even though I tore through this book in less than 2 days, I felt the ending could have been better. It fell a little flat for me and was left a bit open ended. While I enjoyed the read (until the ending), I would only give it 3 1/2 stars.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin girls. The babies are a handful, but even as Stephanie struggles with the disorientation of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she's sure of: she has all she ever wanted.

Then Erica, a woman from Patrick's past, appears and makes a disturbing accusation. Patrick had always said his first wife's death was an accident, but now Erica claims it was murder.

Patrick insists he's innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. Still, Erica knows things about Patrick--things that make Stephanie begin to question her husband. Stephanie isn't sure what, or who, to believe. As Stephanie's trust in Patrick begins to falter, Patrick stands to lose everything. Is Patrick telling the truth--is Erica the persuasive liar Patrick says she is? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?

How will it end?

What have you read lately?

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! We have been in Graeagle all week enjoying our annual vacation. After a crazy busy last couple weeks and starting back in the office full time, a break was much needed an appreciated. 

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. If you followed along on my recliner chair situation that I posted on IG and here a few weeks ago, then you know I did a poll and asked what you all thought between a leather love seat and chair. Well, we went back to the store to look at the large chair again (it won overwhelmingly on both IG and here) and asked if they had another other large/oversized chairs. 

Our sales rep showed us three more others and we decided on the one below. The change from the one I posted on IG and this one is mainly the fabric. The sales rep said this one (below) would last longer, is softer and better for pets and kids. They were close to the same price, but we did add on the ottoman for ultimate comfort.

Here is what our situation was:

And the two we were deciding between.

And the one we ultimately got. It has been in our house for over a week now and we love it.

TWO. Do you or your kids have issues with mosquito bites? We do. The girls and I get bit and swell up, itch and just hate mosquito bites. But this time before Graeagle, I remembered to start taking vitamin B1. We should have started it a month before our trip, but a week helped for sure. 

If you are going out into the mountains or have mosquito issues where you live and get bit all the time, you should start taking vitamin b1. 

This is the one I ordered from Amazon.

Vitamin B1

THREE. Hanna Andersson recently had sales on their swimsuits and I grabbed the girls two new ones. When HA swim goes on sale, you buy it. I got one long sleeve one and one bikini. They have the cutest swim wear right now. I wanted to get them the lemon line, but the ones I wanted were sold out in their size.

Lavender Tulle Swim Set

Pineapple One Piece Suit

FOUR. The evening of the girls Kindergarten graduation, we had a little dinner over at our house with just immediate family. We gifted the girls their trampoline, had an al pastor taco dinner and celebrated our little ladies. And we captured the cutest picture of my girls and my nephew.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

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

Father's Day Gifts

*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.

Father's Day is coming up (Sunday June 20th) and I know I like to get the gifts early as some of them tend to have longer shipping times. So I put together some gift ideas for your dad, husband, brother or father figure in your life.

Many of these Rory has and loves, and I know the rest he would love.

Blackstone 28 Inch Griddle  I got this for Rory for Christmas and I can't tell you how often this is used. He loves this thing. I love this thing. We make bacon, pancakes, fried rice, grilled cheese, sausages, etc. on it. It is amazing and truly a great gift.

Coola Face Sunscreen  Sunscreen is an easy gift for men as many don't buy any for themselves. Or only for their bodies. This is great for golf and everyday wear. I have the Coola Water Cream and use it daily. You could use that one on anyone as well, but the face one travels easier.

Arcade Belt  This belt is beloved by Rory. He has it in a few colors/options and wears it daily.

Melin Hat  I got this hat for Rory last Father's Day and he wears it camping, golfing and just daily wear. It is moisture wicking, has a secret spot for money or a key and it floats.

Ice Sphere  I got a similar ice set for Rory as part of his birthday gift. He loves Old Fashioneds and these are the perfect ice cube for them.

UV Light Sanitizer  I have wanted one of these and Rory mentioned that he wanted one of these. They are amazing for phones, keys, pacifiers, masks, etc. Since we are starting to travel again and working in the office, this is a great gift option.

Vuori Strato T-Shirt  My hairdresser told me about Vuori and then I bought Rory some jogger pants from there. When he received them, I was hooked. Everything is soft, luxurious and doesn't cost quite as much as Lululemon. He bought himself one of these shirts and they are amazing. They are soft, wear well, wash well and look really nice.

Vuori Meta Pant  Another Vuori item. These pants are made for work, golf, and casual. I almost got Rory the Aim pants, but this one has more room in the thigh.

Portable Neck Fan  I saw this somewhere and took a photo of it. Then I searched for it as it is an amazing option for golf, Summers and hanging outside. And this one gets amazing reviews and actually keeps you cool.

Osprey Daylite Duffle  We all know that I love Osprey. I bought a very large duffle bag with backpack straps last year and use it for our annual Graeagle, camping and some airline travel. This is a smaller version meant for long weekends, but still made with the same amazing material.

Bombas Ankle Socks  I got these for Rory for Christmas and he still raves about them. He raves so much that I bought some for myself. They are comfy, wear well and give back (company donates socks).

Birkenstock Arizona Soft Slide  Now I know some are not fans of Birks, but these are soooo good. They are the soft ones so they are already broken in. I wasn't a believer, but now I have 3 pairs of Birkenstocks. I only get the soft version as I can't wait or handle the break-in.

What are you getting the guy in your life for Father's Day?

Kindergarten Graduation

My girls did it. They graduated Kindergarten and are officially first graders. As I have said a few times lately, this has been a big year and a huge change for them. They rocked Kindergarten and I can't wait to see what they do in the years to come!

The girls teacher snapped some photos their last "real" week of school and sent them over to us. She also sent a class photo from the first day to the last day and I can't believe how they all changed. I didn't post them one as they ask us to only post our own children which I appreciate and totally get. 

So here are some snaps from their teacher.

Avery

Sutton

Avery

Sutton

And here is my first and last day photos of the girls. The first is obviously from their first day of school and the last is from their graduation day. They had school/fun day Friday, but I chose to capture their graduation day.

Congrats my little ladies!! Mommy is so proud of you!

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! What a week it has been. It was my first full week back in the office and then we had all the things. Kindergarten graduation, vacation prep, a girls bbq tonight, a company picnic/bbq tomorrow (Rory's work) and then our trip. It has been a lot to plan for. I feel like I have so many lists going right now. Grocery lists for four stores, packing lists, etc. 

Anyways onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. As I mentioned above, the girls graduated from Kindergarten yesterday. I know people say it isn't a big deal, but it is. It has been a big year with so much change for my girls and they have truly rocked it. They have learned so much. I plan to share some photos next week, but I didn't have time to get them edited as I was baking cupcakes, making a big taco dinner for our family (last night) and shower my girls with love at their graduation.

But we did give them their graduation gift. And yes, this is over the top, but they have been amazing this last year. My parents, my in-laws and us went all in and got the girls a trampoline for graduation. We are getting our fence extended in our yard and after over a year of begging, we bought a trampoline. 

We wanted to get them one last year during Covid to keep them active and outside, but they were so expensive and always sold out. 

Yes this one is still expensive, but gets amazing reviews, has a higher weight capacity and has great safety measures to it.

ORCC 14 FT Trampoline

TWO. A month or so ago, Andrea posted the cutest J Crew dress. I knew I had to have it and so I bought it. If you sign up for their rewards program, you get free shipping and cash back. I had some cash to use, so I got this dress. I got it in a small and it fits perfectly. It has adjustable straps so you can wear it with a bra. I plan to wear it tomorrow to the company picnic for Rory's work. 

It also comes in black and lime green and white. So cute.

J Crew Smocked-Top Midi Dress

THREE. Last weekend we went to Spring Creek/Elko, Nevada to help my in-laws get settled into their mountain home. They just finished building it and needed some help putting together furniture and moving in. We had contemplated going as we had Walter and didn't know how he would do on the long car ride. But I bought a soft carrier off Amazon and it was amazing. He did so well. 

And I wonder why we didn't buy this carrier sooner? He laid down most of the way, was quiet and never complained. Usually he rides on one of our laps and is up and down. This thing is a game changer. He was cozy, the bed is soft and it was easy to transport him around.

Dog Carrier

FOUR. Speaking of the trip, I snapped a few photos of the views and just how incredible parts of Nevada can really be.

Lamoille Canyon

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

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