Our Christmas Card 2021

Today I am sharing my Christmas card with you all. I usually do a collaboration with a card company for my Christmas cards, but this year, I dropped the ball and didn't work out the details in time. No biggie.

This year I went with Snapfish for my Christmas cards. I have used them in the past for wooden photo panels and loved how they turned out. They have great customer service as well. When I got the first wooden photo, it was damaged slightly in one corner. They let me keep that one which I gave to my parents (it is very small and minimal) and sent me a new one. And the quality is beautiful.

Anyways, I ordered cards from them this year and I plan on ordering some wooden panels/canvases for our house with our Fall photos (which I will share soon).

So without further ado, here is our 2021 Christmas card:

And here is some cards from years past:

2020

2019

2018

2017

 2016

 2015

2014

Crazy to see how much we have changed over the years.

Show Me Your Books - November

*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 read one book last month. I started a second one and got half way through it. But hopefully I finish it this month and read another or two. 

So what did I read this month?

Every Vow You Break - Peter Swanson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense 
Rating: 4 Stars

Every Vow You Break - Peter Swanson

A fellow blogger posted about this book one day and the next I was reading it. It had no wait in my library que. I read it in 2 days. I love when a book captures your right away. 

Abigail and Bruce meet in New York City right before Abigail decides to move home, back to Massachusetts. It is a whirlwind romance and within a year they are getting married. But when Abigail goes on her bachelorette party, she has a drunken one night stand. Should she tell Bruce?

The two get married and go to an island for their honeymoon. It seems perfect. No computers, no cell phones and the most amazing food. But then her one night stand appears and threatens to ruin her. But something isn't right. 

This book had me guessing the whole time what was really going on behind the scenes. I only guessed part of it and it really isn't the twist of the book. There are some touchy subjects in it, but nothing bad. I read this quickly and would recommend it.

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

Abigail Baskin never thought she would fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing change from her previous relationships.

But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident—and the sexy guy who wouldn’t give her his real name—out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Their honeymoon on a luxurious, secluded island will be the beginning of their blissful lives together.

Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears—and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real—and he’s tracked her down to prove it.

Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the shadows one night, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.

Have you been slacking on reading as much as I have? I find it harder to read during the holidays, but I should read more to unwind from all the chaos going on.

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! This month is flying by too quickly. I really love to soak in all of December. I love turning on our Christmas lights, sitting by the fire and enjoying the evenings in. And here we are already through the first 10 days.

I am trying to finalize plans for the girls birthday party, start wrapping my gifts and attending so many events. We have Rory's company Christmas party tomorrow night. Stay tuned for my outfit that I chose.

ONE. Last weekend was sooo much fun. Friday, I took it easy. I ran a ton of errands, made dinner and got ready for the weekend. Saturday morning I had a spa day with my mom and my sister. It was for my birthday (yes that was in August). 

We arrived at the spa at 10 am and spent time in the salt room, hot tubs, zero gravity chairs, steam room, massages and pool. It was heavenly. I stayed until 3:15 and wish I was able to stay the whole day. 

You are not allowed to have phones in the locker rooms where the steam room, one hot tub, a cold tub, showers, etc. are. But I did have it towards the end of the day in areas where I could. And no, you can't talk on your phone, but I basically read on it in the salt room. Note to self: take my kindle next time.

TWO. After my spa day, I headed home to shower, change and get ready for a fun night out. We were celebrating my friend Heather's birthday at a steakhouse followed by seeing Iliza Shlesinger. If you haven't watched any of her Netflix specials, do yourself a favor and watch them. She is hilarious. 

We laughed for over an hour and had the best time. After the show, we walked to a dive bar and had a drink, danced, and talked before heading home. I was home around 11 pm and it was the perfect day!!

The birthday girls (we were celebrating Heather (on the left) that night and the next day was Jess's)

Sequins and Fur (fake of course)

I didn't get any photos from the show as it was dark in there and I was too busy laughing my butt off.

THREE. The next day was Jess's birthday, and her husband had planned a surprise brunch for her. And the best news was kids were allowed. So I brought the girls and we met up with our friends to celebrate Jess. 

I only have one picture from that day as the others were videos of the kids playing yard games and wishing Jess a Happy Birthday!

I have some pretty amazing and beautiful friends!

FOUR. At the beginning of this post, I talked about Rory's company Christmas party and what I was wearing to it. Remember how I posted this post about Holiday Party Dresses? Well I chose none of them. I am hoping to wear one for his regional holiday party in January.

For this Christmas party, I shopped on Poshmark for a sequin skirt (but found it at Saks online) and then went to Express for a top. Both are on major discount.

Here is my outfit:

Express Velvet Bodysuit

DKNY Sequin Pencil Skirt

FIVE. If you love Sex and the City, then I am sure you started watching And Just Like That yesterday...or maybe today. I am beyond excited about this except for the fact that Samantha is not in this series.

I also saw some "trailers" and photos that made me upset about Carrie and Big's relationship, but the previews seem to debunk that. So let's hope this new series is good and gets picked up for another season.

Image

SIX. Weekly funnies.

This is more of something that is interesting than a funny.

This was one of my friends this last weekend.

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

Smile Brilliant cariPro Water Flosser Review

*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. 

Three years ago I worked with Smile Brilliant. I tested out their Teeth Whitening Kit and I loved my results. Here is my big change.

So much brighter.

Smile Brilliant’s oral care products are custom-formulated with the latest research to improve oral care through real science and innovation. Their lab-direct process makes achieving professional results at an affordable price easy. In the last few years, they've taken this model and expanded their line of oral health products to include something for everyone - from the newest in the cariPRO line - a cordless water flosser that allows for easy and effective cleaning, to a custom night guard system to protect the teeth from nighttime grinding.

They have also added a Plaque Highlighter which both kids and adults can use. The Plaque Highlighter is an oral dye that highlights the areas where you have plaque present. I have had this done in the dentist office, but now you can do it at home.

Another product they have added is the Custom Night Guard System. This is great for people who grind or clench their teeth at night.

And then they added the Oral Probiotics which replace healthy microbiome after brushing to repopulate with good bacteria.

This time I tried out the new cariPRO Water Flosser. Now if you have been following me for awhile, you know that after I had my kids, I have had some teeth issues. The girls sucked out all the nutrients from my body and changed the ph balance of my teeth. That means I have to brush at least twice a day, floss and use a protective mouth wash.

And who really likes flossing? Not me. But I still do it. Using the new cariPRO Water Flosser has made daily flossing so much easier. The flosser/water pick uses a long tip to shoot water between your teeth, so I'm able to easily reach the back of my teeth and the water is super gentle on my gums.

Here are some great highlights about the cariPRO Water Flosser:

• It has been shown to be 50% more effective than string floss
• Using the water flosser results in 99.9% less plaque in the treated areas
• Ergonomic slim design that easily fits on the bathroom sink (which is optimal if you don't have a lot of space on your bathroom counters)
• 3 floss modes (normal, soft, pulse) with 4 specialty floss tips for even those with braces, restorations such as crowns and bridges, as well as periodontal pockets 
• Easy interval timing 
• Waterproof for shower or bath (because sometimes you have to floss and brush your teeth in the shower)
• 60 day easy return & 2 year manufacturer warranty 

To get 20% off any Smile Brilliant products, you can use my code: sparklesandlattes20

best electric toothbrush

Thank you Smile Brilliant for sponsoring this post. I received this product in exchange for my honest review.

Amazon Prime Purchases - November

*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 December! I started this post mid November and added to it because I had already bought so much from Amazon. I started my Christmas shopping early, so there will be a lot this month and a little bit next month.

So what did we buy this last month?

linking up with Tanya

So let's start with the repurchases.

EO Shower Gel

We love this shower gel. It smells so good and isn't made with all those yucky ingredients.

Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake Mix

This is our favorite (non homemade) pancake mix. I can't get it in the stores anymore, so I order it through Amazon. I get a four pack for about the same cost as I used to get it in stores.

Pet Probiotics

When we are close to being out of these probiotics, I grab another pack. I get these for Walter to help with his digestion and tummy issues.

And now for some Christmas gifts for the girls.

Outdoor Mud Kitchen

My girls have been wanting a kitchen since a month after they gave theirs away. To be fair, it was smaller and they got it when they were one. It was perfect, but now they wanted something larger. And I wanted something that could be outside, in the garage or inside. But mostly for outside.

I searched on Etsy, Amazon and other retailers like Target. And this one is the one we got. It has a top removable area that you can fill with water or attach a water spout. And they recommend you stain it to weather the weather.

Melissa and Doug Pots and Pans

I got these pots and pans to go with the kitchen.

Melissa and Doug Utensils

And these utensils.

Klee Kids Natural Mineral Makeup

After asking my followers on IG what kids makeup they recommended, this company had the overwhelming recommendation. After looking at colors, I bought this set above for each girl. And the set comes from the company, so free shipping this way.

Kids Apron

I got this for them for their kitchens and to help me bake.

Kids Elbow and Knee Pads

The girls got roller skates while they were visiting my in-laws mountain home and they desperately needed elbow, knee and wrist guards. These have great reviews and slide over their knees and elbows to help them stay on.

Card Holder

I got these for the girls since they have a hard time holding all the cards and seeing what is in their hand.

Gimme Hair Ties

I got these for the girls stockings. They needed some new hair ties and ones that will stop the breakage in their hair.

Lucky Fortune Cookie Mystery Bracelet

This is another stocking stuffer. I saw these while browsing Amazon and thought they were so cute. You get surprised on what bracelet you get. And these have great reviews and said they are not the cheap plastic bracelets.

Laundry Travel Bags

Rory and I have similar travel laundry bags and we use them all the time. The girls don't have any, so I grabbed these for them. They will love the mermaid theme to them.

Ballet Slippers

These are a repurchase item, but also a gift. The girls needed new ballet slippers (even though they are not currently in ballet) and these worked out great last time. We hope to get them back in ballet soon.

Fuzzy Slippers

The girls also needed new slippers and Christmas is a great time to get them. These look like the Ugg slippers, but so much less and they have great reviews.

Girls Underwear

I was going to get the girls Carter's undies or Hanna Andersson, but then I saw these online and on sale during Cyber Monday and I couldn't pass them up.

These two are still technically gifts for the girls, but they are from their Elf that arrived last week.

Little Red Sleigh

Santa's Lost Reindeer

Now some gifts for others. I didn't include what I purchased for Rory as he reads here and I didn't want him to see what I got. I will post those next month.

Princess Castle

I got this for my niece. She loves princesses and will love this little castle to hang out in.

Bow and Arrow Set

I got this for my nephew. I think he will love this since he can shoot the target or things like windows.

And now for some random purchases.

First Little Readers Level E and F

The girls reading has exploded so I grabbed them the next set up which is levels E and F. These are amazing with helping children read.

Bank Robber Mask and Bag Kit

I got these for our Thanksgiving themed dinner: colors. We wore all black and dressed as bank robbers. But the girls made sure to let everyone know that we really were not robbers and don't steal anything.

Q-Tips Double Pack

We were running low on Q-Tips and these were on sale, so I grabbed them.

Band-Aid Family Pack

This was another item we were running low on, so I grabbed them on sale on Amazon.

Crest Gum Detoxify Toothpaste

Rory and the girls use Tom's toothpaste, but I have tried so many "natural" toothpastes and I hate them. This is my favorite, so I grabbed a three pack on major discount.

What did you buy from Amazon this month? Was your monthly order way larger than normal? Mine was and this didn't include the two grocery purchases from Whole Foods.