SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

What's Up Wednesday

*This post contains affiliate links.

I am back for another round of What's Up Wednesday, but let's be real here, I wrote this post last week before I went on my work trip.
What's Up Wednesday

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK...

Well since I am in England right now, I am not sure what my nightly dinner plans are. I plan to go to pubs, Indian restaurants, a little seafood, some English food and whatever else I can find. As for Rory and the girls, I left them two Taco Pasta Bakes, my mom made them a lasagna, stuff for grilled cheese and tomato soup, stuff for BLT's, sausages and I am sure they will go to pizza at least once each week.
WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

Breakfast with my girls on the day I left. Rory went to work at his usual time, but he left the girls with me. After we got up, we got ready and I took them to breakfast. Just me and my girls. I wanted to spend some quality one on one time with them before I wouldn't see them (other than Facetime) for 11 days. It is hard taking the girls out to eat by yourself, but I really enjoyed it. Totally missing them right now.

WHAT I'M LOVING...

Traveling. Even though I miss my family, I love to travel. I love seeing new places (hello Ireland), trying new foods and getting away to have some time to myself. 

I am also loving my new pre-workout supplement. This is not an ad. I just love this stuff. It has been a few weeks, but I have been taking Transparent Labs Lean Pre-Workout and it is awesome. I take it 30 minutes before I workout. It targets fat burning and prevents muscle loss. While I don't feel like I need to lose much weight, I want to lean out and tone up. This stuff has been pretty awesome so far. 

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Well other than prepping for my trip (and eventually going on my trip), we celebrated the girls birthday, we took a trip to the ER, went to a trampoline park and have been trying to enjoy the outdoors while we still have weather in the 50s.

WHAT I'M DREADING...
Well I have been dreading leaving my family for 11 days, but we are almost through my trip and I feel like I have done a good job. Now I am probably dreading the jet lag when I get back.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

I am trying to go through my clothes for a "Spring" cleaning and I am trying to find new decor for our house. When it was Christmas time, I noticed how many decorations I had up and how cozy our house was. Once Christmas was over and I took everything down, my house seems more bare. So my goal is to put more pictures up (hello get them framed and printed out), buy more quality decor for our house and cozy it up a bit.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

Seeing my girls on Friday.

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

I finally finished the Husband's Secret. It took me forever, but that is because lack of motivation. The book was good, but not as good as Big Little Lies. Though once I got half way through the book, I finished it two days later. I would recommend it.

Now I am reading When We Were Worthy. It was recommended by someone (so totally forgetting who) and while it has been a bit slow in the beginning, it has really picked up.

As for TV, I have been watching This is Us, The Bachelor, Top Chef, Million Dollar Listing LA, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy and The Deuce. I was recommended by a co-worker to watch the Deuce and it has been good. He warned me that it is graphic and some tough content, but it is good. It takes place in the 70s when police corruption and prostitution were rampant in NYC. Watch it, but not with your kids around. As my co-worker told me, it is very graphic (drugs, sex, etc).

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

A lot of Pandora.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

I have been wearing all the new clothes I bought at Loft the last couple weeks and lots of wintery clothes. England and Ireland have been cold and wet.

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Coming home to my family. We have the Super Bowl this weekend and I am definitely rooting for the Eagles. I will not root for the Patriots and see them win a 6th championship. ugh.

I saw this and thought, YES!

All of America finding out they will have to watch the Patriots again in another Super Bowl...

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

Let's see, February brings my sisters birthday, Valentine's Day, date night and my parents anniversary. It also means that I have 6 months until I turn 35. Yikes.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

Not much. I will be recapping my work trip (as much as I can) next week. I am hoping our lives calm down a bit, ha.
Monday, January 29, 2018

My Current Makeup Products

*This post contains affiliate links.

I love reading posts on the products people LOVE and USE. Last week, I wrote about my favorite hair products. I use EVERY single one of those items. I hate when I run out of them at the same time because it gets expensive, but they are my favorites.

This week, I am going to write about my current makeup products that I love. I change up my makeup products every so often, but some of them I use over and over again.

This is my current makeup LOVES:

Foundation

Right now I use It Cosmetics CC Cream (in medium). I love the way it smells, feels on my skin and how easily it applies. I have been using this for about 5 months. My face doesn't break out with it, it has a pretty sheen to it and it has SPF 50 in it. That is a huge reason why I use this CC cream.

I have been looking at some other foundations that offer more of a full coverage because this one doesn't cover as much as I would like. It is good, but I like a real full coverage foundation. Suggestions?
It Cosmetics CC Cream

Concealer

I have tried so many concealers. I love everything from YSL (expensive) to Maybelline Under Eye Eraser, but right now, I have been using It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer. I wasn't going to buy it because I thought it only went on under your eyes, but then I asked someone at Sephora about it and she said I can use it all over my face. I have medium and it covers all my zits, blemishes and freckles. I love this stuff. I haven't used anything else since buying this tube. Plus it lasts forever.
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer

Makeup Sponge

I know people go back and forth on the perfect way to apply your foundation, but ever since I used the BeautyBlender Sponge, I haven't used a brush or anything else. The key is to clean your sponge out all the time. It is a pain to do, but it is the best for giving you the look you want every time. 

Eye Shadow Primer

I have never used any other primer than Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer, but I don't think I need to. Before I used primer, I used to get the crease from my eye shadow over the course of the day. Then someone was nice enough to introduce me to primer and I never turned back.
Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer

Eye Shadow

Just like with my primer, I have been using Too Faced Natural Eyes for a long time. I use other eye shadows, but I always go back to my favorite. I love the colors in it. My favorites are the second line, Silk Teddy, Push-Up and Erotica. Though I use them all, but the first three to go are the second line.
Too Faced Natural Eyes

Bronzer

I go back and forth between blush and bronzer. I love Hourglass Blush, but I use bronzer more than anything else. My tried favorite is Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer. I love the color of this bronzer. I have been using this one for a long time. I need to buy a new one because I am left with a few broken chunks in my current one. I think this one gives you a more natural look.
Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer

Powder

After I put on all my makeup, I used It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder. This is supposed to reduce your pores, give you flawless skin, a finished look and it is anti-aging. I have been using it for about 5 months and I am on my second container. I love this stuff. It lasts all day long and doesn't make my face shiny.

Mascara

I don't use mascara right now because I get my lashes done. I get a voluminous look to my lashes, but they are not lengthening. I feel like they look natural and not spidery like some of the ones I see. I can't really recommend a mascara because I was always searching for the best one and none give me the look I was going for.

And there you have it. My makeup routine and favorite products that I currently use. What do you use? What are your favorites?
Friday, January 26, 2018

Friday Favorites

*This post contains affiliate links.

It's time for another round of Friday favorites. These ones are coming to you from Ireland!

ONE. Remember how I mentioned that I love Saranoni blankets and I wanted one so badly for myself? Well it worked out and now I have one. We got the Home Throw size which is 50" by 60". Every since we got it, we fight over it each evening. It is so soft, cozy and pretty. We got the Feather Stripe one.
Saranoni blanket
Saranoni blanket
Walter enjoying our blanket

TWO. So I finally chose a bridesmaids dress for my sisters wedding. She told us to chose a dress of our choice through Azarie in the color grape. I went out looking for dresses and I found three different ones that I liked. Azarie allows you to try on sample dresses to see if you like them. Now you may not get them in your color you want, but you can try on different sizes and see the fit. 

After choosing my size in the three dresses, I waited for them to arrive. You have 10 days to try on, decide and send them back. The problem was Fedex said my package was delivered but I never got it. I told the company and they were super awesome about it. They put in an investigation with Fedex and I waited. 10 days later, Fedex delivered the dresses to my house. I tried them on and chose the one I wanted. I sent my dresses back and everything went smoothly other than the Fedex snafu.

I chose the Azarie Cheryl dress.
Azarie Cheryl Dress
Azarie Cheryl Dress

THREE. Did you watch The Bachelor this week? Well they were in Lake Tahoe which is the lake I go to all summer long. I always post photos on my IG from there and this weeks The Bachelor features my basically backyard. They went on the Heavenly Tram which I have been on hundreds of times as I used to have a snowboard pass there for years. Edgewood is also featured which is where the celebrity golf tournaments that I go to every July are featured. And they have two amazing restaurants there. I love when my home area is featured.

I remember when my friend posted some photos from the event as it was going down. Arie was on his date with Sienne and she said it went very well. I guess she was right.
Arie bachelor in Lake Tahoe
Arie bachelor in Lake Tahoe

FOUR. I have been seeing these pink bow loafers all over IG and I really want them for work. I have seen the more pricey version at Nordstrom, but the cheaper version at Target. My Target doesn't have them and I want them. Do any of you have these in a size 8 near you?
Pink bow loafers
Pink Bow Loafers

I mean, do you think they are cute? Am I crazy?

Have a good weekend!

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Confessions

I haven't done a confessions post in awhile, so I thought I would today.

I CONFESS

....that I cried so much last week when Sutton bit through her cheek. From the moment I saw her to several days after. I feel so bad. So bad that it happened while at daycare. Makes me think that working while being a mom is HARD.

....that I hope Sutton has minimal scarring. I don't want her to be different from her sister. They are identical twins and I don't want an accident to define her looks. I know it is only two stitches. On that note, I was worried about her classmates pointing it out and it affecting her, but her teachers say that she just says it is an owie and owns it.

....that while I love traveling for my job, being gone for 11 days away from my girls is so hard. The evenings are the hardest because you are alone in your hotel room and it is all you can think about. Plus British tv isn't that awesome. Ha.

....I am one of those people who make loud grunting/screams when I get adjusted at the chiropractor.

....that I can't believe my husband will be 40 in about two months. It is so crazy to me because I still find it weird that I am in my 30s and how fast life is going. I can only imagine what he is thinking.

....that I have been so good about not drinking during the week and then I went on this trip and it went out the window. While I know this isn't an all the time thing and I am in total drinking countries, I just feel bad about breaking my own "goals/resolutions".

....that I won't eat beef on an airplane anymore. About a year and a half ago, I flew United to London and I had beef and got food poisoning. I am not sure if it was the actual beef or something with it, but I was sick for three days. Now I order the vegetarian plate.

....that I turned down ice cream this week. A couple of my co-workers wanted ice cream on Monday and I didn't go. I sooooo wanted to hear all about my friends singles cruise, but I didn't need the ice cream. I wanted it, but didn't need it. Especially with all the beer and whiskey that was in my future.

And that is all I got.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Weekend Update

Another weekend in the books. I really tried to enjoy this weekend as I knew I would be away from my family for 11 days. We had two date nights, park time, Jeep time, pizza night and got Sutton's stitches out.

After work on Friday, I went in for my scheduled pedicure appointment. I was able to relax for an hour and a half and meet the co-owners new baby. He was sooo darling and the baby fever was at an all time high. Then I headed over to Target for some travel essentials and a few Valentine's Day stuff for the girls. Then I headed home and we went to dinner. The girls were picked up by my in-laws as they wanted an evening with them. That meant a little date night for us.

We headed over to Midtown eats for some burgers and fries. So good. The girls got home just before 7 pm. We got a recap of their evening and then got them ready for bed. We read them some books, snuggled a bit and then they went to sleep. We then watched the first episode of The Deuce. Good, but graphic.

Saturday morning, I went out for some coffees and pastries which we enjoyed at home in our pjs. After getting ready, we headed out to Petco for some dog food and then to Toy's R Us to use the girls gift cards. They got Princess cell phones that take pictures, keys and credit cards. Plus some diapers for their babies. They picked it all out. We then headed to the park to burn off some energy.
twin toddlers

twin toddlers at the park
 Avery climbing everything
twin toddlers at the park
 Sutton, happy as can be. You can barely see her stitches here.
twin toddlers at the park

Then we headed home for lunch and naps. While the girls napped, I went to have coffee with my friend. It was so nice to catch up with her. Plus we were at my favorite coffee shop.

After my coffee date, I came home and Rory headed out to take Walter on a walk. While he was gone, the girls woke up. I taught them how to put diapers on their babies and then we got ready to go out and ride their Jeeps.

While riding the Jeeps, we thought one had run out of batteries (since it hadn't been charged), but after the girls rode in a Jeep together for a couple minutes, it was just fine. We were able to drive around for awhile before the girls wanted to ride their scooters around.
toddlers riding power wheels

While riding scooters, it got chilly outside, so we headed in. I took a few photos of Sutton's scabbed stitches (for progress and to send to my parents).

We ordered pizza for take out since the girls were a bit sassy. We ate dinner at home by a fire and then gave the girls a bath. After the bath, we noticed Sutton's scab fell off in between the time she got out of the bath and got dressed, but her wound looked pretty good. Rory headed off to the Nevada basketball game (we are ranked again!) while I hung out with the girls. We did our normal bedtime routine and then I watched the basketball game from home. Wow what a game. I also cuddled this dude.
cuddled chiweenie

Sunday morning we got up and got ready before heading out to our favorite muffin shop. Then we dropped off the car seat carriers that I borrowed back in November. Luckily she is totally understanding and doesn't need them. Then we headed to Costco for a few things and then back home to meet my parents. They came by to drop off some food and play with the girls.

Around 12:30 I made the girls lunch, they said their goodbyes to their grandparents and then they ate. Once they were done, we headed off to the hospital. We had to get Sutton's stitches out. Rory and Avery dropped off Sutton and I and we went in for a quick 5 minutes. They took her vital and then clipped the stitches. She cried and was scared, but she did a great job overall. We got her after care instructions and then left. We got home around 2 pm and put the girls down for a late nap.

While the girls napped, I went grocery shopping. After naps, I did some cleaning, packing and vacuuming. Then my in-laws came over to hang out with the girls again. Rory and I went to another dinner (two date nights in one weekend!) and then to Total Wine to buy a nice bottle of wine for our steak dinner when I get back from my trip. Note: when one of us goes on a foreign trip, we take the person who was at home with the girls to a steak dinner. So in this case, I will buy Rory a steak dinner for watching the girls. It is a fun tradition and we always bring a nice bottle of wine for it.

When we got home, the girls were still up in bed, but with lights out. They missed us and Avery had too much milk, so we was complaining about a tummy ache. We sat with them for a bit before they fell asleep. Then I finished some laundry and went to bed.

How was your weekend?
Friday, January 19, 2018

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links.

Wow, what a week this has been. I don't even know how to sort through my emotions. There has been some good and some bad, but just wow. This week, I am going to change it up a bit and tell you about my week, my favorites and just plain randomness. I didn't write a weekend update and I feel like we did some awesome stuff this weekend, so that will be highlighted below. Enjoy. And Happy Friday!

ONE. Sunday we went to a local trampoline park called EZ Air. One of my life long friends couldn't make it to the girls birthday party because her ear drum ruptured, so we set up a play date with her and her boys for Sunday at EZ Air. We had never been, but heard good things about it.

When we got there, we found out that parents jump free on Sundays. Score. I know my girls wouldn't go alone or let us watch from the side lines, so this was awesome because it isn't cheap. Though I do hear you can get groupons for it. Anyways, we got there early and had a start time of 11 am.

The girls were a bit timid at first, but once Rory and I got out there, they couldn't stop jumping. We did their main jump area, the dodge ball jumping area (where Rory through a ball at my face, ha) and the jousting foam pit. We didn't stop for the entire hour. When it was time to go, the girls were so sad. They didn't want to leave. I see us going back many times.
EZ Air Trampoline Park

EZ Air Trampoline Park

EZ Air Trampoline Park

Side note: The next day I was pretty sore. I didn't realize how many muscles you use when you jump and do "tricks" on the trampoline.

TWO. If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw this, but on Tuesday morning, Sutton had an accident. About 30 minutes after I arrived at work, I got a phone call from the daycare. It started off as usual saying that Sutton had been running, she fell and hit her mouth. I have had these calls before and they are usually as a precaution to tell the parents that their child hit their head. It is protocol to do this.

What was different was: it was the director calling, not her teacher. And then she told me the more in depth story. She said Sutton was running, she tripped and fell into a bookcase. They said she hit her mouth and was bleeding and they think she needed stitches. I told her we would be right there.

I told my boss what happened and said I didn't know if I would be back in that day. The drive is awful because I work 40 minutes away from the girls daycare. The entire time I kept thinking it can't be that bad. But I split my lip when I was around 8 and I had to have stitches. We called her pediatrician to find out what to do and then our parents to let them know.

When we walked into the daycare, she was sitting with a teacher with an ice pack on her lip. As soon as she saw us, she started crying and removed the ice pack and then I saw how bad it was. It was bad. The director took me to her office to watch the video (there are cameras everywhere in the daycare), twice. Everything checked out with what they told me, so then I went back out to Sutton (Rory was holding her at this point). She wanted me, so I took her and Rory took photos of her to send to her pediatrician. They told us that she needed to go to the ER. Luckily, we have a really great children's ER.
children's fall and facial wound

We took her there and after she was checked out, they said she needed stitches. They gave us the options of general anesthesia or numbing cream. They recommended numbing cream because she didn't need many stitches. They also recommended us holding her down instead of nurses so she wouldn't freak out as much.

We waited for the numbing cream to take effect and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on my phone. Then it was go time. Rory held her head and I held her arms and body. She screamed the entire time. It was heartwrenching. She only needed two stitches, but it felt like it took forever. He wanted to make sure they were perfect to minimize the scarring. She kept telling me I was hurting her and to let go of her arms. I cried the entire time. Seriously so hard watching your child go through that.
children's fall and facial wound

But the good news is, when we were done and got home, she got ice cream (per the doctor's orders), lots of snuggles and is doing amazing. She knows she has an owie on her face and she has to be careful, but she is back to her usual spunky self. Children are so strong!
children's fall and facial wound

THREE. The time is finally here...I leave to Ireland and England on Tuesday. I am pretty excited, but so nervous. I hate the idea of leaving my family, especially after what happened to Sutton this week. But my husband assures me, he has got this and Sutton's stitches come out on Sunday.

I can't wait to explore Ireland. I have never been and it has been on my travel bucket list for a long time. Get ready for a recap when I get back.

I should be writing posts for the next two weeks, but I am pretty far behind. Ugh. But if you have ever wanted to guest post on my blog, now is your chance. Let me know if you are interested.

FOUR. Loft had another sale and it got me. Everything was 50% to 60% off and free shipping, so I bought more things. You should see the look on my husbands face when I got three different Loft packages this week. Yikes.

But I bought these awesome items.
Loft Striped Boatneck Sweater
Loft Poppy Bloom Smocked Shirt
Loft Socks

And a cold shoulder top in Navy that is no longer available.

FIVE. Did you read my post on Re-introductions yesterday? If you didn't, please go check it out and check out all the bloggers that linked up with us. I met so many new-to-me bloggers yesterday and I can't wait to follow along with them. I love the Girl Chat link up. Next month's link is on Thursday February 15th and the topic is How You Stay Organized.
Girl Chat link up

Have a good weekend!

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.
Thursday, January 18, 2018

Girl Chat - Reintroductions

It is time for our first Girl Chat of 2018. This month's topic is Reintroductions. I love this because I feel like we really only introduce ourselves when we first start our blogs and we forget to keep doing it every so often. Especially since you get new followers all the time. Ok, enough rambling.
Girl chat 2018

My name is Danielle and I blog in this little space called, Sparkles and Lattes. I started this blog in 2013 to document my wedding planning. At that time, I read a ton of wedding blogs and I wanted to share my own experience in hopes of helping others. My blog changed over time as we got married, went on a honeymoon, started trying for a baby, fertility struggles, announcing that were pregnant with twins, having the twins, my crazy delivery, and everything in between then and now.

But let me back up a bit. I have lived in the same area my entire life. I have traveled the world, but kept my feet in one place when it comes to a place called my home. I have only lived in two different cities and they are 30 minutes apart from each other. I went to the University of Nevada where I obtained a degree in Information Systems and then started working for a web design/multimedia company. I loved it there. I only worked there for about a year, but I loved it.

During the week, I would work my butt of coding websites and then Friday came and it was like Christmas every week. As long as you had everything done, we got to play video games against each other and have beer. So much fun. We would shoot nerf guns at each other and just have a great time. Don't worry, we would sometimes work during Fridays too.

Then I was offered a job at my current place of employment with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. What intrigued me the most was world travel. Being a 23 year old and single, the thought of traveling the world on someone else's dime was amazing.

I have been at my current place of employment for almost 11 1/2 years. Crazy how times flies. I have made some amazing friends, gotten promotions, learned a bunch of things and traveled the world. I have been all over the U.S. and went to Australia (amazing), Canada, England, Scotland, Gibraltar and Israel. And next week I am adding Ireland to that list.

But I think the most amazing part of my job was meeting my husband. Yep, we met at work and you can read all about it here.

The focus on this blog has definitely shifted since I started blogging. I feel like I now talk about my girls, weekly weekend updates, Friday favorites (my shopping problem), a recipe or two here and there, monthly Girl Chat (first one this year), some confessions and a little bit of other things.

I love sports, mostly football. I seriously can't get enough of it.
I love wine and scotch.
I love traveling, but hate being away from my girls. I really want to go to Italy, Iceland and somewhere in Asia.
I snowboard and have had a season pass since I was 16 years old.
I have two tattoos, a lily on my ankle that I got with my sister 10 years ago and my girls names on my rib cage that I got a couple months ago.
I drink coffee every single day.
I have a dog and his name is Walter. He is a chiweenie and is seriously the best dog!
I prefer sweet/fruity candy over chocolate.
I love Italian food.
I love every kind of music from oldies to rock to punk, but I don't care for country music. Sure there are a few songs that I like, but I can probably county how many I like on one hand.

And that is just a few things about me. I can't wait to re "meet" all of you.

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! 
Girl chat monthly link up

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




Wednesday, January 17, 2018

My Favorite Hair Products

*This post contains affiliate links.

I have fine and straight hair and it seems like it is tough maintaining it. Between the constant breakage and the limpness of it, I have picked my hairdressers brain on how to liven it up. Does anyone else fail miserably at recreating your hair look and style that your hairdresser does during your hair appt? I do.

But I am going to share my current hair routine. I do change it up every so often, but this is the one I have been using for awhile.

Shampoo and Conditioner

I alternate my shampoo and conditioner throughout the week. I use Bumble and Bumble Full Potential Shampoo and Conditioner one day and Oribe Bright Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner the next time.

Why do I use two different lines? Well I color my hair a bright blonde and I want to keep that brightness going between appointments.

Bumble and Bumble's Full Potential is amazing. It reduces hair loss, prevents breakage, strengthens your hair and makes it look fuller. The key to fine hair.
Bumble and Bumble Full Potential Shampoo
Bumble and Bumble Full Potential Conditioner

My other favorite shampoo is the Oribe collection. I get the bright blonde (in the pink bottle), but they have so many lines for different types of hair. This is my favorite one. It smells so good and leave my hair feeling silky.
Oribe Bright Blonde Shampoo
Oribe Bright Blonde Conditioner

Dry Shampoo

I have tried a bunch of dry shampoo lines. I used to use Not Your Mother's Clean Freak (I still do after the gym), but then I went to the grand opening of my hair salon and they used the new Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-powder and I fell in love. Not only does it smell good, but I can use it for several days and not shampoo my hair. I have never found a dry shampoo that does that. I usually can only go a day in between, but not with Bumble's. This stuff works soooooo good. It isn't exactly cheap, but so worth it. Plus it smells like heaven.
Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-powder Dry Shampoo

Hair Repair

If you are like me and blow dry, straighten and/or curl your hair all the time, I am sure it is a bit damaged. With fine hair, it gets damaged easily. A new product came out and my hairstylist put some in my hair last time (before blow drying it) and then gave me some samples to take home since they were not selling it in the store yet. She said her husband complimented her on her hair and he never does anymore (since it is on point all the time).

I used it daily and my hair never felt better. The ends felt soft and my hair was shiny without being greasy. I got a ton of compliments on it and I hadn't changed anything really. I did the same color and a micro trim.
Bumble and Bumble Saves the Day

Hair Spray

I have used so many different hair sprays. I have used expensive ones like Bumble and Bumble Does It All, Pureology Hair Spray, Kerastase Hair Spray and then cheaper ones like Tresemme, but the one that seems to do the job and is only $3 to $5, Dove Flexible Hair Spray.
Dove Flexible Hair Spray

What are your favorite hair products?
Friday, January 12, 2018

Friday Favorites

*This post contains affiliate links.

I am so glad the week is almost over. It hasn't been a bad week, but it was my first full week at work in what seems like forever. Thankfully, we have another three day weekend ahead of us. I plan to spend a lot of time with my family and hopefully squeeze in a snowboarding day if it would actually snow here. Here me snow gods, please snow!

The girls school is open on Monday, so we are taking them in and either snowboarding, taking a hike or having a day with just Rory and I. I can't wait!

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. I posted a picture the other night (on IG) when I made chicken tikki masala in my Instant Pot. I was a little worried I wouldn't love it because every time I make it from a jar that everyone swears by, I am not a big fan of it. But Jenn from Going the Distance posted this on her IG and I knew I had to try it. And let me tell you, it is good. Like really good. It won't replace my favorite local Indian spot, but we will be adding this to our rotation.

The recipe comes from Savory Tooth. I made it exactly like the directions said to except I used a bit more greek yogurt because I was too lazy to measure it out and take a bit of the yogurt out. I read some of the reviews and some people thought it was either too much garam masala or that the garam masala was gritty. I didn't have this problem. I bought my garam masala at Whole Foods. I like the flavor of garam masala as I use it in another favorite dish (roasted cauliflower and chickpeas on pita bread with an avocado creama), but if you aren't sure, maybe cut down to 3 tsp in the SAUCE. I paired mine with basamati rice and garlic naan from Trader Joes (the frozen ones). So good.
Chicken Tikki Masala in the Instant Pot

TWO. I may have mentioned this here before or maybe not, but I loved unicorns growing up. I think it stemmed from my love of Rainbow Bright growing up. I still have a VHS of Rainbow Bright. Now to find a way to share it with the girls. Anyways, one of my friends showed me some unicorn leggings for the girls and I am in LOVE to say the least. I sooo want to buy these for the girls, but I don't think I can get away with it right now since we just had Christmas AND the girls birthday. So these will stay on my wish list for a bit longer. Maybe for Valentine's Day? Can I justify it to my husband then? But seriously, how cute are these? And they come in long which is perfect for my girls.
Unicorn Leggings

THREE. Speaking of other things that I want to buy, these Toms are at the top of my list. They look so cute and I feel like I would get a lot of wear out of them. I want them in brown as well.
Toms booties

FOUR. Have any of you tried Third Love bras? I have seen ads for them everywhere and I love the idea of them, but just not sure I want to pull the trigger on a $68 bra. Yes I know you can try it for 30 days and if you don't love it, you can return it, but I also fear that I will love it and then have to replace all my current bras which is two (one black and one nude), but that is still an investment. 

I took their sizing and fit quiz to see which was best for me and I got the classic t-shirt bra. So please if you have used them, please message or email me so I can hear your thoughts before buying or not buying.

FIVE. If you haven't entered the $500 Amazon gift card giveaway, go here to do so. I know I would love $500 to Amazon. Then I can buy the booties above plus everything else on my wish list. And maybe share some.
Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

SIX. I have good news....my favorite bloggers and I are continuing our monthly Girl Chat link up. We came up with some new topics and a new graphic. Our first Girl Chat of January is Thursday January 18th and the topic is Reintroductions. This gives us all to the chance to reintroduce ourselves, get to know our fellow bloggers even more and get to know new bloggers. I hope you will join us next Thursday. And don't worry, I will send out a reminder next week. Also note: we changed our link up date to the third Thursday of the month!
Girl Chat link up

Girl Chat link up topics

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Twins Birthday Party

*This post contains affiliate links.

What a weekend. I am still soaking it all in. In case you didn't read on Friday, but we celebrated the girls third birthday this weekend. They turned 3 on December 29th, but we had their party on January 6th.

Friday after work, we had to run errands for the girls party. We stopped at a party store and it was disappointing. I had hopes of getting Minnie cupcake decorations, but they had zero. I did pick up two balloons for the party...a Minnie Mouse and the number 3 in pink. Then we went to the grocery store to buy some drinks, a veggie tray and things to make cupcakes. My co-worker told me if I couldn't find any Minnie decorations, then take Oreos and make a Minnie, so that is what I did.

Once we got home, the girls were already at our house courtesy of my in-laws and my SIL and sweet nephew were there as well. We had some take-out Mexican food and watched my nephew open his presents from us with the help of his cousins (the girls love opening presents). After some hang out time, everyone went home and we got the girls ready for bed.

Then I got to some cleaning and decorating for the party. I wanted to have enough time to bake and clean a bit in the morning, so I decorated early. Best idea ever. Then I had a glass of scotch and watched some tv before calling it a night.

Saturday morning we got up and got the girls some cereal. Rory went out to get some coffee and pastries and I got to baking the cupcakes. In between baking, I did some cleaning and showering. It felt like it was 10:30 in an instant and people were to start arriving soon, so I snapped a few photos of the girls in their new party dresses.
three year old birthday dresses

Then I let the girls run around so I could take some pictures of the decor. I didn't get that many photos of their party as I was hosting, running around, and enjoying every moment.
Minnie Mouse themed birthday party
Minnie Mouse themed birthday party
Minnie Mouse party decorations
Minnie Mouse party decorations
Minnie and Mickey Mouse cupcakes
 Funfetti cupcakes with pink frosting and Oreo Minnie's
Minnie Mouse themed birthday
There was more drinks outside in a bucket, juices in the fridge for the kids and bottled water everywhere

We bought pizza from our favorite place and Rory brought it back about a half hour after the party started. We had four sets of twins at the party and it was so much fun to see all the twins. Two other sets were invited, but couldn't make it. Plus there was a ton of other kids. We set out a ton of toys, the girls teepee, tunnel, art easel, basketball hoop, doll house and then we opened up their room to all the kids. 

Sutton wanted her cupcake that she had waited all morning for, so after Avery finished her pizza, we sang Happy Birthday to the girls.
birthday
 Not the best picture of me, but one of the only captured of me going to the twins with their cupcakes.
birthday

Then the girls opened up all their presents.....so many gifts.
They couldn't tear through them fast enough
 My future BIL in the thick of it all

After gifts, people started leaving and the girls wanted to open all of the toys.
Happy Helpers bag set cell phone
This cell phone came in the Happy Helpers Bag Set and the girls have been fighting over it ever since.

After everyone left, we cleaned up a bit and then put the girls down for a late nap (at 3 pm vs their normal 1 pm naptime). I spent the entire nap cleaning the house (other than vacuum) since our dog would be coming back home. Once the girls were up, I finished cleaning and went out to grab us salads for dinner. The girls spent the rest of the evening playing with all their new toys and cuddling while watching football.

Sunday morning we got up, gave the girls a bath and then went to my in-laws house for a brunch to see my SIL, BIL and nephew before they went back to California. We ate sausage, bacon, quiche, fruit, jalapeno poppers and bagels with coffee. 

Then we took the girls home for their naps. While they napped, I went grocery shopping for the week. I love meal planning...especially when I get 5 days of food for only $120. After the girls naps, we did some laundry, playtime, took down the Christmas lights outside and watched football. I left the house just after 5 pm because I went to dinner with my sister and our friend who was in town from Colorado. I haven't seen Holly in about 4 years, so it was long overdue. I have known Holly and her family all of my life as her older sister was my best friend growing up. It was so nice to catch up.

I spent almost four hours at dinner, so I got home, changed, watched some tv and went to bed early. 

How was your weekend?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway I am co-hosting for $500. You can enter here.