Sparkles Holiday Look '15

Are you ready for Christmas? You probably are more prepared than myself. The only thing I have down packed is this holiday outfit I'm sharing with you Sparkles. 

I had no clue what to wear to our holiday party. I literally went into my closet and stared several times hoping for inspiration. When I think of holiday parties, I think of bold colors, plaid, or sequins. Literally that's what I looked for in my closet. I bought this skirt back in June with the intentions of wearing it for all the holiday festivities. I thought it paired just perfectly with this plaid button down. To me, they are both such statement pieces that can be rocked in varied ways. These are pieces that make me so happy, i just feel like they are show stoppers. I  just love how much this ensemble screams Christmas to me! Heck, I might wear this same outfit for New Year's Eve. 

What are your plans for the Holidays? The Hubster and I will just be home enjoying the end of another year and the start of a new one. 

Get the look:

Skirt: Express (in store only, clearance!) similar  and how cute is this longer version

Shirt: J.Crew Factory

Boot:Nordstrom Rack

Salmon Dip

So I'm planning my menu for the week after all that heavy, delicious, I can only eat it once a year thanksgiving food, and I really just wanted something refreshing. A cold dip was the first thing to come to mind. After scrolling through Instagram for a while, I got a yearning for some supreme salmon dip. Had I had it before? No. But it couldn't go wrong, I mean, I love salmon. 

I couldn't be more right. Celery, red onions, mayo and sour cream? HEAVEN. Tuna dip on crack is what I've been calling it. 

This is an amazing dish to serve at any party, before dinner as an appetizer, or be like me and just eat it while watching re runs of those Kardashians. Either way, it's PERFECT with butter crackers. If you'd like it a healthier way, then serve it wit cucumbers! 

I researched several variations to this recipe, and decided to just do it the way I make my tuna fish salad. So simple, so quick, let's eat.

Salmon Dip

Ingredients

1 15 ounce can pink salmon or smoked salmon

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/3 cup celery, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

salt and pepper for taste

Instructions

• Pour can of salmon into a medium mixing bowl, making sure it is cleared of bones and skin.
• Break the salmon apart
• Add onion, celery, parsley, mayonnaise, sour cream, and sriracha. Fold the ingredients in to combine.
• Season with salt and paper to taste

Serve with sliced cucumbers or crackers, enjoy!

Faux Fur Joy

Hello Sparkles! It's the end of November...almost. The holidays are in full force, and it's by far my most favorite time of the year. I'm already festive, I think I was festive once Halloween rolled around.  I love enjoying the scenery and being in the kitchen with the hubs cooking our Thanksgiving meal!

Besides my flannels, my other favorite fall piece by far is my faux fur vest. I received this vest for Christmas from the hubster about 2 years ago, and I can't...stop....wearing it. I'm a huge fan of "add ons" because they take an outfit from 1 to 10 instantly. It's been getting super cold here in Colorado, so this vest has been a favorite for me lately. I wear it with any color, I really do. It's just been so fun to layer with and throw on some suede booties to finish it off. And besides that, this is PERFECT to put on your Christmas list!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Get the look

Vest and in black
Dress
Boots

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

I'm still trying to grasp the fact that Thanksgiving is next week. The hubster loves pie on all occasions, anytime and anyplace. If you didn't know, he's been on the paleo diet for a year now. So I always try to include something in for him during our big meals. No, it's not difficult! Paleo cooking is fun and simple. It's an incredible healthy way of eating, and the food is still delicious! I describe The Paleo Diet is usually described as "the caveman diet". If you couldn't eat it back in the day, then you shouldn't eat it now.

 So, for dessert this year I decided to serve up something the hubster could enjoy as well. I made this pie on Sunday as a trial for Thanksgiving. It's definitely a winner! He loved it so much that it only lasted a couple of days. I got this tasty pie recipe from Kelly over at  Primally Inspired (how fitting is this name!?). I followed the measurements exactly, but I sprinkled cinnamon and added chopped pecans for an extra crunch! I bought all of my ingredients from Sprouts. It's the perfect grocery store to find healthier choices.  Enjoy, Sparkles!

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

1 cup coconut milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin spice

a pinch of sea salt

1 pie crust ( I used a grain free store bought pie crust from Sprouts)

1 container of whipped coconut cream 

a pinch of cinnamon and a small package of pecans are optional for toppings

Instructions

(Preheat oven to 425 degrees F)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients until well blended.

2. Pour your filling into the pie crust. Protect the crust by putting foil around the edges, or use a pie shield to prevent it from burning. ( I took mine off during the last 5 minutes)

3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F.

4. After 15 minutes, turn down the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 35 minutes or until center is set. Let it cool completely before serving. 

5. Sprinkle cinnamon and pecans on top. 

6. EAT!

Flannels and Booties

Welcome back, Sparkles! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Note for fall: flannels and booties. I am not much of a "fall" person. I'm all about warm weather and long days. The less I have to wear, the better! Being in frigid weather is the real struggle, for real! I hate feeling "stuffed" with layers upon layers. I thought this flannel and LuLu's suede booties were the perfect transitional outfit for summer to fall. I bought both of these this summer online and I'm so thankful I did. I love the variety of ways I can wear flannels: buttoned, opened, tied around the waist, or underneath a vest. It's just so practical! 

P.S.- I literally wear these booties more than any shoe should be worn, honestly.

Get the look:

Booties: LuLu's (general ankle boots page) and loving these  and these

Jeggings

Flannel: Sold out! Similar

Maximized

Hi Sparkles! I have been slacking horribly lately on my blog. Trust me when I say it takes a ton of dedication. Researching, planning, and actually DOING was becoming a struggle for me for a while. Anyway, it's all good now. I can't believe how fast my summer has went, I only have about 2 weeks before school starts back! 

I wore this dress the beginning of summer, ya know, way back in June when we were just getting started. And to add more, I ordered this dress from LULU'S in March. I was always just waiting for the right time to wear this baby. 

Dresses are my favorite, it's an outfit in itself, and so easy to put on and accessorize! Next time I wear this, I may go for an evening look and swap out my sandals for wedges.  Check out LULU'S website, their collection really stands out. 

Dress: LuLu's

also loving this one and this too

Shirt Dress Perfection

Sparkles!

Get the look:

Dress: Gap  and love this one from Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Love and I really want these

Hey Sparkles!

I had to showcase this Gap dress for y'all today. This dress has been a lifesaver, in all honesty. I found it on sale on Gap.com, and sadly I no longer see this color optipm there anymore. Thankfully, I received this beaut in the mail literally the night before I left for ATL. It's soooo easy to style, clearly. I simply just threw it on and paired it with some earring and mini wedges. I can't wait to add a blazer, or switch out those wedges for converse.  This was perfect for my trip, it's so HUMID in Atlanta. And on this particular day, we were rushing and in the wedding frenzy, so I loved this little easy pick me up :)

All I gotta say is...I'm on summer break..boo yah (well, not quite on summer break but..just a couple of days away!).  I work all summer as a nanny, but it's still summer and I get to do summer activities with the kiddos, I love it!! I'm just in the best mood today, hope you are too! Have a great weekend, Sparkles! Meet you back here Monday!!

Love and Sparkles // Chels

5.16.15

Happy Memorial Day!

Sparkles! Geez, a WHOLE month has gone by since I did my last post. That makes me sad, but I have been so busy and I put my blog on the back burner for a little bit. We are now in the wedding season frenzy..one wedding down and one more to go, all within one month!

We just finished up with my sister's wedding. She got married  in Atlanta, GA. It was so gorgeous and it was so fun to see everybody!! May 16th is a date that gives me butterflies whenever I see/hear it. It now holds two meanings: It's my sisters wedding anniversary and Wendell and I have been together for a solid 10 years, freak me out! How amazing is that? That's the day he asked me to "be his girl" (kinda but not really) when we were only 15 years old!

 I hadn't been to HotLanta since 2011....I loooooove that city. Since it had been so long since I'd been there, everything looked fairly odd to me. I never noticed how many TREES there are. Oh my gosh, it's literally a city in a forest...a huge city in a forest. So many trees....

Anyway, I took some awesome pics during this time that I think y'all will enjoy! Really, pictures mean a lot to me. I can look at almost every single pic I've ever taken and tell you what was going on before and after. I love it.

My oldest sister, Val, with her daughter Maddie

How cute are my 2 nieces?!

All of us!!

My brother with his daughter, Zoe 

So much fun!  Thanks for stopping by!

Love and Sparkles // Chels