Wildgrain Box 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. 

I am sure you have heard about meal subscription boxes. Well, have you heard of grain subscription box? I hadn't until I tried out the Wildgrain Bread Box. Basically you subscribe to the bread box and you get breads, pastas and pastries sent to you. They are made with ingredients you can actually read. They make and freeze everything and then send it to your door in a box with bags of dry ice.

I received my box recently and this is what it had in it: sourdough bread loaf, three seed bread loaf, dinner rolls, cherry pie bites, croissants, and two pastas (fettuccine and tonnarelli). Everything is frozen and can be placed right in your freezer after you receive it. And the nice thing about that is, you can make everything on your on schedule and not worry about things spoiling.

You bake or make everything from frozen, so everything is done in less than 25 minutes. 

Just like most subscription boxes, you can skip or cancel at any time. You must do that at least 4 days before it ships, and it ships on the schedule/frequency that you choose. You can also customize your box up to 4 days before it ships. BUT the biggest selling point for me is that everything is made with clean ingredients and the items do not contain any preservatives. 

You can recognize every ingredient on the ingredient list.

Now how much does it cost? $89 per box. BUT you get your grains with clean ingredients and so many items per box.

Now what am I most excited about? The cherry pie bites. You pop them on a baking sheet and into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes and they are done. They recommend you sprinkle some sugar on them before baking for crunchy bites.

Make sure to sprinkle sugar on each pie.

So good!

If you want to try out a Wildgrain Bread Subscription Box, follow my link, sign up and no so patiently wait for your box. I got mine in about a day after it shipped.

*I received my Wildgrain box in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own and are 100% honest and true.

Friday Update

I had planned to be back to writing, commenting and reading blogs, but I had a bit of a set back. If you have been following me on IG, then you would have seen some progress pictures. You would have also seen that yesterday I noticed a bump on the right side of my nose. I went to the doctor for another check-up (even though I had been there the day before) and he said my face was really swollen, my nose was very red and I was in a lot of pain. None of this is good and it is indicative of an infection. 

When he asked if I had a fever, I said I wasn't sure since I had not taken my temperature since surgery. But that I couldn't get myself warm at all. I have had to triple up the blankets and wear socks everywhere and I was still cold. Yep. That is pointing to an infection.

So I got on antibiotics did warm compress all evening and into this morning and I am about to go in for my follow up. 

My nose seems a bit less swollen, but the pain is still awful. So here's to hoping it doesn't affect my surgery results and I don't have to go back under for a fix. 

Have a wonderful weekend. I will update on IG later and I will be back Monday with a post. 

Friday Favorites and Happenings

So I had surgery yesterday (this was pre-written) and I didn't write a Friday Favorites post beforehand. Such is the life. I spent the week getting ready for surgery. I pre-made some meals, did the usual work week things like homework and laundry, had a facial (no chemical peel) and worked.

But I wanted to stop in and let you know that I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. I am (planning) on posting some updates on Instagram, so if you don't follow me, you can start here. Until then, I may be on here in a few days when I am feeling a bit more like myself. 

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

The Day I was a Princess

On Saturday February 4th, I did a bridal photo shoot. My hair stylist asked me if I wanted to be a part of their salons bridal shoot, and of course I did. About two weeks before, I went to a studio to pick out a dress. They chose one that has never been photographed before. BUT I felt like a million bucks in it.

I went to the location, The Virgil, at 11 am and they got started on my hair. I only had part of my hair done as I was the model for how to on modern Hollywood hair. Then I got my makeup done and had the best catered lunch. Then we hung out for awhile. Then it was time for the hair modeling. My stylist (who was my stylist for 8 years previous to my current one) showed the class how to do the modern hollywood hair. It was sooo pretty. 

Post makeup and middle of my hair process.

After the hour class, we did some touch-ups, finalized my hair and then went upstairs to get in our dresses. There were two models, myself and another girl who was the makeup model. I am not going to lie, I want a vow renewal because of this dress. Ha. But I don't want all the big wedding that goes with it. Just to wear and wow my husband with this dress.

Anyways, we got ready, snapped a few photos of ourselves and then went out to the class.

A class was going on, but everyone was staring at the other model and I along with our two photographers. Everyone was snapping photos and I felt like a princess. 

I had a three hour photoshoot. We shot everywhere from outside, to an old bank vault to the window. I got a few sneak peaks and I couldn't be more excited about getting the rest of the portfolio.

When I get the other photos, I will be sharing them. Even after 10 years, I still felt like a princess. 

One of the photographers took several of my family photos and the other is my best friend, so it was truly a wonderful experience and I felt so comfortable with them. Now to do more of these kinds of shoots.

Have you ever done anything like this?

And I wanted to wish my sister a very Happy Birthday! 

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! We have a pretty low key weekend planned. My husband had Lasik yesterday, so we are taking it easy this weekend. We might watch the Super Bowl, but now that my Niners are out, I am not into it as much. I would be happy with a 0 - 0 tie, if that can even happen.

Onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. So my surgery was rescheduled....but only til Thursday February 16th, so only a two days difference. It works out for me in that I don't have to be there at 6 am anymore. Now I am going in at 9 am. The one thing that didn't work out with the change in schedule was, I had a hair appointment on Friday that I was going to use as my hair washing time. But with surgery being the day before, I will be in a post-op appointment and I definitely won't be up for a four hour appointment the day after. 

But if you could say a prayer for me on Thursday, that would be amazing and so appreciated.

TWO. Last weekend I went out for my friends 41st birthday. We all met up for dinner (they did a spa day before) and then went to a free salsa dance lesson. One of my friends and I just stopped in the salsa lesson as I had to get home and be rested for a bridal shoot that I did the next day. But we did have the best time at dinner. There were laughs, margaritas, Mexican food and cupcakes.

THREE. When I got my makeup done for the bridal photoshoot that I was a part of (a mini post is coming Monday), she used a bunch of new-to-me makeup. I asked her so many questions. She used the One Size Secure the Blur Primer and it lasted all day long. My makeup looked flawless, blended and airbrushed (even though it wasn't). 

I know I just bought the Milk primer, but I liked this even more. So I went to my local Sephora the next day and bought some. I have been using it for a week now and I LOVE it. I was skeptical as I saw it on Tik Tok, but it really does blur my pores. I have oily skin and throughout the day it gets bad at times. So far it has held up and doesn't look oily. Now I am not sure how it will hold up in the Summer heat, but time will tell. 

Have you tried this primer?

One/Size Secure the Blur Makeup Primer

FOUR. Tarte is having a big sale. Almost everything is on sale and all products start at $10. I grabbed my favorite eyeshadow palette for $25, my favorite mascara for $15, my favorite eyeliner for $10, and a new to me product, the Fake Awake Eye Highlight for $10.

The eye highlight is like an eyeliner, but you put it in the corners of your eyes to brighten them up. This is what it does....so pretty.

Fake Awake Eye Highlight

I can't wait to try it out and see what the hype is all about.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

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

2023 Nose Update

I wanted to update you all on my nose properly. I feel like I have sprinkled in my appointments and what not in a Friday Favorites post (which it isn't a favorite at all), but I wanted to get a full update on record. That way I can look back on my history. And if I can help anyone else out, then this is even better. 

I can't tell you how many emails and comments I get on those old posts. It is usually someone who is going through what I went through and they have questions. And since I did the same thing as they are doing, I am more than happy to help.

So basically, I had a Septorhinoplasty in August 2018. I had a severe deviated septum that needed to be fixed. I chose a plastic surgeon because I wanted someone who would worry about the look of my nose and the inner workings of my nose. It was BRUTAL, but worth it. I was able to breathe again and didn't gasp when I worked out.

This is what he did the first time..."My septum was so crooked in many places and I had a bone spur that was so big. This was the first big fix. It is the reason why I was not getting much oxygen through that side of the nose. He fixed my deviated septum, removed the bone spur, shaved my dorsal hump, broke my nose to straighten it out, put cartilage from the bridge of my nose outwards towards my sinuses, put cartilage in tip of my nose to build it up (I had nothing in my tip at all), put other cartilage around my nostrils to widen them a bit and ground up cartilage to put on the bridge of my nose so it wouldn't slope too much."

Everything was pretty great with my nose EXCEPT my nostrils collapsed in when breathing in. Mostly when I would sleep or work out. So I went back to my doctor and got that fixed in April 2019. This is what they did..."My right nostril is still collapsing in when I breathe in, where the bone spur was is now extra skin, the tip still has some deviation to it and now I have a hole through the septum. So he recommended surgery again. While he is fixing all of those things, he will fix the bridge to smooth it out since the cartilage didn't take very well there. He will have to take cartilage from either my ear or my rib since he used all of the remaining/extra last time." 

I was good to go with the structure of my nose, but not the sinuses. I was still getting sinus infections, so enter in my ENT. He performed a balloon sinuplasty, reduced my turbinates and put a septal button in. This was in September 2019. 

Everything has been fine since then other than some pretty bad sinus infections (after I had covid). Then in December, my septal button came out and all h*ll broke loose. Just kidding. But it felt like it. My nostrils were collapsing in again, my nose was whistling again, my sinus infection wouldn't go away, the inflammation was pretty bad and I wasn't sleeping well since I couldn't get enough air in. 

I saw two ENTs and my old plastic surgeon. After 2 months of appointments, we booked a surgery. What am I having done? Basically what I did the second surgery. Nasal collapse repair using cartilage from my other ear (my dominant ear), adding in cartilage on the tip of my nose again and shaving down a bump that is blocking my airway. So I get two surgeries in one meaning they have to do surgery on my ear and then my nose. 

I will not be getting the septal button replaced because the hole is closing on its own. I have been using an antibiotic ointment in my nose 2 to 3 times a day and it is healing the hole. I have new cell growth there and it has closed 20% in 2 months. So I have to continue to do it for 4 months and then we will reassess. So hopefully it closes on its own and I won't have to do anything else to my nose. 

When I got the news that my septal perforation was closing on its own in Nevada (it is dry here and isn't conducive to closing on its own), I about jumped out of my seat. Finally something going my way and not another surgery on that part in the future. I call that a big win!

I have surgery on Tuesday, February 14th. So if you could say a little prayer for me, that would be awesome. I hope to have a few posts ready for the two weeks I may not be around much. 

Any questions?

Amazon Prime Purchases - January

*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 didn't buy much on Prime this month. The bulk of it was birthday gifts for my niece and party favors for the girls birthday party. So what did we buy?

linking up with Tanya

Glow in the Dark Stress Balls

I bought these for the girls party favor bags. The kids had so much fun with them. And fun fact, they stick to the ceiling or wall and roll down for hours of fun!

Kerastase Moisture Mask

I got this because it was on mega sale and I was out of my purple hair mask. Plus my hairstylist said the purple mask is too much on my extensions and would be better off using a different mask and purple shampoo.

Folex Carpet Cleaner

This is a repurchase for me. This stuff is amazing. I spray it on clothes, the carpet, chair cushions, etc. and it always gets everything out. Sometimes I spray and leave it and other times I use my fingers or a soft rag to get the stains out.

4 Foot Floor Puzzle

I got this for my niece. She is really into puzzles and this one was large and had amazing reviews.

Small Brush Teeth Cleaners

I grabbed these for Avery since she got her orthodontia expander put in. She has been getting food stuck in her expander and these help clean it out. Plus it is perfect for using between teeth when floss won't work.

Affresh Washing Machine Tabs

This is my fourth repurchase of this item. I love these for cleaning out my washing machine. And with my new washer, I am using them on the first of every month or after I wash my dogs items.

Tom's Kids Toothpaste

This is another repurchase. The girls love this toothpaste and I love that it comes in a three pack for the price of one to two tubes.

Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix

This is our favorite packaged pancake mix. I have bought this many times from Amazon. I think it said six times. I can't find it in the store anymore, so I order it online. It is the best!

Mermaid Night Light Kit

This was another gift for my niece. She loves mermaids and she was able to make her own night light. It was a huge hit with her!

60 Pack Mochi Valentines

I bought these for the girls classes for Valentine's Day. They love mochi toys and these ones have 60 of them with a heart shaped container and a card. Such a good deal!

All in One Food Chopper and Slicer

I recently bought this to make my life easier for chopping veggies and slicing potatoes. I make a lot of soups and sweet potato nachos and I wanted a new slicer and chopper. This one comes with 8 attachments and gets amazing reviews. Plus it is an extra $5 off right now.

12 Pack of Chokers

My girls are obsessed with these chokers. They got one at a birthday party and wear them all the time. So I grabbed a 12 pack for their birthday party. And now all the girls wear them.

The Pink Stuff

Nadine recommended this a few months ago and I finally purchased it. I tried it on some smudges that just wouldn't come off and it wiped them right away. I really want to try it on my faucets to see if it removes the hard water.

And that's it for my Prime Purchases in January. What did you buy?