Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide- For Men

Hey friends! I'm coming at you today with a gift guide for the men in your life! If your men are nay thing like my husband then they are hard to buy for. Patrick never gives me a list and usually says "I don't need anything" I have put together a list of things that either Patrick has or I know he would love. Don't forget to check out Owen and Brittany's posts as well! 

1. Patagonia Quarter Zip Pullover - Patrick loves a quarter zip and I love that this is a casual one perfect for a weekend at home.

2. Amazon Echo- We have this and love it! I love that you can play music, ask the weather and so much more.

3. Wireless Headphones - A great gift, Patrick got some last year and loves them.

4. RTIC Cooler - This is identical to the YETI soft side cooler but a fraction of the price. I gave to Patrick last year!

5. New Balance Shoes- A staple wardrobe item in my husbands closet

6. Moscow Mule Mugs- Add in some Vodka, Ginger beer and a recipe and you've got the perfect basket!

7. Bittermilk- If your husband loves an old fashioned as much as the men in my family then this is a must have!

8. Wine Decanter- For the wine loving enthusitast

9. Range Finder - The perfect addition to a golf bag

10. Jord Wood Watch - You can find my full review of this watch here. Patrick now owns two and loves them!


I am certain that any man would love most everything on this list! I hope you found it helpful for those hard to buy for guys in your life. Now, grab our button below link back to one or all of us and add your post! Hope you find some other inspiring gift ideas for all those men in your life! Next week is the final week to link up and we are sharing all about hostess/stocking stuffer ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanksgiving 2017

Hey friends! I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I know we have but I am definitely ready for  9 am to get here so that my boys can go to school and I can get my house back in order and run all the errands I haven't done in days.

I mentioned previously that I was hosting Thanksgiving this year. We had a great time! On Wednesday my sister her husband and my niece came to town along with my dad. My mom had gotten here the day before to help me start getting everything ready!  We left the kids home with a sitter and went to dinner with my almost 95 year old Mimi!

Thanksgiving day was spent hanging out at home playing and cooking. We also decorated the Christmas tree. Jack loved putting the ornaments on the tree and finding all of the ones with his name on them.

Patrick's dad, brother and nephew came over that afternoon and joined us for our Thanksgiving meal. We ate after the boys nap time and it was so good! I wish I could say I had a lot to do with it but it was all my mom! I set the table and did some of the grocery shopping but she made the meal come to life!

That night my sister dragged me to Target so that she could look for something she wanted to get on sale. Turns out they didn't even have it! But it was insane, the line to checkout wrapped all the way to the back of the store. I was quickly reminded why I don't participate in these events haha. We then went over to Best Buy where it was just as insane but we only ended up waiting a short time before she was able to get her phone. I think we were only gone about 1-1.5 hours total!

The rest of the weekend was spent playing with the boys, finishing decorating inside and out and trying to keep my boys from wrestling each other 24/7.

The weekend was so nice and I loved hosting, although it was quite a task, my house is a disaster and I was beyond exhausted but seeing all those I love sitting around our dining room table made it all worth it! We missed my other sister and her family but I know they had a great time at their house enjoying the day! We also missed my sweet MIL but know she was looking down on us the whole day.

*Linking up with Biana 

Unique Wood Watches for Men

Hey ya'll! Can you believe that Christmas is so soon? I love the magic of this year but sometimes trying to figure out the perfect gift for everyone on my list can be so daunting! When it comes to Patrick he is often so hard to buy for. He never tells me anything he wants so I'm usually stuck trying to come up with ideas not only for the boys and me to give him but also my parents and his! It can become quite the process to coordinate everything.

Here is where Jord Wood Watches comes into play! Ya'll, these are literally the perfect gift for anyone on your list! I had heard about Jord Wood Watches about a year or two ago when several of my blogger friends introduced them to me. I of course knew that this would be something that Patrick would love and ended up getting him one for our 5 year anniversary last January. He had never heard of them and was so surprised and excited to open the box! Truly, this was the first time I've seen him overly excited about a gift. It brought so much happiness to me because I really love giving gifts and try to find the perfect thing.  Every time he wore the watch all of his friends would talk about it, everyone thought that it was such an awesome concept!

So when Jord reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to collaborate for a holiday campaign I quickly responded with a YES! I knew exactly who I would be giving this watch to! And ya'll, let me tell you....he was giddy! The second I told him about this he immediately got online and started looking at all the different ones and mulling over which one he wanted.

The process of ordering and choosing his size was so easy. All we had to do was print out their handy ruler and measure it to his wrist size and the watch came perfectly sized to fit him!

The watch comes in a beautiful wooden box which has a magnetic top to keep it secure. It also has a little drawer underneath that holds the cloth, wood preserver and whatever else you may need.

This watch is perfect for every day wear but it is also beautiful to dress up an outfit for a night out! Patrick loves wearing it on the weekends and when we go out because of the nature of his job he wear a sports watch during the day so I enjoy seeing this watch on his wrist!

So for all of you that are looking for the perfect gift for your husband, dad, brother or any other man in your life I highly recommend Jord Wood Watches! And what's even better, they make them for women as well!! I definitely have my eye on a few different ones that I wouldn't mind Santa delivering on Christmas morning!

Jord has sent me a special discount offer for all of my readers! From Now until December 19th you can get 25% off. All you have to do is enter your information here and you will be emailed a code!

*this post was done in collaboration with Jord Wood Watches, all opinions are of course my own!

*linking up with Beth
Wooden Wristwatch

Ornament Exchange Announcement

Hey Friends! I hope ya'll had a great weekend! I feel like we went non stop but I was a bad blogger and didn't take many pics. I've been busy trying to get my house ready for my family to get here starting tomorrow!

I wanted to share with you a fun holiday exchange I am co-hosting. I don't know about you but I love Christmas ornaments. I love pulling mine out and looking at all of them as I put them on the tree and remembering who gave it to me or where it came from. My favorites are the hand made ones from the boys!

Which brings me to the Ornament Exchange announcement! I am teaming up with a few of my favorite bloggers and we are hosting an ornament swap. All you have to do is fill out this form before November 26th. You will be notified who your partner is. Do some shopping for an ornament around $15 and send to them by December 4th! Then link back up with us on December 12th and show us what you got!

This is always a fun swap and I hope you will join in to spread a little Christmas cheer!

5 Things I'm Thankful For

Happy Fri-Yay ya'll!! I'm so excited for this weekend but first I have to get through taking both boys to there 2 and 4 year well visits...alone. Jack is supposed to get all his shots for Kindergarten (wahh) and both boys are getting flu shots. Should be an awesome time. We are going to the Angus Barn in Raleigh with friends tonight, its going to be decorated for Christmas and I can't wait!

I thought I'd do my Friday favorites a little differently this week. Since Thanksgiving is less than a week away and I'm feeling all kinds of thankful lately I thought I would share 5 things that I'm especially thankful for right now.

O N E | Patrick. I dont brag on him enough. He is such a great daddy to our boys and a wonderful husband to me. There is no way we could get through life without him!

T W O | Jack and Graham. Duh. These two bring me so much joy! I wake up thankful to be their mama every day. They are really at such a fun age, and while they drive me crazy I am thankful that I get to spend each and every day with them!

T H R E E | My Father in Law. Ya'll, this man is so precious to me. Most of you know that almost 3 months ago we lost my Mother in Law to pancreatic cancer. It was and has been such a sad time for us all but Steve has continued to be so present in our lives and in the boys lives despite the deep sadness he feels. I adore seeing the boys playing with him and getting so excited to see Grandaddy. We've been going to church with him and last Sunday we all went to the club for lunch, I captured this photo and it is just the most precious thing. In fact, Patrick and I both pulled out our cameras at the same time to get this picture haha.

F O U R | My mom. I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year for the first time. She and my dad are coming as well as one of my sisters, her husband and daughter, my Mimi, my FIL, BIL and nephew. There is no way I could pull this off without the help of my mom. She is pretty much doing all of the cooking. Bringing several things from home to help me pull this off. She is a blessing to me every day but I am truly thankful for her willingness to help me and show me how to make a proper Thanksgiving meal!

F I V E | Lastly, I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning. I try to remind myself that if God didn't grant me grace on a daily basis I would be in shambles. Momin aint easy y'all. In fact its downright hard. Mommin 2 boys that are 24 months apart, its hard! I lose my patience more than I care to admit but I wake up each morning thankful that my slate has been wiped clean and I can begin the day with a grateful heart.


I hope that ya'll have a wonderful weekend! It's truly the most wonderful time of the year. I've already started decorating and last night was our little citys holiday tree lighting, which officially kicks off the season for me!

*linking up with Andrea, April and Katie

Christmas Gift Guide- For Her

Hey Friends! This week Owen, Brittany and I are doing one of our favorite guides!  It's all about the ladies! Ive put together a list of things that either I have that are a favorite of mine or things that are on my list and that I'd love to get! If you missed last weeks guide check it out here, it's all about the kids!

1. Rifle Paper Co. Phone Case - I have this exact case and love it! It doesn't add a lot of bulk but I've dropped it plenty of times and it hasn't messed up my phone! 

2. Tart Eyeshadow Pallete - this is on my list. These colors scream fall/winter to me. I love a good neutral. 

3. Slippers - the best slippers! I have gold glitter ones and they are so comfy!  The red are so festive for Christmas! 

4. Anchor Beads Necklace - I adore these necklaces and the meaning behind them makes purchasing one even better! 

5. Lounge Pants - My friend Brooke introduced me to these pants and since them I can't recommend them enough. They are so cozy and the perfect addition to soft clothes! 

6. Barefoot Dreams Blardigan - I'm sure everyone has heard of this but again, a total staple in my winter wardrobe! 

7. Apple Watch- For the tech loving gal! 

8. Metallic Gold Leather Earrings - I rarely wear big earrings because they are always so heavy and make my lobes hurt. But then I discovered these and am obsessed. They are super light weight, like you can't even feel them in your ears! 

9. Booties- Ya'll know these are a favorite of mine! The best bootie I've owned and right now they are on sale! 

10.  Faux Fur Beanie- A cute hat for those cold winter days! 

11, Glitter Clutch - I recently rented this from Rent the Runway and loved it! It's so festive and fun that it's made my way to my Christmas list and its under $100! 

So there you go! Send this list to your Husbands, boyfriends, kids, dads, moms, really anyone that is buying for you! And be sure to check out Owen and Brittanys lists too!! Next wee will be all about those men in your life! 

Now its your turn, show us those gift guides for all the women in your life! Be sure to grab our button below and link back to us in your post! Can't wait to see all of your lists!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Crock Pot Pot Roast

Hey ya'll! Sorry for the radio silence yesterday but we had a pretty low key weekend that wasn't worth documenting hahaha. I'm coming to you today with a recipe! I had several request this when I posted about it on my stories last week so I figured that I would create a post about it.

I got this recipe from my sweet friend Brittany! She always has the best recipes and is my go to lately when I don't know what in the world to cook. She's super organized and plans everything out. Meanwhile I'm texting her from the grocery store wondering what exactly I should cook that night.

Crock Pot Pot Roast:

Buy:
* 2-3 lb Chuck Roast
* bag of baby red potatoes (I used about half the bag and quartered or halved them)
* bag of carrots (washed peeled and quartered)
* can of cream of mushroom soup
* can of beef broth
* Liptons onion soup packet

Make:
* Line your crockpot with these amazing crockpot liners (or skip if you don't have them)
* Place your chuck roast in the bottom of the crockpot
* add in your potatoes and carrots
* pour soup, beef broth and soup packet on top of the meat and veggies
* set your crockpot on low for 8 hours
* enjoy the amazing smells that will take over your kitchen all day!
* once its done cooking the meat will be falling apart. I sometimes try to take it out and shred it on a cutting board if it won't totally shred in the crockpot.

This recipe is super easy! I have always been really intimidated by pot roast for some reason. I never knew what cut of meat to buy and how to do it, but thanks to Brittany this has become a weekly or biweekly staple in our house. It's perfect for these cold fall days. I like to serve it with sister schubert rolls!

Enjoy!

*Linking up with Beth

Friday Favorites

Happy Fri-YAY!! Whew, this week has had me all kinds of mixed up. I don't know if it was the fact that our weekend started on Thursday last week or what but I couldn't remember what day it was for the life of me. I forgot to pack Jacks lunch for lunch bunch Wednesday (thank goodness for Patrick who brought it to him). Let me get right to my favorites from this week!

O N E | I posted this picture on Insta earlier this week and everyone wanted the recipe so here you go! Its so easy.

Buy:
Pene pasta (or any you like)
2 Chicken breasts shredded (I throw mine in the crockpot and cook for a few hours. makes it so easy to shred)
1 thing of mushrooms
1 bag of spinach
1-2 jars alfredo sauce (I used reduced fat)
Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesa

Steps:

1. Boil Pasta 2. Saute spinach and mushrooms 3. Shred Chicken and place in bowl with sautéed spinach and mushrooms. 4. When pasta is finished toss it in the bowl and add a jar of alfredo sauce. (if you are splitting the recipe you may need a jar and half depending on how saucy you like it) 5. Add in some mozzarella and parmesa 6. Place in a baking dish and top with more cheese 7. Bake at 350 until warm and bubbly!

Bam, there you go! A super easy and quick week night meal!

T W O | Hope from Elise + Hope posted awhile ago about her wood board she keeps by her sink. I have been on the hunt for one! I found something that was similar at Hobby Lobby and it was doing the trick but then yesterday I came across This while browsing the new Joanna Gains line and its almost an identical match! And only $19.99! I got the medium and the large and ended up going with the large!

T H R E E | We had a surprise visit from Grandaddy on Tuesday night. The boys had the best time playing with him and I just love seeing them interact!

F O U R | Yesterday when I got Graham dressed I realized that this cute little turtleneck was my bestie Kristis sons! Ya'll, he just turned 11! I sent it to her and asked if it looked familiar. I love that Jay, Jack and now Graham have worn it.

F I V E | Did you catch the start to our Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide on Wednesday that I'm hosting with Brittany and Owen? Of course that day blogger decided to go whack and wouldn't let comments go through. It's finally fixed (i hope!) So feel free to drop by and check it out...leave me a comment about whats your favorite thing on the list. I'm talking all about kids toys!! And next week is all about the ladies!

Its finally feeling like fall here! It's been in the 50s all week and we have our first freeze warning tonight. I don't hate it! Tonight kicks off NC State's basketball season so P and I are headed to the game! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

*Linking up with Andrea, Katie, April