12.22.2016

The Perfect Gift for Your Guy with JORD Wood Watches

This post was sponsored by JORD Wood Watches. A product was given to me in exchange for a blog post. All opinion are 100% my own. 


If your husband or boyfriend is anything like mine than shopping for him is pretty much impossible! Kyle is one of those guys who is pretty practical and really doesn't like to spend money unless it's something he absolutely needs.  I feel like I always find myself saving him as the last on my list to buy for since it takes me awhile to come up with a good gift idea that will actually surprise him!  


 He had mentioned awhile ago that he might want a watch again. After the battery died in his last one he just sort of stopped wearing it.  When JORD Wood Watches reached out to me about reviewing a men's watch I thought, ding ding ding we have a Christmas gift.  The website was easy to navigate, and I quickly narrowed it down to the Conway Series in walnut and jet black.   I knew Kyle would love the look of the black watch face making it more of a casual outdoorsy watch versus a formal watch that he might want to save for work or special occasions.


Even though this was a Christmas gift I may have let Kyle open it early so he could give it a test drive before I wrap it back up and stick it under the tree!  Thanks to the handy fit guide provided on the JORD Wood Watches website we were able order Kyle his exact watch size so it came ready to wear!


If you're planning on giving one of these watches you should know that they also provide watch box engraving or watch engraving so you could really personalize your gift.   The boxes they come in are well made and sturdy so you don't need to worry about repacking it before you gift wrap it.  

While I was browsing the site for Kyle I obviously had to take a peek for myself, since I still love wearing watches.  The women's watch selection was just as good as the men's and I may or may not have put this one and this one on my birthday wish list for 2017.


Have you finished shopping for the men on your Christmas list?  If you haven't JORD Wood Watches can still get to you in time! All orders placed before December 23rd CST will arrive on Christmas Eve.   

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12.20.2016

Lace Love: New Year's Eve Looks

Only five days until Christmas!! Whos' ready and who's not?!  I'm 90% finished just need to do some wrapping and pick up a couple stocking stuffers.

Today I've rounded up some of my favorite looks for New Year's Eve!  I'm still on a huge lace kick this year, as I was last year, I just feel like lace can be fun and elegant at the same time.   I think looks #1, 3, 4, and 6 might be my favorite but at the same time I love them all and would like each one in my closet.  What do you all think?





Dresses: one// two// three// four// five// six
Earrings: one// two// three// four// five// six 
Heels: one// two// three// four// five// six 


Do you have fun plans for New Year's Eve?  Are you getting dressed up or staying inside in sweatpants?  


*affiliate links used
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12.17.2016

Miller and Matthew's Christmas List

Happy Saturday Everyone! Today I am sharing Miller and Matthew's Christmas lists.  One of the best parts about having two boys close in age is that most of these can be used at joint gifts that they can share.  We are also realistic and know that certain things must be bought for each of them so that their is not fighting or extreme jealousy.

It was so fun shopping for them this year and it's been so fun to see how similar and yet how different their personalities are.   Since we have plenty of trucks, trains, and dinosaurs I always try to focus on open ended toys for Christmas so they can let their imaginations run wild.




1. Mini Micro Kick Scooter-  This is the gift I'm most excited about so I hope the boys love it! They both started showing interests in scooters after we went to the beach with my niece and nephew this summer. We had an old Radio Flyer from a neighbor but it just didn't work that well for them.  After some research from friends and Amazon I decided on these.  They have great reviews and even though they're pricing everyone says they are well worth the money and easy for little hand and feet to use.   I didn't include these above but we got each of them this Joovy helmet which had great reviews since they both needed a new one.  

2. Jurassic World Stomping T-Rex- this is Miller's #1 gift request this year. He's a huge dinosaur fan and obsessed with Jurassic World dinosaurs (we have not let him watch the movie) but he's seen the dinosaurs in Youtube videos and commercials, and of course in Target.  

3. Melissa & Doug Joey Magnetic Dress Up- this is one I think both the boys will like.  Miller is very into people and pretend play night now so I think he will dressing him up as different characters.  
4. ThinkGizmos Friction Powered Toy Dump Truck- Matthew is obsessed with dump trucks, well any truck really and I thought this one looked like one he would love.  Since you can fill it up and then have it really dump the rocks out I know it will be a big hit.  

5. Play-Doh - We can never have too much play doh around here.  I love play doh for all the different ways you can play with it and love to see Miller's imagination run wild.  Matthew has just gotten into it and loves to drive his trucks through it and make rocks and construction sites with it.  

6. Kinetic Sand- My kids haven't tried this yet but I know they will love it.  They have been missing their sandbox since we've been at the townhouse so I'm hoping this will be a good substitute and hopefully not as messy of course.  

7. Duplos- Again we love legos over here and I feel like you can never have too many.  Both the boys are very into them right now and I think we need one more of these to really create all the different dinosaur parks and construction sites they want.  

8. Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Floor Puzzle- We love these floor puzzles! We have a fire truck one but I know Miller will love this dinosaur one and these came suggested to me as a good quiet time activity.  

9. Magna Tiles- Again these are new to us but everyone swears my boys will love them once they try them.  I think these are another genius idea! 

10. Melissa & Doug Traffic Jam Floor Puzzle-  Since I know Matthew will love Miller's we are getting him this one so that there will be no fighting over who gets to do the puzzle and they each can have their own.  


Have you finished shopping for your kids?  Are there any good toddler boy gifts I'm missing?  


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12.15.2016

Thoughts for Thursday: Life Lately and a Kitchen Update

Hi Friends! Happy Thursday! Can you believe we are one week until Christmas!???  Are you all ready?  I still need to pick up a few last minute gifts and do some wrapping but I'm not feeling too overwhelmed.   Our December has been absolutely crazy with something going on every weekend and we're not slowing down anytime soon!  I love this of year but always get so overwhelmed in the go go go part of it. It's been a blast to see it through Miller's eye this year as he really comprehends what is going on.

I'm finally getting around to mailing our Christmas cards this week.  Every year I say I'm going to get it done in November and I never do. Oh well, they usually make it to friends and family before actual Christmas day.   I will share them with you all next week.


We've been keeping busy and trying to get outside anytime the weather pops over 40 degrees.  As I do every year, it always takes me a bit to adjust to the freezing temps but the kids don't seem to care at all.  They are obsessed with the neighbors reindeer and always must say hi and pet them.


I signed the boys up for a Siblings gym class this winter which I'm hoping will save our sanity on the days I have both of them at home with me.  It's at My Gym which we've never been to before and they both loved it.



Life in the townhouse has been good.  It's definitely a change to go 3000 plus sq ft to 1100 sq ft but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be.  I've also learned that we can live with so much less.  We've decided we're going to do a big purge before we move back into the other house and get rid of stuff we've been carrying around for years and not using.


Miller is so proud of his new nativity set and loves to have his dinosaurs visit baby Jesus ;) Can you spot them?

We made our first gingerbread house which the boys loved.  Miller was obsessed with building the house right, just like the box and Matthew just wanted to eat all the candy.



 Kyle's been crazy busy at work so I've been doing the single parenting thing for the last few weeks and some nights you just gotta do what you gotta do.  The boys wouldn't eat their dinner so I locked them into high chairs and turned on a movie.  Low and behold they both ate every bite in front of the tv ;)


Saturday night we went out in Baltimore to celebrate my sister's birthday!  It was so much fun but I was paying for it on Sunday.    I wore my new J.Crew striped ruffle top which I'm obsessed with.

So fun to get to go out and act like I'm 25 again ;)

We had dinner at Cava Mezze which was so good and drinks afterwards at Charleston.


I've been having so much luck at the Loft lately!  I don't know if it helps that there is one literally across the street from me right now but I've been finding such good stuff.  This sweater is so cozy and I've worn it at least 4 times since I bought it last Friday.


Our house is still a construction site and at this point we won't have any of the fun stuff in until mid to late January but the progress they've made so far is exciting for me, sorry if it's boring to all of you.
The door way into the back of the house was widen giving a much better view into our kitchen.  This doorway was so skinny I'm happy to have it bigger and letting more light in.


The floor to of the sun room if officially raised and the HVAC is run back into the room!! It's now officially part of the house!! I'm so so excited for this part and so happy to have a more open space now.  Running the HVAC vents into this room means we can remove the ugly wall unit we've had in there which I'm so happy about.



This doesn't look like much but it's the entrance to my mudroom and pantry!  There will be a pocket door separating this room from the kitchen.


This is from inside the mudroom/pantry.  The back wall will be hooks and cubbies and the wall to the right will be my pantry.

We have been back and forth over appliances and counter tops but I think we've finally come to a decision at this point.  We really need to make a choice over the next week so we can finally get the cabinets ordered.    That's a whole other story.  Hoping to share more soon!



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Thoughts for Thursday


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12.09.2016

2016 Gift Guide- For the Girls

It's everyone's favorite time of year! Gift Guide season!  How is everyone doing on their shopping? I'm getting close to finished, and hoping to get most of it done this weekend. Today I rounded up my favorites for the girls!  Whether it be your mom, sister, mother in law, best friend, or babysitter there is something here that everyone can enjoy.


candle// tray// iphone case// lipgloss// throw// hat// 
watch// water bottle// earrings// clutch// boots


1. Blue Capri Volcano-  this is hands down my favorite candle scent! I always gift this candle to people as a house warming gift.

2. Golden Eyes Tray- how adorable is this little tray?! Perfect to hold rings, earrings, or change.

3. Kate Spade iPhone Case- Stripes and blue.  I'm sold!

4. Lorac Lipgloss Set- this lipgloss set would be such a fun gift, I'm thinking I might slip one of these into my own stocking ;)

5. Pink Hampton Throw-  Throws are another go to gift of mine! I always find that I never buy them for myself but absolutely love receiving them as a gift. I love the pink stripes and for some reason it makes me think of the beach.

6. H&M Wool Knit Hat- love this inexpensive yet adorable wool hat.

7. Kate Spade Watch- Watches always make such great gifts and I love the pale pink and gold on this one.

8. S'well Gold Water Bottle- S'well water bottle in gold- sold, I mean who doesn't love anything in gold.

9. Baublebar Pinata Tassel Earrings- ever since I got these earrings I want to gift them to everyone!! The price for that style just cannot be beat!

10. Wild Cat Baguette Clutch- I get so many compliments on this clutch every time I use it!  It holds everything you need without being too big and the price tag isn't outrageous.

11. Hunter Boots-  I've wanted short Hunter boots for awhile now and I'm loving this pale pink color, something different than the usually bright or dark Hunter boots you see everywhere.  



Have you finished Christmas shopping? Can you believe it's only 2 weeks away!! 
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12.08.2016

Thoughts for Thursday: DIY Champagne Gift Basket and More!

I am so excited for today's post! It's that time of year when you may be scrambling for the perfect gift idea and want to give something fun and unique. I've teamed up with some wonderful bloggers to bring you DIY gift basket ideas! When Sara first reached out to us to do this, I jumped on the chance and decided to feature my favorite gift this time of year: Champagne! Who wouldn't love a basket dedicated to all things bubbly!

Head to the bottom of the post to see the rest! 

I really wanted to make this an easy, inexpensive basket so I didn't go crazy ordering stuff online. Everything you see below I purchased from Homegoods, Target, and my friendly local liquor store (because they still don't sell wine in grocery stores here in Maryland wahhh).


My inspiration for the basket started with the Cocktail Party book which I found at Homegoods but you can always pick up at Amazon, it's about the same price at both places.  As a former event planner I loved this book after flipping through just a couple pages.  It's a great how-to book for party throwing and broken down into chapters by holidays, game day, surprise party and so on.  The theme for each event being eat, drink, play, and recover with Mary offering great menu selections and fun ideas.

The adorable champagne flutes, cocktail napkins, snowflake drink charms, and Sip Sip Hooray sign all came from Homegoods too.




The gold glitter coasters are from the dollar spot at Target as well as the adorable polka dot straws and I also found the Capabunga there.  I just discovered this product and I'm so glad I did.  I love drinking champagne or prosecco but I hate that it can go flat if you don't drink it all in one day, here is where the Capabunga comes in handy! It will re-seal your champagne keeping all the bubbles in so you can drink it again the next day.   I can't find it on Target's site but the ever handy Amazon has it of course!


I anchored the basket with my favorite Korbel Brut Champagne and Brut Rose but you can use your favorite champagne or prosecco!  I haven't put a gift basket together in a long time and I forgot how fun it could be, this might be my new go-to gift for friends and family!


Have you ever made a DIY gift basket?  Do you think it's something your friends and family would enjoy?

For the rest of the great gift baskets check out the links below:


Hostess Gift Basket - I Love You More Than Carrots

Craft Beer Gift Basket - Ellie & Addie

Coffee Lovers Gift Basket - Chasin' Mason

DIY Money Tree - Seeing All Sides

Homemade Hot Chocolate Gift Basket - Running From The Law 

Champagne Gift Basket - East Coast Chic

Spa Day Gift Basket - Secrets of a Stay At Home Mom

Kid Craft Gift Basket - The Adventure Starts Here


Grab the button below and link up to Annie and Natalie  on your Thoughts for Thursday post.  
Use #thoughtsforthursdays on Instagram and tag us @homeofmalones and @eastcoastnat.
Link up starts at 7 am EST. 

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11.29.2016

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

Hi Friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their friends and family.  I can't believe we are only two days from December! I am so happy the Christmas season has officially started. We have some very excited boys in my house that cannot wait for Santa to pay a visit.  I haven't done much but I have started Christmas shopping. While it's nothing big, it felt good to get a few things checked off my list. Have any of you started yet?  Tell me I'm not the only last minuter!

We kicked off the long weekend on Wednesday night once Kyle got home from work.  We headed out to Coal Fire for pizza and to look at the big Christmas tree near our house.


There is nothing I love more than a thin crust brick oven pizza...



 I cannot get over how big my boys look here... time is going by too fast!

Ended the night with some chocolate covered pretzels


On Thanksgiving morning we drove up to PA to celebrate the holiday with Kyle's family.  It's a pretty easy two hour drive but we ran into a more traffic than we anticipated so it took closer to three. Thankfully the kids slept most of the way and were ready for their cousins when we arrived.


How adorable are these Turkey cupcakes Kyle's cousin made?!


Dessert was the only meal my kids were interested in


This was about the best we could get this year, it's not the most flattering of me and Kyle but I love the kids expressions :)

 Friday morning I started off the day with a cup of coffee and a big slice of pumpkin pie.  I don't usually love pumpkin but the one my in laws had this year was amazing!!


Friday we took the kids to the park, then out for lunch in West Chester and then we visited with some of Kyle's high school friends and their kids.  Our friends have this old swing set in their backyard with the steepest slide I've ever seen, of course my kids loved it.




We drove home Saturday which ended up being an easy drive and the kids napped the whole way!  We decided to take them to a local nursery to see the holiday train display and Santa (but they wanted nothing to do with Santa).




We then headed to dinner while we waited for the tree lighting at the town center near our house.  I enjoyed two very delicious margaritas.



The tree lighting was such a blast.  Our kids are at that great age where they find everything so amazing.  Miller just could not stop staring at the "huge gigantic Christmas tree from Santa"






Sunday was spent doing chores around the house and getting organized for the week, oh and browsing all the sales!

I did so well all weekend and then went on a shopping spree on Cyber Monday! I'm telling you, they suck you in with the threat of the sale ending!!

Here is what I picked up below:





(click images to link directly to product)


Did any of you shop Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales?   Pick up anything good!


**I think I'm finally in the swing of things and able to pick up my regularly scheduled blogging.  I've missed this space and reading everyone's blogs.  Life is so busy these days, I have no idea how some of you blog and do all the 100 other responsibilities you have have. Phew!  

Happy Christmas Season Friends! 
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