life lately: homeownership

since apparently the whole becoming parents thing wasn't a big enough life change for us, we decided to add home-ownership to our list of responsibilities.  after months of searching and making offers and searching some more, we finally found our perfect little house. God is so good and provided the perfect place at the absolute perfect time.  we are in the process of packing (again...) and painting and planning projects, and I just can't even wait to move in!

lately

bub hub
has discovered his secret painting talent. #edgingexpert
is a master at unloading the washing machine now that the prego-belly is getting in the way.
won the best husband award for bringing home frozen and letting it be our packing party background music.

raider
has been a perfect walking companion, even now that mama's had to slow her roll a little more than usual.
is mastering the doggy door at the new house. #professionalpup
shows his love and excitement for emma grace by pouncing on mama's belly every time she's on the couch.

sarah grace
is still pregnant with only 8 (insert long or short here depending on the hour...) weeks to go!
is a terribly painting assistant and not so great with keeping paint off the floors.
is taking naps and sleeping in every chance

emma grace
is growing bigger every day and wiggling up a storm.
finally has a nursery...at least a room that will be decorated sometime in the near-ish future...
is already loved more deeply than a mama could ever hope and dream.

life lately

life just seems to be speeding by, which is good and a little bit not so good. good because tax busy season is over and we have bub-hub back (notice how he's missing from every single photo...oops...) and a little bit not so good because i'm realizing how unprepared we are for baby girl's arrival. that's what prayer and family are for right?



lately

bub-hub
has a love/hate relationship with the mavericks.
somehow talked sg to watch sherlock, and now they are both hooked
has officially dominated tax season and life has returned to normal-ish once again.

raider
won't stop drinking water out of the toilet.
has designated the closet as the most comfy location for a nap.
has completely forgotten his leash-walking-manners. #rebelliousphase

sarah grace
is getting used to her ever growing baby bump and puffy cheeks.
loves using sweet baby girl as an excuse for chipotle and fro-yo.
can't quite cope with season three of scandal being over already.

emma grace
is 28 weeks old and the size of an eggplant.
has a growing collection of the most adorable wardrobe, ruffles included.
is completely worth every backache she's giving her mama.

life lately

lately

bub hub
has been inching his way closer and closer to the tax deadline.
is love march madness.
is an expert curtain rod and picture frame hanger-upper.

raider
has spring fever.
is glad all his toys made it to the new apartment safely during the move.
loves his recently rediscovered rope toy.

sarah grace
is obsessed with her pre-natal barre workout dvds.
loves getting to wear comfy cozy clothes all the time, even to work.
has been rocking her grocery budget goals, but not so much her fun, shopping ones.

baby emma
is already 25 weeks old.
is swimming around and kicking up a storm, especially when we were at the mavs game!
can't get enough frozen yogurt, topped with almonds and m&ms and blueberries.

twenty five and i'm feeling good!

last week, i turned twenty-five. ahhhhhhhh!
i spent the day being spoiled by my sweet bub-hub, and the rest of the week/weekend being spoiled by friends and family.
twenty-five is a pretty big life stage.

bub-hub's family has this fantastic birthday tradition that involves the birthday-ee choosing all of the meals for the day. when we got married, i made sure to inherit this tradition.

we splurged on donuts for breakfast, chick fil a for lunch, and chipotle for dinner with fro-yo for dessert. the next day, we had a yummy family birthday dinner at sfuzzi's! and of course, lots and lots of red velvet birthday cake!

i think twenty-five is definitely my favorite age so far, and i have a feeling it's going to be my best year yet!

what birthday is your favorite?

instagram // etsy // pinterest // twitter

pregostyle // feeling stripey

i'm definitely not a fashion blogger, and i definitely wouldn't consider myself a fashionista, but i do appreciate fun clothes! and if i'm being completely honestly, i've been struggling with learning how to dress this sweet little baby bump of mine. so when i feel like i hit a win, i'm going to celebrate it by getting out of my comfort zone and snapping some selfies.

darcy swing tunic from anthropologie // love the structure of this shirt. it's fitted on top and flowy where it needs to be. i love that it's long enough to be worn with leggings or jeans, and that it can easily transition from a casual to cute. also, since this isn't a maternity top, i'll be able to wear it after baby arrives. yay for multipurpose-pieces!

black skinny maternity jeans from gap // i love leggings as much as the next girl, but some days, i just need a little bit more structure. these are really comfortable and have just enough structure to make me feel productive. plus i found them on final clearance. #forthewin

nude patent flats from target // let's be real. i own these in about half a dozen shades.

hampton necklace from crave jewels // i won this little beauty in a giveaway a few months back. she probably thought i was a stalker because i entered EVERY giveaway she was doing, but it paid off and i eventually won! :) a little miracle worker to help perk up an outfit.

p.s. let's be instafriends please and thank you! :) @mrschastain_gmd

instagram // etsy // pinterest // twitter

if baby chastain is a boy....

if baby chastain is a boy, i would want to fill his room with adventure.

100 layer cakelett

i would definitely fill his closet with little cardigan onesies and bow ties.

the barber shoppe // etsy

and i would love to fill his walls with scriptures full of strength and love and boldness.

maidservant of encouragement // naptime diaries

only a few more days of waiting!

life lately

lately
bub-hub
is studying for his next certification test.
is hooked on chuck and (i think) secretly training to become a spy for the CIA.
handles tax returns like a champ.

sarah grace
is enjoying her new job, especially all of the office birthday cakes & treats.
feels optimistic about the forecast this coming week. bring it on 70*!
can't get the songs from frozen out of her head and doesn't hate it.

raider
loves the outside but is hating the cold.
can't get enough greenies.
has perfected his "please give me crumbs" look.

baby chastain
is twenty weeks old.
is the size of an heirloom tomato and growing more and more every day.
has a fantastic love for chipotle and girl scout cookies.

lately, life has been really busy, but so full of fun and celebration. we are so very blessed and are just soaking in every minute we have together in this season of life.

what have you been up to lately?

budgeting isn't a dirty word.

i have a strange relationship with money. i feel uncomfortable talking about it. i try not to think about it. and i really don't like when people tell me what to do with it. but i love target. as long as i have a basic understanding about what's going on in my accounts, i'm happy.

doesn't this make me a perfect fit for my financial planner husband? just like gourmet peanut butter and 99cent store jelly.

with all of our grown up decisions coming up in the next year, i have definitely been trying to get over my awkwardness. babies are expensive, buying a house is expensive, buying a new car to keep baby safe is expensive. so we're starting to stick to our budget. for real this time...

we started taking the dave ramsey "financial peace university" course, and so far, i've been learning a lot. one of the main themes that has been sticking with me is that it all comes down to my attitude and my motives. what do i truly value and why do i value it?

i've been trying to get over my little issue, not only to work on my personal contentment and lower my need for more stuff, but to support bub-hub as he tries to lead our family. being the road block speed bump in his plans gets a little old after a while. if only i could learn to love and appreciate the word budget as much as he does.

here are a few things i've been trying lately:
*click unsubscribe on all of my daily shopping emails // in my current pregnant state, i may not be able to wear the cute spring clothes, but that doesn't mean i can't indulge in accessories and shoes! cutting out that daily temptation definitely helps decrease the number of "but it's so cute!" thoughts i have each day.

*subscribe to budget-focused lifestyle blogs for tips and encouragement // i really enjoy reading about individuals and families who work hard and succeed. it's so inspiring to me and i feel encouraged knowing that if they can do it, so can i.

*apply the 24 hour rule // if you love something in the store, or think you really need something, give it 24 hours and see if you still love it as much as you did before. my mom taught me this in high school, and usually, i completely forget about it, so it seems to be a pretty good trick!

*shop on the weekends and with a budget-buddy // my budget buddy is bub-hub. and i'm not gonna lie, i thoroughly dislike shopping with him. this is really hard for me, but i definitely make better choices when he's with me.

am i the only one who's awkward about money?

any tips for staying on a budget?

disney family vacation: epcot

epcot is such a fun place and so full of experiences. we met so many characters including mickey and his gang. we also found alice & mary poppins in london and even aladdin and jasmine in morocco!  

going through each of the countries was the best.  we took a stop in norway to see the scenery that inspired frozen, and chased down the three amigos in mexico. and did i mention the tour of colonial USA?

i loved seeing the different styles of building, hearing the different accents and languages, and trying the yummy new food!  although, i'm not sure if croissants and creme brûlée in france and pizza from italy really count as stepping out of my comfort zone!

we also had a blast trying out the new test track ride, talking to bruce the shark, and experiencing mission space. 

walking log: 11.1 miles
favorite memory: dinner in italy was my favorite meal of the trip. i also really loved getting to see the behind the scenes inspiration for the movie frozen in norway! 

fifteen weeks

baby chastain is 15 weeks old and growing strong!

each tuesday, the little baby center update pops up on my phone, and get to read how baby is growing, what it's doing, and baby becomes a little more real.

this week, baby is the size of an apple!
since honey crisp apples are my favorite, and this is my favorite baby, i'm choosing to believe baby is the size of a honey crisp apple.
i can see bub-hub rolling his eyes at my logic as i type…

happy news to start off the new year!

it's the second week of 2014 and so far, it's been pretty great in the chastain household. and it's about to get even better because we finally get to share an exciting piece of news!

recently bub-hub and i found out that we are expecting our first baby!
yayyyyyyyy!!!!!

thrilled doesn't even begin to describe our excitement. looking back at how the Lord has provided for us over the first year and a half of our marriage, we have no doubt that his timing is perfect, that he is sovereign and that he will prepare us for this exciting adventure.

i've been itching to share our new years card with you all, and here it is!

thanks so much for the love and support you all have shown us over the years and we can't wait to continue to share our adventures with you!

new year, new blog

happy new year! welcome to the first post on the new blog!

after several years of blogging at gracefully made designs, i've decided to split the blog and start a new family focused blog, the chastain family!

here, i plan on sharing our family adventures and life's ups and downs, while gracefully made designs will continue to focus on designs, event planning and other business endeavors.

i'm not making any promises, but i can almost guarantee that i will post way too many photos of bub-hub and raider [as if there could ever be too many…], and i will probably forget to post for weeks at a time. but this is our family's blog and i can't wait to share our adventures with you all.

big day for a little blog

today is a big day for this little blog of mine.

i'm excited to announce my very first website!

[mental snap shot for the baby book]

tadaaaaaa!!!

eeeeeeeeeeekkk!!

pinch me,,,,this can't be real!

please take a few minutes to check out the new www.gracefullymadedesigns.com and bookmark, star, or sticky my new blog address: www.gracefullymadedesigns.com/blog.

i'm so excited about this new adventure for Gracefully Made Designs, 

and i can't wait for you to come along with me! :) 

what i'm loving today

today, i'm loving a beautiful shop called sea and asters.

i discovered this lovely shop through a treasury listing one day last week and immediately fell smitten.

i just think these teeny tiny plant pods are adorable.

sea and asters via etsy

and polka dots. duh.

sea and asters via etsy

and this lovely little terranium is my favorite.

pretty sure my little office needs this asap.

sea and asters via etsy

what are you loving today?

a makeover story: k batty design and stationery

the last few weeks, i've been working with the talented ms. kerry batty on a little blog refresh!

kerry is a graphic designer up in new york, and has some of the cutest stuff up in here etsy shop!

i was so honored that she would reach out to me to help her with this project.

she has great taste and beautiful sense of style. working with her was a joy! 

visit kerry's blog and etsy shop. i promise you won't regret it!

what i'm loving today

my name is sarah grace, and i love etsy.
i love seeing the beautiful things that people create,
and i love adding them all to my wish list!

today, i'm loving these beautiful water color prints by caitlin mcclain, designer and owner of little low studios in austin texas. 

i can't get enough of her "man's best friend" illustration print. 

although personally, i think raider would be a perfect candidate for the letter "r"! :)

little low studios via etsy

little low studios via etsy

if you're an etsy addict like me, you should probably sign up for this super fun swap over on my friend amy's blog!  i can't wait to see who i'm paired with!

what are you loving today?

see ya later houston!

if you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you should know by now there is never a dull moment in the chastain household.  bub-hub, raider and i are leaving the beautiful city of Houston and making our new home in Grapevine. 

we are excited to be close to our family and sweet friends,

but we are sad to say "see ya later" to the fantastic life and memories we've made here.

here's to new adventures!