First Day of School {1st Grade}

August 28, 2014

Such a bitter sweet day....
The summer has ended and a new school year begins....
Still is so crazy to me how the time has passed!!
Our little girl starts 1st Grade today!!
 








 
Happy 1st Day of First Grade sweet girl!!
Mommy loves you!!!
  


Random Things {About Me}

August 27, 2014


Hi friends!!
My apologies for being MIA for a little while.
I've been trying to get organized and re-think plans for Gracie Blue and future posts, as well as getting back into a normal schedule. It's been a fun filled summer but now it's time to prioritize, focus and plan for a new school year and all the holiday hustle and bustle that is closely upon us. I thought I would first fill you in a few things happening here on the blog.... I've decided to switch my weekly features, Very "Pinteresting" Tuesday, Wish List Wednesday & Favorite Home Friday into monthly features. My hope is to focus more on bringing you more posts about my home, my recipes as well weekly DIY projects and a peak into my baking business.
This is my plan and I'm hoping you will follow along!!
Today I thought it would be a great idea to start of fresh and fill you in on some random things about me that you wouldn't really know unless we sat together for a few hours over coffee....
So here it goes....
Random things about me....
 
~I am born and raised in Connecticut, but truly believe in my heart that I should have been born a southern belle and raised in the south.... y'all!!
~I believe in Jesus and find him in all things.... most of all when I look at my children....
~I was in fact named after Lisa-Marie Presley....
~I am a mommy of two... Gracie (6) and JJ (2)....They are my life... period.
~My husband and I met at the gym where we both worked, became best friends and married three years later.... true story!!
~I am addicted to gold fish and diet coke.... in no particular order.
~I attended private schools all my life straight through college....
~I have worked (to this very day) in the fitness industry since I was seventeen and have always dreamed of competing in a professional fitness show....It will happen.
~I was a young equestrian and it will always be a part of me....
~I grew up an overweight child....
~I was 31 and seven months old when I lost my mom to cancer....My daughter, Nicolina Grace who is her name sake, was one year, nine months and sixteen days old the day she passed....Hardest day of my life.....
~I am an only child.... and always wished I had an older brother.
~I love to collect books, benches, baskets and chalkboards.... always have.
~I wear only one fragrance, Happy by Clinque, I began wearing it after my second boyfriend broke up with me during my freshman year of college. I vowed I would be "happy" and have been wearing it ever since....
~Cold Mountain is my favorite movie....ever.
~Sweet Home Alabama & The Notebook are tied for second!!
~I am going to be 37 (OMG) this coming November and I still have my "blankie" my Nonna gave me when I was a baby....
~I love all children.... Their innocence and love melt my heart...
~All I ever wanted to be as a child was a mom.... And Wynonna Judd!!
~I don't need an alarm clock to wake me.... Sleep and I aren't friends.
~I originally planned to major in Art and be an art teacher.
~I graduated college with a BS in Psychology and a minor in business.
~I just now know what I want to be when I grow up....
A designer, event planner and own my own antique shop or bakery, or both.
~I am deathly afraid of heights and drowning.
~I love the fall and everything about it....
~I am a lover of all music, but country remains closest to my heart.
~I would play "teacher" everyday when I got home from school.
~I love to dance.... alone or in a crowd.
~I am profoundly shy.....
~I am addicted to Pinterest. No cure.
~I don't like to drink alcohol.... I'd rather drink coffee or tea....
~I have a phobia of throwing up and avoid it at all costs.
~I love my morning coffee in the afternoon....
~I dread talking on the phone.
~I am so much like my mother it's scary....
~I have always wanted to play the piano & guitar....
~I prefer farmhouses over mansions....
~I wear sweatshirts year round....collect those too!!
~I love horror movies, but will have nightmares for weeks!!
~I collect lip gloss, earrings and wallets...it's a problem!
~I am left handed.
~I am a self taught baker and blogger.
~I am a home body.... always have been.
~I can eat pizza seven days a week for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
~I have been working out since I was 17 and will do so the rest of my life.
~I make my bed every morning.
~My biggest fear....disappointing my dad.
~My first celebrity crush... Patrick Swayze....
~My favorite childhood memory was going to Church every Saturday night with my Nonna....
~My biggest pet peeve.... People who blow their nose at the dinner table..
~My first car was a 1982 V8 Firebird....
~My mom was and always will be my hero....
 
 
 
That's pretty much all I could think of for now...
One last thing you should know that I get asked about a lot... how I came up with the name "Gracie Blue"....
Gracie comes from my daughter's name "Gracie" and I choose the word "blue" as a tribute to my mom as blue was her favorite color.... she is missed every single day and I so wanted her to be a part of this journey...
Thanks for stopping by and get ready for fabulous things to come!!
 

Wednesday Wish List {Faux Fireplace}

August 20, 2014

Hi friends!!
 Happy Wednesday!!
  Today I'm sharing something really unique that has been on my wish list for a while....
There is something about a fireplace that I have always loved. I grew up with one in my childhood home and it always made cold nights feel cozy, as wells as adding a great deal of character to our home...and I love the idea of having a mantel to decorate and hang stockings up for the holidays...
I had always planned on having a fireplace in my own home, but sometimes you can't always get what you want!! Don't get me wrong, I love our home and when we purchased it almost seven years ago we had thought of putting in a wood burning stove, but sadly, we really don't have the space for it. I also looked into an electric fireplace, but I felt spending all that money for the look of a fireplace wasn't wise when in the end would cost us money to use. So I put it on the "no go" list and moved on.... Until now....
Honestly, my favorite part of having a fire place is the mantel and all I see all over Pinterest are faux fireplaces. Such an excellent solution to obtain the look of a fire place minus the heat part, which I'm ok with!! Here are some of my favorites!!

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Now all I need to do is find out exactly how to go about building one of these and the most difficult part... talking my hubby into it!!
I found this picture and this is pretty much the size we need.
 
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 The pine wall that I recently painted white would be the perfect little spot for a faux fireplace!!
What do you think faux or no??
 

It's Almost Fall Y'all!!! {My Favorite Fall Decor}

August 18, 2014

Happy Monday friends!!
I hope you had a great weekend!!
Not sure about you but I know that for me fall is in the air!!
Right around this time of the summer the nights gets cooler and the awe of summer dwindles.... it's almost back to school time for us and these last couple of weeks of August have me longing for those calm and cozy fall days. I realize there is nothing "calm" about going to school and getting back on a schedule, but for some reason, ever since I was little fall has always been my absolute favorite time of year!!
I have a Pinterest board full of fall inspiration, but these are my absolute favorites and I just had to share!! If you aren't in the fall spirit yet these photos are sure to get you there!!
 
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I just can't wait to start decorating!!
How about you???
 


Around My Home {Bathroom, Living Room, This & That}

August 14, 2014

Hi friends!!
I'm back from a much needed vacation with the family!!
We spent almost a week in the great outdoors of Lake George, NY!
As most of you know I'm a country girl at heart and I love being in the mist of the woods among the trees and lakes.... It was a wonderful time, but now it's time to get back to our normal routines, back to work and almost time for our little girl to start 1st grade!!
Today I'm sharing a peak around our house. I've been busy with my day job and being a mommy so a lot of the summer projects I have on my "to do" list I haven't even begun to tackle, but I have made some much needed updates to our bathroom and living room as well as an amazing Craig's List find for the dining room.... Let's take a peak!!
 












 

One thing I have learned and took me a long time to understand is that decorating a home evolves over time and one thing you may have fallen in love with six months ago your not loving so much today.... For instance, the must have corner cabinet I purchased from Craig's List has now been replaced with the exact pine cabinet I have longed for.... Rather than just waiting for what I really wanted I made an impulse purchase because at that moment I didn't want to wait and I figured I would never find what I had my heart set on.... So out went the corner cabinet (thank the Lord for Craig's List) and in with what I truly had my heart set on, of which I scored a deal on because the seller was moving and it had to go!!
I hope you liked this little tour around my home!
I will be back tomorrow with another favorite home to share with you!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
 

Wednesday Wish List & Favorite Home Friday {Two for One!!}

August 6, 2014

Hi friends!! Are you all in for a treat today!! My family and I will be heading to Lake George in a few days and I decided to combine two of my weekly features, my Wednesday Wish List and my Favorite Home Friday into one post!! Today I am sharing another gorgeous Connecticut home that is for sale. This home is for sure on my dream home "wish list"!!
 This particular home is a Landmark Revolutionary War Colonial, The Daniel Godfrey House, located in the heart of Weston, Connecticut. A 1760's period style home with all the modern amenities. This home is very similar to the home I shared with you last week that I also found on Zillow. My absolute favorite feature of this home is that almost every room has a huge fire place!! It is truly an amazing home and I am so excited to share it with you!!
 



















 
So much to love about this home!!
What is your favorite feature??
I would love to hear from you??
 
Well I am off to get ready for a fun filled long weekend in Lake George!
I will be back next week with a sneak peak of all the home projects I have going on!! Enjoy your weekend!!