Spotlight Story: Small Town Parents, Big Time Dreams

I (Sara) wanted to introduce the blogging world to my parents. My Mom and Dad. My "rents". Whatever their title, they are special and they have a special story that has led them to a wonderful opportunity in my home community. I figured it would be the perfect time to share that story with all of you and give you a little insight into their love and passions. 

This is Mom and Dad. Known to many people as Ken and Renae, but to me they are Mom and Dad. 

My parents live on a farm of sorts. We have lots of animals running around. One of my favorites are the goats. I never thought our family would be a goat family.

But we are and I love them. My parents love them too. In fact, they have a soft place in their hearts for all animals. Don't believe me? Come on over to the farm and hang out for a while. I think you might change your mind.

Our family owns a camper. Its name is Scotty. Mom calls it our glamper. We don't use Scotty for camping. Scotty is used for business and for curb appeal. Scotty is growing on me. 

My parents are not only Mom and Dad. They are also Mimi and Pappy to my niece and nephew. Most recently, they also became in-laws to my husband Chase. They are amazing at every single one of the titles that they hold and I am glad that they are our mentors and our biggest fans. We would not be the family that we are without their amazing love and kindness.

Did I mention that they are the cutest love birds ever? Geez they are amazing. And it is because of that amazingness that I wanted to share with you their adventures that they set off on a few years back.

Mom has always had a knack for decorating and for spotting diamonds in the rough. It was a while back that she finally realized that her style was "shabby chic". Our family farmhouse has since been transformed into a beautiful vintage hideaway in the hills. Every room has her fingerprints of details and charm impressed upon them. I loved seeing what her next project would be.

Deep down in her heart however, Mom was longing for something more. While she loves working at the local elementary school, we all know that her heart is captivated by antiques. One day in 2012, my Mom stopped by our local antique mall. In conversation she learned that a booth had become available. Almost suddenly a idea was pressed on her heart. Could that booth be our family antique booth? Could our family begin their own personal business? Was it even possible with both her and my Dad working full time jobs? My mom called my Dad, and within hours the booth was theirs. A long time family dream was slowly becoming a reality. Twin Creeks Antiques was officially born.

Fast forward to 2015 and the family business known as Twin Creeks Antiques that Mom and Dad started so long ago is booming. They have expanded from one booth in one location, to around 7 booths in 3 different locations. Mom and Dad have dedicated their time and their love into their business and it would not have become this successful if it was not for their small town moral values and big hearts for God and for our family.

I would seriously encourage you all to check out their items if you are ever in the Blue Ridge. Their three locations are located at Antiques On Main in West Jefferson, Becky and Co. in Jefferson, and Key City Antiques in North Wilkesboro. Mom and Dad also are constantly updating their Facebook page with their most recent finds. You can check out what they have currently by clicking the link here.

Here are some recent photos of their shabby chic antique booth at their original location Antiques On Main. They also have an architectural salvage room that is not pictured here with old doors, old windows, wooden crates, and furniture parts.

Told you we are a goat family :)

Just doing a little blogging photo work!

Mom and Dad's most recent endeavor has been opening up their antique and design talents to the wedding markets. Twin Creeks Wedding Rentals is located at our farm house. Mom and Dad have a lot of items available for rental. Items range from wooden doors, to vintage pieces for display or food purposes, to dress forms, to an old 55 Ford, to even having small wedding or receptions right here on the farm! Seriously check Mom and Dad out. They have a lot to offer.

I will leave you with a few pictures of the farm, and a picture from Chase and I's own bride and groom portraits with the 55 Ford truck.

Spring Time at the Farm 

One of Mom's vintage touches

Perfect spot for a wedding?

One of my favorite pictures of us :)

Thanks for letting me brag on my parents for a little while. They are the best in the world!

- S&C

A Few Of My Favorite Things (Condo Style!)

Chase and I moved into our condo back in December. They call our "home" a condo because it has a certain type of insulation and thick windows. Really though, it is just a nice apartment. We love the location. It is close to where I go to school currently, and it is just a few minutes drive to both my job and Chase's job.

 I personally wanted to buy a house. However with my graduation coming up in December, and my place of chaplain residency still up in the air, home ownership was the not the best choice for us as husband and wife right now. Hopefully around this time next year we will be moving into a home of our own. Waiting is really hard. Seeing other friends and family moving into their own houses makes Chase and I want to buy a home of our own right this second. We both know deep down though that this upcoming year of living together in this small space will draw us closer to one another, and it will allow us to save money for the starter home that we have always dreamed about.

In the mean time we both wanted to make our new place as husband and wife as cozy and home-like as possible. We shopped thrift stores, consignment stores, discount shops, and antique malls for the perfect pieces. We also were very lucky that the items that we placed on our wedding registry were gifted to us to tie everything all together. With the help of our parents we were able to settle right in.

At the moment, everything is in place in our apartment except for pictures in all of our picture frames. We are patiently (well not really) waiting to receive our wedding photos back from our photographer so we can proudly display the happiest day of our lives all over our walls. Chase and I wanted to share a few of our favorite things and places within our apartment. I know that some of our friends and family have been curious about we have decorated things, so this is the perfect way to show it off.


The entryway to our apartment is kind of small, but we were able to spice it up with an antique storage unit and some pictures on the wall.

Side note: our walls are not white and that is a blessing. They are more of a taupe color and it makes the entire apartment seem more like a home. Our previous apartments had stark white walls and it was so hard to make the space feel cozy.

 Our favorite entryway decoration has to be our family welcome sign. Chase bought this for us as a Christmas present this past year. I smile every single time that I walk into the door and see this. After more than six years together, we are finally the Smith family.

Our kitchen is also small, but it has a plethora of cabinet space! It makes my heart happy to be able to fit all of our kitchen stuff in our tiny kitchen. We have so much kitchen equipment. It is seriously a problem. But Chase and I both love being in the kitchen so we would not have it any other way. Our favorite spot in the kitchen has to be the baking corner.

It is the perfect space to fit my kitchen-aid mixer and to whip up some yummy treats. The sweets sign was given to us by my sister and brother-in-law. It matches perfectly with our red theme.

The cake stand was passed down to me from my grandmother, and the baking containers were a wholesale purchase spiced up with some chalk board stickers. I am in love with them.

And while I am talking about our kitchen I just had to share these new towels that I picked up from HomeGoods. They were super duper on sale and I just could not pass them up!

The master bedroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house. It is a sanctuary from the craziness of life and we have a huge window on one wall that lets in a ton of natural light. Our favorite thing about the master bedroom is our monogram above our headboard. I picked up the monogram at a cute boutique in the local mall right after Christmas, and the frame around it came from my parent's antique shop. It just brings the whole room together and makes a bold statement. We love it.

We have both a master bathroom and a guest bathroom. Out of the two of them our favorite thing has to be the master bathroom color scheme. Yellow and grey has always been a favorite of mine. So to be able to use those colors somewhere in our new home together was a great thing. We found these beauties at Target. I can spend some serious cash in there. It really is dangerous.

Because of the open floor plan of our "condo", the dining room and the office are in the same area. Honestly, Chase and I don't use our dining room table too often. We normally end up around our big antique coffee table when dinner time arrives shouting out answers to Jeopardy, or watching something on Netflix. But we do love our office desk. It was a furniture consignment find and it is perfect for us. Not to mention it matches the bookshelves that we already owned perfectly.

I mentioned before that my parents own their own antique shop. Well part of that shop is architectural  salvage. When we realized that we were not going to buy a house I was a little bit bummed because I was really wanting to live in a space with a fire place so I could have a mantle to decorate. When we moved into our condo my parents gifted us with this fake mantle so we would still have a space to decorate. I seriously love this part of our home. With the recliner and the basket of blankets in this corner, it is the perfect reading nook. I could spend hours curled up there with no cares in the world.

One more thing about our living room. See that pillow in the picture above? It was a gift to Chase and I from a super awesome camp friend. They are monogrammed with our family monogram and wedding date. I want more of these for every room of the place. Gosh how awesome they are!

Our guest bedroom is pretty sweet. Part of our wedding vows to one another was to promise to make our home one of hospitality. Knowing that we both wanted a second bedroom to accommodate whoever was in need of a place to crash. We are excited that in a couple of weeks will be welcoming one of our sweetest and closest friends to stay with us for the entire summer while she completes a summer internship for her graduate school program. We have been wanting to put this room to good use for a while now. Our favorite part has to be this cute shag rug. It is so soft and cozy.

Our favorite picture that is hung and ready to be displayed is our wedding canvas. We both love this picture because you can see the rolling mountains in the background, and the love on our faces is radiant. We hope that that love continues to be held in our hearts for years and years.

 

The last space that we wanted to share with you is our deck space. The only thing I told chase that I wanted if we were going to live in an apartment was a deck. He really did great finding this one. We have a great view and tons of green space right at our fingertips. 

Our favorite thing however is our NC State theme. Because lets face it, who does not like a little bit of red and white? The weather is just starting to get warm enough to begin having dinner and late breakfasts out on the deck. It is so peaceful and we could not be happier.

So come on by and hang out for a little while. I am sure we will have some sort of sweet treat ready for you to eat, and there is always room if you need to crash. Enjoy this warm weather my friends!

- S & C

Luna's Adoption Story

This week Chase and I will celebrate having our fur baby for an entire month. Raising a puppy is hard work. It takes a ton of time and attention. Sometimes it is frustrating not sleeping in, or having to go on walks in the rain. However each puppy kiss and cute look makes it all worth it. We would not trade Luna for anything. 

Luna's adoption story is one that we wanted to share with y'all. It is a true story of being in the right pace at the right time and trusting that the right furry family member was waiting for us. 

Chase and I have always wanted to have a dog together. We understood how much time and attention went into having a pet, so we made the mutual decision to wait until one month after our wedding to get a pet. So on March 7th Chase and I headed out to search for our third family member. Our first stop was a private organization called AARF. This is an incredible organization. To adopt a pet you must go through an application and screening process and answer a ton of interview questions. They really do their part in making sure that pets go to a good and loving home. When we visited AARF that day we fell in love with a tiny little puppy named Buster. We wanted to scoop him up and take him home on the spot. However we were told that 4-6 other families had already put in an application for Buster. We filled out an application for Buster, but we left that day with a heavy heart knowing that being newly married and living in a condo would probably not stand up to the other more established families who wanted to be Buster's parents. 

Chase and I talked it over and decided to swing by the county's animal control. We knew that it was a long shot, but we thought that maybe they would have a puppy that was right for us. When we walked into the shelter there were rows of dogs in cages all vying for attention. But this sweet face just kept calling out to us. 

Her name was Wilma and she had a brother Fred in the cage beside of her who had just been adopted. She had curly ears and was whimpering softly. Chase and I looked at one another and we both kind of knew what was happening. We asked the volunteers if we could spend some one on one time with her. They led us to a room where we could play. 

 At first, she sat quietly in our laps. She just looked around at us with her big brown eyes. Her fur was soon fluffy and her ears were so curly. The volunteers told us that she was a border collie mix and that her owner surrendered her and her brother because he could not afford to take care of them.

Chase and I spent about an hour with her before we decided that this sweet girl was meant to be a part of our family. As the time went by in the play room she really opened up and showed us glimpses of her personality. She had spunk and loved to follow you around. We did not like the name Wilma, and we decided that Luna was the perfect name for our new future family member. After we filled out the adoption papers we were told that we could pick her up from the vet in 48 hours (she had to vet vaccinated and spayed). We went home with joy in our hearts. Our dreams were finally coming true. 

We took a trip a little later to the pet supply store to get stocked up on puppy supplies. We were like little kids in a candy store. Luna was spoiled before she even arrived into our home. Check out her collar. Bows and a personalized name tag. That is just how we roll in the Smith family. 

Luna made the transition to her new home like a champ! She crate trained within just a couple of days, slept through the night from the very beginning, and is currently 99% house trained. We are working on getting her to lay in her bed in the living room. Most of the time she does not stay still. When she does though, she is the cutest thing ever. 

Luna loves being outside. She is not too fond of her leash, but she is getting better. At the start she would just sit down and look at you when you tried to go for a walk. How can you say no to that face?!?!?!?

Luna also has a weird habit. She will only use the bathroom in the pine straw. We are not sure why, but we are thankful that are condo complex has a plethora of pine straw for her disposal. 

One great thing we have figured out is that Luna loves to ride in the car. She just stares out the window until she finally falls asleep. This is great because some dogs our families have had in the past have gotten car sick. We travel so much and did not want her to have to be sick when we travel. She is a rock star travel buddy and we are looking forward to many adventures with her. 

Oh be still my puppy loving heart. Sleeping car puppies are just the best! 

Condo living with a pet has its downsides. Getting exercise can be a challenge. Thankfully the green way is right across the street from us. We have been going on a few walks here and there and Luna LOVES it!!! We cannot wait until she gets a little bit older so we can go on longer walks and even hikes up the nearby mountains. 

Luna has brought so much joy to our lives. We love her to the moon and back and can't imagine our lives without her. 

We cannot wait to share more stories of our new fur baby. I am sure we will be going on many family adventures together. She is the perfect addition to our little family. Welcome home Luna Smith!!!!! 

-S & C

a BIG thank-you!

Chase and I are still in the newlywed phase. Even though our time has been filled recently with the addition of a furry friend (a whole post about that to come later), we have still been surrounded with the wonder and amazement that was our wedding day. 

So many people played a part in making our day so incredibly special and we wanted to be able to publicly thank them for their talents and love that they payed forward. To have grown up in such a small town and to be married there, there sure are some big talent and hidden gems that everyone needs to know about if you are going to be having a wedding, a party, or any kind of life milestone. 

Photographer: SNAP by ANG

Angelia Shepherd is a fabulous photographer who is just an absolute blast to be around! She takes the time to get to know you and your family to be sure that your pictures turn out exactly how you imagined. She also has a wonderful crew that she brings with her to your wedding so that every moment can be captured. Ang did our engagement pictures, our bridal shots, and all of our wedding day coverage. I would recommend her 100% to anyone looking for a fun and professional photographer. And she does not only do weddings. She also photographs babies, families, and grads just to name a few. You can check out her Facebook page here, and her website here. 

Event Coordinator: Kaitlin Carpenter at Bella Bliss Events

I knew Kaitlin in high school when we played softball together, and when I was the manager of the basketball team that she played on. Kaitlin is also a fellow NC State Wolfpack Alumni who loves a good sporting event. She is sweet new mama, and also runs a top-notch event coordinating and design business. Kaitlin was our day-of wedding coordinator and she did such a fantastic job. I felt completely relaxed the entire day of the wedding because I knew that Kaitlin had everything under control. She met with us multiple times in advance to go over all of the details and she was very organized. Kaitlin is not limited to day of coordinating however. She can also plan and design your entire wedding if that is what you are wanting. Her newest and coolest endeavor though are her custom made party boxes. I am patiently waiting for an excuse to call her up and order one of these boxes. Seriously y'all, they are amazing. Go check out her Facebook page here, and her business website here.  

Florist: Four Gals and A Florist 

I am not the biggest fan of flowers. I just never have been and I am not sure why. So when my mom and started talking about what kind of flowers I wanted to have in the wedding I was completely lost. The women at Four Gals and A Florist were recommend to us by my sister-in-law and they were such a blessing to have in our corner. They were able to see our vision and give us recommendations based on the time of year that we were getting married. They also were creative and made our flowers unique to our taste. The day that our bridal shots were being taken, the flower truck broke down on the side of the interstate and my flowers were just not going to make it to the photo shoot on time. Four Gals and A Florist drove to the truck, picked up the flowers, and hand delivered them to us so that we could still have our bridal photos turn out perfect. They are the perfect florist for any occasion. Check out their Facebook page here, and their business page here.

Videographer: Divine Treasures Wedding Cinematography 

One of the things that Chase and I really wanted for our wedding day was a video to remember it by. We wanted to be able to live in the moment of love and happiness for many years to come. Divine Treasures was the perfect for us. They are professional, discrete at getting the best shots without being the star of the show, and abundantly creative. I know know without a doubt that our wedding video will be a keepsake that we share with our family and friends for many many years to come. If you want to see some samples of their work you should definitely check out their Facebook page here, and their business page here. 

Venue: Blue Ridge Dinner Theater

Since Chase and I decided to get married in the middle of the mountain winter, our options for venues were limited. Most people just have their wedding receptions outside since the warmer mountain days are so beautiful. We looked around a few options and just did not find the right fit for our wedding vision until we checked out Blue Ridge Dinner Theater. The space is HUGE, and they allow you to have a whole entire week before your wedding to decorate the space however you want to. We were able make our reception just how we envisioned and it was perfect. The catering is also included in the venue space, which makes the deal even more worth it. Speaking of food, they offer southern comfort food with is our favorite. I just loved that on my wedding day I was able to have biscuits and chicken and lemonade. They have a DJ available, or you can bring in your own depending on what kind of atmosphere that you want. Go see what they have to offer by looking at their Facebook page here, and their business page here. 

Cake Designer: Hallmark Cakes 

Our cake designer was also recommended to us by my sister-in-law. While Hallmark Cakes certainly makes cakes that are "normal" flavored, they also offer many off-beat and creative options. Chase and I wanted to be creative with our wedding cake and were more than willing to take some chances. Hallmark Cakes is based out of a home, and the professional and personal treatment that is given to clients is outstanding. You are able to taste many different options, and look at many different designs to make sure that your wedding cake is just right for you. Chase and I ended up deciding to have three different cake flavors (lemon blueberry, lemon creme, and chocolate raspberry) and to have a square polka dotted wedding cake. Hallmark Cakes was able to make our vision look vintage and elegant and simply perfect. They also were able to do our groom's cake for the rehearsal dinner. Since Chase and I are both NC State grads, they were able to make us a Mr. Wolf head sheet cake. It was beautiful and just what we asked for. Check them out on Facebook here, and on their business page here. 

Hair/Nails/Make-up: Becky & Company 

I don't get my hair cut very often. Once, maybe twice a year. I also do not live in my hometown anymore so I did not have a hairstylist lined up in my mind for the wedding. There is a cute little boutique in town though that offers hair, nails, make-up, and shopping all in one place. It is where I had my hair done for both years that I went to prom, and I knew some of the hair dressers really well. The girls at Becky's are out of this world. They make your day so special, and they are there to make you and your wedding party beautiful. We all left the salon feeling pampered and ready for the wedding day. My nails looked great, my make-up was flawless, and my hair was what I had dreamed about since I was a little girl. Check out what they have to offer on their Facebook page here.

Well that is all for now! Seriously check these vendors out. They are all fabulous and are perfect to work with. 

-S & C

A Romantic Escape

The weeks following our wedding have been hectic and filled with activities and appointments. We honestly have not been able to catch our breaths since we got back from our honeymoon. From catching up with school and work, to setting up our new apartment, Chase and I really needed some time to just be husband and wife. 

Our prayers were answered with a surprise in the mail one day. A family friend of ours sent us free tickets to the Biltmore House. Chase and I have both been to the Biltmore House in the past, but we were in elementary/middle school and have been wanting to go back there together. So we marked off a date on our calendar and set off down the road. 

The weather was nasty when we left home. Like 32 degrees and freezing rain nasty. We were scared that the weather at the BH was going to be just as nasty and that our reservation and one chance for a getaway would be ruined. Luckily, the day was perfect! When we arrived in Asheville it was overcast and 55. 

The day was just what we needed. We ate brunch at the BH bakery before we toured the house. The quiche that I chose was delicious, and Chase's turkey sandwich hit the spot. The tour of the house was beautiful. We wished that we were able to spend more time inside and see more of the house. My favorite part were all of the kitchens. I think that Chase really enjoyed the architecture. Such an engineer. 

After the tour of the house we walked around the gardens (well the plots where the gardens will be in a couple of months) and enjoyed the views of the mountains. We then drove over to the village for a little bit of wine tasting. We found one that we liked and took a bottle home with us to celebrate in the future. On our way we cashed in one of our gift cards and had dinner together at Outback. It is one of our favorites that we don't get to enjoy a whole bunch because 20 bucks for a steak is just crazy when you can make your own at home for 8. 

All in all it was the best day. We were able to relax, explore, talk one on one with each other, and just be husband and wife for the day with no distractions. We learned that at least once a month we need a date day or date night to truly reconnect with one another and catch up on life with one another. Married life is beautiful and wonderful and we cannot wait to continue to build more memories together. 

Much Love

S & C