What's Up Wednesday

I (Sara) follow a few different blogs, and today I decided to try something new. Today I wanted to link up with one of my favorite blogs Mix and Match Mama for What's Up Wednesday.

On the last Wednesday of each month we will answer a list of questions to help update everyone on "life lately". Feel free to join in and link up and share what is happening with your life and family. 

1. What We're Eating This Week...

A sweet couple from our home church gifted Chase and I a cast iron skillet for our wedding. We received it a few weeks ago and just now have been able to properly season it. So this week we have planned to make steak tacos, breakfast for dinner, and fancy hot dogs...all of which can be made in our new skillet. To say that we are excited is a bit of an understatement. 

2. What I'm Reminiscing About...

This month Chase and I have been thinking a lot about our wedding day. It was just so perfect for us and we wish that we could relive that day over and over again. This past week we received a few sneak peaks of our wedding photos. The one above is my personal favorite. That is my husband through and through. He is the most gentle and compassionate man I have ever known (other than my dad). I am so that we have been able to begin building forever together. 

3. What I'm Loving...

I am loving my free time! Grad school ended a little less than a month ago, and right now I am working part time at the local church preschool. This has allowed me to have my afternoons and evenings off. I have enjoyed reading for pleasure, baking my heart out, playing with the fur-baby, and of course taking lots of much needed naps. 

4. What We've Been Up To...

All of my free time has basically been consumed by our not so little fur-baby. The 9 pound pup we brought home two months ago is now a 24 pound pup who is full of love and energy. We frequent the dog park, the green way, and the apartment quad. She brings so much joy to our lives and she is the perfect addition to our little family. 

5. What I'm Dreading...

While Chase loves the fact that I will not be gone this summer, I am kind of dreading not being able to work Passport Camp this summer. It has been my family and my home away from home for the past four years. To see everyone leaving for camp this summer while I am home makes me a bit sad. I know however that being home and being a great wife and partner to my husband and family will be relaxing and much needed. I shall be living vicariously through my camp friends as the summer progresses. 

6. What I'm Working On...

Chase and I made a promise to one another this summer to be more active and to explore all that our town has to offer. We have been checking out the local parks, hiking around the lake, and even dusting off our disc golf skills. We love the hot weather and cannot wait to see what else we can discover in the upcoming weeks. 

7. What I'm Excited About...

We are both more than excited to be going to the BEACH this summer. With our hectic schedules, it has been over two years since our toes have been the sand for an extended period of time. We have a countdown to when we finally are able to be our family listening to the waves crash on the sand. Soon enough our skin will be sun kissed, and our worries will be pushed a million miles away. 

8. What I'm Watching/Reading...

Since I actually have time to read on my own now that school is out for a little while, I picked up this new to me book called "For the Love of God." It is a back to basics on faith of sorts. It is refreshing to just be reminded of the love that God has for us the grace that we can offer to ourselves and to others. 

9. What I'm Listening To...

Christian music has not been in my car radio for a while now. I picked it back up a few weeks ago and the new music that has been released have some good beats and messages. K-love is my favorite station when it comes to worship music. Not too many adds, and plenty of modern music to delight my soul. 

10. What I'm Wearing...

Normally during the summer I am restricted to closed toe shoes at camp. Since that is not required of me this summer, I have broken out my chaos for an extended stay. Three weeks into summer and I already have some pretty rockin' tan lines. I don't mind them at all. In fact, I may be slightly proud of them. Chase just laughs at me. He just does not understand the freedom my feet are feeling. 

11. What I'm Doing This Weekend...

This weekend Chase and I are catching up with div school friends turned real life friends Larke and Jamie for a Dash ballgame. Baseball is our jam and it is also the perfect sport for catching up on life with your buddies. I am looking forward to hearing about all of her wedding planning. She is going to be a beautiful bride this October. 

12. What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month...

In just a few days I will be turning the big 2-4. I LOVE birthdays, and I am even more excited to be celebrating my first birthday as a Smith. I will get to have a nice birthday with my husband, then a few days later spend time with my family and in-laws. I have a feeling my 24th year will be filled  with many adventures. 

13. What Else Is New...

Chase and I are still loving life and figuring out what it means to do life together with one another. We are setting into condo life, getting used to our schedules, and even finding spare time while at the same time raising a young fur-baby. We also have recently welcomed our long time friend from home and from college into our condo for the summer as she finishes her summer internship for her graduate school program. She brings a new wave of joy into our home and allows us to practice radical hospitality to those outside of our family as we promised we would do in our wedding vows. Enjoy your summer everyone. And let us know what has been going on with you and your family this past May!

- S & C 

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