Estate Sale Treasures

If you follow us on Instagram, you know we went to one hell of an estate sale this weekend. We showed y’all the house and grounds (and to be honest, we might do a whole separate post on those two things alone because holy cow!!) as well as some of the items we found that we ended up bringing home with us.

We got a couple of lamps, trinkets, and baskets, but by far our favorite purchase, which may be our favorite piece of furniture we’ve ever bought, was the big hutch you see in the corner up there. When we went the first day, we posted a picture of the hutch to our story and SO many of y’all told us to get it. We thought about it so much but at the end of the day we decided not to spend the money, so we left with the items we mentioned above, and no hutch. 

We went back the second day, Sunday, which was the last day of the estate sale, just to make sure we really didn’t want the hutch. There were actually two hutches that we wanted but we didn’t put the other one on Instagram. It was bigger and for some reason $100 less than the one we ended up buying. We thought about using it in the upstairs bathroom as a linen and towel closet.

We offered a price we would be willing to pay if we bought both of them, but they didn’t agree to it, so we chose the one we loved the most and brought it home. We are somewhat kicking ourselves today knowing we didn’t just get both of them, BUT we feel good about our purchase of just the one, especially since we got it for $250 off asking price.  

Here are some of the other pieces we got from the sale this weekend:​

​The metal lamp with the orange empire shade that somehow perfectly matches the shades of our sconces we have throughout the house. PJ was iffy on it but Thomas absolutely loved it, so for $10 it was ours. We also took home the turquoise statue in the top right corner. Not sure about the placement, but it’s living there for now.

How cool is that gold and black lamp? We got it for $15 and knew exactly where we wanted it to go before we even bought it. The shade was painted black with fabric paint and the base was painted gold. Wonder what color the whole thing was originally?​

We also picked up this wooden stand for around $40. There was a giant crack down the middle so on Sunday morning PJ took it apart and is currently in the process of repairing it. This is what it looks like at the moment: 

Hopefully it will be repaired and ready to go in the next couple of days. Not sure where it’s going just yet. Maybe in the dining room with a really pretty plant on it? 

So that was where the majority of our weekend was spent! If you’re looking for great, one of a kind pieces for not a lot of money, you should check out estate sales every now and then. We’ve gotten so many pieces in our house from estate sales and we can’t recommend them enough. Happy hunting! 

The Handmaid’s Tale

You’d never know it from this photo (PJ has his eyes open, but Jolie is passed out), but we started season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale tonight and are, once again, completely hooked! Have you seen it yet? It’s hard to watch at times but we can’t get enough of it!

We hope you’ve had a wonderful week, and we’ll see you tomorrow morning for Feature Friday! Oh, and yes, PJ is wearing shorts :).  

Rainy Day At Home

Sometimes there’s nothing better than being home during a stormy, windy day, don’t you think? We’re naturally homebodies anyway but when it’s so dreary outside, we want to stay in even more and just putz around the house. Maybe fold some clothes, maybe do some sweeping, maybe some Netflix. That was the case yesterday, though we did manage to get out of the house to go on a little walk with the girls when it quit raining for a bit. The leftovers of the rain made for some nice scenery. Hope you enjoyed it wherever you are, too. 😊

We Have Some BIG News!

Check out the video below to see what it is :)

Feature Friday with Anthony Valdez & Austin Stapp

TGIF friends! Doesn't it seem like these weeks are flying by? How is it already almost the end of April? Our friend Ashley from South Carolina is coming to stay with us this weekend for her birthday, which happens to be today! Happy birthday, Ash!!!! We also have something fun planned on Saturday that has to do with old homes in the downtown area that we will talk about next week. What are you up to this weekend?

We are so obsessed with this week's FF's story, y'all. For some reason, it feels familiar to us and really reminds us of our own story. Isn't that weird how that happens sometimes? Of course, it's unique and special because it's their own; with their "love at first bite", little parties they throw, and love of Mofongo (YES), we found it to be such a fun read. We think you will, too. Take a look below...

Where are you from? We were both born and raised in opposite sides of Texas. Both from rural towns, Anthony is from Linn in south Texas, and Austin is from Eldorado in west Texas.

Where do you live? We both live in Austin, Texas now.

What’s your Instagram handle? @ajvaldez and @austinryanstapp

Age: Anthony is 24 and Austin is 23

Relationship status: Dating, coming up on 4 years. 

What is your favorite place you have traveled to and why? In August Anthony surprised Austin for his college graduation with a trip to Puerto Rico. This trip was significant for us in many ways including celebrating our third anniversary together and it was also the first time that we traveled together without friends or family. We instantly fell in love with the culture surrounding the island, everyone on the island embraces differences and celebrates life in such a unique way...not to mention the delicious food (Mofongo – if you don’t know what this is, look it up! You won’t be disappointed). This will forever be a very memorable vacation for us not only for the beautiful destination, but also because of the important milestones in our lives together.

How did you guys meet? Who asked out who? We met at Texas A&M University. Our first date was on August 23, 2014 at Sonic Drive-In. Anthony had a strawberry limeade and Austin had an ocean water. We sat in Austin’s car for a couple of hours and talked all night. After Austin ordered the second round of tater tots, I knew it was love at first bite. We actually consider this day our anniversary since we have been dating ever since and no one officially asked the other. We’ve had many more tots since then.

How did you know each other were “the one”? We have always heard, “when you know, you just know.” And this is definitely true for the two of us. After a few days of knowing each other, (4 to be exact), Anthony had a drink or two and let the words “I love you,” slip out. Of course, these words can either really freak you out, or let you know that you feel the exact same way. Being that drinks were involved, we decided to wait and see if the feelings were still there in the morning.

They were.

Knowing that you have found “the one” is such an incredible feeling, and it comes with loving and growing together through the pains of life. Our lives have had plenty of pains, but we are lucky enough to have be each other’s “ones” to get through it all.

Any big plans for the future? Where do you see yourselves in 10 years? We both love living in Austin, Texas but wouldn’t be opposed to trying out a different state or even country together. We’re both fairly new to the “adult” world and are still figuring it all out. In 10 years, buying a home, marriage and starting a family are all in the plan. But for now adopting a golden retriever may be the best place to start.

How would you describe your home decor style? Mid-Century modern with classic and artisanal touches. We both love design and décor and take pride in our home being a reflection of who we are creatively. Our goal is to always make sure our guests feel at home and comfortable. While we don’t always initially agree on the same style choices, we somehow manage to come to an agreement that we are both pleased with.

What is the last show you binged watched? Schitt’s Creek. If you haven’t seen it, then please change that.

How do you guys handle arguments? We hash it out for a few minutes and both get a little sarcastic THEN we realize how unreasonable the argument may be, and take a moment to breathe and talk it through. We usually sit down and talk about why one of us became upset in the first place and why the other may have made the situation worse. After that, we try to establish things we will both work on in the future to avoid a similar situation. A kiss usually seals the deal.

How old were you when you came out and what was your experience like? Anthony – I was 20 when I came out to most of my friends in college and was 22 when I came out to my parents. I grew up knowing love and support and that hasn’t changed.

Austin – I came out to the majority of my friends and family when I was 19. Both my friends and family have met me with love, understanding, and acceptance. I have been very fortunate.

Have you faced any backlash as a couple since coming out? If so, how do you deal with that? We have both been lucky enough to have a strong support system that loves and accepts us. Though every coming out experience has its trials, in the end we have realized that those who love us are happy to see us be ourselves. In the difficult moments, we remember that we cannot be the best version of ourselves unless we can forgive others, accept ourselves, and work towards acceptance for all. We truly believe that love conquers all.

What is your favorite thing about one another? Anthony – My favorite thing about Austin is his willingness to always make someone smile. He will go out of his way to make sure those around him are happy and have a reason to laugh. I guess you can say he has a pretty contagious smile. When there’s a special occasion or even when I am having a bad day, he’ll do this thing where he’ll throw me a “party” and cooks or bakes, decorate the entire apartment in balloons and streamers and sometimes even a banner and makes everything about me. It’s definitely very silly but it never ceases to make me smile.

Austin – My favorite thing about Anthony (oh goodness how will I ever decide!)…My favorite thing is his compassion for others. He is always willing to go without, give his, or check on someone when he knows they need it most. He is a loyal and fiercely faithful friend, has an electric presence, and a giving heart. He meets strangers and friends with that beautiful smile, lights up the room, and makes everyone feel important. I am very blessed to know and experience him in this regard and so many others.

One Trick We Tried to Get a Better Night's Sleep

One of the first purchases we made when we moved into our house last year was buy a bigger mattress. At the time, we still let our two little dogs sleep with us and, with a queen sized bed and four sleeping in it, things were getting tight. 

We made the decision to buy a king sized mattress and then started making the girls sleep on their own bed in the laundry room and it changed everything. It was glorious. Such a better night’s sleep! But we made another decision that’s made all the difference, too: every few months, we started switching which sides of the bed we slept on.

PJ suggested it one day, a couple of months in, just when we were getting used to sleeping on a new bed in a new house. We were both skeptical at first, but changing everything up turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. We're both so used to sleeping on one side each night that our bodies had grown accustomed to laying a certain way, and sometimes we would even wake up sore. 

Switching sides of the bed gives you and your partner the chance to experience how it feels to sleep in different directions and hopefully find the one that both of you agree on. If you don't like your side of the bed once you make the switch, you can change it in a month or two. This article  gives some statistics conducted by Saatva Mattress (a luxury mattress company) that we found interesting:

• Right side sleeping males feel relaxed instead of stressed most of the time when compared to men sleeping on the left (71% vs. 60%)
• Almost half (46%) say that when they first got together as a couple, both partners preferred the same side of the bed and 79% of them had to concede their preferred side to their partner.

Pretty crazy, right? Do you switch sides of the bed with your partner regularly? If not, give it a try! You might be surprised with how good you'll start sleeping.

(Bed from here. Lamps from here. Duvet from here.) 

When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

Yesterday morning was absolutely beautiful. It was the first sunny morning we've had in forever and the light was pouring into the living room while the girls sun bathed. If it sounds idyllic, that's because it was.

We spent the day working on some exciting things and seeing our niece and nephews at PJ's mom's house. It was a good day. That night we decided we wanted to go to a movie since it's Stimulus Tuesday and each movie is only $5 and we are cheap as hell. But you knew that, right?

Everyone has been raving about A Quiet Place so we agreed on that film and headed to the theater. It was the 9 o'clock showing so we figured it wouldn't be that packed, but when we got there, there were only two seats available and they were four rows apart. We were, for a hot second, furious. Why were there so many people at the 9 o'clock movie?! Didn't they know we wanted to see it too? Begrudgingly, we headed home and turned on Ozark on Netflix. 

Later, just as we were getting into bed and under the covers, PJ discovered a giant pee stain on our sheets that had soaked through into the comforter, duvet cover, and mattress pad. We were beyond frustrated. We immediately knew it was Bean (Meryl) because she's the only one who can jump on the bed without our help. But we didn't see her on the bed all day and it was made since the morning, which means she must have peed the bed early in the morning and it just sat there all day. Lovely. 

After we changed the sheets and got in bed with just a thin top sheet (since we had to wash our comforter) to keep us covered, we cuddled close together to stay warm. We stayed close all night, wrapped up in each other which we don't normally do actually. We start off cuddling and then eventually break off and get super comfy; it's the only way we can fall asleep. 

We woke up this morning and thought about the day/night before. We thought about how things didn't go as planned and how annoyed we were that they didn't. But then we thought about how if we didn't miss the movie, we might not have discovered Ozark and binged the first three episodes. And if our dog hadn't peed on our bed that caused us to wash our comforter which left us with only a thin top sheet to sleep on, we wouldn't have cuddled so close together all night to keep us warm. So even though these are so minor in the grand scheme of life and we won't even remember them in a year, they serve as a good reminder to us that when things don't go as planned and it seems like the end of the world at the time, there's always a silver lining, no matter how small. Sometimes you just have to look hard enough.

It's kind of comforting and empowering to think that, while we don't always have control over the bad things that happen in life, we have complete control in how we seek out the good.

Birthday Gifts for a 27 Year Old

Remember when I said there was a funny story about one of my presents that I got for my birthday? Well, I told my family they didn't have to get me anything, but if they wanted to, I only wanted three things: khaki pants, Vans sneakers, and a phone case. I got two out of three. And within that two out of three, I got two of the same thing. Are you still following?

My younger sister and PJ both got me the same pair of Vans sneakers (that I've wanted since I saw Seth Cohen wear them on The OC in 2004)! This has happened with PJ and my family before, about 6 years ago, coincidentally also with shoes. So, I got two pairs of the same sneakers, a pair of khakis, and no phone case. I wasn't really expecting anything so it was all a happy surprise nonetheless. 

When we had our friends over for the sleepover last weekend, they also brought me gifts, which you can see in our newest YouTube video. Completely caught me by surprise, too, because them just being there was enough of a gift to me. 

So, if you would like to see what all I got from my family and friends, and maybe get a couple ideas for the 27 year old in your life, check them all out below (and click the pictures to purchase them for yourself!) 

A similar pillow to what I received

-T

(above pics via here, here, here, and here)

Thomas’ Birthday Weekend

Hey y'all! We took a break from posting this past week because it seemed like we were celebrating Thomas' birthday all week, but we are back to our regularly scheduled programming and here to tell you all about it, from Thomas' point of view, if you'd like to hear...

We started celebrating on Thursday night with my family in downtown Chattanooga. We went to Tony's, my favorite Italian restaurant that overlooks the river and has the absolute best garlic bread and oil with cheese for dipping. I got my usual pesto cream sauce and spiced it up a bit by adding mushrooms. Go big or go home, right? Speaking of big, their portions are huge so there's always going to be leftovers to take home. See why it's my favorite place?

After Tony's, we went back to my brother's house and had cake and opened presents. I plan on sharing what I got tomorrow, but in the meantime, can we all appreciate this delicious (store bought) cake my younger sister got me? I'm a sucker for white cake with white frosting so this hit the nail right on the head. Is that how the saying goes? Regardless, it was glorious.

The next morning I woke up to find four cupcakes from Cupcake Divas waiting on me in the living room. PJ knows my weakness for cupcakes and knows how Cupcake Divas are my favorite cupcakes in the whole world, with their perfectly moist cakes and ginormous amount of icing on top. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Also included: a sweet card with my name on it (seeing McKay come after my first name is still something I'm not totally used to and gives me butterflies every time) and my present underneath it. Any guess to what it was? Haha. There's actually a funny story behind it and I'll share it tomorrow.

We then went out to PJ's dad's farm for a bit to see his sister and our nieces and nephews as they were just getting into town. It was the most beautiful day we've had it what seems like forever, so we soaked up the sunshine with the kids as much as we could. It's also hard not to enjoy the day when you see three little kids running around on a great big farm laughing and screaming. It gets us thinking.... :)

Our friend Kyle from Nashville came down Friday night and stayed with us through the weekend. TBH I didn't take very many pictures after that because I'm trying this new thing where I don't take so many pictures and really try to live in the moment as everything is happening. It's a little experiment I'm doing and so far it's going really well. Just trying to be more present was one of our New Year's Resolutions and it honestly feels good. Have you tried that this year? How's it going for you?

By Saturday night, everyone that was coming to stay for the weekend was here. So we had our friend Kyle from Nashville, our friends from Chattanooga (also named Kyle, both of them), and our sweet friend Golden (who takes most of our pictures) at the house ready to celebrate with us. We took them all out to the land to see it since none of them had before. When we got back home, we made a bunch of different homemade pizzas and ate charcuterie, a word we just learned last year.

Again, I didn't really take pictures that night, but I was able to get one of my guy making a pizza. He always puts so much work into everything he does and this weekend was no exception. He is a perfectionist, so he doesn't stop until the job is done and it's done right. It can be hard sometimes, but I wouldn't have him any other way.

The next morning my family stopped by unexpectedly after they got back from Mass and ate our leftovers from the night before, thankfully.

To top it all off, when I got home from work yesterday, I found a little box waiting for me on the front porch. It was a box of chocolate truffles from our new talent managers Alix & Denise all the way from California! How sweet are they? 

All in all, I am feeling so blessed and grateful for family and friends this weekend. In my 27th year of life, I am learning that it's definitely not perfect and almost never goes the way you plan. I am learning to let go of small things and understand that the people in my life are the most important things in it. It's no secret that family is everything to me, and I am realizing that more than ever this year. Thank you to everyone for all the sweet birthday wishes. I won't soon forget this one. xx

-T