Home Project List

Hey y'all! Today's post is all about our home projects at the new house in Jacksonville. Honestly, this post is more for my brain than anything else but I think it's fun to share projects. I was in the middle of packing up the kitchen and I needed a break to organize my thoughts. First, let's take a moment for those beautiful azaleas in the photo above. That photo was taken recently when Josh stopped by the house. There are so many pretty azalea bushes in bloom there and I'm really excited to see the yard come to life this spring and summer. I've also noticed some buds at our current home and I'm really hoping the new owners appreciate peonies as much as I do because there's going to be a lot of beautiful blooms this season!

P R O J E C T  O N E: The Front Door

That red door has got to go! If you know me then you know that red is my least favorite color. It's just not for me. I absolutely love my pink front door and I love the color that it's painted at our current home. This is actually the second shade of pink that our door has been and I love the more "neutral" pink color that it is currently. The color is called Coral Perfection and it was painted with HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Weathershield Semi-Gloss Exterior paint + primer. We painted our door back in October of 2020 and it still looks as good as new. It's definitely a pricier paint but the results and quality of definitely worth the price tag. We also painted our screen door the same shade of pink and I love it at our current house like that. But. I think I'm going to be keeping the screen door white at the new house because of the white trim and details that currently exist around the front door. I'm really excited to see how a pink door changes up the look of the front of the house!

P R O J E C T  T W O: Raised Flower Beds

Building raised flower beds at the new house is very high on the priority list! I've already told Josh to consider this my Mother's Day gift, lol. I'm hoping to have at least two beds built in the backyard so that I can see the garden from the screened in porch. We may eventually create a similar garden setup as we have now. I have absolutely loved creating The Joy Garden in current backyard and sharing bouquets of free flowers at our flower stand the past two summers. I can't wait to spread some joy in our new neighborhood so new flower beds are a must and those seeds will need to be planted as soon as possible. Our flower stand is definitely making the journey to Jacksonville and I can't wait to fill it with lots and lots of flowers!

P R O J E C T  T H R E E: Screened In Porch

There's so much that I want to do in this area! I already know that I will probably spend more time in here than anywhere else in the house. I have *always* wanted a screened in porch so I can't wait to turn this space into something really special. This will probably be a more long term project as far as upgrades go but the first thing I want to do is change out the ceiling fan to something more my style. I'm also planning to get some fun (and cozy) furniture, a rug, and definitely some sort of swing (I love this one) for this space. I can't wait to sip my morning coffee in here!

P R O J E C T  F O U R: Fireplace Mantle

The last project on my mind right now is painting the fireplace mantle. Just the wooden mantle; we are planning to keep the brick it's natural color. The plan is to paint the mantle white so that it stands out on the brick a little bit better. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Thanks so much for visiting. Stay tuned to see how these projects turn out!

Moving Update

 

Hey y'all! I hope your week is off to a great start! I have a few *big* updates to share since my last post about our move. First up, our current home is officially under contract as of last Friday! We are absolutely thrilled to check that big to do list item off. Also, we are so grateful for each and every person who took the time to share our house listing and a huge thank you to our amazing realtor, Kendra DeBari, who helped us get under contract in just a little over a week of listing. If you are local or planning to head this way, Kendra is amazing to work with.

And... this beautiful brick home is *almost* ours! Josh has always wanted an older home with character and over the past few years, I have wanted the same thing. So, when we were house hunting, we knew that we wanted to find an older home. Something built between 1960-1980ish. We wanted something different than the home we have lived in for the past 14 years. As we were searching, I really wasn't finding anything that I particularly liked or that I could see our family living in. A lot of older homes needed way too much work, weren't big enough (not enough bathrooms), or they were just really expensive. One night, we spotted this home on Zillow but at the time, it wasn't in our price range. I saved it anyway because I loved it. Literally within the next 24 hours, the listing price dropped $20,000! I couldn't believe it! The weekend before Josh officially got his job offer (we knew it was coming asap), we scheduled an appointment to see the house in person.

As soon as we got into town, we had to see the house. I felt so much peace when we pulled up to it. It felt like it was meant for us and I hadn't even seen the inside yet. As much as I loved it, Josh did too. Finding something that we both loved was super important, especially with a big, life changing move like this. One of my favorite things about the house is the screened in back porch. I have *always* wanted one! I absolutely love to be outside as much as possible and I can already see myself enjoying coffee on that porch every morning. I was even more excited to see the pretty blooms!

Our agent in Jacksonville gave us a tour of the inside of the home and it was everything we hoped for... well, except the bathroom in the primary bedroom, lol. Our bathroom isn't my favorite but there is room to do some renovations in the future to make the bathroom a better space. There are two good sized walk-in closets in our bedroom so we could lose a closet to get a bigger bathroom later on. Julianna has been the most hesitant about this move. She would literally walk out of the room if we were discussing it before we made the final decision. But, once she saw the inside of the house and found a bedroom that she wanted, she was on board. She definitely still has her reservations but there's definitely some excitement from her now. We just need to get her to love the beach as much as the rest of the family does... maybe we can turn her into a beach lover, too.

The last update for today is another BIG update that I'm so excited to share with y'all. Other than selling our current home, another big task was figuring out what I was going to do job wise when we moved. I've had the same job since January of 2013 and I couldn't even imagine myself doing anything else. I was honestly really stressed about finding something that I would enjoy doing and that I would also find fulfilling. I currently work as a STEM and enrichment educator at an afterschool program for at-risk students, The Dream Center. I absolutely love the work that I get to do there. Before this job, I worked as a third grade teacher so I've been in education since 2008, when I graduated from college. My heart belongs in education and I have really enjoyed educating students outside of school time. I randomly decided to look at Indeed one evening a couple of weeks ago... just out of curiosity to see what was even out there jobwise. Within a minute of searching my field and location, I see a job that looks absolutely *perfect* for me. I just couldn't believe it. I stayed up late that night creating my resume (I haven't put one together since 2012) and submitted my application. I was nervous because I haven't applied for a job in years and I was worried about my timeline, since I'm actually not moving until the end of May. Well, I had an interview for that job last week and I am so proud to say that I got the job! I will be sharing more specific details in the coming weeks but this job is being held for me until I get to Jacksonville. God is so good!

The last thing I wanted to share today is that we have a Meal Train that has been setup by our friend Pam. Some of our friends and family have asked how they can best support or help us during this transition and the biggest thing we can think of is through food. We are incredibly grateful to those of you who have already donated to the meal train but more importantly, prayed for us during this time. Your support means so much to us. Thank you!

We Are Moving!

 

Hey y'all! If you know me personally then this is old news but I wanted to write up a post to share about our move and answer some frequently asked questions. Also, we don't plan to do this again for a really, really long time so I thought it would be fun to document the process to look back on.

Ok, first up: where and why?

My husband was offered a job at the coast with a new company. He's in the safety field and accepted a new position in that field in a brand new *to him* industry. He's really excited for this new challenge! Our ten-fifteen year plan was to move to the coast once the girls were out of school but this was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up. If you know us, you know that the Soto's love an adventure and this certainly will be one! He starts his new job at the beginning of April and we are praying it's a great transition for him.

Next, are the girls excited?

Yes... and they are also nervous. Basically, we are all feeling the same way. It's definitely bittersweet to leave our hometown and the area we all grew up. Walking away from our current jobs is really hard, too. But, the girls understand that we have made this decision with careful consideration and LOTS of prayer. The girls will be finishing out their school year at their current school so the girls and I won't officially be moving until the end of May. They also have school performances and a dance recital that they definitely don't want to miss. I just couldn't imagine having them start a brand new school in a brand new town for just the last few weeks of the school year. The girls and I will be staying with family during this transitional time.

Also, where are you moving to and have you found a house?

We are moving to Jacksonville, NC, which will be about half an hour from Josh's job. At the beginning of March, we visited the Jacksonville area and loved it. We also planned that trip to do some house visits. We fell in love with a home that we toured! It was a house I found on Zillow and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It just seemed *so perfect* for our family. We loved it even more in person and the girls were already choosing rooms during our showing. We are currently under contract on that house and should close on it in about a month or so. Our home is currently on the market and we are hoping to be under contract on it soon!

And, which beaches are close by?

The closest beaches are North Topsail, Surf City, and Emerald Isle. I am already looking forward to very frequent beach days! The beach is about 25-30 minutes away from our future home in Jacksonville. So, it's close to go to often but far enough away that we won't get tired of it... if that is even possible for me. I honestly don't think I could ever get tired of going to the beach!

I'll definitely be sharing more details as our journey progresses. We are currently in the nitty gritty of home selling and home buying. It's quite the process! Here's to new adventures!

Five Favorites .13

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a wonderful week! Today, I'm sharing my weekly round of five of my favorite things that I am currently loving and enjoying.

1. LET'S READ THE GOSPELS PODCAST: I am a big fan of podcasts. I start every single day listening to one and since the beginning of the year, this is the one I start my day with. This month, she is reading the Gospels in chronological order and I feel like I hear/learn something new every single day!

Join Annie F. Downs as she guides you through a monthly reading of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Because these books share the stories of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, this show is a chance to get to know Jesus in new ways through the voice of your friend Annie and in just 3 chapters a day.

2. SUN BUM GLOW SUNSCREEN: Are you wearing sunscreen everyday?! If not, this is your friendly reminder that you should. I wear this glow sunscreen year round! After I moisturize, I apply it before applying my makeup every single day. During the summer, it's great all on it's own to give you sun protection and a little hint of glow. I love it!

3. POLAR SPARKLING WATER: I am a big fan of sparkling water. I don't leave home without a can or two! I recently grabbed this brand from the grocery store and it did not disappoint. This raspberry pink lemonade flavor is so delicious and refreshing!

4. CHUCK 70 VINTAGE CANVAS SNEAKERS: These are my favorite Converse style of all time. I never thought I'd love high top sneakers but these changed my mind. I own the parchment color and the black pair. They run big! I'm a women's size 8 but for the best fit I got the men's 5.5 (women's 7.5).

5. PAPERCLIP NECKLACE: I've had the 18k gold version of this necklace for almost two years and I wear it every single day. It still looks as good as new! It's the perfect everyday necklace to wear on it's own or layered with other necklaces.

Five Favorites .12

 

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a great week! I'm definitely looking forward to a weekend of fun and relaxation. We all definitely deserve it! Today, I'm sharing my weekly picks for my Five Favorites. These are five things that I'm currently using, listening to, eating, reading, and more!

1. JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE: If you have kids or are planning to, this book is a must have. Here's the description: What makes The Jesus Storybook Bible different from every other kids' Bible? While other kids' Bibles contain stories from the Old and New Testaments, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible, pointing to Jesus as our Savior. We were gifted our first copy of this children's Bible when my girls were babies. We literally wore that first copy out because we read it so much and the girls loved looking through it often. The illustrations are great! Honestly, as an adult I enjoy reading it just as much because of the simple and beautiful way the stories from the Bible are told. We are currently going through the Easter reading plan that includes free pintables. You can download them for yourself here.

2. HAIR BRUSH: This hair brush is a game changer for anyone who has a sensitive scalp. I don't think my 12 year old would brush her hair *ever* if it wasn't for this magical hair brush. This isn't just any Wet Brush, this one has boar bristles that detangle gently and leave your hair looking smooth. It's amazing!

3. THE HONEY DESIGN CO: This is one of my very favorite follows on Instagram because the graphics are super cute and the messages are inspiring. Everything she posts is so pretty! Brianna also has an Etsy shop that you definitely need to check out. I love it all!

4. BELT BAG: You have seen these belt bags everywhere (because it is the Everywhere Belt Bag after all) and for good reason. It's such an incredibly practical bag for everyday use. I literally use one every single day, especially for running errands and going on walks. I personally wear mine across my chest so all of my stuff is close to me and I'm hands free. I'm actually on my second black one, not because it needed to be replaced, but instead because my oldest daughter decided she needed one. It's also such a great bag for a tween or teen! There's definitely less expensive options on Amazon that are super similar in style and design.

5. THAT SOUNDS FUN PODCAST: This is the podcast that really got me into listening to podcasts! Here's the description: Christian author and speaker Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, restaurants, travel stories, musicians not to miss, interviews with friends. Pretty much, if it sounds fun to Annie, you're gonna hear about it. Currently she releases podcasts every Monday and Thursday. I always look forward to seeing who she is interviewing and listening in. She does such a great job as host and she's so inspiring!

Instagram Roundup .221

Hey! I hope your week is off to a great start! Today, I'm restarting another old blog series. It's been almost two years since I shared an Instagram Roundup but I used to do these weekly! This series is for sharing things that I shared over on Instagram, either that I posted on my feed or stories.

This is my favorite kind of weekend outfit: an oversized sweater, comfy leggings, and a fun pair of sneakers. I have been wearing something similar pretty often lately! This is the Beyond Sweater that I shared in my Five Favorites post on Friday. It's one of my favorite items!

I finally got a custom stamp for With Style Treasures! I have been wanting one since I got my space at Flea Marketeers but I couldn't decide what to get. This design felt right and I love it!

Sunday's outfit for church: I planned this whole look around this vintage trench coat. I'll be sharing more about it in a future Thrifted It Styled It post!

Josh surprised me on Valentine's Day with pink roses. Aren't they so pretty?! I love using a vintage carafe as a vase for my flowers.

I go to my space at Flea Marketeers at least once or twice a week to add in a few new items and rearrange as needed. I have so much styling it! I am hoping to get a *much* bigger space next month. Stay tuned! Also, that gorgeous blue Pyrex dish lasted less than 24 hours here!

Five Favorites .11

 

Happy Friday, y'all! Who else is so excited that it's Friday?! It's been a very full week here! Today, I'm bringing back a series that I apparently abandoned back in 2021: Five Favorites. This series is just what it's called: five of my current favorite things. Now, that I'm back into a regular blogging routine, I'm hoping to share this series on a regular basis!

1. MO NEWS PODCAST: As soon as I drop my kids off at school each morning, I immediately turn on a podcast. One of my very favorite podcasts right now is Mo News. Here's the description: A daily podcast from Mo News (@mosheh) breaking down the headlines--from the essential to the entertaining -- with reliable analysis you can trust. Episodes will feature regular news updates with Mosheh Oinounou and Mo News Managing Editor Jill Wagner, interviews with newsmakers and answers to viewer questions about the headlines. I honestly have avoided the news at all costs in the past 10 years. I have always found it to be so depressing or just annoying. But, this podcast has made me appreciate knowing what's going on in the world again. The podcaster are entertaining and give the facts to you straight. I would highly recommend it!

2. MANEATER MASCARA: I have incredibly sensitive skin and eyes. Sometimes I feel like I'm literally allergic to the world! I have tried so many mascaras and it's hard to find one that doesn't irritate my eyes. If I use the wrong one, my eyes will get red and water so much. Sure, I could just give up mascara but I love the look of it. I found this Maneater mascara from Tarte when I was reordering my favorite lip gloss. I decided to give it a try and I've been using it since November with zero issues. It curls, lengths, and volumizes so yes, it checks all of the boxes!

3. CAULIPOWER CHICKEN TENDERS: Have you tried these Caulipower chicken tenders?! They breaded with rice flour and cauliflower! I'm gluten free so it's hard to find substitutes to your favorite foods that actually taste good. Well, I'm here to tell you that these are amazing! We add them to our salads, wraps, or own their own. My favorite way to prepare them is in the air fryer. They come out perfectly crispy! They come in a traditional flavor as well as spicy-ish. These are always in our freezer!

3. BEYOND SWEATER: I love finding comfy cotton sweaters that are leggings friendly. This beyond sweater is so soft and so comfortable. I wore it this past Saturday with my favorite leggings, high top Converse sneakers, and a belt bag. The perfect outfit for thrifting! The fit is oversized but I went with my larger size for an even more oversized, relaxed look.

5. KARLA REED: This last favorite of the week is an Instagram follow. If you aren't already following Karla Reed, you need to! She was one of the very first people that I followed on Instagram that I didn't actually know in real life. This was back in 2012 so it's been about 10 years since I started following her! I originally followed her because we both were styling and sharing primarily thrifted outfits back then. Her style is classic, attainable, and thoughtful. She's so inspiring and keeps it real!

Heart Tattoo: A Love Story

 

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of Valentine's Day, today I'm sharing a special story. When my oldest daughter was a toddler, I got a special tattoo on my foot for her and I always planned on getting one for my youngest daughter. Between raising little ones and not knowing exactly what I wanted to get, I still didn't have one for my youngest... 10 years later. 

Months ago, she was having a hard morning. Honestly, I can't even remember exactly what was going on or what was bothering her but I wanted to make her feel better. I had remembered a fellow mom that I've followed on Instagram for years share something special that she does with her children. She would draw a heart on their wrist and hers. SO I did just that. A grabbed a Sharpie and drew a heart on her wrist as well as one of mine. The left wrist to be exact. I told her that if would be a reminder for her all day long that I loved her and that I'm always there for her, on hard days and easy ones, too. Sporadically over the new couple of weeks she would ask for a heart again but I guess the newness of this concept wore off for her and stopped asking. During the weeks when it was a regular thing, I had the idea that I would get the heart tattooed on my left wrist and I would have her draw it for me. But, like I said, she stopped asking for the heart so I figured she was over idea. Well, months later I thought about it one morning as I was getting everything ready for the day. The idea of the tattoo popped back into my head randomly. A little while later, she came into the bathroom to get her hair down and out of the blue, she asked me if I would draw a heart on her wrist. I knew at that moment, that this was the tattoo I was meant to get in honor of her.

We set the appointment and on the day of, I had Olivia draw out a bunch of hearts for us to choose from. When I saw a bunch... I mean like 100 or more hearts, lol. I had her help me pick the heart because she said she would love to get the exact same one as me when she's older. Who knew it would be so hard to narrow down all of the hearts to just one. It took us awhile but we selected our favorite one that I took with me to the tattoo studio.

I got my tattoo done at Cardinal Rose Tattoo Gallery in downtown Asheboro. This was my first time getting a tattoo at this location but my two other tattoos were also done by Brandon Yow, the owner. Brandon is so personable and professional. He makes you feel welcome and comfortable. I would highly recommend him if you are looking for a tattoo artist in the area!

I absolutely love how this tattoo turned out! It's going to be such a sweet reminder all day, everyday of my daughter. Such a special piece of art.