Mom’s Kitchen & My Trip To South Carolina

Today’s post is a little bit different. I’ve been meaning to share this for quite sometime now and I’m excited that I am finally getting around to it! Back in mid-August Steve and I visited my parents in South Carolina. In fact, we flew in on the day of my parents 33rd wedding anniversary! For those that don’t know or haven’t followed me on Instagram, my parents moved away from us just over a year and a half ago. I’ve posted several times about my old house I grew up in, the day the sold it, and the day they moved out. It was a pretty emotional time and one I hoped secretly would never come. Of course I want my parents to ultimately  be happy in their retirement but I’m just as selfish as the next child who doesn’t want their parents to leave them. I always used to say ‘isn’t it the children that are supposed to grow up and spread their wings and leave the nest or move away?’ I never wanted it to be the other way around!

Well after nine months of a for sale sign glaring me in the face it sold, they moved, and it wasn’t until 15 months later that we were finally able to reunite! We flew nonstop across the country to finally be together again and spend eight wonderful days in each other’s company. What’s it like being so far away from each other? It sucks. Lets just be real. It really does suck. I miss them everyday and always wish for us to be closer. At least within driving distance if anything.  So now that you’re up to speed lets get a load of this kitchen shall we? My mom and dad have planned for 4+ years to move somewhere on the east coast and enjoy life in a beautiful new home. Their years and years of hard work paid off because their new space is absolutely incredible!

I knew in planning our trip that I wanted to cook in this absolutely stunning new kitchen.  When my parents sold their house last year they were homeless for about a week and stayed with Steve and me. It was one of my favorite weeks of my life. My mom and I made some really great recipes together including The BEST Slow cooker Baked Beans, Mom’s Best Macaroni Salad, Mom’s Best Potato Salad, Tasty Broccoli Salad w/Dried Cranberries and Quick & Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe. Can you tell it was BBQ season? I LOVE where I live. Love it. Steve and I have a cute little humble rental home that we’ve really enjoyed, whenever I’m asked about it I’ll always tell you two things: 1) I wish I had another bathroom (because we only have one) and 2) I have NO counter space. For a food blogger counter space is CRUCIAL!

In addition to the ample counter space and all of the fancy new appliances and gadgets that I immediately fell in love with, lets talk about natural light shall we? Do you SEE all of that gorgeous natural light flowing throughout the whole house? One look and I was head over heels with everything about the dinning area. In Utah my parents lived in a neighborhood called Oak Forest. We were surrounded by trees not only at our house but the whole neighborhood was covered with trees. So that’s what I’m used to. When they chose their lot in SC they looked for somewhere similar and totally NAILED IT as you can see here.  Every morning on our vacation I’d wake up early’ish head downstairs and we’d sit at that dining room table that you see. I’d work a little bit on the blog, catch up on emails, or peruse Facebook. All while being entertained by squirrels and birds playing in the backyard. It was dreamy.  

So before I jump in to the delicious Sweet Potato Pie and Apple Pie that my mom and I made together, here’s a tour of the kitchen I had the pleasure of using for the week. I loved everything about it and envisioned many great meals and memories being made. If I had to choose a favorite element I’m not sure I could. I was definitely envious of the stove of course, HUGE kitchen sink, impressed by the built in coffee maker, cabinet storage for DAYS, and pantry the size of our smallest bedroom. I’m telling you, if I could have stayed forever I would have. It was a time I won’t soon forget.