Welcome to our blog. Nothing fancy...just fun, personal stories about The Barn.
The Barn at Twin Oaks Ranch is a rustic special occasion venue. We have 35+ acres of land and a barn on property available for weddings & events.
It's Monday...a gorgeous 55 degree Monday! We had an extra special visitor at THE BARN today, our friend Christina Williams. We agreed to help her out (actually she's helping us out) by being the subject of a 3 minute documentary she needed to shoot for a class. We can't wait to share the finished product!!
The sound of hammers and screwdrivers was total music to my ears today. These pretty, semi-warm, days definitely aid in the progression of the build ;o)
So, I don't really have a lot more to share today - other than this: If you want a 2012 date at The Barn.... I suggest you let us know and get it on hold. We booked 2 over the weekend...whew!
Cue the Wedding Planner Meet Kristin Keaster....she's organized, she's friendly, she's funny, she's studied emergency management, she's our wedding planner! If you are one of our brides, you've most likely talked to her already and received a mass amount of wedding questions from her. She will be the bride's "go-to girl" on the day of the wedding making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time, walking down the aisle when they are supposed to, and tossing the bouquet at the appropriate time and place. If you have any questions about the logistics of your wedding day, then she's your gal.
How did she get involved in planning?
Kristin's planning experience can be accredited to the great "Mouska-doer" himself. Yes, that's right, Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse (please forgive me, I have a 4 year old)!
While in college at Arkansas Tech University, Kristin did an internship for Walt Disney World Resort where she was involved in several aspects of planning. That's where her love of planning stems from. With a degree in Emergency Administration Management, Kristin learned to think outside the box, not to buckle under pressure and not sweat the small stuff (which is key for a planner).
Kristin has done her share of traveling, but her heart has always lead her back to the Arkansas River Valley, which is where she was born and raised. Kristin has planned and facilitated numerous weddings in the River Valley area and also has a strong floral design background. She has many connections in the Arkansas wedding circuit and is a key player on our wedding team.
Disney Fireworks going off for Kristin! YAY!
So, let's hear it for the girl! WOO-HOO, YAY for KRISTIN!! We are thrilled to have her!!
Please feel free to leave some amazing comments for Kristin below (in the comments box) - we love to hear from our fans!!
Did you see the Tee?
With all that "Keep Calm and Carry On" hype everywhere, we decided it only appropriate to print our own version of it with "Keep Calm and Marry On" for our staff shirts!! Love them!!
We're getting ready to order shirts soon and we're letting our fans get in on some if they want. We just need your size(s), quantity & an email address (for us to send the paypal link). We need your info by January 31st. The shirts will be $15 each. They won't be available again until the summer. You can email your info to us HERE!
Rainy days and cold weather days are so dangerous for me! I am bound to the 4 walls of my "home office" and that gives me way too much time to think and dream of things to do to THE BARN. I've got so many amazing ideas on my "Want To" list that it has become DANGEROUS!!
I wish so badly I could share with you my "Want To" list but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up! It's funny though how music instantly can change your mood and thought processes.
Uh Oh, I've got my tunes on...
I always seem to listen to music while I'm working from home and depending on what kind of music I'm listening to determines how wild and crazy my ideas become - (ie: my "She's like the Wind" blog from last week made me just want to curl up on the couch and cry about Patrick Swayze and watch Dirty Dancing).
Right now I'm listening to my Texas Playlist with lots of Josh Abbott Band...love them (heck yeah, Texas is awesome....just sayin') Anyway, my Texas playlist is really getting my creative wheels turing.
Josh Abbot Band - She's Like Texas music video
(The scenery in this video reminds me a little of THE BARN)
I'm curious if any of our readers have a song that really gets them PUMPED UP about doing things! I would love to create a playlist made up strictly of songs from our BARN FANS.
If you have a song that really gets you pumped, leave your song in the comments section below....puuuurrdy please.
Barn Status Update....
We are currently finishing up our truss (pics coming soon, I promise). We have been really lucky that we haven't encountered super bad winter weather. I hope I'm not jinxing us by saying that!
I had to go and buy a ginormous (& heavy) bag of metal-to-wood screws this morning from the guys at Shamrock Bolt & Screw. TIP....never buy screws at Lowes - you'll get screwed - ha ha!!
Next step on THE BARN will be to begin putting up the tin on the roof. I will be overjoyed when we get to that step because we can work on the interior and side-walls regardless of the weather.
Booking Update - Save YOUR Date....
If you are seriously thinking of a 2012 wedding at THE BARN. Please, please, please email us by clicking here Our Email because our calendar is quickly filling up.
We have very few Saturday dates still available and I don't want anyone missing out. It's super easy to reserve your date and pick your collection later.
That's all for now Barn Heads (wink wink)!
(FYI....Josh Abbott Band's song "Oh Tonight" is the background song our website - I love the words to that song, reminds me of young love). You can link to our website and take a listen here: OUR WEBSITE
Here's one of my faves from our Fall Photo Shoot at THE BARN - this is Haley in front of one of our pallet bars. This picture is very Rockstar meets Rustic! The dress was AMAZING from Formal Affairs. The beyond big hair bow was custom and it ROCKED!
Dress - Formal Affairs in Russellville Makeup - Susann Crowell of Skin Renew Hair - Megan Ford at Short Cuts Salon Photography - Melissa McCrotty Photography Model - Haley Perks Shoot Styled by - Lesleigh Smith
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog! The sun is out and it was 70 degrees yesterday! Today isn't looking like it's going to be as promising (temperature-wise) but the sun is still shining and there are no clouds in the sky.
It's so much prettier with leaves on the trees - I'm ready for spring!
I didn't post a blog yesterday because, honestly, I'm still getting used to this whole "blogging" thing. I read a lot of peoples & businesses' blogs but I have never written one. I enjoy getting to share more in-depth info about the barn...more than can be posted on our Facebook.
Speaking of that sweet little barn, we worked our tales off this weekend. We got most of the truss up. We still lack a few of them, but those should go up this week without a hitch. Once that truss is up, then that means we can begin putting tin on the roof. I'm really excited about that! We will then have something that resembles a barn ;o)
Didn't we just do a photo shoot? Wow...time flies!
We are already talking about our Spring photo shoot that will take place in May. It is going to have a fabulous theme...something I have not seen to much of, which I like! I enjoy doing things you don't see too often. But, here's a little hint...I bet you still can't guess it.
Are you thinking of getting married at The Barn? Then, you better get busy pinning....
We encourage all of our brides to get on Pinterest and pin, pin pin! If you are not on Pinterest, then get your tail on there. It is a virtual pin-board to post your favorite and dream-worthy pictures that you find on the internet (or you can upload your own). You must be invited to join Pinterest, so if you need an invite, let us know and we'll send you one. If you are a bride-to-be, or plan on getting married anytime soon, you should definitely be on there. There are really some amazing posts and some pictures that really inspire you to get crafty! (Be sure and follow us on Pinterest)
She called me a barn head....what the heck?!
That's all for today my little barn heads!
The story behind barn heads is this. My little boy is 4 and he follows words he likes to say (some of them he's not supposed to say) with the word "head" like silly head, poopy head, stupid head, mommy head, and so on. I'm not sure why kids do this - he thinks it's just hilarious though and he laughs like a, well....like a silly head!
It's Friday - and even though I've been out of school for (well, let's just say) quite a while, I still get really stoked about Fridays!
We have a big weekend ahead of us. This weekend the truss will be going up on the barn - FINALLY! It's either been a weather issue, a supply issue or a labor issue, but now all of the pieces are in place and it is happening.
Hopefully I'll get to operate some heavy machinery (mwahahaha - evil laugh)!!
Regardless, I'm going to don my pink coveralls (not yet bedazzled), and work with the best of them!
Mine are a teensy bit darker pink, but this is them! Yeah, I know...uber stylish! Available at Tractory Supply
This is a picture of the barn now - before the truss is all up, and I'll post one next week of the after ;o)
That's all for today barn heads! Go put on your leg warmers, your boots, your gloves, your stylish hat & scarf, grab a hot coffee and have a Happy Friday!!
Brrr....it's chilly outside. I think today is a total stay-in-my-cozy-PJ-pants, catch-up-on-some-computer-work, kind of day. If there's one thing I really don't like, it's being cold! Is it sad that I got a pair of (pink) coveralls for Chrismas and I was excited? It's because I know I'll now stay super warm while working on the barn ;o)
Coveralls = A total fashion disaster, so yes, the will get bedazzled. But for now, I'm just happy to stay warm!
I woke up today thinking our teeny tiny camper-of-a-house was going to blow away! The wind was blowing at about 100 mph (ok, maybe I exaggerate a little). I think the cold front was blowing in! All of our windows were fogged over and the horses were huddled up trying to keep warm. When I opened our front door, the storm door about blew out of my hand - so I quickly shut it and decided to stay inside like hermit today!
I was searching my iTunes to find song about the wind and all I found was "She's Like the Wind" from Dirty Dancing. Don't laugh, I love that song (and secretly I know you do too) - but it's a total chick tune. It makes me sad now because Patrick Swayze is gone. Ok, now I want to watch Dirty Dancing - so here's my Dirty Dancing fix for the day - enjoy!
I digress from The Barn...anyway, this is my view from my dining room looking out at the land where the barn is. You can't see the barn from here, but you an see one of the ponds. The barn site is way back past the tree line. As you can see the horses have taken the liberty to move one of their feed buckets right in the middle of nowhere (they get angry when there's no food in them and carry them around in their mouth).
View from my dining room
So, this is my useless blog of the day! You never know what I may have to say, so I hope you continue reading The Barn's blog!
He's the man with the plan, and the hammer, and the naills, and the equipment....and he's my granddad!
He's Pappy. And those who are getting married at the barn are sure to encounter Pappy on your wedding day.
He's probably one of the hardest working people on this earth and he would give the shirt off his back for anyone. He has taught me the true meaning of working hard - not necessarily putting your mind to it - but actual physical hard work. That is something not too many people do anymore (by choice).
If the sun is coming up, then Pappy's already done a days work. You never know what project you might find him working on from day to day, but you are guaranteed that if you are anywhere near it, he'll put you to work. I love my Pappy and he is the heart and soul of this Barn build.
If you are lucky enough to meet Pappy, make sure you have a while. He'll tell you the entire history of the property if you let him. Those blue eyes have seen a lot, those callused hands have worked many hours - and I'm so glad I've been fortunate enough to learn from him.
First of all - hooray for me for joining the 21st Century & creating a blog!
Building a barn is hard work and makes for busy days! Today wasn't as busy as usual due to the weather yesterday. We got a really hard rain yesterday which made everything super soggy. The winter months don't allow things to dry out very quickly, so we are still pretty soggy from December rains.
Anyway, Pappy was hard at work fixing a roof on his tack room, so I pitched in and climbed up on the roof and helped replace boards and tin on the tack room roof. While doing that, I received a message from the great and wonderful, Melissa McCrotty. She reminded me that we had a photo shoot scheduled at The Barn today. Nothing big, just some shots of us for an upcoming magazine article.
Yes, that's me on the roof!
After fixing the roof, I quickly showered, had to blow dry my forever thick hair (which takes FOREVER). Then while getting dressed I took a phone call about a booking. That put me behind!
Finally, I arrived for the photoshoot about 10 minutes late (sorry Melissa) and we got going. We took some fun pics of me and Pappy. I haven't had a professional head shot in over a year and half, so it was time!
Then, while we were leaving, my dog started following me down the road. So, stopped to pick him up, drove to town to pick up the kiddo & got reamed because momma didn't stop at The Cake Place and get him cupcakes - geeesh!
However, we did get this really, super, fun post up on our Facebook page, that I'm excited about. It's for the FANS of our page. We're giving away a fun little item as a "Thank You" to all of our fans. Once we are open, we will have items for sale - that inventory is still be selected - but it will be tres-chic I promise!
