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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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October 12, 2013

At the Picket Fence Parade of Homes ~ Southern Hospitality

 

We are so thrilled to be launching a new series here At the Picket Fence! There is just nothing quite like getting to take the tour of a beautiful home without ever having to leave your own.

at the picket fence parade of homes

Today we are welcoming Rhoda from the blog Southern Hospitality. The story behind her home is just as beautiful as her home itself. Having the privilege of spending time with this woman we can honestly say that the name of her blog suits her to a ‘T’ and we feel so blessed to call her our friend! So grab a cup of coffee or tea or hot apple cider and get ready for some fabulous eye candy at our Parade of Homes!

I’m so excited to be here with Heather and Vanessa, At the Picket Fence. It’s been a true pleasure to get to know these sisters in blogland and I consider them friends now. They are both a joy to know!

//LIVING ROOM//

living room overall

 

living room4

 

den gallery wall

My house journey has been an interesting one to say the least. My blog story tells all about how I got this house and how it all came to be, but the short story is that after I found myself in the aftermath of a horrible divorce that financially devastated me in 2011, I wondered if I would ever have a house again.

//DINING ROOM//

dining room from lr

 

dining room lantern

 

With God’s grace, I was able to find a 1979 fixer-upper house and purchase it with the help of my parents. It’s been an amazing journey for sure and one that I’ll never forget. In April of 2012, we found my dream home (snicker, snicker…only I would say that about my house), but it truly is my little home sweet home and I love it dearly.

//KITCHEN//

Kitchen After

 

kitchen Rustic shelves2

 

kitchen flowers

With the help of my dear 86 year old dad, we spent 6 months of 2012 renovating this house from top to bottom, and I finally moved in a year ago this month, in October of 2012. It was a banner day indeed, as we had worked so hard on this house, getting it in live-in condition for me and it was a joyous day for all of us.

//OFFICE//

office 1

office 2

The projects haven’t stopped after moving in. I’ve been working on the screened porch, laundry room and a few other things, but I’m happy to say the inside is finished. It’s always going to be a work in progress, because I haven’t even touched the outside yet. I hope to make my home look like a sweet cottage with landscaping and all of that in the next few years.

//MASTER BEDROOM and BATHROOM//

master bedroom overall

master bedroom reading nook

 

master bth

Getting into my own home again has been the sweetest thing ever and I’m grateful for God’s blessings on my life. He has allowed me to do this blogging thing fulltime and I love every minute of it, sharing inspiration and creativity with my readers. If you take a look at the Before and After pics on my blog, you’ll see what I mean. I had a diamond in the rough!

//GUEST BATH and LAUNDRY ROOM//

guest bath after

 

guest bath 2

 

laundry room long shot

 

It’s been so much fun to see this house come alive with DIY projects, paint, and plain ole’ hard work. I’m so grateful for it and I thank God every day for my house! I hope you enjoyed the tour, it’s been a blast putting my own stamp on my sweet home.

screen porch1

 

Thank you so much Rhoda for opening your home and your heart to our At the Picket Fence readers today!

Be sure to come back next week to take the tour of another fabulous home and we hope you have a wonderful weekend,

dual-signature_thumb2

15 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Parade of Homes Tagged With: Christmas decorating, home tours

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    October 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM

    Rhoda has done a beautiful job on her cottage making it into a home. I love how she’s decorated each room.

    Reply
  2. Inspire Me Heather says

    October 12, 2013 at 7:02 AM

    What a beautiful home, thanks for the tour around!!

    Reply
  3. Marty Walden says

    October 12, 2013 at 7:50 AM

    Rhoda’s home is just as amazing and sweet as she is. Thank you for the tour!

    Reply
  4. kelly says

    October 12, 2013 at 8:01 AM

    Just beautiful Rhoda…and all the more so for how hard you worked to get that house to become your home. Thank you for sharing…
    Kelly

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth@ Blue Clear Sky says

    October 12, 2013 at 8:36 AM

    Rhoda’s home is lovely and I have enjoyed seeing her and family transform it. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality says

    October 12, 2013 at 2:58 PM

    Thank you, sweet sisters, for the feature! Love ya’ll!

    Reply
  7. Lisa says

    October 12, 2013 at 5:51 PM

    You picked such a beautiful home to begin your new Parade of Homes series! I love Rhoda’s blog. She is such an inspiration! Her home is so warm and cozy with so many special touches!!I honestly can’t pick a favorite room. I am looking forward to seeing the homes featured each week. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Martina says

    October 12, 2013 at 6:25 PM

    I absolutely LOVE Rhoda’s beautiful home!! I loved following her along the way of transforming her house into a home she loves! Awesome tour girls!

    Reply
  9. Sondra @ Sondra Lyn at Home says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:17 PM

    This is going to be a great series! And what a way to kick it off!! Rhoda has such a beautifully charming home and her story is so touching… truly inspiring. Thanks, ladies!

    Reply
  10. Vicki Shead says

    October 13, 2013 at 8:08 AM

    Beautiful! God is truly good… all the time! What a blessing Rhoda is and so glad God has blessed her life. Her home is beautiful, but her soul is exquisite and that comes through in her blogging. Thanks for sharing her home!

    Reply
  11. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    October 13, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    AMAZING! Rhoda’s personality really comes through in her home. Sophisticated, traditional, sassy and upscale. A southern charmer!
    Thanks, Girls for highlighting one of my favorite bloggers!

    Reply
  12. Richella Parham says

    October 13, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    Following Rhoda’s journey over the past few years has been such an encouragement, hasn’t it? All of us who know her are privileged to see how God has loved her through dark times and has blessed her in amazing ways. Rhoda, thank you so much for sharing your home and your heart with everyone! And Heather and Vanessa, what a cool new series! 🙂

    Reply
  13. JannYvette says

    October 19, 2013 at 9:25 PM

    Hi Ladies,

    I love, love your new series. Peeking in beautiful, thoughtful, creative homes is one of my favorite things to do. Lots of eye candy and thank you for bringing it to us.

    I was lucky enough to visit Ms. Rhoda’s home when she had her open house. The pictures are beautiful but seeing it all in person was even more wonderful.

    Looking forward to all the homes you will be featuring.

    Reply
  14. Rosanne says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:23 PM

    Beautiful home! Where did you get that little blue side table next to you white reading chair??

    Reply

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Happy Independence Day!! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙 M Happy Independence Day!! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙

May we never take for granted the freedom given to us not by earthly authorities but by the ONE true authority. And may we live in such a way as to honor those who fought for and protect freedom and liberty. 

“Independence Day, freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to sha Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to share all of the details of our family room shelving makeover but I’m super impatient and just had to give you all a sneak peek!! We are SO happy with how they turned out and it finally looks like I’ve always envisioned. Our quick fix years ago (scroll to see the before photo) never felt quite right but now? Soooo much better!! 🙌🏻 Big shoutout to our amazingly talented friend Matt @redemptive_woodworx for bringing our vision to life and doing such impeccable work.

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I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
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Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
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Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
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I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

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