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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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June 26, 2011

Blogger Block Party Recap and Highlights!

We’re wrapping up the Blogger Block Party!

WHEW!!
Forgive us if we are a little out of breath.

We have been running up and down the block all week long stopping off at all of these amazing parties!

Can you believe how many links there were?
At last count we had 1138 and the party is still going on through Sunday so, if you want to have your SUMMER related post as part of the Summer Blogger Block Party there is still time!
Before we get to some of the highlights of the party (we thought it was tough to pick features from Inspiration Friday!) we just want to say a huge THANK YOU!

Blog Party Button (3)

To say that we are stunned and amazed at how many of you joined the Summer Blogger Block Party would be an understatement. I don’t think any of us could have predicted just how incredible and just how FUN this would end up being and we appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to link up. We like to think that maybe we even helped provide some extra motivation for folks to try a new activity with their kids, get creative with drop cloths, spruce up their decks or patios or porches, test a new recipe, try their hand at gardening, create a fun summer tablescape,  wear something fun for summer, add some vintage summer charm, venture out for some summer “sale”-ing, or carve out a special summer space for rest and relaxation.
Would you all have done that anyway? Probably! I mean, you are Bloggers, right?!
But this sure did give us a nudge in the right direction and we can’t imagine a better way to kick off our Summer then to get to see all of these incredible ideas and inspiration all in one place!
So now, if you don’t mind indulging us a bit more, we would like to share with you some of our favorite picks from the parties we hosted here at the Fence!

We have recently “met” this lovely new friend here in blogland and we just had to share this fantastic idea she linked up to Vanessa’s Summer Activities for Kids Party.

Paula’s blog Ivy and Elephants is full of beautiful ideas and inspirations and she just happens to be warm and friendly too…a winning combination! She and her son Sebastian spent an afternoon carefully selecting, cleaning and polishing some silver items (trays, creamers, teapots, etc.) found at thrift stores.
 
She then had him fill them with gravel, soil and succulents. We hear he ended up giving this one to his grandmother. And seriously, could this kid possibly be any more adorable??!! We don’t think so!

Next up is another lovely new friend Misty of Misty’s Mornings who shared with us this fantastic idea for fighting off those mysterious cases of “I’m Bored” Disease that tend to creep up in the summertime.

She sets up Quiet Stations for everything from building Legos in the playroom to writing letters to family members at the kitchen table. When the timer goes off, the kids head on over to the next station.
So Misty…do you think it would work to set up about 20 of these around the house?
We are thinking that could buy us some serious time to get things done!
Maybe there could even be a “Mommy takes a nap and no one interrupts her” station.

This next idea is not only a creative Summer Activity for your own kids, it is an incredible way to teach them how to extend grace and love (and their toys!) to other kids.

Becky from Organizing Made Fun hosts “Backyard Thursday” every week, every summer and provides a place for kids in the Los Angeles area who may not have the luxury of a backyard to play in, to come and experience the thrill of running through a lawn, digging in a sandbox, or even hang out in the “Girls Only” playhouse!

She has hit up garage sales and received many donated toys, helmets, skates and other play equipment which she then cleans up, organizes and stores neatly in easy to identify bins. As much of an impact as it has on the children who get to come and play at “Backyard Thursday“, it has also made a huge impact on Becky’s own children. They have learned how to show God’s love to others by doing something as simple as sharing their backyard. And just reading this post impacted us too! Thanks so much Becky!

Up next we have a few links from Heather’s Fresh from the Garden post that stood out!

Kelly from Till Death Do Us Part shared her beautiful raised beds she had built all on her own!

If you saw my garden post you know I’m a fan of raised beds!

Diann from the Thrifty Groove shared with us the incredible herbs her husband and she grow for their very own herb business!

Farmers market 2011 020

Yes, I’ll take all of these please! 🙂

We also has some fabulous Fresh from the Garden Recipes shared with us

Our friend Angela from Unexpected Elegance (we will be telling you all about her fabulous Etsy shop on Monday) did a great post on Canning 101!

Melissa from Shabby Love was kind enough to give us her recipe for…wait for it…Mojito Cupcakes!

Yeah we know…we want one too!

There were SO MANY other fabulous posts…it’s truly impossible to narrow them down to to a few so we thought it would be fun to also share three of the top summer related “clicked through” links (excluding the fabulous posts from our co-hostesses) from the Blogger Block Party.   It’s always fun to see what catches YOUR eye. These are in no particular order. 

The Shabby Chick My Summer Porch
On Sutton Place My New Front Door

No Place Like Home The Place Where I’m Most Happy
We hope you have enjoyed our highlights! If you are like us you could spend all summer visiting these fabulous links! Therefore, starting Monday we will be providing a permanent link to the Blogger Block Party in our sidebar so you can drop by and visit all of these great bloggers anytime you like! During the summer we will also be occasionally featuring a post from the Summer Block Party, so make sure you’re a friend of At The Picket Fence cause you never know when you might see YOUR post featured on here!
Monday we will be announcing the giveaway winners of the fabulous gifts provided by these fabulous sponsors
Be sure to come back Monday to see if you won one of these great prizes!  And remember there’s still time to join in on the fun through Sunday!  You can visit Fresh from the Garden and link up your projects still!
Thank you for partying with us all week At The Picket Fence!
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18 Comments Filed Under: Blogger Block Party

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Comments

  1. Lakeshore Cottage Living says

    June 25, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    LOVE the quiet stations idea…gonna steal that idea and put it to gooooooood use!

    Reply
  2. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    June 25, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    This was such a FUN party girls, thanks so much for putting it together and hosting it!! Martina

    Reply
  3. Tracy@GeneralSplendour says

    June 25, 2011 at 6:20 PM

    Congratulations! Your block party was certainly a rousing success. I can imagine your head is spinning! I think I clicked on a few more then fifty and I was overwhelmed as you get deeper into each blog it is a few hours later! 🙂 Thank you for this opportunity – it was a lot of fun. When is the NEXT one? Hee hee!

    Reply
  4. Debbie says

    June 25, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    I don’t know how in the world you were able to pick a few to highlight. I’ve never seen such a response to a blog idea.

    Reply
  5. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    June 25, 2011 at 7:01 PM

    This past week was a lot of fun! There are so many it will take me a long tome to get through them all!

    Reply
  6. Sherry says

    June 25, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    Lots of inspiration here at this party. Thanks for putting it together. Great themes and very talented people!
    Sherry

    Reply
  7. Diann @ The Thrifty Groove says

    June 25, 2011 at 7:32 PM

    Thank you so much for the feature! I joined 4 out of the 6 parties and it was a blast! I will be going back to this party and checking out eveyones posts throughout the next couple months. So many amazing links! And you ladies did a fabulous job putting it all together!

    Reply
  8. Pattie says

    June 25, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    All of you where great thank you so much for putting all of this together for all of us to have fun and get to know each other… And thank you for highlighting my back yard… Talk about feeling like a Million Bucks… have a great rest of the weekend.

    ~~Pattie~~
    The Shabby Chick

    Reply
  9. Misty says

    June 25, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    Thank you so much for hosting this great party and for featuring my entry on Quiet Stations. I just did a happy dance! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Grammy Goodwill says

    June 25, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    This was a great idea and just the impetus I needed to finally get my blog going. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Honey at 2805 says

    June 25, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    Your Block Blog Party is a huge success! Congrats! I have found so much inspiration & am sure to be referring back to it in weeks to come. Thanks girls!

    Reply
  12. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    June 25, 2011 at 10:37 PM

    It was great fun to be a part of this partay!~ Thanks for the opportunity.

    Reply
  13. Angela says

    June 25, 2011 at 11:16 PM

    Thanks for the party! It was fun to participate and thanks for featuring my canning post!
    ~Angela

    Reply
  14. Andrea@ourbluefrontdoor says

    June 26, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    Thank you for hosting this awesome week long party! I had the best time looking at so much talent and wonderful posts! Such inspiration out there and the perfect way to share it.

    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  15. Seaside Style says

    June 26, 2011 at 6:19 PM

    This was such a wonderful idea. Thank you to all you ladies for doing this. It was fun !

    Reply
  16. beachcomber says

    June 26, 2011 at 11:30 PM

    those cupcakes look amazing!!!
    cheryl x

    Reply
  17. simpledaisy says

    June 27, 2011 at 2:52 AM

    So much wonderful inspiration!!!!

    Reply
  18. Melissa says

    June 27, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    Thank you so much for putting together the blog party! It was so much fun and inspired me to get projects done that have been on my to-do list for awhile! 🙂 Thank you also for highlighting my Mojito cupcakes! I’m so excited!!!!

    Melissa

    Reply

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“Ah, Lovely October, as you usher in the season “Ah, Lovely October, as you usher in the season that awakens my soul, your awesome beauty compels my spirit to soar like a leaf caught in an autumn breeze and my heart to sing like a heavenly choir.” Peggy Toney Horton.

Happy October dear friends! 🍂
On Monday my heart just felt so heavy. Yes, the po On Monday my heart just felt so heavy. Yes, the pouring rain outside contributed to my feelings. But the primary cause was this overwhelming flood of thoughts about how much in our world and in our culture is going off the rails. I’d planned to make pumpkin bread that day but I was tempted to just curl up in a ball on my bed, pull the covers over my head and pretend that this would actually solve something. I didn’t give into that temptation though. Instead, I got out my favorite pumpkin bread recipe and found that, as I worked and prayed and hummed worship songs, my spirit began to settle. When the world feels very loud, the demands of family and home can actually help to quiet our souls. As each family member walked through the door later in the day, they commented on how wonderful the house smelled. It’s better than any fall candle in my opinion! And I knew that the extra loaf that I get from the recipe would be a welcome treat for my widower neighbor. So, if your heart is feeling a bit unsettled this week too, maybe this recipe will come in handy!

Pumpkin Bread:

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 🍂
Happy first day of Autumn!! 🍂 Here’s a super Happy first day of Autumn!! 🍂 Here’s a super simple centerpiece that you can make in five minutes (or less) with just a few pumpkins and extra faux greenery. Let’s spend less time decorating and more time enjoying this season. It’s my favorite!! 🧡

#fallcenterpiece #falldecor #centerpiece #fiveminutedecorating
"Define your day", she told me as I held my newbor "Define your day", she told me as I held my newborn son. My mom and I were talking about how blurred my days and nights had become and how easy it would be to just stay in my pajamas 24/7. She encouraged me to make an attempt to put on 'real' clothes in the morning even if they were just nice sweatpants (bonus if they were clean!) and to throw a little bit of makeup on. That simple advice helped chart a course for my years of motherhood that continues today. And recently I began thinking about how critical it is that we not only seek wisdom from those ahead of us in our stage of life but that we are willing to apply it as well.

So, I asked this question on my personal Facebook page; "What is something you feel you've done well to create a peaceful/meaningful home for yourself and your family?" The catch was that the question was geared towards women in the 40+ age range. The responses came flooding in and were so wonderful and insightful. So, I'm going to be starting a new series where I share this wisdom with you and will include the first name of the woman who offered it. 

Today we start with Alison who said "I learned to set my alarm early to get up and moving before my kids woke up. I showered, got dressed and did my devotions while the house was quiet. It set my heart and perspective for each day.”

Is this something you do in your life too? What wisdom would you offer to a mom of young children?

I truly think our culture would greatly benefit from more women in different seasons of life being willing to invest in each other. 🍂

#wearthehomemakers #homemaking #motherhood #parentingwisdom
If bread pudding is on the dessert menu at a resta If bread pudding is on the dessert menu at a restaurant I’m definitely ordering it! It’s one of my all time favorite treats. So I decided to try my hand at making some here at home with a little fall twist and it was SO delicious!! 🍎

Ingredients:

6 slices of day old bread (french, sourdough or even brioche works great)
2 cups of heavy cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
For the apples:
3 peeled and chopped apples of a tart variety
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour (or corn starch)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350
Cut bread into cubes and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish
Whisk together in a bowl the eggs, cream, vanilla, rum, cinnamon and nutmeg and then pour it over the bread cubes. In a separate bowl, mix together the apples, brown sugar and flour/corn starch. Pour the apple mixture on top of the bread mixture making sure to spread the apples evenly across every part of the bread mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes. 
Enjoy!

#falldesserts #breadpudding #fallrecipes #desserts
When one kiddo wakes up not feeling well after onl When one kiddo wakes up not feeling well after only a week of school, you take the opportunity to make Saturday a truly restful day. Pancakes on the griddle, puttering around the yard admiring the way the limelights have begun their autumn journey from white to green to pink. Sprinkling touches of fall around the house a little bit at a time. Savoring the slowness of it all and taking care of my people in this place that provides us all with a respite from the world even if just for a day.

Hope you’re weekend is off to a great start and that you make it a priority to slow down for a bit and soak up the beauty around you. 🍂

#wearethehomemakers #homemaking #falldecorating
As summer slips into fall, I can’t help but thin As summer slips into fall, I can’t help but think about how grateful I am for the reminders all around me of God’s Sovereignty over everything including the seasons. It can be challenging in our world today to trust that there isn’t a single thing happening that surprises Him.

In a way, decorating my home to reflect the changing season serves as a tangible reminder of this trust. Even something as simple as seeing a pumpkin on my mantel or a basket of mums on the coffee table fill me with peace because they represent the things that remain constant and true.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

#wearthehomemakers #homemaking #club31women
I’m never.going.back to stressful, time-consumin I’m never.going.back to stressful, time-consuming seasonal decorating. When I think back on the years where I would feel all of the pressure to come up with something fresh and creative I’m seriously embarrassed. Truly. Because it was such a waste. A waste of my time, my energy, my resources. Something clicked with me a few years ago. I was just done. I needed to simplify. I needed to not spend an obscene amount of time looking at fireplace mantels on Pinterest and trying to figure out how to make mine look amazing. I needed to put it all in the proper place in my heart and my mind. Which meant, it had to go waaaaayyyy down on the priority list. So far down it almost wasn’t on it. And I needed to confess to the Lord that I had allowed it to become an idol. 

Yes, I want to have a home that I enjoy. Yes, I love pretty things. But something really amazing happened when I finally released it all. When I decided to not give into the pressure and panic I would feel when I would scroll through my Instagram feed. When I just laid it all down and said…enough. There was this incredible irony in it. Because, the less time I took to decorate my home for each season, the more I found myself loving the results. I think that all along I had just been getting in my own way. It’s really taken a lot of time and prayer for me to finally be at a place where even though I still struggle with insecurities and I still have doubts from time to time, I’m becoming increasingly more confident in who God created me to be. And, just like my home, I’m finding that as I relax into myself, letting go of the comparisons and the pressure, the more I can actually lean into the calling He has placed on my life. 🍂

Leave a comment if you can relate! 

#wearethehomemakers #homemaking
“As the alluring song of September begins to whi “As the alluring song of September begins to whisper in my ear, my passionate spirit yearns for the splendor of its promise.” (Peggy Toney Horton)

Happy September dear friends! While I’m not quite ready to let go of summer and I plan to make the most out of the lingering, warm days, I’ll admit to starting to think about my fall decor this year. And one way to get inspired is to take a look back at previous years. Here’s just a glimpse at some of the ways I’ve welcomed Autumn to my home! 🍂

#september #falldecorating #falldecor #falldecoratingideas #wearethehomemakers
Labor Day weekend might mean that we’re turning Labor Day weekend might mean that we’re turning the corner and getting closer to fall but I’m not quite ready to let summer go. So I’ll just be over here continuing to whip up some super simple summer meals for my family that frankly can be enjoyed in any season. These shrimp rolls I made the other night were definitely a hit and would be great for any of your upcoming holiday weekend gatherings!

Shrimp Rolls 🍤

Ingredients
1-2 lbs of shrimp that is peeled, deveined and tail off (If using frozen make sure it’s thawed completely)
1/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 of a lemon
2 Tbsps chopped scallions
1 Tbsp chopped dill
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 Tsp of Old Bay seasoning (more if you like!)
pinch of sea salt and pinch of black pepper
Hoagie Rolls
Softened butter

Directions: Gently pat the shrimp with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop the shrimp and place in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, squeeze half of lemon and stir to combine before adding in the scallions, dill and parsley. Stir to combine and then add the additional seasonings. Spread butter on hoagie rolls and toast in the oven until lightly browned. Pile on the shrimp mixture and enjoy! 

#shrimproll #foodie #weeknightdinner #easydinner #seafoodlover
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