At The Picket Fence

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

At the Kids Table…For St. Patrick’s Day


It’s Confession time once again…
Have you ever had one of those ideas that sounds so cute in your head and then when it comes to actually executing it you wonder what on earth you were thinking?
And then you have a whole bunch of talented people link up AMAZING creations to a party you co-host with your sister and you start squirming in your seat a little.

Because they do things with coffee filters that look like this…

This one is from The Nester
While you and your daughter make things from coffee filters that look like this!
Hmmmm…
Can’t put my finger on it but
somehow this doesn’t seem quite as creative.

And then you call your sister late at night in a panic because you are scheduled to do a crafty type post for the At the Kids Table series (even though you are the least crafty of the two sisters) and you start describing your anxiety over this ridiculous craft idea and the two of you end up just giggling uncontrollably as you plot and plan how you will make this sound even remotely appealing!
And then it hits you…or actually your sister “hits” you, in the nicest way possible of course, by telling you to just “keep it real” and fun because we all know that there is a reason why I only use my coffee filters to make, well….COFFEE!
So you throw caution to the wind.

You break out those coffee filters and get the girl set up with her favorite paints. Flatten that filter out and tell her to have at it!
Meanwhile, you realize that although you have explained to her that you are going to be making 4-Leaf Clovers out of these coffee filters and 4-Leaf Clovers, as we know, are Green, she is not going to go along with that plan and wants to paint her clover every color of the rainbow. So, you ask her if she will share her paints with you so you can make a Green clover yourself!
So you slap some green paint on 2 Coffee Filters and call it a day. 

But not before you pinch them together in the middle like so….

And then you lay them criss-crossed on top of each other…


Wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle leaving enough on the end for the “stem”….


Give it to your sweet little girl (or boy!) who proudly declares that she, “found a 4-leaf clover, mommy!” and this makes you realize something…


She doesn’t care that you can’t (or won’t try to) make one of these…

She only knows that she and her Mommy spent the morning “finding” 
those magical 4-Leaf Clovers.
And that Mommy tired quickly of painting the filters and resorted to using Magic Markers!
Seeing those filters just made me realize I haven’t had my second cup of coffee today…
Wish you could come and join me!

Thanks for stopping by the Fence,

Linking to these Parties

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes…Corned Beef Three Ways!

It’s a Post From The Past…
(The original posts can be found at Gourmet Meals for Less)


I love St. Patrick’s Day!  It’s one of my favorite holidays when it comes to the food department.  My family waits all year just to get a taste of my Slow Cooker Glazed Corned Beef.  I find people are often intimidated by corned beef.  But, it really doesn’t have to be difficult to make.  I have found the following recipe to be tried and true for me year after year.  I hope you’ll consider giving it a try this year for St. Patty’s Day!



(Print Recipe}
Glazed Corned Beef
Serves 8
Ingredients:
Corned Beef:
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, sliced
2-3 strips of fresh orange peel
3 whole cloves
1 ½ cups water
3-4 pounds corned beef
glaze
Glaze:
2 Tbs. frozen orange juice concentrate (I used orange juice from the carton)
3 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard mix
Mix all glaze ingredients together until smoothed and blended.
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except corned beef and glaze in crock pot.
Add corned beef with fat side up.
Cook on high setting for 5 to 6 hours (I find that if your slow cooker doesn’t cook high enough it can make your corned beef tough to cook on low for too long)
Remove meat from broth.
Score top of corned beef in diamond shapes.
Insert additional cloves to decorate.
About 30 minutes before serving, place corned beef on heatproof platter.
Prepare Glaze and spoon over corned beef.
Bake in 375° oven for 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with glaze.

Cabbage

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 large green cabbage
butter
salt
pepper
Directions:
Quarter, core and coarsely chop green cabbage.  Heat skillet to medium high and add butter.  When butter has melted, add in cabbage, 1/4 cup of water, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover.  Stir occasionally until cabbage is wilted and starting to slightly caramelize.  Add more salt and pepper if needed, and serve immediately.

Wondering what to do with the leftovers?  Here’s two great recipes that make great use of your left over corned beef…if you have any! If not buy another one and use it to make these two wonderful meals.  You won’t be disappointed!

Ruben Pie


This savory pie makes a quick weekday meal using left over corned beef.


Corned Beef Hash and Fried Egg on Toast


Use left over corned beef for this perfect weekend brunch dish!


I want to close with one of my favorite Irish Blessings!  I pray this for each and everyone of you!  
  
 May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!


So do you have a favorite annual St. Patrick’s Day meal or recipe?  Comment and share it with us! We love to hear about our friend’s traditions here at the fence!

Linking to these Parties:
Tuesday Treasures

Simply Sundays…Saint Patrick & Green Beer?

Saint Patrick’s Day.
It’s about Leprechauns right?


And Green Beer, Cabbage and Parades.



Maybe it’s about dying the Chicago River green each year.

Saint Patrick's Day

(source: All images from Wikipedia)

I have to be honest here. Until recently I never really knew much about St. Patrick beyond the fact that for some reason we are supposed to have Corned Beef Hash on this particular holiday. Oh, and that my mom used her Clover-shaped Jello mold to make us a special green after dinner treat! 

So as I set out to research the history of this Holiday I was overwhelmed with the life of this amazing man of God.

Kidnapped from his family in Britain at the age of 16 and sold into slavery in Ireland, Patrick (his real name was Maewyn Succat) found that it was during his darkest moments that he began a true relationship of love, faith and obedience to God. He escaped captivity and returned home to his family forever changed and with a burning desire to return to Ireland to preach the Gospel. After many years of training he became a Bishop and was sent as a missionary to live among the Irish people and share God’s love with them.
He spent 28 years of his life traveling across the countryside of Ireland spreading the word of God and even endured imprisonment yet again, all for the sake of his Heavenly Father.
While researching St. Patrick’s life, I was reminded of another young man. A young man taken from his home and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. And though his life was spared, he still faced many trials and tribulations. Like Patrick, he was even sent to prison for doing what God asked of him. Some may only know him because of his Broadway worthy “Technicolor Dreamcoat”, but Joseph’s life was no more a large-scale musical production than St. Patrick’s had anything to do with leprechauns! He went on to become the second-in-command to Pharaoh and was put in charge of all of Egypt.
Both of these men faced some of the greatest challenges a person can experience and at every turn their faith in God remained firm.
But, here is what I have found to be true in my own life.
When I have been in my darkest hours, battling despair and hopelessness, those seem to be the times when God is the most real to me. When I feel His presence filling me with strength and peace even in the midst of the hurt.
So, do you know when I feel the most distant from Him?
It’s not in the times of struggle.
It is in the times when life just seems to be going along smoothly, one day rolling into the next with nothing too extreme happening.
How do I radically cling to Him when nothing very, well, radical is going on?
Stay with me here.
I’m not saying I want to have more hardship come my way. Who would?
I just struggle with how to maintain that same level of closeness to my Heavenly Father when I am caught up in the day-to-day stuff of life.
Laundry, potty-training, helping with homework, laundry, doing the dishes, laundry.
One of my most favorite writers of all time is Oswald Chambers.
And, in his book My Utmost for His Highest, he addresses this very issue.
“Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful-just the everyday activities of life-do I hear God’s assurance even in these? We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing-that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.”
Will I glorify Him in the drudgery?
In the homework helping?
In the washing of dishes?
In the potty-training?
In the…gulp…laundry?

This is my desire. Because, let’s be honest, there will be far more ordinary days in my life than extraordinary ones. Far more plateaus than valleys or mountain-tops.
For me, right now, the real test of my faith is whether or not my life is as much of a  reflection of my love for Him in the little moments as it is in the big moments.
Thank you for letting me share some of my heart with you today at the fence…

Sister Saturday Valentine’s Edition Linky Party!!

WELCOME TO THE VALENTINE’S DAY EDITION OF SISTER SATURDAY!
Time to link up those great Valentine projects and ideas!


This is also the first edition for Sister Saturday here 
At The Picket Fence!

Now we don’t have to share our Sister Saturday on TWO blogs but we can combine them on ONE!



Confession Time from Heather

my Sister Saturday contribution is not only from last year…sigh.  Don’t even ask what we’re doing for Valentine’s this year..pizza? maybe? I feel lucky right now to get my laundry done…if I wash all of my red and pink laundry does that make it more Valentiney?? 

Also, in all honesty I would not have invited Vanessa let alone her whole family to celebrate last year’s Valentine’s Day with me.  Not only would it have traumatized them all but it might have been a little crowded since Bama Boy and I spent Valentine’s Day locked away in our bedroom..now I’ve got your attention.  I hope you enjoy this “post from the past”, please ignore the bad photography and just enjoy the sentiment behind it. grin.  

I Love My Funny Valentine


 I love my husband..”Well, of course you do”,  I can hear you saying.  But in today’s world that’s not a given anymore.  After almost 18 years (*now 19!!) of marriage and 20 years together, I can honestly say I love him more today than I did then, and I love him more than I did 5 years ago or 1 year ago.  I am so blessed that I get to love him a little more each year, each day….can’t wait to see what 50 years looks like!
Because I love him and because he gives me the gift of providing for me, and allowing me the blessing of staying home each day to educate our children in our home and the opportunity to be a homemaker in a beautiful house, because he never denies me really anything….I decided to do something special for HIM for Valentine’s Day.  Really, who decided that Valentine’s Day was a “ladies only” holiday?

I wanted to surprise him, so I had to do a lot of secret behind the scenes preparation.  This involved finding a place for all four “children” to go, two who are human and two who are canine.  And then, deciding where to take him…This is where we ended up


no this wasn’t some fancy hotel room, or a bed and breakfast tucked away somewhere (okay maybe you already figured that out) but it was special, it was secluded, it was free….it’s our bedroom.  And what better place to spend Valentine’s with my husband…


now I knew he was coming in from a long day of work (really it’s been a long week of work) and I knew I needed a few more minutes of prep time for dinner, so this is where he ended up waiting for me


in a hot bubble bath, with a nice glass of red wine and even some cheesy love songs playing in the background…just to torture him a little..heheh.

and then he got to sit down to a dinner that would rival the menu of any fancy restaurant you could hope to be taken to on Valentine’s Day:
Strip Steak
Citrus Marinated Shrimp
Wild Mushroom Risotto
and
Artisan Bread with Olive Oil 
  and for dessert
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting
and
Champagne (of course)
after a wonderful dinner and delicious dessert, it was time for a movie.  It was so nice to move from our table, to curling up on our bed to watch a movie (chocolates and champagne included) where he indulged me, by watching…Twilight with me.  Isn’t he the best?!  I figured it had just the right mix of romance..sigh, action, and drama..really a perfect guy/girl movie, right?? (I like Twilight. No judgin’ okay…grin) And this my readers is where the curtain will draw on our romantic get-away, because the rest was for “our-eyes” only….grin…
oh but wait!, I’ll let you in on one more thing…a night away isn’t complete with out breakfast delivery to your room, right?

Champagne Mimosas
and Maple and Pecan Baked French Toast

Total Cost of Evening: $27.82 
(for dinner, dessert, wine, champagne and breakfast!) but really it was……priceless!  
and because I know he’s reading this:

I love you my funny valentine, all there is and more than you will ever know. 
(And because I know, you my dear husband, are reading this..again this year…lol…Thank you for supporting my blogging efforts for the last year.  Thank you for not minding that everything we do/eat/decorate/celebrate is photographed and written about..lol.  Thank you for understanding my NEED, my LONGING to put my thoughts into words, my creations into photographs, my heart into this blog.  Thank you for not minding the hours V and I spend on the phone talking “blog-shop”.  Thank you for being…you.  I love you my sweet man.)

Heather

Now it’s Vanessa’s turn to confess…

I recently realized that my life has now been divided into two time periods.
B.B. (Before Blogging)
and
A.B. (After Blogging)
There were many things I didn’t do B.B.
For example, I didn’t put items in odd corners of my house
just so I could get the best light for the photo.
I didn’t know what what HTML code was and I certainly didn’t know how to make a “button”. I did know how to sew one on a shirt though.
And one of the things I am most ashamed of about my B.B. life was that I did not decorate for Valentine’s Day!
There.
I said it.
I own it.
I just might not be able to look you in the eye for awhile.

So, last year I picked up one little Valentine Decoration (that’s it up there) just so that I could assure myself that I am not traumatizing my children. I could just picture them on the therapist’s couch.
“No Dr., my mother did not have heart-shaped doilies plastered to the walls of our home. It’s just…Oh, it’s just too painful for me to talk about.”

And then I entered the A.B. time period.
And had to live with the shame.
Not decorating for Valentine’s Day in Blogland makes me feel like I should go around wearing a Scarlet V on my shirt.

So this year, I tried. Only a little bit, mind you.
But maybe, just maybe, I will be able to break free from the shame and rip that Scarlet V right off…or even just half of it!


My daughter helped me pick out something for our front door.

The little wooden heart nestled in just perfectly to my $8 bargain. A Smith & Hawken wreath I found on clearance at Chez Tar-jay.

I also realized that I could use this Christmas arrangement for Valentine’s Day. Placed inside this urn with the holiday ribbon tucked inside it now does double duty.
And my little cloche (another thing I didn’t have B.B.) now has some “faux” rose petals placed inside.
But, I’m pretty sure that no matter what I do, it won’t ever hold a candle to my friend Julie. As far as I’m concerned, she put the ‘V’ in Valentine’s Day!
Last week I showed you this wonderful Valentine Advent she does for her children.

 
She also has things like this around her home.
Her mom saved many of the Valentine’s cards Julie received as a child and Julie now uses them as garland hanging in her bay window.

And she tucks little things like this around her home.

But, my most favorite thing that Julie did this year was to send out this darling Valentine’s Day card. I actually manged to sneak it away from my daughter to share it with you!

The front of the card is darling.
But, it is what is printed on the inside that makes it so special.

Amen!
Vanessa

So now we want you to share your Valentine’s Day posts!  Recipes, Tablescapes, Decorating, Crafts, Stories, Devotionals, Poetry…if it is related to Valentine’s Day than we want you to share it with us!

**Before linking up we’d love it if you’d take a second to become a friend of At The Picket Fence through google friend connect, email or our RSS Feed.  We’d love to get to know you better!**

Now Link it on up friends!

Here’s how…
1. Add your Permalink to your entry but not your General Blog Address. To get your Permalink, click on the title of the blog post you are wanting to submit and copy and paste the address into the URL box. You will also have to add your email address but it will not be visible to anyone else.
2. Do not try and Link up until you have actually published that particular post on your blog.
3. Please link back to the host blog, At the Picket Fence using our Sister Saturday Button located in the sidebar, so that those who visit your blog will  be able to find some wonderful Inspiration from everyone else. (mandatory)
4) Give some linky lovin’ to some of the other Sister Saturday link ups!  It’s always nice for others to hear how hey they’ve inspired you!  Of course we love to hear from you too so leave us a comment and say hi!


We can’t wait to see your lovely Valentine’s Day Ideas!
Thanks so much for…meeting us at the fence!
And a reminder!  You can still link up to Inspiration Friday through the weekend!  If you have something inspiring to share and it’s non Valentine related…or even if it is…link up to Inspiration Friday!

Heather and Vanessa

A perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert…Chocolate Nutella Lava Cakes!



So what do you do with a man who has broken the Cardinal Rule for being a good blogger husband?  Wait you didn’t know there was a Cardinal Rule for being a good blogger husband?



Well, I’ll tell you what it is then…never, never, ever take the camera of a blogger out of the house without telling her first. ever.  

Said blogger might have been planning on baking and photographing her Valentine’s Day dessert.  Said blogger might have chosen this time because the sun was FINALLY out and the natural light would have been so nice. 

Said blogger might have softened the butter to room temperature.  Let the eggs warm up.  Measured out the ingredients she needed.  Said blogger might have staged her setting.  Said blogger might have even put some of those ingredients in her mixer already.

Said blogger might now have to rush and bake her dessert first thing in the morning, when all the lovely natural light is gone, so she can post said dessert sometime today.

Said blogger now will be sharing that dessert with you…much later than she intended.
But trust me it will have been worth the wait!

Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cakes
a perfect Valentine dessert!




Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cakes-created by Paula @bell’a alimento
Ingredients:

6 oz of bittersweet Chocolate (bar or chips) (I used Ghiardelli)
4 tbsp of Nutella
6 tbsp of Flour
11 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
3 whole eggs + 3 additional egg yolks
1/4 cup of sugar + 2 add. tbsp
Some type of berry for topping i.e. raspberries, strawberries, etc.

Directions:

Place your butter & chocolate chips into a double boiler & allow to melt completely over the steaming water. Stir frequently. 

While the chocolate butter is melting, place the eggs and sugar into the bowl of your mixer. 



Using the whisk attachment mix on medium-high speed until they become light & thick, about 8-9 minutes.  When light & thick add the flour & mix together. 

Slowly and gradually pour the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg mixture. 




Mixing on low until well combined & develops a glossy sheen about 5-6 minutes  Preheat your oven to 350°  while the mixture is finishing it’s final mixing and turning glossy.
Generously spray 4 small ramekins with cooking spray. 


When the batter is finished it is time to assemble.  Ladle batter into ramekins filling to half way up side. 



Then, spoon 1 Tablespoon of Nutella into each ramekin. 

(I confess…I licked all of the Nutella out of this spoon…
and I am not ashamed to admit it)

Finish ladling remainder of batter into each ramekin (do not overfill).




Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until outside is solid and top appears to be soft (but NOT jiggly) When cakes are ready carefully remove them from oven, allow to rest for 1-2 minutes. 




Place a plate on top of each one and quickly invert it.  Carefully remove the ramekin, (use a dishtowel if ramekin is still hot) and cake should fall right out. 



Garnish with berries or whip cream if desired. Dig in!


Some helpful hints offered by Paula: Please generously grease your ramekins, don’t be shy with this people, you want those babies to slide right out. If they stick your cakes will fall apart and you’ll have a plate of goo. It will be a tasty mound of goo, but not the presentation you’re going for! If you don’t have ramekins you can use Pyrex custard cups. Keep an eye on these while there in the oven. You’re looking for cooked outside & soft insides (soft does not mean jiggly) If it jiggles it needs to cook longer. But a minute can make or break you so start checking them for doneness at 10 mins & then every min after. I know it’s high maintenance, but in this case, it’s worth it.


Please take a moment to go visit Paula’s beautiful site! 
http://www.bellalimento.com
 You will be amazed at all of the beautiful recipes she’s created! 


So back to the original question…what do I do with Bama Boy now?  Do you think I should save a Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cake for him to eat tonight when he gets home?  Does he deserve one of these yummy chocolaty cakes of nutella goodness? What is a deserving punishment for breaking the “cardinal rule”? 😉

Enjoy!

3 Ideas for Getting Your 3 Year Old…

…to fall “in love” with Valentine’s Day!

Apart from the obvious (hehe), there have been so many differences between raising a son and raising a daughter. Not the least of which is their desire to sit and do a little craft with mommy. 



Can you guess which one wouldn’t? Let’s just say that when we would pick up my son from Sunday School when he was 3 years old, they would hand us either blank or half finished coloring pages. Who wants to sit still and color when there are train tracks to build, trucks to ram into each other and buckets of things to dump out?

So, it was a bit surprising to me to suddenly have this little girl who would sit and color for hours (ok, more like minutes!) on end. She begs for new watercolor paints and books. And those Sunday School papers? Well, let’s just say that our little Miss is not too happy if Mommy and Daddy come to pick her up before she has had time to finish her craft!
All of this has made things like Valentine’s Day a new adventure for the 2 of us and let’s face it, it’s a pretty “girly” kind of holiday anyway! This year we really embraced the fun and I’d like to share with you…
3 Ways I got my 3 Year old to fall in love with Valentine’s Day!
Number 1
Realize that your child actually has the fine motor skills and the patience required to do something like stringing beads together to make bracelets for her friends. This might take awhile to become aware of since her brother would have taken all of the beads and used them as “coal” for the tank car of his train.

Be sure to let her choose which beads she wants after gently guiding her towards the larger sizes which are perfect for little fingers.

Pretend to be shocked that she has chosen the Pink Beads!




Now this is VERY IMPORTANT! Be sure to pause for a moment and marvel at those tiny little fingers which are so very carefully picking out just the right beads for her bracelet.
Because, you know, she had to make one for herself too!

Oh, and one for Bitty Baby, of course.

Number 2
Let said 3 year old choose a few more items for her friends to go along with the bead bracelets. Be sure to go to the craft store the week before Valentine’s Day when all of this is 40% off.
Valentine’s Hair Bows are a must!

As are little red felt heart ornaments.
And because she wants her friends to never forget how much she loves them, these “Forget Me Not” grow kits were an absolute must!
These little pails seemed just the right size.

Number 3
Make sure your 3 year old gets to pile all of those goodies in the buckets themselves.
The hair bows clipped on are the perfect little flourish.
Make sure she knows just how special her friends will feel when we knock on their doors to deliver their “Buckets of Love”.

And how sharing that love is just one of the reasons why she is so special too!
Thanks for stopping by the Fence today!
Vanessa
Linking to

At the Kids Table…for Valentine’s Day!



Let’s face it!
The kid’s table isn’t usually where you want to be sitting.
Weird cousins…small chairs…missing out on the good “grown-up” conversations.
But here, At the Picket Fence, we think the Kid’s Table should be the best seats in the house! This series is dedicated to celebrating the privilege of getting to sit…
For this installment, we are so thrilled to have a very special guest with us.
Christie from Three Pixie Lane!
She is known and loved by so many of us and if you have ever received one of her sweet comments on your posts, you feel like you have just won the lottery.
She is truly beautiful inside and out. And the passion she has for her home is only surpassed by her desire for it to be a place of joy and refuge for her precious family.
Christie is graciously sharing with us her charming Valentine’s Day Tea Party.
We’ll let her describe it to you in her own words.
“Last year, I had a Valentine’s Tea Party for my girls and our friends.”



“My oldest daughter helped with the decorations and food.”





“These were the old love letters from my Grandpa to my Grandma during WWII.  They seemed appropriate as decoration for this Valentine’s Day Party.”


“My friend who had hosted a party for her daughter for many years suggested that I let my daughters pick some of their favorite foods!  After all, the party is for them!  Pretzels and cheese puffs made the list!”

“The little tables are set for the little girls…”

“Their table is set with tea sets from IKEA.  The ribbon roses were made by my oldest daughter to decorate their table.  To make these simple rosettes, take a 12 to 18 inch wire ribbon.  Pull the wire of one side of the ribbon until the ribbon bunches.  Wrap the loose wire around a pencil or small stick and form a rose.”




“I always look forward to Valentine’s Day right after Christmas!  I keep some of the ‘red’ decorations out from Christmas and just add some fun Valentine’s decor.  I change the decorations out as soon as I take down Christmas.  It seems to make for an easier transition!

Happy Valentine’s to you!”
Christie

Well, I don’t know about you, but I would have been thrilled to sit at any one of those tables! Thank you so much for joining us over here today Christie, and for helping us to kick off a week of celebrating Valentine’s Day!
Mark your calendars because this coming Saturday we will be hosting the
Valentine’s Day Edition of
Get your Valentine’s Day crafts, recipes, decorating ready to link up!
Maybe you will even want to share a story from the heart. We would love to heart it!
Be sure to come back tomorrow for more great ideas and inspiration and thanks for stopping by the Fence today!

Heather and Vanessa

A Good Idea…for Valentine’s Day!

I have this friend named Julie.

Well, actually, she is more than that.
She is an encourager and a kindred spirit.
The kind of friend who would drop everything if you needed them.

She is an amazing mommy to 3 darling children.
And I’ve heard her hubby thinks she is pretty fantastic too!
A blessing.
That’s really what she is.
And, our husbands are friends too which is always a bonus!
And, in addition to all of those things, she is beyond creative and talented.
She really should have her own blog. But, until then, she agreed to let me show her off a little bit over here.
I’m not going to stop twisting your arm about starting your own blog though, Julie!
One thing you should know about Julie is that she L.O.V.E. LOVES Valentine’s Day!
She had us over for a play-date recently and as I looked around her home, I realized (with a touch of shame I might add) just how pitiful my one little dinky Valentine’s tree looked sitting in the kitchen…all alone.
While Julie’s house, on the other hand, looked like a Valentine’s Extravaganza!

This “Good Idea” is one of my most favorite things that she does with her children each year and I’m going to let Julie explain it to you in her own words.

“Hi Everyone! I’m Julie and I’m so excited to be here At the Picket Fence with you today!
I love that the Valentine holiday gives us a day to be so intentional with sowing seeds of love!
 Last year we started doing a Valentine’s “advent” for the kids.  Each night we write an affirmation for them on a heart (one from mommy & one from daddy) and place it in their mailbox on the table.  Every morning (Feb.1-13) they find a new, specific affirmation from us about what we love about them at this very moment in time.  On the 14th we remind them that while we love them, their real Father loves them more.  On that day they receive affirmations from God’s word on how specifically He loves them and has called them his own.  I am printing out their list each year and am enclosing it in their baby album.  I look forward to a future Valentine’s Day when I can present them with a book of life affirmations accumulated through the years.”

Thank you so much Julie for sharing with all of us just one of your incredible ideas for blessing your children as well as creating such a lovely AND loving home!

I was so inspired by this idea that I had to run over to Michael’s to see if I could find mailboxes for my own 2 little Valentine sweeties!

There were only 3 left and only one of them was red. Thank goodness for that! I never would have heard the end of it from my son if I had gotten him a pink or purple mailbox. I’m pretty sure that even putting Lego stickers on it wouldn’t have appeased him!

Oh look! This one already has some mail in it!

Julie will be visiting us often here At the Picket Fence. So, be sure to stay tuned for more of her amazing Ideas and Inspirations!

Thanks for stopping by “the Fence” today!
Vanessa

Linking to
Feathered Nest Friday
Stuff and Nonsense
Tuesday Treasures

Knockin off Pottery Barn…it’s a good thing!

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 (Post from the Past)


I’ve been feeling some anxiety because I’ve noticed that the blogging world has started to burst forth in all it’s autumnal glory…like that..autumnal??  Great word isn’t it?  We learned that studying Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a literature class I’m teaching…yes I teach too.  I am homeschool mom…hear me roar.



Anyway, I started seeing all of these beautiful fall decorations, fall photos, fall craft ideas…and I began to feel like the girl who’s always late to the party.  I had nothing, nada, zip, zilch fall decorations up.  So my slightly competitive, type A personality reared it’s ugly head and I headed out to the storage building to find my fall buckets.  It happened to be 85 degrees here that day, so I was not feeling the “fall mood” at all but I knew this task must be done to calm the “autumnal anxiety” I was exeriencing.  I have collected many, many, many fall decorations over the years…much to Bama Boys chagrin.  But, I was in the mood to try a few new things…and Bama Boy was in the mood for me to NOT spend a lot of money. 

I had read how Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick had found a great way to mimic these:

Pottery barn hurricane vase 
They are $59 at Pottery Barn!  Good grief!! Sarah was able to replicate them from items found at the Dollar Tree, for $2 each! I had to see it to believe it, so I headed to my nearest one and lo and behold there were the items needed….lots of them!  I guess no one in my nearest “large town” reads Thrifty Decor Chick, because there was a bounty of the items I needed.  

I practiced putting them together while standing in the aisle…causing Bama Boy much anxiety when he realized I was balancing glass items on top of each other in the store.  I had to gently remind him…THAT THEY WERE A DOLLAR EACH!!  And, I’m sure we could afford to replace them if my clumsy alter ego decided to show up.

So with giddiness and a sense of superiority over all those poor chumps paying $59 for a hurricane vase; I collected up several of the items I needed and skipped with glee up to the Dollar Tree counter.  My husband, on the other hand, was pretending to not be associated with the crazy woman who balances glassware in the aisle and snickers to herself while checking out.  For $9 and the addition of pumpkins I already owned, I was able to make 3 of the “all glass” hurricane vases for my dining room table, and a twist on one for my mantle.  And I will share with you how easy-peasy these really are.

Frugal Fall Decor 2

 In the collage above you can see that this project is more than simple to do.  You literally just stack the hurricane top on the glass candle holder.  You can use a small amount of hot glue to hold them together, or do like I did and use a little putty.  That way, if I need to store them I can still take them apart.  You can put candles in them as they are traditionally used or any type of decor.  I will stack artificial lemons in these when not using them seasonally.  I wanted to try a fun variation for my fireplace mantel.  Something a little more chunky and with black.  So I found two wooden candle pedestals at the Dollar Tree and started playing around with them, and came up with this:



Frugal Fall Decor 1

 I liked having a touch of the color black on my mantle, and I thought the thickness of the base went better with all of the chunky fruit and gourds.  I already had in my bottomless bucket of fall decor all of the artificial fruit, and purchased the real pumpkin in the middle for $4 at Wal-Mart.  I loved that it was a washed out orange and subdued.  


I had so much fun making the hurricane vases and have so many other ideas for their use.  If you are a reader of mine and in my area, our local Dollar Tree still has plenty of these hurricane vases and the candle holders in stock…just give me a running start so I can grab me a few more before they’re all gone…cause I’m already thinking about all of their uses for Christmas!

Let me know if you make some of these for yourself or if you come up with any variations of this project.  
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