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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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January 29, 2014

Date Night and a Chalkboard Word Search Puzzle

It was the summer of 2003. My husband and I were sitting outside at a restaurant enjoying the warmth of the evening and sipping on our glasses of wine. Our newborn son slept soundly in his carrier at our feet and we smiled smugly at each other across the table as if to say, “Why do people always make it sound like life has to stop when you have kids? Here we are having a nice dinner out as though nothing has changed at all! The baby will be asleep for at least 2 hours and if he does fuss it’s nothing a bottle won’t fix. We’ll even be able to stay and have dessert. This is so easy!”

Valentine's Day date night at home atthepicketfence.com

(You know what’s coming don’t you?)

Fast forward a few months and we quickly realized that trying to bring an 8 month old on a romantic dinner out was about the same as trying to herd cats.

Noisy…sweaty…frustrating and frankly, pointless.

From that point on, date nights at home became a staple in our marriage. And the thing is, we love them!

Oh sure, it’s fun to get dressed up and go out but we freely admit to being homebodies. Our home is our sanctuary. A cocoon. It’s a refuge for us and our kids from the busyness of life and the hectic pace that is constantly tugging at us. Now, normally date night means wearing our favorite sweats, feeding the kids and putting them to bed and then enjoying a meal (sometimes take-out and sometimes a dish we know the kids would hate and complain about if we made them eat it but that we really love) in the family room while watching a movie.

roses

But, for Valentine’s Day…well, maybe we could just fanc-i-fy our date night at home…just a little. Maybe I could set the dining room table with china and crystal. I could create a centerpiece using fresh flowers and engrave our initials into a wood round. Because I’ve always wanted to have my initials carved into a tree. But it always felt kind of naughty…the whole tree desecration thing. Although when we were dating if Robb had wanted to carve our initials into a tree I probably wouldn’t have complained because I was suffering from that whole “stars in my eyes” thing. 😉

engraved intials wood round centerpiece

And if we were celebrating a Valentine’s date at home, I would have to include a trip down memory lane by placing photos into mason jars with battery operated candles. Like the one of my beloved proposing to me on that November day in 1997.

photo memory jar

And this one taken on the eve of our wedding.

photo-memory-mason-jar from atthepicketfence.com

I think that a ‘special occasion’ date night at home calls for a little activity…no…not THAT kind of activity…where are your minds people? That’s later! 😉 But, how about a fun and sweet gift that also makes a great conversation starter?

DIY Chalkboard Word Search Puzzle atthepicketfence.com


How to Make a Chalkboard Word Search Puzzle

Supplies: Chalkboard, Sticker Letters, Chalk, Ruler

chalkboard word search puzzle supplies

Step 1: Season your chalkboard by covering it in chalk and then wiping clean.

seasoning a chalkboard

Step 2: Create your word search puzzle at an online site like Discovery Education

Step 3: My puzzle was 6 rows across by 6 rows down. So, I found the center and used this awesome green plastic Christmas ruler to mark in chalk where each letter would go, spacing them out an inch apart.

chalkboard crossword puzzle step 1

Step 4: Place stickers over chalk markings according to the puzzle you created online.

chalkboard word search puzzle

Step 5: Attach a little tag to the frame with the words to be found in the puzzle.

chalkboard crossword puzzle

Valentine's Day chalkboard word search atthepicketfence.com

Finding baby-sitters was hard (and expensive) and our date nights at home have saved us, especially in the years with two very little ones when going out seemed like such a struggle.

On those nights, our home transformed from a zany place with kids running around, wrestling and generally wreaking havoc, to a place of respite. We would get them in bed, turn on some music, open a bottle of wine and (when we weren’t getting take out) Robb would sit at the kitchen island and talk with me while I cooked our dinner (or vice versa if he was cooking that night!). We would catch up on our days, talk about the kids and just reconnect.

Valentine's Day date night at home atthepicketfence.com

Now that the kids are getting older and the bed-times are getting later, our date nights at home are slowly becoming more challenging. Oh sure we can still watch a movie after they’ve gone to bed and sure it’s easier to leave them with a baby-sitter and go out on the town. But those evenings at home are among some of my most cherished memories in these early years of parenting.

Perhaps now we’ll just have to start having date ‘lunches’ at home, right? 😉

I’m so thrilled to be joining a fantastic group of bloggers this week for the Hearts at Home Tour and I hope you will pay them all a visit for some wonderful inspiration from their hearts and their homes!

hearts at home_3

Shabby Art Boutique

At The Picket Fence 

My Soulful Home

Thurs. 1/30

Town & Country Living 

Bright Bold & Beautiful 

Vintage Farmhouse 

White Lace Cottage

Fri. 1/31

Stone Gable

On Sutton Place 

Lilacs & Longhorns 

Sat. 2/1

French Country Cottage

Eat In My Kitchen

Top This Top That 

Emily A. Clark

Thanks so much for joining me today At the Picket Fence,

Vanessa signature

25 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts, Holidays, Valentine's Day Tagged With: cheap crafts, crafts, Valentine's Day, Valentines Day crafts

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Comments

  1. chelsea says

    January 29, 2014 at 4:27 AM

    So adorable!

    Reply
  2. Julie {Lilacs & Longhorns} says

    January 29, 2014 at 6:14 AM

    What a beautiful post! We also did date nights at home when our kids were small — it’s so important to connect with one another without tugging little hands and lots of demands for attention. We weren’t always great about doing things like eating in the dining room, but did manage to have “spa” or movie nights together. 🙂

    I adore your projects — the initials burned in to the wood slices is my favorite!

    So happy to be touring with you, Vanessa! Happy Valentine’s day to you!

    Julie

    Reply
  3. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    January 29, 2014 at 6:37 AM

    Oh Vanessa your table is just so romantic with such wonderful personal touches and meaning to the two of you..love the “initials” and the picture of a thousand romantic words…I love date night dinners at home especially around Valentine’s Day when the restaurants are so crowded…love the word search chalkboard..you are so creative!!

    Reply
  4. laura@top this top that says

    January 29, 2014 at 6:38 AM

    oh if I wasn’t married , I would so date you….your hopeless romantic! what a sweet post and idea with the chalkboard.ha….It’s comforting to know that many of us share the same date night plans.

    Reply
  5. Laura Trevey says

    January 29, 2014 at 6:48 AM

    Love your word search idea – so clever!!

    Reply
  6. Meike says

    January 29, 2014 at 7:07 AM

    I love your photos in the jars, especially the one of your wedding! That’s such a beautiful idea!

    Reply
  7. Julia G. says

    January 29, 2014 at 7:58 AM

    I like the chalkboard idea!

    Reply
  8. Courtney says

    January 29, 2014 at 8:12 AM

    Love your date night at home ideas and memories Vanessa!!

    Reply
  9. kelly says

    January 29, 2014 at 8:16 AM

    What a wonderful post, idea & sentiment Vanessa! I like date night in my ‘comfy’ clothes too. And with all the busy-ness of life & kids it is a treat to act like a grown up person on a “date” in your own house. The word search is such fun…I love the ruler you used in the photos – are you a mom? hahaha!
    Thank you so much for being part of this tour and sharing so much!

    Reply
  10. Kate says

    January 29, 2014 at 12:11 PM

    Oh how I love this so very sweet. I miss those days in some ways. It all goes to show love can be celebrated in any form. Love the chalk boards of course. Terrific Post you girls are delightful! Have a great week! Kate xoxo

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 29, 2014 at 4:51 PM

      Oh thanks so much Kate!! I smiled when I saw your name here and so appreciate you stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique says

    January 29, 2014 at 12:51 PM

    Oh how I relate Vanessa. We’ve had many a ‘date night’ at home too over the years and it can be just as romantic as going out. Love your very sweet chalk board too. What a great tour this will be.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 29, 2014 at 2:11 PM

      Thanks so much Kerryanne! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Mimi says

    January 29, 2014 at 1:42 PM

    I haven’t done a date night a home for a while. We used to do picnics on the living room floor. thanks for reminding me.

    Reply
  13. debbiedoos says

    January 30, 2014 at 6:17 AM

    Just the sweetest idea ever! Oh I love it.

    Reply
  14. Anne says

    January 30, 2014 at 11:16 AM

    Date night…what’s that..LOL.I think in the past 14 years we have had one or two of those.I think it’s time for us to get out on our own.Love that chalkboard!
    xx
    Anne

    Reply
  15. Ann says

    January 30, 2014 at 11:57 AM

    My husband and I used to have date nights way back before that’s what they were called! Loved this post and am happy to be on the Hearts at Home tour with you!

    Reply
  16. Jennifer @ Town and Country Living says

    January 30, 2014 at 6:06 PM

    My mom always told me that dating your hubby was key to a happy marriage. Hubby and I date (each other, of course) quite frequently and I found out my mother was right. 🙂

    Reply
  17. The Tablescaper says

    February 1, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    Cute ideas. I really like the tree initials.

    – Alma, The Tablescaper

    Reply

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  1. My Heart is at Home…this home | My Soulful Home says:
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  2. The Story of Our House - On Sutton Place says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:00 AM

    […] January 29thShabby Art BoutiqueAt The Picket FenceMy Soulful […]

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  3. Finding The Heart of the Home - Town & Country Living says:
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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
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