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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 11, 2015

Entry Decorated for Summer

Oh friends. When I think about how I used to over-complicate seasonal decorating I feel shameful.

I mean, seriously, the LAST thing decorating should be is complicated. I know I’ve talked about it before here but I think it’s worth revisiting.

Decorating is merely a creative extension of our personalities. It’s a physical manifestation of our likes, dislikes and way of living.

fresh flowers on entry cabinet for summer atthepicketfence.com

And I’ve realized that the more I over-think or overanalyze it, the less my decorating choices actually reflect me. Funny how that works, right?

Never is this more true when it comes to decorating for summer. When we choose to battle the strands of white lights at Christmas, we know we are inviting in the possibility of some frustration and possibly a few choice words muttered under our breath.

But who wants to spend more than a few minutes decorating your house indoors when all of the glories of summer await you outside? Not me!

And a few minutes is really all you need to add a vase of fresh flowers.

Lisianthus flowers atthepicketfence.com

A bowl of seashells.

seashells in bowl on entry table atthepicketfence.com

A framed photo of something summery or if you happen to have a poem your grandmother wrote to you and your sister back in 1977 you could frame that too. 😉

framed poem on entry table

And a favorite summer quote written on a chalkboard.

summer chalkboard quote and decor ideas atthepicketfence.com

Aside from how quick and easy this was, the best part about this kind of summer decorating is that it was practically free!

Easy summer entry table decorating atthepicketfence.com

OK, on second thought, the best part was actually that it only took a few minutes which meant that I had more time to enjoy the best parts about summer…watching my kiddos run around in the yard on a warm evening, catching up with friends over a meal cooked on the grill, sitting with my hubby on the deck drinking cocktails after the kids are in bed and just simply feeling the warmth of the sun on my head.

And frankly, I’m even more determined now to take this approach when it comes to the other seasons too. Because really all we need is to add touches which simply enhance what we already have and give a nod to the time of the year.

So, picture me nodding to summer right now! 😉

I’m so excited to be joining these lovely ladies again this month for our ongoing Budget Decorating Series. Be sure to pay them a visit!

Budget Decorating updated

TIPS FOR ARRANGING GARDEN FLOWERS-button for Budget Friendly Ideas-stonegableblog.com

STONE GABLE

grain-sack-placemat-with-strpe-budget-event

CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE

And as always, thanks so much for meeting me at the Fence today,

Vanessa signature

9 Comments Filed Under: Budget Decorating Series, Decorating, Summer Tagged With: budget decorating, decor, decorating, summer, summer decorating

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Comments

  1. Peg says

    June 11, 2015 at 3:59 AM

    Simple is always oh so lovely.
    Love all you do Vanessa! : )

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      Thank you so much Peg!! Appreciate you!

      Reply
  2. june says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:27 AM

    Vanessa,
    Lovely as always…the most important message I have taken in from the blogs I follow such as yours is less is more. I use to fret and work to exhaustion for it to all be perfect. No more.
    Unfortunately it took until 60 to get it.

    Embracing each day and being grateful for our blessings is what is best for all of us. Our homes are the jewelry of our life.

    Love the flowers but cannot tell what they are. Please share.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      Thank you so much June! The flowers are Lisianthus which are one of my most favorite because they were used in my bridal bouquet many years ago. 🙂

      Reply
      • june says

        June 11, 2015 at 11:32 AM

        Thanks…my son’s wedding is a year from today. I will have to show this flower to my future d in kaw.

        Reply
  3. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    June 11, 2015 at 6:44 AM

    Perfectly decorated for summer!!! Yes, I so agree with your decorating philosophy!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the chest had holds all your easy-breezy summer decor!!! I love visiting… always leave inspired and filled! xo

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 1:41 PM

      Thank you so much sweet friend! I love doing this series with you!

      Reply
  4. Lauren says

    June 11, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    I absolutely LIVE for summer so I agree — spending time fussing inside is not my thing but I love decorating for summer. I so enjoy the lighter curtains, bedspreads and pillows I bring out and yes, of course, fresh flowers! Your entry looks just perfect to me!

    Reply
  5. jane@Bluebird1959 says

    June 11, 2015 at 7:47 PM

    Words of wisdom Vannessa! I plan on taking your words to heart. 🙂 Jane

    Reply

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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

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Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
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