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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 14, 2013

A Father’s Love

Daddy is Father's day frame gift www.atthepicketfence.com

I knew my husband would be an amazing Dad from the moment I met him.

Of course, I didn’t tell him that right away. I’m pretty sure that would fall into the creepy “I-just-met-this-girl-and-she-is-already-talking-about-our-non-existent-children” category!

But, I thought it. And I just knew.

The thing is though, that you don’t really know until you know….you know?

making father's day frame atthepicketfence.com

And our road to becoming a mommy and a daddy wasn’t easy. In fact it was downright painful. You can read more about that journey here.

I’ll never forget the moment when I got the call from the adoption agency. I was on my way to Walmart and I had to pull off to the side of the road because I was shaking so badly. They said those words, “you’ve been chosen” and they became the sweetest three words in the English language! I wanted to call my husband right away but I also wanted to have one of those “moments” that all of our friends were having. You know, where the wife surprises her husband with the positive pregnancy test wrapped up like a gift?

making father's day gift

So, I searched and searched the store until I found the perfect way to tell him the news. A little powder blue bib that said, “I love my Daddy!”

I took it home, wrapped it up and laid it on the bed where he would be sure to see it when he got home from work.

He walked in the door and I followed him up the stairs and waited as he sat down on the bed and slowly started removing his shoes. “OPEN THIS NOW!!”, I said. I’m pretty sure he thought I had lost my mind.

He opened the package, pulled out the little bib and said, “oh, that’s cute”. Huh? Wait a minute. That’s the reaction I get? And then it dawned on me. He didn’t realize what it meant. That HE was the daddy on the bib!

So, I told him. Told him he was going to finally be a daddy to a precious little boy arriving in 6 weeks. And we held each other and sobbed.

And I knew.

father's day frame

Knew that this man would be the most amazing father. And that the longing he had to be called “Daddy” would add an incredible layer to this new role in his life.

But, you don’t really know…until you know.

daddy frame

Until you see him holding that precious gift in his arms and the joy on his face at this fulfilled dream. Until you watch him look at that tiny face with complete and utter adoration. Until you see him being followed around by that little boy who would truly follow him to the ends of the earth. Until you watch him allow his “shadow” to “help” him with things around the house with so much patience.

Father's day gift

Until you see him wearing a little dress-up hat and sipping “tea” at the latest party his little girl is hosting in her room. Until you notice the way that little girl’s eyes light up when she sees her daddy walk into a room.

Until you realize that watching him as a father makes you want to be a better mother.

father's day gift ideas www.atthepicketfence.com

And then you KNOW!

Happy Father’s Day Robb! You took all of the dreams and hopes I had for the kind of Daddy my kids would have and blew them out of the water. And the love you show all of us every day gives us a glimpse here on earth of how deeply God, our heavenly Father, loves us. With adoration…and intensity…and no conditions.

Thank you for choosing me to be on this journey with you!

With all the love in my heart and then some,

 

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15 Comments Filed Under: A Labor of the Heart, At the Kids Table, Crafts, Family, Good Ideas, Good Thoughts, Holidays, Kids Tagged With: Father's day gifts, kids gifts for father's day, last minute father's day gifts, simple fathers day gifts

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Comments

  1. At The Picket Fence says

    June 14, 2013 at 10:09 AM

    test

    Reply
  2. Ashley says

    June 14, 2013 at 11:48 AM

    First I got chill bumps and now I’m tearing up. You are right. Sometimes you just know. Thanks for sharing. Hope your hubby and precious children have a great Father’s Day!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 14, 2013 at 4:19 PM

      Thank you so much Ashley! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says

    June 14, 2013 at 7:10 PM

    What a sweet post! Made me tear up!

    Reply
  4. Linda A. Young says

    June 14, 2013 at 7:27 PM

    What a beautiful story of your little family and how you became one! It’s such a joy and gives us hope to hear about devoted dads giving their children lots of attention,loving homes, strong guidance and good examples in these difficult times. God bless your little family! Happy Father’s Day, Rob!

    Reply
  5. Michele says

    June 15, 2013 at 1:30 AM

    What a great idea, the most simple ideas are often the best Lovin’ it! 😉

    Reply
  6. Linda @ it all started with paint says

    June 15, 2013 at 12:07 PM

    What an amazing love letter from you and the kids to your husband!!!! He sounds like an amazing person inside & out!

    (And now I’m feeling guilty that I haven’t prepared a tear-inducing Father’s Day post for my wonderful man. Sigh … maybe next year. 😉

    Linda

    P.S. Somehow I think having my almost 16-year-old and close to 13-year-old decorate a frame may not come out quite so adorable!!! Just saying … 🙂

    Reply
  7. MDR says

    June 16, 2013 at 8:31 PM

    He really is THAT kind of a Daddy to our grandchildren. Mom and Dad

    Reply
  8. Heidi @ Decor & More says

    June 17, 2013 at 5:22 AM

    This is the sweetest post and project, Vanessa! It’s blessed me today — thanks for sharing!
    xo Heidi

    Reply
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    June 9, 2014 at 4:52 PM

    Precious!

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  14. https://imgur.com/6VbBwLA says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:44 PM

    Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a
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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.

I hope you all have a great start to the 4th of July weekend and make sure to check my stories later for Friday Funnies!
The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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.”
General Douglas MacArthur

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? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

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.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of rain lately (which is saying something when you live in Oregon) and I’ll admit that it’s affecting my moods a bit. I feel like I’m dragging and struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. So don’t mind me if I’m over here looking at photos of my garden in the summertime and finding that it keeps me hopeful about those days to come. They will come, right?! 🤪. 

What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
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