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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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November 19, 2014

A Few of My Favorite Things

It was time. The children had finally reached an age where I was certain that they were ready to sit down and watch one of the greatest movies of all-time. The fake logs glowed in the fireplace, the lights twinkled on the Christmas tree and the smell of popcorn floated in the air.

And as Julie Andrews spun around in circles on the top of a hill, apron flying in the wind and I sat there surrounded by my precious babes, I was quite certain that there was nothing that could top this moment. I was wrong.

unique and creative Christmas gift ideas from atthepicketfence.com

 

When we reached my most favorite part in the movie, where Maria is in her room praying and Liesel is sneaking in through the window after meeting that boy Rolf (traitor!!) and dancing around the gazebo, I could barely control my anticipation. I knew which song was coming. The BEST song in whole movie in my opinion. And as Julie/Maria belted out those lines about raindops and roses and whiskers on kittens, I could see it dawning on my sweet girl’s face. She knew that song very well! I have been singing it to her since the day she was born and it is ‘our’ song.

And then, just when I thought my heart would burst with joy, she piped up and said, “Oh Mommy! That lady sings almost as great as you do!”

My heart pulled a grinch and grew two sizes bigger in that moment.

I mean, I’ve always sounded just like Julie Andrews in my head so this was just the proof I needed! šŸ˜‰

You can imagine my delight when Melissa from 320 Sycamore asked me if I would be willing to join a whole gaggle of other bloggers in sharing a ‘Few of my Favorite Things’ this year. Of course, ever since I received the email I’ve been singing that song.

favorite things 2014

And now I’m sure you are too. You’re welcome.

So, in my best FrƤulein Maria and without further adieu, I give you a few of my favorite things this Holiday season!

My incredible friend Laura from Finding Home just launched her new AMAZING new shop where you can buy 100% Pure Maple Syrup and I’m thinking they would make the perfect stocking stuffers this year!

View More: https://eveswishphotography.pass.us/putnam

I’m pretty sure that this Ā Downton Abbey Stocking from The French Elements would help in my quest to stay patient as we wait for the next season to premiere here in the states!

downton abbey stocking

 

A certain little girl in our home will be receiving the American Girl Doll of the Year IsabelleĀ and I promise it isn’t just because she said I sound exactly like Julie Andrews. šŸ˜‰ She is the ‘Girl of the Year’ so I know she will be cherished since come January 1 she will be no longer available.

Isabelle

I have several….ahem…older-ish folks in my life who seem to be always losing their glasses (usually they are on their heads!) so I think thisĀ Spectacles Necklace from Ambivalent Relics would be such a fun/funny gift.

spectacles necklace

I got thisĀ Chillsner from Uncommon Goods for my husband last year for Christmas and at first he was skeptical but all it took was a beer staying nice and cold until it was all gone to win him over.

chillsner

I don’t know about you but I still go the old-school route and have physical calendars in our home and I just love thisĀ Photo Calendar from Photographs by KLP so much!

calendar

 

I was explaining to my kids the other day that I learned to type on a typewriter instead of a computer and they looked at me like I was about 200 years old so I’m thinking one of theseĀ Typewriter Key Bracelets from Junxtaposition might be just the thing to help me recover from their insults. šŸ˜‰

bracelets2-359x460

If I was decorating a nursery right now, the colors in this Child’s Deer and Butterfly Monogram Pillow Cover Set from LaRae BoutiqueĀ would be exactly the palette I would choose! So beautiful, soothing and sweet.

deer pillow from LaRae boutique

 

A certain friend of mine has a little boy who adores all things construction and since I absolutely adore him I couldn’t resist ordering theseĀ Construction Utensils from Uncommon Goods!

construction utensils

 

 

TheseĀ Cowgirl Boot Earrings from Bel Monili totally remind me of the year when my daughter was a cowgirl for Halloween. She NEVER wanted to take off those boots!

cowgirl boot earrings

 

My son is a total techie kid who spends his own money to buy electronics at Goodwill simply so that he can take them apart and study the insides. I kid you not that there is a section of our garage covered in motherboards. He’s been begging me for a ‘real’ camera, not a kids camera, so that we could do some photography sessions together. So when I saw thisĀ DIY Digital Camera KitĀ I KNEW it was the perfect thing for my boy. A camera that he can put together himself and see exactly how it all works!

camera

 

So, there you have it. Those are just a few of my favorite things this year.

What about you? Do you have some favorite things on your list this year?

For more great ideas head over to 320 SycamoreĀ Ā and have fun working your way through all of the amazing selections from the other ladies. I’m heading over to visit Amy at The Idea RoomĀ Ā and I can’t wait to see her ‘Favorites’!

Now, you’ll have to excuse me because there is a little girl waiting upstairs for me to come sing to her. Bless her little tone deaf heart! šŸ˜‰

Vanessa signature

13 Comments Filed Under: Christmas, Good Ideas, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas gifts

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Comments

  1. Iryna says

    November 19, 2014 at 6:01 AM

    Oooh, these are great ideas. Consider an Arduino board for your son and introduce him to Scratch (easy animation making software from MIT). šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Catherine says

    November 19, 2014 at 7:37 AM

    Fun picks Vanessa—especially LUV those pillows!
    Catherine

    Reply
  3. Anna says

    November 19, 2014 at 8:28 AM

    So many fun things! I can’t decide which one is my favorite. šŸ™‚

    Anna

    Reply
  4. Jessica says

    November 19, 2014 at 12:59 PM

    My favorites? Typewriter key bracelets and the photo calendars! Love them. Beautiful list!

    Reply
  5. Laura Putnam says

    November 19, 2014 at 5:23 PM

    Thank you sweet friends! I so appreciate your support!!!!!!

    Reply
  6. Ashley @ Cherished Bliss says

    November 19, 2014 at 7:40 PM

    So many great things ladies!! I would love some of that maple syrup! : )

    Reply
  7. Barb says

    November 19, 2014 at 9:19 PM

    So many goodies. Thank you for including my Downton Abbey stocking. We are overseas right now so it started my day off in a very merry way!

    hugs,
    Barb

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:16 AM

    Thank you for including my pillows in this beautiful collection!

    Reply
  9. Randi - Dukes and Duchesses says

    November 20, 2014 at 8:15 AM

    So many great gift idea suggestions! Love them all!

    Reply
  10. Megan says

    November 20, 2014 at 8:21 AM

    I’m always on the hunt for unique gift ideas for people. These are all wonderful options! Thanks for the suggestions!

    Reply
  11. taryn @ Design, Dining and Diapers says

    November 20, 2014 at 11:57 PM

    Oh I love that photo calendar and those pillows! Great picks!

    Reply
  12. melissa320sycamore says

    November 24, 2014 at 8:39 AM

    What great finds, Vanessa! I so miss buying American Girl for my girls, I still love looking at the catalog šŸ™‚ Happy Thanksiving!

    Reply
  13. jeanne / juNxtaposition says

    December 2, 2014 at 8:29 PM

    aww… you make me blush !! thanks for the share – so wonderful !!! (and you KNOW you are one of our favorite blogs !!)

    Reply

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Front door wreath….āœ”ļø The very last Christmas dec Front door wreath….āœ”ļø

The very last Christmas decorating to be completed and one of the most important since there’s nothing I love more than welcoming people into our home this season.

I bought the wreath for $15 from a wonderful local vendor, reused my favorite bells and added a velvet bow in the color I’m carrying throughout the house this year.

Do you buy a fresh wreath each year or do you use a faux wreath on your front door? 

#frontdoorwreath #christmaswreath #christmasporch
The first day of December and the first Sunday of The first day of December and the first Sunday of advent. As we enter into a month that can be filled with stress, anxiety, worry and even sadness, let us turn our hearts towards the ONE who came as the ultimate, undeserved gift. Because it’s all about Him. 

ā€œWho can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.ā€ (Corrie Ten Boom)
ā€œI would maintain that thanks are the highest form ā€œI would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.ā€ ~ G.K. Chesterton

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours dear friends! šŸ‚
Its that time of year again. I share this recipe e Its that time of year again. I share this recipe every November because it’s JUST.THAT.GOOD! 

And I have a confession ...I’d rather have cranberry sauce smothering the turkey on my plate than gravy any day!! And this, this right here? Well it’s the best (and easiest!) cranberry sauce ever!! I eat on crackers and sandwiches and sometimes just by the spoonful. It’s so yummy! And I’m just so very thankful for all of you that I’m going to leave the recipe right here instead of making you go to the blog to get it. I promise you won’t regret having this on your Thanksgiving menu but be warned...you may find yourself up in the middle of the night sneaking some helpings of this deliciousness. Or maybe that’s just me!

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white wine.

Instructions:
Wash and pick over berries, removing any that are soft. Peel and dice oranges removing any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until cranberries pop open and mixture is thickening.
For best flavor, prepare and let stand for several days before using.

Gobble, gobble!! 🦃
It’s that time of year again!! Chex Mix will be ma It’s that time of year again!! Chex Mix will be made on repeat for the next month and I’ve figured out the secret to getting the BEST flavor.

Want to know what it is? It’s all about being EXTRA! 

Take the base recipe up a notch by using a full stick of butter, extra tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and an extra 1/2 tablespoon of Lawry’s seasoning salt.

I guarantee you’ll never go back!

You’re welcome. šŸ˜‰šŸŽ„

#chexmix #chexmixupgrade
Happy Friday!! I limped my way to the end of the w Happy Friday!! I limped my way to the end of the week and I’m feeling especially grateful for the twinkling lights around my home which give me so much joy.

The great debate on social media over whether or not Christmas decorations should appear before Thanksgiving is one I just let roll on past me. Because I am so unbelievably thankful for this life, my family, my friends, this country, this home and most of all my Savior. 

Having my home all ready to welcome the next sacred season doesn’t take away one iota from my ability to express gratitude on the official day set aside each year where we do that collectively.

And when the last slice of turkey has been eaten and all of the leftovers put away, I’ll be over here ready to be fully present in the month of December and soak up every bit of it! šŸ¦ƒšŸŽ„
IKEA vs Heirlooms: Why we need family treasures ā€œ IKEA vs Heirlooms: Why we need family treasures

ā€œMy children have grown up seeing antique books on a coffee table, vintage toys in their bedrooms and even pieces of furniture that were all passed down from one generation to the next. But as my nest gets closer and closer to being empty, I’m keenly aware of the fact that many of these cherished items might not be as welcome in the homes of future generations.ā€

*Read the rest over at @cleartruthmedia*
All of my CTM articles are saved in my highlights
Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked it better when I just talked about decorating and didn’t mention anything else. This person preferred me to keep any opinions or convictions to myself and just focus only on content about home decor, crafts and recipes. Aside from the fact that I’m always astonished that people feel so free to say things like that, I do agree that it would be a lot easier and more palatable if I didn’t talk about things like a Biblical Worldview, apologetics and the nature of reality itself. For one thing, Instagram wouldn’t throttle my account with its algorithms that are skewed to diminish voices like mine. It would be much easier to be so tethered to this app that I change everything I post to fit into its preferred framework. I would be asked to be part of influencer groups and activities like I was years ago. But I’m not that person anymore. Yes, the core of this community will always be an emphasis on homemaking which will include decorating and recipes but I can’t separate that from the core of who I am as a follower of Jesus Christ.

It would be so much easier for me to just show you the latest Amazon products I’ve bought and tell you to ā€œcommentā€ to get the links. But I’m not called to take the easy path. Matthew 7:13-14 says, ā€œEnter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.ā€

I truly believe that so many have been lulled into thinking that the narrow gate wasn’t really all that narrow. But, it’s never been more obvious that it really is. And every day I seek to stay on that very narrow way.  More than ever before, I believe that our world needs to know that there is objective truth and a solid foundation to stand upon as we navigate our lives. My role as a homemaker is predicated on that foundation and everything else flows out of it. Talking about these things isn’t going to get me lots of views here. 

But I live for an audience of ONE.
The first time we hosted my in-laws for a meal was The first time we hosted my in-laws for a meal was in 1998. I was a new bride and eager to impress them. It did not go well. Let’s just say there was a bit of a garbage disposal mishap. 

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The peace we long for in our home begins with our hearts. If you want your home to feel more peaceful during the upcoming holiday season, I have five things to consider that will make that not only possible but predictable.

✨ Read the full article over at @club31women ✨

#club31women #wearethehomemakers
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As our feeds are filled with so.much.stuff, I want to offer you a reprieve. A place where you will find less emphasis on what’s happening in our homes and more on what’s happening in our hearts.

More than ever before, I can see just how much people are needing the hope found in Christ and that will always be the focus here. 

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#wearethehomemakers #homemaking #homemakerschristmas #club31women
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