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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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December 9, 2011

Holiday Dining at Vanessa’s House and a winner!

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Before I share my Dining Room with you we need to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway for these gorgeous Burlap Stockings! (Giveaway for Blogger Block Party still going on!)
  from
The winner is:
Kathy from A Delightsome Life!
Congratulations!
We will put you in contact with Judy so that you can add these to your Christmas Collection.
Now, are you up for seeing another Dining Room today?
 I only wish we could go so quickly from Heather’s house to my house in real life! One of the best parts about us blogging together is that we actually get to see each other’s homes all decorated for Christmas since we so rarely get the chance to see them (or each other!) in person.
This has truly been one incredible week so far in Blogland and it’s not even over yet! Whew!
You are one talented group and I cannot believe the eye candy I have seen in the last few days.
I know we will see lots more still and I’m excited to share a little bit of my own creations this afternoon.
Welcome to my Dining Room at Christmas!

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Now, Heather had her Dining Room table all set and ready to welcome guests, but I had to leave my table with some free space since it will soon be filled with every kind of cookie you could imagine.
Each year I host a Cookie Exchange for the gals in our Community Group at church and that will be taking place this Sunday. The hubbies are very encouraging of their wives attending this event!
We also hosted a neighborhood Open House last weekend and I got my 
centerpiece done just in the nick of time!

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The only thing I had planned ahead of time was to have these pots of paper whites on the table. 
Other than that I was just kinda winging it!
They are slowly but surely growing and I hope by Christmas to see some actual blooms.
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Bunched up sage green burlap creates the perfect foundation to build the arrangement.
I filled a large apothecary jar with pine cones and then added the berry branches for a pop of color.

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I’ve used these for years in a variety of places and I love the sheen the berries have. 
They look fantastic when they pick up the light at night!

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These Candle Holders were such a fun and inexpensive project and are based on some I saw at Tuesday Morning (for about 3 times the cost!). I’ll be showing you how I made them next Wednesday when Heather and I share a Guest Post over at Lisa’s from Before Meets After! 

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With the berry branches all around I was a bit nervous placing candles on top of the holders. So I used these Battery Operated ones from Target and I still can’t get over how realistic they look!
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Of course, I had to have the real deal too so I placed these low pillar candles on top of 2 of my small Spode 
 “Winter’s Eve” plates. I love this pattern and I’m constantly on the lookout for more!

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Here’s another peek at my Citrus and Evergreen centerpiece on my side table as well as my homemade boxwood wreath. I’m definitely going to be keeping that up on into the New Year!
The windows were dressed with Cranberry wreaths and I love the pop of color they bring to the room.
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So, there you have it! My dining room at Christmas.

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Should I save you some cookies? 
Be sure and come back in the morning with Heather will be revealing her remodeled Kitchen all dressed up for Christmas and you will get the chance to share from the Heart of your Home too by linking up to her Christmas in the Kitchen Party!
And, don’t forget, my Doors and Porches party is going strong and there is still plenty of time to join in the fun along with all of the other amazing parties happening as we speak!
Including this one:
Thanks so much for stopping by the Fence today,

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22 Comments Filed Under: Decorating

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debra @ Common Ground says

    December 8, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Just gorgeous! I love those wonderful plaid drapes!! xoxo

    Reply
  2. Debbiedoo's blogging and blabbing says

    December 8, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    Looks so beautiful and festive in your neck of the woods!

    Reply
  3. Honey at 2805 says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    What a delight it would be to dine at either your home or Heather’s!

    Reply
  4. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:04 AM

    You and Heather have added such festive touches to your dining rooms! What a treat for your family and friends. (Was last weekend’s Open House the Sally List project you wanted to do? Just curious…)

    Reply
  5. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:15 AM

    Congrats to Kathy! It’s very lovely and I’d never know you were winging it, Vanessa! : ) I love how everything flows together.

    Reply
  6. Betsy@ coastal-colors says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:17 AM

    Your dining room is lovely! I love the natural elements you combined in to your decor! The fresh greenery must smell so wonderful! It’s has such a casual elegance about it all!

    Reply
  7. Judy says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    Your home looks gorgeous all decorated for the holidays. I love the idea of a cookie exchange. It’s so nice to get to tour both of your dining rooms.

    Reply
  8. Jann Olson says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:10 AM

    Very pretty Vanessa. Love the berry branches. Also love all of the natural greens. Your paperwhites will bloom before you know it. They grow so dog gone fast. Mine have buds and are just about to open. Can’t wait. My red amaryllis burst forth with a beautiful red bloom yesterday.

    Reply
  9. Tanya@takesix says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:58 AM

    Vanessa, your diningroom is beautiful and looks so festive!! I love your berry branches and your gorgeous red transferware!

    Reply
  10. Lakeshore Cottage Living says

    December 9, 2011 at 3:10 AM

    Oh how I love your blue dishes in your cabinet. Everything is so beautiful…oh and did you say COOKIES? mmmmm. that sounds like fun!

    Reply
  11. Sue says

    December 9, 2011 at 3:28 AM

    You and Heather both have such beautiful homes! So warm and inviting.

    Reply
  12. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    December 9, 2011 at 3:38 AM

    I would love a cookie right about now Vanessa LOL!! Your dining room looks beautiful and I love the centerpiece you created for your table! You girls are the best for hosting this fun week long party! Martina

    Reply
  13. Crimson Heart Studios says

    December 9, 2011 at 4:42 AM

    How fun, I would love to do this with my sister. Come over to my blog. I have a vintage garland tutorial and giveaway. Thanks, Cindy

    Reply
  14. https://findingsecrettreasures.blogspot.com says

    December 9, 2011 at 6:47 AM

    Your dining room looks wonderful! I love the candlesticks, and all the cranberries!

    Reply
  15. Betty Sneeringer says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    I like the naturalness of your table. Hope your paperwhites perform just on time. Mine are about to bloom but are up about two feet tall – didn’t want them that tall! Had to put a ribbon around them already.

    Reply
  16. Wendy @HerBallistic Garden says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:12 PM

    It’s all so pretty, but I like the chippy split candlesticks best! Very cool!

    xo

    Reply
  17. Crafty Mischief says

    December 9, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    Wow! Beautiful!

    Reply
  18. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:11 PM

    Hi Vanessa, The candlesticks are so cute! I am looking forward to seeing how you made them. Thank you for sharing your beautiful dining room at my party.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    Reply
  19. Angela says

    December 10, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    Visited the sponsors for another chance to win. It would be so hard to choose, but I like the the numbered napkins at Cottage in the Oaks and the wool headbands at Curly Willow Collections.

    Reply
  20. Debbie says

    December 10, 2011 at 12:55 AM

    I wish I could come to the cookie exchange, sounds like fun and your home is so beautiful and inviting…those candle sticks look great!
    Debbie

    Reply
  21. adventuresindinner says

    December 9, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    What gorgeous ideas, thanks so much for hosting this fun party. The whole week has been a total treat.

    Reply
  22. Becca says

    December 10, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    Let’s see … where do I start? The fabulous centerpiece with the perfect addition of burlap … the traditional and beautiful cranberry wreaths on the windwo … the gorgeous handcrafted candles … the fruit tucked in the vase on the sideboard? It’s all stunning, Vanessa! I wanna come to the cookie exchange!

    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….
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…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. 🌿
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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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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.

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