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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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  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

April 14, 2011

Inspiration Friday No. 11

Welcome one and all to Party Central!
You are in for a treat this weekend because we are offering you a “Two-fer”.
As always, we are thrilled to have you join us for

Where we welcome you to Inspire and Be Inspired, by linking up all of your fabulous DIY projects, crafts, home decor, recipes, and life experiences.
And we are kicking things off a little bit earlier this week because….

 We are excited to be bringing you another installment of

We know you have been on pins and needles just waiting for the next Sister Saturday!
Right?
cricket….cricket…cricket…
Well, you are getting it anyway!
And this time, we want you to link up all of your fantastic Easter/Spring Inspiration.
So, be sure to come back THIS Saturday and share your talented selves with us.
We have some fun in store for you too as we share how we knocked-off were so inspired by some previous Easter Inspiration that we made our own versions of your ideas!
Now, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Just so you know, from the moment the Inspiration Friday party starts on Thursday all the way through Sunday, the number of phone calls and texts flying back and forth between us is astounding. We actually sit on the phone with each other and say things like this,
“Oh my goodness, did you see #such and such??!! That is incredible!”
“I know! What about the one so and so did? I’m totally gonna try it myself!”
“How do people come up with these amazing ideas?”
“Seriously!”
And then our husband’s say…
“Will we ever be allowed to use the computer again?”
To which we reply,
“Nope!”
Somehow, we do manage to calm down and actually pick out folks to Feature.
So here goes!


Andrea from Life.Love.Larson  shared with us these darling No Sew Napkin Pillows

This is one that Heather said she wants to try.
No sewing! We love it!
Hop over and pay Andrea a visit to her blog. Life.Love.Larson

Burlap!  It’s all the craze right now in the blogosphere and we’ve been seeing some pretty amazing burlap projects here at Inspiration Friday.  We thought this one from Debbie at
reFresh reStyle was a beautiful use of this humble material. 


This is a lovely painting, but Debbie was hoping for a new look.
So she took it from this…



To this!  Talk about your inspirational recycling!


We want to invite you over to see more of this fabulous burlap project from Debbie as well as her beautiful pictures!  
This next one about knocked Vanessa out of her chair!
Audrey  from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats shared this beyond darling Vintage Schoolhouse Themed Birthday Party.

 Yep, you gotta see it to believe it!  We hope the few pictures we’ve shown will prompt you to get your tail over to Sweet Cheek’s Tasty Treats and see
Harper’s Vintage Schoolhouse Party.  

And finally after all of the hard work y’all spend on your beautiful, inspirational posts we decided you deserved a special treat!  Katie from Everything Reconsidered  shared this fabulous Chocolate Zucchini Cake with us…and guess what, it’s gluten free!
 Isn’t it amazing that these..


Can be made into this..


Ignore the missing pieces…we had to give it a taste test before we shared it with our friends at the fence..and we both declare Katie’s cake fabulous! Visit Katie to get the recipe to her Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

Now, don’t forget to grab your Featured At Button if you were featured at today’s party or during the week as a Facebook Feature! We have started featuring several links during the week on our Facebook page, so make sure you join us over there to see if you are featured! (did we say the word feature enough?? grin.)

Thanks for joining us at the fence!

When you are done linking up head over and party with the other “Friday Party Friends“:

The lovely Courtney at French Country Cottage

                        

And our beautiful friend Alison from Stuff and Nonsense

Stuff and Nonsense


Now all ya PARTY PEOPLE it’s time to link on up…here’s the rules!

  •  Friend At The Picket Fence in some capacity
  • Link Up any post you’ve written that has Inspired You and will Inspire Others-it can be a home improvement project, craft, recipe, story, devotional…if it inspires link it up!

  • Be sure to link back to your original post and not just your url (main blog address)

  • Please post our button (code in the sidebar) or a text link on your blog so others can join in the fun! (MANDATORY)
  • Visit another guest Please try and visit at least the link directly above and below you!  We are trying so hard between writing posts, homeschooling, and taking care of our families..grin..to visit everyone’s posts. Sometimes we miss one and for that we apologize.  It makes us feed good knowing others are visiting people as well!  Thank you..it truly means a lot to us! 
And make sure to come back to the fence Saturday Morning for



with all of your fabulous Easter Posts..the party will be going on all week At The Picket Fence!


Link Up!!

25 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Next Post: It’s Sister Saturday and An Easter Link Up! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vivienne @ the V Spot says

    April 14, 2011 at 8:51 PM

    Thank you for hosting the party. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    April 14, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    Hi ladies! Thank you so much for hosting this fun party and for all the inspiration.
    Hugs,
    Sherry
    ps: Vanessa did you get my email about Shabby Apple>

    Reply
  3. reFresh reStyle says

    April 14, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    Thanks for mentioning me and my burlap on Inspiration Friday!! You guys are the best! I always look forward to Inspiration Friday~everyone’s projects are so inspiring!
    Sincerely,
    Debbie

    Reply
  4. Michell @ Girl In Air says

    April 14, 2011 at 9:29 PM

    Hey Ladies!!

    I love the features this week…I can’t wait to go check them out….

    I linked up…thanks so much for hosting each week!

    Reply
  5. Katie says

    April 14, 2011 at 9:38 PM

    Great features this week! I love them all!! Thanks for hosting ladies!

    Reply
  6. Audrey @ Sweet Cheeks says

    April 14, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    Ahhhh! Thank you SO much for liking Harper’s Vintage Schoolhouse Party enough to feature it!!! So cool to see it here 😉

    Reply
  7. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    April 15, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    Thanks for hosting ladies! LOve all the inspiration I see.

    Reply
  8. Lounging with a Latte says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    Thanks for providing this avenue to find so many inspirational people in one spot. Keep it up, it’s great viewing.

    Reply
  9. Sue says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:25 AM

    It’s always fun to see what everyone is doing! So glad you girls host this. Kinda wish everyone did more visiting and commenting; but I guess that is the nature of the beast. Hope both of you are getting gorgeous spring weather. It was beautiful here today! 🙂 hugs, Sue

    Reply
  10. Cheryl~ZanyMayd says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:41 AM

    My first time here, So Happy to be joining in, I think I came from one of the other Blog Parties, the hours have passed, so not quite sure… Love Your Blog, Looks like Lots of Fun!
    Cheryl

    Reply
  11. Debbie says

    April 15, 2011 at 2:10 AM

    The featured ones are great. I hope to be able to venture about a bit over the weekend and get inspired. I was actually hoping to link up with the vignette that lived in my head inspired from the 1000 Gifts books. Too bad the vignette on the table never became the one in the head.

    It’s so difficult being me…

    I was wondering about Sister Saturday and when you were going to do the next one!

    Reply
  12. alison says

    April 15, 2011 at 2:17 AM

    oh boy…i’m so late getting my linky up this week…too much life going on! and hey…we only had one feature in common this time!

    blessings,

    alison

    Reply
  13. Stephanie says

    April 15, 2011 at 2:58 AM

    Hi Ladies! Thanks for hosting – I’m a new follower and excited to join up. That schoolhouse party is crazy cool and I love that zucchini recipe!

    -Stephanie
    henry  happened

    Reply
  14. Sue says

    April 15, 2011 at 4:09 AM

    So many great features! Love the vintage schoolhouse party!

    Reply
  15. Lynn Richards says

    April 15, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    Thanks so much Heather and Vanessa!! I’m looking forward to getting back into my regular Friday routine!
    xo
    lynn

    Reply
  16. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    April 15, 2011 at 2:43 AM

    Hi there ladies~ What great features this week and zucchini chocolate cake…oh my!!! Sounds delicious!! Thanks for hosting!! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    April 15, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    I know a version of that cake as Courgette cake….That name is SOOOO much more glam!

    Thank you SO much for hosting. Your blog always makes me LONG for a sister of my own ( in a nice way!).

    Sarahx

    Reply
  18. Kristin says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Happy Friday Girls…
    No crafting, baking or decorating for me. Just encouragement and inspiration on my heart.
    Thanks so much for hosting a lovely linky. Have a beautiful weekend!
    Love, Kristin

    Reply
  19. Curtains In My Tree says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:38 PM

    I linked up and i think it’s the first time I am checking out every lady

    Reply
  20. Bonnie says

    April 15, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    Love this site. Just stumbled upon it. I have linked up my snowman hat because we all need to get a jump on next winter, right? I’ll following!!!

    Reply
  21. Patricia Torres says

    April 15, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Thanks for hosting this lovely party.. I’ve linked in this week.. I’m now off to check out the fab inspirations you’ve mentioned.. 🙂

    Reply
  22. Christie says

    April 15, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    FIRST! Vanessa, I received the sweetest thing! You will get a note from me, but wanted you to know I received it and that you are so kind! The tears came and my husband, once again, looked at me like I was crazy! Look for my note! LOVE these ideas, especially the vintage school house party! I am throwing (way late!) a paper doll vintage party for my daughter and this gave me some great ideas! Will pop over and tell her! Shamefully, I haven’t done much with decor for Easter! Will try to throw it together! Love to you girls and blessings this Easter to your families!

    Reply
  23. A Vintage Vine says

    April 15, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Thanks for hosting the party!! Love your features!

    Reply
  24. Katie Jones says

    April 16, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Thanks so much for the feature!!!! I was in Vegas for work all week and was super excited to come home and see that you my recipe was featured on Inspiration Friday 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend.

    Katie

    Reply
  25. At The Picket Fence says

    April 16, 2011 at 4:15 PM

    @Debbie-Wanted to post this on here for others to see. The next Sister Saturday after this week’s Easter Edition will be the 4th of July! So get those patriotic posts ready..ok so you’ve got a little time left. 😉

    Heather

    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. 🌿
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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.

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