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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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May 6, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No. 14

It’s the week of Inspiration Friday #14 and it’s Derby Week!  Since Heather is a Kentuckian, we couldn’t let the week get away without a nod to this most famous of horse races…The Kentucky Derby!  It is so fun to live in the state of Kentucky during Derby Time! The Hot Brown is a very famous local sandwich originally created in Louisville, the home of the Kentucky Derby. Here’s a little history of this fabulous sandwich: 

“Chef Fred K. Schmidt at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, created The Hot Brown sandwich in 1926. In the 1920s, the Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. The band would play until late, and when the band took bread, around midnight; people would retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Bored with the traditional ham and eggs, Chef Schmidt, delighted his guests by creating the Hot Brown.”


It was to my delight when I opened my Southern Living Magazine and saw their tribute to The Hot Brown..and their adaption of the sandwich..Kentucky Hot Brown Tart.  I couldn’t wait to make this to celebrate the Kentucky Derby!

It was beyond fabulous and an elegant way to share the famous and unique flavors of The Hot Brown Sandwich.  



It smelled so fabulous while it was baking, and tasted even better!  Wish you all could join me for a piece of tart, a mint julep and to watch the “fastest two minutes in sports!”



You can print off the recipe and celebrate the Kentucky Derby in style with this Hot Brown Tart!

This recipe has been shared at:

Quit Eating Out: Saturday Swap
Designs by Gollum: Foodie Friday

~~~



And now onto this week’s Inspiration Friday Features!

 
Lisa from House Dressing shared with us this great tutorial on how you can make your own Restoration Hardware inspired pillows! 



You can read more about how Lisa made these fabulous Restoration Hardware Knock Off Pillows at House Dressing: Restoration Hardware Salvaged Tarp Pillow

~~~
Up next we have two different kitchen remodels…can you tell Heather’s on a kitchen kick?

We have featured Rachel from Low Country Living, and some of her fabulous remodeling projects from their first home, but we couldn’t resist sharing her latest project with you.  They recently moved and this was the kitchen they inherited…




Rachel has been featuring the ongoing remodeling of the kitchen as well as step by step tutorials, including some from her very talented husband.  Here is where they are right now…



Head over to visit Rachel and her incredibly talented husband to see previous posts on their project as well as step by step tutorials! 


We gals were so excited when we saw the next project that was shared last week at Inspiration Friday.  We have often wondered if we had any gentleman friends here at the fence..and now we know we do!  Mikey at Shabby French Cottage shared his fabulous French Farm Kitchen Remodel.  Not only is it beyond beautiful it was created on a very limited budget!

We invite you to visit Mikey’s French Farm Kitchen Project to see many more incredible photographs as well as a cost break down!  We think you will be as amazed as we were!



Now, you know that we normally tend towards featuring folks who are newer to our blogging community. But we just couldn’t resist sharing this next one!  We wanted to end our features on a playful note..by sharing Michell from Girl in Air’s Vintage Toy Phone Booth she created for her children!  


So adorable!
Michell has a fabulous blog with incredible projects and a warm heart! If you have never been over to Girl In Air, than we invite you to pay Michell a visit!
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.)

Thank you so much for joining us for Inspiration Friday 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
Our beautiful friend Alison from Stuff and Nonsense
Stuff and Nonsense

And the gracious Debra from Common Ground

vif187

 
 
  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! 

Today’s Inspiration Friday is sponsored by

our At The Picket Fence May Etsy Shop!
If you are interested in being a featured Etsy shop of the month please contact us!

33 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Comments

  1. Little Brick Ranch says

    May 5, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    Thanks for hosting, ladies!! I linked up my Raspberry bars and FINALLY painted the coffee table! Great features this week…I am off to check out that kitchen AND your tart!

    Reply
  2. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    May 5, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    That recipe looks yummy and what great features. Love Mikey’s kitchen. Thanks for hosting, girls.

    Reply
  3. Richella says

    May 5, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    I’m excited to be joining you this week. It’s about time I got a little more done around the house. Most of my time lately has been spent caring for my husband in the midst of his heart surgery, but I did get a couple of little things done this week.

    I LOVE Hot Brown! We usually make it Thanksgiving weekend using leftover turkey. And I ordered it at a restaurant in Lexington once. I stayed in Louisville for several days once, but didn’t get to do any fun restaurants there. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  4. The "Boutique" Girls says

    May 5, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Here we our again!! Thank for the party:) We love you Gals!!

    Reply
  5. Summerland Cottage Studio says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    Thank you for hosting and sharing all the inspiration !

    Reply
  6. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    What an awesome kitchen! Great features girls..thanks for hosting.

    Reply
  7. Debra@Common Ground says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:08 PM

    H Girls!! oh that tart looks so yummy. I’ve always loved the Derby, thanks for hosting, xo Debra

    Reply
  8. Michell @ Girl In Air says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    OMG! Seriously! Thank you so much for the wonderful write up! That was so wonderful to pop by and see myself featured!!

    I do feel new to blogging….a little over a year ago I didn’t even know what a blog was….crazy how much my blog has grown…

    Thank you so much for sharing with your readers!

    Reply
  9. Vivienne @ the V Spot says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    Great features! Thanks for hosting each week. 🙂

    Reply
  10. housedressingblog.blogspot.com says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    Oh My Golly Gosh! I can’t believe I was featured! I came to check out the Derby stuff and BAM (a la Emril Lagasse) there I am!
    Back to the Derby stuff… I’m going to a Derby Party on Saturday compleat with Juleps and Wagering, any hot tips?
    Thanks again for the Shout-Out!

    Reply
  11. Sara says

    May 5, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    I’ve been drooling over that French kitchen makeover for a few weeks now… sooo inspiring. I’m nearly ready to pull my upper cabinets down – if I could just figure out what to do about the dust…

    Thanks for the party!

    Sara
    http://www.TheOtherEndOfTheCandle.blogspot.com

    Reply
  12. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    May 5, 2011 at 11:48 PM

    Thanks for hosting ladies and Heather that tart looks delish!! Martina

    Reply
  13. Ann from On Sutton Place says

    May 6, 2011 at 12:10 AM

    As always thanks for hosting. I hope you both have a spectacular Mother’s Day! ~Ann

    Reply
  14. Trisha says

    May 6, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    That kitchen redo is AMAZING!!
    Thanks for hosting 🙂

    Reply
  15. ButterYum says

    May 6, 2011 at 2:42 AM

    Stunning kitchen makeover. AS for the tart – I must have it in my life. Thanks so much for sharing it.

    🙂
    ButterYum

    Reply
  16. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    May 5, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    All linked up!! Thanks for hosting ladies! 🙂

    Reply
  17. laxsupermom says

    May 6, 2011 at 11:55 AM

    Great features! I especially love the vintage phone booth. How fun! Thanks for sharing and for hosting this party each week.

    Reply
  18. Debbie says

    May 6, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Just once I would like to go to a Derby Party. I would suck it up and host one myself, but I think I’m the only one of my friends who would like it.

    In other news… I love Mikey’s kitchen.

    Reply
  19. Poppy says

    May 6, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    I’m your newest follower and linking up for the first time. Love those kitchen makeovers, especially the French inspired kitchen…. and the tart looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing these great features and hosting the party.~Poppy

    https://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  20. Life in Rehab says

    May 6, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    Holy oversight, Batman, I wasn’t already following you guys! Now how would I have otherwise gotten that Hot Brown recipe?

    Reply
  21. Laurel says

    May 6, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    All linked up again…thanks for hosting such a fun party 🙂 Laurel@chippingwithcharm

    Reply
  22. kara@elements-interiors.net says

    May 6, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Hey sweet girlfriends! Im sorry I havent been around AT ALL the last few weeks…im still fighting these Shingles! And now if caught a headcold!
    Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

    I linked up a post in honor of MOMS…

    Thank you for always throwin a good party!

    xoxokara

    Reply
  23. Kim @ Quit Eating Out {Soon to Become Recipes To Run On} says

    May 6, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    Thanks for linking to Saturday Swap. I cannot believe this recipe…. it sounds so good! A hot brown in a TART? Yum. Great idea. Have a super weekend!!!

    Reply
  24. Christina {The Tattered Tag} says

    May 6, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    Happy Friday Ladies~

    Great features this week, lots of wonderful inspiration! Thanks bunches for hosting another great link party. Happy to be a new follower of your lovely blog. 🙂

    Drop By The Tattered Tag

    Reply
  25. Jane says

    May 7, 2011 at 1:23 AM

    Hello,
    I added my Mini Cheesecakes. Thanks for hosting and have a great weekend!

    Reply
  26. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    May 7, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    Oooh, I do like the things you’ve featured this week. Those cushions are adorable…but I think you’d call them pillows. Am I right? See, is my American improving, or what?!!!

    Sarahx

    Reply
  27. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    May 7, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    Hi there girls~ just stopping back to say thanks so much for sharing this at my party this week! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    May 8, 2011 at 2:46 AM

    Linking up late… I hope you two ladies have a wonderful Mother’s Day! Thanks for hosting another great Inspiration Friday party!

    Reply
  29. Kadie says

    May 10, 2011 at 4:26 AM

    I just wanted to say thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment at my blog. I know I was a late link up. But I am so happy that I found your party!!! Thanks for hosting.

    Kadie @ Seven Alive

    Reply
  30. Jill says

    May 10, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    Thanks so much for stopping by ‘Just Dream, Jelly Bean’ and taking the time out to feature my lil ole hairpins on your facebook page! Awesome! Glad they brought back some good memories for you and your sis…
    🙂
    Have a beautiful week
    ~ Jill

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. And then she rested...... - You Are Talking Too Much says:
    November 17, 2012 at 5:44 AM

    […] I’m linking up to:https://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/05/inspiration-friday-party-no-14.htmlhttps://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/05/furniture-feature-friday-favorites.htmlhttps://shabbynest.blogspot.com/ (Friday Party)https://www.houseofhepworths.com/ […]

    Reply
  2. In honor of my thighs - You Are Talking Too Much says:
    November 17, 2012 at 5:48 AM

    […] I’m linking up to:https://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/05/inspiration-friday-party-no-14.htmlhttps://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ […]

    Reply
  3. Mini Cheesecakes | Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms says:
    November 30, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    […] Inspiration Friday […]

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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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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.

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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.

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