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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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    • Featured

May 21, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No. 16!


Welcome! Notice anything different about the Fence this week?

 I (Vanessa) had to highjack this post for a bit to let you know that I had absolutely NOTHING to do with the fantastic facelift our little ol’ blog received. All of the credit goes to my incredibly talented sister Heather!
Ok, so technically I did have SOMETHING to do with it…I said a lot of things like,
“Oh my goodness!”
“I love it, love it, love it!”
“You totally rock!” 
“It looks gorgeous!”
“I would totally hire you to do this if we weren’t already blogging together!”
So, thank you sweet sister of mine!
And speaking of Heather, here is a little something she has been working on…
Ugh!  Is anyone as sick of the rain as we are around here?  I asked Bama Boy if he had moved us back to Seattle while I was sleeping cause our cloudy, rainy days here have reminded me so much of our weather when we were living there.  Don’t get me wrong I LOVE Seattle…just not the cloudy, drizzly days so much.  So this endless rain has prevented us from getting our garden planted.  We have four large raised beds and we are some gardening fools around here.  Bama Boy even makes his own pickles!  I know pretty impressive right?…sorry he’s taken ladies. 😉  Since planting has been put on hold and The Girl and I were craving to get our hands in some dirt, we decided we needed to go ahead and plant our annual herbs.  A few weeks ago I stumbled across this adorable wire basket thingy…literally stumbled.

It was smack in the middle of the aisle at Goodwill.  I think I bought it for a whopping budget busting $3.00, and had it sitting in the corner of the kitchen waiting for some inspiration on what to do with it.  Then as I was wandering through Ikea the other day I saw these

and an idea formed.  They would be perfect in the top basket of my wire basket thingy.  But, I knew they were too tall for the bottom two baskets so the hunt was on for two shallower galvanized buckets.  Lo and behold I found them at my newest obsession, Garden Ridge.

They were perfect! and cheap!  My favorite combination!  We headed off to Lowe’s (sheeh! They should pay me for as many times as I mention them in a post) and purchased several of our favorite herbs. And we got to planting.

So cute!  But it needed just a little something extra

Much Better!
And because of the wonderful handle we can leave  our herbs outside or inside

Now that’s a cute herb basket!…and one cute girl!

And now, onto the Inspiration Friday Features!
We were talking this week about how many amazing Paint Projects had been linked up at last week’s party. So, that has become the theme for this week’s Features. Let’s just say that we are Painting the Picket Fence today!
Every week Vivienne from The V-Spot links up the most amazing projects! And this one was no exception. Would you believe that these tissue paper pom-poms have been spray painted? Neither did we!

Aren’t those beautiful? We would have been too chicken to try this ourselves for fear of the paper falling apart. But not Vivienne! She went forth into unchartered territory so that we could all benefit from her courage with tissue paper. We thank you Vivienne!

Next up we have Kelsy from Trial and Style who linked up not one but TWO incredible paint projects.

 This gorgeous stencil treatment in their master bedroom.

And an amazing transformation of a laminate/mdf desk

This is one talented gal and you should definitely pay her a visit!
Our next paint project comes to us from Chris at Us and Them.
Would you believe those stripes are painted on?

Well, believe it! We are just loving the fabulous nautical vibe that was achieved here!
And finally we have Kadie from Seven Alive.
She took this everyday, run of the mill, hand-me-down TV tray
And transformed it into this darling Craft and Activity station for her kiddos!

Wouldn’t this be perfect for long car rides? Or any car ride actually!
Thank you to everyone who linked up last week despite the Great Blogger Freeze of 2011!
We certainly appreciate each and every one of you and can’t wait to see what you have been up to this week!

Please NOTE the NEW Inspiration Friday Buttons located in the sidebar with codes.  










Feel free to grab the NEW 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! 

This Inspiration Friday is sponsored by
 Don’t forget to enter our Etsy Giveaway still going on right now, where you could win one of La Famille At Home’s Numbered Burlap Pillows featured in the May edition of Country Living Magazine!!  How cool is that?!

43 Comments Filed Under: Giveaways, Inspiration Friday, Kids

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Happier Than a Pig in Mud says

    May 19, 2011 at 9:57 PM

    Cute herb planter! Thanks for hosting:@)

    Reply
  2. Chris says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    Thanks so much for featuring my painted curtains! Y’all rock! 🙂 Chris

    Reply
  3. Michell @ Girl In Air says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:08 PM

    Oh I’m so stealing that herb planter idea….I NEED one that can come inside on day’s it’s SNOWING…like today!!!!

    Those are some great features this week!! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  4. Vivienne @ the V Spot says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    I love that planter & stand! Genius! The new look of the blog is great and it was such a pleasant surprise to see my pom-poms had been featured along with the sweet note about them. Thanks and thanks for hosting each week!
    🙂

    Reply
  5. Katie says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    I LOVE the new blog look!! You did a fantastic job Heather!! I adore that plant stand too! I don’t know if I would have seen the potential! It is perfect! Thanks for hosting ladies!

    Reply
  6. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    LOVE the herb planter!! Thanks for hosting ladies, Martina

    Reply
  7. Sue says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    I really like what you did with the planter and the herb pots, Heather! I know what you mean about the soggy weather- the landscaper told me today that we should expect it for another week! Yikes,are we going into hot, humid weather and never have a spring? The new look is so fresh- great job on it. 🙂
    ~ Sue

    Reply
  8. Poppy says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    Love the new look to your blog and thanks for hosting and helping us share our creativity each week. And I love love love your galvanized tin herb planters… they will look splendid in any corner. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing all the inspiring features. ~Poppy

    https://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  9. elizabeth says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    Oh love, love, love the herb “garden”!!!! The new blog look is FABULOUS too!

    Reply
  10. Debra@Common Ground says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    LOVE your new bloggy look, great job!! and this tiered basket idea is really wonderful. I need to get some herbs out! Thanks for hosting, xoxo Debra

    Reply
  11. Lynn@ The Vintage Nest says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:16 PM

    That’s such a cute idea! And I love the little extra you gave it. I only planted two herbs this year…some sage and some basil. the basil is already going crazy and that’s good ’cause I love making pesto. Happy to have found your blog and am now following. ~~ Lynn @thevintagenest

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    Oh goodness, these are great this week! I would give them all two thumbs up if I had ten thumbs.

    Of course considering my ability level, I probably do…

    So ten thumbs up!

    These are all great. I love the herb basket. I haven’t even planted the first herb yet. I don’t know what’s up with me!

    Reply
  13. NanaDiana says

    May 20, 2011 at 12:18 AM

    Great new look for your blog! I love that wire planter thing and the little markers are the perfect finishing touch.

    Will check out some of your entries as I get time. Hugs-Diana

    Reply
  14. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    May 20, 2011 at 12:29 AM

    The blog looks great. Nice job on the header. Love those herb pots. I need to go to Garden Ridge for a pot or two. Love those handles. Thanks for hosting as always, girls.

    Reply
  15. laxsupermom says

    May 20, 2011 at 12:47 AM

    Love the new herb pots! They look terrific! Thanks for sharing and for hosting this party each week.

    Reply
  16. Anne Lorys - Fiona and Twig says

    May 20, 2011 at 12:52 AM

    I’m crazy about your herb planter!
    So happy to be linking with you this week!

    Hugs,
    Anne

    Reply
  17. Bringing Pretty Back says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:18 AM

    I am going to spend the rest of the evening looking at all of these amazing projects!
    Have a pretty day!
    Kristin

    Reply
  18. Little Brick Ranch says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:18 AM

    Hey Ladies – thanks for hosting!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the herb planter!! 🙂

    I linked up some super Kale Chips this week…I know, I know – they sound too healthy to be good…so wrong!! They are addictive and super delish!! I was skeptical but I am now a Kale convert

    Reply
  19. Kadie says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:24 AM

    I am so excited that you featured my little table!! Thank you,thank you! Your blog looks great and the herb basket is so fun. My herbs are already out of control. Time to start drying them. 🙂

    Reply
  20. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:32 AM

    Good evening Ladies! Thank you for hosting. Heather I love that idea. I had one of those tiers in my hand yesterday at Hobby lobby. I put it back because I thought I had not a thing to do with it. DANG that is so cute. Thanks for the inspiration, I may have to go back.

    Reply
  21. Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    Such an adorable herb planter! I would have never thought of adding the galvanzied tin buckets, and the black signs are just the crowning touch! Great job. Thanks for hostessing this fun event ~ I’ve just linked up!

    Big TX Hugs,
    Stephanie
    Angelic Accents

    Reply
  22. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:04 AM

    Hello ladies! I love the new look of your blog. The tiered herb stand is adorable and using the metal buckets and tags makes it even cuter. Thank you for hosting.
    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  23. Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:56 AM

    Oh, my! I want an herb planter! Thanks is not only cute but so practical and aromatic as well! Great job, Heather! Love the new look as well!

    Reply
  24. alison says

    May 20, 2011 at 4:03 AM

    love the features! and that planter is so chic…i want one! i was late getting mine up this week…some days are just like that…happy friday girls!

    Reply
  25. Emily@LovelyBeasts says

    May 20, 2011 at 4:22 AM

    I finally finished a project and can participate in this week’s party. Hooray! I’ve been gone too long :).

    Love you guys! And the herbs!
    Emily

    Reply
  26. Eleni says

    May 20, 2011 at 5:33 AM

    Lovely herb planter:) And those features are just amazing!!! The work station for the kids is just awesome:)
    Thanks for hosting this great party!!
    Hope you have a great weekend:)
    xo
    Eleni

    Reply
  27. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    May 19, 2011 at 10:59 PM

    Love your sweet herb planter- it’s darling! Love your features and your blog looks beautiful! Thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Stacey@A Sort Of Fairytale says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:51 AM

    The herb planter set is so cute and the new blog design is just beautiful!!

    Reply
  29. SAS Interiors says

    May 20, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Thanks for hosting this awesome party ladies! Love the little herb garden that you created. Don’t you just love when an idea finally comes to ya!!

    Have a great weekend 😉
    ~Jenna, SAS Interiors

    Reply
  30. Pamela says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:11 PM

    The blog does look beautiful! Heather you must have a ton of patience! ALso loving the herd planters! We have a strawberry plant in our $2 Target bucket. The birds keep stealing our red berries though!;)

    Reply
  31. One Heart (Marcia) says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:24 PM

    Oh my goodness, I LOVE that herb stand. What did you use for the little signs? You guessed it, I’m off to Lowe’s tomorrow.

    Thanks for sharing.
    PS-Your mandatory button is included in my post as well as under my House Parties page.

    Enjoy your weekend.

    Reply
  32. Kelsey @ trialandstyle.com says

    May 20, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    Thank you ever so much for featuring TWO of my projects! I’m feeling the blogland lovin’ 🙂

    Great job on the new look of your blog… lol, love the encouraging phrases! And love the tiered-wire-basket-thingy! So amazing! 🙂

    Thanks again ladies, you made my day, week, month, year!

    Reply
  33. michelle says

    May 20, 2011 at 10:44 PM

    Love your herb baskets, what a great idea!! I am loving the new look too! You girls are so creative, it is always so much fun to visit you. 🙂
    I hope you both have a wonderful weekend!
    XO

    Reply
  34. Ann from On Sutton Place says

    May 21, 2011 at 12:58 AM

    As always thanks for hosting. I finally made it…better late than never! The herb baskets are so dang cute. Don’t know how the two of you do it. Hope your weekend is terrific! ~Ann

    Reply
  35. Tiff says

    May 21, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    I abolutely love your planter! All the elements are fantastic! Herbs, wire, galvanized iron and chalkboard tags! Perfect! X

    Reply
  36. Becca says

    May 21, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    Love the website makeover !! And, the herb garden is fabulous !! Hope you have sunny days soon !!

    Reply
  37. Jill says

    May 22, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    Thanks for stopping by ‘Just Dream, Jelly Bean!’ and your sweet comment!
    I appreciate it 🙂

    Also, thanks for hosting

    ~Jill

    Reply
  38. Cozy Home Scenes says

    May 22, 2011 at 11:13 PM

    Cute tags on the herb planter. Very functional too. Thanks for hosting the party for us.

    Reply
  39. Christie says

    May 23, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    I hope I have already told you, but the new look is AWESOME! (and yes, Heather I need some help! I’ll shoot you a message when my crazy life calms down about my button that is driving me crazy!) The planter rocks! It is adorable and practical and I am a garden fool myself! I can’t wait each year to plant it and hang out there each day watching it grow! I would love this even with an outdoor garden, bc it is cute and mobile! Also, the party is rockin!’ You go girls! Christie

    Reply
  40. Christie says

    May 23, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Your daughter is adorable, too!! So, so sweet! Christie

    Reply
  41. Traci says

    May 31, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    That is soooo cute!!!

    Reply
  42. Brandi says

    June 2, 2011 at 10:43 PM

    I love your planter, such a great idea!!

    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. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

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.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

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!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
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