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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

February 18, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No. 3


Wow are we already at Inspiration Friday Party Number 3 here
At The Picket Fence!
Thank you so much for being a part of this fun party every week!


Boy do you all ever inspire us!  We can hardly keep up with all of the awesome inspiration around here.

If you are a new friend to At The Picket Fence, you might be asking 


Just what is Inspiration Friday?


Well, this is one of the very few Linky Parties where you can share pretty much anything with us.
Decorating, Cooking, Crafts, Great Ideas, Poetry, Inspiring Stories, they are all welcome here. 

We hope you will be inspired just as you inspire others!

Each week we start the party off with some highlights from the week before.
In keeping with tradition, we will be mostly featuring bloggers who are fairly new to our little community here. So, if you are featured this week, or even in weeks past, please feel free to grab the new “I’ve been featured” button from our sidebar!



Hi it’s me Heather here again!  Whoo hooo…I’ve hijacked Inspiration Friday again from Vanessa…okay well actually I’m just letting her have a little break from the pressure of having to pick just four highlights from all of the AWESOME, WONDERFULNESS that you people link up!  I mean really it’s almost too much to take in! All of the creativity, the ingenuity, the beauty, the heart warming, tear invoking stories.  It makes us feel honored and humbled to be in such good company with so many talented designers, crafters, foodies and writers!

But alas, since you all come to the party to link up and probably don’t want to spend hours reading my big long post…ok don’t really answer that. grin! I will limit my highlights to a manageable amount!



So without further ado here are my inspirational highlight picks from last week!


Up first we have Heather from What It’s All About. And no I didn’t pick her because she has such an awesome name..ok well maybe a little bit. Nah, not really.  We chose her because of the incredible job she did re-purposing this garage sale headboard. 


She took a $29 headboard from this:



To this!



Talk about a headboard face lift!  Wait until you read the simple way she did the tufting on it.  It gave me hope that I could actually do something like this..since I am not quite the seamstress Vanessa is!  Head on over to visit Heather at What’s It All About and read more about her 

Simple Headboard Redo.

Now this next project caught my eye because of it’s beautiful simplicity.  I personally tend to be somewhat fru-froo French Country but I often LONG to streamline my style a little.  I have been leaning towards the soft blues, crisp whites and espresso browns I often see around blogland.  In fact I will be sharing on Monday my guest bath remodel where I did choose all of those colors.  


Now how many of you decorators out there have a million paint swatches lying around?  I know there are times my purse is full of them!  Well, Mindy at Heart Maine Home was inspired by another blogger after seeing a great use for them.  She decided to take on the challenge herself to put those paint swatches to good use!
She took them from this:


To this:


To this!


All for the cost of a $12 frame!  I just love the one little pop of orange in the artwork!  Visit Mindy at Heart Maine Home and see all of the details behind creating this artwork as well as a link to her inspiration behind the project!

Now for a wonderful little project for you Crafters out there…think we’ll ever get Vanessa to admit she can be pretty crafty?..and no not crafty like the Beastie Boys song ;)..but crafty as in cute projects involving paper, and glue and pretty embellishments.  I think we can convert her yet! This adorable project from Stacey at A Sort of Fairytale just might convince her to give crafting a try!


These are Vintage Playing Card Tags



They are just so precious and springy and sweet!



There are several steps to making these cards but they are really quite easy! Think about all of the different things you could do with them…well actually Stacey did!


Pay Stacey a visit at A Sort of Fairytale and see the step by step process of putting these together!  She also has a sweet vintage Etsy shop you might like to visit too!


And I will leave you with this wonderful story of the Lord’s tender mercies and how much he cares about every aspect of our life.

Maria at

shared a heart warming story of homesickness and hope!  Maria lives in Paris with her husband..this is where I interject and say that I am just a wee tad bit jealous of Maria living in Paris…I was meant to live somewhere in Europe. I really was.  
Maria’s family lives back here in the USA and it had been more than two years since she had been home.  It is so expensive to fly back and forth from Europe and the US as you can imagine.


Her story shares the twists and turns of trying to save to get back home and how the Lord cares about all of the details of our lives.  I cried reading about her reuniting with her sister in the airport in Dallas after having not seen each other for five years!  

(Maria’s sister)

Of course we LOVE sister stories here At The Picket Fence. 

Hop over and read the entire story at Busy as a Bee in Paris!  I bet you will be inspired be the Lord’s provision as much as we were.  Here At The Picket Fence we love stories about “creativity” and about our “Creator!”  Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria! 



Now don’t forget to grab your “Featured At” button ladies!

Before linking up we’d love it if you’d take a second to become a friend of At The Picket Fence through google friend connect, email or our RSS Feed.  We’d love to get to know you better! We also love to see tweets about Inspiration Friday, if you feel like sharing with your twitter friends!  The more the merrier when it comes to a party!

And now, let’s get this party started! Here’s how to link up!

1. Add your Permalink to your entry but not your General Blog Address. To get your Permalink, click on the title of the blog post you are wanting to submit and copy and paste the address into the URL box. You will also have to add your email address but it will not be visible to anyone else.
2. Do not try and Link up until you have actually published that particular post on your blog.
3. Please link back to the host blog, At the Picket Fence by grabbing our Inspiration Friday button code on the sidebar or creating a text link so that those who visit your blog will be able to find some wonderful Inspiration from everyone else. (mandatory)
4) Give some linky lovin’ to some of the other Inspiration Friday link ups!  It’s always nice for others to hear how they’ve inspired you!  Of course we love to hear from you too so please leave us a comment and say hi!
We can’t wait to be inspired!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Fence today!

love to you from the girls at the fence!
Heather and Vanessa




After linking up to Inspiration Friday click the graphic below and pay a visit to French Country Cottage our Friday Party Friend! 

19 Comments Filed Under: Good Ideas, Inspiration Friday

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa Miller says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    Wow, that headboard is gorgeous.

    Thank you for hosting Vanessa. I always enjoy your party.

    Happy weekend to you!
    ~Melissa

    Reply
  2. Sue says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    There are so many talented and inventive people out in blog land. I always like visiting everyone. :=)
    Sue

    Reply
  3. AshTreeCottage says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:15 AM

    I love all of the inspiration I get from your party. Thanks so much!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

    Reply
  4. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:16 AM

    WOW what inspiration at every turn we take. I love it! Thanks for hosting your party girls! Have a wonderful weekend. XO
    The headboard is awesome!

    Reply
  5. A Vintage Vine says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:26 AM

    Thanks for hosting….So many great ideas already!

    Reply
  6. The Decorative Dreamer says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:27 AM

    Those were some really wondeful posts last week! I love the headboard! Heather that’s so nice of you to help your sister out! :))

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:19 AM

    Wow what great inspiration! Can’t wait to visit and maybe get a little motivation for around here. Thanks girls for hosting, such a fun time on Fridays. 🙂
    Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  8. Sylvia says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:23 AM

    Thank you for hosting your party ! It’s my first time being part of it since I am a fairly new at this blogging world !

    I wish you both a wonderful weekend !

    Reply
  9. Suzy says

    February 18, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Thanks for hosting. I’m looking forward to exploring all of the great posts!

    Reply
  10. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    Hi girls~ what a great headboard re-do!! All linked up- thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Stacey@A Sort Of Fairytale says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:25 AM

    Thank you so much for featuring me!
    I love the other features as well…wow, what a headboard!!

    Reply
  12. Mindy says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Wow, thanks for featuring me! I love that gorgeous headboard and those adorable playing cards (especially the one on the mason jar). Thanks again, ladies!

    Reply
  13. NanaDiana says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    I love how fast your site is growing! 3 weeks already! Wow! xxoo Diana

    Reply
  14. Jodie says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Good Morning Ladies! Thank you so much for your sweet comments! Your headboard makeover is genius! Thank you for hosting this wonderful party; there are so many inspirational posts! Warm Weekend Wishes!

    Jodie

    Reply
  15. Creative Escapes says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    I adore that headboard!!!!!
    I just posted #57 a “upcycled” cradle I made for my daughters birthday. Thanks for hosting, I know there is a cost now – I really love and appreciate the parties!

    Reply
  16. kara@elements-interiors.net says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    Hey sweet Girlfriend! WOW! This new Blog is AMAZING!!! I LOVE IT!
    SO WISH I had a sister to do thid with! {Well I have a sister, but…LONG STORY, I dont have
    her 🙁 } Im LINKED UP! Thank you for hosting

    xoxokara

    Reply
  17. By the Bluegrass says

    February 18, 2011 at 5:59 PM

    Very nice! Thanks for hosting a fun party. I linked up.
    xo,
    Sena

    Reply
  18. Lynn at Cottage and Creek says

    February 19, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    I love vintage playing cards too! The graphics are so great. Thanks for hosting this fun party. I love seeing what everyone has done.
    ~Lynn

    Reply
  19. Heather says

    February 20, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Thanks for all the nice comments about the headboard. You all had some great inspiration as well!!! Can’t wait to see what’s up next week.

    Heather
    whatitsallabout4u.blogspot.com

    Reply

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"Define your day", she told me as I held my newbor "Define your day", she told me as I held my newborn son. My mom and I were talking about how blurred my days and nights had become and how easy it would be to just stay in my pajamas 24/7. She encouraged me to make an attempt to put on 'real' clothes in the morning even if they were just nice sweatpants (bonus if they were clean!) and to throw a little bit of makeup on. That simple advice helped chart a course for my years of motherhood that continues today. And recently I began thinking about how critical it is that we not only seek wisdom from those ahead of us in our stage of life but that we are willing to apply it as well.

So, I asked this question on my personal Facebook page; "What is something you feel you've done well to create a peaceful/meaningful home for yourself and your family?" The catch was that the question was geared towards women in the 40+ age range. The responses came flooding in and were so wonderful and insightful. So, I'm going to be starting a new series where I share this wisdom with you and will include the first name of the woman who offered it. 

Today we start with Alison who said "I learned to set my alarm early to get up and moving before my kids woke up. I showered, got dressed and did my devotions while the house was quiet. It set my heart and perspective for each day.”

Is this something you do in your life too? What wisdom would you offer to a mom of young children?

I truly think our culture would greatly benefit from more women in different seasons of life being willing to invest in each other. 🍂

#wearthehomemakers #homemaking #motherhood #parentingwisdom
If bread pudding is on the dessert menu at a resta If bread pudding is on the dessert menu at a restaurant I’m definitely ordering it! It’s one of my all time favorite treats. So I decided to try my hand at making some here at home with a little fall twist and it was SO delicious!! 🍎

Ingredients:

6 slices of day old bread (french, sourdough or even brioche works great)
2 cups of heavy cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
For the apples:
3 peeled and chopped apples of a tart variety
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour (or corn starch)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350
Cut bread into cubes and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish
Whisk together in a bowl the eggs, cream, vanilla, rum, cinnamon and nutmeg and then pour it over the bread cubes. In a separate bowl, mix together the apples, brown sugar and flour/corn starch. Pour the apple mixture on top of the bread mixture making sure to spread the apples evenly across every part of the bread mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes. 
Enjoy!

#falldesserts #breadpudding #fallrecipes #desserts
When one kiddo wakes up not feeling well after onl When one kiddo wakes up not feeling well after only a week of school, you take the opportunity to make Saturday a truly restful day. Pancakes on the griddle, puttering around the yard admiring the way the limelights have begun their autumn journey from white to green to pink. Sprinkling touches of fall around the house a little bit at a time. Savoring the slowness of it all and taking care of my people in this place that provides us all with a respite from the world even if just for a day.

Hope you’re weekend is off to a great start and that you make it a priority to slow down for a bit and soak up the beauty around you. 🍂

#wearethehomemakers #homemaking #falldecorating
As summer slips into fall, I can’t help but thin As summer slips into fall, I can’t help but think about how grateful I am for the reminders all around me of God’s Sovereignty over everything including the seasons. It can be challenging in our world today to trust that there isn’t a single thing happening that surprises Him.

In a way, decorating my home to reflect the changing season serves as a tangible reminder of this trust. Even something as simple as seeing a pumpkin on my mantel or a basket of mums on the coffee table fill me with peace because they represent the things that remain constant and true.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

#wearthehomemakers #homemaking #club31women
I’m never.going.back to stressful, time-consumin I’m never.going.back to stressful, time-consuming seasonal decorating. When I think back on the years where I would feel all of the pressure to come up with something fresh and creative I’m seriously embarrassed. Truly. Because it was such a waste. A waste of my time, my energy, my resources. Something clicked with me a few years ago. I was just done. I needed to simplify. I needed to not spend an obscene amount of time looking at fireplace mantels on Pinterest and trying to figure out how to make mine look amazing. I needed to put it all in the proper place in my heart and my mind. Which meant, it had to go waaaaayyyy down on the priority list. So far down it almost wasn’t on it. And I needed to confess to the Lord that I had allowed it to become an idol. 

Yes, I want to have a home that I enjoy. Yes, I love pretty things. But something really amazing happened when I finally released it all. When I decided to not give into the pressure and panic I would feel when I would scroll through my Instagram feed. When I just laid it all down and said…enough. There was this incredible irony in it. Because, the less time I took to decorate my home for each season, the more I found myself loving the results. I think that all along I had just been getting in my own way. It’s really taken a lot of time and prayer for me to finally be at a place where even though I still struggle with insecurities and I still have doubts from time to time, I’m becoming increasingly more confident in who God created me to be. And, just like my home, I’m finding that as I relax into myself, letting go of the comparisons and the pressure, the more I can actually lean into the calling He has placed on my life. 🍂

Leave a comment if you can relate! 

#wearethehomemakers #homemaking
“As the alluring song of September begins to whi “As the alluring song of September begins to whisper in my ear, my passionate spirit yearns for the splendor of its promise.” (Peggy Toney Horton)

Happy September dear friends! While I’m not quite ready to let go of summer and I plan to make the most out of the lingering, warm days, I’ll admit to starting to think about my fall decor this year. And one way to get inspired is to take a look back at previous years. Here’s just a glimpse at some of the ways I’ve welcomed Autumn to my home! 🍂

#september #falldecorating #falldecor #falldecoratingideas #wearethehomemakers
Labor Day weekend might mean that we’re turning Labor Day weekend might mean that we’re turning the corner and getting closer to fall but I’m not quite ready to let summer go. So I’ll just be over here continuing to whip up some super simple summer meals for my family that frankly can be enjoyed in any season. These shrimp rolls I made the other night were definitely a hit and would be great for any of your upcoming holiday weekend gatherings!

Shrimp Rolls 🍤

Ingredients
1-2 lbs of shrimp that is peeled, deveined and tail off (If using frozen make sure it’s thawed completely)
1/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 of a lemon
2 Tbsps chopped scallions
1 Tbsp chopped dill
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 Tsp of Old Bay seasoning (more if you like!)
pinch of sea salt and pinch of black pepper
Hoagie Rolls
Softened butter

Directions: Gently pat the shrimp with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop the shrimp and place in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, squeeze half of lemon and stir to combine before adding in the scallions, dill and parsley. Stir to combine and then add the additional seasonings. Spread butter on hoagie rolls and toast in the oven until lightly browned. Pile on the shrimp mixture and enjoy! 

#shrimproll #foodie #weeknightdinner #easydinner #seafoodlover
Today has been a very Monday-ish kind of Monday. W Today has been a very Monday-ish kind of Monday. We woke up to the sound of chainsaws and rushed downstairs to find that our backyard neighbors were having two of the huge trees that line our shared fence removed. These trees have been here longer than the neighborhood and no, they weren't dead or causing damage to roofs, foundations, etc. They were beautiful and gave us wonderful privacy. We had no notice of this happening so this came as quite a shock. Because we were given no notice, we didn't have the chance to cover our outdoor furniture or plants and everything is now coated in a thick layer of sawdust including the fresh bark we recently put in the garden beds. And now our lovely privacy is gone, replaced by a direct view of an above ground pool and RV. I know, I know, it's totally a first world, privileged kind of problem to have. But, now we have to spend thousands of dollars on plants to try and recapture some semblance of privacy. Now we have days worth of clean up to do after we had JUST done a massive freshening up of our backyard. My overarching feeling has just been weariness at the way our world is today.

I think about how often we try to do right by people, to be respectful and courteous. To be thoughtful and considerate. And it’s not reciprocated. How its starting to seem more and more like people have just given up on those seemingly small niceties. And my soul just feels heavy. Because I feel like so much of what used to be common courtesy is not so common anymore. Drivers on the roads are angrier and more reckless than ever before. Red lights being run are an everyday occurrence around town. On our recent family vacation, I heard more people using the F word out in public than ever before even while around children. Where are manners? Where is kindness? I'm finding myself being surprised when someone is thoughtful because it seems like a rarity. And that's just all on a micro, local level. Don't even get me started on the insanity in our world/culture. After I returned from grocery shopping (which can also be soul crushing), I found myself desperate for a reminder of the truth. 

*Part 2 continued in the comments.*
How often is it in our lives that we don’t fully How often is it in our lives that we don’t fully grasp our strengths or our weaknesses until we are put to the test? Little did I know how much I would love my role as a wife, mother and homemaker until I became one. And that in my endeavor to do those roles to the best of my ability, it would bring to the forefront gifts and talents and blessings that I use outside of these walls.

As I water others, I’m watered too because it brings such joy to care for those around me. But it can also make me see more clearly the areas in which I’m lacking and be a very humbling reminder of how much I still need to grow and learn.

Proverbs 11:25 says, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched and one who waters will himself be watered.”

Have you done any ‘watering’ of others this week? How has it blessed and ‘watered’ you in return?
“Mom, this is one of my favorite meals that you “Mom, this is one of my favorite meals that you make.” Statements like this from my kids fill me with so much joy and such a sense of assurance that my role as the maker of this home is one that makes an impact on them in both big and small ways. It’s not just sheet pan shrimp boil. 

It’s nourishment
It’s time together around the table
It’s laughing as we try to get the butter sauce out of the pan
It’s a memory
It’s an imprint on their lives 

The ordinary act of making a meal becomes EXTRAordinary. And I try to keep that in mind as I do this task day in and day out, year after year. 

***

Ingredients: 
1 pound baby red or yellow potatoes
Green beans or corn (4 ears cut in half) whichever you prefer
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt and pinch of black pepper 
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
Crusty bread for dipping 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until just tender, about 10 minutes. Put potatoes, shrimp, sausage and green beans or corn on baking sheet. Pour butter over top. Sprinkle with old bay seasoning and salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Bake for about 12 minutes or until shrimp is pink. 

#shrimpboil #sheetpandinner #sheetpanmeals #homemaking
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