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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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July 11, 2011

Meet the Bloggers behind the Blogs and our Blogger of the Week

behind the blog graphic lettering
We are excited to be announcing a fun new series here At The Picket Fence! 


Behind the Blog…Meeting the Bloggers behind the Blogs!

Part of why we started At The Picket Fence was to give bloggers a chance to connect with each other no matter how small or big, new or long standing their blog was.  We love the sense of community blogging provides and part of that is getting to know one another!

Therefore starting next week we will be showcasing a different blogger every Monday and asking them all of those nosy informative questions on what makes them “tick” as a blogger!  We have asked all different types of bloggers to join us in this series…new bloggers, seasoned bloggers, large blogs, small blogs…you never know who might show up next!

We are so excited to have one of our most favorite fantabulous blogger heroes help us launch this fun series…you wanna know who it is??  Well you’ll have to join us next Monday, July 18th for the launch of…Behind the Blog to find out!

To make this even more fun we would love to have you help us with our interviews! Yep, you read that right you get to help ask the questions! If you have a question you’ve always wanted to ask another blogger, now’s your opportunity! It can be fun, silly or maybe it’s a serious one, if so all you need to do is leave it below in the comments today on this post and your question might be one of those chosen to ask our Behind the Blog Bloggers!
Up next we want to share with you our Featured Blogger of the Week pick!
Our featured blogger this week is someone who has inspired us from the moment we met her.  On her blog she shares all of the ins and outs of living in a 100 year old farmhouse in Tennessee with her “Renaissance Man.” But, this just brushes the surface of who this amazing couple is.  Because they have a passion for something that is very special and near and dear to their heart.
Susan from My Place to Yours and her husband


have a very special ministry.  Renaissance Man is president of the international non-profit ministry Hope Unlimited for Children, offering hope and transformation to children at mortal risk in Brazil. Although he is responsible for the U.S. side of the organization (budgeting, fundraising, speaking to churches/civic groups, etc.) he also makes multiple trips to Brazil each year and Susan often travels with him. We have shared in the past some of the amazing things that Susan and Renaissance Man are doing for these children, especially the young girls many who would otherwise be relegated to a life of prostitution and living on the streets.  Susan has shared the story of Hope Unlimited for Children in several posts.  Like the time the young ladies created a very special “tablescape”



and the post where she shared more in depth the mission behind the ministry



and her most recent one that really touched our hearts.  Susan shared with us the value of a
“wedding dress” to the young girls living at Hope Unlimited and how difficult it was for them to afford their own dress as well as the desire that Susan and her husband have to bring these girls from a place of shame (because of the background so many of them have come from) to a place where they can find love and acceptance in a marriage before God!  Susan began to collect wedding dresses here in the states for these young ladies


and the Wedding Closet was born! Susan has dedicated a whole room in her house to this “closet” which contains dresses, shoes, veils and jewelry that she ships over to Brazil for these young ladies to choose from so they too can experience being a bride! Whew….are you crying now like we are? You can read the whole story behind The Wedding Closet as well as see all of Susan’s other fabulous posts about her home and her life with Renaissance Man at her blog My Place to Yours…and while you’re there be sure to tell her her for us how wonderful the gals At The Picket Fence think she is!

We hope you enjoyed getting to meet Susan with us here…at the picket fence!
P.S. Don’t forget if you’d like to help us out with a fun question for our mystery bloggers be sure to leave it for us in the comments! 





13 Comments Filed Under: Behind the Blog Series, Featured Blogger

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    July 11, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Wow! Her post is unbelievable and really touching! What a special ministry!

    Reply
  2. Tanya@takesix says

    July 11, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    Really looking forward to this new series!! You girls just have the best ideas!!

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    July 11, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    Great idea! And great choice on your first featured blogger!

    Pam

    Reply
  4. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    July 11, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    This will be such a fun series. I look forward to it. Your featured blogger this week is definitely a very special lady and so is her DH. Great post. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  5. Debbie says

    July 11, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    You featured one of my favorite bloggers of all time. She is such an inspiration to me! Her heart is unbelievable, and I have come to learn through heartfelt emails that what we see on her blog just scratches the surface.

    Great choice!

    And I love the new feature, but I can’t ask the question unless I know the mystery person. I’m not your run of the mill snoop. I’m a really personal snoop.

    Reply
  6. dogsmom says

    July 11, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    What a special family. I know that when I see wedding dresses from now on I will think about buying one or two and donating to a cause like this.

    Questions for a blogger interview – if they have a pet what is its silliest quirk or the habit that most bugs her.
    if she is a parent what is the one thing she does that she either said she would never do or the thing she does that shows her own parents in her, things her parents used to do.

    When she was 8 years old, what did she want to be/do as a grown up?

    Reply
  7. Marina {Yummy Mummy} says

    July 11, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    What a wonderful idea! Looking forward to learning more about your chosen bloggers. Fabulous post.

    Reply
  8. Crystal @ Ordinary Days says

    July 11, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    This is going to be fun. Can’t wait to see who you all feature. I have not heard of today’s blogger so I must go check her out! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Ginger Zuck says

    July 11, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    Excited about the new features. This one today left me speechless! Great job!

    Reply
  10. Honey at 2805 says

    July 11, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    I recently met this blogger and she has such an inspirational story! So happy you featured her.

    Reply
  11. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    July 11, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    Ladies, what a surprise and special treat to be featured this week! Thank you for helping me tell the story of Hope Unlimited for Children. Looking forward to your new feature!

    Reply
  12. Marcia (One Heart) says

    July 12, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    I featured Susan last month too. She is most certainly an inspiration.

    Much love!

    Reply
  13. Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads says

    July 13, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    What a wonderful idea you gals have come up with! Thanks for introducing Susan and her inspirational work to me. I will definitely visit her blog.

    Reply

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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
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Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
I try to always remember to put a water bottle in I try to always remember to put a water bottle in my car before I go to pick up my daughter from school. She didn't ask me to do this, but a few months ago I began to notice that she was often thirsty when she would get in the car. Her water bottle filled up at the beginning of the day was empty by the time school got out and she would ask if she could have some water from my hydroflask. So I make sure to have one waiting for her. It's just a simple thing, really. But, I want her to know that I'm paying attention, that I see her.

Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
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