Our BIG News

July 20, 2015

When we were little girls, the absolute worst punishment our parents could give us was to take away reading time. For us, words were never just letters on a page. They weren’t even just fodder for our imaginations. No, for one blonde hair, blue eyed girl and one brown hair, brown eyed girl those words were practically akin to breathing. So to have them removed from us, even briefly, felt like the end of the world.

It seems like for most of our lives we’ve been telling stories and we like to think that among our extended family are some of the greatest storytellers of all time. You see, we can’t ever just simply relay the facts. What fun would that be? No, in our family, stories are an opportunity. It’s the chance to weave a bit of magic into the everyday. To find the humor in the most commonplace situations and to be willing to confess our most humiliating moments for the sake of seeing the shoulders of those sitting around the table shaking with laughter.

We believe that our stories are what unite us. They can make us feel more connected, more normal, more aware, more sure of what we believe, more sure of how much more we have to learn and most importantly, they are how we know we aren’t alone.

A few weeks ago we talked to you about dreams. About those dreams that start as whispers. Dreams that seem so out of reach that you dare not speak of them for fear that others will confirm that yes, you are indeed crazy for ever dreaming them up.

And we talked about what happens when your dreams and God’s will collide.

We talked about what happens when you start trusting God. When you believe that ‘He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.’

And we hinted that we had some news coming.

Well, sweet friends, it’s time for us to come clean. We’ve been keeping a secret for awhile now.

A little over a year ago, we were approached with an opportunity. It was an offer to do something we had always dreamed of doing. It was a chance to write a book.

We couldn’t believe it when that email came through!! It wasn’t going to happen the way we had imagined in our heads but it still seemed like such a great opportunity at the time. We called each other and read the email together and talked and talked about it. And then, we spent some time praying about it. And, well, then we both felt a check in our spirits. A gut feeling that this particular path was not to be part of our journey. Call it what you will, we know that it was God clearly telling us that we were to say ‘no’.

Oh friends, that no was the hardest no we’ve ever uttered. Because we said no not knowing if there was going to be another opportunity like it. We said no simply believing it was the right thing for us to do. And while it was so hard, it was also so easy because we had such a peace about it.

Fast forward a few months and through a crazy series of events we found ourself connected to an amazing woman. A woman who heard about our dream. A woman who has become a treasured friend. And not only did she hear about our dream, she was somebody who could actually help us make it a reality. She came alongside us, cheered us on, challenged us, helped us focus and represented us well.

After months and months of work, our little dream was sent off. Sent off to be judged and critiqued and poked and prodded. It was put under a microscope, inspected and some deemed it to be a dream they just couldn’t quite get behind. One that wasn’t the right ‘fit’.

But then, one day, our dream came across the desk of someone who really got it. Someone who not only saw the value and the potential in our dream but this person wanted to take our dream and make it a reality.

There was a great deal of conversation back and forth. And there was even more prayer. Because we wanted to be sure, once again, that THIS was the door God was opening for us.

And after almost an entire YEAR of work and prayer and doubts and questions and conversations, well, we can now tell you that our little/big dream is coming true!

We’ve just signed with an amazing (incredible, awesome, fantastic, pinch us we can’t believe we get to work with them!) Christian Publishing House for a multi-book publishing deal!!!

Never could we have imagined years ago when we thought it would be fun to start a blog together that we would actually utter those words. Never did we think that our hope of providing a place for women to come and get encouragement for their hearts along with inspiration for their homes would ever reach a place where God would see fit to open the doors for us to embark on this new adventure.

Which just goes to show what can happen with those dreams of YOURS.

Because if these two sisters living on opposite sides of the country, spending our days as stay-at-home moms can now have a publishing contract, anything can happen, sweet friends, anything!

The other day we asked you to share your dreams with us and we were just so humbled and so honored that you would open up your hearts and allow us the privilege of sharing in your own journey.

We want you to know that we believe in you. We want you to know that we think you are amazing and talented and gifted. We want our dream coming true to give you encouragement and hope that your dream can come true too.

And we want to invite you along on this journey with us. That anyone would believe in us, cheer us on, be excited for us and pray for us is a feeling we can’t quite put into words. Which is saying a lot for these girls who love words! 😉

So now, we come before you and humbly ask for you to walk with us.

And we would like to ask you to pray for us.

Pray for us as we deal with a new kind of self-doubt and fear about whether or not we can actually do this. We have had some serious quaking in our boots moments as we stare up at this new mountain before us.

Pray for us as we encounter writer’s block while also encountering deadlines.

Pray for us as we try to balance being wives and mothers and bloggers and writers.

We humbly ask that you extend us grace and patience when there are times that this blog is a bit quiet while we pour our hearts into something that we cannot wait to share with you.

Most of all, we just want you to know that without all of you this would not be happening.

YOU are why we are doing this. 🙂

And we are so incredibly, overwhelming grateful to you!

With all of our love (and then some) from the girls At the Picket Fence,

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