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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 3, 2014

Parade of Homes Tour ~ Hymns and Verses

We are so thrilled to have another beautiful home for you to tour today as part of our ongoing Parade of Homes Series here At the Picket Fence!

hymns and verses home tour

We absolutely adore our friend Doreen from the blog Hymns and Verses. Not only because she inspires us daily with her inspiring creations, but also because she exudes grace and beauty and her faith in God shines through in all she does.

Now, grab that cup of coffee or tea, sit back and enjoy taking the tour of Doreen’s gorgeous home!

at the picket fence parade of homes

 

I’m so excited today to be here At the Picket Fence!  I’ve followed these two girls since before I began my own blog!  I was so excited to meet them in person last year at the Haven Conference.  I was lucky enough to sit near Vanessa while she watched Heather’s presentation!  She was so proud of her sister!

I’m Doreen and I blog at Hymns and Verses, a DIY and home decor blog. Hymns and Verses is also the name of my Etsy shop where I sell home decor items based on song lyrics.   I love it when you listen to or see the words of a song, you remember all the memories that go with it!
My home is in Lancaster County, PA, where I live with my husband and my three sons.   Last spring we painted the front door and shutters.  I have to say, I’m still in love with my blue front door!

My living room was one of the first rooms I made over when I began my blog.  The barn door sign that hangs above the sofa is one of my favorite projects.

There is a lot of DIY decor throughout my home – like this hymn page wreath.

I love to decorate with natural elements – like this wire vine topiary on my mantel.

This is a shot from the living room into the dining room.

This is another project piece that I love and we actually use!  It’s an old door turned into a family message center.  You can see all the details here.  This song kept running through my head when we had our first real taste of spring a few weeks ago and I decided to write the lyrics on the chalkboard.

This little cottage style buffet has a real trash to treasure story – isn’t the power of paint amazing!

Some of my favorite pieces of furniture are those that have been passed down through my family.  The corner cabinet belonged to my grandmother  and my dad had his first meals at the yellow high chair (although it wasn’t yellow then!).

This past winter we did some work in the kitchen area.  We updated our cabinets with some trim and paint, build the range hood,  and made over the formica counters with concrete.

This eye chart is one of the newer items for sale in my shop!

This is a view of the other side of the kitchen – my antique bucket bench decorated for spring.

Off the dining room is my favorite place this time of year – the screen porch!  Last spring I found the vintage glider and chairs!  They were in pretty rough shape, but I took them to a local shop to be sandblasted and powder coated and love them!  Where the back yard ends, the farmer’s field begins.  When I’m outside late at night, I can hear the horse drawn Amish buggy’s clip clopping down the road.

I love the outdoors and my back yard almost seems like an extension to my home.  Here’s my potting bench made from an old door.

My sister’s Schwinn bicycle circa early 1960’s.


My potting shed shutters and window boxes are the same blue as my front door!

Thanks, again, Heather and Vanessa, for having me today!   If you’d like to see more of my home, I’d love for you to come by for a visit at Hymns and Verses.

Doreen

14 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Parade of Homes

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Comments

  1. Holly says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    L.O.V.E. it all!! Ü

    Reply
  2. Kerry Purcell says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:15 AM

    What a beautiful area and a wonderful inspiration! Thanks so much for sharing . . .

    Reply
  3. martina says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:38 AM

    Fabulous tour ladies…love Dorren’s beautiful home!!

    Reply
  4. FABBY says

    May 3, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    Thank you so much for the tour, it’s great and I enjoyed it so much! Very charming, lovely and cozy home!
    Enjoy your weekend ladies!

    FABBY

    Reply
  5. Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says

    May 3, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Hi girls! Love seeing Doreen over here with you. Such a treat to get to see lots of her pretties in one post. I don’t recall seeing her porch or that darling patio set before. And her door turned mail station is an all time fav in all of blog land!

    Happy weekend 🙂 Shannon

    Reply
  6. Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane says

    May 3, 2014 at 6:20 PM

    Oh what a fairy tale home!!! And such beautiful photos to boot. I love Lancaster Pa…it is where I went to college back some 30 years ago and never stopped loving all of the captivating farms and countryside. Truly a very special place indeed. The porch and its view are really spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!!
    XO Barbara

    Reply
  7. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    May 3, 2014 at 7:24 PM

    I just recently found Doreen’s blog and have enjoyed seeing the pictures of her home. She has done a great job! So nice to see her featured here today. I have to go back and check out her concrete counters post now because my husband and I were just discussing some way to update our kitchen counters.

    Reply
  8. Ginny says

    May 4, 2014 at 5:56 AM

    I too loved this tour! What color is your front door?I am redoing my kitchen and would love that on my walls!

    Reply
  9. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    May 4, 2014 at 2:33 PM

    I so love Doreen’s home…the details in her home are so wonderful and I love seeing her outdoor areas…the property is beautiful and such a beautiful sense of serenity…Her home is one that from the moment you approach the front door says a very loving family lives here!!

    Reply
  10. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says

    May 4, 2014 at 6:03 PM

    Loved seeing more of Doreen’s home here today! I think I realized how talented she was when I saw her home decorated for Christmas! And I was so delighted to actually meet her last year at Haven.

    Reply
  11. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    May 5, 2014 at 6:44 AM

    Heather and Vanessa, you picked one of my very favorite bloggers! I adore Doreen and her home! Couldn’t you just move right in! What a wonderful, God centered home!!!!

    Thanks so much for Parade of Homes! I love seeing every guest’s house! And you picked such a lovely lady and a beautiful home this week!

    Love to all 3 of you!

    Reply
  12. Julie says

    May 5, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    Beautiful Home! Loved everything, Doreen!

    Reply
  13. Sharon says

    June 22, 2019 at 10:24 AM

    I love that your home reflects both your unique decorating style and your faith in God.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 24, 2019 at 3:26 PM

      Thank you so much Sharon! Your encouragement words mean so much!

      Reply

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Front door wreath….✔️ The very last Christmas dec Front door wreath….✔️

The very last Christmas decorating to be completed and one of the most important since there’s nothing I love more than welcoming people into our home this season.

I bought the wreath for $15 from a wonderful local vendor, reused my favorite bells and added a velvet bow in the color I’m carrying throughout the house this year.

Do you buy a fresh wreath each year or do you use a faux wreath on your front door? 

#frontdoorwreath #christmaswreath #christmasporch
The first day of December and the first Sunday of The first day of December and the first Sunday of advent. As we enter into a month that can be filled with stress, anxiety, worry and even sadness, let us turn our hearts towards the ONE who came as the ultimate, undeserved gift. Because it’s all about Him. 

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
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Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours dear friends! 🍂
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And I have a confession ...I’d rather have cranberry sauce smothering the turkey on my plate than gravy any day!! And this, this right here? Well it’s the best (and easiest!) cranberry sauce ever!! I eat on crackers and sandwiches and sometimes just by the spoonful. It’s so yummy! And I’m just so very thankful for all of you that I’m going to leave the recipe right here instead of making you go to the blog to get it. I promise you won’t regret having this on your Thanksgiving menu but be warned...you may find yourself up in the middle of the night sneaking some helpings of this deliciousness. Or maybe that’s just me!

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white wine.

Instructions:
Wash and pick over berries, removing any that are soft. Peel and dice oranges removing any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until cranberries pop open and mixture is thickening.
For best flavor, prepare and let stand for several days before using.

Gobble, gobble!! 🦃
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Want to know what it is? It’s all about being EXTRA! 

Take the base recipe up a notch by using a full stick of butter, extra tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and an extra 1/2 tablespoon of Lawry’s seasoning salt.

I guarantee you’ll never go back!

You’re welcome. 😉🎄

#chexmix #chexmixupgrade
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The great debate on social media over whether or not Christmas decorations should appear before Thanksgiving is one I just let roll on past me. Because I am so unbelievably thankful for this life, my family, my friends, this country, this home and most of all my Savior. 

Having my home all ready to welcome the next sacred season doesn’t take away one iota from my ability to express gratitude on the official day set aside each year where we do that collectively.

And when the last slice of turkey has been eaten and all of the leftovers put away, I’ll be over here ready to be fully present in the month of December and soak up every bit of it! 🦃🎄
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“My children have grown up seeing antique books on a coffee table, vintage toys in their bedrooms and even pieces of furniture that were all passed down from one generation to the next. But as my nest gets closer and closer to being empty, I’m keenly aware of the fact that many of these cherished items might not be as welcome in the homes of future generations.”

*Read the rest over at @cleartruthmedia*
All of my CTM articles are saved in my highlights
Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked Not too long ago, someone told me that they liked it better when I just talked about decorating and didn’t mention anything else. This person preferred me to keep any opinions or convictions to myself and just focus only on content about home decor, crafts and recipes. Aside from the fact that I’m always astonished that people feel so free to say things like that, I do agree that it would be a lot easier and more palatable if I didn’t talk about things like a Biblical Worldview, apologetics and the nature of reality itself. For one thing, Instagram wouldn’t throttle my account with its algorithms that are skewed to diminish voices like mine. It would be much easier to be so tethered to this app that I change everything I post to fit into its preferred framework. I would be asked to be part of influencer groups and activities like I was years ago. But I’m not that person anymore. Yes, the core of this community will always be an emphasis on homemaking which will include decorating and recipes but I can’t separate that from the core of who I am as a follower of Jesus Christ.

It would be so much easier for me to just show you the latest Amazon products I’ve bought and tell you to “comment” to get the links. But I’m not called to take the easy path. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”

I truly believe that so many have been lulled into thinking that the narrow gate wasn’t really all that narrow. But, it’s never been more obvious that it really is. And every day I seek to stay on that very narrow way.  More than ever before, I believe that our world needs to know that there is objective truth and a solid foundation to stand upon as we navigate our lives. My role as a homemaker is predicated on that foundation and everything else flows out of it. Talking about these things isn’t going to get me lots of views here. 

But I live for an audience of ONE.
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#wearethehomemakers #homemaking #homemakerschristmas #club31women
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