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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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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
What if you could do something at the beginning of What if you could do something at the beginning of your day that would be a gift to yourself later on? That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s Tip Tuesday! #tiptuesday
The sun decided to make another appearance today! The sun decided to make another appearance today! It’s been such a lovely Sunday. Chocolate croissants for breakfast followed by church then naps/football/reading/etc and soon we’ll be heading out to dinner with friends. These are my favorite kind of weekends. Hope yours has been lovely too! 🌿
Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshi Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshine is breaking through the fog and my house just seems happier. We definitely needed to see that light streaming in through the windows and it’s a gift I don’t take for granted.

And yes, there are still twinkle lights on my mantle because those help when the sunshine goes away again. ✨
Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here i Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here in the Willamette Valley has me feeling less frustrated about my migraine forcing me to just snuggle up indoors and these flowers in my kitchen are lifting my spirits. What are you up to on this holiday weekend?
It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offe It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offering a gentle reminder from my own parenting experience after feeling my heart pricked with conviction about what was waiting for my daughter every day after school. I hope it will encourage you! 🌿#tiptuesday
The day after Christmas I found myself laundering The day after Christmas I found myself laundering and folding all of the linens we used the previous night as we hosted my husband's side of the family for dinner and other festivities. As I laid out each cloth napkin and folded them one by one, I couldn't help but be struck by what a simple, yet meaningful, task it was. It's such an honor and privilege to be the hostess and, at this stage of my life, I realize that this has almost one hundred percent become my role now. Our parents are in their 70's and have either downsized significantly or simply don't have the energy to take on hosting duties for a large group. I could resent this. I could feel overwhelmed by it. But, instead, I'm choosing to embrace it knowing that, someday, I too will pass the hosting torch and I hope that I will be welcomed with love and attentiveness. So, I fold the linen napkins, taking pleasure in the way all of the creases line up and how neat and tidy they look in the drawer of my dining room buffet. These seemingly simple chores are part of the lifeblood of homemaking and my attitude towards them can either be one of gratefulness or grumbly-ness (yes, I'm making up words now). 

And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” (Elisabeth Elliot⁣)
Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kic Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kicking off the year with a brand new series! Each weekly installment will feature a tip for everything from your home to faith to parenting to family life and so much more. My goal for 2023 is to have far more personal interaction with this community while continuing on with the mission of weaving together all things heart and home. I hope you enjoy this first tip and I’d love to hear from you about whether or not you decorate for winter! 
#tiptuesday #organizing #winterdecorating
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. H “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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