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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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April 11, 2013

$100 American Express Gift Card Giveaway, “The Moment” and More…

Do you remember when you were little and life just seemed like this vast unknown spreading out before you?

You dreamed about what you wanted to be “when you grew up” and it seemed perfectly plausible that you might end up being a teacher/pilot/firefighter/veterinarian/deep sea diver/Luke Skywalker.

Recently my mom gave me this…

school memories book at the picket fence

Did you have one of these? She’s been going through all of my old school papers, cards, letters etc and the ones she is able to part with she is passing on to me.

As I was flipping through the pages I came across this one with that tried and true childhood question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and I couldn’t believe what it said.

DSC_0624

Notice the red arrows?? And the irony? 😉

I don’t actually remember ever wanting to be a pastor/”paster” but I’m pretty sure I wrote that down because my Daddy was one. My pulpit dreams only lasted for that school year though. Soon another dream crept in. One which would stay with me to this day.

Do you have a dream that needs to be dusted off?

Has it been sitting on that shelf for so long  that you might not even recognize it as having once belonged to you.

What if you had a chance to take it down, wipe off that dust and give that dream another look?

And, what if Kurt Warner, former NFL Quarterback, helped you?

KurtTheMoment2

Maybe the responsibilities and challenges of life have kept you from pursuing your dreams and passions. You get jobs because they pay the bills, not because they are fulfilling. You are elbow-deep in laundry, changing diapers, school runs and PTA meetings.

When was the last time you asked yourself “am I just surviving or am I thriving?”

“What if you had a second chance at your dream career?”

This is the question which will be answered each week for one person in the new reality series “The Moment” on USA, premiering THIS THURSDAY (April 11th) at 10/9C.

The Moment image

Imagine getting to drop everything and have one more shot at pursuing your passion! That’s what “The Moment” is all about. The chance for a second chance!

I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to promote such an incredible new series. The timing of this could not have been more perfect.

You see, once I realized I wouldn’t be pursuing a career as a “paster”, I discovered my true calling. And no, it wasn’t as the National Spelling Bee Champion! But life continued to move me in other directions and my dream got put up on the shelf where it began to collect dust. Recently, though, I’ve taken it down, dusted it off and I’m believing that it might just come true!

Would you like to know what it is? This dream I’ve dusted off? The one thing I’m afraid to pursue yet even more afraid of not pursuing?

Well, I’ve created my very own My Moment Pinterest Board! There you will see all of the things which are inspiring me to keep on dreaming!

And we want you to be inspired to pursue your dreams too!

So, we’re going to give you the chance to dust them off AND enter to win a fabulous GIVEAWAY while you’re at it!

First Place Winner Will Receive

$100 AMERICAN EXPRESS GIFT CARD

AND 

Updated-Photo_with Tote

 

Digital Photo Frame

Beautiful Restoration Hardware Blanket 

“The Moment” Tote Bag and Hat

Kurt Warner’s book “First Things First”

“The Moment” Journal and Pen

Second Place Winner Will Also Receive a “The Moment” Prize Pack valued at $150!

And here’s how to enter to win this “The Moment” Prize:

Simply create your own “My Moment” Pinterest Board! Fill it with all of the images, quotes, ideas and inspirations which capture the heart of your own dreams and encourage you to pursue them!

Share your own “My Moment” Pinterest Board below in the comments and that’s all there is to it!

Need some inspiration? Head on over and check out my “My Moment” board and let me know if you can guess what my dream is!

And, don’t forget to tune in for the premier of “The Moment” on the USA Network, April 11th at 10/9C! 

KeyArtTheMoment

 I can’t wait to see your “My Moment” boards! The winners of the Prize Pack will be announced on Monday April 22nd (Giveaway ends on April 20th) which leaves you plenty of time to create your board. Don’t forget to come back and link it up here to be entered to win!

Oh, and leave me a comment letting me know your guess as to what dream I’ve dusted off after checking out my own

“My Moment” Pinterest Board! 😉

1553F4F30A9801A6AFB3E9C624118E7B

 

 

16 Comments Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: Giveaway, The Moment, USA

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Comments

  1. Betty Marshall says

    April 9, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    I hope that this series isn’t going to take people away from their family to follow something they think will be more fulfilling than what they have at this time. So many children have to put up with left-overs because parents want their careers to soar, even if the children are left out or left behind. I’ve been in the classroom and I know some are not looked at as a precious gift from God.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 9, 2013 at 12:31 PM

      Hi Betty! I so appreciate your insight into this and obvious concern about how easy it is for children to sometimes get lost in the shuffle when parents are consumed with themselves. I believe that the heart and intention of this series is to show people that it’s never too late to pursue a dream or passion! I myself have done that in the last couple years as a blogger and writer but my FIRST priority has always been God and my family. 🙂 It is so sad when that isn’t the case for others but we pray those children have people (like you!) in their lives to remind them of just how precious they are! 🙂
      Vanessa

      Reply
  2. LAURA S says

    April 9, 2013 at 11:00 AM

    Vanessa, you want to be a “Writer” of children books? I think, your kiddos would love and benefit from this, very much so!! I am sure, that through your parenthood years, your babies have given you many more ideas. So many in fact that your heart and mind are over flowing. Plus, if you write a childrens book, you could actually sit down and read with them. They would love this so much. And rest assured, they won’t remember if the laundry was done or if the house needed dusting, but they will remember that special time spent with their parents. When your kids grow up, they will be able to say that their Mom not only read with them but read books that she so loving wrote, well, that will be a great and awesome gift that you have provided. And let us not forget, that if you read with them, they too will love reading and they will also read books with their own children, for it will be instilled within thier hearts. Reading with your children is a gift that keeps on giving and if you have been the author the book, that is just icing on the cake.

    Reply
    • LAURA S says

      April 10, 2013 at 7:19 AM

      I got so excited for you that I forgot to leave my new favorite Pinterest Page Link 🙂
      https://pinterest.com/laurajo2011/my-moments/

      Reply
  3. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    April 9, 2013 at 5:46 PM

    Vanessa, I believe that the way you and Heather put together both hard work and determination, you will always realize your dreams…you have been so successful at your blog and the two of your have accomplished so much in so little time…I know your dreams will come true…”Hitch your wagon to a star”…Emerson…a wise man.

    Reply
  4. Beth@Unskinny Boppy says

    April 10, 2013 at 6:24 AM

    V, after reading your article in the Celebrating Everyday Life magazine about your adoption story I am SO hoping you will write a book about it! Tears were streaming at my desk after just a few paragraphs. You’ve got a talent, and I hope you share it with the world, my friend!

    Reply
  5. Vanessa says

    April 10, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    Laura S “My Moment” Pinterest Board: https://pinterest.com/laurajo2011/my-moments/

    Reply
  6. Mami2jcn says

    April 11, 2013 at 4:24 PM

    It looks like you want to become a writer! Here is my Pinterest board–https://pinterest.com/mami2jcn/my-moment/

    I wish I could be a librarian…maybe after my kids are older I can go back & pursue a Master’s in Library Science.

    Reply
  7. Nancy says

    April 11, 2013 at 7:34 PM

    I bought this exact same memories book for one of my children. It was a great folder and he is the only child that has his pictures and other memorabilia from elementary school and he was not my first child. This was a great memory holder.

    Reply
  8. Jessie C. says

    April 11, 2013 at 8:15 PM

    Here is my board-https://pinterest.com/tcarolinep/my-moment/

    Reply
  9. Livivua Chandler says

    April 12, 2013 at 7:23 AM

    Here is my board- https://pinterest.com/vivaciousgold/my-moment/

    A painter would be my second world!

    Reply
  10. Wild Orchid says

    April 12, 2013 at 7:38 AM

    Looks to me like you have a dream of being a writer! Here is my pin board–https://pinterest.com/wildorchid985/my-moment/

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    wildorchid985 @ gmail dot com

    Reply
  11. Neiddy says

    April 15, 2013 at 12:13 AM

    My dream is to open my own cake shop. The Lord put this desire in my heart when I was a younger and I know that one day my dream will come true. I will just keep on declaring and believing and won’t give up on my God given dream.

    Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

    My pinterest board : https://pinterest.com/neiddy/my-moment/

    PS. Your dream is to be a writer?

    Reply
  12. Ashley H says

    April 15, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    I always wanted to be an actress if I could have any job that I wanted. I never had the nerve to just pick up and move to NY or LA and get started. I don’t regret it too much because if I did that I wouldn’t have the family I have now.
    Here is my board: https://pinterest.com/hewella1/my-moment/

    Reply
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    September 13, 2014 at 3:09 AM

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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
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So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
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If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

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If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

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