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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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March 10, 2011

This, That and The Other!

There is nothing quite like a weekend filled with sunshine to make you feel alive again! We are all still as pale white as “Elmer’s” Glue, but at least we got some Vitamin D straight from the source.
While Yankee Boy and Rascal 1 played golf, Rascal 2 and I spent some time in the backyard.
Don’t you love that Vegetable raincoat?
We pretended to be in a marching band and marched ourselves all around the yard. We had to stop every once and awhile and pretend to be butterflies.
Hey, it’s her imagination…I don’t ask questions!

We blew countless numbers of bubbles.
And she showed off her newly learned “pumping” skills on the swing.
“I do it allllllllll myself!”
The fresh air has definitely gone to my head and with a “Spring” in my step I have been doing some tweaking around the house. There have been several things I was keeping my eye out for…you know…those one-sy two-sy, odds and ends that you are always on the lookout for and are just so excited when you finally spot just the right thing!
Like this sofa table which I picked up for a song at a consignment store.
I knew I needed something back there but wanted something that felt light to off-set the dark tones in the room. It also had to be narrow so the rascals could still have plenty of space for “wrastling” with daddy!
I absolutely fell in love with the patina and the criss-cross detailing.
And the glass top helps achieve the more open feeling I was going for.
Plus, it provided the perfect place to display my favorite photo of the rascals showin’ some love to each other! I look at it every time they are going at each other just to remind myself that they actually do have these kinds of moments too.
I have been searching FOREVER to try and find the perfect chair for our office. Had to have good back support…couldn’t be too tall or too short…and most importantly, of course, it had to be pretty!
I found this at where else??? TJ MAXX! I know you are shocked.
My next find I kind of resisted for awhile.
This is our breakfast nook. And lunch nook. And dinner nook. We do have a formal dining room too but when the kids are looking for something and I say “it’s in the Dining Room” and they say “the what?” and then I say “that room with the other big table!” it makes me realize how rarely we actually use it. But it sure is pretty to look at!
Ok, so what is missing from this picture?
I can hear you all yelling it out…A RUG under the table! Right?
But I have little kids. And little kids make lots of crumbs. And they run around the table.
And they are really adament about pulling out their own chair when we sit down to eat. Ok, only the little one does that because she “is not little she is a BIG girl!”
And then I found this and all bets were off.
I mean, we have plenty of other places for them to run around.
And those crumbs just magically disappear somehow after dropping onto this rug.
And the little miss? Well, let’s just say that we think having to pull out her chair on the rug has been great for developing her upper body strength.
I love this rug.
Let’s look at it again!
The tones change with the light and I love the bricky red.
While I was at it, I decided that the artwork in this space was not doing it any favors.
It came with us from our old house and was just looking a bit faded and forlorn.
I think the orchid actually started wilting more and more over time.
While at Ross the other day (sorry TJ’s…you know you are my first love but sometimes you just can’t give me everything I need!) I found these.
I love me some Botanical Prints.
And wait, what does that price say?
$9.99! Are you out of your mind?
That’s right. For 2 framed prints!
I’m debating whether or not to paint the frames to lighten them up a bit.
What do you think?
This one’s my favorite!
There are just all sorts of things “Spring”ing up around here!
Thank you for letting me share some of them with you!
And be sure to come back by tonight for
With lots of love from the Fence,
Linking to these parties
Metamorphosis Monday
Whassup Wednesday
Swing into Spring
Wow Us Wednesday

26 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas

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Comments

  1. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    March 10, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    Hi Vanessa, Your children are so adorable and I love the raincoat. You have done a great job of adding Spring to your home. The new prints and rug are wonderful.
    I hope you will join my new linky party starting next Thursday. See you there.
    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  2. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    March 10, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    Great finds, Vanessa! Love the chair & the rug! I need both of those items! I sometimes find some good buys at Ross,too. You never know!

    Reply
  3. Martina says

    March 10, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    Hi Vanessa, First off your daughter is a little cutie!! She reminds me of my youngest,she will be 5 in June, everything is I can do it by myself I don’t need any help!!It’s a good thing their learning to be independent. Now on to all that eye candy. So many pretty things, love the new prints and that photo of your dining area with the sun flowing in,just beautiful! Martina

    Reply
  4. Linda says

    March 10, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, and for hosting Inspiration Friday. I realized I didn’t have your button up. It is now. I’m sorry. Thanks for being sweet about it!

    Your house looks so inviting! I love Ross, but we have moved to a state that doesn’t have one. I miss it.

    Reply
  5. Pam @ Our Adventures in Home Improvement says

    March 10, 2011 at 5:25 PM

    Wow, lots to comment on about this post! First, I love your daughter’s raincoat and boots! So cute. Great new sofa table! I love the new chair and the new rug!

    Have a great day.
    Pam

    Reply
  6. Tyla says

    March 10, 2011 at 5:39 PM

    OMGosh! I need a rug under my kitchen table in the worst way. I love yours. I, too, like to shop at Ross’. I don’t always find what I’m looking for, but usually I find SOMETHING. lol

    Reply
  7. Val says

    March 10, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    Oh my, How sweet are those little cuties!!!!??? I LOVE. I heart the new pictures.

    Reply
  8. Nellie's Cozy place says

    March 10, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    wow, you have been having fun, fun,
    fun springersizing your home! Your new sofa table is perfect,
    and love love love that precious pic of your children. Your rug is perfect for your dining area, and I
    love botanicals prints as well, they look very nice. Your computer chair is beautiful too. You just can’t beat ross, Tj Maxx, marshalls or HomeGoods, they are great stores.
    Blessings for a Beautiful spring hon, Nellie

    Reply
  9. Lori says

    March 10, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Hi Vanessa! Your house looks great! I love the rug under your table and those prints are perfect. I can’t believe they were $9.99 for both!
    Your daughter is just too cute! I love her rain boots – my daughter has the same Hello Kitty boots from Target.

    Have a great day!!!

    Lori : )

    Reply
  10. Judy says

    March 10, 2011 at 7:45 PM

    Your home is simply gorgeous. I adore the color on the wall in your family room. The new rug in the dining area is stunning. I’m so glad you found it – it changes the entire look of the room and pulls it all together. Those botanical prints are awesome and the deal of the year. Love the chair – TJ Maxx is owned by the same company as Home Goods so I can see why you love it. I just can’t get enough of your home. I love your style. I’ll be back later for the party.

    Reply
  11. Ashley says

    March 10, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    Awesome finds! I love the rug! Where in the world did you find that vegetable rain coat? My daughter had those same boots last year. Both the boots and her rain coat are too small now so I am about to be on the hunt for new ones.

    Reply
  12. Traci says

    March 10, 2011 at 8:28 PM

    I’m soooo ready for spring! I really need a little color so that I don’t continue to frighten people when I go to Yogalates! I love the chair & rug! Great finds!

    Reply
  13. Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door says

    March 10, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    You’ve been busy! It all looks great! Don’t you just love TJ Maxx?

    Reply
  14. Honey at 2805 says

    March 10, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    Your children are so precious! Love her little raincoat. You home looks great and your found some really neat things lately! You house is neat a pin…can you come over and help me with mine?

    Reply
  15. Ann from On Sutton Place says

    March 10, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Hey Vanessa…thanks for sharing these pics of your home. I loved seeing everything and all your great bargains! I enjoyed your 2nd Blogging 101 post too. I’m sure you have heard this before but I wish I would have known some of that stuff before I started my blog. I was utterly clueless. Thanks for visiting my blog…I so appreciate it. Looking forward to Inspiration Friday. ~Ann

    Reply
  16. Cindy says

    March 10, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Your home is so pretty. The rug looks great under your table and the prints are beautiful…$9.99, WOW! My favorite…the picture of your children; adorable!!!

    Reply
  17. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    March 10, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    You did very well, my friend! First, having a hubby who “wrastles” with his kids … can’t beat that! Then, of course, the cute little crumb-droppers. And your bargains? Incredible! Isn’t it fun when things come together? See you tonight for Inspiration Friday!

    Reply
  18. NanaDiana says

    March 11, 2011 at 12:51 AM

    Vanessa- Your kids sure are cute! Love those little faces. I have to say that I think the rug just made that room. It just makes it look finished somehow…AND I love the chair too…Oh Heck…I love it all! xxoo Diana

    Reply
  19. Carol says

    March 11, 2011 at 1:52 AM

    Vanessa, do you want to know what is the very BEST part of your post?? Without a doubt – the pictures of our wonderful grandchildren!!

    Reply
  20. The Hopeless Romantic says

    March 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    I love it all, ur home is beautiful! Ide leave the frames the color they are, it blends well with the rest of ur furnishings and pops off the wall better than if it were lighter. Thats my 2cents, lol……Nice post, u have a beautiful home……..Bonnie

    Reply
  21. Laura Ingalls Gunn says

    March 11, 2011 at 4:44 PM

    Love the boots and the table!

    I am having an antique auction on my blog. All sorts of lovely and romantic finds looking for a new home. I hope you’ll stop by.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Reply
  22. michelle says

    March 12, 2011 at 4:10 AM

    She is so adorable and how precious that she “do it allll by herself”! 🙂 I love your finds too, the table is beautiful and the rug is perfect! I am now looking for a rug too for under our table, I agree with you, they can run around elsewhere. 🙂
    It looks so pretty and sunny there, what a wonderful day!

    Have a great weekend my friend!

    Reply
  23. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    March 12, 2011 at 3:37 AM

    Such a darling post Vanessa~ What a sweet girl! Love your finds too- Ross is a favorite store of mine- they always have something fantastic and your pictures are perfect- such a great deal!! Thanks for sharing at FNF! 🙂

    Reply
  24. Melissa Miller says

    March 12, 2011 at 8:09 PM

    It all looks so pretty Vanessa. Love the gorgeous rug and great find on the unique table.

    Reply
  25. alison says

    March 13, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    you made some great scores…especially the rug and the table…love how they look in the rooms…thanks for sharing at fridays unfolded and being my party partner!

    blessings,

    alison
    stuff and nonsense

    Reply
  26. Beverly says

    March 16, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Vanessa.. those pics were a great deal.. they are so expensive now. I love botanicals. Your rug does look great. Feels good to change things around doesn’t it?

    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
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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⁣)
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#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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