• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

March 31, 2016

Tonight

If you are completely wiped out tonight and all you want to do is sit on the couch and not move for an hour (or 3!)…

I get it.

spring blossoms in urn on mantel

 

If you still have a load of laundry sitting in the washing machine and you are thinking that it might be easier to just run it again in the morning instead of having to put them in the dryer tonight…

I get it.

wildflowers in white pitcher

If you know you should pack those lunches tonight but can’t bring yourself to make ONE.MORE.MEAL or clean up the kitchen…

I get it.

white pitcher with stock flowers atthepicketfence.com

If you found yourself fighting tears (or giving into them!) today thinking about that friend/child/loved one who is struggling or found yourself fighting tears because YOU are struggling…

I get it.

Lisianthus flowers atthepicketfence.com

If you still have a deadline to meet and know you will be working late into the night…

I get it.

roses and snowballs

If you can’t decide whether you would rather go to bed and get some sleep or enjoy soaking in the silence of a quiet home for just a bit longer…

I get it.

 lilac and snowball blooms atthepicketfence.com

I get it, my friends. I really do. Sometimes what we do feels like it takes a level of strength that we simply don’t have.

But, you know what?

You don’t have to do it all on your own!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Praying for you tonight dear ones,

Vanessa signature

17 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Faith

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Vintage Style Canvas Map
Next Post: The Peace Filled Home Series »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shawna says

    March 31, 2016 at 4:48 PM

    Thank you! I am glad that you get it-because I needed it 🙂 Thank you for the prayers and for the reminder.

    Reply
  2. Cathy says

    March 31, 2016 at 5:24 PM

    Thank you for knowing exactly what I need right now!
    I’m selling my home and buying another for the first time since my husband passed away….and I’m overwhelmed. I know God is with me, but it helps to be reminded.

    Reply
  3. Anita Ward says

    March 31, 2016 at 6:52 PM

    All prayers greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  4. Sharon says

    March 31, 2016 at 6:55 PM

    Taking care of husband who just had open heart surgery, struggling.
    I appreciate knowing you and yours are out there.

    Reply
    • Gail says

      March 31, 2016 at 10:22 PM

      I went thru that a year and a half ago.. You will get thru it. It takes time and patience. He will get stronger. It took my hubby about 3 months to get back to where he was about 75%. Now, he is at about 95%. Just take it slow, be positive, love him, let him know you are there for him, talk about your feelings, most of all get him to tell you how he feels, They can get real depressed. I am here if ya need to talk. iwotpip50@yahoo.com. I will keep you in my prayers.
      Gail

      Reply
  5. Liz C says

    March 31, 2016 at 6:57 PM

    I do not know how you did that, but this was exactly what I needed. Thank you for the prayers also-I sure do need them. Bless you.

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    March 31, 2016 at 7:00 PM

    Thank you for the prayers…..and the pictures of the flowers! Sitting here on a stormy night and I could use the boost.

    Reply
  7. Sandie says

    March 31, 2016 at 7:18 PM

    Thank you. So kind and thoughtful of you. Much appreciated.

    Reply
  8. Jeanne says

    March 31, 2016 at 7:33 PM

    It’s wonderful to know that someone is praying for you- especially for those that know that there may not be anyone else praying for them!
    I’m praying for all who’ve mentioned struggling as well-
    God Bless You-

    Reply
  9. Lisa Mothersead says

    March 31, 2016 at 7:47 PM

    I need it tonight. Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Pamela says

    March 31, 2016 at 8:21 PM

    Ha! I left the rinsed dinner dishes in the sink cause I couldn’t bring myself to empty the dishwasher, told the hubby to pick out a pair of socks from the clean, but not folded, pile on his side of the bed and I should have been in bed an hour ago but everyone else so I just neede some time to unwind (after painting for the 4th day on a row). You certainly have me pegged tonight.

    Reply
  11. Michele says

    March 31, 2016 at 8:46 PM

    Amen to that!

    I had a bit of an episode of feeling on the ledge recently that wiped me out! I am getting stronger daily, Easter helped remind me what’s important. Thanks for your reminder, too. Hugs.

    Reply
  12. Gail says

    March 31, 2016 at 10:26 PM

    Hang in guys, You are strong, loving, capable people. Wake up tomorrow and say 3 positive words before you even start. It will help. But, remember also that laundry, dishes and cleaning are not the important things you need to tend too. Give out hugs and you will feel like a million. Deep breaths.
    Gail

    Reply
  13. Nilza Brito says

    March 31, 2016 at 10:41 PM

    What uplifting words especially when you need them!!

    Reply
  14. Debbie says

    April 1, 2016 at 4:23 AM

    This post was what I needed, when I needed it. Thank you so much. I am 3 weeks out from a total knee replacement, and while I know I’m doing fine and not in a lot of pain, sometimes just being uncomfortable is overwhelming and I just need to cry and pray.

    Reply
    • Gwen says

      April 3, 2016 at 12:13 AM

      Someone recently had one and needed no pain meds within a day. Was able to walk without a walker. Did physical therapy but pain free. Now able to fully move and kneel. I pray yours goes so well. A 93 year old friend also did hers in her late 80’s and is so pleased. Praise God. Fear not for I am with you.
      Be not afraid.
      365 verses on fear. I used these verses and went through the list–good is a grade of A. I became very practical. Honorouble was a judge true is 4+4=8 right is to obey traffic signals pure is the scent of a baby after a bath. Lovely is a sunset. Admirable is my mom growing gardens and making lunches and canning vegetables and fruit and having healthy meals. And I’d start over. Hope this helps✝
      “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
      ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

      Reply
  15. Gwen says

    April 2, 2016 at 5:41 PM

    Thank you for praying for me your reader. I never thought of me as a person. I am praying for two bloggers I do not know at all but the Holy Spirit led me to pray. Two other bloggers have corresponded and no not friends but I am praying for them
    But yes I’ve needed prayer and God in His mercy gives and gives…from unexpected places. You listened and God used you to put beautiful real flower images and then the lines–you have a child…loved one…friend…struggling…or maybe you…and as I read my heart turned toward each of these dear ones and then it’s hard to admit I’m struggling with my injury–and then the verse. Anew each time as it applied to a new day. Isn’t Gods Word so neat like that???
    Dear Lord
    Please be these women who bring delightful beauty to my reading. I enjoy the posts. Their topics. Their verse. May you strengthen them this day as well. In Jesus name Amen

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Michele Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • Open Now December 17, 2020
  • Tradition and a Christmas Home Tour December 9, 2020
  • Tabletop Hot Cocoa Station November 29, 2020
  • A New Front Door November 10, 2020
  • Gaining Perspective October 26, 2020

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

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!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

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. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

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.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

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.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
Follow
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 At The Picket Fence