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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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June 24, 2016

Weekend Wonderings Fourth of July Edition

I have a little Public Service Announcement for you today. If your cable provider offers the music channels, when the 4th of July rolls around be sure to check the seasonal channel (ours is called Sounds of the Season). Because on that day they will play non-stop patriotic music that will definitely put you in the spirit of Independence Day. I may or may not also like to sing along very loudly to these songs which my children just LOVE and I may or may not have tried to get them to march around the house with me. For some reason they weren’t going for it.

But, what they WILL go for is adding patriotic touches to our home and creating fun 4th of July themed recipes is always a good idea. So, for this edition of ‘Weekend Wonderings’, we’ve put together some of our favorite patriotic themed ideas we’ve seen on the interwebs this week.

Have you ever wondered if your friend would really even notice if you just swiped something you were obsessed with right off of her wall? If I lived closer to Doreen from Hymns and Verses it would be very hard to resist the temptation to just take this Knock -off DIY Pottery Barn Flag Wall Art right on home with me!

Flag-Sign-Living-Room-1-1024x780

Have you ever wondered how something can be so incredibly simple and yet so incredibly clever at the same time? That’s how I felt when I saw this Eclectic Patriotic Gallery Wall from The Golden Sycamore. Isn’t is so sweet and fun?

vintage-eclectic-patriotic-chalkboard-gallery-wall

Have you ever wondered how many seconds it would take your kids to devour a yummy treat? That’s how I felt when I saw these Fireworks S’mores from Live Laugh Rowe. And the answer is 10 seconds…10 seconds before every trace of them would disappear.

Looking for a s'more recipe for kids?  These Fireworks S'mores will do the trick this July 4th.  They're packed with flavor -- and sprinkles.  livelaughrowe.com

Looking for a s’more recipe for kids? These Fireworks S’mores will do the trick this July 4th. They’re packed with flavor — and sprinkles. livelaughrowe.com

Have you ever wondered if you have a pillow obsession and then had it 100% confirmed when you see a fabulous set that you know would look so amazing on your couch if only you could smuggle them in without your husband seeing them and reminding you of all of the pillows you have stashed around the house? Well that’s exactly how I felt when I saw these Patriotic Pillow Covers from Ann On Sutton Place. This lady is sooooo talented and these are for sale!!

patriotic-decor-on-sutton-place-red-white-blue

Have you ever had something remind you so much of a childhood craft project that you were immediately flooded with all kinds of nostalgic memories? That’s how I felt when I saw this Potato Stamp Patriotic Wood Tray from Tidbits. I haven’t used a potato stamp in years and had forgotten just how sweet and simple it is.

Patriotic-Tray-5

Still to come this week we’ll be sharing more of our favorite At the Picket Fence ideas for your 4th of July celebrations and very soon we have a BIG announcement to share with you!

Enjoy your weekend sweet friends and thank you so much for meeting us at the fence today!

5 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Fourth of July, Good Ideas, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: 4th of July decorating, 4th of July recipes

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Comments

  1. Michelle Mortensen says

    June 24, 2016 at 6:46 PM

    Oooohhhh! That flag is to die for. I love patriotic decor that is a little more on the subdued side and that flag fits the bill. Thanks for sharing and providing inspiration.
    Best & Bisous,
    Michelle from Simply Santa Barbara

    Reply
  2. Doreen says

    June 24, 2016 at 7:32 PM

    Thanks for sharing my flag, sweet friend! I wish we DID live closer! I’d come over and sing and march with you, haha!!!!

    Reply
  3. Deborah says

    June 24, 2016 at 7:56 PM

    Well we definitely need to get together cause I sing at the top of my lungs and my kids love it too. Great projects ❤️❤️

    Reply
  4. Sandy says

    June 25, 2016 at 3:38 AM

    Vanessa and Heather, your new pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing Fourth of July decor and yummies. I follow On Sutton Place and have purchased several of Ann’s pillow covers. She is quite talented.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 27, 2016 at 7:34 AM

      You are so sweet Sandy! Thank you so much!

      Reply

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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
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What’s the weather like where you are?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
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Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
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