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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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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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