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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 14, 2012

We’re Headin’ To Haven and a BlogHer Feature!


Whoo Hoo!!
 In exactly one week we are so excited to be hittin’ the road to Atlanta for the the very first Haven Conference and we want you to join us!! 

We’re going to take you on the journey with us as we Twitter, Facebook and Blog our way from Kentucky to Georgia and share with you all the happenings at Haven. 
We’ll be stopping at some fun sites along the way, hanging out with some of our best blogging buddies and even asking some questions of our favorite Blogger Superstars!
(insert our best Mary Katherine Gallagher impression here!)
We will keep you updated with all of the important Haven news like…what are the trending shoe styles among DIY Bloggers and who’s wearing the pj’s with the most paint stains! We’ll share some of the cute business cards we’ve collected as well as give you all the days highlights! Maybe even a video of Heather singing Karaoke and Debbie of Refresh Restyle dancing….she did promise and we’re holding her to it! 😉

Haven Maven

To get every last detail (and if you’re as nosy as we are…we know you’ll want every last detail…grin!) be sure you’re following us on Twitter and Facebook as well as here on the blog!

We also want to take a moment to share some exciting news!

Home

Vanessa’s post on Talking to your Kids about Adoption is being featured today at 3:00 PM EST on the front page of BlogHer.com as well as in the Family Topic as a BlogHer Spotlight! We’d be so appreciative if you would take a moment to visit her over there and leave a comment!

Well that’s about it! Lots of exciting things happening around here…can’t wait to see so many of our friends next week…and for us two sisters to have a fun adventure together and take you with us!

Don’t forget about our great giveaway going on all week from The Rusted Chain!

See you tomorrow for Inspiration Friday.

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Comments

  1. Ange says

    June 13, 2012 at 7:19 PM

    I’m torn between peeing my pants with excitement and throwing up a bit with nervousness! Haven here we come! Can’t wait to see your girls on Wednesday! Getting ready to party with all my favorite bloggers!

    Reply
  2. Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says

    June 13, 2012 at 7:19 PM

    We who aren’t attending will live through you two! Have a BLAST!! And cracnk up the 80’s tunes. I want to sing along 😉

    I’ll check out the blogher post too.

    Reply
  3. Anna says

    June 13, 2012 at 8:09 PM

    Yay!!! I can’t wait to meet your girls! It’s going to be so much fun! Just look for me, I’ll be the one the looks totally lost because I don’t know anyone! 🙂

    Anna
    http://www.askannamoseley.com

    Reply
  4. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    June 13, 2012 at 8:16 PM

    LOL ~ I love that graphic of you two in the car! : ) Have a ball! I know you will. I hope to get to one of these blogging conferences some day.

    Reply
  5. Judy says

    June 13, 2012 at 8:47 PM

    Wish I could be there to meet you two. I will keep up with your journey.

    Reply
  6. NanaDiana says

    June 13, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    Oh-You guys are gonna have SOOO much fun! I can’t wait to hear all about it- and take lots of pictures, too!!! xo Diana

    Reply
  7. Bonnie @ Uncommon says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:39 AM

    can not wait to meet you guys!! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    June 14, 2012 at 1:55 AM

    I’m not attending the conference, but I understand I will get to meet y’all at dinner. Yippee!!

    Reply
  9. Debbiedoo's says

    June 14, 2012 at 3:31 AM

    LUCKY ducklings. You girls are going to have so much fun! Enjoy and I know you will keep us updated every step of the way.

    Reply
  10. Laurel Stephens says

    June 14, 2012 at 3:35 AM

    Sounds like a blast!

    Reply
  11. Kim says

    June 14, 2012 at 11:45 AM

    Oh How Fun!! You girls will have a ball … can’t wait to see your tweets from the road. I just got twitter … so I will follow you now!!

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    You’re coming to GEORGIA, and you’re not coming to Savannah? Well, that’s just mean. Mean, I tell you.

    I will be signing up to follow on twitter because I’m just about as nosy and any human has the right to be. I don’t do much twitter. My only followers are my daughters. Ha! But I’m going to follow you.

    And Vanessa, congratulations. Actually I should say, “Go God” because He definitely wrote that post. I could see his signature all over it.

    Reply
  13. Miss Kitty says

    June 14, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    Yeah! That is a darling collage of you girls on the way to Atlanta. I am coming too. I don’t know anyone yet “in person” but I feel like I do via blogging. I hope to meet y’all too.

    Reply
  14. Linda@Coastal Charm says

    June 14, 2012 at 4:02 PM

    My goodness.you two are going to have a blast!!! Be sure to get a pic of Debbie dancing:) Looking forward to hearing all about it.

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  15. Eclectically Vintage says

    June 14, 2012 at 5:51 PM

    I clicked on your BlogHer link but couldn’t find your feature!
    Kelly

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 14, 2012 at 7:38 PM

      Hey girl. It’s probably not on the main page anymore, they rotate those pretty quickly, but it’s still at the top of the family page. 🙂 https://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/family

      Reply
  16. DIY Show Off says

    June 14, 2012 at 10:15 PM

    Counting down the days! Can’t wait! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    June 15, 2012 at 2:05 AM

    Hey ladies! Thanks so much for hosting. I’m really looking forward to meeting you guys next week. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Jen Gilday says

    June 15, 2012 at 3:57 AM

    I’m going to Haven too!!! See you guys there!!! Can’t wait!

    Jen
    athomeinthenorthwestblog.com

    Reply
  19. Daune | Cottage in the Oaks says

    June 15, 2012 at 5:07 PM

    Yaaaaayyyy! I look forward to seeing you guys next week at Haven! It’s going to be a great time……

    See ya soon~
    Daune

    Reply

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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….
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…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. 🌿
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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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