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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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August 6, 2016

What You Don’t See

Blogging and social media always has a bit of a smoke and mirrors element to it. We let others see what we want them to see, right?

What I tend share here At the Picket Fence are the areas of my home that are neat and tidy. There are vignettes and displays and carefully decorated nooks and crannies.

Old world map hanging from chain

 

And, while I like to think that I’m all about keeping it real with you, I’ve also been known to photoshop dust out of a picture. So…yeah…there’s that.

The truth is, there are parts of my home that aren’t so pretty. Areas that need some work.

There’s the hole in the wall in my daughter’s room. A result of some over-zealous playing.

There’s the paint chipping in the kids’ bathroom which is a room that really just needs an entire overhaul.

There’s the spray painted knobs in the laundry room that are working their way back to their original color.

And there’s this door. It’s the door which leads from our backyard into the garage.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That door looks perfectly fine, right?

back door

Well, just like with social media, looks can be deceiving.

You see, this particular door has a frame that is falling apart. And every time we go to open or close it we have to push and pull which puts more stress on it.

door frame

The weather stripping is flopping all around and even just the door itself is starting to feel the neglect.

rotted door frame

We’ve been putting it off until this summer but now summer is flying by and we’re realizing that we really need to do something about it and soon because once the rainy season starts here in Oregon we could have an even more serious problem on our hands when water starts coming in.

So, you can imagine my delight when I was given the opportunity to partner with Window World!

Because, not only does this amazing company offer a huge array of windows to choose from, they also have…yep…you guessed it. DOORS!!

So many high-quality doors!

products-entry-door-enduring-2x

Beautiful, beautiful non-falling apart doors!

products-entry-door-durasmooth-2x

I’m more than comfortable clicking that ‘place order’ button when it comes to a new pair of shoes, but for a bigger item, I really want to be able to do my due diligence by researching the products and see them in person.  Luckily, Window World has over 200 locations nationwide. And I get to visit our local Window World store location and pick out my door in person! And guess what? I’m taking you along with me.

We’re going to do a little shopping together!

Stay tuned as I navigate this process and take our back door from falling apart to fabulous!

Thanks so much for meeting me at the fence (and at the back door!) today,

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9 Comments Filed Under: Good Ideas

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Comments

  1. Design Chic says

    August 6, 2016 at 6:25 AM

    That is so exciting and I can’t wait to see your choice! Happy weekend!

    Reply
  2. Chloe Crabtree says

    August 6, 2016 at 7:36 AM

    It is funny how when you take pictures, sometimes you see the really good things in your home and sometimes your eyes are opened to the things that need work. I don’t blame you for putting time and research into your new door and look forward to seeing what you choose!

    Reply
  3. Julie K says

    August 6, 2016 at 8:58 AM

    I agree with Chloe….sometimes all I can see are the flaws. I need to train my eyes to see the good. I’m looking forward to seeing your new door! Very exciting!

    Reply
  4. Diane | An Extraordinary Day says

    August 6, 2016 at 6:49 PM

    We’ve been in that boat too. It’s the back door to the garage… and even though it was opened and closed many times a day… we would just step over the rotting threshold. Funny thing… when we finally fixed it. It really took no time at all. The hardest part is getting the job done in our heads before we actually begin. I’m looking forward to your new door adventure. Should be so fun… and pretty!
    Best!

    Reply
  5. Michele says

    August 7, 2016 at 10:48 AM

    Oh YAY! It’s going to be awesome – I couldn’t be happier for you.

    We need new doors. I need to check them out – my interest was piqued when I read Kari Anne’s post about how happy she is with her windows- and now they do doors, I am beyond excited.

    Thanks for the great news – can’t wait to see what you decided upon! : – )

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      August 8, 2016 at 8:10 AM

      Thank you so much Michele!

      Reply
  6. Julia says

    August 9, 2016 at 7:43 AM

    I am shaking my head yes, yes…because we have 2 outside doors that needed replacing and we planned the project several times but “just didn’t get to it”. Well my precious husband and my precious brother took on that project just about a month ago and yeah I have 2 beautiful doors that are no longer an eyesore or a mess! We used doors from our local hardware store but we will be checking out Window World for the kitchen windows that need replacing. Looking forward to reading about your adventures in door replacement!

    Reply
  7. Lidy@FrenchGardenHouse says

    August 9, 2016 at 9:26 PM

    How exciting! I can’t wait to see what door you’ll choose, it’s always thrilling when something that hasn’t worked well for a while gets a brand new replacement. I can be over the moon happy with a new vacuum hose, so I can only imagine the happy dance you’ll do when the door is IN!

    Reply
  8. Linda T says

    August 20, 2016 at 12:43 PM

    Thank you for sharing your “areas not shown”. As someone that loves stuff…especially old stuff……I often have to close doors or make room under a bed for things that are just laying around so I can admire them. My question for you is….where do you store all of your seasonal/extra items when not on display?

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

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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.

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“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).

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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. 

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