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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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January 28, 2016

Wood Typography Scripture Sign

“Mommy, I need some privacy please.” I was in my daughter’s room, working my way through the laundry basket of clean clothes, folding and sorting, stacking the piles on her bed.  I had just informed her that it was time to hop in the shower but noticed that she made no movement towards undressing.

It took a moment for her words to register but the look she gave me said it all. She did not want me in there.

scripture sign hanging over vintage bed atthepicketfence.com

She’s my youngest, my baby. The one with the love affair with stuffed animals and an imagination like I’ve never seen. She’s so very little still in so many ways. And yet, a breeze is blowing through our house and it’s bringing with it changes that I’m trying so hard to embrace and yet almost grieving over at the same time.

I absolutely adore this girl who tells me that she’s pretty sure Taylor Swift is her favorite musical artist even if she’s only heard 3 of her songs. I love that she is exhibiting such confidence in areas which used to be almost crippling. That she is showing maturity in how she handles situations at school and has artistic abilities which have long surpassed my own.

oak dresser with attached mirror

And I’m so excited for her future, for how God is going to unfold the story of her life. But, oh how my heart aches as she is entering this new season. Because I remember what it was like to straddle the line between little girl and young woman. I remember how confusing it was and how these strange emotions suddenly began creeping in usually at the most inopportune moments.

I actually remember the day I lost my imagination. There I was in my room with my Barbie dolls lying around me on the floor and I just couldn’t seem to come up with a single storyline for them. It was like a switch had been flipped and ‘poof’, the world which used to so very real to me was suddenly gone.

cabbage rose pillowcases on oak bed

And while, thankfully, my sweet girl still gets blissfully lost in her imagination, I know that day is coming for her too.

So, when I began planning her room makeover, I wanted to include something that I hope she will cling to during the crazy years ahead.

Something to reach for. Something that will set her apart from a generation which seems to be growing more and more consumed by ‘self’.

typography bible verse sign atthepicketfence.com

I combed through scripture looking for just the right verse and finally settled on this one from Proverbs. And with the help of Signs of Hope, my vision beautifully came to life.

laurens sign

The day we hung it in her room, we read it together and talked about what it meant.

And then she asked if I would leave the room so she could play with her stuffed animals. I happily obliged!

Wood typography bible verse sign atthepicketfence.com

I stood outside the door, listening to the sounds of her playing with her stuffed friends and was reminded that while the future seems to be coming at us fast and furiously, and while she may want more privacy now, she is still my little girl.

And, no matter how much she grows and changes, she always will be!

 

13 Comments Filed Under: Bedrooms, Decorating, Family, Good Ideas, Kids Tagged With: decor, decorating, kids rooms

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Comments

  1. Lauren says

    January 30, 2016 at 7:17 PM

    What a sweet time for you both. Where does the time go? The sign is lovely. My twin girls are almost 25 (yikes) and traveling the world, working jobs, and yet, I still often see them as little girls. Enjoy these times and those to come … All are precious.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 30, 2016 at 7:28 PM

      Thank you Lauren! I’m definitely trying to cherish these times together because it really is going sooooo fast! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Leslie says

    January 30, 2016 at 7:36 PM

    Precious! What a beautiful Mommy’s perception and preparation for the future for that sweet daughter! Love.❤️

    Reply
  3. Janet says

    January 30, 2016 at 7:40 PM

    These are precious times!!..Enjoy every minute….

    Reply
  4. Susan says

    January 31, 2016 at 11:38 AM

    This is absolutely beautiful. Your daughter should do just fine when she has been raised by a caring and loving mother like you.

    Reply
  5. Carol Reddin says

    January 31, 2016 at 4:53 PM

    This is so sweet, Vanessa! She’s a darling little girl and we so love the person she is (and her Momma too)! Mom and Dad

    Reply
  6. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    January 31, 2016 at 5:26 PM

    Beautiful sign, beautiful scripture and your daughter is blessed with wonderful parents to guide her through life with great self confidence and joy.

    Reply
  7. Michele says

    January 31, 2016 at 8:46 PM

    I am sitting here reading this with tears streaming down my face.

    Ah, having raised two daughters I so understand this. Hold on tight, it does go fast!

    Well done, this is an EXCELLENT post, thank you for these tears of memory and emphathy for you. Hugs. ♥

    Reply
  8. Paige.Rose says

    February 1, 2016 at 12:28 AM

    Such a cute comfy room. I love the sign above the bed & cute shams!!

    Happy Monday!

    Paige.Rose
    from
    http://www.TheQuaintSanctuary.blogspot.com

    Reply
  9. Jeanie says

    February 1, 2016 at 5:10 PM

    How precious…

    Reply
  10. Debbie says

    February 2, 2016 at 4:06 AM

    What a beautiful post! You are so correct about the youthful imagination. Love the scripture sign too.

    Reply
  11. Gail says

    February 6, 2016 at 7:14 PM

    Where can I find those signs.. I love it.. Enjoy the time you have every year every moment.

    Reply
    • Alex Hood says

      February 10, 2016 at 11:45 AM

      This sign is one from our store:
      https://www.etsy.com/listing/267779248/proverbs-3125-2×4-handpainted-wood-sign

      We have many more scripture and custom signs in our shop..
      https://www.etsy.com/shop/signsofhopear

      Blessings!

      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
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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.

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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! 
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“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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