{2018 // a year in Review}

Good morning and Happy Monday! I took a break from this space and Instagram for a couple of weeks to fully enjoy and embrace the holidays with my sweet family. And that I did! I will recap Christmas soon, but today I wanted to take a look back at 2018. It's always bittersweet, the last day of the year. 2018 was filled with so many great times, but I also look forward to what 2019 has in store for us. Here is a look at 2018 with Hall Around Texas...

{Merry JEEPmas // Christmas parade}

I love having a red Jeep, but man I love it even more during the month of December! It's just perfect for all things Christmas. And you know I love me some Christmas. Before we named the Jeep Rooster we legit almost named it Rudolph! No joke! Or Rudy, rather, for short. During the Christmas season, I put a red nose and antlers on the Jeep and everyone and their Grandma's dog calls it Rudolph. I don't hate it. I love all things Christmas and now all things JEEPmas!

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 7 // DIY Jeep Snowglobe // 2 versions}

This next project was a fun one for me! I mean, they're all fun, but I might have squealed after I completed this one. If you know me, then you know I am obsessed with Jeeps. I bought my first Jeep (a 1985 CJ 7) shortly after high school and have loved them ever since. Anyhow, a friend sent me this pin a while ago and I knew I had to recreate it. We were at the store one day and Mason found a red Jeep Matchbox car and I knew it was the perfect piece for my snowglobe!

{#2018ChristmasMoments // Christmas Photo Challenge}

One of my favorite things to do each year is to follow Stephanie's Christmas Photo Challenge. I was so excited this year when she asked me to help co-host it! I love taking and sharing photographs of all things Christmas on Instagram! It's my absolute favorite. Below are the prompts and today I want to share my photos for days 1-12 (half of the challenge).

{Deckin' the halls // Christmas Home Tour 2018}

Deckin' the Halls is one of my favorite things to do around Christmas-time. Usually, Mason and I will decorate the entire house on the day that we get our Christmas tree {from the Christmas Tree farm} while Nate works on the "exterior illumination" {National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation anyone?}. But, this year I started decorating the house about 2 weeks prior to us getting the Christmas tree. There were a few reasons for this, but mostly because I was excited and I wanted to take my time with the decorating. And if I'm being honest, to decorate and redecorate a few times. It really is a lot to do it all in one day! I'm so glad we did it this way because just decorating the tree took a full day! Whew...

{Merry Grinchmas // 2018}

One of our favorite things to do each year is visiting our favorite Grinch while in Palestine, TX. We normally visit him while were are there for the Polar Express. Only it didn't work out this time. Grinch didn't open until the weekend after we were at Polar Express! We, and especially Mason, were so bummed! But, we made a plan to go back and visit another weekend. And that we did! We had a whole Grinch themed day!

{Weekend Wrap-up // a festive December weekend; Camp Verde, Breakfast with Santa, Church}

Hello Monday!! How we are already 10 days into the month of December is beyond me!! But, I do know that we are enjoying this sweet season something fierce. I love the month of December and all of the festiveness. Nathan worked overtime on Saturday and Sunday, but we still managed to have a pretty amazing weekend! Here's a look at our festive weekend...

{The Magic of PNP - Portable North Pole}

This post is sponsored by PNP. All opinions are 100% my own.

Keeping the magic alive at Christmas time is one of my top priorities as a mother. I know that there is only a limited time as a kid when they truly believe and my goal is to make that season as magical as can be. For years now, the PNP has been helping me do just that with personalized Santa videos and phone calls (posts here, here and here). Mason is such a big-time believer in all of the magical parts of Christmas and I pray that we have many, many years of that. Thanks to amazing tools like the Portable North Pole I think we have a pretty good chance at accomplishing that goal.

{O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree}

It's a family tradition for us to celebrate all things Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. No black Friday shopping for us! We opt for going to the Christmas tree farm and decorating, instead. My friend Whitney called this day "Christmas Friday" and I loved it so much! I will never think of this day as anything other than Christmas Friday from here on out! Anyhow, we woke up Friday morning around 8:30 and started getting ready to head to our favorite tree farm, Yesterland. We love this farm because they offer so much for the kids to do! There's a Santa, rides, rows, and rows of beautiful trees, a candy shop, a playground, a general store, etc. It never disappoints.

{Currently // December 2018}

Merry December!! I am once again joining Anne for a Currently link-up. This month's prompts are all holiday related and making my Christmas loving heart oh so happy. For December we are sharing what we are currently gifting, baking, singing, mailing, and decorating. 

{Happy HOWL-idays from our Christmas pups // 2018}

My pups must think I am the nuttiest fur mama ever! But, they mostly oblige to all of my photo taking antics. Well, Lexi does because she's a sweet and obedient little thing and Diesel? Well, he will do anything for a treat. ha. We recently took Christmas photos of the pups and I couldn't love them more.

{Polar Express 2018 // the actual ride}

One last and final post for our 2018 Polar Express weekend! Our tickets for the Polar Express were for Saturday evening at 8pm. We like to take the last train ride of the evening because it feels more like the movie. And it's just so dang magical. We arrived a little early to get our tickets and then we hung out waiting to board the train. We visited the gift shop, took pictures, got popcorn, etc. while we waited. Mason and I wanted to buy the Polar Express book because we surprisingly do not have that one, but they didn't have any available. Note to self for next year; order the book prior to going!

{Polar Express 2018 // Camping}

I mentioned yesterday (post here) that a couple of weekends ago we loaded up and headed east for our annual Polar Express weekend! Yes, we go in November for a couple of reasons. 1.) It's not as crowded as it is in December and 2.) Our Decembers are already full to the brim and we need more than just a month for all of the Christmas things. And, I secretly (or not so secretly) love that we get a jumpstart on our Christmas festivities!!

{Polar Express // Trail riding in Palestine, TX}

Last year we visited Palestine for our annual Polar Express weekend shortly after we bought our new Jeep. While we were there we found a ton of forestry trails and were excited to drive them in the Jeep. We went back a couple of weekends ago and we were sure to hit the trails again. Nathan, Mason and I left a few hours earlier than the rest of our group to allow for enough time to go on the trails. We got there right at sunset and it was just too pretty shining through the tall pine trees! The trails may look quite similar to last year's post, but the Jeep sure has grown up a bit! ;)

{2018 Christmas Bucketlist}

Y'all!!! It's the best time of the year...Christmas time! I just love the season and the spirit of Christmas. We do so many fun things around this time of year and it makes my heart swell. I get so excited each time I make our activity list and eagerly anticipate the fun to come. Not to mention our favorite Elves return to our home! It's just a jolly ol' time!

{Weekend Wrap-up // Thanksgiving, Christmas tree farm, deckin' the halls}

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a really lovely long weekend. We sure did. But, now I'm bummed that my week with Mason is coming to an end. I love when he has extra time off from school. And I am thankful that this is a short week. He gets out early on Thursday and is off on Friday! Then we'll be counting down to Christmas vacation!! I'll start my weekend wrap-up with Thanksgiving because that's when our weekend began!

{Happy Thanksgiving 2018 // 18 things I am thankful for}

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! I hope that you have an amazing day with the ones you love most! This year we are having lunch with Nathan's family at 12:00 and then supper with my mom's side of the family at 6:00. We got super lucky this year with the two events being spread out enough!

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 6 // DIY Ribbon Skirt for Elf on the Shelf}

In all seriousness, what did we do before Pinterest? I've always considered myself a crafty person, but Pinterest just takes it to a whole new level. Last year an 'elf in training' was brought to our family for the Christmas season. Max was showing her the ropes on being an Elf on the Shelf, but after such a fun time with our family, Millie decided she wanted to become a permanent elf of Mason's. We were so excited she wanted to stay! Millie is a sassy little thing and always calls herself "Princess Millie". And, we all know that a Princess needs special clothing. I turned to Pinterest to find her something special. I came across this adorable DIY Ribbon skirt and decided to turn this Pin into a Project!

{Five on Friday // Thanksgiving Lunch, Deckin' the Halls, Wedding}

Happy Friday!! Other than a scheduled blog post on Wednesday I have been MIA around here. It's been crazy, Y'all!! We literally had something going on every day of the week. And, now that the holidays are near it's not going to slow down any time soon. I'm sure you can relate. Anyhow, here's a small glimpse of what we've been up to this week...

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 5 // DIY Harry Potter Butterbeer}

I am having so much fun turning all of these Pinterest Pins into Projects! Our most recent project was Butterbeer from Harry Potter! Mason and I are currently reading the series and watching the movies together. I've waited for this for a long time. To be able to re-read the series with him. And I am happy to say that he is just as obsessed with anything and everything Harry Potter as I am. We made a DIY Harry Potter wand not too long ago and had a blast doing it. So, it was only fitting that we try some Butterbeer.

{How we do Elf on the Shelf}

I am in full on Christmas mode around here!! I've had the Lauren Daigle Christmas station playing on Pandora every day since the day after Halloween and it's putting me in the holliest jolliest of moods!! I absolutely love this time of year and do everything in my power to make it special and magical for my family. As I was preparing for the next two months I started thinking about our Elves that visit us each year and wanted to share how we do the Elf on the Shelf around here.

{Currently // November Edition}

Happy Wednesday! It's time to link up with Anne for Currently; November Edition. Today we are sharing all about what we are appreciating, researching, posting, getting, and cooking.

{2018 Fall Bucket list // Update 2}

Okay, I have to be honest and say that I am in full on CHRISTMAS mode now! The day after Halloween just flips that switch for me. Don't worry, we still celebrate Thanksgiving {and we celebrate it good} I just want to enjoy my Christmas decorations a little bit longer. Anyhow, we really did have a fun fall season checking things off of our 2018 fall bucketlist. We did have quite the rainy October in which it rained more often than not. You can imagine how much of a damper that put on our Fall activities. Here is a look at what we have accomplished so far.

{Halloween Costume // 2018}

Long gone are the days when I got to pick out Mason's costumes! Wahhhh! I sure do miss those days. But, I have to say, it is pretty fun to see his own little self emerge. He's all about the scary and the creepy these days...so that is fun! He looked on Amazon for days before he settled on this costume...

{Happy HOWL-oween}

Happy HOWL-oween from my furbabies; Lexi and Diesel! Have a wonderful day and be safe trick or treating!!

{Halloween Happenings at Mitchell RV Resort // 2018}

This past weekend was our Halloween camping weekend that I've been talking about for months! It was a complete blast! This was the 8th annual Halloween Happenings for Mitchell Resort, but only our 2nd time to go. We went last year for the first time and just loved it. This will for sure be a new family tradition for us for sure.

{2018 Pumpkin Patch #1}

If you've been around my blog for any length of time you would know that Pumpkin Patches are totally our jam. Do you know how many we have been to so far this season? One. ONE. It's basically been raining almost every day of this month so far. It's really cramping my October style. Anyhow, the little pumpkin patch we went to was a church that sells them as a fundraiser. Mason and I went when he was off for a Fair Day. They don't have anyone attending the pumpkin patch during the day and use an honor system. Mason and I took a bunch of pictures and he picked out all the best pumpkins. This patch is right next to Nathan's Grandma's assisted living facility so Mason picked out a pumpkin for her and we took it over to her and visited for a while. We had the best time and we barely beat the rain!! I'm so glad we were able to get this little pumpkin patch date in because it may be the only one we get this season! (cue all the tears) Get ready to see all of these on the ol' gram for the rest of the month!

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 4 // DIY Harry Potter Wand}

I am still movin' and groovin' on this Pinterest to Project thing. It's been so fun to watch these pins come to life. In case you missed my first three posts (DIY Fall Door Hanger , DIY Tin Can Pumpkins, DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain} I started a Pinterest to Project series here on my blog where I share with you some of the pins that I've turned into actual projects. I have way too many things saved that I want to do!! Today I am sharing a DIY Harry Potter Wand that Mason and I made together. Mason has a dress-up day coming up at school where he gets to wear a Harry Potter robe & shirt and take his wand.

{Annual Hocus Pocus Movie Night // 2018}

Happy Tuesday!! This weekend Mason and I got to have our annual Hocus Pocus movie night!! And Nathan joined us, too. We had planned on doing it Friday evening but forgot that we had a wedding to go to. Then we planned it for Saturday evening but our Bible Study ran a little long. So then we finally had it on Sunday evening! It actually ended up being perfect. I was able to make treats throughout the day and take my time preparing. And Mason had Monday off school, so, again, perfect!

{Five on Friday // Mason's haircut, Hocus Pocus, Spirit Stick, Lunchbox Notes}

Happy Friday! What a week it has been. Temps in the 40s and rain. So.much.rain. I am over it. We have a couple of things going on this weekend that will get us out of the house. To say that I am looking forward to it is an understatement. I think I've got a bit of cabin fever. Rainy, dreary, gloomy cabin fever. Tonight we have a wedding for our Youth Pastor and his fiance and tomorrow we have Bible study with our small group. I am looking forward to both events. Tonight is a date night for Nathan and me because Mason is going to his Grandparents while we got to the wedding. Can't wait to date my man! Anyhow, here's a bit of what our week looked like.

{Texas State Fair 2018}

The Texas State Fair is one of our traditions in the Hall family. We do it mostly for Mason because that kid is a true thrill seeker and really loves the rides! We have started going on Sunday mornings right when they open as we find that is the time they are the least crowded. We go straight for the rides and let Mason ride before lines get unbearably long. Then we play games, eat, see Big Tex, look at the car barns, go through the Texas building and call it a day! This has been our routine for years and it works for us. This year was no different. We had a complete blast!!

{Weekend Wrap-up // Lauren Daigle, a day off, taking shelter, Texas State Fair}

Happy Wednesday! What a week it has been so far. I couldn't muster up enough energy on Sunday after the fair to write a post. Then Monday was the AT&T Armageddon that swept across Texas. If you didn't hear, lightning struck facility a bit north of us and caught fire. We were without Internet for over 13 hours. It was a nightmare. I mean, if I didn't work at home full time I wouldn't have minded it. But, it was stressful not being able to do my job. And we live in somewhat of a black hole and with the weather we had almost zero cell service at home. It was a long 13 hours. Anyhow, Tuesday was spent playing catch-up on all the things. So, a weekend wrap-up on Wednesday it is.

{Five on Friday // Hallow lunch treats, Lauren Daigle, Pink Jeep, glorious skies}

Happy Friday!! This week went by pretty fast for me (no complaints here!). I had Monday off and I have today off. I could really get used to working only three days a week and having every Monday and Friday off. If only. I'm still getting over some terrible allergies/head cold, but feeling much better. Anyhow, here's a little bit of what we have been up to this week.

{Our marriage secrets // What works for us}

Nathan and I recently celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and on November 1st we will celebrate our 22nd year together. When people hear how long we have been together and see that we are still crazy in love we get questions like "how?" or "what are your secrets?" and even "and you're still happy?" And the answer is yes, we are still happy! Today I am going to share all of our secrets with you!

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 3 // DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain}

I am movin' and groovin' on this Pinterest to Project thing. It's been so fun to watch these pins come to life. In case you missed my first two posts (DIY Fall Door Hanger & DIY Tin Can Pumpkins} I started a Pinterest to Project series here on my blog where I share with you some of the pins that I've turned into actual projects. I have way too many things saved that I want to do!! Today I am sharing a DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain I made.

{Weekend Wrap-up // Screams, Oklahoma, Rest day}

Happy Tuesday! I was off yesterday (Hallelujah!) and spent the day with my sweet little love. He had no school because of a fair day, so I took off too! We had a nice day together. I'll recap that soon, but for now, I want to recap our weekend. We had a great family filled weekend!

{Five on Friday // Autumn Glory}

Happy finally Friday! What a week it has been. I covered another desk this week and let's just say that I am so glad it's Friday. It has been one long and trying week. We have a lot of fun planned this weekend and I am just ready to get it started. But first, here is a little Five on Friday...all about Autumn!

{2018 Fall Bucket list // Update 1}

Are you guys loving this season as much as I am? We are having so much fun checking things off of our 2018 fall bucketlist. This is such a wonderful time of year filled with so many activities. Here is a look at what we have accomplished so far.

{Currently // October Edition}

It's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time to link up with Anne @ Anne in Residence for a Currently October edition. This month we are sharing what we're currently wearing, collecting, making, taking, and planning. I absolutely love these posts each month and love to read what all of my blog friends are currently up to. 

{Prime Purchases // October edition}

Happy Prime Purchase day! I love seeing all of these posts and getting a peek into what everyone has bought lately. Ya know, just in case I am totally missing out on something. In my last Prime Purchase post, I hadn't bought much at all. Well, I more than made up for it within the last month. Here's a look at what I bought...

{Five on Friday // Homecoming Week 2018}

Happy Friday! This week was homecoming week for our little town and in honor of that, the kids had a dress-up day every day. It was so fun to get out of uniforms for a week and do something different. These were our dress up days...

ONE | Gift Us a Win! 
Christmas in September. Wear an ugly Christmas sweater. Mason and I found this T-Rex sweatshirt on Amazon. It's not the cheesiest or ugliest, but it fits the bill for him. Good thing the weather is only calling for a high of 81 today. ha!

{Harry Potter Photo Shoot}

Warning! We are full blown Harry Potter nerds over here. Mason and I recently made DIY Harry Potter wands as a fun little Pinterest to Project that I will share soon. We ordered the robe from Amazon and I found the Gryffindor shirt at Target. You know we had to have a little photo shoot with everything put together!! Well, I did. I just told Mason to play and I'd snap photos! We had so much fun taking these. We went down to our little lake area to make it look like the forbidden forest.

{Pinterest to Project // vol. 2 // DIY Can Pumpkins}

I mentioned on my first Pinterest to Project post that I have way too many pins saved on Pinterest and never follow through with making any of them. I'm obsessed with Pinterest and always find the cutest things I want to make, but I just never follow through. Best intentions, I suppose. In efforts to change that I started a Pinterest to Project series here on the blog where I will share those pins that I turn into a reality!  My second project was these cute little tin can pumpkins!

{Fall Home Tour // 2018}

I love decorating my home and putting little touches throughout. But, there's just something about decorating for fall that makes my heart soar. I love it so much! I can't get enough of the pumpkins and pinecones and thankful signs. Today I thought I would share a fall home tour here. I usually shy away from these types of posts because we have the worst lighting ever in our home. Ugh! I opened up my windows and both doors to try to let as much light in as possible for these pictures. While they're not great, they are something. And something is better than nothing.

Welcome to our home! This is our front porch right now. It will change a bit throughout the season as I gather real pumpkins. I haven't bought any yet because it's still reaching 95-97 degrees here in Texas. We are supposed to get some rain this weekend and possible cooler temps from there on out. One can hope. Also, we have to wait for the pumpkin patches to open. We like buying our pumpkins there because they seem to have the best selection of different pumpkins. And everyone knows I like the different ones! Give me all of the oddly shaped ones, the wart covered ones, the white ones, the fairytale ones...give me them all!

{Hello Monday // A weekend of rest}

Happy Monday friends! We had a very, very rare weekend for us. We stayed home for about 90% of the weekend. I know...that never happens for us. Ever. We usually always have plans. But, all of our plans we did have got postponed due to the rain. We were able to just stay home and rest. I mean, we still had a really productive weekend, but we also got to just be at home.

Friday I picked up my groceries (online ordering is the bomb diggit), Mason and I went to a thrift store to see if we could find any treasures, and then Mason and I took the Rubicon to get the tires balanced and rotated. While we waited on the Jeep I walked Mason next door to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Nate worked overtime on Friday so we all got home around the same time. I made supper and enjoyed a meal at home. If I'm being honest, I cannot remember the last time we ate a home cooked meal on a Friday. We are usually out and about and either eat out or grab fast food.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early at 7 am. I was cozy in bed so I just scrolled FB, IG, and Pinterest for an hour or so and then got out of bed. I looked outside to see how much rain we had gotten, which was quite a bit. I lit my favorite candle and settled on the couch with some coffee and my girl at my feet. It was so nice to just enjoy a clean and quiet house for a bit.

{Five on Friday // T-Rex, TCU, Lexi in a Calendar, Skies}

Happy Friday! Even though we are supposed to get a ton of rain this weekend I am really looking forward to the weekend!! I plan to get a lot of crafting and cleaning and organizing done! I ordered enough groceries to just stay in this weekend and make breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home. This is so rare for us! Normally we have a million plans going on! I'm a bit excited.

Anyhow. here's a look at what's going on in our little world right now.

ONE | TRex in the morning drop-off line!! 

Monday morning was a pretty rough one! I mean, who likes mornings? Especially Monday mornings. Then we get to school and a sweet lady that we adore changes our whole attitudes around! She was getting kids out of the cars while wearing a T-Rex costume!! And, she just happened to get Mason out of the Jeep. A little backstory on her...she works in the science lab and turned it into a "Jurassic World" themed room. It's super cool and all of the kids love it. I also heard that she wore the costume to all three lunch periods!! 

{Fall 2018 Bucketlist}

With the first day of fall being on Saturday, I wanted to share our fall bucket list. I was going to share it on the actual first day of fall, but then I saw there was a link-up for it today. So here we are. Anyhow, it's finally my favorite season of all. I mean, I love summer because my boy is home with me, but fall is my absolute favorite. There is just something about that time of year that makes my heart feel so full and happy. I'm obsessed with all things pumpkin and just the very feeling of fall.  Compiling and completing a fall bucket list has always been such a fun time in our house. And, it's the one thing I have been consistent with on the blog. All of the fall festivities are my favorite and so good for my soul! Here's a look at our Fall Bucketlist for 2018...

{Who God says I am}

In a world where we are pulled in many different directions and are constantly made to feel like we are never enough I am so thankful that I serve a God that says I am worth it. That I am enough. That I am His. My true identity is in Christ and in Christ alone. I turn to these scriptures when I need to be reminded of just that. And maybe you need to read these today, too.

{Weekend Wrap-up // Date Night, Date Day, Church, Friends from New Mexico}

Happy Tuesday! Because I couldn't get my stuff together and blog for yesterday, today is the day I recap our lovely weekend!! Mondays are hard, y'all! And Mason had some stomach issues Sunday night that made us all a little more groggy on a Monday. He's fine now and feels much better. Thank the Lord! Here's a look at our weekend...

{Five on Friday // Chocolate, Magnifying glass, Pups, DIY, Jeepin}

Happy Friday! This week seemed to fly by in a flash. And yes, I'm fully aware that by saying that this will be the longest Friday in the history of ever! haha! But, I hope not. I'm excited and ready to get this Friday started. Mason is spending the night at one of our Pastor's house with his friend so that means date night for Nathan and I. We haven't fully planned our evening, but we have planned our Saturday morning! We are going to get up early and try out a new and adorable coffee shop in town and then we will be heading to Dallas to the vinyl store. I have so many projects that I've started but need vinyl to complete them. I can't wait to share them all on here. Anyhow, here's a look at Five on Friday.