{SPRING BUCKETLIST 2020 // UPDATE}

Taking a look at our Spring list and all that we have accomplished. We'll be switching gears into summer mode soon and for that I am excited!

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #6 // PORCH CHAIR UPDATE}

Isn't it amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do to something? We have this really awesome chair on our porch that came from Nathan's Grandfather's place. When we first moved it out to our new home the paint was chippy and it was rusty. We painted it red as it matched our decor back then. But now it didn't really match anything we had. So, I painted it and added a cushion to make it fit the space better!

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #5 // NEW VINYL ON PLANTER}

After we got our post up for our hanging lights I wasn't loving the saying on the metal bucket. The "Mercantile" was one of the first things I did when I got my Cricut...and it shows. It's lopsided and just lackluster. The bucket has been sitting in our garage since. Now that we are using it on our newly done porch I knew it needed a facelift.

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #4 // HANGING LIGHTS}

One thing I have been wanting to do forever was hanging some lights over our patio. I think this has been on my season bucketlist for a year or maybe even two. They are just so dreamy and I wanted them bad! Especially now that we have our new picnic table there. So, we tackled this project last weekend.

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #3 // FIREPIT}

I left a tiny hint of our third home project in the last picture of the Picnic Table Project. :) We re-did our firepit. We've actually had it for years, but just recently started using it. We needed to re-level the ground and then we wanted to add another row of stones.

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #2 // PICNIC TABLE PROJECT}

I mentioned in my "Naming the Good Stuff" post that we have been tackling projects we've talked about doing for years. One of those projects was re-doing our picnic table. We inherited a picnic table that Nate's Grandfather or Uncle built many, many years ago. It was awesome but in dire need of some new wood. So, we did just that.

{Chasing Sunsets 2020 // vol. 2}

God’s timing is always so absolutely perfect!! Tonight I asked Nate if we could take a drive through the backroads...a little sunset cruise with the top down on the Jeep. The weight of the world was starting to get overwhelming and I just needed to get out of the house. Driving the backroads and chasing the sunset is so, so good for my soul. It always resets my mood and I can literally feel the stress and worries melt away. As we were driving I saw something I have never really seen or paid attention to before. We have passed by this rodeo arena a hundred times, but tonight I saw it so clear - “In God we Trust”. And then we decided to take a backroad we have never taken before and then I see “Be Still and Know”!! God put us right where we needed to be right when I needed it most. Thank you, Lord

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God’s timing is always so absolutely perfect!! Tonight I asked Nate if we could take a drive through the backroads...a little sunset cruise with the top down. The weight of the world was starting to get overwhelming and I just needed to get out of the house. Driving the backroads and chasing the sunset is so, so good for my soul. It always resets my mood and I can literally feel the stress and worries melt away. As we were driving I saw something I have never really seen or paid attention to before. We have passed by this rodeo arena a hundred times, but tonight I saw it so clear - “In God we Trust”. And then we decided to take a backroad we have never taken before and then I see “Be Still and Know”!! God put us right where we needed to be right when I needed it most. Thank you, Lord. 🤍

A post shared by Crystal 🌵 Hall Around Texas (@hallaroundtexas) on Mar 24, 2020 at 6:46pm PDT

{OUR QUARANTINED LIFE // WEEK 8}

Here we are at week 8 of this whole quarantine thing! More businesses around Texas are starting to open this week such as hair and nail salons. And then there will be another wave around the 15th, I believe. Nothing is really going to change for us! I'm just hoping and praying that we can go on our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to Mason, TX. This is one of my favorite weekends out of the year and we will all be so bummed if it gets canceled. Anyhow, here's a look at our week.

{Naming the Good Stuff // Quarantine 2020}

Recently I was thinking about the quarantine and reflecting on all of the good that has come from this. While its a scary time and the future is unknown, there really have been many blessings come from this slower-paced lifestyle. I started writing those blessings down and wanted to share them here.

{OUR QUARANTINED LIFE // WEEK 7}

Week seven? It just seems unreal! Seven weeks of quarantine and staying at home as much as possible. Still ready to travel and camp, but still equally enjoying the time at home. I love getting projects done and making the outside of our property such an enjoyable place to be. Here's a look at our week.

{Our Quarantined Life // Week 6}

This week marks 6 weeks of quarantine. SIX! Not sure why, but that just sounds like forever. Maybe because it's rare that we go 6 weeks without traveling somewhere. Right now I am okay with it, but I am looking forward to a long summer vacation and hoping that happens! At the end of last week, we started hearing that things are going to start opening back up in the next couple of weeks in Texas (minus schools - we are done for the year - e-learning only). Will we venture out when that happens? I'm not so sure! We will probably give it some more time...especially with Mason. The only time he has left the house is to run a quick errand and he never leaves the Jeep. Trying to keep my precious boy as safe as I can. The less exposed, the better. It's so bizarre to say that. I never thought we'd live in a time such as this.

Anyhow, here is a look at our 6th week of quarantine.

{Quarantine Home Project #1 // Flowerbed Update}

Back at the beginning of quarantine we took advantage of the time at home and updated our flowerbeds. Our house has HUGE flower beds around the front of our home and around one side. While they are very nice, they are somewhat of a pain to keep up with. It would cost a small fortune to landscape the whole thing with flowers and such, so we fill them with mulch and plant a few flowers/bushes/plants in scattered places. Over the winter months, we got behind on pulling weeds and such. It was looking a bit sad and scary. So, it was the perfect time to tackle those.

{Our Quarantined Life // Week 5}

Week five has already come and gone? That blows my mind! Five weeks of being still and just hanging out. A good part of me is loving quarantine and just being home with my boys, but another part of me is definitely ready for things like being in church, hugging my parents, and going to Mexican food restaurants! For now, I am going to soak up every single second of time that I can with my boys. It's not often that we are home, so I am counting it as a blessing.

{Our Quarantined Life // Week 4}

It's hard to believe we just wrapped up week 4 of this quarantine! Some days feel really long while others just fly right by. One half of me loves all of the quality time we are spending at home, but the adventurer in my soul misses the trips, Jeep events, etc. It's such a weird thing. Mason and I are in a pretty good groove as far as school goes. Some days we start early and knock it out early and some days we start way later. That's the beauty of E-learning...we do it when it's best for Mason and I. Sometimes I can tell that he needs a little more time before we start, and that's okay. Also, if my workload is heavier in the morning we will get a later start. But, we have been knocking it out just fine. They are working on a points system to turn back in for rewards when (if) they go back to school. Mason has been in the lead for his class since the points started! So proud of him for taking this transition in stride and excelling! Home school life is the life for us.

{Our quarantined life // Week 3}

This documents week three of our quarantined life!

{Our quarantined life // Week 2}

Another week of recording our quarantined life for memories' sake! I know that we are all going through this, but this blog is our family scrapbook and I want to record how and what we are doing through this bizarre time. I can't wait until this is all in the past and we are looking back on it. Praying for everyone's health! Please stay safe and stay at home!!

{Our quarantined life // Week 1}

It's a really strange time that we are living in right now due to COVID-19 and I wanted to try to document our days the best I could. I honestly cannot wait to get past all of this and I have faith that we will. While I know that we still serve a very sovereign God, I can't help but worry about this virus and the destruction it's causing in so many homes. My heart breaks every time I scroll Facebook and see how much more the virus has spread and making people ill, or people posting about no work for three or so weeks with no pay, or Mama's saying they can't find the necessities for their babies because of people stockpiling. I just can't imagine and my heart hurts for them. I pray that everyone can do their job to flatten this curve so that lives can go back to normal.