{My Canton First Monday Marketplace finds}

In yesterday's post about our fourth of July weekend I mentioned Canton and how I found some good stuff there. Well, today I am here to share my finds. Each Canton trip is such an adventure...you never know what you're going to find. And it's gotten so much better since Pinterest came around! You know...all those projects you pin, but never make? The ones you'd happily pay someone else to make? You can definitely find those at Canton. Those wreaths I made? That chicken wire photo frame? There was a plethora of them at Canton. 

Anyhow...here are some of my Canton finds...




The metal "H" and the metal Texas are going on our gallery wall. I also got a metal arrow and a wood cutout that says "HOME" and has a Texas cutout as well. I think I'm going to paint it royal blue.

A Mason jar because I am obsessed. It now resides with two other "perfect mason" jars I have on my windowsill above my kitchen sink.

The turquoise eggs. I love all things turquoise and these eggs were just precious. I already had some eggs in this basket...but they were tiny and definitely weren't this cute.

A metal H that lights up! I have been wanting a piece like this forever. I'm still on the lookout for a light up star...let me know if you see one somewhere! :) And this is what it looks like at night all lit up...




A new flag for my little flag-pole. The front has a letter H {starting to see a theme here? give me all the letter 'H' things. ha} and the back says welcome. I needed a little more red for our porch as it was leaning mostly towards turquoise. 

And a big Texas wall decor made out of old barnwood. We haven't decided if we're going to 1.) leave as is, 2.) paint it, or 3.) paint a star over where we live in Texas. Taking votes.

And not pictured...I also got 2 pairs of earrings, 2 headbands, a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of Texas earrings for my brother in law's girlfriend, and a few other things.

Have you been to Canton? or do you have something similar where you live?

{Our fourth of July weekend // camping at Mill Creek Resort}

What an amazing weekend we had! I think with each passing year I love the Fourth of July more and more. The festivities, the patriotism, all of the red, white & blue, the bbqs, the fellowship, fireworks, ALL of it. It's almost becoming a tradition for us to camp at Mill Creek Ranch Resort in Canton for the 4th weekend. I saw in my timehop app that we started coming here over 6 years ago! We stay in Nate's parents camper, but you can rent cabins there too. It's such a nice resort and they have different activities spread out throughout the weekend. So incredibly fun!

And the best part? It's right down the street from Canton First Monday. What is Canton First Monday? Oh...it's AMAZING! It's a humongous flea market that comes to the town of Canton, TX the weekend before the first Monday of the month. They have all kinds of goodness...home decor, furniture, rustic metal pieces, wood cutouts of anything and everything, metal yard art, crafting supplies, trendy boutique style clothes, purses, shoes and jewelry, anything & everything! It's such a fun place to shop. So much of the things in our house are from Canton. I will show all of my finds from this weekend soon. :)

Nathan, Mason and I went down on Thursday after work. The majority of our group was already there. We hung out for a bit until everyone reached the point of starvation and then we headed to Jalepeno Tree for supper. We came back to our campsites and hung out a little more before calling it a night.



Friday morning the ladies got up and ready for Canton while the boys stayed back to swim, paddle boat and fish. Once we got to Canton we split into a couple of groups because some wanted to visit the arbors and others wanted to go to the junk/antiques outside! I was in a small group with one of my girlfriends and we found some amazing stuff! We couldn't believe how non-crowded it was and there was also a nice breeze. It was a perfect day for Canton! We all met back up a couple of hours later and shopped a bit more before leaving to grab lunch. Then we went back to the campsites and a group of us went to the pool! Nate swam with Mason and our friend's 4 year old while April and I sat on the side with our feet in the water taking pictures. The only way we could get Mason out of the pool was by bribing him with the Rt Beer floats they were making at the lodge! But as soon as he got it he wanted right back in the pool. Ha! That evening some of us went up to the Grand Lodge for some live Texas Country Music. Matt Bradshaw was playing an acoustic gig and he was pretty good! 



Saturday we got up and hit Canton once again! There were a few things we wanted to go back for. That always happens to us! We decide against something when we're there...go home and sleep on it and decide we really wanted it! ha. We didn't stay long because the heat was brutal. But, there was still no one there. We were shocked. We've been there in July when you're basically shoulder to shoulder with everyone. And since it was so hot we came back for a swim. This time the whole family plus some were in the pool! Mason was a little fish! He did so great in the pool all weekend and swam all over the place. We kept floaties on him because the majority of the pool was deep and there were other wild kids in the pool! Better to be safe! But, we were so happy with the results of his swim lessons! He was jumping in, going under water, holding his breath under water for a good amount of time, etc. I will definitely recommend our swim instructor to anyone!!! She's amazing. Mason joined in the bike parade at 2:30, but was having issues with his bike so he didn't get to finish the parade route. {we later had to take this bike back because the pedals were messed up}, but he had fun! And then later we went back to the pool/lodge for s'mores. YUM! But, it sure was hot at the firepit and with the Texas heat! We got one and booked it. ha. That evening we cooked burgers & hotdogs and then let the kids play with sparklers and other smaller fireworks. Then we watched the big firework show from town! It was a good night. Sunday was coming home day. Womp. womp.



#merica
How was your holiday weekend?

{Happy Independence Day}

{Mason's 5 year well check}

5 year old well check. Still not sure how we got to five so quickly.

A photo posted by >>> Crystal <<< (@hallaroundtexas) on Jun 26, 2015 at 1:30pm PDT

Friday 6/26 we had Mason's five year well check appointment. I always look forward to his appointments {well checks, of course} because that means we get to see his amazing doctor. She is always so encouraging and I leave there feeling so blessed by her. She will greet you with a giant hug and leave you with the sweetest words of affirmation on how well you're raising your child. Mason adores her, as do we. She really takes her time with you and is so personable. And one of the things I love about our pediatrician is that she is a mother to two boys...so, she will also give you her mommy opinion. We appreciate that so much. And it's so obvious how much she loves her patients. 

She examined Mason and of course said he was perfect. ;) She kept complimenting on how smart and cute he was. Mase didn't have to get any shots at this appointment, so he was ecstatic. Dr. Sweet didn't have any concerns as far as Mason's health or development and was quite happy with him. 

Mason's stats:
Weight - 39.4 lbs {38-39%}
Height - 43 in {48%}
BMI - 15 {35-36%}

I still can't believe he's all growed up to FIVE. Someone please find out how to make the time slow down and share the secret with me. ;)

{Getting crafty with it}

It's no secret that it's been insanely busy around here lately...but somehow I have managed to sneak in a few crafts!! I've recently made a few burlap wreaths, started our gallery wall, and made a chicken wire photo frame. 

Lets start with the burlap wreaths. I have been wanting to make one of these for a couple of years now. I've only pinned about 917 of them on Pinterest, but something kept intimidating me. I thought it was super complicated. Then I found this video on YouTube. And then I was mad at myself for not looking this up sooner. So simple! It took me about an hour to make it, but it was my first time and I had a few distractions {ahem...cute little five year old boy}. And there are so many options with things you can embellish it with. I went with a turquoise H and burlap & turquoise bow to match our porch. I am in love with it. Oh and I was able to find all of the materials {wreath form, burlap, ribbon, paint, wood letter h} at Walmart. We are getting a Hobby Lobby here, but it will not open until September. My craftin' little heart is so anxious. September can't get here quick enough.





Then I made a couple more. I remember Nate's mom really liking the wreath and wanting me to teach her how to do it...so I made her one. I wanted to do something for her as a Thank You for taking Mason to swimming lessons all week...and this was perfect. I left hers bare because I knew she would want to change it up through the seasons and holidays. I did add a red burlap bow because that's pretty versatile...but it's easily removable. She added some American Flags to it for the 4th of July and it looks so cute. 



And next I made a patriotic one!! I made this with the smaller wreath form and I have to say I think it's harder to make a small one! The spacing to pull the burlap through isn't very wide. My fingertips were raw when I was done from pulling the burlap!! But, it was worth it because I am in love with it. We are taking it with us this weekend on our camping trip to decorate with...but after that I am going to leave it up year round somewhere around my house!! America!!!!!



My next project was starting our gallery wall. I don't know why I have been putting this project off either. I think the most difficult part was finding a starting point. My mother in law gifted me the large picture frame in the center for my birthday and I knew it would be the start to our gallery wall. {I keep thinking I want to paint it. yes? no?} And then I finally had photographs printed to put in the frame! Some of the items on the wall may be just a placeholder for now, but I am loving the way its coming together. This is on the hallway going to the laundry room and our bedroom. You can see it from the living room. 



The last project I created is my chicken wire photo frame. We went to Glen Rose, TX a couple weekends ago and visited some antique shops. I saw a few chicken wire photo frames and fell in love with them, but not the price tag. They were $28+. I knew that I could make something for a lot cheaper. And I am glad I waited because a few minutes later we walked into another antique store and I found the perfect frame to create this project. My brother in law raises chickens and had plenty of chicken wire for me to use! So for $8 {plus the cost to print the photos - approx $3.00 } I made my own chicken wire photo frame! I am in love with it. I printed a few of my Instagram pictures because they are a 4x4 size. I knew that anything else would be too large and not look right. I used photos that I have taken of sunsets, around home & our hometown, our Jakey boy and of course the "Hall" part of  Gruene Hall. My original thought was to switch out the photographs often, but I am in love with this set and it will be hard to change them out!



Oh, and I am addicted to the 4x4 Instagram prints!! I want to put them everywhere!! 



Over 4th of July weekend we will be going to Canton First Monday and I can't wait. I will be looking for more crafting projects as well as items for my gallery wall.

Have you made any crafts lately? Share! Do you print your IG pics? If so, what company do you use?

{July Goals}

Goals:
Blogging:

• blog 4-5x a week
• answer emails/comments quicker
• comment on more blogs

Fitness/Health:

• drink more water and less diet soda
• exercise 4-6x a week
• do a squat challenge
• zumba at least 2x a week

Family:

• be more intentional in my time with my boys
• teach Mason how to tie shoes
• get a library membership and take Mason a couple times a week

Spiritual:

• start a new bible study
• spend quiet time outside in the word in the mornings before the day starts
• read bible stories to Mason

Random:

• take more pics with big camera, less iPhone
• clean out Mason's room
• take items to the donation box in town
• read at least 2 books
• send snail mail to friends
• sign Mason up for Lego or Superhero camp

PS - I got the wonderful goal template above from the sweet Beth over at Our Pretty Little Girls! 

What are your goals for the month of July?

{It's the Little Things // Mason & Diesel}

"Diesel, I am your brudder and I will always love you and watch out for you. I will never hurt you," - Mason

Oh these two!! They fill my heart with so much joy! Mason is head over heels in love with Diesel and says that he's the puppy he's always wanted. I am so, so happy Diesel is back into our lives and that he and Mason are the best of friends. Mason truly is the best big 'brudder' to him and I can't wait to watch him with an actual sibling someday. 

PS - if you haven't read Diesel's story click HERE >> it's a good one! 3 years away and he's back home.