{WEEKEND WRAP-UP // SUNFLOWERS, JEEP RIDES, 4TH OF JULY, ICE CREAM}

We had a really, really good weekend! I was sad to see it go. Nate and I were both off on Friday and Nate was off on Monday! Those extra-long weekends are so incredibly good for the soul. Nate will have an extra-short week this week since his company celebrated the 4th on Monday! And, he's off on Fridays. I sure wish I could say the same. lol. Anyhow, here's a look at our weekend...

{WE FINALLY GOT TO GO WHEELIN' // HIDDEN FALLS // JUNE 2020}

We were so thankful when off-road parks started opening back up (#quarantine)! We couldn't plan a trip quick enough. We invited several but due to other commitments, only us and our friend Freddie were able to go. It ended up being just fine, though. Freddie had added a lot of stuff to his Jeep and we had some new parts to test out.

{CURRENTLY // JULY 2020}

It's that time of the month when we link up with Anne In Residence for the "currently" series. This month we are sharing what we are currently cooking, photographing, sharing, trying, and wondering. 

{QUARANTINE HOME PROJECT #7 // DIY ROUND WOOD "GATHER" SIGN}

You know I love me a good DIY! I started seeing these DIY round wood signs popping up on Pinterest and Facebook and knew I had to make one. And then after we finished our picnic table we had this big empty wall that needed something to fill the space. And then it hit me - a round wood sign. And I knew just what I wanted it to say.

{Weekend Wrap-up // Working in the garage, lake, Sunday Funday with neighbors}

It's been a minute since I have done a "weekend wrap-up"! We had a pretty good one, so why not share?

{Five on Friday // Reminiscing, 4th of July shirt, Skies, Tik Tok, New Kicks}

Happy Friday! I thought this week would really drag since it was the week after a week-long vacation, but it actually went by pretty quick. All the praise hands. I think it helps when work is busy and there are enough chores to do at home (catching up from vacay) in between work. And the best part? We have a pretty chill weekend ahead of us. Nothing really planned. Unless we think of a home project to do. Anyhow, here's a little Five on Friday.

{Don Juans Grand Opening // June 2020}

One of our favorite restaurants from our hometown recently opened a second location about an hour from us near Cedar Creek Lake. Nathan and I have so many memories of this place (at the Grand Prairie location) and have gone there for as long as we can remember. The grand opening for the new location just so happened to be on a Friday (Nate is off on Fridays) and so he and Mason were able to go!

{Mason's 10th birthday party}

We haven't had a birthday party for Mason for the last couple of years. We couldn't seem to fit one in between the end of school and our travel schedule. This year we made it happen! My parents recently got a nice above ground pool and Mason wanted to have his birthday party there. Our nephew's birthday was June 11th so we just combined both boys' celebration together! We were inviting mostly family anyhow. It worked out great!

{Sweet Summertime // Summer 2020 Bucketlist}

The first official day of summer was on June 20th, but let's be real...Texas never plays by that rule! It's been summer for a while around here! It's already hit triple digits more than once. I missed posting this on the 20th because we were on vacation! Until I get around to blogging about our trip, you can see many pictures on my Instagram.  Spoiler alert! It was a good one. Anyhow,  here's a look at our Summer 2020 bucketlist.

{TEN ON THE TENTH // 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SUMMER}

It has been so long since I've done a 10 on the 10th. So, I set an alarm to remind me to take 10 photos throughout the day. I love documenting our days through photos.

{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!

{MASON'S TENTH BIRTHDAY}

Mason's TENTH (gasp!) birthday was the Monday we got back from our Fredericksburg camping trip. It was also Memorial Day! I'm so glad that we were able to come home from camping a day early and wake up in our own beds for his birthday morning! Otherwise, we would have been driving for almost 4 hours on his birthday.

{FIVE ON FRIDAY // DIY SHELVING & STORAGE, MASON'S WELL CHECK, HOME}

It's been forever since I have written a Five on Friday post! Since I'm no longer writing the "Our Quarantined Life" posts, I thought this would be a good way to dump out some of the week's randomness. So, here goes...

{MEMORIAL DAY TRIP TO FREDERICKSBURG, TX}

After our annual camping trip to Mason, TX  (Thanks #Corona) was canceled we found a spot to camp in Fredericksburg, TX. We were so bummed to not be able to go to Mason. It's one of our most favorite weekends with some of our favorite people. But, we had an amazing time making new memories in Fredericksburg, TX.

{CURRENTLY // MAY & JUNE 2020}

The Currently series with Anne in Residence is one of my favorite blog link-ups. I somehow missed the link-up in May, so I am combining May & June here. :) 

{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!

{ONE SECOND EVERYDAY // MAY 2020}

Here's a look at our month of May via the One Sec Everyday App! I love that this app reminds me to make a conscious effort to take more videos every day. I'm usually just a photo snapper, but I love looking back on videos so much!

{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.

{Spring Bucketlist // 2020}

I know spring is almost over and I am super late in posting this, but I didn't want to let it slip by. Plus, it's still spring around here until school lets out. Then it's all about summer! Here is a look at our 2020 Spring Bucketlist. We've already completed many of these, but again I want them here for memories' sake!

{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.

{Mason's new ride}

Nathan and I have been debating on getting Mason something he could ride outside, bring with us on camping trips, or take when we go wheeling. We were leaning towards a four-wheeler at first. Then, a couple weeks ago Nate saw a Facebook post for a youth size Polaris at a dealership in Athens, TX. Last Saturday we drove out to check it out. And, well, we brought it home! I loved the idea of a side by side better. It comes with a roll cage, making it much safer than a four-wheeler. And the best part is that we can control the speed.

{One Second Everyday // January, February, and March 2020}

I have been using the One Second Everyday app for quite some time and love the little memories captured in those videos. I've been meaning to share them on here but always forget to do so. This is our family scrapbook and I know I will love to look back on these one day. Having it all here on the blog makes that so much easier.

{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.

{Easter Sunday 2020 // The Quarantined Edition}

While Easter looked a lot different this year, we still had an amazing one! I woke up around 9 in order to watch our church's Easter service at 9:30. I didn't expect Mason to wake up before service, but he actually did. He came into the living room around 9:20 to find his Easter basket. 

{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.

{Mason got egged}

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to a text saying "Mason has been egged by his Mimi and Papa" from my sister. Nate and I were exhausted from binge-watching a show on Netflix until 2 am the night before, but I was too excited to let that stop me from getting up. I knew we had a chance of rain and I wanted Mason to find his gift and hidden eggs before the rain came! Also, all the neighbor's dogs love to visit our yard! I got up and got ready and then woke Mason up! He was so excited.

{Currently // April 2020}

With all that is going on, I missed one of my favorite link-ups...Currently with Anne in Residence. This month we are sharing what we are currently sharing, writing, wishing, investigating, and buying.

{Our quarantined life // Week 3}

This documents week three of our quarantined life!

{Bluebonnet Drive / March 19, 2020}

After being stuck in the house for several days we were needing to get out and get some fresh air! We knew that we didn't need to be around people (quarantine), so we decided to do one of our favorite things ever and take a drive out to see the Bluebonnets. It's still a bit early in the season for them, but we did find some beautiful patches.

{Chasing sunsets 2020 // vol. 1}

Note:
This was before our shelter in place and quarantine.  Just late in posting it!

One of my favorite things to do in the spring & summer is cruise the backroads around our town. It's this time of year that the wildflowers start popping up and the sunsets are indescribable. The day after our spring break trip we decided to go eat at our favorite little old-time soda shop on the square and then drive to chase the sunset!

{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.

{God painted the sky}

A couple weeks ago we were on our way to get Mason some froyo when God painted the most perfect sky! I asked Nate to pull over so that I could take some photos! He happily obliged! He's used to my shenanigans and sometimes even encourages it! Goodness, I love that man.

{Spring Break 2020 // Camping in the Texas Hill Country}

Our scheduled spring break for 2020 was March 9th through the 13th. Nate's parents were headed to the Texas Hill Country to camp for a few days and invited us to come along. We love the hill country and will take any opportunity to go there! We weren't able to stay the whole week but were able to go Friday through Tuesday. It was a great amount of time to escape and just enjoy family and a beautiful area.

{Around town // Texas Independence Day}

Back on Texas Independence Day I remembered a mural in a neighboring town and wanted to go get a picture in front of it. It was perfect for the occasion!!

{Dirty Acres Grille Inserts}

Some really great friends of ours run an awesome business called Dirty Acres in which they make custom grille inserts! They recently reached out to Nate and I and asked if we'd like to be ambassadors for them! We couldn't say yes quick enough! And, they wanted to sponsor both Jeeps. How awesome is that??

{Unlimited Off-Road Show 2020 // Midlothian, TX}

Back on February 29th, we attended one of our favorite yearly events; the UOR show. For the past several years this event has taken place at the Texas Motor Speedway, but this year it was practically in our backyard! They moved it to an off-road park in Midlothian, TX...just twenty minutes from us! We were so excited to have this event so close.

{Harlem Globetrotters Game // February 22, 2020}

For Nate's dad's birthday, his mom got the guys' tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters. Nate's dad hadn't been since he was a young boy, and the other guys had never been! While I was sad to spend a Saturday without them, I was super excited for them to go to the game!!

{GT field trip to Austin TX // February 18th 2020}

I'm still blogging February and trying to catch up here. Back on February 18th, Mason's gifted & talented class got to have a field trip to Austin, TX. Nathan and I were so fortunate to be able to take the day off of work and join him! I couldn't imagine him traveling to GT without us. I've never denied being a helicopter mom. Plus, it sounded like a really fun time.

{Sunday Funday with friends}

It's so nice to have friends that share all of the same interests as you! Those friends that you can just do life with! The Chiles family is also a 2-Jeep family and we love hanging out with them. One Sunday after church we met them in town and then hung out for the rest of the day. Surprisingly, we were all without kids as they were visiting with Grandparents.

{A very special birthday party // meeting Aaron Watson}

A few weekends ago we had the honor to attend a very special birthday party. It was for two precious twin girls; one of them battling a terminal rare form of brain cancer. One of our friends attends church with this sweet family and asked if some Jeepers would be willing to ride convoy style to the church in honor of this precious little girl. She loves Jeeps and our friend wanted to do something special for her.

{Valentine's Day 2020}

We had a pretty low-key Valentine's Day this year. I worked, Mason went to school, and Nate worked around the house during the day. We had to take the Jeep to Best Buy that morning to get a sound system put in (Happy Valentine's Day to me!!) so it was a waiting game all evening, waiting for it to be done.

[Hidden Falls Off-Road Park // 2/8/2020}

Back on February 8th, we went to Hidden Falls Off-Road Park in Marble Falls, TX for some wheeling! It was actually a date night/weekend because Mason opted to stay back with his Nana and Papa! We drove down on Friday night, checked into our hotel, went to dinner, and then back to the hotel to rest up for a full day of wheeling! We started the day off by joining in with a group called Jeep It. We had somewhere close to twenty Jeeps in the group!

{Currently // March 2020}

Happy Wednesday! I haven't had much time to blog lately but wanted to join in with Anne in Residence for the Currently series. I always enjoy this one so much. Today we are sharing what we are currently fixing, hearing, borrowing, feeling, recommending.