{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!!



Monday, March 23rd:

The counties around us are declaring a "shelter in place order". Meaning that unless you have a job that is considered "essential" you are to stay home. Many jobs are having to allow their employees to work from home during this time. At this point, Nathan's job is considered essential and he is still commuting into the office. He is having to carry documentation on him every day just in case he gets pulled over by the police. So wild! I'm so thankful that I have a work at home job and am not having to learn new processes and such! I am also thankful for this job as it allows me to be home with Mason. I am also able to help him with his online homeschooling!

Starting this week, his teacher is scheduling a google hangout every morning around 9:15 am. It's not mandatory, but a great way for them to get some face time. I really enjoyed watching the hangout this morning! His teacher is so sweet and has a heart of gold.


After the hangout, we had to put online schooling on hold for a bit because I had a grocery order to pick up. I had placed it over a week prior, but that was the quickest I could pick it up. I got a text that morning saying that they had to substitute many items, but no other explanation. Usually, it will tell you in the text what they substituted. It didn't look like a good sign of what was to come. When I arrived at HEB I got a text to stay in my vehicle for the whole "social distancing" thing. The sweet employee came and loaded my groceries within minutes of me arriving and I was on my way. Because we weren't able to communicate, I had no idea what part of my groceries I had received. From the pictures and posts I have seen, it wasn't in my favor. People are wiping out grocery stores and stockpiling out of, I guess, fear. I had to wait until I got home to see what I actually received. And guess what? I got everything I ordered except for maybe 3 items. And they weren't essentials! I call that a major win. I even got toilet paper!!!!


It feels weird to say, but that gave both Nathan and I such a peace of mind. Just knowing we had food that we could make at home. And that we had toilet paper, too. Now, we just have to find some paper towels.

After unloading the groceries, Mason and I got back to work and schooling. It went really well until we got to the Math part. And then I saw Mason just completely shut down. Math is not his easiest, nor his favorite subject. This was the first day that he actually had Math work to do. We muscled through it, but not without some frustration.

That evening we cooked and ate supper at home. We had seen so many FB posts about a show called Tiger King. So, we decided to start watching it. And OH MY WORD! That show brings all the crazy. It was absolutely nuts and we were like 'what are we watching??' but yet we couldn't stop watching it.

Tuesday, March 24th:

We started our day with another Google Hangout with Mason's teacher and classmates. It went really well. After that, we called Nathan's Grandmother to check in on her and to just chat. It was so great to hear her voice and hear that she seems to be doing well. She lives in an assisted living facility and they are on strict lockdown. They are not allowing visitors and residents are having to stay in their apartment for the most part. We chatted with her for a moment and then it was time to tackle our school work. We decided to start with Math this time so that we could tackle the harder parts of home school first! This seemed to work really well for Mason. In between Math & Science and English Language Arts we did a little art project outside!

We had so much fun and love the way it came out! It was the perfect "brain break" during our online homeschooling!

I cooked supper and we ate at home. It was such a beautiful day and I needed to get out of the house. We decided to go for a sunset ride. I posted this on Instagram:





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


It was exactly what I needed.

Wednesday, March 25th:

Mason and I conquered Math first thing this morning! It went really smooth and I was able to teach Mason a few things. Praise the Lord! After Math, we had lunch and then did some art outside. Mason wanted to sketch so I suggested we do it on the trampoline outside. Mason sketched things around our yard. The weather felt so good! I could have taken a nap out there.

Then we came inside and tackled English/Language Arts. That evening we cooked supper at home. Nate worked on some plumbing in our front bathroom while I went to meet my friend Keri in town. She had ordered me some Thieves Cleaner from Young Living and I needed to pick it up. When I got back home Nate needed to go pick up a part for the plumbing, so I went with him. Home Depot closed at 6:00 because of the whole quarantine thing. We have a Jeep friend that works there and was able to get us the part we need! So thankful for community. We came back and Nate worked on the sink while I cleaned up around the house.

Thursday, March 26th:

We tackled schoolwork early and finished before 11:00!! I think we are getting into a groove!! For a brain break, we decided to try Magazine Art. The only magazines we really have in this house are either Jeep magazines, or the monthly "Waxahachie Now" and Ellis County Living" magazines we get. But, they worked. And we had so much fun. Mason made his character silly and ugly and I made mine cute! Or, at least I think. We tried to do this project outside, but because of the wind, we had to come back inside.






That evening we were able to meet our newest nephew (born on Monday!). He's so tiny and precious and we love him so much already!!


Friday, March 27th:

Mason and I tackled work pretty early again and were finished in record time! Nate went fishing on Friday but was home before lunchtime. We all had lunch together and then started working on home projects. Nate and our neighbor mowed the 4 acres and I pulled weeds from the front flower beds. I left the door open so that I could hear emails or calls. We ended up working on the yard and flower beds until 8 pm that evening! Here is a before photo (no judging! ha).



Saturday, March 28th:

I had a grocery order to pick up between 8 - 8:30 that morning. Since we are cooking at home for every meal (and have a hungry, growing boy) we have been staying on top of our grocery orders! So far, we have been fortunate to get most of what we order. Still waiting for the day we actually get paper towels, though! I got home around 8:35 and Nate helped me unload groceries. We were getting ready to go outside to start on the flower beds, but a storm rolled in. It started getting super windy and we knew that wouldn't be ideal for laying down ground cover and mulch. So, we started working in our garage. We moved a ton of stuff to the attic and brought down the Easter stuff. I decorated a few spots with my Easter decor and then we went to work outside. The rain had cleared out! We used 37 bags of black mulch on our flower beds!! Wowsa!



After we finished the flower beds we started working on cleaning up the rest of our property! We moved pallets, cleaned up our side porch, moved the trampoline, got rid of an old playhouse, etc. We worked for hours out there! Mason walked over to his Nana and Papa's house for a change of scenery! Nathan and I made super together and just hung out.

Sunday, March 29th:

I woke up at 9:00 am to get ready to watch our church service at 9:30. The worship moved me to cheers and I had chills on multiple occasions! If you want to check it out, click here. There are so many times that our band sings songs better than the original! They are truly amazing. And of course Pastor Brown delivered an incredible message.


After church, Nathan and I made homemade sausage, biscuits, and gravy for brunch! We watched some YouTube while we ate. Mason finally woke up around 12:30 and ate some lunch. Then we all went outside for a Nerf gunfight!



That afternoon Nate helped his dad work on a tiller and I washed linens. We had supper at Nate's parent's house. (they live right behind us and we literally walk through our backyard to a gate and into their yard)

These days are flying by, but the weeks feel so long. It's strange.

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