The Happy List-Crystal



Leslie, thank you for letting me take over your beautiful space today. I am excited to share a bit of what is making me happy right now. But, before we get to that list I should probably introduce myself. Hi y'all! My name is Crystal and I blog over at Hall Around Texas. I started blogging a little over 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my son Mason. It became my pregnancy journal of sorts and has now evolved to a mom/lifestyle blog. However, I share a little bit of everything. My passions are Jesus, my boys, traveling, camping, adventures, photography, crafting, and reading. Stop by and say hi sometime. I'd love to meet you!


Now, for a few things that are making me happy right now.

Life Lately



Hi Sweet Friends! I'm back with another Life Lately post. I thought these would be fun to start doing at the end of each month, just to catch up so grab a cup of coffee, get snuggled in with me and let's have some girly chat.

Oh Hey, Friday!


Hi Sweet Friends! Happy Friday! It's finally the weekend, y'all. I hope you have wonderful plans for the next couple days. Our son is turning 14 tomorrow. FOURTEEN!!! And we have a couple celebrations planned. While I drown my feelings of having a fourteen year old away in my coffee mug this morning I thought i'd share my Oh Hey, Friday with the sweetest Karli from September Farm.

Welcome Home Wednesday Link Party #76



Welcome to Welcome Home Wednesdays number 76!!! I absolutely adore looking through your projects every single week and this week is no exception! We've been hanging out with y'all and sharing and loving all the goodies shared here!! Thank you ALL for coming back week after week!! We APPRECIATE y'all!!

Let's get started! Each week our little party gets even bigger... and we're so glad you're here to party with us! So bring your friends and link up something awesome... we love to see your amazing work around here! Don't forget to leave us a comment to let us know you stopped by and we'll do the same when we visit your link! The party will start each Wednesday at 7am CST... and we'll be here bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to party! Stop by and share your fabulous posts... we would love to read them and share them with our friends!

January//Guys Behind the Blog



Hi Sweet Friends! It's time for January's Guys Behind the Blog. My husband is so much more than the guy behind the blog. He's the guy responsible for everything good in my life. That's why I love getting to feature him in these posts. We always have so much fun laughing and talking when we do these questions together so get ready for some serious hubby awesomeness.


The Happy List-Kayla

Hi Sweet Friends! Today is a special day because, not only do I have two posts for you, I also get to feature one of my sweet blogging friends, Kayla from Polished and Bubbly. So let's get cozy and learn all about what makes Kayla happy.



Hi dolls! I'm Kayla and I run the lifestyle blog polished & bubbly I like to describe myself as the girliest tomboy you'll ever met. I'm obsessed with makeup & all things beauty and a sports fanatic, I'm even the reigning champ of my fantasy football league. I'm so excited to be sharing some of the things that add to my happiness today on Peaches & Willow! Let's not waste anymore time and get started :)

Monday Morning Coffee Talk


Hi Sweet Friends! Happy Monday. I know Mondays are hard but wouldn't they be so much more enjoyable if they started out with a coffee date with a girlfriend? I thought so so let's get cozy with our favorite mugs full of coffee and chat.

If you and I were on a coffee date we'd be cozy at my favorite donut shop. I'd order a red velvet donut and an Irish Cream Espresso.
I would tell you...


How much I enjoyed the weekend. Saturday my son had an interview at one of the local high schools for their IB gifted program. While he was there my husband & I grabbed breakfast then drove around town then we enjoyed some time at our sweet friend/hairdressers shop.
After that we went home and enjoyed a wonderful day in our office. I cleaned up my desk and made some things with my cricut. Sunday was spent at my brother and sister in laws house, celebrating my mom's birthday and getting lots of love from my nephew.


I am glad the election is over but I fear for our country's future. Not because of who the president is but because of how divided the nation is. It truly hurts my heart to see friends feuding with each other over their beliefs. We can all choose to believe what we want and we should be respectful of our fellow man for their choices, too.


I believe we should all through kindness around like confetti. I also believe that life would be so much better if pinatas were strategically placed around and when we come across one we could take a whack at it. When it busted open it would be full of things like make up and coffee shop gift cards. Like, hey, you had a bad day, here's a new mascara and go buy yourself a coffee.


I started this year out strong. I was on top of the world and my blogging game but I quickly remembered my word of the year; prioritize; and realized that, while I love my blog, I need to focus on my family and friends, too so I decided not to post on Thursdays and I truly enjoyed it. I even attempted to take a nap. The dog had other plans but I still loved it! I'm trying to find my magical unicorn of balance.

I'm probably going to have to turn in my southern card for this one but i'll admit, i'm not much of a football fan but I did watch last night's game at my brother and sister in law's. It was an awesome game and i'm happy for the Falcons.


Next weekend my son turns 14!!!! FOURTEEN! And my husband & I agreed to let him invite a few friends over to spend the night. I might be crazy. If not now I will be by next Sunday.

I won a book called Womanskills from a blog I read sometimes. I'm pretty excited because the book sounds like it's full of amazing info but also because I WON!


I have enjoyed ignoring all my chores and social media this weekend but now it's time to be an adult and do adult things, like laundry and renewing my tag. Have a Happy Monday.

Oh Hey, Friday!



Happy Friday Sweet Friends! It's time for Oh Hey, Friday with the sweetest Karli from September Farm.
It's been kind of a bleak week but I'm not letting that rain on my parade so here I am ready for my Oh, Hey Friday!


1. Fun Fact

I love alone time more than anything. It's not that I don't have family or friends but I actually enjoy being alone. I like having time to think about things and doing whatever I'm doing on my own time.



2. Good Week/Bad Week

Good Week-I officially launched my new series The Happy List this week! You can check out Betsy's feature in the link at the end of the post.


Bad Week-My car broke down again yesterday. Luckily I was at my parent's house when it happened and my husband came to my rescue. He got my car back up and running, I just have to drive it 50 miles today.


3. Happy Mail made me smile this week. I love this new coffee sleeve from Heartmade By Emily on Etsy. It was 50% of my Instagram posts this week.




4. Banana Bread Granola
I found this recipe through the Welcome Home Wednesday link up I co-hosted last week. I knew I had to make it soon so I did yesterday. I must say, it doesn't disappoint. It's seriously the best granola i've ever tasted and I am obsessed with almost any granola.
banana bread granola



5. Blog Posts and Coffee

Monday Morning Coffee Talk//The Happy List-Betsy//Welcome Home Wednesday Link Party #75//On Wednesdays We Confess









On Wednesdays We Confess




Hi Sweet Friends! Ohhhh...we're half way there, ohhhh...livin' on a prayer. But really we're half way to the weekend and that's something to celebrate. I'm also back today with my sweet friend Mistle from Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas for some Wednesday confessions so get cozy, it's confession time.


I Confess I haven't done a confessions post since the start of the New Year because I became one of the co-hosts of the Welcome Home Wednesday link up but I missed confessions so much I decided to do both this week.


I Confess I made these Greek Turkey Meatballs for dinner last night and they were amazing! I could eat them every.single.day because they are just that good.


I Confess my son hasn't had a full of week of school since Christmas break, because of that i'm struggling to get back on track but I am loving my quiet mornings and our morning drives to school.


I Confess i've been tackling my goals for the new year and am so exhilirated by that but my health and fitness has taken a back seat. It's all about to change though because my sweet friend Courtney has invited me to be a part of her beach body fitness group.


I Confess I need healthy, clean eating recipes. If you have any favorites would you please send them my way?


I Confess i'm in love with rose gold hair currently. I'm really playing around with the idea of adding some to my hair.


I Confess i'm a horrible niece. I still haven't gotten my Aunt, Uncle and cousin's Christmas gifts in the mail yet.


I Confess i'm so excited about the new Beauty & the Beast movie coming out in March. Girls date anyone?


I Confess my new obsession is knitted coffee sleeves. I got one in the mail yesterday and have a few more on the way!


I Confess i'm trying to figure out the perfect amount of times a week to post on the blog. I'm doing 5 days a week but I don't have a post for tomorrow and that stresses me out a bit. I'm thinking about cutting it back to 3-4 days a week and spending more time sharing the love on all my sweet friend's posts, too.


I Confess I used Insta Stories the other day and loved it. Now i'm wondering if I should quit Snap Chat and just focus on Insta Stories.
Do you like Snap Chat or Insta Stories more? What kind of posts do you like to watch?


I Confess i'm trying not to spend money on things that aren't necessary. I'm going on a week by week basis at this point though. It's so hard to resist the urge sometimes.


I Confess my hubby & I looked at floor plans to build our new home last night. It was definitely fun and i'm ready to get the ball rolling on this!


I Confess Studio DIY is my favorite blog currently. I want to be her BFF and do all the DIY projects! All happiness. All the time.


I Confess I discovered my love of Italian Cream Espresso last week. Now it's all I want. I'm obsessed.


I hope you all have an amazing day loves. What do you want to confess?




Welcome Home Wednesday Link Party #75



Welcome Home Wednesdays number 75!!! I absolutely adore looking through your projects every single week and this week is no exception! We've been hanging out with y'all and sharing and loving all the goodies shared here!! Thank you ALL for coming back week after week!! We APPRECIATE y'all!!

Let's get started! Each week our little party gets even bigger... and we're so glad you're here to party with us! So bring your friends and link up something awesome... we love to see your amazing work around here! Don't forget to leave us a comment to let us know you stopped by and we'll do the same when we visit your link! The party will start each Wednesday at 7am CST... and we'll be here bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to party! Stop by and share your fabulous posts... we would love to read them and share them with our friends!



Meet your Fabulous Hosts!


href="http://happilyeverafteretc.com" target="_blank">Happily Ever After, Etc. @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Five Kids, a Dog & a Blog @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Suburban Simplicity @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
J for Joiner @ Pinterest | Instagram
What Treasures Await @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Just the Woods @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
That Sweet Tea Life @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Peaches & Willow @ Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram


The Spotlight! That's right... Features!

These people were extra cool last week... so we're featuring them this week! That means they get a little time in the spotlight...and a cameo on our social media accounts (if you've ever wanted to hangout on my facebook page this is your chance!) Sounds awesome huh?! For your chance to be featured make sure to follow all of your hosts on social media... and leave us a little note so we know you're following!! Just pop over and leave a comment on Facebook (or Twitter, or Instagram... whichever one is your jam!) We look at every single link so we don't miss a beat!







The Rules are there ain't no Rules! We ain't your Mama... so we don't have a strict rules list. View this more as party etiquette!

1. Be kind! Read and comment on your fellow party goers links!
2. We like to think we're super fancy... we want our guests to feel fancy too so no link-party or affiliate links please!
3. If you want to be featured please follow your hosts on social media... then link back to the party with a text link... or our fabulous button!
4. Link to a specific post... not your home page! We want to see what you've been up to this week!
5. Our mama's taught us to share... that includes the limelight! No more than 3 links per person please!
6. That's it! Have fun and link up your best stuff! We can't wait to see it!
7. Please note that by sharing at Welcome Home Wednesdays, you are giving permission for your projects to be shared on social media and in round up posts on any of the cohosts sites



8 Gals, 8 Blogs & 1 Great Party! Link up once to appear on 5 Amazing Blogs!






Want to come back next week? We'll send you a reminder... just put your email in the box!


Thanks so much for Stopping by!

Like any good hosts we're sitting right by the present table waiting until our guests leave so we can go through the loot... the loot being your links! We can't wait to check out what you've left for us. Trust me there will be a lot of pinning, tweeting and facebook sharing going on in the near future... we can't wait to show off what you've left!

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The Happy List-Betsy



Hi Sweet Friends! Welcome to The Happy List feature. If you missed my first feature you can check that out here for a list of all the things that are making me happy and details on how to be featured.

Today i'm so excited to show off my new friend Betsy from Happily Ever After etc. So let's get cozy with out favorite mugs full of your favorite drink (whatcha having, anyway?) and get ready for some girly amazingness with Betsy.


Hey Y'all. It's so nice to be here! I'm Betsy home decor enthusiast, yorkie mama, crafter, blogger, picky eater, happy planner, newlywed, chief mess maker, antique hoarder, graphic designer and I blog over at Happily Ever After, Etc!

You can generally find me working on (attacking with a paintbrush) the 3 bed, 2 bath home we are currently renting. Our home might not be perfect but it is ours & if you hang out long enough you'll see that what we lack in know-how we make up for in passion!

I'm so excited that Leslie invited me to be part of her Happy List series... mainly because I've been soooo happy lately! I am having a blast in my life and can't wait to share a few of my favorite things with all of you.



1 Our Anniversary Photos

This past year we finalllly had our anniversary photos taken! The hubs and I are still newlyweds and for our second anniversary we broke out the wedding duds to take photos. It was so much fun getting dressed up in my wedding dress for a second time, instead of staying locked away in a box we were able to really enjoy it.

Plus there were very few moments the hubs and I actually spent together on our wedding day so it was fun to spend a few hours with just him reliving the memories. Our anniversary was actually last May but I'm still loving the photos... I don't think I'll stop anytime soon!

2 Inside the Paint Can

Y'all I wrote an eBook! I still can't really believe it so you'll have to excuse the excitement! Writing an eBook has been at the top of my to-do list for several years and in 2016 I actually accomplished my goal. Hitting that milestone makes me want to achieve even more goals... so I'm planning 3 product launches for 2017! Wish me luck!

Of course, I think I'll always be fondest of my first little eBook... it's like my first child. It's all about painting and will help you pick your paint colors, pick the right paint tool for any job and basically walk you through painting your entire home.

Score!

3 Calligraphy

Okay so maybe it's more playing with markers than calligraphy but I'm having a blast learning all the in's and outs of hand lettering! I would love to buy a few actual calligraphy pens and give this thing a go for real but one crazy hobby at a time.

4 Happy Planner by Create 365

Which leads me to my current crazy hobby... my Happy Planner. I am firmly entrenched in my rose gold obsession and my 2017 planner is no exception. I am loooving planning each and every week with all the pretty stickers and accessories.

Especially the rose gold stickers! I actually bought a rose gold paper pack to make fun accessories for my planner (like the pretty dashboard in the photo up above) and I absolutely love it. I think I'm actually doing a blog post next Monday on how to make that exact dashboard! Of course, you'll have to become an obsessive planner girl like me (and Leslie!) first.

Join us on the dark side won't you, we have cookies!

5 My Rose Gold Accessories

I have a brand new rose gold iPhone... and after two years with my last phone, it was time for an upgrade. The new iPhone was definitely an opening flood gate... now I have a brand new laptop case (in rose gold), pencil case, Happy Planner... basically everything I can possibly get.

It's amazing.

6 Twinkie Tush

Okay so this one's a little weird but cloth diapers are my secret obsession and Twinkie Tush is literally the best thing ever. The weird part is that I don't have kids yet... but we're definitely getting close and in the meantime, the fluffy clouds that are Twinkie Tush keep me happy and sedated.

Of course, there's the slight problem that I may be addicted and there's only so many cloth diapers a girl truly needs... but I'm actively working to replace my cloth diaper addiction with a Happy Planner addiction.

So you know, I've got it handled.

7 My Blog

I think it goes without saying that my absolute favorite thing is my blog. I absolutely love doing projects, working on posts and seeing it grow. Every time I sit down and think "but I'm not the biggest blogger, I'll never get to where some of those girls are" I remember where I've been.

I've come so far since this time last year! My blogiversary is in September and I'm meeting my yearly goal this month (in January) which is months ahead of where I thought I'd be. Not to mention I've met the absolute best people. I have true friends that I've only ever met online... although I'm hoping to meet my blog bestie at two conferences this year!

Blogging is soooo much work but it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done, I can't wait to see where it takes me in the next year.

The End!

I have had an absolute blast thinking about all the things I'm loving at the moment, it reminds me of all the things I have to be grateful for. Which was sorely needed today after spending the last twenty-four hours picking up my husband in Florida after our car broke down... it's been a long day y'all.

I was feeling very down in the dumps but Leslie helped remind me of all the things on my Happy List and I am very grateful for her tonight. Thanks for having me y'all!

Monday Morning Coffee Talk




Good Morning Sweet Friends. Happy Monday. I know how much we all dread Mondays but what if we could start Mondays off with a coffee date? That would make everything better, right? So this morning i'm going to share some coffee talk with you. So get cozy with your favorite mug full of coffee and let's have a date.

If you and I were on a coffee date right now, we'd be at my favorite local Farmer's Market/Cafe and I'd be drinking an Irish Cream Espresso.

Oh Hey, Friday!



Hi Sweet Friends. TGIF. Amiright? This week has been such a strange but enjoyable week. Monday we had a 2 hour delay to the start of school because of ice on the ground. Tuesday my son was sick and stayed home all day and last night my husband worked an overnight (something he rarely does) so all that has me so ready for this three day weekend but the plus side is that I've really been able to take the time to really dedicate to my blog this week and it's really paid off.

Fridays also mean it's time to bring back Oh Hey, Friday with the always sweet and adorable Karli from September Farm. I'm going to incorporate something fun into these Friday posts. There is no real rhyme or reason to these posts but I am going to incorporate a fun fact about me + good week/bad week. I got the inspiration from the Lady Gang podcast; they always open their podcast with these fun little segments and I just find them so real and hilarious and honest.


So here goes, ladies...

1. Fun Fact

I was a beauty pageant baby. When I was under a year old my parent's entered me into a pageant at the local park and I won. I still have the trophy in the closet of my old bedroom at my parent's house. I thank my mama for letting that be my one and only pageant.



2. Good Week/Bad Week

Good Week-I cleaned my bathroom out and threw away an entire bag of old make up and beauty products. There's nothing more I love than throwing things away. Okay. Except espresso, cupcakes, happy mail, kitty snuggles, and hubby time.


Bad Week-{{Girl Talk}} Speaking of hubby time; Aunt Flo came, I got sick and my hubby had to work an overnight this week. I'm needing some hubby time.



3. Happy Mail is always a good thing. I got two boxes this week loaded with goodies that I treated myself to.



4. Studio DIY's Free Printable Wall Calendar

Have y'all seen this adorable, fun calendar yet? It's loaded with cuteness and super fun days worthy of celebrating all year! I want this hanging on my wall, like yesterday! Oh! And those fun dates?? You can bet they'll be marked in my Happy Planner.



5. Blog Posts upon Blog Posts upon Blog Posts

I've been my own boss from home this week and slaying my blog goals.
Come read my posts and leave some love.

The Happy List//Monday Morning Coffee Talk//How to Create a Vision Board//Welcome Home Wednesday Link Party #74//Mieroglyphs

Happy Friday loves! What's your good week/bad week? Or a fun fact about yourself?

Mieroglyphs

Hello sweet friends. Welcome back to my blog sweet blog. Today's post is one i'm super excited about because I had the chance to talk with my affiliates over at I absolutely love this company because they stand behind an important cause and all their products are made from natural and recycled materials.

If you know anything about me at all then you know I love supporting small businesses and I love supporting good causes so get cozy with us and read my Q&A session with Mieroglyphs.


Hi there! Welcome to my blog. I'm so excited to get this post started so we're going to jump right in.


Welcome Home Wednesday Link Party #74




Welcome to Welcome Home Wednesdays number 74!!! If you've been around Peaches and Willow for a while then you might remember me saying on Wednesday I would be starting something totally new to me on the blog. Well guess what, y'all? This is it!!

I'm one of the new co-hosts for the Welcome Home Wednesday link up. I'm so excited to get the chance to hang out with you lovely ladies and meet new friendly faces. I can't wait to look through all your projects and find some DIY inspiration for myself.

How to Create a Vision Board


It's the beginning of the new year, time for fresh starts and fresh goals. This year I am more determined than ever to break out of my comfort zone and work hard towards the life I want. I bought myself a new planner and got myself organized for the month of January with all the pretty stickers and pens my heart desired because there's something about seeing my goals come to life in color that really inspires me. I wrote my 2017 Goals post and January Goals post for the blog then I wrote those goals in the side column of my planner. You'd think at this point they'd be drilled into my head, right? Well, yeah but we all know the more you write, repeat and visualize your goals the more likely you are to achieve them plus one key factor was missing; actually seeing my goals in pictures.

Monday Morning Coffee Talk



Hi Sweet Friends. Happy Monday. There's something calming about slow starts to Monday mornings. I'm in heaven right now because we're on a two hour delay this morning because of the ice storm that we got over the weekend. It's almost gone now, just some black ice in places but the school system is playing it safe and i'm okay with that. In fact, i'm totally happy about it. I'm curled up in my favorite blanket, sipping my coffee, enjoying the silence before the chaos of the day starts. I think every Monday should start like this.

The Happy List

Hey Sweet Friends! It's an icy cold day down here in Georgia. We're iced in and i'm okay with that. I've got my favorite blanket, my husband, my son and our Willow pup. In between napping i'm enjoying my Happy Planners group and blogging. These days are my favorites. I love snuggles and lazy days, they're just so good for the soul.

This year, my focus is to do the things that are good for my soul and to focus on the things that inspire me. I want to connect more intentionally with others and to spend more time cheering others on. Seeing others succeed inspires me so I came up with the idea of The Happy List.

I want to help other sweet, inspirational women shine so I reached out to some lovely ladies to share with me their list of Happy Things but first I want to share with you my Happy Things.

January Goals

Happy New Year! I'm not sure I'll get tired of saying this for a while because the start of a new year brings so much inspiration for me. I love fresh starts and setting new goals. Earlier this week I shared my 2017 Goals. Today I want to share my goals for January.

Prioritize


Happy New Year.

I love beginnings. Everything is so fresh and new. Opportunities and chances are just awaiting. Everything seems so exciting. The Christmas tree and all the decorations are down and life is getting back to normal. The holidays were fun but I wasn't sad to see them go this year. I was more ready to bring on a New Year than anything.

2017 Goals



Hello and Happy New Year! As I sit here sipping on my coffee, wrapped in my coziest blanket I'm reflecting on last year. It was a year that was full of highs and lows and I am thankful for each one of them. Through the highs we made memories and through the lows I learned something. I'm not sad about letting 2016 go because it's time to try something new and trust in the magic of new beginnings. I love the idea of having a blank slate for the next 365 days to write my story.

I'm ready for a new year. Fresh starts and new beginnings do seem pretty magical to me. I'm ready to continue to chase my dreams and love my family and friends harder. I want to be more intentional and live with more grace. This year I want to make being inspired a priority. I want to take more chances, do the things that scare me a little. I'm going to detox my mind, body, and contact list. I want to collaborate and spend time with people I can learn from. I want to let go of perfection and enjoy the mess of the journey because God didn't give me this life to waste it.