The 52 Week Money Challenge

One of Rob's and my goals in 2014 is saving, and while most of our savings will go straight to the bank, I would like for it to stay top of mind as much as possible.  So, it was perfect when I stumbled on the 52 Week Money Challenge online.

The idea is simple...for every week of the year, you put away that much in dollars.  So, week one you put $1 in the jar, week 20 you put $20 in the jar, and so on! By the end of the year, you should have $1,378 in your jar.  

So, we are taking on the challenge. It is hard to stick to a savings goals when all you really see is a number when you log-in to your online bank account, but with this jar at home we will always have saving on our minds. 

We had a honeymoon savings jar during our engagement, but we found ourselves taking cash out of it just as often as we put it in! Here is hoping we can stick to it this time with a specific savings amount in mind each week!

Kitchen Art

Looking for some unique wall art?  Here is a cheap, easy DIY project that is perfect for your kitchen. This is over my kitchen table.

Here's what you'll do:

1. Purchase a cabinet door - you could really use any piece of wood but I like that a cabinet door already comes with a finished look.
2. Paint, stain, or age the wood to your liking.
3. Bend some old spoons (I choose 5 different spoons to add more character to the piece) and hot glue them to the wood. It can be difficult to bend the spoons, but I was able to do it with a hammer and pliers.
4. Hot glue tea light candles on each spoon.
5. That's it!

Wine Barrel Coffee Table

Just days before our wedding while at a grill out at my cousin's house, Rob surprised me with such a fun gift - a wine barrel coffee table!

I had just finished giving our Ring Bearer his gift when Rob said 'we still have one more gift tonight!' I was so confused; I was the one organizing the presents for our wedding party and could not think of who I was missing.  Then as he lead me towards the garage I realized that I was the one opening a present.  There it was - covered with a tablecloth holding the drinks for the party.

I have always wanted a custom table like this and am so impressed that Rob had remembered the times I had pointed similar tables out and decided to make us one of our own.  Coincidentally, Rob worked at Cedar Ridge Winery a few years ago. Pair that with the fact that the family he was marrying into is full of wood-crafty Jorgensen men and he had all the right connections to pull this off.

While I was being showered with wedding gifts from my neighbors back home, he made a sneaky trip up to Hampton and joined my cousins, Gabe and Beau, and my uncle Ray in Ray's shop.  They cut the tops off the barrels, sanded them down, added some grips, placed a piece of glass on top, and presto - the coffee table of my dreams!

Thanks, babe!

Recipe Dish Towels

We don't often put pen to paper anymore, but there is something so special about a handwritten card, letter, or note.  Take a recipe for instance. How often to you actually write down a recipe when it is so easy to print it off online, take a picture with your phone, or run it through the copy machine?

When looking through my parents' recipe box, most are in my Grandma's handwriting, copied or passed down.  Many of my childhood memories of my dad's mom are of her in the kitchen, and although we lost our dear Grandma J just short of two years ago, she is always present in the meals the Jorgensen family prepares throughout the year.  Her bread stuffing at Thanksgiving, pancakes on a Sunday morning, and her homemade noodles on that special occasion when my mom has a few days to dedicate to the extensive process.

When I came across a project idea on Pinterest to preserve a few of my grandmother's recipes on dish towels, I could not pass up the opportunity to make this special keepsake for each household in the Jorgensen family for Christmas.

Here is how I did it:

Step 1: Pick the recipes - my sister and cousins Beau and Ashley helped me with this one. We decided on Grandma's stuffing and noodles.

Step 2: Take a high quality picture of each recipe.

Step 3: Using an editing program (we used Photoshop) create a 34" by 54" canvas - the size of 1 yard of fabric.  Then, insert your recipes onto the canvas.  We choose to put 4 of them on a yard.  Be sure to account for your seam - we left 2 inches of fabric on each side of each recipe.  Then, to add a little character, we made the background of the canvas a dark brown. Thanks to by husband, Rob (aka - my personal graphic designer), for taking care of this step!

Step 4: Upload your design to a custom fabric website.  The tutorial for this project that I followed used Spoonflower.  I had not heard of this company before, but I have a feeling we will be working on a lot of projects together in the future :)

Step 5: Select your fabric and order.  We choose linen and selected the '1 yard' option (the size of our design).  To make enough for all of my family, I ordered 4 yards - to become 16 towels.

Step 6: Wait......plan ahead for when you need your fabric by - it took about 2.5 weeks for mine to come in, although it was the holiday season.

Step 7: Scream on the phone with excitement when your husband calls to tell you it has been delivered. OK, so you don't have to do this, but I couldn't wait to see it!

Step 8: Cut each recipe from your fabric, keeping in mind the extra fabric you will need for your seam!

Step 9: Use an iron to create a sharp fold for your seam

Step 10: Sew

 Step 11: Use some of your scraps for a holder on the back if you plan to hang them on a hook.

Step 11: Admire!

There is so much history in a recipe and so many stories so share about the person who wrote them. I love that I will be reminded of my grandma everyday in my kitchen.

Christmas

We had a very merry Christmas this year! Here are some highlights...

"Festive footwear" with the Smiths in Des Moines...

Time with my family in Gurnee and the Jorgensens in Hampton...

and the Klein and Miller celebrations in Cedar Rapids...

The annual nativity story - this year featuring the newest baby Jesus of the family, Alice.

A Reindeer at SCHEELS

One of my favorite events to date at SCHEELS......a real reindeer in the store!

There are many opportunities to meet Santa throughout the holiday season in the Cedar Valley.....at one of the malls, Holiday Hoopla, at the Christmas tree farm.....but how often to kiddos get the chance to meet one of the famous reindeer?

I started plans for this event in June and couldn't be happier with how well it went.  On a Tuesday night in December, little ones crawled into Santa's sleigh for a free picture, told him their last minute Christmas wishes, and then visited with a reindeer. 

Cruz right before he told Santa "Alright, I'd like to get down now"

While waiting in line, they could write a letter to Santa, pick out a pair of antlers, and learn some facts about reindeer.

Apart from having to crank up the roasted nuts in our coffee shop to mask the smell of our furry friend, and holding a shopping bag for a young girl as she got sick on our run to the bathroom, I'd say it was a huge success! Around 300 children joined in on the fun!

Lace Boot Socks



This past year could be dubbed 'Year of the Boot Socks' in the Midwest and I am guilty of hopping on the train.  Problem is, some of my boots are too tight to fit the bulky material. So, I decided to make a thinner pair for myself with some extra lace I had stored away from an old project.

Step 1: Wrap the lace around your calf to determine the width of your fabric. For the length, I went with about 6 inches.

Step2: Sew the two sides together to create a tube.



Step 3: Turn inside out so the hem is on the inside and slip on!



 

Should work with boots of all colors! If I come across some cute buttons I may add them as well for a small accent.