Focus Board

For the new year, we created a focus board to keep track of all of our resolutions. We wanted this board to be something that we'd see every day to remind us of what we want to accomplish. I also wanted to be able to update it frequently so we could add goals to it throughout the year. We divided it up into four sections: one for short term goals; one for long term goals; another for places we want to visit; and one for general happenings. 

It was pretty simple to make. I found the board at Target and used ribbon to make the sections. I found this app called PicLab HD to make the beautiful pictures with text overlay to display our resolutions. I also cut some things out of magazines that I either wanted to try it display. It's a little girly, but Jeff is excited to have something to keep us focused and inspired. 

Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers with Crushed Candy Canes

In between all the madness of Christmas shopping and last minute madness, Jeff and I found time to make some holiday goodies. Earlier in the week, we had stocked up on everything--including 3 lb bags of chocolate from BJ's! We got up early on Sunday morning, headed out to get some breakfast and pick up a few more things, and then settled in at home for a day of crafting. Jeff already has his own signature items that he makes for Christmas: pistachio and dried cranberry chocolate bark and lemon marmalade. I was inspired to make my own this year. I present to you chocolate dipped graham crackers with crushed candy canes.

They were relatively easy to make and could be a fun project if you have little ones that want to help. Before I started melting the chocolate, I crushed up a few candy canes. You want to make sure you leave some good chunks of candy cane, about the size of an eraser on a pencil. Once you have the candy canes crushed, it's time to melt the chocolate. Feel free to melt it any way you prefer. Since I didn't have a double boiler, i just used a glass bowl sitting on top of a pot with some water in it. Works just the same. You could also microwave the chocolate and just stir it every 20 to 30 seconds until it's smooth.

Once the chocolate is melted, I poured it into a container that was big enough to fit a graham cracker in, but tall enough that the chocolate was at a good height for the dipping. After breaking each graham cracker in half so I had squares, I dipped each one so only the top where my fingers were wasn't covered in chocolate. Shake off the excess chocolate and lay out on a cookie sheet or wax paper. After every 3 or 4 crackers, I would sprinkle the chunks of candy cane onto the wet chocolate. Gently press down on each bit so that it will really stick to the chocolate when it's dry. Then I finished each one with a dusting of the candy cane powder.

After trying one of the dipped graham crackers, I thought that it might be a little too much chocolate so I tried a chocolate drizzle instead. Just dip a fork in the melted chocolate and whip it back and forth over the graham cracker quickly to get a nice drizzle. Sprinkle the candy canes on top just as before. I wound up really liking the way they looked so each bag in the end got one of each.

I was really excited for the way we packaged each treat. The cellophane bags and Christmas tags were from Target and we found the twine at Walmart. We were in the kitchen most of the day, but it will all be worth it to share some yummy treats with everyone.

Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers with Crushed Candy Canes

1 box of graham crackers
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 candy canes


1. Crush candy canes until no piece is bigger than the eraser of a pencil.
2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
3. Dip graham crackers in the chocolate and shake off any excess chocolate. Place dipped graham cracker on a cookie sheet or wax paper.
4. Before chocolate has cooled, sprinkle the crushed candy canes on each graham cracker. Gently press the candy canes into the chocolate.
5. Place finished graham crackers in the fridge for 15 minutes or until the chocolate hardens.

Blinged Out Bottle

One of my best friend’s birthdays was at the beginning of this month. And it wasn’t just any birthday. It was his 21^st! Of course, alcohol is the proper gift for any 21-year-old. But this gift was not about being proper! I had seen ideas of nips baskets on Pinterest before. And I was so close to doing one. However, I had a judgment call and instead decided to bling out a bottle of alcohol. Tequila is my friend’s drink of choice, so I went with a nice bottle of 1800 Tequila.

It was really quite a simple project. I did it over two nights while watching TV after dinner. If I were to do it again, however, I’d try to figure out a way to maybe spray the bottle so all of the rhinestones stay on better. The humidity combined with a cold fridge didn’t bode well for the rubber cement I had used. Either way, it came out great and who doesn’t like jewel-covered tequila?

What you’ll need:

• Clear and colored rhinestones (can be found at Walmart)
• Rubber Cement (also at Walmart)
• Any bottle of alcohol
•  Patience for sticky fingers

I had an idea of how I wanted the bottle to look, but like most projects I take on, I just start doing them and hope for the best. I figured it would look better if it wasn’t stiffly planned, and it came out great. The “21” on the back of the bottle was a little tricky, but I got it figured out. I would just brush on rubber cement onto a small working area—it dries pretty quickly. Then I would lay down some rhinestones and move on to the next area. I would suggest having a heavy hand with the rubber cement, as the areas that I did a smaller layer seemed to have lost their sticky pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, my friend already had a bottle of Patron the night of this birthday, so we didn’t crack this bad boy open. Wait a second—who am I kidding? FORTUNATELY, my friend had a bottle of Patron that we very much enjoyed and he will be saving this bottle for a future date. This was so much fun to decorate and I’m sure it will be even more fun to consume. Definitely a great idea for anyone that is looking for a creative birthday present.