Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, and happy new year! The start of a new year always feels exciting and a little magical; there's the renewed hope of making dreams become a reality, and the mystery and wonder of the unknown future. We're only three days in to 2014 and I'm absolutely giddy about the mere possibility of new opportunities and adventures. I'm also looking forward to making a few changes to this blog, starting with the addition of Friday Favorites, a handful of lovely recipes, DIYs, outfits, or whatever inspired me during the week. I hope you enjoy. And I hope you have a fantastic weekend! God bless!

 

A DIY project that beats my current method of tossing our keys in a kitchen drawer to keep them out of sight.

The perfect necklace to inspire me and keep me going throughout the year. 

 

A casual and cute weekend look that makes me think orange actually is the new black.

 

Peppermint hot chocolate because I'm not quite ready to move on from the holiday season, and it is still cold outside, after all. 

A sweet bow ring from my mom, and a manicure that's lasted longer than expected.

Happy New Year and Hello 2014

Happy New Year! Here's to 365 days of finding new ways to be awesome, 365 new opportunities to follow your dreams, 365 chances to make a difference, and 365 mornings to wake up with a smile. I wish you all a blessed 2014--it's going to be a great year! God bless.

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Save Extra Money in 2014

"A penny saved is a penny earned." -- Benjamin Franklin

A new year is almost upon us, and many of us are starting to make resolutions and set goals for 2014. If saving more money is one of yours, here's a simple step that can help you meet your money-saving objectives:

 Have you heard of the 52-Week Money Challenge? Basically, you save the dollar amount of the corresponding week in the 52 weeks, so $1 in week 1, $2 in week 2 and so forth all the way to week 52. It really couldn't be simpler because you're only putting away a little at a time (so you really won't miss it), and by the time you reach week 52 you will have saved an extra $1,128! It's a great way to put away additional money if you're already a saver, and it's a good starting point if you have a hard time saving. You could double the amounts to save even more, or do the challenge for every member in your family (so for a family of 4 it would be $4 for week 1, $8 for week 2, etc).  I did the challenge last year and plan to do it again in 2014. To stay on top of my saving I added weekly reminders to the calendar in my phone--it was ridiculously easy and it felt great to see my account getting a little fatter every week. 
 
Good luck with all your money-saving endeavors and other resolutions in 2014!

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Happy Last Friday of 2013

It's hard to believe that it's the last Friday of 2013! I feel like this year has flown by and I find myself just a little sad to see it end. 2013 was a big year for me--I launched this little blog, moved to another state, and biggest and best of all, I gave birth to my sweet baby girl. I'm feeling blessed and nostalgic and a bit emotional,  so I'm trying to savor these last few days before we ring in the new year. That said, I'm also really excited and anxious for what 2014 has in store. 

What are your plans for the last weekend in 2013? Make it amazing! God bless.

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Merry Christmas

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Isaiah 9:6

I hope you all had a warm and cozy Christmas!

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