Reusable Mason Jar To Go Cup Tutorial

I saw these on etsy a couple of weeks ago and couldn't stop thinking about them.  So I knew that I had to make some for myself.  I have such a weakness for mason jars.

Do you want to make your own?

Here's what you will need:

Mason Jar (I used a wide mouth pint jar)
Sharpie or pen
Hole Punch (The one I have is for scrapbooking, but it cuts through metal and leather.  I think it is called a crop-a-dile.  I use it all the time for various things.)
1/4" Rubber Grommets (I bought mine here) I am sure you can find them at the hardware store too.

Take one of the grommets and place it where you want it to go on the top.  I started off in the middle, but for the rest of the ones that I did I made the hole closer to one side.

Then mark the center with your pen.

This is where you want to punch your hole.  You could also use a drill to make your hole, but I am a little afraid of power tools.

Now punch a hole in the top where you marked.

My hole was not large enough so I kept punching around the original hole to enlarge the hole to the right size.

It doesn't have to be exact.  It just needs to be large enough so that the grommet can be squeezed through that hole.  You also don't want the hole too big or the grommet will move around too much.

Now take the grommet and work it into the hole.  Be careful with the hole in the middle.  The edges are sharp.

Keep working it until you get it all the way through.

Stick a straw through the hole and put the top on the jar. You are ready to enjoy a nice cold beverage.

You can see from this photo that I placed the hole more towards the edge on the one in the bottom right hand corner.  I actually preferred drinking from this one.  I also made some smaller ones for the kids, but they liked drinking from the larger ones.  The small ones are so cute though.  I have stainless steel straws that we use for smoothies that worked perfectly.  The striped straws are biodegradable paper ones found here. 

 

Weekend Fun

Here are some snapshots from our weekend.

We played and watched some baseball...

played with cousins...

picked some blueberries from the yard....

and did some Taekwondo.  Harper was very excited that she got to spar one of her isntructors.

We also picked up our first CSA share of the season, but I forgot to take a photo.  This week we got lettuce, kale, strawberries, squash, sweet potoatoes, and green onions.  Mitch has been working like crazy on the living/dining room, so I will have photos later in the week of our progress. 

Kitchen Reveal Finally!!!

I really never thought this day would come, but I can finally say we are finished with the kitchen.  It has been a long journey (8 months) and we still have lots of work to do in the rest of the house.  But let's focus on what is finished, ok?

I know my before photos are not the best, but my wide angle lens was broken at the time.  Plus it was so dark in there it was hard to get a decent shot.  I hardly even remember my kitchen looking like this.  Can't say I miss it.

Before:

This is what I get to enjoy now.

After:

 

 

Budget:
I know I have never mentioned our budget for the kitchen remodel.  To be honest we had a number in our heads that we didn't want to go over ($10,000), but we really wanted to keep it as low as we could.  I think we might have been a tad bit optimistic. : ) Since the project was spread out over a long period of time (8 months),  it was easier for us to pay for things as we went along too. We have been saving for this remodel for several years now though.  We didn't borrow any money or create any debt doing the remodel.  Here's a breakdown of what we spent on the major stuff:

Contractor: $3786 (We had him for 2 weeks)
Caesarstone Countertops: $2100
Butcherblock Countertop: $320
Backsplash: $675
Oven, Dishwasher, and Microwave: $1798.20
Hood and Cabinet Hardware: $560.90
Flooring: $1700 (We bought enough for the kitchen and adjoining room)
Sink and Faucet: $546.91
Coffee Maker and Toaster Oven: $160
Track Lighting: $236

Total:  $11,883.01

As you can see we went over budget and this list isn't even including all of those little things that add up really quickly like wood, paint, and waterlox.   So we probably spent more like $13,000 total if I had to guess.  Considering we completely gutted our kitchen, I don't think that is too bad. 

Wondering where we got something?  See my source list below.

Source List:
Countertops:  Caesarstone in Pebble honed (We used Granite Direct in Nashville)
Butcherblock Countertop: Cabinets To Go
Marble Tile Backsplash:  The Tile Shop
36 inch Range Hood: Overstock
Frigidaire 30" Wall Oven: AJ Madison
Frigidaire Microwave: AJ Madison
Frigidaire Dishwasher: AJ Madison
Swiftlock Flooring in Chestnut Hickory: Lowes
Cup Cabinet Pulls : Overstock
Cabinet Knobs: Overstock
Kraus 30 inch Farmhouse Apron Sink: Amazon 
Kraus Single Lever Faucet:  Amazon
Red Cuisinart Coffee Maker: Amazon
Cuisinart Toaster Oven: Amazon
Utensil Holder, Fruit Bowl, Rugs and Dishtowels: Target
Track Lighting: Lowes
Wall Paint- Behr's Jamaica Bay: Home Depot
Cabinet and Trim Paint- Alabaster :Sherwin Williams

Ceiling tile mirror: Made by my dad.

Island: My husband made the island based on Ana White's plans.  The top is a salvaged piece of mahagony from my grandparent's house.  He did not stain it at all, so that is the natural color of the wood.  I love how it turned out.

Bar stools:  We already had the bar stools. I plan on recovering them using this fabric.  I used the same type of fabric when I recovered my chairs and they have held up great.

Refrigerator:  We kept our existing fridge. 
Cooktop:  We kept our existing cooktop.  We hope to replace it at some point.

Cabinets:  My husband built all the cabinets along the refrigerator wall.  We were able to keep our existing pantry and the drawers underneath.  Our contractor built all the cabinets on the sink side of the kitchen.  He also made all of the doors.  My husband made all the drawer fronts and installed all the hardware.  I don't have an exact amount, but I would say that we spent around $3000 for all of the cabinets.  So we saved lots of money making them ourselves. 

I just want to say thank you to everyone that provided me with moral support over the last several months.  Your sweet comments really kept me sane on many, many occasions. 

You can find all of my kitchen posts here.

Now we can move on to the next room.

Snapshot Sunday-Purple Belt

Harper tested for her purple belt on friday.  Eventhough this wasn't her best testing, she never got discouraged. 

She broke a board with a step behind side kick, but I took video of it instead of photos. 

Way to go Harper!!

Kitchen Update- So, So Close

I am SO close to being able to post an official kitchen reveal.  I still need to put some pictures on the wall and cover the cushions on the bar stools, but I thought I would show you a few things that are finally finished.

The butcherblock countertop is sealed and installed.  Mitch sealed it with waterlox, so he had to wait for the temperature and humidity to be just right.  He ran into some problems, so of course it took much longer than we thought it would.

He also put new faces on the existing drawers so that they matched everything else.

He also built us an island after we determined that there really was not enough space for a table and 4 chairs in this space.  He used an old piece of mahogany for the top that my dad salvaged from my grandparents house.  It is a beautiful piece of wood and I was excited that we could put it to good use. Thanks Dad!!  He spent more time sanding the piece wood than he did building the entire island, but I think it was worth the hard work.

I am hoping to show you everything next week even if it isn't quite perfect.  I also need to show you a picture of the room we are tackling next.  Ugh.  

Catching Up On The Kids

Hey everyone.  Sorry my posts have been pretty scarce lately.  Life has been super busy, so the poor

blog has been suffering as a result. It's been awhile since I did a post on the kids, so here's what they have been up to. 

They have been finding ways to cool off from the extra warm temperatures we have been experiencing.

My dad has been putting slip and slides together for us since I was little.

Miller has been playing baseball and loving it.  He asks me every day if he has a game.  It is so fun to seem him so excited about something.  This photo cracks me up.  Mitch fixed his pants and hat after this photo was taken.

Harper is still enjoying Tae Kwon Do.  She is getting close to testing for her purple belt.  She also had her mile run at school and finished in 8:11, which was 6 seconds slower than her fall time.  At least she is consistent.  She was the first person to cross the finish line in her class.  I was so proud of her.

They only have 2 more weeks of school left.  Can you believe it?  We are all excited about summer break. 

I hope to have a sneak peak into the kitchen tomorrow.  I am not quite ready for an official reveal yet.  I still have to put some things on the walls and make it look all pretty, but we are pretty much finished.  Woohoo!!  Now we get to move on to our living rooms. 

Spinach Colada

If you still haven't tried a green smoothie, you have to try this one.  Both of my kids guzzled this one down and Harper usually won't drink my green smoothies.  Mitch even sent me an e-mail from work telling me that this one was a winner.  I am thinking it would make great popsicles too.  Mmmm. 

Ingredients:
4 cups of spinach loosely packed
1 banana
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup coconut milk (canned)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup water

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend away.