Violet VoxBox

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!  I sure did, but it went so fast with it falling in the middle of the week this year.  I received an early gift this year from Influenster with my 2nd VoxBox.



Goody Athletique Headband
I'm a big headband girl, especially during the weekends.  I have been known to just throw on a headband in the morning & I'm ready to go.  I love how soft this headband is and that it stays in place all day without sliding or needing to be adjusted.  It was a little wide for me, but otherwise it was great!

Sally Hansen New Triple Shine Polish
I was very excited to receive polish in this VoxBox as I love to paint my toes - even in the winter.  The color I received was Statemint - which was a minty green spring-y color.  I decided to give it a try on a snowy, cold Wisconsin day.  I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the coverage, as it needed two coats.  However, it has stayed on really well with no fading or chipping.



SoyJoy
This was the product I was most excited to try.  I have always wanted to give SoyJoy a try, especially when trying to eat better.  I received the Dark Chocolate Cherry flavor.  It was not good.  The bar was very dry and I think the combination of Dark Chocolate with the cherry left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas
I did not try this, I have very sensitive skin and am very weary when trying new facial products.  I gave this one away to my brother's girfriend.

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak
When I was opening my #VoxBox and trying to take a picture, my husband grabbed this and asked if he could try it first!  We both have fairly oily hair, so I don't think it was meant to use in the morning when you haven't showered.  I think a better use would be after a long day at work to freshen up before going out with your girlfriends.

All in all, it was really fun to try these new products & share with you my thoughts!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

I even dream of fabric!

I recently decided that I need to make a quilt for a Chrsitmas gift. Since I'm far behind, I feel like I'm in a rush to get it done in time. Good thing this Wintergreen line for Moda is soooo pretty, I don't even mind dreaming about it :)

Santa's Little Helper

Well my Christmas Quilt top is finished! Tomorrow off to be quilted. Good thing I had this little helper the past couple days. He is quite the cute one if I do say so myself!

Slow Cooker Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Cool, crisp, fall days are soup time to me!  And inspired after a weekend visit back home to my parents' farm, I decided to make some Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup in my slow-cooker.

Love the beautiful colors on my way "up north"

Start with all of your ingredients (I like to prep as much as I can the night before, so I can throw everything in the slow cooker before I go to work in the morning).  Since I don't like the fuss around with bones, I use boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Another one of my favorite things to use is homemade chicken broth.  That's whats in the jars on the right.  I make a big batch of it and freeze for whenever I need some.  (By the way, these are my last two jars so I'm going to have to make a batch of that soon too!).  

I put the chicken on the bottom and LIBERALLY sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Since I'm using a homemade stock with no added salt, I use quite a bit of salt & pepper at this step.  If you are using the canned broth, I'd back off on the salt since those tend to have it already added.  Then I sprinkle with Thyme, Parsley, and Turmeric (a trick I learned from Pioneer Woman to give the soup that nice golden color).  Add your broth, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.  

When I get home, I put on a pot of water & boil the egg noodles on the stove.  While those are cooking, pull the chicken breasts out, shred with two forks, and drop back into the broth.  Add the cooked noodles and serve.   

Slow Cooker Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2-3 whole carrots

2 stalks of celery 

1/2 medium onion

4 cups of chicken broth

2 tsp of Parsley Flakes

1/2 tsp of Turmeric

1/2 tsp of Thyme

salt

pepper

1 pkg of Egg Noodles

My Etsy Shop - MyMeller!

I'm super excited to announce the opening of my shop on Etsy!  As a lover of fabric, this is something I've wanted to do for a long time.  Stop by & check out the items that I've got so far,  I just received the High Street Collection from Moda - which is so fun & pretty, I couldn't wait to share!  And keep checking back - more coming soon as I get things set up!

My Shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mymeller

I am so excited for this line! Isn't it beautiful?? :)

Moda High Street - by Lily Ashbury

You CAN go home again

This weekend I made the beautiful drive up north to my parents house.  Something about that area just feels like home.  I love the smells, the hills, and in the fall you can't beat the colors!

And of course the animals!

These guys came up to me to say hi

My Dad & his new Bull Tommy

Happy Monday #21

Have a Happy Monday!
~Melissa