Box of Joy!

Merry Christmas! 

I hope you and your family had a wonderful and memorable Christmas! 

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Right before Christmas, I received my long awaited Birchbox. This little box of joy contains samples of different beauty care items and the bonus is that I get one every month!

Here's what I got....

So far, I've used the Fibre Lashxtend Lengthening Mascara and really love the smooth application. No clumps!

Nicole Richie Fragrance - A little strong for me with everyday wear - but something I would definitely wear for a special occasion.

I'm interested to see how the Nail Polish Remover works, especially with how much I do my nails and I'm always looking for great products to use that is not harmful to my nail beds.

Next post - KMS Hair Play Makeover Spray

Ever have a day that you just don't want to wash your luscious locks? This is a wonderful product to make any bad hair day turn into a really good one. 

Homemade Heating/Cooling Rice Bags

This year we at work all the assistants wanted to get creative with gift giving. So we set one rule – what you give must be homemade.

After much thought and scavenging through my supplies I decided on making homemade rice bags. Who doesn’t need a portable heating pad?? If I could afford the rice I would make a sleeping bag size so I could snuggle down inside of it. Oh, what a happy place that would be.

Size – 8in x 17in – I wanted them long enough to fit around their shoulders.

What you’ll need:

-          2 yards of material (I did 1yd of matching materials)

-          2 yards of flannel (Snuggle flannel was 60% off and it worked perfectly)

-          Sewing machine

-          Scissors

First I  cut out all my material. From 2 yards of fabric I was able to cut enough strips for 12 bags.  

After that, I took the strips and layered them in such order - 

Flannel

Decorative Material

Decorative Material (they need to be facing each other)

Flannel

Now sew around all edges, but leave enough of an opening to where you can turn the material right-side out and fill with rice. 

Fill with rice. ( I filled mine half way full) 

Aldi's - $1.69 a bag 

Finish by sewing it closed! 

Ready to enjoy!! 

Heating - 2 minutes on high in microwave

Cooling - at least 2 hours in freezer 

Make a homemade gift this year! I promise, whoever gets it will love it! 

Merry Christmas!! 

Gruver Style Pot Roast

I love using my slow cooker! So here is my twist on slow cooker pot roast!

1 can cream of mushroom
1 envelope of dry onion soup
1 can of coke zero or coke
Water
Carrots
Red potatoes
2-3 lb. roast of choice

Easy clean-up is best so I never use my cooker without a liner. They might be one of the best inventions ever, especially for a busy mom! Add carrots and potatoes as the bottom layer, set roast on top. In a separate bowl add cream of mushroom, refill with water and add, dry onion soup, and coke. Mix together. Pour over roast and veggies.

Low - 8 hours
High - 4 hours

Once it's time to eat, make the gravy! Take 1-2 cups of roast broth, stir in little amounts of corn starch until thick on medium heat. Turn down to simmer for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. It will thicken as it stands.

Serve it up and Enjoy!!