Melissa is the Co-Founder of Shrinking Kitchen and the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans She has been married for a dozen years and is mother to four children (15,12, 8 and 8), with more soon coming her way through the foster care system. Melissa has a love/hate relationship with food (okay, mostly candy) and cooking. This isn't improved by the fact that her husband, the true family chef, works in another city half the year, leaving Melissa to figure out how to feed her growing family something other than Pop-Tarts. Melissa loves her camera, enjoys traveling, kickboxing, creating beautiful things she finds on Pinterest, and planning her dream home that will be built… someday.
melissa@shrinkingjeans.net :: @lissajoy :: whereverimaywander.com :: pinning here
We’ve all been there. You know, those days and nights filled with unneeded stresses and sighs and worrying. Sometimes, you just have to sit down and evaluate your life. Your friendships, your relationships, your time and finances… What is causing you unnecessary stress and worry? Is it worth it? Is it time to move on [...]
Good morning, friends! How are you? The weather here in North Dakota has been amazing {like 70s!!}, and I can’t even tell you what it has done for my mood and motivation! I.love.it. How was your week? Did you toot your horn yesterday? I hope so, because everyone deserves an “atta-girl” once in awhile! We’re [...]
Good morning, friends! If you are here to listen to all my juicy confessions from the past week, you are going to be sorely disappointed. We are changing things up on Tuesdays from here on out. We are ONLY going to be focusing on the positives! No more negative Nilly. If you have nothing nice [...]
So, I was reading Nancy’s Fab Ab post this morning, and my wheels started turning. What a great idea! I WANT FAB ABS. Right now, my flabs {as my 8-year-old boy refers to them} leave a lot to be desired. This needs to change. While I may not be able to achieve a six-pack or [...]
You may have noticed things look a little funny around here and around Shrinking Kitchen. So did we. We are experiencing more traffic than anticipated and are facing a few bumps in the road and kinks to work out. We are working around the clock to get things running smoothly again! Hopefully, you have patience [...]
How are you on this fine Friday morning? Are you excited for the weekend? Any big plans for the Superbowl? *You may have heard about the tragic case of Sherry Arnold over the last few weeks. A much-loved school teacher, mother, and wife from Sidney, Montana, Sherry went missing one morning after heading out for [...]
We have some very exciting news for you! Today marks the launch of our incredible new website, Shrinking Kitchen! What is Shrinking Kitchen, you ask? It’s a brand-spankin’ new website brought to you by the co-founders of The Sisterhood, and we’ve added Heather to the menu as our Editor-in-Chief! The site is devoted entirely to [...]
MONDAY: Three Cheese Manicotti. TUESDAY: Enchilada Casser-Ole! WEDNESDAY: Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Olives. THURSDAY: Shrimp Sandwich Wrap with Curry Yogurt and Spinach. FRIDAY: Homemade pizza night! I don’t have our recipe (yet!), but here is a yummy, health(ier) version to try out! SATURDAY: leftovers! SUNDAY: Crockpot Easy Beef Stew. SNACKS: POM-Banana-Strawberry Smoothies! Skinny Chocolate [...]
Potluck gatherings are often filled with scrumptious, yet entirely fattening, foods. Next time you are looking to bring some healthier fare, try out one of these dishes from Better Homes & Garden. Heart-healty cheesy potatoes? Lemon veggie couscous? Yes, please. Paula Deen and butter go hand-in-hand. Apparently, so does selling out. Who are some of [...]
Yeah, I know 2011 is so yesterday’s news, but here at The Sisterhood we have lots of awesome posts and we want to make sure you didn’t miss anything good! We care about you THAT much! Check out our list of the most-viewed posts written in 2011: 10. Emotional Eating – Part I. Are you [...]
We have almost made it through the first week of 2012! For us shrinkers, that means that we are probably following some sort of eating plan or have been thinking about changing our eating habits. I’m digging into our archives and linking to some of our older posts outlining specific eating plans. Do your research [...]
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BeautyMint. All opinions are 100% mine. Confession: I have a slight obsession with skin care products. I am constantly trying to find something that will erase my wrinkles, get rid of my adult acne, tame my sensitive skin, and make me look 10 years [...]
Happy New Year, friends! Are you so excited to start this year with a bang? Are you overflowing with ideas, plans, and resolutions? Yes? SO ARE WE! The Challenge We have a brand-spankin’ new challenge for 2012! I will get into the details down below! This challenge is open to both Shrinkers and Non-Shrinkers! Anyone [...]
Put on your birthday hat, because we are celebrating a special birthday here at the Sisterhood! That’s right! It’s Nancy’s special day! Let’s shower her with some birthday love! 5 REASONS WHY WE SIMPLY ADORE NANCY: Her optimism is contagious! Nancy never hesitates to encourage us or give us a kick-in-the-pants when needed! She creates [...]
Good morning! How was your Thanksgiving? Are you feeling stuffed and ready to settle back into your routine? Yes? These recipes will help you get rid of that post-Thanksgiving bloat {and get rid of some of those leftovers taking up space in your fridge}! MONDAY: Turkey soup! Instead of the half-and-half, try a lighter cream! [...]
