JUNIEblake Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone who participated in our first ever giveaway!  We will have to host another one some time soon.  ;)

Our winners were:

Hilary

I liked, commented, and shared Junieblake's facebook page!

&

latanya

gfc follower

CONGRATS!!!  

You will receive an email from us with the details.

Frugal Friday: Vanilla Lime Sugar Scrub

I think the only thing I hate about Summer is shaving my legs.  I have coarse, dark hair that grows really fast so I have to shave just about daily.  I also get really bad razor burn AND ingrown hairs, so yeah, I pretty much hate shaving.

I came across this pin on Pinterest for a sugar scrub and decided to give it a try.  I am pleased to report that it worked great!  It really did leave my legs feeling soft & silky and I didn't end up with razor burn.  The scrub also helped loosen up any ingrown hairs, too.  (Now if only I could find a frugal product for making my hair grow slower!)

DIY Sugar Scrub
adapted from Gluten Free Navy Wife

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• juice of a lime (or lemon or orange)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.

To use, draw a warm bath and soak for 5 minutes.  Shave legs using your preferred method. Then use a palm full of the sugar scrub to scrub your legs; rinse.   Now shave your legs again using the residue from the scrub.  You'll need to rinse the razor often!  Use the scrub a second time and rinse. Pat your legs dry with a towel and use your favorite lotion.

I also use this in the shower and when I'm in a hurry I skip the first shaving and just shave once with the scrub.  Still works great!

-marie

What I Read: July

Kind of a mediocre reading month for me. I didn't get a chance to read a whole lot. It's a shame cuz I have SO MANY books in my to-be-read pile that I am itching to get to. There just aren't enough hours in the day. :P


 
Heist Society by Ally Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun, light read. I really enjoyed all the characters and loved the concept of this book. Sort of reminded me of Ocean's Eleven and White Collar. I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator did a great job. Can't wait to read the others in the series!!



Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really liked the premise of the book and the way it was told from different characters both in the present and the past. Unfortunately I found it to be very slow and couldn't bring myself to finish. I was interested enough to find out what happened and skipped ahead and read a few chapters in the middle and towards the end. I was able to find out how the murders occurred and felt satisfied enough.



ExtraNormal by Suze Reese
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the premise of this book. It was so fresh and different from all the paranormal young adult books out right now. Unfortunately I just never felt like I got to know the characters and never really connected with them. I thought the romance between Mira and Jesse was a little weird at best, a little creepy at worst. But as the book progressed I found myself more and more interested in the story and where it would lead. I didn't love the ending -- I felt it wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly. But overall not bad and I will probably read the next in the series when it comes out.



Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely LOVED this book! I adore the characters, the plot, and the angel lore. I can't wait to see how it all ends.






Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was such a unique twist on fairy tales. It kind of reminded me of the the TV show Once Upon a Time. All the curses and bad things that happened to these people left me wondering how it would all end so I couldn't put the book down. I thought the characters were great. I wouldn't mind reading more of their stories!

4 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies

I just LOVE these cookies! They are so easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand. I've tried lots of different cake mix flavors.  My favorites are these lemon ones and devil's food cake ones.  The latter taste like a cross between a cookie and a brownie.  Mmmmm!

All you need are FOUR ingredients:

• one box of cake mix
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix by hand cake mix, oil, and eggs. Roll dough into 24 - 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat and place on a silpat or ungreased baking sheet.  Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 6-8 minutes. The sides will just *barely* start to turn golden brown and there will be lots of pretty crinkles on the top.  You almost want them to be under-done so they don't dry out and have a nice chewy texture.  

-marie