Product Review- NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener

I use no calorie sweeteners on a daily basis and was excited to give this one a try. I have to say that I LOVED it! First of all it is the only 100% natural sweetener made from real fruit- monk fruit extract. The sweeteners I have used are powdery and leave an after taste that I cant stand. Nectresse actually tastes just like sugar and its texture is the same as sugar, so I really enjoyed that. I couldn't tell that I was not eating sugar!

I like to use Nectresse in my protein shakes in the morning after my workouts or if I dont have a shake that morning I sprinkle it on a cup of fruit. It tastes great! 

You can also use Nectresse in your cooking or baking recipes for a healthier alternative to sugar without sacrificing any flavor!

Check out what Lisa Ling had to say about Nectressse:

Check out www.NECTRESSE.com to get recipes and a FREE SAMPLE!

-chelz

*This was a sponsored and paid post. The views are ALL mine.

Things We Love Thursdays: Downton Abbey

I know, I know.  I'm a little late jumping on the Downton Abbey bandwagon.  But better late than never, right?!  We got Netflix a couple months ago so I was able to watch the first season and Amazon Prime just recently added the second season so I was finally able to get caught up.  I absolutely adore this show.  If you haven't watched, you MUST!  Here are my top 5 reasons to watch:

1. The Characters.  There are so many great characters on this show from the Crawley family to the enormous staff -- ones you'll fall in love with and ones you'll just love to hate!

 

2. The Romance.  There are so many great love stories at work here, both in the privileged and the staff.  You can't help but root for these couples but, of course, things are never easy for them.

3. The Accents.  Hello, does anyone ever tire of British accents?  I love listening to them and find myself speaking with an accent after I've watched too much. :P

4. The Fashion.  Oh how I LOVE to see what they are wearing! It's such an elegant time period and I love seeing the styles and wishing I could just snag some of their beautiful dresses and jewelry for myself.

5. Maggie Smith.  Um, can I just say I love her?! She is such a hoot on this show and has the best one liners!

So, have you jumped on the Downton bandwagon yet?  Do you have a favorite character?  Are you DYING until the next season comes out like I am?!?!

-marie

WIWW: My Sister's Sweater

So the other day I was at my mom's house and one of the twins had an accident.  I didn't have any spare clothes with me (shame on me!) so we looked for a shirt that would work in the dresser of my little sister who was away at college.  My mom found this cute cardigan sitting in there that she bought for my sister but apparently wasn't cute enough to take with her to college.  So my mom decided that I should have it.  And I totally agreed.  :)

cardigan: F21

tank: Styles For Less

skirt: H&M

shoes: thrifted

 -marie

  

Linked to: Rae Gun Ramblings, The Pleated Poppy, Two Thirty-Five Designs, Rolled Up Pretty PS Bananas & Transatlantic Blonde

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