One Winner, everyone else has been contacted!

Glowelle Second Chance: LeBizyB

AUGH! I lost my whole post. I am so sorry. I have selected all the winners for my ended contests but somehow I lost the post. I assure you that everyone has been contacted, i will keep tabs on who contacts me back and all that jazz. Sorry, when I was just a blogger contest enter’er, I hated when I never knew who won.

truly terribly sorry. I would try and post it all again, but as you can see, it is 2:55am and I need to get to bed. I am sure some of you will be happy when you see your emails in the morning!

I have some really big items in store for you this week, and I am also announcing a BLOG PARTY! it is Prissy Green’s Fitness week starting 8/17. I will have a new button so you can get extra entries in all upcoming contests too.

have a great week lovelies!

Make It Monday, Get Your Fresh Summer Glow Back!

Dull skin from the summer sun? yes the sun gives a beautiful tan, but then, when the golden glow has passes, the skin starts to look a little ashy, pasty or just plain dull.

to brighten your skin a natural way try this recipe:

Natural Fruit Enzyme Peel
Ingredients: Pineapple pulp, grapeseed oil, papaya pulp and turmeric

Mix all the ingredients to make a paste. Now apply a generous amount of the mixture on face and neck leaving the eyes. Let it dry and rinse with fresh water.

For dull body skin, and rough elbows, ankles and knees, try this:
Baked Oatmeal Scrub
1 tsp fine oatmeal (either use a grinder or a food processor), 1 tsp baking soda
Mix the ingredients in water to make a thick paste. Rub over face for 2-3 minutes, rinse and pat dry. All Skin types can use this. If your skin is dry use an oil such as Olive Oil in place of water.

Summer Essential Kit by Lisa Curran for Lavanila!

This summer, Lisa Curran and Lavanila Laboratories teamed up to create a must have Summer Essential Kit. Inspired by Lavanila’s new lavender line, Lisa Curran created a lavender themed swimwear collection. The Summer Essential Kit combines select swimsuits from Lisa Curran’s lavender themed collection and skincare products from Lavanila’s Vanilla Lavender line.

Created to outfit the beachgoer from head to toe, two options of the Summer Essential Kit are now available!

The Summer Essential Kit is also for a good cause…with each purchase, Lisa Curran and Lavanila are giving back to The Ocean Project. The Ocean Project is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with aquariums, zoos, and museums around the world to protect the ocean.

The Summer Essential Kit by Lisa Curran for Lavanila is available at www.lavanila.com

Update

hello lovelies!
Feels like it has been forever since I last wrote here! i had some “stuff” I need to take care of this week, and well, it was quite a surprise to say the least. Sick on top of drama on top of one mess after another! Maybe when I get caught up I can fill you all in a little! I am hoping life will return back to normal this coming week, and I will be able to get back to the regularly scheduled postings. lol

I have a lot of stuff to catch up on so please bear with me as I do that. if I owe you an email, I will be sending those out this weekend I hope!

Make Your Own Natural Insect Repellant

Like me and don’t want to spray yourself and kids down with chemical laden bug sprays? Try this extremely simple Insect Repellent.

INGREDIENTS:

About 3 oz of Jojoba Oil or Olive Oil (any oil can really be used)

30 drops lemon balm essential oil

15 drops clove essential oil

5 drops carnation oil

Blend and enjoy the bug freedom!

If you prefer you can use about a 1/2 oz of non-flavored vodka, mix the oils in and blend well, then add 2 1/2 oz of water. you can use this as a spray, just make sure you always shake well. I do find both effective but the oil recipe is probably more so.

Stimulating Hair Growth, Massaging the Scalp

Most women are afraid of conditioning their scalp as they think it flattens the hair. I had this problem and I would only condition my ends. Well, what about conditioning it, BEFORE you shampoo? Try massaging oils into your scalp, or even your most natural conditioner about 15 minutes before stepping into the shower?

Massage your scalp in this way:
1. Start from the forehead hairline along the arteries in the front, side, and back of the head, making small circles with your fingertips, not your nails.

2. Work your way toward the top of the head as if drawing a circle. As you move your fingers, then use just a little light pressure, and in addition try to also move fingers in a circular motion at the same time to help stimulate the scalp and promote good blood flow.

3. Massage your hair/scalp for just ten minutes a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

You can also massage your scalp using coconut oil, or jojoba oil mixed with any essential oils you would like. I love Rosemary and Orange for my scalp. I think you will soon notice a healthier scalp, faster growing and healthier hair!

How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles

Heavens to Betsy. We had a major attack on our Burning Bushes and Echinacea this week. and well, those weirdo bugs were running into us every time we stepped out of the door. Last night I had one peg me right in the head while I was on the phone with a friend of mine, and she said she actually heard it! lol.

Okay, so here are some of the ways to RID YOURSELF of them. at least until next season. I might try and right up a prevention tip in August, as that is when you need to work on preventing them for the next year.

Okay so first you want to try and plant as many plants as you can that they aren’t attracted to. Such as mint, garlic, catnip and anything in those families of plant. Also,
Arborvitae
Boxwood
Dogwood
Firs
Hemlock
Holly
Junipers
Lilac
Magnolia
Oaks
Pines
Redbud
Red maple
Rhododendron

I love the smell and look of Lilac, so i am going to do this, and also the herbs. I found a few places that said the bags/traps are not really all that effective, that they can actually bring more beetles into your yard, and won’t catch them all. Well I have to say, that hasn’t been the case for us. We put one out 2 days ago, it has been pretty active, and I havent seen a single beetle on the burning bushes, or the Echinacea. (SCORE! humans +1) Now I do feel somewhat bad, for killing them this way, but I do know it is better then spraying harmful insecticides all over, and killing them and poisoning everything else, including ground water.

If you do use the bag/trap method (sold at Lowes, Home Depot etc) make sure you put it far away from your home and from the shrubs or plants they are eating. You will attract more then what was in your yard eventually, but the experience I have had, is that they go to the strongly scented bag, and not the plants. Do make sure you empty it every morning.

The majority of the information I found was to go out early in the morning, when they still have dew on their wings, and pick them off one by one (eewww, heeby geebies!) and drop them in a bucket of soapy water. Now I would have loved to do this when I was a child, but frankly, there were too many. I would have been out there all day.

Now another option, is spraying. I didn’t choose to do this, because we have some gorgeous song birds that like to eat out of yeard and landscaping. And like to eat the beetles as well. This would have prevented them from coming into the yard and eating a beetle and bug feast.

If you do choose to do a spray, try this spray before a insectiside.

2 cloves of garlic, smashes or cut in very fine pieces
1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/8 of an onion, finely chopped
1 small hot pepper (any variety)

Mix all of this with water, and mix around. Let sit overnight or for 24 hours. strain through a cheesecloth and then place water into a spray bottle (bigger the better). Then spray the heck out of your shrubs, flowers or whatever they might be feasting on. Spray liberally, especially on the shrubs.

Whole Foods "Make It Natural" Blog Series

Don’t we all like to induldge on “bad for us” treats every once in awhile? Well Whole Foods Market comes to the rescue with their new “Make it Natural” blog series that recreates some of the most sinful dishes into delicious, natural, and virtually guilt-free fare. With over 181 Classic Recipes re-worked to swap out unhealthy ingredients for natural ones, the “Make It Natural” team provides easy-to-use tips for whipping up those old crowd pleasers with a clear conscious.

Whether you’re looking to clean up your favorite dish or need a little inspiration, “Make it Natural” is a perfect toolkit for anyone looking for new, fresh ideas, and updated takes on old recipes!

When they are giving you the break down of what they have switched out, they tell you why, and how it can be used. Such as instead of vegetable oil in bread, try yogurt and applesauce!

They have a Zucchini Bread Recipe that looks out of this world. Plus if you post a comment on a recipe you would like to have featured for a healthy makeover, you have a chance to win a $25 gift card!

Just check out this yummy picture of Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel!

MixMyGranola Contest!

Dear MixMyGranola Family,

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoyed the weather and your time off! Did you know that July is the National Picnic Month? And what is better than a picnic with a healthy granola snack? Especially when you can create your very own picnic mix at MixMyGranola

!

And of course we want to know what is in your Picnic Granola Mix and are giving away a $25.00 Gift Certificate

to MixMyGranola

! All you have to do is to create your ideal Picnic Granola Mix on MixMyGranola.com

and email us at sweepstakes@mixmygranola.com to let us know what ingredients are in your Picnic Granola. We will randomly pick a winner from all entries that we have received by Friday, July 10th!

So get going and start creating your perfect Picnic Granola Mix right here

!
Cheers,
Andreas, Matt and Raoul

I thought you readers might be interested in this contest. If you remember I did a review for MixMyGranola here.

Enjoy those picnics! We took ourselves and the dogs to Brown County Indiana on Friday and they were so excited! Just check Bayles out on the ride down!
Licking her lips in anticipation! =)

Blog May Have Some Downtime

I am making the switch from Blogger to Wordpress either today or tomorrow, and I wanted to let you know this in case there is any down time during the transition. I also wanted to let you know the site will be looking a little different. If you have any problems navigating the new site please let me know!
It will be a whole new learning experience for me too, so wish me luck! I should not need you to resubscribe or anything like that, so all should be good and set. I am doing this for a number of reasons they have great plug-ins that can help this blog move further, easier to enter contests and moderate comments, drive more traffic, I can converse with you through the comments easier, and so much more.

Again if you have any issues with the new layout, or any feedback after it is all settled in let me know. I will probably put another post up for feedback to see if everything is laid out easy for you.

Once the transition has happened I will have a really big giveaway for you! And in a few weeks I am have a “Green Fitness Week” planned! Tons of really fab green exercising tools.

Sorry to send out a second email today, but I wanted you all to know! Have a GREAT DAY!

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