PINCHme Free Samples!

I have got to take a moment and talk about a great website for a moment. PINCHme Samples is a website where you can get free samples from popular brands every month!

I have been apart of this website for about a year and I am loving it. I have gotten free body wash, sugar samples, formula and more! Sometimes i've even gotten FULL SIZE samples. It's great! It's a mix up every month and the more information you have filled out in your profile, the more samples you can qualify for.

It's super simple and not time consuming at all! You just sign in on the Sample Tuesday, that is once a month. They ship the samples right to your door, within a few weeks. Then you use the products, and review them on the website. This is the most recent sample I got from them, it was a full-size Gerber supplementing formula sample and a bib with monthly infants to take pictures with when my daughter grows this year! 

They don't spam you with emails, you don't have to do anything once you've filled out your whole profile. Just get free samples for your opinion!!

Just click here to join! 

I have received products for free from the PINCHme program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Breath of Angel by Karyn Henley

Breath of Angel
By: Karyn Henley
Published by: Waterbrook Press
Released in 2011
227 Pages

Back Cover: The stranger’s cloak had fallen back, and with it, a long, white, blood-stained wing. When Melaia, a young priestess, witnesses the gruesome murder of a stranger in the temple courtyard, age-old legends recited in song suddenly come to life. She discovers wings on the stranger, and the murderer takes the shape of both a hawk and a man. Angels. Shape-shifters. Myths and stories—until now. Melaia finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without settling an ancient debt—the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.

Review: This book was a slow read. I couldn't really connect with Melaia, even though I know I was the target audience. The way that she thought and the things that she did didn't really make sense to me. I liked the kind of world that the author tried to create, but I wish that there was more to it. The book could have been longer and I would have been more satisfied. I know that there is a series of these books, but I think that lengthening this one would have been satisfactory. I appreciate the strong Christian values throughout the book, but they didn't feel genuine. It felt kind of forced. All in all, I'm glad that I read this book, but I don't think I will be continuing the series. 

About the Author (taken from here): Award-winning author Karyn Henley has written over 100 titles, which include a mix of children's books and articles, parent-teacher books, articles, and curricula, and preschool musicals and CD's/DVD's of original music for children. An accomplished songwriter, Karyn has been a Dove Award nominee, and received a regional Emmy Award as Music Composer for a Christmas television special. She has traveled worldwide speaking to parents and teachers and entertaining children and their families in storytelling/active movement sessions and concerts. Most of her work has been in the area of spiritual development. She is best known as the author of the original version of The Beginner's Bible, which during the fifteen years it was in print (1989-2004), sold over 5 million copies and was translated into 17 languages.

A graduate of Abilene Christian University (BSEd), Karyn received a Master's of Fine Arts degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2004. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Book Trailer:

 


I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent

My husband, son and newborn all have sensitive skin. I am constantly looking for detergents that aren't going to bother them. I received a free product for the purpose of my review. Opinions are 100% my own. I was so excited to try this detergent when I received it. I'm doing laundry EVERY DAY now that I have a newborn and so I threw this in with my daily laundry routine. It doesn't have a fragrance and it cleaned my clothes just like the detergent I had been using before (store brand).

I've always seen Seventh Generation in stores, but I never had the guts to try it out. I didn't know if they actually delivered on their promises.

Here is their mission statement:
" We believe our products are healthy solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within your home–and for the community and environment outside of it. As a pioneer in corporate responsibility, we want our products to make a difference—from their development through to their production, purchase, use, and disposal.  We are always evaluating how to reduce their environmental impact, increase performance and safety, and create a more sustainable supply chain. We believe it is our responsibility to set a course for a more mindful way of doing business, where companies act as partners with other stakeholders to create a brighter future for the whole planet. "

Who can argue with that? Helping the environment and making a healthier home for me? Win-Win!

I am proud to report that I absolutely loved their detergent. It works really well and it didn't bother anyone's skin here at our household! I have a coupon to buy my full size product next!

I am apart of Generation Good, which is a great program that i've just joined. You can check out more information about it here. 

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

The Magnolia League

By: Katie Crouch

Published by: Poppy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

ISBN #: 978-0-316-07849-8

Back Cover: When her free-spirited mother dies in a tragic accident, sixteen-year-old Alexandria Lee is forced to leave her West Coast home and move in with a wealthy grandmother she's never known in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful if unwilling member of the Magnolia League-Savannah's long-standing debutante society. But white gloves and silk gowns are a far cry from the vintage t-shirts and torn jeans shorts she's used to.

Alex is the first in decades to question the Magnolia League's intentions, yet even she becomes entangled in their seductive world. The members enjoy youth, beauty and power...but at what cost? As Alex discovers a pact between the Magnolias and the Buzzards, a legendary hoodoo family, she discovers secrets-some deadly-hidden beneath the glossy Southern veneer.

New York Times bestselling author Katie Crouch's poignant and humorous voice shines in this enchanting and mysterious story about girls growing up in a magical Southern city.

Review: Alexandria (Alex for short) lives on a community farm called RC, in California, until her mother dies in a car accident and she is shipped off to go live with her grandmother, Miss Lee. Miss Lee lives in Savannah, Georgia which is a completely different world to Alex. For starters, her grandmother is extremely wealthy and the head of a very prestigious society called The Magnolia League. She forces Alex to join, and signs her up for classes so she can prepare for her debutante party. The rest of the story is Alex questioning and challenging the Magnolia League's intentions. 

At first this book was hard to get into, Alex was a bit of a cliché and her 'bad-girl' persona was very easily pushed aside during the course of the book. The first eighteen chapters felt very rushed and confusing to me, as a reader. I felt like the author kind of jumped all over the place. She would let you into the Magnolia League's conversations but you would have NO idea what was going on or what they were talking about.

Another thing that I didn't understand was Alex's relationship with Madison and Hayes. I never understood their intentions. When they first met her they didn't like her at all, and then a couple pages over they were fawning over her. It was very confusing, and I never felt like it was a genuine friendship. Even though it seemed like at the end they were extremely close. Those chapters are kind of a blur to me, but once you hit the nineteenth chapter you get really hooked on this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it after this point. I couldn't put the book down! In the end The Magnolia League was an absolutely fascinating read.

All in all, I adored this book. I cannot wait for the next one! It left the reader salivating at the end of the book with a satisfying ending. She didn’t leave you hanging on the edge of a cliff! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick and fun read with magic all throughout. Don't miss this one at the bookstore, definitely take this one home!

About the Author (taken from here):
Katie Crouch is the New York Times bestselling author of Girls in Trucks. Her other novels include Men and Dogs, two young adult novels, and Abroad, a literary thriller set in Italy. Julia Glass wrote of Abroad: With uncanny psychological precision and a dark, dead-on wit, Katie Crouch explores how the casual follies of youth all too quickly turn tragic" Katie covered the Amanda Knox appeal for Slate magazine, and has also written for The Guardian, the New York Times, McSweeney's, Tin House, and Salon, and she has a regular column on The Rumpus called "Missed." A MacDowell fellow, Crouch teaches at San Francisco State University and lives in Bolinas, California with Peter Orner and their daughter Phoebe.

Other Books by the Author:

Book Trailer:

Review - Downy Unstopables

I have to tell you guys about this amazing website I'm apart of called Vocalpoint, its a great website where you can get samples, full-size products and just have a great community of people to chat with online. You can join by clicking here.

Since I've joined Vocalpoint, I've been up and up on all the greatest products just like this new one I recieved in the mail. I got new Downy Unstopables in the mail and was chosen to review this product for Vocalpoint!



I have to tell you that I really love this new product! It smells SO fresh when you open it, and it smells so good on your clothes. They have a cool "squeeze and sniff" feature, where you can just squeeze the bottle to have a burst of that fresh scent.

It's really simple to use, all you have to do is put the little beads in the wash before you put your clothes in. It's supposed to make the freshness in your clothes last longer.

I sweat a LOT in my car because I have no air conditioning and it's summer time, so this product sounded GREAT to me! I don't think that the scent lasts as long as it says it will, but maybe I didn't put enough of the beads into the wash I had (because it was a large wash). I like that you're able to choose how much you wanna put it, and that it's easy to use.

I think if you want your clothes to smell fresh or lavender-y, I would definitely reccomend this product! I really enjoyed it. :]

Review - Shattered by Melody Carlson

Shattered

By: Melody Carlson

ISBN: 978-1-60006-949-9

Published by: NavPress

Released on April 15, 2011

208 Pages

Back Cover (description from Amazon):

Everybody does it—sneaks out of the house now and then. It's harmless enough, right? Not this time. Cleo Neilson faces the chilling consequences of her actions. Now she has a secret and can’t tell anyone, and it’s breaking her heart. As Cleo fights through her grief and guilt, she learns about faith in God and forgiveness through him. As teenage girls read Cleo's journey, they too will learn the value of having faith and receiving forgiveness as well as just how dangerous it really is to keep a secret.

[series copy]
Every teenage girl has a secret. And every teenage girl loves hearing someone else’s secret. But some secrets are big enough to detour, derail, or even destroy a young person’s life. Each of Melody Carlson’s Secrets novels will propel readers into a world where promises are broken, life is not fair, and challenges can make or break them, while ultimately helping readers discover that solid faith, loyal friends, and a persistent spirit will see them through.

Review:

I have loved Melody Carlson since I read her Diary of A Teenage Girl Series, and she's one of my favorite authors. She wrote the True Color series, which is another one of my favorites. When my mom asked me if I wanted to review this new book in Melody Carlson's new series, I jumped on the opportunity.

This book is about Cleo and a lie she tells to her mother that completely shatters her from the inside out. I liked the surprising turns that this book took. I thought I had this book pegged when I first started reading it (because I always read the ending first!!) but Melody threw me a couple curve balls during the story.

Shattered was a quick read. I read it in a couple of hours, but throughly enjoyed it. I cared for Cleo and everything she went through. I related with a lot of the feelings she had in the book about her mother, and the guilt she felt for keeping secrets. I think the Secrets series is a great thing that Melody is doing.

Secrets can tear any teenager, or adult, apart. They will eat you from the inside out. It's amazing the way that Melody delves into the mind of Cleo and how she tries to not think about everything that's happening around her. She has a mentality that if she doesn't feel it, it's not really happening. It was very interesting watching all the puzzle pieces fall into place.

This book could have taken a lot of turns, and I appreciate the turns that it took. I wish the book had been longer, maybe more in depth and that her kind-of "break down" had been more intense. But I know she probably had a page limit, and it's probably just that "soap-opera" side of me kicking in. :D 

You will absolutely love this book, it deals with a couple of tough issues in a great way. If you're looking for a fast, but deep and enjoyable read check out Shattered by Melody Carlson. You won't regret it!!

About the Author(taken from here):

Melody Carlson has written around 200 books for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her books range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including the Rita and Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/

Other series by the author(check out all her books here):

Preview: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

This book...omg...it looks so good! I CANNOT wait for this to come out. Sept 27th is just too far away. I would say that we should fast forward time, so that I could read this book...but my son was born on Sept 25th and I'm totally not ready for him to be a year yet.. :P

BUT this book sounds amazing. I love books where the main characters lose their memory and it's kind of a mystery to figure it out through the book.

There is an awesome contest going on at the author's website right now! You should enter!
Add this book to your TBR list and add this widget to your blog! Cannot wait!!


Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer hits stores everywhere 9.27.11. Pre-order your copy here. Download the widget here. Enter to win an Advanced Reader’s Copy here.