Book Review: Your Complete Guide to Jello Shots by Aaron Wright; Average Joe Publishing

Disclosure: This book was sent for review purposes only, all opinions are honest.

In case Grandma didn't pass down her Jello Shots recipes this book has you covered. With easy to follow instructions and over 300 recipes, you'll learn how to make kick-ass Jello Shots that will impress your friends and improve your parties. With smooth shooter recipes like "Naked Pretzel", "Smooth-n-Easy", "Panty Dropper" and "Ninja Turtle" you're sure to have a good time. Mix great flavors with the right kind of booze and it only gets better.

Make room for the coolest "cookbook" in the kitchen. In stock and ready to ship. Features: Over 300 Jello Shot recipes, organized by alcohol. 122 pages of helpful tips and hints.

My Review


The fourth of July is right around the corner.. are you ready to surprise your guests? WITH WHAT? With some new recipes to get the party started of course.

This book is amazing. I love how organized it is. It’s separated by alcohol. You can just flip to the part of the book that has whatever alcohol you have on hand, or want to drink that day/night.
It saves so much time by separating it like this, because you aren’t having to flip through each page and read the ingredients- they are already right there for you!

This book isn’t just going to be great for the Fourth of July, but for all year round. Any kind of party; birthdays, anniversaries, house parties… If you’re looking for an amazing variety of jello shots, this book is it! There are over 300 recipes for Jello shots and they are all different!

I love that this book also contains conversation starters, trivia, and truth/dare questions to get the ball rolling and party started. This book is filled with these. Almost every single page has something like this on it!

Dare: Drink something from the belly button of a random player.
Truth: If you were invisible, what is the first thing you would do?
NOW.. onto the shots!



I am in awe at the very beginning of the book. It’s what every shot seeker needs. It begins with the liquid measurement conversion. This way if you would like to make a bigger amount than is called for in the recipe, you know how to do this without messing stuff up!


The shots are categorized by what type of liquor inside the recipe. The recipes are very easy to follow, They are simple, short, and right to the point. They are detailed even though they are short..

On each page there are 3 different recipes, and they are all separated by those little jello shots you see in the picture. The recipes have a great variety of Jello shots.

From simple recipes (Puppy Love) to the more detailed (Long Island Ice Tea Jello Shot). They are all made using standard Jello mixes in various flavors. This book is awesome for a quick jello shot mix!
The names of these jello shots are just so funny, unique, and eye-catching. You’ll have people requesting more and more—just to try them out for themselves.

I love that you can just make whatever jello shot by what alcohol you have on hand. You don’t have to go out and by anything “special” for them. Even if you have to buy any of the ingredients, they aren’t expensive and can be found at your local grocery store!

This would also be a great book to have on hand for girls’ night in, bachelorette parties, and just random get togethers. You’ll have to make the shots in advance, but OH what fun you’ll have!

Some sample recipes out of the book:

Daydream:
3 oz. pkg Pineapple Jello
1 c. boiling water
1/2. c cold water
1/2 Amaretto

Mix Gelatin with hot water until dissolved (approx. 2 minutes). Add cold water, stir. Let sit until steam dissipates (no more than 3 minutes). Add alcohol, stir thoroughly (1-2 minutes). Pour mixture into your chosen Jello Shot containers. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Makes 8-10 2 oz. Jello Shots

Bermuda Triangle:
3 oz. pkg Orange Jello
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cold water
1/4 cup Spiced Rum
1/4 c. Peach Schnapps

Mix Gelatin with hot water until dissolved (approx. 2 minutes). Add cold water, stir. Let sit until steam dissipates (no more than 3 minutes). Add alcohol, stir thoroughly (1-2 minutes). Pour mixture into your chosen Jello Shot containers. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Makes 8-10 2 oz. Jello Shots

The instructions at the bottom- mixing and such are all the same. The only thing that differs in the book is the alcohol that you put in it and how many shots that they make. The more stuff that it includes, the more shots it produces. Some of the recipes produce 18-20 shots.

Have you ever tried a Jello shot? What was it? Did you like it? Would you like to see other NEW Jello shot inventions, like in this book?

Buy it: Your Complete Guide to Jello Shots $15.95

Beauty Review: Cake Beauty Triplement Foot Creme & Desserted Island Body Scrub

I have had the pleasure of using Cake Beauty supplies before. The first thing I ever tried from their vast collection of amazingness was their dry hair shampoo for dark hair. Let me tell you how AWESOME it was to finally find a dry shampoo that didn’t make my hair look like I’d shaken a ton of baby powder on my head!

When I contacted them about reviewing a couple items, and they got back to me very quickly, I was excited! I scrolled through the website at all their bath, body, and hair products!

 

Cake Walk Triplemint Foot Creme

The first item I clicked on, I immediately wanted to try. It was the cake walk triplemint foot crème. Since I’ve been tanning it’s like my feet are constantly dry to the point of peeling. I’ve never had this much issues with dry feet before.

I opened this and immediately fell deeply in love with the invigorating scent of the peppermint and spearmint mixture. It reminded me of the spearmint gum that my grandma always chewed when I was little.

This foot cream is a light pink in color and is very rich although it isn’t greasy and doesn’t leave any residue behind. If I wear flip flops, heels, or sandals my feet aren’t constantly slipping and sliding.

It has pure menthol and peppermint and spearmint essential oils to give your feet a nice little tingle. I loved using this, I felt like I was having a spa party for myself at home.

It contains nourishing butters- mango butter mixed with avocado oil to help soften the dry skin! I love the way it not only soothes but nourishes as well.

I’ve been using this on a daily basis, and I have to say that it has done a great deal with my dry feet. It was so horrible that the sides of my feet were becoming hardened with dry skin. This has never happened to me before, so I was glad that this foot cream really helped to soften that up.

I really enjoyed this! If you are looking for an at home spa night or just something to soften and soothe your tooties.. this is definitely for you!

Buy it: cake walk triplemint foot crème $16

Cake Desserted Island Body Scrub

The second product I chose was the Cake Desserted Island Body Scrub. Scrubs as you know are meant to exfoliate, soften, and moisturize the skin- so it’s not recommended to use them on a daily basis. More like 2-3 times a week for the amazing benefits of healthy, vibrant skin.

I opened the jar and Oh MY did I fall deeply in love with the smell. Tahitian vanilla & coconut YUM. The smell just takes you away, another place, another time.. Nothing but delicious scent and your imagination. Fresh, invigorating, and very comforting! I loved the scent it left behind after I got out of the bath. Not too strong, yet so enticing.

The texture is grainy, yet so silky at the same time. You can feel the brown sugar granules as soon as you scoop some into the palm of your hand. They are pretty big, which makes for an amazing exfoliation.

You take a handful and place it in your palm, on a washcloth, or even a loofah! Massage it into your skin for about 30 seconds, and wash it off. I loved how much this helped with the dry, rough skin on my feet.

My skin was SO soft, supple, and healthy looking after just the first use! If you fake bake in the summer- a nice body scrub is what you need to apply before fake baking AND after to get it all off. This is definitely what you need!

You will wash with body wash or soap BEFORE using this. After you use this, you will feel kind of greasy until you towel off after the shower/bath. That’s because you have to give it time to soak in, where there are oils inside.

The jar is plastic and VERY large with a screw on lid. You don’t need very much at all to get the job done, so one jar will last quite a long while.

Buy it: Cake Desserted Island Body Scrub  $32

Connect with Cake Beauty:

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram

 

Jessica Renee

Beauty Review: Wet Brush Squirt Mini Pocket Detangling Hair Brush

From the makers of the wildly popular Wet Brush, comes the Wet Brush Squirt! Eliminate tangles quickly and painlessly with this magnificent Detangling Shower Brush. This brush can be used on wet or dry hair and is perfect for all hair types. It features a soft, rubberized non-slip grip for a secure, comfortable hold. The unique, soft, flexible, nylon brush bristles create an entirely new brushing experience!

My Review

 

As a mom of 2 kids, going to the beach for a day isn’t an easy task. Everything MUST be remembered, or there might be an issue. Beach bag, towels, swim suit, flip flops, drinks, snacks, and getting there while it’s still daylight outside. BUT what about a brush?

A brush? YES, that’s exactly what I said. If you swim- you know the havoc that swimming can do on hair. The major tangles. Especially for your little girl.

I always tried to have an extra brush on hand just for the beach because I hated cleaning my own every single time we went. The sand, the dirty beach water hair, and did I say the sand?

The Wet Brush Squirt is adorable in it’s many colors, so my daughter automatically fell in love with it when it arrived in the mail. It’s small, so it doesn’t take up a ton of room in the beach bag. That’s awesome, considering all the other stuff that has to fit inside!

Even though it’s small in size, it’s still an awesome detangler. The bristles are designed to detangle without pulling hair. My daughter HATES getting her hair brushed if she thinks it will hurt. She’ll cry before the brush ever touches her hair. She’s crazy like that.

With this brush, there wasn’t any of those “NO, mommy” “that hurts”. It was amazing just to brush her hair and get it into a ponytail after swimming so that we could be on our way and it wouldn’t tangle up and mat together when we were driving and the wind whipping.

Buy it: You can buy a Wet Brush Squirt Mini Pocket Detangling Brush for only $10

 

Jessica Renee

Maternity Review: ELM Baby Maternity Fashion Jeans

If you’ve ever been pregnant before, then you must know how hard it is to find cute maternity clothes. When I was pregnant with my son, I basically ONLY wore stretchy pants because I COULD NOT find any that would suit my style or my size.

I am always on the lookout for jeans, because I’m not really into “maternity dresses.” I DO like them, but I’d rather wear jeans until I am busting at the seams with my belly.

When I was contacted by ELM Baby, I was thrilled! I hadn’t heard of them before I was contacted, and I had so much fun looking through their site.

They really do cater to EVERYTHING pregnancy and baby! Maternity clothing in a variety of styles (kudos), baby clothing, AND baby items such as bathing, co-sleeping, teething, accessories of all kinds! They even carry skincare for both the face and body!

The cutest diaper bags ever, nursing pillows, car seats, baby carriers.. I could go on and on. I loved that you can search by who you are; Mom’s Corner, Dad’s Corner, and they even have a place for grandparents- how cool is that? You can even have your baby shower registry through them!

BACK to the jeans though. These are Lilac Maternity Signature Denim jeans that come in small, medium, and large. They are a dark wash jean, which I LOVE! They are stretchy, so they will definitely grow with your budding belly!

They look like any regular pair of jeans, other than the belly flap is hidden under your shirt. They LOOK like they button up, but you just slide them on like stretch pants.

Even though they are a little big right now, they’d fit perfectly in about another month. I’m sure that these would fit until about the 5th month for me. I don’t tend to get very big until the end of the 5th month for some reason.

I love that they haven’t faded AT all through the many washes they’ve endured. Still feel so comfortable and maintain the same crisp, new look that they have when you get them!

I also love that the back pockets are a little bigger. Adam always tells me that tiny pockets look like I’m wearing little kid clothes. I don’t know why, but I guess it has something to do with enhancing the booty. LOL

I was very happy to see the line of maternity swimsuits they have. They don’t say “huh, I’m pregnant”. They say “look at me, I am pregnant and beautiful”. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t look beautiful and that’s JUST what ELM Baby is all about!

 

 

Jessica Renee

Save a Biker’s Life & Help me Remember Mine! <Life Story Inside.. please Read!

 

My dad loved riding his motorcycle. I can remember numerous occasions seeing him on it.

There were so many things I wish could’ve happened that didn’t. There were many times when I was growing up that I wished he were there and he wasn’t.

Do you know WHY he wasn’t there? He was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was only 7 years old. My dad was only 31.. way too young.

He left behind not only me, but my mom and 4 year old sister as well. A car was on his side of the road and he swerved to miss it and hit a tree.

I am 24 now, and have lived without my dad it seems like an eternity now. 17 years to be exact, although there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him, or wish he were here to meet my kids.

My mom, who had always been a stay at home mom became a widow when my dad died. She had absolutely no work experience whatsoever. She had been with my dad since she was 13 years old, and he had always provided for her.

After he died, she didn’t know what to do. Not only was she facing the grief of losing someone she had been with since she was a teenager but she was left with a funeral bill and a small income as well.

My mom struggled and struggled just to meet the bills that we had to pay, and could only pay a little here and there on the funeral bill. AND that’s why 17 years later and he STILL doesn’t have a headstone.

My infant niece was born early at 25 weeks on July 1, 2013. We ended up burying her the 7th. At the grave site, I kept staring at my dad’s resting place and getting teary-eyed as the memorial service was going on.

I kept thinking “THIS long and still nothing?” No way to tell that he is lying underneath that grass? I kept wondering how many people had accidentally stepped on his grave that day while digging the grave for my niece or saying their goodbyes?

It was unthinkable for me. SO, I set out to do something about it.

Thanks to TeeSpring, I’ve designed a T-shirt for those who know bikers and wish to save a life. In exchange for an awesome T-shirt designed by me—I get the profit from the shirts to pay towards a headstone for the man I call my daddy.

The top picture is the front of the shirt and the bottom is the back. There are TONS of accidents that happen each day because cars, trucks, and SUV’s don’t see bikers on the road.

If you would like to help me spread awareness and have people watch out for bikers while helping me raise money towards an amazing goal I would VERY much appreciate it!

Shirt to help raise funds for my dad's tombstone..$20 a Tee. Save a Biker today! http://t.co/8XiWKxLktf pic.twitter.com/PkHkEP0LTa

— Jessica Blankenship (@AidanAdisynsMOm) June 23, 2013

I have been trying my VERY best to get the word out about these shirts but so far only 2 out of 50 have been reserved.

ALL 50 have to be gone within 2 weeks and 4 days or NOBODY gets their shirts.

Please help me by buying one of these shirts. Only $20! Save a Biker today and help me get a memorial stone for mine (my daddy) http://teespring.com/SaveABiker

If you buy one.. please leave your name below (will be verified) and I will put your name (beside a number) into a random generator for a special prize at the end of next month!

 

Thank you SO much, (In advance)

 

Jessica Renee

Beauty Review: Jabu’She Skincare; Facial Tonic

Jabu’she is a skin care line from Sweden that’s designed for anyone who wants to improve the look and feel of aging or sun-damaged skin. Jabu’she also gives the skin a finer luster, increased vitality, and fewer visible pores.

I was excited to get to be able to work with them on a review, because they have AWARD winning anti-aging skincare that also reverses signs of sun exposure. I got to choose 3 items from the site, which was hard. They have a very clean, simple website that is easy to navigate.. and amazing products that are designed just as beautifully.

The first item I chose was the Jabu’she Cleansing Lotion. I love this cleansing lotion and have added this to my daily skin care regimen as the main cleaner for the last month.

This is a very gentle cleansing lotion that doesn’t strip the skin of it’s natural oils. I have oily skin, but this still works very well for me. I use twice on a daily basis and then add in a face scrub 2 days of the week and a mask on another.

I love the scent, it smells so clean and fresh- reminds me of freshly bloomed flowers! I love the way my skin feels after I wash with this cleansing lotion.

As you can tell it doesn’t get sudsy. The suds can actually strip the skin of ALL oils, even the ones your skin needs to remain healthy and not dry out. My skin feels so soft, smooth, and refreshed after using this.

It is just so invigorating! It feels so amazing because it is actually BUILT like a lotion. It calms and heals stressed out skin while also cleaning it. I can’t tell you how AMAZING this is at cleaning off makeup without any left behind.

it’s also great at removing mineral eyeshadow and mascara, which usually takes an eye makeup remover to get off. I only had a slight raccoon look after, which came off with a slight swipe of a towel after washing!

This balances the skin tone and texture overtime, while also firming and refreshing it! Couldn’t ask for anything more from a face cleaner! I LOVE that my skin stays moisturized, yet it isn’t oily!

The ingredients contain cucumber extract which is what helps to naturally moisturize and balance the skin. Peach extract helps to smooth, lift, and refresh the skin. AND chamomile heals and calms.

Buy it: Jabu’she Cleansing Lotion $29.95

 

The second items I chose was the Jabu’she Facial Tonic. This is different from most toners on the market today because it doesn’t contain alcohol. Most people don’t know but the alcohol in toners can actually dry skin out and make them start to peel overtime.

I love that this has a pump action top. Usually toners come with a screw on or pop off lid, where you have to use a cotton pad or ball with it. I love this way SO much better.

It not only saves time, but I am not wasting more than I use. It’s a win/win situation. I love this facial tonic. I’ve noticed my skin feels a lot more rejuvenated and balanced since using it.

Like I said before, I have oily skin. More now since I’ve been tanning on a regular basis. It seems to bring the oil to the top even more, so I was glad that this has balanced the oiliness.

I’ve noticed it numbs a little at first. I accidentally sprayed it on my lips and they went numb. So after that I made it a point to wipe my lips with a towel immediately after spraying my face with this tonic.

It has the same calming and moisturizing ingredients that the cleansing lotion has in it. It has Cucumber extract to balance and moisturize, Peach extract to smooth, lift, and refresh, and Chamomile to heal and calm.

My face just feels SO clean after! I love it!

Buy It: Jabu’she Facial Tonic $31.95

The third I chose was the Repairing Overnight Moisture Mask. I love it because it’s an anti-aging mask that helps to diminish fine lines and wrinkles overtime.

It is so moisturizing and rehydrates dried out skin. If your skin is in desperate need of moisture, this is what you need. It smells so amazing, goes on so smoothly, and you only NEED leave it on for 15 minutes but best if left overnight!

The overnight mask is a light blue/green in color and smells like a mixture of cucumbers and peaches to me. So invigorating and uplifting!

I’ve been using it overnight, and in the morning my skin looks so replenished. It feels so stimulated and restored of all the moisture it loses at night.

Buy It: Jabu’She Repairing Overnight Moisture Mask. $39.95

I am amazed at just how light all of these are on my skin (even the moisture mask). My pores have seemed to have shrank a couple sizes (which is AMAZING for someone with large pores).

Keep your eyes peeled for the GIVEAWAY which will feature the same items!

 

About:

Jabu’she was created after extensive research on the actual product formulation and its core ingredient, QAL-100; The study was reviewed by the Research Ethics Committee at Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm (2001), and has been published in one of the most prestigious medical journals, The British Journal of Dermatology (founded in 1888) 2003:149:841-849t

Backed by clinical research, Jabu’she has been proven to make your skin feel younger, smoother and give it a clearer hue. It increases cell activity and strengthens defense against free radicals. The patented QAL-100 formulation generates superior results, bringing vitality to your skin.

 

Connect with Jabu’she online:

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, & Instagram

 

 

Jessica Renee