Winter Layers: Slip Dress

Winter Layers: Slip Dress by angelicachen featuring Guerlain

A college graduate in the family!

John receiving his degree
(Photo property of Jacqueline Griebel)

After four years of hard work my oldest son John received his bachelor's degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics from Westminster College. He received pink and gray cords in recognition of his membership in Kappa Mu Epsilon. John is a first generation college graduate so it was an extra special day for us. He was fortunate to secure a job in his field prior to graduation and has already relocated to the southern United States. We miss him terribly but are so very proud. It is going to seem odd not having him around the house during summer, although I do not think I will miss spending hours every spring researching scholarships for him. Because John worked hard during his high school and college career he was able to obtain scholarships that covered the cost of his education. I will be sharing some of my scholarship tips in a future post so check back soon.

  

Our family with the graduate
(Photo property of Jacqueline Griebel)

Miss Jackie Is Back!

After a very long break from blogging I have decided to return. I have missed my faithful followers and look forward to hopefully gaining some new followers. Miss Jackie's Views will be changing direction. I will rarely be doing product reviews  and giveaways but instead will focus on topics relevant to my life and hopefully of interest to others - homeschooling, fashion, family, people I find interesting, some cooking/homemaking, fun kids stuff, pets, and advice for college students. I always intended for this blog to be content driven and somewhere along the line I got off track. I started doing product reviews and before I knew it I was overwhelmed. The more products that arrived the more swamped I was with work and I got burnt out. And it became a disappointing experience, if I wrote about anything other than a product review with a giveaway attached I got zero response from readers.


There have been a lot of changes in my life in the last year. I started homeschooling my youngest son and my oldest son graduated from college and moved several states away. My husband's health has deteriorated and I lost my precious 5 month old great nephew. Most importantly I renewed my faith in God and finally accepted his grace.


I am hopeful that some of my followers will stick around while I make changes. I can promise you better content in the future. Somehow the appearance of my blog got changed around and I'm still trying to fix that, my headers are off and there are all these different colors. Hopefully soon I will have it fixed!


Thanks for following and if you have any suggestions or subjects you would like to see covered leave a comment and I will do my best!

Bulu Box Makes A Great Christmas Gift For Anyone On Your List!

The perfect partner in the pursuit of a healthier you, Bulu Box is like having a personal trainer and a nutritionist as a best friend. Each month, a box of healthy discoveries is shipped right to your door for just $10. You learn about that month's 4-5 premium samples, try each one and see what fits into your individual healthy lifestyle.

So what is a Bulu Box? Here's some info from the company: Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best. Each month, you’ll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4 to 5 premium samples from top brands to try. Every sample is sufficient enough to decide if the product is right for you. Of course, shipping is always free and you can cancel anytime. Share your thoughts about each product in our sample surveys and you can earn 50+ Rewards Points (that's $5!) each month! Use your points to purchase your new favorites in full size at BuluBox.com! Here you’ll also get expert tips, tricks and a supportive community of Bulugans just like you! Join the discovery and find a healthier you!

 For sharing your opinions on each month's samples through a quick survey, we will give you 50 Rewards Points (that's $5!) to use in our shop to get more of your favorites. 3 Month Subscription for just $10 (regularly $30)! at Bulu Box - Use code WOWZA 

Visit Bulu Box for more information and to subscribe today!

DIY - Simple Spooky Nails

DIY - Simple Spooky Nails by elsabear featuring a nail polish

Miss June Bug Wins Best In Show!

Photo Property of Jacqueline Griebel

That's my sweet dog June Bug and my little guy Josh in the picture above. Miss June Bug competed in a local pet show/parade at the Tionesta Indian Festival. We were not sure how well she would do considering she is a Bulldog/Boxer mix dog and most of the dogs in the competition were pure bred. I thought she might have a small chance of winning the cutest category and possibly the best behaved category so I was surprised when she was named the winner of Best In Show.

June Bug is maybe not what some people would consider a "pretty" dog because of her build. However she is very special, the most gentle and loving dog I have ever known. We adopted this sweetie from Tri-County Animal Rescue Center last year after we lost our beagle. She was rescued from an animal hoarding situation along with ten other dogs by Tri-County and was waiting for us when we went looking for a dog to love.

I had several people at the pet show ask me about June Bug's collar, some thought it was actually a TuTu. Miss June Bug is modeling the Jr. Prom Rrruffler, I was searching for clothes and accessories for large dogs and discovered the Rrruffler company and had to order her the Jr. Prom collar, it is so pretty just like June Bug!

For me June Bug's win was a win for mixed breeds and shelter dogs everywhere; it is proof that good dogs can come from shelters and that a dog does not have to be pure bred to be a winner. We are so proud of her!

Yum Earth Organics Fruit Snacks

Photo Property of Jacqueline Griebel

The folks at Yummy Earth Organics provided me with a 10 pack of their fruit snacks to review just in time for back-to-school. In recent days I have noticed many posts on Facebook about back to school snacks and lunch ideas. Yummy Earth Organics fruit snacks are at the top of my list for a healthy snack for the kids. In addition to fruit snacks Yummy Earth also offers lollipops, gummy bears, and sour beans. All Yummy Earth certified organic, gluten free, all natural, and contain real fruit extracts.

Untitled #47 by beautifullfashion featuring Urban Decay

Back To College Shopping Just Got Easier With Gillette

Photo Property of Jacqueline Griebel

My son John, pictured above, will be 21 years old next week. At the end of August he will be headed back to Westminster College to complete his senior year. I have been stocking up on items for him to start the year off with and one thing I am able to check off the list is razor blades thanks to Gillette. Gillette now has a razor blade subscription service that is great for guys in college. You simply select what type of blade you need, which retailer you want to use, how many blades and how often you want them delivered and then you wait for them to arrive at your dorm or college address. The best part of this subscription service is you can get your blades for AS LITTLE AS $1. A MONTH!!  As my five year old would say "Super Duper Easy Peasy!" The past year when John would come home he usually had stubble and a scruffy look; he attends college in an area that is surrounded by an Amish community and it is about 25 miles to the closest store to buy his Gillette blades which is very inconvenient for him, so we were very pleased to hear of this subscription service and couldn't wait to sign him up.

How To Find The Right Dry Shampoo For You

Award Winning Charity Bake Sale Kit For Kids Now Available From Bizainy

Photo Credit: Bizainy

Bizainy has announced another great addition to their line of award winning toys and kits, the Charity Bake Sale Kit. The Charity Bake Sale Kit which retails for $30.00 has everything kids need to set up and run their own bake sale to benefit charity! Kit contents include:  Colorful Bake Sale Banner, sign to spin, decorate-your-own cause sign, donor stickers, donations pad, decorate-your-own money box, donations sticker to adhere to a jelly jar, and an information-packed 24 page book with how to pick and support your cause, recipes, marketing plan, budget, volunteer lists, sales strategies, and more!

The Charity Bake Sale Kit was recently named the Gold Seal Award recipient from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, an independent consumer review group. Bizainy toys strive to create financial literacy, fun, self-reliance and creativity and the Charity Bake Sale Kit is one of the many great products they offer for kids and teens. You can follow Bizainy on Facebook and Twitter for new products, discounts, upcoming camps and seminars, and company news.

Disclosure: I did not receive compensation in any form for this post. My views and opinions remain my own and I endorse this product.

Your Chance To Win Some Cool Headphones From Kinivo

The writers (one of them at least) at Life of a Mad Typer  are addicted to trendy new gadgets, and we are so pleased to share them with you. Our amazing friends from Kinivo are sponsoring a  "BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music Streaming and Hands-Free calling" Giveaway.

T Shirt Giveaway from Better Than Pants

Life of a Mad Typer is hosting a giveaway from Better Than Pants. Better than pants has Funny t-shirts and even some pop culture offerings. Their prices are amazing and they even do custom orders.

You can see our review here:

http://www.lifeofamadtyper.com/2014/04/better-than-pants.html

1 lucky winner will get to pick a shirt of their choice!

If you want to enter then continue below and enter using the form.

Zoya Earth Day Nail Polish Exchange

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my readers!! Don't miss Disney's Muppets Most Wanted which opens in theaters March 21st with my favorite muppet of all time, Kermit The Frog!

Loreal Consumer Testing

For all my readers who love beauty products Loreal Consumer Testing is one of my favorite programs! After you join they send short surveys once a month. If you qualify for a product study they send you the product for you to try, you then fill out follow up surveys. To compensate you for your time they send you a few full size products after the study is over. In the past I have tested mascara, an eyelash curler, and skin care products. What is really cool is these are products that are not currently on the market, it is the preliminary testing stage. Unlike a lot of programs there aren't a bunch of lengthy surveys to do and the products are full size. And for every five surveys you fill out you receive a full size product whether you qualified for a study or not. In the past I have received Lancôme face cream, mascara, lip gloss, eyeshadow, and Garnier Fructis products.

To sign up for Loreal Consumer Testing just go

Mystery Beauty Box Giveaway

Miss Jackie's Views has joined her good friend, Ruby, over at the blog Diary of A Mad Typer to bring this super giveaway to my readers!! Ruby is an up and coming beauty blogger with fabulous nail tutorials and reviews of all these things beauty. I have been wanting to do one of these in forever! So heres how it works.

I give you a small peek at what's in this box.

This is just what I gathered in the first hour putting this box together. I had since then filled half of a shoe box with goodies.

How to Wear a Crochet Dress

You Asked: How to Wear a Crochet Dress by polyvore-editorial on polyvore.com