2014: My Year in Review

Hey everybody.  *Cathartic Post*

I don't like it when people complain.  I hate to be perceived as complaining about something.  Whiny women irk me.  Was that a complaint or a statement?  I think it was a statement.

It has always made me feel rather uncomfortable when people say "good riddance" to the end of a year.  It always sounded so ungrateful. But I have been so tempted to say those forbidden words regarding 2014, here at the start of 2015.

I had some really great times in 2014.  My stepdaughter graduated high school with honors and is now in college.  I got a huge raise.  I bought a new car.  I got several important certifications pertinent to my occupation.  Angelo, at the ripe old age of 1.5, seems to be almost housebroken.  As a blogger, I was named a top MUA on an international beauty site, due to my somewhat artsy photos.

But sometimes things happen that just sort of crush all your memories of those good times.  My Mom had knee replacement surgery in June.  That was really rough.  It's a bad thing to see your Mom in the hospital bed crying because she can feel where her bones were cut.  I was out of state on Christmas Day when I got the news that my father had had a heart attack, septic shock, and was in kidney failure.  In the summer, I lost a relationship with somebody I loved second only to my husband and immediate family, and I can't seem to get over it.

My anxiety has made my nails weak and just plain stop growing.  I feel decidedly non-witty...any nail post I would create at this point would only be ugly and un-funny.

I don't want you to feel sorry for me.  I'm just very sad.  I hope you all are doing fantastically well.  <3

For College Moms: October PijonBox Review

Hey everybody!  Tonight I have a NOT NAIL RELATED post for you that I think might be both interesting and helpful. :)  My stepdaughter Hannah is now a college freshman and lives 3 hours away from home.  Even before she graduated high school, I had been researching subscription boxes for college students.  I knew Hannah would be homesick, and let's face it, when we're homesick, we want to know somebody is thinking about us.  And getting stuff in the mail is even better.

After looking at a few different subscription boxes, I decided to go with PijonBox, based on the company's very positive reviews.  When you sign up for PijonBox, you have the option of choosing a box for a boy or a girl.  You can also choose which and how many months you want your box to go to your student.  The boxes have 5 or 6 items and include things like essentials, snacks and personal items, all packaged nicely in a box that politely asks that you not swipe it if it's not meant for you. :)  So, without further ado, our collaborative review!

Oh, by the way...don't go around trying to be all French with your pronunciation like I did for a month, like an idiot.  It's pronounced "pigeon.":P

 Right before they ship the box, Pijon sends you an email asking if you want to include a message for your student.  They ship around the 10th, and Hannah gets hers about 5 days later.

The October box included 2 packets of multi-vitamin gummies, a bag of egg white chips (!!), a pomegranate blueberry oatmeal smoothie...

...two python-embossed notebooks,

...a pair of earbuds,

...and a Rooted Beauty Pina Colada lip butter, which is part of the Woman2Woman Project.  Very cool!

Hannah and I are very happy with her PijonBox subscription.  The monthly price varies on the number of boxes you send.  Four boxes will cost $27 per box, 8 will cost $25 per box, or you can make a custom order for as low as $23 per box.  I think the price is very good for the product, the presentation, and of course, the shipping.  Last month, Hannah received a pair of Jonanthan Adler socks in her box, and those alone retail for $14.

So, if you have a student in the family who needs a nice care package, I highly recommend PijonBox.  If you are interested in checking them out, you can use my referral link and receive $10 off your first order!

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! <3