Author: Mae @ Rainydayinmay

Desert native who claims the Pacific Northwest at home, while currently residing the Northeast. Lifecoach, Podcaster, PR writer, essay author, imaginary poet and every day dreamer...

The Fault in our Stars…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay1 Comment
This is a compensated review and the opinions in it are completely my own and not meant to be reflected upon Blogher… 
The Fault in our Stars is the latest Blogher book club book. It is authored by best selling YA author John Green. The story is written from the perspective of Hazel, sixteen years old and dealing with terminal cancer. While the rest of the reading world around me seemed already familiar with Green’s work, this book was my introduction into his writing and it was going up against a hard critic. First of all, I am difficult to convince that a man can write a girl’s personal narrative, but a terminally ill sixteen year old girl’s narration? I was pretty sure it wasn’t possible… 
Let me tell you, it is. Putting pen to paper is apparently something magical when in the hands of John Green. Again, I feel I am one of the last people on the planet to learn this fact- and for that I am both incredibly sad and truly grateful. Grateful because, of course, he has other books. 
Books, which I cannot wait to devour. 
The character of Hazel balances so eloquently between the normal thoughts and feelings of any sixteen year old girl, and what must be the honest thoughts of one dying so young. I can not say for sure, while I have been sixteen, I have never been at death’s door, but with every confessed thought of Hazel’s I felt myself imagining it would be exactly that same way. 
In a situation which feels suffocatingly sad and altogether hopeless, he manages to bring together a story full of raw love, pure adventure and some of the most honest writing I have read in quite some time. 
Moving. 
Magical. 
READ. THIS. BOOK… 
One really cool aspect of the book is that while the reader is falling in love with the character of Hazel, Hazel is obsessing over her own favorite book, ironically about a young girl with terminal cancer. The book changes and shapes her life in completely unpredictable ways, as I imagine The Fault in our Stars is sure to do.  There is a discussion over at the book club about books we love, and it would be great if you wanted to chime in. 
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The business of staying busy…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay3 Comments
After a weekend where Genny wasn’t around much, which we hear is normal as kids get older, we woke up Sunday morning to snow and an overall since of blah. 
It’s weird, having your kid(s) with you all of the time, and then going a couple of days without them being there much at all. (She did come home Friday to sleep, shower, hang out doing a project with her dad and then be driven somewhere else for the rest of the weekend- thoughtful girl that she is…) 
It’s amazing how quickly things change. 
She spent the weekend with my sister just two weekends ago. There was an overall happiness and general encouragement about the state of things. Life was good. 
And now? Now today we realize that, though it isn’t likely, we could have endless days of no Gen. Even the slightest of possibilities scares us senseless… 
So, for the second day in a row, i retreat to my office to write. No interruptions, no one needing breakfast. No one needing anything, which should feel great since I feel like garbage (health wise). 
But, perspective… It feels empty. 
Chw retreats out to the wood and power tools to work on my birthday gift, that he’s been spending stolen moments on for weeks. Neither of us admit, out loud, that most of this stuff doesn’t mean anything at all if our family becomes no more. 
Perspective. 
It’s a develish thing. One day it makes the late night cinema jaunt feel like an exciting escape and the next it only feels like a way to fill the hours. 
So i write, and I clean. I organize and I blast music that moves me, through headphones, into my ears. Below me, when I mute them, I hear Chw’s own load music as he hammers and saws. 
I love him. 
I know as well as i know anything that he loves me. 
I am pretty sure this chasm does not love either one of us, and it’s name is what if, and I hate it. 
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The brighter side…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay5 Comments
Can it really already be March 13? 
That seems crazy to me. Shouldn’t that make Christmas be practically next week, or something? 
So. Do things go in seasons in your world? I don’t mean seasons like the 4 basic annual ones. No, I mean seasons of plenty and seasons of struggle, and that sort of thing. 
Our first mistake, I suspect, was kicking 2011 in the rear on it’s way out- and naively welcoming 2012 with open arms. 
2012 is a manipulative sneak is what it is. 
Ya’ll, I don’t know what life has been like for you but OUR year has been painfully hard- every day- since 1/1. It stinks. It has been wrought with MAJOR family problems, health issues, more family problems, more health issues and now this pesky need for LOTS of money, uber fast. 
As if that wasn’t enough, our sweet puppy has been deathly sick, pretty much monthly. We noticed last night that her ear has this weird, raw/bloody issue, so to the vet I go this morning. Again. 
AND, this morning at our 5:30 a.m. breakfast Chw points out that we don’t have a lawn mower. 
No we don’t… 
Ours died last fall and we just assumed, come spring, we wouldn’t be in dire need of uber amounts of money- and we could just buy one. 
smh… 
In other news, it is Lucas’ birthday! Even though he’s not here- (Germany is SO lucky right now!) we can’t help but keep him in our hearts and thoughts and wish him a happiest of birthdays… I am so dang proud of him, and honestly- none of the other junk matters. These kids of ours make life amazing. 
image courtesy of Kelly Peone Photography
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When there’s nothing left to say…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay7 Comments
I started a whiny, ranty post and then changed my mind. 
I decided to sit here until i could think of something truly incredible to say. 
I’ve been sitting for awhile now and my bum hurts. 
So, instead, I’m listing my meal plan- which I never, ever do. Mostly though, the hope with listing said meal plan, is that I will actually stick to it. (something I haven’t been doing well, at all.) 
You likely do not care what we are eating, or which meal in which it will consumed. 
but trust me, this is the BEST i’ve got… 




Monday: 
B- cereal, fruit
D- Roasted red pepper pasta with sauteed sun dried tomatoes, garlic and asparagus
Tuesday: 
B- oatmeal, toast, berries
D- Swedish sauteed mushrooms over roasted garlic and asiago mashed potatoes, Kale
Wednesday: 
B- Spinach, potato and bacon skillet
D- Mini Turkey loaves filled with cheddar, Roasted brussel sprouts.
Thursday: 
B- Cereal, fruit
D- Stir Fry and vegetarian pot stickers
Friday: 
B- Muffins and smoothies
D- Jaimie oliver’s Cauliflower and Mac n/cheese, roasted broccoli
Saturday: 
B- biscuits with Green Gravy 
D- Ugly chicken, steamed chili pepper cabbage, Irish Soda Bread 
Sunday: 
B- Blueberry french toast
D- Taco night
Baking/kitchen this week, on my home day: 
home made tortilla chips 
bread 
blueberry muffins
strawberry muffins
cookies 
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Journal {Week 5}…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay9 Comments


IN MY LIFE THIS WEEK… 
We had the unfortunate opportunity of coming home Monday, after coop, to a letter from the courts. Without divulging a lot of detail, our youngest’s (12) adoption has been in hiatus for years. We’d resolved, emotionally, that it may never happen due to a technicality. As it turns out, we have a VERY small amount of time to “figure it out” (attorney and thousands of dollars more, that we don’t have, after the tens of thousands already spent) or lose her. 
So like repossessing a child, but different. 
Not really. That’s me being completely snarky. 
The things people (our “support” system) have said this week, along with the about 7 people who have genuinely given a crap, have made me feel really defeated. 
So, all in all, the week pretty much sucked. 
IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK… 
That part was ok. Lots of books. 
For literature we read a Newberry winner called A Gathering of Days. I LOVE our literature curriculum. 
In Social Studies we did indepth studies on Presidents Taft, Roosevelt, Hoover, Coolidge and McKinnley. We should be wrapping up our studies on the former US presidents (all of them) the end of this month. 
In Science we learned about the digestion system. 
In Gen’s baking class she and her partner made mini chocolate lava cakes and they were divine! 
PLACES WE’RE GOING, PEOPLE WE’RE SEEING… 
A little glad to say that this weekend we aren’t doing much of either of those things.  Maybe try to go to our water class on Saturday morning, and then do some projects at home. 
MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS… 
the cute things coming in the mail from my BFF (she lives in WV) in honor of March being my birth month. It’s very thoughtful… 
THINGS I AM WORKING ON…
Not falling apart emotionally, every twelve seconds mostly. 
I’M READING… 
NADA, at the moment. Managed to somehow mess up my kindle yesterday (of course) and it would probably be tough to focus anyway. 
SHE’S READING… 
EVERYTHING!!! Classic Nancy Drew books… 
I’M COOKING… 
i don’t even know. I need the ready made meal plan, complete with the ready made shopping and the ready made maid. 
Too much to ask? 
probably comfort foods… 
I’M GRATEFUL FOR…
MY KIDS!!!! hands down… Even if gen is the only one home. PRAYING it stays that way… 
I’M PRAYING FOR… 
My life… 



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