Category: travel

A little post vacay nostalgia… Sort of…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay6 Comments
I finally feel like recovery from California, (and the EVIL stomach virus of the vacation) is a possibility… I thought I’d take the opportunity to show you some souvenirs that I brought home. 
 gifts for the girls, of course…
 For the husband’s yummy saturday morning pancakes…
 Stocked up! yum! 
 Amanda’s favorite…

 For me. I’m selfish… 
 our little luxury of the trip… 
 the BEST cocoa, in my opinion. 
 DOUBLE YUM!!!
 hello, necessity… 
 the BEST Soy Sauce on the market…
 *swoon*
 Chw’s… 
 Eat your heart out, chips ahoy! 
 Gen…
 Nana…
 DIVINE snackability…
 I LOVE these silly fig bars… 
 hard to read, from the dumb flash, but these are Gorgonzola crackers, and let me just say: OH MY GOSH, these are FANTASTC! Amazing with cheese, amazing with hummus… just GOOD yumminess… 
 Pasta, gnocchi and more pasta… 
 i am selfish here and won’t share. this is my FAVORITE Salad dressing ever- turned on to it by a good, kind and generous friend!
 Chw’s… 
 Our hard working freezer bag which, in a cooler full of ice, did it’s job AWESOMELY Well for those 7 hours! 
 BEST Biryani I’ve ever had! 
 YUM!!! 
Even yummier… 
So bored yet? I’m sorry… i just love (and miss) Trader Joe’s so much. Everything you saw here, we bought multiple amounts of… We had a ridiculous amount of food, which filled up the back of my SUV and we only spent $178. It’s ridiculous… The things we got would last us 4-6 months… 
I am hoping to go back to TJ’s early in the fall to stock up on soups and a few more things. (LOVE their soups!) 
Are you a TJ’s shopper??? What are your favorite Trader Joe’s things? 
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What I’ve learned… {The No. Cal. Edition…}

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay4 Comments
I survived vacation… 
When people think of vacation, typically they envision sleeping in, lazy days and similar luxuries… Pretty much, they aren’t vacationing with me. I am a planner, by default. I love planning memorable things to do and making them (or most of them, anyhow) somehow magically become a reality on minimal budgets and shoestring dollar amounts. I usually, (obviously) survive, but I end up exhausted. 
This trip to California was no exception. 
Even so, along the way I learned some pretty big things that I wanted to share…
1.) No Cal drivers are awesome. Seriously. California, in it’s entirety, gets a bad wrap. We saw the most courteous and respectful drivers in San Jose, San Francisco and the entire area in between. It never ceased to amaze us. 
2.) No Cal gas prices are awesome. Again, something that surprised us… 
3.) Sometimes the best hotels, and staff members, are found in the least likely of places… 
4.) I am learning that I am NOT (by any shape of the imagination) a fan of wild animals in captivity. 
5.) I think that being out in the sea watching blue and humpback whales feed, swim and splash is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been witness to. 
6.) I am not a sea person. I get sick. Super sick. Sicker than I’ve maybe ever been. Days later and I’m still not 100%. 
7.) Booking a casino hotel because the “price is right” is a stupid thing to do. A mistake I’m not likely to make again. 
8.) Everywhere but Idaho has way too many Trader Joe’s and the company needs to spread out a little. 
9.) The Golden Gate Bridge really is more beautiful when it’s foggy. 
10.) Sometimes a cab ride, in perfect timing, is the brightest spot in a bleak moment. 
11.) It’s fun to dream of fancy houses, without having to go home to clean them. (or pay for them.) 
12.) A cemetery is nothing to be scared of, at night. When fireworks are overhead it’s even better. 
13.) Flat beaches are way better than insanely hilly ones. 
14.) If not turned off, satellite activated GPS on a smart phone will drain a battery instantly. 
15.) Facebook has really humble headquarters. 
16.) Planning ahead is vital to the success of a vacation. 
17.) Being flexible with those plans is even more important. 
18.) Eating out at amazing places we don’t have at home, is awesome.
19.) And then, it suddenly isn’t… 
20.) There really is no place like home. 
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And you thought I forgot you…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay2 Comments
Traveling along a 55 mile per hour highway, in the passenger seat of our SUV it occurred to me that- though I had purposefully and thoughtfully accomplished and checked off things on an enormous pre-vacation to do list- I realized I had forgotten to write a post. 
I am not at home… 
While our dogs are hanging out and chilling at home with other folks of the house- Chw, Gen and I have embarked on a journey of potentially epic proportions… First stop, on the agenda, is that we are hanging out over here for the long, holiday weekend. It’s exactly where we want to be! Happiness abounds, (and not only because we were in the car forever, or because i like to whine…) 
After the holiday weekend we will then travel down the coast to the San Francisco area  for half pleasure and half work research for a current writing project I have. I am excited. It’s Gen’s first time Cali and she’s beside herself with anticipation. :) 
If anything strikes my fancy, I may whip out a post while we are in the hotel but more than likely you won’t hear a peep from me until after we’re home… Be on the lookout for Gen randomness, Excitement and of course- photos!   
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Nifty Fifty…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay13 Comments
It’s been awhile since i participated, but i was inspired by this challenge today, over at Mama Kat’s, so here I am… 3.) Create a bucket list of 50 things you want to do this summer (with or without the kids!)
  1. Sink my toes where the sand and sea kiss.
  2. Spend an afternoon feeding ducks and geese. 
  3. Take my nieces and nephews to the water park. 
  4. Drink sun tea by the gallons. 
  5. Drink fresh squeezed lemonade as often as possible. 
  6. Peach picking. 
  7. Fresh Peach canning. 
  8. Fresh, crisp salads for lunches and dinners. 
  9. Nighttime park movies, under the stars. 
  10. Sleeping in a tent. 
  11. Sunday afternoon picnics. 
  12. Dining Al’ Fresco.
  13. Campfire warmth, shadows and sounds. 
  14. Campfire smores. 
  15. Explore the woods. 
  16. Smell chlorine. a lot. 
  17. Lay and reading on a beach towel.
  18. Lay and read on the cool grass of the park, beneath the weeping willow tree. 
  19. Tiger’s blood snow cones. 
  20. The drive- in theater. 
  21. Talking beneath the stars. 
  22. Bike rides. 
  23. River floating. 
  24. Sunscreen. 
  25. Twinkle lit evenings on the patio. 
  26. Barbecues with friends. 
  27. Tennis. 
  28. Glasses of wine as the almost-midnight-sun sets. 
  29. Sprinkler rainbows, within reach in my yard. 
  30. Farmer’s market Saturday mornings. 
  31. Summer concerts. 
  32. The sound of joyful screams and coasters swirling about, around me. 
  33. Family frozen yogurt runs. 
  34. Fresh berries adorning cakes, pancakes, muffins, salads and sticky tiny child-hands. 
  35. Popsicle smiles. 
  36. Summer photos. 
  37. Shimmery, lime scented lotion. 
  38. California sunsets. 
  39. Time with our amazing Oregon friends. 
  40. Smoothies. 
  41. Fresh cut flowers vased on table tops and nightstands. 
  42. Flip flops revealing painted toe nails. 
  43. Strawberry, yogurt and granola breakfast sundaes. 
  44. Sidewalk chalk artist in residence and her creations. 
  45. Relaxed afternoons. 
  46. Watermelon, crisp and icy. 
  47. Cool inspiring mornings to write or read by. 
  48. Fajita and Margarita Fridays.
  49. Grilled summer flatbread pizzas. 
  50. Summer lovin’, hand holding and being with the man I love… 

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J’ai besoin d’une faveur…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay14 Comments
I interrupt the little loving my family theme, that I’ve got going on, to talk about a real life quandary, for a bit… 
I TOTALLY need your help… your friend’s help… pretty much anyone’s help. 
I am throwing my daughter an Evening in Paris themed birthday party. I have some GREAT ideas, and a fairly skeletal frame of how it will all pan out… The problem is that I’m a total detailed person and, well, I’m running out of time. That, and, well, my twelfth birthday Parisian extravaganza’ budget is on that of the dwindling side… 
Here’s where you come in: 
– have a memory of some specific thing/time in Paris? I absolutely want to hear it! Even if it feels irrelevant. 
– have a project or know of a project to link to, that could fall within the inexpensive and Parisian theme? I want the link! 
– suggestions? ideas? tips? 
– Favorite Parisian things? 
– Parisian foods? 
– Parisian pastimes? 
Pretty much, help?!?!? Please… 
In return, i will pick one lucky contributor, from the comments, a little gift. Better yet, I will let Genny choose the winner randomly since it’s for her birthday, on March 14th, and we will Vlog the announcement that morning… So please, please, please, please, please {P-L-E-A-S-E} help… 
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