movies

The Way Back…

Published on February 26, 2020 by Mae @ Rainydayinmay23 Comments

We are a few short days away from March, and March happens to be my birth month. In an effort to redeem a lifetime of hard birthdays, I am planning to celebrate, in small ways, all month long. Even though it isn’t March yet, this post contains giveaway for one of my VERY FAVORITE THINGS, and it runs THROUGH March 4th!

The majority of us find ourselves drawn to redemption stories. As we scroll social media, the rare posts about people who have overcome really hard things, and changed their lives, seem to draw us in… We LOVE a good comeback story.

Maybe this is because we both relate and aspire for our own version of one. No one knows our own, personal hardships more than we do. No one will ever be as invested in our efforts, our successes and our failures, than us. We understand how crushing lows can feel, and we hope that our life will see those moments turned around for greatness.

We love these stories because they give us hope.

I am partnering with Grace Hill Media to promote the Warner Bros. film The Way Back, starring Ben Affleck. This inspirational film is a real and raw portrayal of how hope is found in second chances.

In this heartwarming story of redemption, Jack Cunningham (portrayed by Ben Affleck) is struggling with addiction when a priest offers him a coaching position at his former high school. He reluctantly agrees to accept the job and ends up finding a glimmer of hope for the future and shot at a second chance. The Way Back is an honest representation of how we all struggle and face set-backs in life, and emphasizes that the way back is never too far away.

In case you haven’t seen it, here is The Way Back trailer. (You can also follow it via their website, Facebook, Instagram: @thewayback, Twitter: @TheWayBackMovie)

The film opens March 6th, 2020 Nationwide

*I have two movie tickets to give away! (PLUS you’ll be entered into a special birthday giveaway, happening later in March!)

*To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment (or reply, if you subscribe by email) telling me the type of movie you love, and why!

*BONUS entries, if you share THIS POST on twitter or an IG story, AS LONG AS YOU TAG ME @rainydayinmay

Ok~ let’s chat movies!

My Favorite things 2014… {a little gift guide, of sorts.}

Published on December 5, 2014December 8, 2014 by Mae @ Rainydayinmay6 Comments

I love buying gifts for others. I would make a brilliant millionaire, in that way. (and the people I love would agree, I’m sure!) I’ve been told I am a good gift giver, which naturally makes me happy since I love it so much.

We made the decision, as a couple, a few years ago, to really take a step back from gift bingeing at Christmastime. It’s often vulgar and unnecessary. We reevaluated the gifts we bought our kids, and who we bought for in general. (and why)

As I wrap up the last of my very modest Christmas shopping, I thought I’d share with you a handful of things I love, in case you need a little help! Most of these are things that I fell head over heals with, just this year. (One of them though, has been on my wish list for years and years, and someday I’ll get it.)

Stocking Stuffer Wonderfulness…

EOS Coconut Milk lip balm is my FAVORITE “lip gloss” ever! I have a dozen of these little EOS eggs floating around in various flavors, but this and the new Vanilla Mint (blue swirl) are the BEST! (you can buy them at Target, drug stores & Kohls.)

Marrying Mr. Darcy is a really great card game! For anyone who love Jane Austin or P & P, this would make a delightful gift! We were turned on to it by a friend and our family really loves it, though I’ll save him a bit: Chw will play it and have fun- it’s probably not his first choice on family game night… (You can buy the game Here. There is also an expansion back with Zombies, and an Emma expansion pack coming soon!)

It’s the Girls is a brilliant cover album, by the amazing Bette Midler. While I’m not the sort of girl to cry and watch Beaches regularly, or belt out Wind Beneath My Wings whenever it’s on the radio- (who am I kidding, I am the sort of girl to do BOTH of those things!) it wouldn’t matter, because this album is for every girl. It’s stunning!

Chef on Blu-Ray or DVD. This has been, by far, my favorite movie of the year. So entertaining and fun! So poignant! It was one that I had to drag my husband to, after I waited anxiously for it, and then he LOVED it so much he immediately wanted to see it again right away. It’s one of the few movies anymore that makes me sit back and feel this is why we have movies… (Target, Amazon)

Crabtree & Evelyn Citron Hand Therapy would win my Product of 2014 award, if I gave out Product of the year awards. This stuff is phenomenal. Your lady’s* hands deserve to be treated like precious treasures and this is the product to do it, whether it’s in Citron or any scent. Citron just happens to be my favorite. (*or your hands, if you are a guy and want great hands. I don’t judge. My hubby will not balk at a hand therapy treatment because it’s just “good hygiene” and because it feels pretty incredible.) (Crabtree & Evelyn hand Therapy kit)

A little something under the tree…

Kate Spade Umbrella– Yes, it’s true, i love Kate Spade. Because of this, I will admit that maybe there are a hundred other brands of umbrellas that are equally as awesome. That being said, allow me to point out a few facts…

1.) I LOVE umbrellas and have many different kind/styles/sizes/varieties.

2.) When my hubby bought me this one, in Chicago this summer, I fell into Umbrella love and haven’t used another since. It is stylish, practical and just the best umbrella ever! (Kate Spade)

Whitney English Day Designer– My husband bought this for me last Christmas and it was easily the best gift ever. In so many ways I did not utilize this planner for all it was capable of, but it really was the absolute best planner I’ve ever had. Some of us girls will forever be paper planner gals and if this describes you or someone you know, this planner is PERFECT! (though the 2015 line isn’t out yet, so gift wrapping it would be creative…)

Sponsoring a Child through Compassion International– Our family sponsors a little girl named Elisabeth, and we adore her. Her letters and pictures are the first things we open, when they arrive. Just the other day her social worker (she’s only 5) told us about how she bought a goat, a dress, a rake and cake with her birthday money. This was mind-boggling to me, in fact we talked about it for most of the evening. They had written before about how Elisabeth loved to play with the family goat, and we had to wonder what a difference a second goat could make to a family…

What an amazing Christmas gift idea, to sponsor a child for someone else. It blesses the life of a child immeasurably, as well as the person whom you sponsored for as they get to see the joy and blessings spread through this life because of them. (Compassion International)

Dean & Deluca metropolitan spice rack– this is, obviously, the item that’s been on my wish list for the better part of a decade. I have several D & D spices in my spice cupboard. They are my favorite spices, I hoard them like crazy because they are amazing. If I lived in NY, I would absolutely shop there, even if their market made Whole Foods prices seem comparable to the Dollar General. The reviewers complain about the tins stacking odd, or smudgy labels. I don’t care about any of that… If you have a cook on your list who A.) loves quality spices, B.) has a huge empty space in their kitchen to store a beautiful D & D spice rack, and C.) your Christmas shopping budget is infinite- then this is definitely the gift for you! (Dean & Deluca)

While we are on the subject of gifts, we’re also talking about gift giving over on the podcast this week. (Be sure to subscribe, and remember we love hearing from you!)

Hi! {Five}

Published on June 16, 2014July 7, 2014 by Mae @ Rainydayinmay1 Comment

Good morning…

How was your weekend? Mine was really weird. Lovely, and not lovely, and something altogether strange and wonderful. Gen flew, with some kids from her youth group, to Jamaica for the week. They will be doing some various service projects there. It’s all really exciting, and already I can’t wait to see pictures and hear her stories… As for us, we tried a cool not-so-local (for us) restaurant, saw a movie, did a little grocery shopping, watched fireworks, hit up the farmer’s market and just enjoyed hanging out together. It was a pretty big bummer to have her gone over Father’s Day, but we celebrated last weekend so it all worked out ok… My husband, in my book, is the absolute coolest guy to hang out with, so it was a rare joy to spend the weekend with just him. We joked about it being our empty nest preview…

Quite awhile ago, I was doing a superb job of listing out little weekly life gifts to add to my growing list, of which I was grateful for… And then some season, or other, of life became overwhelming and I tapered off. I want to start up again. I really love the focus of that, and maybe it will help me to be a more diligent blogger (again) as well… look for that at some point later this week.

I think five is a great number…

I thought I’d share with five awesome (to me) things to start your week out right…

SONG– I’ve never listened much to the Avett Brothers so I do realize this is an old song, but I just heard it for the first time on Friday and it touched my heart… Just lovely… November Blue.

SHARE– I love elephants and this video melts my heart.

SOMETHING I’M LOVING– These days I am really loving my magic bullet. We drink smoothies year round, but we’ve been amping up on them a bit. (we do 1/3 frozen fruit, 1/3 fresh fruit, 1/3 cup packed spinach leaves, 1/4 c. kefir, 1 T. flaxseed oil, 1 T. chia seeds & and fill to just below the rim with coconut or almond milk. (Gen likes a bit of stevia in hers) They come out perfect every time. AMAZING…)

SOMETHING I’M INTO– The Goodwife. I don’t even know how it happened. I absolutely adore both Josh Charles and Chris Noth and made the decision NOT to watch this show when it first began (and the 5 years years since) because I just didn’t want to get involved with a legal drama. And then, when all of the shock of JC’s departure from the show (whom I’ve absolutely loved since I was in high school and he was in Dead Poet’s Society), suddenly my interest became peaked. When I realized our cable service had the entire series ON DEMAND, I was hooked. Do you watch?

SOMETHING NEW (to me)– For awhile now, I’ve seen these services pop up where you can borrow handbags or accessories and I thought it was such a waste of money. And then, I found myself in the position of wearing more dresses and needing a big of a broader wardrobe without the budget for nicer quality clothing. Enter Gwynnie Bee. I’ll admit I was skeptical, but I think I may be warming up to it. I received my first box the other day and it was a fun experience. I might even say, I’m warming up to calling it a bit of a brilliant idea…

Is there anything you’d like to share from your week?

{Have you talked books in this month’s Twitterature post?}

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