Tag: Central Valley California

First Picnic of the Year – Thoughts Inside My Huge Hair Dome

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I found my new favorite picnic spot!!! I went to Woodward Park and found a grassy hill that overlooks the valley. It was picturesque and I stayed here for a couple of hours. I foresee myself coming back to this spot regularly as the temperatures warm up! ❤️

Spring days are for wonder, daydreaming and reminiscing. As I grazed upon my homemade sandwich, carrots and raisins, my mind breezed back to fluffy feel-good memories of bygone times, like the best coffee drink I ever had (a Raspberry Kiss Mocha), long evening walks in the summer, or the time someone thought I was a Cuban boy. There’s something about spring that makes the mind wander and view everything through a dreamy lens…

I pop a couple of raisins in my mouth and chew, grinning to myself as I wonder, can I possibly remake that legendary raspberry mocha myself at home? The coffee shop I got it at ten years ago closed down. Darn it!!! Sometimes I dream of that coffee drink. In the soul-enriching sun rays of early spring, I believe anything is possible, even re-creating that dreamy coffee beverage myself.

Time for a bite of my egg sandwich. My mind wanders into a new thought aisle. The Cuban boy thing…that was probably the funniest thing I’ve ever been told in my entire life. It set the bar high; I never really cared that people thought I looked like a boy, but GOSH DANG it, it better at LEAST be a Cuban boy now. I close my eyes, listening to the sound of a squirrel running up a tree. If I were in Havana, would I give off Cuban boy vibes? As a geography nerd, I need to research more about the country, as my knowledge is limited. When I think of Cuba, I think of my celebrity forever-crush Desi Arnaz. Also, Cuban sandwiches.

Finally, I take a sip of my iced mocha, envisioning the future summer evening walks I have in store for myself. Many iced mochas will be drank, and I long for the feeling of heat on my skin. My eyes scan the flat, green horizon ahead of me, and just one lone thought now wanders into my head as the scent of blossoms fill my lungs. What exactly is a Cuban sandwich?

I smile to myself, further making passersby think I’m nuts. And gosh darn it, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

🌸🐝

Orange Bows, Orange Chairs, and Airplanes High Up in the Air

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The other day, I read a blog post over at The Tote Trove, and she mentioned the color orange. It got me thinking about how much I really love orange; it’s a color I think looks really nice on me and it makes me long for warmer days during this time of winter (I’m a heat gal; my favorite temperature range is 80 – 100 degrees). So I was inspired by her post and I wore bright orange today!

The yarn bows almost look red, but they’re actually neon orange! The second outfit is my new gingham dress that I recently purchased from H&M. 😃

On Thursday afternoon, I enjoyed a coffee treat at one of my favorite coffee shops, The Axis in Madera, CA. And one of my favorite things about this place are the ORANGE CHAIRS!!! Oh and of course, the amazing coffee!

There was rain expected later in the evening, so I watched the clouds roll in as I sat with my laptop and coffee drink that afternoon. I also enjoyed listening to the sounds of airplanes way up in the sky; not commercial planes, but those small planes. The sound of a passing small plane, where the engine sound gently fades away into the distance with a low hum, is one of my favorite sounds!! It always makes me think of WWII and airfields. Any time I hear it, I pause and really listen, letting my mind wander back in time.

So here’s to the little things we love, whether it’s a color, a coffee, watching the weather, or a certain sound that stirs up something within us. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, these are little things that really do make my heart soar. ❤️

‘Til next time!!

Saved By the Smell: My New Arabian Perfume and A Trip to Dunkin Donuts

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For the longest time I’ve worn body spray, but the scent never lasted for very long, unfortunately. Recently, I decided to explore the world of perfumes; I knew I wanted a perfume oil, that was for sure. Years ago, I had a friend who was from Kuwait (she moved away awhile back), and one time I noticed the small perfume bottle she carried with her. She let me use a little and I could still smell it the next day!! I learned that it was a perfume oil she purchased in Dubai.

After Googling perfume oils from the Middle East, I stumbled upon the brand Swiss Arabian – the first perfume manufacturer in the United Arab Emirates! I had a sample kit sent to me and one in particular made me fall in love with it: Private Musk. Just the other day I received the full perfume in the mail; I looooooove the bottle and the box it came in! 😍 The smell is: Saffron, Orange, Jasmine, Caramel, Candy Floss, White Amber & Oak Moss. 💜

I love to smell myself now… *sniff sniff* !

Meanwhile, I’m rockin’ my new overall dress!! I’ve wanted one of these for a long time and found this really nice one on Amazon. You can find the overalls here and the striped shirt here!

So!!! Dunkin Donuts has a new drink for Valentine’s Day called the 💕 Pink Velvet Signature Latte 💕! Naturally, I had to try it and I drove 45 minutes out of town to Hanford with my sister just to try this drink and get a donut (Fresno doesn’t have a Dunkin Donuts). This drink was delicious and had a faint cherry-mocha taste to it, in my opinion (if anyone remembers the Cherry Mocha from Starbucks a few years ago)!

See ya next time!!! 💘

I’ll Take Two New Pairs of Socks and a Coke, Please

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Hey, hey! ❤️ Finally I own a pair of black socks with white stripes; I have always wanted a pair like this! I have these and now, a burgundy pair of socks, which you’ll see in the second outfit. 😃

You can find these socks on Amazon, the striped ones here, and the burgundy ones here! I really love these outfits; they were fun to wear.

I have been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather here in Central California AND!!!!!!!!!!!! I TRIED THE NEW COFFEE-FLAVORED COCA COLA DRINK!

I enjoy a soda every now and then, and I knew I had to try this bad boy! (I was honestly pretty crazy-excited to try this).

There are three flavors: Vanilla, Dark Blend, and Caramel. I figured the Dark Blend would be too strong for me, and I don’t like Caramel. So Vanilla it was!!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. That’s right, five stars! It has three layers of flavor you experience when you take a sip. First you taste Coke, then vanilla, and then after you’ve swallowed it, the coffee taste lingers on your tongue. An absolute joy! Drinking it was an experience and I savored each sip. ❤️

Boooom! See ya next time!

The Blue Book – A Glimpse into Former East Germany

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You all know me by now; I love collecting mementos from the Cold War era! Finding vintage items from the USSR isn’t hard at all; there are countless online sellers living in post-Soviet countries who have entire Etsy shops dedicated to such vintage goods. But finding vintage items from East Germany, however, is an entirely different story!

I’ve read many insightful books on East Germany, and yet it still seems like such a mysterious shadow of a former country. It only existed from 1949 to 1990, as did its other half, West Germany.

East Germany was a communist country though and didn’t have free trade (it was a satellite state of the Soviet Union and therefore, behind the Iron Curtain), and finding vintage items online from there is harder, 30+ years after Germany reunited. There are less online sellers who sell things from the former DDR….

…but I found this!!! And boy was I shocked to come across it on Etsy, from a seller in Berlin. It’s a 1970’s membership book of the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organization (it was for East German youth aged 6 to 14).

The photo of Erich Honecker is a real throwback; his portrait was everywhere in the East back then, as he was the leader of the country at the time.

I seriously can’t believe I have this. It’s a real thrill finding historical items from the Iron Curtain countries, and I’m thankful for the Internet, which enables me to further dive into my strange-fascination with fallen communist regimes! 😃

Funny side-note: while Google researching this pioneer organization, I found a vintage poster for it in Google images and the girl reminded me of myself as a kid…we even have the same TEETH, hahaaaa!!!

Now, let’s end this post with an outfit!!! I love this one because it has all sorts of color shades going on and that pop of red and pink. 💖❤️

See ya next time!!! ❤️ Do you have any collections? Feel free to share in the comments!

I Made an Absolutely Amazing Cake

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While perusing Pinterest one morning a few days ago, I found myself admiring beautiful cakes. Then I thought, hey…I can make a cake, can’t I?!?!?! I then got on Betty Crocker’s website and began looking through the sea of cake mixes. I decided on one of my favorites – yellow cake! I ordered the items I needed and all I spent was around $5. Can’t beat that!

The final outcome was this delicious chocolate yellow cake with cherries. 🍫🍒

And here’s a super 70’s-inspired outfit I wore today with my vintage granny square vest! 😃

See ya next time!! ❤️

Follow Me as I Wander Around, Christmas Edition

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My tripod was positioned all kinds of crooked when I took this photo but I still love how it turned out!! Like my new red coat? I also have one in khaki that I’ve had for a long time and both coats are featured in this post. You can find them here on Amazon!

I love the week leading up to Christmas. It has a special feeling to it. ❤️✨ So I made sure to go out and enjoy it by walking!

And here I am wandering around Woodward Park! I love coming out here because I get to appreciate nature and see people having a good time – whether they are jogging, cycling, walking their dogs or playing with their kids. (Funny side-note: I think dogs are super cute, but I never want to own a dog. Same with kids; I think kids are cute, but I never ever want children!) Woodward Park is huuuuuuge, so there is so much to see.

Here’s a close-up of my accessories; Easter necklace near Christmas, why not?

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🏼 See ya next time!!

I Love Hair Clips That are Meant for Kids

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Tis the season for cloudy and foggy days!! The grey skies could use some color, so that’s where my outfit comes in, and also my stash of kids hair clips I keep within easy reach on my bathroom counter. I love these things…

They make me think of elementary school in the early-to-mid 90’s. Here are the highlights of my elementary school life that I fondly think back on:

  • Wearing two different colored socks to school each day
  • Being on the cheer squad
  • Being Commissioner of Grounds (I won every time because I was the only kid who ran for it), in which I was given a clipboard and map of the school and was granted permission by my teachers to walk around the campus once a week to rate how clean the school was. I still vividly remember walking across the playground and onto the dewey grass in the winter months, surrounded by fog in the early morning hour, and marking my little paper whether the field deserved a 1-5 score on cleanliness. Then I gave the report to the janitor.

So basically, they were epic times…

I LOVE ORANGE AND PINK. It makes me think of…Dunkin Donuts! 😀

I AM SEEMINGLY ALWAYS HOLDING A FRAPPUCINO…………………….

And on the topic of school, these last photos were taken at Fresno City College at sunset, as the deep orange sun rays danced across the buildings. My friend and I walked around the campus, admiring the architecture while sipping our coffees and chatting about our time there. I spent one semester at this school waaaaaay back in the day before I transferred to Fresno State University! It was nice to revisit it and appreciate the architectural beauty, especially during this time of year when autumn is slowly transitioning into winter. ❤️

See ya next time!!

Coffee Date with Myself and Enjoying My Last Week of Being 32

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Howdy doooo! 💜

Today I took myself to The Axis Coffee Bar ☕️, a beautiful café in Madera, CA! I’ve been here many times and absolutely love it. It’s right outside of Fresno and is surrounded by foothills and vineyards.

I parked outside the entrance long enough to snap a photo with my mini-tripod placed on the hood of my car, haha. I want to make it a point to use my little tripod more often when I’m out and about! 😄

THIS PLACE HAS THE BEST VIEWS. I love their patio furniture and there is even a water fountain where you can hear the water gently splashing during your stay. And how about the food… 😍

AMAZING! This is the blended mocha and an autumn sprinkled sugar cookie. ❤️

My birthday is approaching on Friday and I’m happy about that!! My plans are to eat some cake, get Indian food takeout, get my free Starbucks drink and open a couple of gifts from my mom and sister. I’ll be turning my favorite age (33), and I have no idea why that is my favorite age but I’ve always looked forward to turning 33. 💜

A few nights ago I went for an evening walk, but I went too late and missed the sun. Booooo. However, the bonus was that I took some great shots of street lights! (I love street lights).

See ya Friday for the birthday blog post!!