It’s a holiday weekend around here and I am desperately hoping for the smoke to dissipate and for the north to get sheets of rain. We are heading up a little north ourselves, to celebrate my mom’s birthday. I hope you all have a festive, non-smoky weekend. xo
I’m laughing here because I, too, thought General Foods International Coffees were the classiest thing ever. Very elegant but as I remember them, too sweet for me. I like your photos, both of you and Rex. Happy Weekend.
SO FANCY, Ally, so fancy!!
The smoke has impacted us down here although not to the extent it’s impacted you. But we have the same hazy skies and poor air quality. It is so early in the year to have wild fires already. It’s really depressing.
I also was in the era of exchanging info on pieces of paper. I got a cell phone senior year of college so at the tail end we could exchange texts. What a different era that was!
Our long weekend is next weekend. But this weekend is a long weekend for us since we took today off to go up to my grandma’s 100th celebration. Next weekend we will celebrate my MIL’s 80th. Today Phil and I are celebrating 6 years of marriage! So May is full of celebrations! We are celebrating by spending 3 hours in a car with tiny people. So fun! 😉 Hopefully we will belatedly celebrate with a date night soon.
Ugh, sorry you have the smoke too!
Happy birthday to your grandma, and CONGRATULATIONS on your anniversary! What a great day to be married! I hope you get another celebration, not just a three hour car ride.
International Coffees! Those were very fancy! Do you remember the Vienetta ice cream cakes that were popular in the 90s? I’d always wanted to try them…
That photo of your walk was lovely (except for the smoky haze). I can’t imagine having to live in that much smoke. It would give me migraines. So you have wildfires every year? Thankfully, I am new to everything wildfire. We have prescribed burns in our forest preserves, but that is about it.
I spent 20 minutes reading Easy Beauty book reviews on….what else?….Goodreads. And, yes, I agree with you on that behavior. AND THEN WRITING ABOUT IT IN HER BOOK? It was disrespectful not only to the magician but also to the rest of the audience. 😒
I DO REMEMBER THOSE CAKES! I never had one but I am so curious! I bet they were delicious.
I’m so mixed on Easy Beauty. On the one hand, it was so well done. It was really a beautiful book. On the other hand, it wasn’t a really “grabby” read, and some things were very off-putting, like the magic show.
I live in Minnesota and the air quality is trash with these fires burning. My throat and eyes are not happy.
Those International Coffees were the best! So.Much.Sugar!
Hi Debi! Welcome! I am so sorry you are dealing with the smoke too. My husband just spent a few hours researching air purifiers, I think we are going to really need them going forward, which is sad on many levels.
We’ve got smoke in Montana too, and you’re right, it’s so ominous to have this much smoke in May. And so depressing to have it roll in just as the weather is getting nice.
I used to love the international coffees! They were such a treat. I always got the sugar free French vanilla – bliss! I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t taste as good now.
And I had to laugh at your mis-readings. I do the same thing all the time!
Ugh, I am so sorry you’re getting it too! I think rain is in the forecast next week so that will help, I hope.
1) You can totally still buy International Coffees, which my mother does.
2) The scene with the magician reminds me of another thing parents of some girls do, which is loudly brag, “My daughter HATES pink! She loves science and wants to build with legos all day!” Which… ok, that’s fine, but so is liking pink and unicorns.
Oh jeez, that bugs me too, Sarah. I mean, why is it so awful to like pink and unicorns? I like pink and unicorns AND HEARTS AND SPARKLES and also math and science. Why do people have to be jerks, we can like what we like.
I DID NOT KNOW INTERNATIONAL COFFEES STILL EXIST.
First of all, I had never heard of a vodka slime before! I had to look it up. It sounds interesting — but the name is wildly off-putting. Then again, I associate slime with that horrible goo my kid brings home that gets entrenched into every fiber of the carpet.
Ugh, the smoke. My parents are dealing with it too, but they are (I think?) further away from the source than you are, so probably have it not quite as bad. It DOES seem early! And it was such a long, snowy winter! Why didn’t that provide a nice wet fire-dampening foliage? (I asked my mother and she said something about how it was so cold, the snow never melted, it just kept building up and up. I guess the melt is the key part in keeping things nice and fire-preventingly moist? I don’t know.)
If Jenny’s name were Jeremy, SURELY she would win.
I love your key necklace.
I would be so annoyed at that child RUINING the magic for all the other viewers! Not cool, bro! (And obviously, that is mainly directed at the mom who was cheering him on?!?!)
I know, it sounds terrible, but wow, did I love those slimes back in the day. They were like limeade and the Fox and Firken would sell SIX DOLLAR TRIPLES IN LITTLE JUGS. I mean, what were we even doing back then?
I wondered if your parents were getting the smoke as well! I’m sorry that they are.
Don’t worry Nicole, my brain does that too. I mean misread things in weird and inappropriate ways (hee hee.) Maybe we’re just… creative?
Ugh, that is disappointing to have what should be a beautiful spring ruined by all the smoke. I’m hoping for sheets of rain! Oh, and thanks for including the bonus photo of Rex : )
Thanks Jenny! Today is much less smoky so I have hope – and right after I finish this I’m going outside to read!
Although there were no books in this post, this may have been one of my favorite posts, Nicole! I kept giggling with the misreads (“Bad Bitch” on Disney LOLOL and you son’s weary correction LOLOL) and then Rex’s picture made me whoop with joy. You’ve caught his wondering look so perfectly. Also, you look the same as you did in the 90s?! WOW!
OMG, you are so sweet! Thank you! I love that ridiculous photo of me in Italy, I thought I was all that and a bag of chips! Lol!
Oh no, Nicole–I forgot that you’re going through that horrible smoky fallout!! I’m so sorry that’s happening–and that it’s happening where you are. I hope it’s under control soon and you are all safe and comfortable soon. XOXO
It’s getting so much better, thanks Maya!
Oh I DEFINITELY thought those International Coffees were THE HEIGHT. I asked for some for CHRISTMAS. Then I CHERISHED them. I did not LIKE coffee, but I liked the whole glamour and elegance of those excellently-marketed International Coffees!
Favorite part: “All the while, other people exist, and were there to hear this little boy brattily talk about the lameness of the magic tricks, while his mother praised him for this behaviour.” YES. That is NOT TO BE BORNE.
IMAGINE NOT ONLY CONDONING BUT ENCOURAGING SUCH BEHAVIOUR.
The International coffees! I am so excited you got some for Christmas!
Ugh, I am so sorry about the smoke, friend. I know exactly what it’s like because we’ve been dealing with wildfire smoke every single year (sometimes a few times) for the last few years and I agree: it’s awful! 🙁
I hope the fires stop soon.
Also yes to the powdered cappuccino – these were the days LOL
Oh Nicole, you took me back! International Coffees were SO fancy back then and now…well, we have Starbucks I guess.
Sorry to hear about the wildfires and smoke. I can’t even imagine how awful that must be.
The smoke and how it is impacting what should be some nice weather and a good time to be outside is such a bummer. I can’t believe your hair smells from it too.
I am not a coffee fan, and I do remember hearing ads for International coffee, which ones were fancy and which ones were run of the mill was not on my radar ever, but I do appreciate that you state that there is nothing Starbucks can’t do that people can’t do for themselves. What a world we live in. And yet, people are gaga for their Starbucks.
I think I would’ve told that woman to quiet her kid, if I was at that magic show. Probably good that I wasn’t. I tire very quickly of thoughtless people.
I kid you not, one of the boys I babysit for has that exact same facial expression as Rex. Ed and Mini are home and they have both been in awe of how cute this group of kids is this year. Both voted boy-who-shares-Rex’s-expression as the cutest. Not surprising that he and Rex share a ‘look.’
Here’s hoping that the smoke clears up sooner than later and you get to enjoy your long weekend.
Awww, that is so cute that they share a “look.” I bet it’s a super cute group for sure!
Oof wrong kind of smoky eye. Hope it clears out soon.
Do they still even make the General Foods International Coffees? That’s what all the cool girls drank at my high school. You’re bringing back some memories;-)
APPARENTLY THEY DO STILL MAKE IT! I mean, what would it taste like now, I have no idea. But I might take a look and do a taste test, for blog follow-up purposes.
Wrong kind of smoky eyes indeed; I literally saw the title and thought: I need this! Post eye surgery, I’m determined to up my eye makeup game (currently only mascara) and thought if anyone will know how to steer me in the right direction it will be Nicole. I basically had a pen poised over paper to take notes. Whomp, whomp. It’s so sad that things have started so early this year out west with the wildfires and it does not bode well for the rest of the year. I hope this resolves quickly and without any loss of life/major infrastructure damage. Wildfires are so very scary and destructive. While we can’t smell any smoke here, it has obscured our sun a few times in the last week or so.
That description from Easy Beauty made me squirm. How uncomfortable!!! I was imagining being an audience member close to that child…
Oh no, I have let you down! This cannot stand! But I will say I don’t wear eyeshadow, but I do wear eye liner – the pencil kind. I put that on my upper lid by my lash line, and then add mascara – usually mostly on the top lashes as I tend to get a bit raccoon eyed if I have them on the bottom. And here is another trick for your glasses free lifestyle – pay attention to your eyebrows. Mine are quite patchy and greying (ahhhh) and so I have been using this Cover Girl brow thing that is like a mascara for eyebrows. It is nice and subtle but it works. I think eyebrows often can really change your look and make us look more “awake” and alert. Hope that helps!
I was thinking about you when I was talking to a friend the other day about the fact that Alberta was ALREADY having fires!!! It is May for goodness sakes; what the heck is happening..? My parents live in the area that was destroyed by the Dixie fire in 2021 and they literally had firefighters in their yard doing backburns; it was so scary! And now they have a view of a burned landscape to look at for the next several years (although it is amazing how fast the underbrush grows back!) Our family also has a rental property that was burned to the ground and now it is SOOO hard to get insurance in the area; literally nobody will insure us anymore. Fires are horrible.
Also the rest of your post brought back a lot of memories… a fun time for us was an evening of prank calling. Remember when people could not see our phone number and there wasn’t even star 69? Remember when you first got call waiting and it was both the best thing ever and was so annoying when you were on the phone with your girlfriend and you had to get off so that you could pick up a call for your Dad (as if his call were more important than yours…) Those were good times!
It is so early for fires – not that we have never had fires at this time before, but it’s so scary when it happens.
PRANK CALLING! STAR 69! Omg yes, those were the days! And I remember a woman I babysat for BEGGING my parents to get call waiting as she’d try to call me to book for babysitting, only to get a busy signal for hours.
It’s so early for these wildfires…only May. I feel so bad for all the areas affected. I was just listening to the Jann Arden podcast; she talked about the fires and also mentioned that it is nesting season and thousands of birds have had to leave their nest. So sad. Also re Vienetta – I tried it and was sadly disappointed. The commercial made it seem so elegant and tasty. Meh. You didn’t miss anything.
Well, I am glad I missed out on the cake then, because it’s all hyped up in my mind and would have been disappointing. That just reminded me of Deep and Delicious! I made a knockoff one not long ago and it was really good.
When my mom and sister and her family lived in Oregon they had terrible wildfire smoke every summer. They’re in California now and at least where they live, there isn’t any.
Wildfires in the northwestern part of the continent are so awful and happen every year – I am glad they aren’t experiencing any now.
Oh man, these smoky pictures look devastating! I’m sorry you’re going through something like this. I hope it clears for you soon so you’re not walking around smelling like smoke all the time. I wouldn’t be able to handle that!
It’s so interesting to watch Friends and recognize how differently people dated in the 90s! Like, if you were held up for some reason or couldn’t make the date, you’d have to call the restaurant?? Or their home phone and leave a message and wait until they got home from the date?? Crazy.
Yes! That’s exactly what we did do! I worked in a restaurant and I remember having to “find” people that were being called on the restaurant phone, and I did that myself as well.
Our skies are also hazy and we have air quality warnings because of what my husband has been calling the “Canadian fire factory.” You don’t actually have a factory creating fires, do you?
When I was in college, the town where my school was banned smoking in public establishments. It went from going out dancing or whatever and coming home smelling like an ashtray (I had a whole system about stripping and putting my clothes in a paper bag away from the rest of my dirty clothes, so my whole room didn’t smell like smoke AND showering before bed because otherwise my hair would make my bed smell) to it being a pleasant experience to go out. You know, an experience where you could breathe comfortably? I always think about how sudden that switch was. Legislation is so powerful.
Canadian fire factory! It’s literally our hottest export – smoke!
I don’t remember exactly when Calgary had a bylaw against smoking in bars but it was when I was well past my bar-hopping days for sure.
My week has been completely insane so I’m just reading this now. Want to say so sorry about the smoky air. The last couple of years we’ve had the end of our already not very long summer cut off by wildfires. Being completely selfish about it, it’s so disappointing to not be able to go outside and do things for a couple of weeks when we already have such a limited time to do things without being being drenched and cold with rain. Also, feeling like I’m breathing in a chimney when I take out the recycling and not being able to really exercise our dog and having all sports cancelled just stinks. Hope your smoky air passes soon!
Unrelatedly last year someone in my office brought in two tins of General Foods International Coffees and I was transported back to my youth. Hadn’t seen them in years! Tried some and boy did that not age well. I guess you just can’t recapture some things from your past…
Maggie, THANK YOU for this. It feels so selfish, but I 100% am on this page too. Our summers are short and often cold, and it really sucks to have my favourite season tainted with smoke!
I just heard that these coffees are still around and yes, I am tempted, although maybe less tempted after reading your experience!
Bad Bitch, does read like Bad Batch. I’m on your side.
I could not praise a bratty kid either. Nope. Never.
The fires. *sigh* Praying for rain…I can’t imagine what it’s like for those IN the areas, much less you who is in the distant, but feeling it.
Thanks Suz, I think there is some rain in the forecast up north, I am hoping for a huge soaking. It’s pretty terrible and there have been towns evacuated. So much loss!
Ok, I am feeling SO BOTHERED by that scene in the book because I have read that very same thing SOMEWHERE ELSE. In an academic setting. And there is something wrong with MY brain because I can’t remember where. We have terrible air quality from those fires as well and a creepy bright circle of a sun that gives off such weird, dull light.
Hmmm, well, the woman who wrote the book is an academic so maybe there was an overlap somewhere! She has two PhDs, one in philosophy and one in English.
Sorry you have the bad air down there too, may it pass soon!
Having only ever dealt with smoke while we were vacationing in Yellowstone once, OMG, the smell would drive me bonkers. Plus, the fact that it can’t be good for you! I’m so sorry. I hope that the people closer to the fires are safe. That must be so scary.
I seriously LOL’d at you thinking it said Bad Bitch. That is totally something I would have read. And as an ’80’s Girl, I could also relate to your clubbing days and giving out phone numbers on bar napkins, as well as stinking to high heaven from the cigarette smoke. But, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I often hear songs from those days and remember which club I was at, dancing to it.
General Foods International Coffee was the bomb!!!! So many good flavors. I remember they even had a chocolate mint one, but it didn’t last. My favorite was the plain Cafe Francais, but they were all good. I cringe now to think of the sugar content.
Bijoux, ME TOO! Those songs just bring me right back and I can just picture myself and my girlfriends. How many hours did we spend dancing? Who knows, it was so fun.
Nicole, I hope that the fires have abated and that your hair is smelling better now. 🙁 So early in the season for all of this.
Your description of your cappuccino in Rome reminded me of the cafe au lait I had the summer I was in France in HS… I was living with a family and I had a cafe au lait, baguette, butter, and jam, for breakfast every day. And then a Napoleon from the bakery for a snack mid-morning. Those were the (high carb) days… sigh. But! that cafe au lait… I can still picture the kitchen. A French press. One cube of sugar in the bottom of the most beautiful mug. Coffee + the perfect amount of milk. Heaven for a 16 year old. Seriously, heaven. Also? I talked to my parents once using an international phone card (LOL) and read East of Eden because I blew through all of my English books in the first week (and it was really hard to find English print books because I was in, well, France). Ahh… thanks for the memories!
And! Those International Coffees! I shall take a picture this week at the store – they are still there! Want me to buy one for blog-testing purposes? 🙂
Oh, thank you so much for sharing your French experience! That sounds like a DREAM!
Yes please, I am all ears for the International Coffee taste test!
