A View Of Mimi

Periodically I'd like to introduce you to some creative people so we can;
1. Voyeur into other interesting peoples lives
2. Show how creativity can be people's passion and a career, hobby, gift or lifestyle
My first guest is Mimi who recently made a huge leap and left a career to pursue her writing aspirations.

Where do you live? How did you end up there?

I live in Cocoa, Florida across the Indian River from Kennedy Space Center. From our house there’s great view of the VAB (Vehicular Assembly Building) where they used to work on the Shuttles. I’m a space freak, so this is awesome for me (cue I Dream of Jeannie music).  I grew up in New Smyrna Beach a little further north.  A few years ago, I reconnected with a childhood friend, who’s now an aerospace engineer, and we got married.

Heron Haven, Mimi's masterpiece

What do you do for a living or to pass your days?

I’m a recovering librarian. I quit my job to pursue Pinterest full time. Sometimes I blog at http://mimsywords.wordpress.com.  I do not have any kids to interfere with my selfish life, but I do have four crazy dogs who are total pain-in-the-asses. I’ve been decorating and renovating a house that I share with my husband and in-laws.  Oh, and I lied about kids: I have a great stepson who lives with us part time. We try not to interrupt his X-Box schedule. We call him the teen yeti because I go into his room every 48 hours or so to collect his pizza crusts, meat bones, and soda cans.

What do you like to do creatively?

Getting dressed is my most creative act of the day – it’s the only consistently creative thing I do, too, because I am ADD and lazy as hell. It is a complete miracle that I have two master’s degrees, and I guess that’s because I’m a good academic.  If anything is hard, I quit, cause I can’t handle failure. I have a vast vintage clothing collection. I love art,and I read nearly every minute of the day when I’m not on Pinterest, and I go to a lot of thrift stores. I would love to learn to sew.

Please Attach a picture of something you have made or that you like!!

Am just obsessed with anything colorful, Southern, or folk arty. Check out the Work of Wayne White. Then again, I’m an Anglophile and love to read anything about aristocratic Brits like the Mitfords. Oh, also I love jazz. And cars.  And architecture. And museums. And movies.  Masterpiece Theater. Honey Boo. It’s all good.



Wayne White

What is your favorite place you have visited? Why?

New Orleans and Savannah – fun, jaw dropping beauty, musical, arty,history all over the damn place, great cocktails,grits,tacky and sophisticated at the same time.

What floats your boat right now? Attach any photos of this! 

I’m having a Walker Evans summer.He’s the photographer who did all those shots of people on the subway,and I think he’s pretty much the first person who started treating American road signs and billboards seriously. 

Walker Evans

Please show us a photo of your favorite spot in your house and tell us why it is so.

My bed.  It’s where I read, write, do Pinterest, and sleep, within easy cuddling reach of my dogs and easy view of the river. Here I am with pugs Tater Tot, Sammy, and a recent “Are You Saved?” piece I bought in North Carolina. Oh, and a piece of driftwood that I rescued from an insane dude who was going to carve it into a fucking dragon (not that I am averse to dragons – I love me some Game of Thrones, too.)

Mimi @ home

Thank you, Mimi! I hope you enjoyed one of my favorite creative people. xoxo

Night Market Philly Is A Food Truck Party

Night Markets are a common destination in Asian Cities. They are open air casual markets with live food preparation, fresh local cuisine and something to solidify a perhaps otherwise liquid evening. Now add the U.S. and food trucks. OH YES!

Miaokou Night Market, Taiwan photograph by Neil Wade My Shot

I am drooling literally. I have a big love for food trucks, festivals and travel so this Philadelphia roving Night Market makes me giddy. I'm excited for the vendors who get to feature their goods and the lucky patrons who will have access to unique eats all in one place. I hope this catches on to more cities around the U.S.A.
Philadelphia Night Market June 20, 2013 6-10 p.m.  
Here is a video about the Philadelphia Night Market which travels to different neighborhoods and has live music! From what I can gather it's only once a year right now. Bon appetit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqlA_7oSwY8Pa


Photo by Michaelangelo Ilagan for The Food Trust

 

Clearing Chakras For Grandma



From http://decording.wordpress.com/

I want to talk about massage and changing generational habits. A while ago I understood the concept that we can stop, redirect or change behaviors in ourselves that have been going on in our family line for generation after generation which was so empowering to me. If I could change myself I could stop dysfunction for future generations. The buck could stop here? That is amazing to think about. Each of us has so much power for change that effects not only ourselves and our future family’s behavior but might I say the world.

That concept came up recently again when I got a massage for lower back pain where there is so much tightness in my hip area. My sister said, "We (our family) inherited tight muscles there".

After the massage I had a lot more emotions surfacing and I looked up what the energy gurus say is contained in that region. I thought what if it's not the tight muscles my family inherited but the way we process or don't process our emotions that we pass on and on. As a result we end up with tight hips and back pain. That's kinda what I've been thinking about. And the fact I sit way too much.

Do you have any family traits or behaviors that you can identify?

Above is one of several chakra charts out there. I find it interesting to note what could be going on where there is pain or tightness.
Sacral Chakra – The sacral chakra located about two inches below the belly button. It is associated with emotions, sex, manifestation, trusting the universe, and feeling enough. When the chakra is closed, a person will try to control everything in their reality and not be open to assistance. They will often feel inferior and unworthy. When the chakra is opened and balanced, they will be flowing in alignment with the universe and working with it. http://www.youaretrulyloved.com/enlightenment/vocabulary/#C

Massage Often Reveals My Junk





From Daily Cup of Massage

My first massage was not my idea. I was in my mid 20's and had a friend who was getting into spiritual stuff and healing. She did the research and always found Cat psychics, Priests who told your fortune, Mormon housewife healers, Psychiatrists and Doctors who would treat her for free. She swore by this energy massage guy Robert True and thought I should go for some healing myself. I just wanted someone to rub my tight neck.

I went alone to a regular house in an upper class neighborhood and parked around back where the basement studio was one evening. Robert was nice but it wasn't a traditional Swedish Massage. He did strange breathing and exhaling and I told myself I'm not falling for this stuff. I hadn't really heard of foot reflexology at the time but I recall the footwork and the pain he found in the arch of my feet. OMG!

Near the end I was lying face down when he was moving up from my feet and stopped at my mid back. His hands just hovered there for what seemed like many minutes. Doing nothing. I went from questioning him to anger for wasting massage time to utter deep sadness. He revealed to me the lack of trust I carried from abuse done by a teacher who would sit close to that very spot when I was just six.

I wept as I got dressed. I couldn't explain it at the time and I never expected anything like that to happen. But that massage changed my life in a positive way. It started an avalanche of events toward my healing from a trauma I hadn't realize was still with me.

Tonics and Trailers

From the HiddenList.com

 Pre summer goings ons;

The Party Deck is near completion. Rain, dog fight & two sick kids prevented the concrete bench seat from being poured this weekend. Got a good deal on Craigslist patio chairs but darn-it-all they are another project.

Made Amish Noodles and they were dang good. Both kids liked them too & so easy. Noodles, butter, chicken bouillon and chicken broth. BAM!

Pink Bikinis (Pink Puds @ my house) are back on the cocktail menu and are most excellent.
3 ingredients = delish!

Going to try this veggie wash to get my summer produce clean! The grapefruit extract is throwing me off and I need a cute spray bottle.

Marinated Chickpeas - Ginger root. I keep buying it and not using so I've got this on the mental menu.

Cass Scenic Railroad - Summer Vaca planning on tap involves steam trains, baby.

TED talks been listening to these almost daily. It's where I would like to be one day. Really knowledgeable about something helpful.

Daydream dominating is an Airstream guesthouse.


Yelp

I'm getting ready to start massage therapy classes so I'll post some blogs about health    coming soon. Cheers!

Leaving California For Good

My Mom at the beach early 60's

Every moment is as unique as a snowflake and will not be repeated.

In the early 80's we were in San Diego, California one summer visiting my grandparents and cousins when I was 11. It was a trip full of family and new experiences like bonfires, beach volleyball, big Pacific waves, and the golden-warm sun of Southern California. People there camped on weekends all year round and took their family Christmas pictures in shorts. My feathered hair kept it's curl and we were told when playing outside not to go too far because of  Mexican workers hiding in the fields behind my grandparent's house. The highway was 8 lanes wide, twice the size of Nebraska's highways.

I didn't know it then but it was one of the best trips of my young life. I realized this only upon reflection months and years later. I began to wonder why I didn't know how fabulous the trip was while I was on it. Why I appreciated it so much after it was over not while I was taking the evening walks on the beach. I wanted the chance to do it again so I could appreciate it more as it was happening.

This has been an experience I have weighed over the years. I've slowly been learning to breathe, taste and feel the life of a moment right when it happens. I know how to recognize better when they are going to happen. Like 10 years ago for my dad's 70th birthday all of my siblings and I gave him a surprise visit for a few days at his lake house. I told myself how special times like these are because they may never happen again. Even if they do it will never be just like this. I remind myself,
This is it!
Enjoy it now!

It's confusing a little because in the movies important moments are often made so grandiose and obvious. In life I have often tried to imitate art where I was sure it couldn't be a memorable time without a drunken night of shenanigans. It had to be crazy and loud to count. This is not the case but I had to figure that out s l o w l y. For years I also thought there will always be a Thanksgiving or another holiday together. I took a lot of time for granted because I thought things wouldn't ever change. Well my illusion that there is a perpetual suspension of time has tapped on my shoulder and said it's time to leave California. And as my parents (and everyone)get older I hope to feel the life in as many moments as I can. Isn't it beautiful!

 

 

Born That Way

My mummy tummy

We woman are genetically made in a way that helps keep living things alive, nurtured and loved.

Who knew those crazy characteristics I've always had would come in handy when I began to care for the life of a dog and then a baby or two. It's so cool to see how female traits have such good use. I've often felt like a nag and over reactive until I saw how perfectly my ways clicked when applied where appreciated and to things that they were meant for.
I'm talking about traits like;

• planning, where are we going how long will be there what should I bring. This keeps baby from going naked, cold & hungry on outings. To men it's noise.
• The ability to remember/keep a list and ask to get things done so medicine gets taken & vegetables get eaten. LIST is pretty much a 4 letter word to men.
• Why loud noises are so irritating and we need to make them stop. Females are actually wired to go insane from baby crying whilst other genders don't even notice it. This one keeps humanity alive people! It lets men sleep in too so I think they're good with this one.
• Being emotional beings helps us connect, bond and empathize with babies and people. You might recall a time or two where the man in your life said, "Oh God she wants to talk again."
• Our inclination for baby talk helps children learn better. My girlfriends and I were doing this "in play" since middle-school. Men appreciate baby talk as long as it's directed at them once in a while.
• Craving details, where are you going when will you be back so we know when we need to start worrying. Or how long has there been a fever, crying, a rash so we know what our plan of action is. This comes over as NAG NAG NAG NAG and NAG!
• Multitasking! This impresses everyone!

Things about myself seemed to make more sense once I began to use them as a mother. Even though I was that way before, using them in a less critical environment has made me more understanding of myself and those feminine characteristics which are wonderful for the world.

Party Deck In Progress

I'm use to the dark, rich, earthy soil of Nebraska. As a kid I would dig under our deck hoping I'd get to China or find a buried treasure box or historical artifact that would be my ticket to get out of town. I gave up rather quickly and made mud pies with poison berries from the bushes instead.

This region is so rocky we have a pile of hundreds of field stone stacked high by the farmer who raised cattle on the land. Every time you dig you hit rock here but I hope to use the pile in a foundation, chimney or wall one day.

Ideas from my Pinterest Board Maciejewski Landscaping Inc.

The latest project on the farm is what Mountain Man calls the party deck. As if we party! This is an attempt to tie two outbuildings together and begin a wall/fence for the new goat area. I just nod my head as he recounts his vision and I try to give some input when requested. Unless something is on paper it's hard for me to imagine when he describes angles and levels of earth and placement of imaginary steps. The good news is the deck is shaping up to have multiple textures and mixed material. I got really excited when he talked about using big slabs of rock for stairs to break up the wood of the deck. The garden center choices didn't pan out but he was able to scour our own land for boulders and use those as steps instead. It's looking really good! I might even have some wine out there.

Party Patio in progress

Hair Loss or Found

before

Everywhere I look on TV it's long hair long hair. I don't think you can live in the state of California with out it. Yesterday I did the unthinkable to one hair stylist I know (Kaydra), I cut my long hair off. For the past 4 years I have grown it out and it did get nice & long but I got bored. I just couldn't take the same thing any more. Maybe I need a hobby but fun hair makes me happy. Photos of the shorter cuts made me excited. So I went with the words of another hair dresser, a French one, "Long hair does nothing for you, Darling." Robert (Roberrr) was the kind of man who had probably slept with most of his clientele until his mid 50's. Even then he oozed sexual energy and I trusted a French man to know what was sexy on me. The neck. The natural wave of mussed up locks. A woman who knows who she is and wears her hair as an accessory an art piece not a security blanket. I do think American woman are starting to all have the same hair. Is there a memo I missed that long extensions and striped highlights are sexy? Is it that our men are all attracted to the same person?

Sexy and strong short haired ladies Marylin Monroe, Rachel Maddow and Hallie Berry come to mind. So I'm going with my gut and joy (and impulse) on this one and I will have the freedom of quick- drying, short, sassy hair even if it only speaks French.

after (long day!)

Desert Modernism

 

Kaufman House by Richard Neutra  photo Arcaid/Alamy



Ramond Loewy House by Albert Frey  photo unknown

My head is spinning at these gorgeous photos of the Loewy Palm Spring House and the rest of Albert Frey's work. We are forever designing our home and looking for ideas. Seeing these homes is like looking at paradise. I love the simple materials used and how he ties the home into it's natural surroundings. What would he do with all of our field stone? I'm going to have to get a book on Desert Modernism architecture, it is so breathtaking. 

Frey House II by Albert Frey   photo Jackie Craven