Mimi – Page 18

Living

I Turned 40… It was Epic

On March 2nd, I turned the BIG 4-0. For a whole year leading up to my 40th birthday, I was hype. I kept telling folks about my impending entrance into the 40/40 club… then a few days before I was to pull out my ID I got all in my feels.

All. In. My. Feels.

It hit me like a brick. I don’t think it was so much turning 40, as it was the realization that I was closing out a decade of my life where so much happened.

From 30 to 40, I had a baby, we moved into our forever home, I moved past the debilitating grief of losing my mother, and most importantly I found JOY! All of the major events I had dreamed and prayed about happened in the decade I was leaving behind and it got a whole lot emotional.

Tears were shed, then I turned up like only I can. If you know nothing about me, know that I’m down for a good time. I walked into no f*cks 40 free as a bird. I’ve struggled with self-love, jealousy, and, getting rid of other folks perceptions and thoughts of me. Overcoming all of that gives you the type of joy that no one can take away. After I shed those tears I was ready to walk into the next decade like a boss.

A 40-year old boss at that.

I didn’t want any part in planning the festivities, so I just showed up where they told me.

Friday started at Little Trouble in Midtown. Then it got really real and moved to the club where I brought in my actual birthday. There was video, sorry if you missed it. There is a reason Instagram Stories self-destruct after 24-hours.

This picture had the potential to be so epic. However, I do not have an Instagram husband. After our given 5 takes, this was the best of the bunch.

Saturday, the day ones put together a nice little slumber party at a suite downtown. We stayed in, drank, had girl talk, and found ourselves down to the lobby for shots, a round of Black Card Revoked and sushi. It was perfect.

I love my friends. I try my best to make time for them because they mean so much to me. These were the ones that have been there since college. They know the WHOLE story, the ones that act and ask questions later.

Sunday, we slept in, checked out, and headed to Murphy’s in Va. Highlands. Murphy’s hands down is my favorite brunch spot.

I am now 40. I kind of feel like I have no more big milestones to look forward to, but considering how fast 40 rolled up, I’ll be 50 in like two years!

Thank you to everyone that sent me birthday wishes, I received them. They were much appreciated.

I’ve documented many birthdays here if you want to go down memory lane… let’s go. Here is 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39!

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Home

Home DIY | Ways to Proactively Save Money Around Your House

Being a grown-up isn’t always fun but saving money is. Thank you to The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine!

Whoever said growing up is a trap, hit the nail right on the head. Being a grown-up at times can be completely overrated. Completely.

This weekend my neighbor took me to brunch for my birthday (remind me to tell y’all about turning 40), and over mimosas, she talked about how the county came to inspect her property after thinking she may have had a water leak when they noticed more water than usual being used at her home. Turns out, she forgot to turn the timer off on their sprinkler and it had been running every 4 hours or so, every day for the past two weeks. Sprinkler systems are fabulous, and can even help reduce overwatering, but they need to be monitored!

We hollered laughing at how high her water bill is going to be and how mishaps like this seem to be the foolishness that adulthood and homeownership are made of. Between tears of laughter, cause in these cases you have to laugh to keep from crying, I shared how high our bill was when we attempted to use the irrigation system and later decided the old school method of moving that sprinkler we ran through as kids manually around the yard and watching as areas got well watered was good enough.

I think everyone is trying to save a few coins instead of giving them away and one way to do that is to be proactive about home maintenance. Whether you rent or own, you can take steps to make sure you are doing your part to protect the environment, your property, and your coins.

One of the easiest ways of doing this is by paying attention to your water usage. You know the usual, don’t run the water when brushing your teeth, or washing dishes. Shorten your shower by 2 minutes. Wash your clothes in cold water, or the least amount of water needed. There are so many minor tips we can use to conserve water, but one we may overlook is simply checking our faucets and under our sinks for water leaks.

March 1th – March 24th is the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week. This initiative is aimed at making the public aware that there are more than 1 trillion gallons of water lost every year from simple home leaks. 1 TRILLION.

TRILLION.

That’s a lot of water… and money lost.

If you follow my Instagram stories, you know Adrian is all about keeping this house together. Whether you are an avid DIYer or a call in the pros type of person, spring is the perfect time of year for home maintenance. You can start by simply looking under your sink for leaks.

Things you’ll want to look for include: water drops along the pipe, a damp cabinet, or any sign or sound of dripping water.

According to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District this is how much water we can easily waste:

A faucet that leaks one drop of water per second is equivalent to 8 gallons per day

A running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day

Household leaks are the most expensive form of property damage (that can be prevented

Yes, all of these from a simple drip, drip, drip, out of the faucet. The Metro Water District is passionate about educating the public on how to conserve water and money. Their efforts have helped the region decrease water usage by more than 10 percent despite having a million person increase in population!

Interested in learning about more ways you can conserve water and save money? Be sure to visit The Metro Water District online, as well as on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Living

Little Mermaid Girls Night In

I was compensated for this post. All opinions are mine.

When Addison insisted on watching Brave 2,894,812 times I just hit play again, again, and again figuring it was some sort of karma for making my father watch the Little Mermaid with me an equal amount of time many days back in the 80s/90s.

Let me tell you, you know you’ve watched a movie a million times if you are 40 and can still quote it word for word. THIRTY years ago The Little Mermaid hit big screens and in honor of this milestone the movie is being released on 4K Ultra HD and BLU-RAY for the first time.

Nothing says parenting like doing things with your child that you did as a kid. Addison and I spent an evening in the theater singing along with the movie. I’m surprised she knew the songs as well as she did. I’m telling you, there will be many nights watching this classic with my girl.

Things tend to get better with time and that includes this new and improved version of The Little Mermaid.

This release on BLU-RAY and Digital includes:

Sing-Along Mode – Sing along to the movie in this sing-along version of the film.

“What I Want From You…Is YOUR VOICE” – Enter the recording studio and get an inside look at the cast of “The Little Mermaid” in their original recording sessions.

Stories From Walt’s Office – Gadgets & Gizmos – Like Ariel, Walt Disney was a collector of many different things from miniatures to early mechanical characters that inspired the invention of audio-animatronics. We take a look at some the collections that Walt kept in his office in the third episode of this series.

#TreasuresUntold – Join Ruby Rose Turner and Olivia Sanabia from the Disney Channel Original Series “Coop and Cami Ask the World” as they take a deep dive to explore some hidden treasures and fun facts about Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

DCapella “Part of Your World” Music Video

Classic Bonus Features – revisit four exciting bonus features from previous releases including:
- Deleted Character: Harold The Merman
- Under The Scene: The Art Of Live Action Reference
- Howard’s Lecture
- Audio Commentary With Ron Clements, John Musker and Alan Menken

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES

“Part of Your World” – A 30-Year Retrospective – Songwriter Alan Menken and Jodi Benson, the acting and singing voice of Ariel, sing the epitome of Disney “I Want” songs “Part of Your World” and discuss its impact since it was first heard 30 years ago.

I thoroughly enjoy spending time with Addison, she’s so full of joy. I’m looking forward to many more Little Mermaid movie nights with her!

What was your favorite movie as a child?

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Food

Tomato + Cucumber + Mint Salad

This post was sponsored by Fresh From Florida as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own

The year before last, my garden spawned so many tomatoes that I didn’t quite know what to do with all of them. Like, so many of them. I gave them away to neighbors, my dad, and anybody else who came to my home got sent away with tomatoes.

Last year, I got nothing. It was quite ironic, but not having the headache of trying to stake a 6-foot tall tomato plant, and removing horn worms was welcomed. Not having to grow my own tomatoes doesn’t mean I didn’t have access to fresh ones thanks to Fresh from Florida.

I have quite a plethora of tomato recipes that I enjoy making, but simple always wins. Fresh tomatoes on a salad always work, and we have Florida farmers to thank for providing us with options for fresh tomatoes all year long, just search for the Fresh From Florida label at your local grocery store.

It’s almost porch season, which means I’m looking for easy recipes and strong drinks. A quick go to is simply tossing cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and a few sprigs of mint with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning for a refreshing salad. The Fresh from Florida website and social channels have all of the recipes for your get-togethers. You can find a variety of them here. Don’t feel like sifting through all of the good recipes and want to get straight to the tomato recipes? Here you go.

Entertaining yourself or others with good food doesn’t have to be difficult. Tomatoes are the perfect warm-weather produce that makes throwing together a tasty spread effortless. Be sure to look for the Fresh from Florida label this spring and summer!

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