princess know it all

Part One: LA and Beyond!

August 3rd, 2010

My plans for LA were to relax, hang out on the beach and catch up with all of my Malibu Momma’s.

What my plans were and what happened were two different things; I ended up going as fast as I possibly could. Running the girls to The C.O.O.L School (California Ocean of Learning) day camp every morning, preparing packed lunches, driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway and rushing to prepare for one meeting after another. These meetings were all great and revolving around my writing, it’s just that I wasn’t in work mode and I’d forgotten how crazy LA traffic and living just is!

In fact I found myself looking at LA with new eyes, eyes that aren’t so enamored or in the True Blood sense – I was unglamoured.

I first arrived in LA 20 years old and amazed at how life could become anything I wanted it to be, I saw all the magic and fell in love with the ability to dream big. My first job was on the 3^rd St. Promenade, Gretchen (my friend & roommate) and I hit the pavement, stopping in every groovy shop or restaurant sitting on this walk way street full of street performers, playing music for nickels, rapping, dancing, beating buckets turning them into drums and pantomimes. I finally scored a job working as a cocktail waitress, and listening to these folks bringing it every night, inspired me to figure out what I was good at and go for it.

Isabella has fo’sho got a pinch of Mee & Lee in her, when she was 4 we walked along this street watching the performers, one little girl in particular stood out, she was about 8 years old and singing Alicia Keys, her daddy was there with her running the amp while she did her best to “bring it.” Bella looked up at me and asked “Momma when I’m 8 can I sing here on this street like her?”

I said, “Of course you can.”

Immediately upon arriving in LA, Bella kept asking if she could sing like that little girl, I was shocked that she remembered! Again I shook it off and said “Sure one day.”

Bella made great friends with a girl named Allie, a counselor at the summer camp and also an aspiring singer/guitar player. Allie, a pretty young gal about 21 came to babysit one evening. Lee and I went to dinner and Allie said she was going to take the girls for a treat on the 3^rd St. Promenade, I left car seats and away they went. Lee and I returned home and the girls were still out and it was almost 8:30pm, suddenly the door flew open and with it a burst of excitement bounced into the room. Bella had convinced Allie to let her sing while Allie played guitar to all of the Taylor Swift hits that Bella has memorized. Meanwhile, Lola jumped around in the background yelling “Give us so money so we can buy some pillow pets.” They have been asking me for a pillow pet stuffed animal for months, apparently they were performing next to a cart that sold them! Not only did they earn money for two pillow pets but also 164.00 bucks! Bella was beside herself with glee and pride, I was torn – “Oh, no my youngin’s are buskin on the street fo’dollars – what will the neighbors say?”

OK Not really, you see I thought you go y’all, brave and entrepreneurial. However when they wanted to return the following day, I said “NO” that would have made it a job.

So, Bella fell hard in love with LA, she could see all the magic, while I struggled with focusing on the traffic, lack of employment and the closing of so many of my favorite shops. I kept seeing water shortages and then something huge – what has fed LA and all of those folks that eat and live there is Hollywood, most productions for TV and film originated there and were mostly shot there. Now, not only are shows and films shot else where due to the high cost of LA filming but, that big old energy is spreading out around the globe and content is now created EVERY WHERE, just look at PKIA, we shoot high definition videos here in Nashville and 30,000 folks follow this site – all coming from 120 countries – so not only is publishing shifting but so is all of the entertainment industry. Every time something is done somewhere other than LA, folks in LA lose a little bit more. What’s happening is that people can’t afford to run business’s – rent for an average size restaurant spot in Santa Monica goes for $40,000 per month, people can’t pay their house notes let alone their rentals with the average home not apartment renting for $4,000 on the low end and $8,000 on average. I never noticed this before moving to the Jungle and to Nashville, you see because it was really all I knew – I’ve lived in California longer than anywhere else.

LA was a yo-yo fo’Mee, one morning Lee and I spent the day at Surf Rider beach in Malibu, there was a contest and while Lee surfed, the girls and I watched young girls paddle out and catch some bangin’ waves. I looked up at the mountains and thought this is what I want for my girls. Then we drove back into the city and met my Aunt Connie in Venice for lunch.

Aunt Connie has owned a head shop/souvenir store since the 1960’s. She knows all the street performers and carni like folks that cover the boardwalk. When I first moved to Venice hanging at her shop was part of my deal, Aunt Connie and her wide view of the world guided me. This time Venice Beach was INSANE, beyond INSANE – the craziness and the crazy’s were in full force. Aunt Connie’s latest BFF is one of the local street psychics that sit along the boardwalk reading tarot cards and telling tourist what they can expect. Aunt Connie insisted that I have a reading; she wanted to know when I was coming home! Before I knew it I was caught up in a wave of craziness and being dragged to the boardwalk by a LOONEY TOON TYPHON, dressed in a 1970’s pink, brides maid bonnet, long skirt, tennis shoes and one good eye. Finally we made it past all the gang bangers, pot smokers (yep folks are smoking pot on the board walk – there are TONS of medicinal marijuana joints everywhere & script doctors!) There are way too many street performers too; in fact so many they have to rotate spaces in shifts.

This pink bonnet psychic brought me to her card table covered with purple velvet fabric and began to tell me about Mee, I could barely listen to her let alone look at her, she had so much crud around her mouth and her nails were filthy – my OCD self prayed that she wasn’t gonna try to read my palms!

I didn’t know that what she was going to tell me would ring so true…..

Tags: beauty, Crohn's disease, digestive trouble, Ginny Harper, Mee McCormick, PKIA, princess know it all, real women, vacation
Posted in 7 year cycles, Crohn's Disease, Crohnes disease, Dear PKIA, Death and dieing, Mee Tracy, PKIA, florida, grieving, healing, healing foods, health and wellness, macrobiotic, nashville, parenting, princess know it all | 4 Comments »

Cooking Miso on Tennesse Mornings on Fox 17

December 9th, 2009

Yahoo, that’s what I wanna say today!

I just did my first morning talk show – Making Miso in da’Morning baby! It was really fun, fo’sho I was super nervous and not going to remember what it is that I know, but the truth is that I’ve really got a great team here in Nashville. Lena (my main squeeze here in the office/Convent Building), Lauren our fab stylist and make up artist and Julie and Marissa – slammin’ publicist hooked it all up and Tennessee Morning’s on Fox 17 showed me the way.

What I’m learning – ’cause I’m always learning – is that folks want to know, we all really want to take our power back and feel that we are actually participating in maintaining our health. I had no idea less than a year ago that I would be standing before so many people sharing in this way, but it really goes to show that opening up to new ideas and then taking the needed actions, create opportunities that we don’t even know exist! I guess what I’m trying to say is that when I get down about my destiny all I’ve got to do is remember to open my mind and remain expansive, surrender and just enjoy where the road takes me.

I can’t wait to share the video clip with all of you that were unable to tune in this morning, however if you’d like to watch the Original Princess Know It All Miso Soup Video cooking Show, click here. Also the shopping list and recipe are listed below!

Hopefully next week we will be able to air today’s segment fo’ya’ll!

Download and print the shopping list here!

INSTRUCTIONS:

* Soak the Wakame and Shitake mushrooms in 1 cup of spring water (be sure to rinse off your Shitake mushrooms first). Slice the mushrooms once they have rehydrated, but first remove and get rid of the hard stems, leaving the caps to be sliced in to thin strips.
* Add the remaining 4 cups of water to the pot along with the water you used to hydrate the seaweed and the mushrooms (this water is important ’cause it’s got all the mineral from the seaweed in it).
* Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
* Remove about a 1/4 cup of the broth and add the Miso to it, pureeing the Miso into the water by using a spoon (I use my soup ladle). Once it’s blended and dissolved I add it all back into the soup allowing it to SIMMER not boil, for less then 5 more minutes.
* Serve and garnish with scallions!

Posted in princess know it all | 2 Comments »

CANDLES BURN WITH MEMORY….

July 29th, 2009

I wasn’t sure what to expect, 20 years is a long time, and truth be told I’d not acknowledge the fact that 20 years had gone by! Some where in my mind it’s only been about 5 since I’d crossed the threshold of Oberlin High School, never to return…

I flew into the area, picked up my Ford Focus Rental Ride, dropped my kids with my niece and nephew and prepared myself for a meet and greet at the town Inn.
As we rolled into town my mind and heart were flooded with so many memories, every childhood crush, twist and turn flashed before my heart.
Then the big one my house, the house I last lived in before the series of accidents that tore down the walls of who I’d been, leaving only the foundation for me to build upon with my own sought out materials.

As we pulled into the driveway my heart sank and I returned to the last time I’d sat in front of that house.
It’d been about 10 years since leaving high school, Nicole (my older sister) and I had ridden into Oberlin to hang out for the day.
I’d looked up from the street and noticed one single candle burning in my bedroom window.
I said “Nicole, it’s a sign…We’ve got to knock on the door and see if who ever lives here will let us in, just for a minute.”
She agreed, we walked to the back door. As we reached up to knock my knees shook with anxiety. A lady came to the door, peering through the window, I noticed her eyes were red with tears.

My sister began to explain to her who we were, this made the lady sob! She said “I know who you both are, do you know who I am?”
No we answered, come in she said.

As we stepped into the the kitchen I too fell apart, I was home.

I had been out wandering for 10 years searching for a place to belong and for that brief moment I was standing in the exact place my mother had last hugged me.
Now the three of us sat on the kitchen floor, weeping together.

The lady apologized for her tears she said she’d been upstairs having a bit of a sad day herself, then she explained to us who she was. “I was the nurse on duty the night your mom came in, I knew she wasn’t going to make it, I also knew she had the three of you at home. I really tried to help save her.”
I then told her how I’d thought the candle in the window of my old bedroom was a sign for us to knock on the door.
She stared off speaking in just above a whisper ” Your old room was my sons room, he was hit by a car and killed 6 months ago. The candle is to keep his soul from getting lost, guiding him home.”
I looked directly into her eyes, it works…it brought us here.
Then I went upstairs and sat on his bed in our old room…praying and remembering.

Coming back from this memory I heard Nicole ask if I wanted to knock again, no I’m good I said.
As we motored through town my “Hi I’m Good Enough” was trying to take the wheel.
There is something about class reunions that get us all tied up inside, maybe it is our “Hi I’m Good Enough” or should I say “Hi Was I Good Enough Then?”
What ever it is there is a tension within, one that makes you say “do I really want to do this?”
All of that over thinking STOPPED the moment I walked through the doors, looking into the faces of the 60 kids I’d know since 1st grade.

To Be Continued….

Posted in Mee Tracy, Oberlin College, Oberlin High School, PKIA, class reunions, high school reunions, meaghan tracy, past lives, princess know it all, princessknowitall.com, www.princessknowitall.com | No Comments »

Dreaming Full Circle…

July 20th, 2009

This past week was really a moment in my life that I won’t forget!

As a girl I grew up listening to stories about life in NYC as if it were a charmed land full of my people! My grandmother told tales of bakeries and deli’s loaded with Italian treats. Growing up in Ohio and with few Italians in our tiny town, we would look forward to our summer trips to Cleveland’s Little Italy for the feast celebrations. Of course, Cleveland’s Little Italy wasn’t but a block or two big, but the fact that the streets smelled like home and the folks looked like could be cousins offered a cushion that was needed—one that said, “Hey, this is where you belong.”

I didn’t just long for NYC because of the Italians there, but also because of the other colorful folks that roamed the streets. In my mind’s imagination Greenwich Village was a place where poets and artists covered the curbs, liberal and free in their thinking. This was a place I longed to live. In truth I saw NYC as a place where I could be in balance: Traditional Italian/Irish kid and Creative Artist…PERFECT!

Soon enough I made it to NYC, falling in love hard and fast. I got completely caught up in the speed at which this city vibrates. I fell for the hustle of it all and soon found myself hustling to keep up with it. I was working three jobs and hanging out every night with my friends. I had dreams when I got there–I was going to be a successful artist.
But like most girls, I landed in the land of “Just Something to Look At.” I lost my ability to focus on my art and instead allowed my character to run the show. This character is all caught up in the outside image that she presents…fashion, make-up, hair, jewelry, parties, restaurants, celebrities.

“Just Something to Look At” doesn’t talk – well, not about anything other than superficial things. “Just Something to Look At” is way OK with being a Trophy.
When I was a kid, I’d never seen myself as something to look at. I was skinny, lanky, large featured, topped off with a HUGE SASSY mouth that had NO interest in keeping opinions at bay for the sake of popularity.

Something changed at 21 years of age. Suddenly the waif look was in, full lips were cool and strong features were part of the “ethnic” thing. “Hi I’m Just Something to Look At” grabbed the wheel and away we went…morphing into someone I’d never been.

I guess she served me; it was easy not needing to talk or, for the most part, even think!
But life is tricky for Trophies, and when you don’t talk you can end up in some wack situations. For certain I was caught up in a world that had NOTHING to do with my childhood fantasies of what NYC would be. You’ll have to read my first book for the full scoop….

Anyways, I moved to LA, thinking one day I would return and finish up what I started in New York! LA took me many places: Israel, Mexico, Marriage and Motherhood.
One afternoon a good friend from Oberlin was hanging out with me and asked about my writing, I gave her a run down on all the reasons “I Can’t It’s Hard and You Don’t Understand.”
All she said was, “Your writing will never be a priority for your husband and your daughter, only you can make it one.” Hmmmm…

I heard her.

This week after years of keeping at it and squeezing moments of writing in whenever I could, I flew to NYC with Lee and met with a literary agent (a slammin’ one I might add). Two hours later I’d made a plan and a deal, and I’m completely and totally excited that all this is happening!

As we were leaving and the agent shared with me her list of clients, including PULITZER PRIZE winners. I wondered if she really knew who I was? Did she really read my stuff? Ha,ha..I had to control myself from yelling at Lee, “Hey, come on! Quit talking and let’s run before she changes her mind! Ha, ha…

As we walked home to our hotel, I felt as if I’d just picked up my Google maps directions to my next stop. I was once again walking in two worlds – one as an insecure girl guided by “Just Something To Look At” and now a confident woman with something to say.

Upon arriving in our swanky – groovy hotel room, I put my Gucci Bag down, removed my shoes and jumped up and down on the bed – I did it!

Here we go!!!!

**Be sure to subscribe so we can stay connected!

Posted in PKIA, princess know it all, princessknowitall.com | 1 Comment »

WELCOME to the new PKIA Online Magazine!

July 8th, 2009

WELCOME!!!

I’m so excited to bring my blog to its new home! I’ve been in this convent working away for the past few months and this online magazine is just one of the many things we’ve been cooking up! For all you blog readers who have inspired me with all your rockin’ questions and thoughts, this is fo’ you!!

When I was18 years-old and two deadly car accidents (one week apart) stripped me of my mother and best friends, I learned first-hand that life changes in an instant.
I spent the following year keeping my feet moving by rebuilding my world in a new state. Eventually the sadness and grief caught up with my busy feet, leaving me to trip over my broken heart.

I’d had enough with nightmares and late-night tears. I’d tried to find others who had experienced the same degree of loss. Hoping I would find the information I desperately needed to deal with my grief, I hopped in “The Peach” (my orange Chevette) and drove to my first appointment with a psychiatrist.

I walked in the door rockin’ my long red rain coat my mother had bought me just before she died and I poured out my heart in unison with the rain outside. The PHD sat behind her gray table, wearing a gray suit, blending into her gray-painted walls. When I finished downloading I looked to her with my childlike face and aged eyes for compassion and love. She did her job well and kept her face gray.
I then asked her, “Am I crazy?”
“Well, you’re not NORMAL.”

For an 18-year-old girl who longed for a normal life, this was devastating! I then asked her “How long will this take? When will the burn leave me? When will I be NORMAL? Just give me a guess—three months? Three years? Ten years? Just tell me what I need to do to get through this?”
She offered me some pills to calm my nerves and help me sleep. Of course, she thought after a few more sessions she would have a clearer direction for us. I told her, no thanks. I didn’t need pills, I needed a hug. I needed to know that death and loss is normal and part of living.

We wrapped our convo up and headed to my car. As I turned the key I heard my angel say, “Ahh…ahhh…Girl, you are gonna heal this and then go into the world and create a platform for other women and girls to stand on—a platform built from love wrapped in the arms of a community!”

Lucky for me I didn’t stop searching. In the process I have found some AMAZING doctors, therapist, psychiatrists, life coaches and guides that I’m now able to share.

THIS IS MY PLATFORM, THIS IS MY COMMUNITY!

Posted in PKIA, princess know it all, www.princessknowitall.com | 3 Comments »

SEEING & HEARING WITH OUR HEARTS..NOT OUR FEAR.

July 5th, 2009

Although I’m home from our Florida “Benjamin Button” themed journey, I am still reflecting. Spending time with people who have already finished the greater part of their lives and are now reflecting on who they were and what happened has created a lasting impression in my mind.
I guess a by the time you’re 80 you become wiser- you know you will either survive or not and fighting it just is a waste of the moment.
Sweetness is much more important than confrontation, so what does it matter?
My grandparents and my mother in law and Idora (who is Idora?), are for sure living from a place of sweetness and deciding not to view life with “Hi I Hold On To Things” eyes.

I spent most of my days (in Florida?) sitting at a small table in the kitchen with Idora. Idora was a perfect meal mate; she has to chew 50 times (her teeth are not so good anymore) which led to both chewing and eating in silence.
Every once in a while she would look up and stare out the window, shake her head, giggle to herself and say “I’m Old and I’m Black.”
Soon enough, my daughter, Lola, was walking around the house singing to the music only she could hear in her head: “She’s Old and She’s Black..She’s Old and She’s Black…” Then she’d giggle like Doe… (Who is Doe?- is it Idora?)

What I really wonder is, do we ever really see the person standing in front of us?
Or, do we only see our memories of someone or of a situation that is triggered by that person standing before us?
Let me explain: One of the women that works for my mother-in-law got herself all worked up and in a tizzy. You see, years ago her husband suffered from Cancer. He went on a strict diet and wouldn’t allow her to assist him in any way, and subsequently, he also got very thin. The good news is that whatever ailed him went away and he is now in his 80′s and healthy!
Instead being happy that he was well and alive or being happy watching me take the time to prepare my food and think about the choices I offer my children, my mother-in-law failed to see MEE. Instead she could only see her husband and how he isolated her. She was unable to listen to any of the great conversation I thought we shared because she was all tangled up in her own personal fearful and judgmental memories. She was unable to separate the past from present and passed her past poison onto me…

This happens to everyone all the time; we do it in almost all of our interactions and relationships, especially our male-female relationships.
I just wonder, can we ever really see the person in front of us? hmmmm…

Another example is high school reunions. Mine is coming up soon and I wonder, how many of us will be able to see the people that are actually before us rather than the memory of who they were in high school?
Sure, some folks won’t have changed a bit inside, arrested in their emotional development – but most people have spent the past 10 to 20 years stepping up to the plate and stretching our minds and hearts. This created new people, returning to the old world of high school.

Image is also a very interesting thing; some people never look past the mask that is presented. They form an opinion (opinions are NEVER true- they are always JUDGMENTS) of the mask and then tie it to some memory of another situation so that they can’t even hear whatever “convo” is going on around them… They are set off in another direction by the image, because their relationships are based on their own “IMAGE” that they present to the world – rather than their deeper relationship with life.

The lady who couldn’t hear or see me was so caught up in all of the things she was afraid of that every time she looked at me she could only see fear and hear fear (we twist everything we hear when we hear with fearful ears). She felt so rejected by her husband that this rejection sat inside her, turning to anger and then poison… total bummer dude.

Tags: cancer, Crohn's disease, digestive trouble, healthy living, high school reunions, Idora, Mee, Mee Tracy, PKIA, princess know it all
Posted in Crohn's Disease, Healthy Lifestyles, Lee Mccormick, Mee Tracy, PKIA, healing, health and wellness, health food, high school reunions, macrobiotic, princess know it all | No Comments »

Fire Crackin’ Pit Bulls…

July 4th, 2009

The 4th of July was really perfect!
Lee and I loaded up the rent-a-ride and spent the day at the beach, where the water was warm and the waves were kid-friendly…
In the early evening, Ms.Pauline (who is this? Is this the mother in law), Nella (her dearest friend), Lola, Bella and I all dressed up in pretty girl gear. After all, hanging around my mother in law inspires me to remember a time when women and girls were ladies.
This is one thing I really love this about her. You see, she is 89 years old!
Lee was what they called a “change of life” baby (now known as a “surprise”): his daddy was 50 when he was born.
When I first met Ms. Pauline the two of us knew we were a fit. I hold deep respect for nobility and honor and she was a great and honorable woman for me to learn from – not to mention that she still LOVES high fashion!! (perfect!)

Back to the story: Bella gave us a concert while we ate and Lola played pretend tea party. The air was warm and humid just the way I like it.
Around 8pm, Lee and I loaded the girls once again and headed down the road, or should I say down the river, to visit a friend of his and watch the fireworks.
His friend’s house was seriously slamming: it was on the river with gorgeous yard. Truly the IDEAL place to enjoy the evening and the perfect introduction for Lola and Bella’s first 4th of July fireworks show.
(We’ve always spent the holiday abroad or they were to little to stay up).

If you know my history, you know that I don’t have the smoothest past with animals. In fact, if there is a crazy one around he usually comes for me!
Because of this, I cased the joint looking for dangerous pets!
The two dogs that greeted us upon entrance were really sweet Labs, but down on the dock I spotted trouble!!
I didn’t think those faraway dogs were of concern, so we took our time walking into the house to get a drink. The girls and Lee led the way entering the house and just as I was about to step inside I heard a PANTING, GROWLING, BIG TOOTHED ANIMAL on my heels!
I looked back and yep, a PIT BULL was coming for my sweet little Kate Spade dress!
I stepped in and slammed the door on his teeth!!!
I tried to do my breathing exercises so I would not TERRIFY my youngins. The PIT BULL stood outside of the glass barking with anger that I was inside his house and he was not!

When the host of the party entered the room I said, “Is that your dog?”
“Yep.”
“Well he just scared the dickens out me!”
“Yeah, we’ve had problems with him before – he’s never REALLY bitten any humans, just small dogs, and he might think your kids are small dogs.”
I kindly asked, “do you think we could put him some where?”

They did, up on a balcony overlooking where we were seated!
I found it quite distracting listening to his growls and barking – I had to tell the girls not to look at him!
Bella asked, “Momma, can he jump over that LITTLE railing?”
With absolutely NO confidence I answered, “No, we are fine.”

When I was a kid, the 4th of July was a really big deal. We all (meaning everyone in town) walked to the town’s old water reservoir, which was the safest place to launch them because in Ohio fireworks were illegal for personal use.
The town set off about 12 minutes of fireworks; one at a time, and the grand finale was made up of 4 at once.
The real excitement was being together.

Since leaving Ohio I’ve seen some serious firework displays all over the world, but what went down after that PIT BULL will sit in my memory like a soldier who returns from the war!
There was no warning given: next thing I know this HUGE explosion of lights and flames was over our heads. I quickly covered the girls and ran for cover!
Once at higher ground, the bangs kept coming. Lola was cringing and Bella was shouting in my ear, “Momma I’m not comfortable with this, don’t they know that’s gun powder and we could catch fire?”
Yes, I said, you are right. I gave Lee the “Are you crazy?” face.
In between the dog barking and the bombs of fire works, I kept hearing a female voice, “Hey is there any one over there?”
I looked around and then pinned down that her voice was coming from the other side of the fence behind a row of tropical shrubs and palm trees.
“Yes,” I answered, “Can I help you?”
“I want to know if I can get into that backyard without going through the house.”
I answered, ” I don’t know and I’d be careful. There is a ravaged dog running around here”.
“Yeah I know,” she said, “I spoke to Mr_ _ _ about shooting those things off of here, this is not legal!”
Then I looked at Lee and said “Great, now I am aiding and abetting a criminal!”
I knew it wasn’t legal to have such an ARSENAL of fireworks!
Then, as if things weren’t nuts enough, that PIT BULL jumps from the balcony, runs down to the dock and grabs a firework that is LIT with his mouth. While everyone was yelling at him, I grabbed the girls and jumped up on the table!
Lee says I “squirrled!” ha,ha…
They FINALLY catch the crazy dog, lock him SOMEWHERE else in the house. The problem is that the girls are thirsty and have to pee!
I can’t get a straight answer about where the dogs are, so yes, I made my girls pee in this high – dollar yard! haha….. But I don’t think the lady of the house noticed when she bent down to say hello to the girls and her wine-laden breath almost got them drunk! haha..
I was on a mission. We had to leave this lunacy and the only way to our rented red mini-van was through that house. I mapped out how many steps through the house to the car we had to take and grabbed the girls and made a run for it, PRAYING that the jaws of that mad dog didn’t catch up with us.
We made it!

All my adult life I thought a mini-van was the end of coolness – now it was my salvation!

Tags: bella, fear, Mee Tracy, mini-van, pit bull, PKIA, princess know it all
Posted in Lee Mccormick, Mee Tracy, PKIA, florida, princess know it all, www.princessknowitall.com | No Comments »

Role Models…

July 3rd, 2009

I’m gonna make this a fast one..
We made it to Florida!
First stop, PALM BEACH!!!
Gosh it felt so good to arrive! The blue-green water of South Florida and the flavor of Miami really fueled that part of me that loves the “get down” part of life!!!
I could definitely live in Palm Beach/Miami!!!
I decided this time I was not going to mess around and pack my own food! Our first stop: Whole Foods. I got my Miso supplies together, my ume boshi plum tea and healthy snacks…not forgetting about “Hi I Hold On To Things”, I bought a really cool little device. It looks like a teakettle but you can remove the lid and use it as a pot to for boiling. It’s an all-in-one hot plate/pot! I got to mixing up my necessities right away, and yes, I’ve been eating out a bit too. Like I was saying, I did not want my own “Hi I Hold On To Things” to run the show so I kept trying to find balance in the world and avoid living in guilty fear of slipping backwards because I ate out. I’m actually really psyched ’cause now I know what is good fo’ ya and what is not…
The best part is that I’m learning to calm myself. I used to think that I could only relax via yoga or a mediation session, but this is not true. Ginny Harper has got me breathing and focusing and let me tell you, it’s SO COOL!!!! Let me tell ya how to do it: I take a breath just deep enough into my belly to bring the air in and then let it out. I’ve even got Lola and Bella doing it! And no, we aren’t some freaky folks making a scene- we are just learning to relax ourselves, something that we aren’t taught to do.
After 4 days in Palm Beach we drove to Orlando and spent two days with my Poppy and Grandma. Poppy just finished Chemo and is really doing well. I love that man so much; the two of them are still great role models for me.
They moved to Florida about 15 years ago when Poppy retired from a steel mill. He and Grandma wanted to escape the brutal winters of the Northeast. My husband calls the place they landed: “A Yankee Trailer Park for Retirees”.
They live in the cutest little house/trailer. They ride their bikes everywhere, swim at the club and now Poppy is rolling a golf cart around. They have friends and activities everyday and a life that matches who they are inside – comfortable.
My Poppy attends mass EVERY morning.
They live within their means: rent for the land is $250 per month, their car is paid off, and their other bills, such as gas & electric, are both under $100 bones a month. They are happy.
Whenever I visit them I am reminded of simplicity: the power of one’s faith that if you believe your life is good enough, then it is…hmmm…
Of course, they were shocked to see me so thin (why so thin- this makes the reader wonder what happened- is this intentional?) , but Lee told them “She used to be in pain 28 out of 30 days, now she is pain free 28 days out of 30. It’s working…”
Grandma was great; she sat in Chemo with Poppy for months and the entire time she was wondering, “Why are we all so sick?”
She was asking questions!
She then showed off her new frying pans – all Eco friendly and healthy!
She went on to tell me that many years ago, in 1953, she bought her current set of stainless steel pots and pans after realizing that the thin aluminum was leaking into her food! (I’m confused about this sentence- which set is the current one? Which one was leaking? Hard to rework the sentence b/c I’m not sure what’s going on)
She said “Those pots were expensive, but I valued our health over anything else. Folks gotta start reorganizing where they place their values.”
Hmmmm..so that’s who I come from? Nice…..
I didn’t want to leave them nor did I want to leave the memory of them. All my life my grandparents hugged and kissed on us and they still do. I climbed into our rented red mini-van and headed North to Jacksonville.

It’s an extremely different world that Lee and I come from.
You see, Lee comes from one of the oldest and, at one time, most powerful families in the South. In fact, he really comes from a bit of a dynasty!
The house is the spitting image of Tara from Gone With The Wind… a home like this doesn’t exist many places anymore. It is decorated with the most beautiful and tasteful items of the Antebellum style, and it sits on the St. Johns River with Spanish Moss draping everything. There is a staff of workers that tend to every specific detail, from the lady who comes only to dust and the other who only waters the plants. There is a cook in the kitchen cooking up some old school food on a daily basis – fried chicken, ham, sweet potatoes, greens, biscuits and there is always a beautiful cake frosted and ready to be sliced.
Idora has been working for Lee’s mother for over 50 years; she’s now close to 95 years old. I’ll never forget the first time I met her: I walked into the kitchen and she was standing at the sink washing and humming. I asked her, “Doe what are you singing?” She responded, “Sugar Lump this is an old slave hymn.”
I was shocked!
Then she schooled me on where she came from “I was born on a Plantation in Georgia. My daddy was a share cropper and my granny was a slave in her time.” Doe is really someone from another world and her stories can hold you captive for hours…I can’t bother you with all of them but in my second book I really uncover the dealio’.
My girls call her Grandma Doe. They don’t know that she’s not their grandma- after all she raised Lee!
Now she sits in the kitchen all day sleeping in her rocker and overseeing the house.

I cooked my “food” today: black-eyed pea Croquettes, brown rice and veggies and Miso soup. I watched her eyeing me while I worked and then she ate it! I thought she might not like it, but she LOVED it! Part of the reason I cooked such a big meal was for the staff. Wanda, the current house cook, had breast cancer and suffers from the radiation. Diane, one of Ms. Pauline’s attendants, (Ms.Pauline is my mother in law) has arthritis & Fibromyalgia (also and autoimmune disease) and her daughter has Crohn’s Disease!

STOP: the kids are getting off of the elevator. They’ve been swimming and I know any second the “Momma help me’s” are coming.

Tags: A Yankee Trailer Park for Retirees, black-eyed pea Croquettes, eco friendly, Florida, Mee Tracy, miso soup, Palm Beach, parenting, PKIA, Poppy, power of faith, princess know it all, Sugar Lump, whole foods
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RAFFLE TIME!

June 15th, 2009

PRINCESS KNOW IT ALL IS REALLY COMING SOON!
I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU ALL TO CHECK OUT WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING….
IN THE MEANTIME SIGN UP FOR OUR RAFFLE AND IF YOUR IN MEXICO NO WORRIES YOU CAN ENTER TOO!

princessknowitall.com

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Part 2: Dinner with the Past, Present & Future!

June 14th, 2009

Sorry to have left you all hanging like that…
OK, so back to Dinner with the Past, Present and Future, Hans didn’t really know anything about my health. I presented myself with my best foot forward and I gave some thought as to what it was that I wanted to know!
However once he called my crew in from the other side they had a lot to say, beginning with the need to slow down and control my mind. He said that I could beat this thing if I’d just stop empowering it! Hmmmm, was my response.
Then he said that I can’t become the disease- I have to see it leaving my body. Hmmmm, I said again.
Then he told me the tale of a young teenage boy that suffered from an illness but once he unwrapped his mind and the minds of his parents (who were also feeding the illness) from around the disease, he began to get better.
He told me that once I took a clear stand with my health, the diet I am on will work and the “woman” that is guiding me is a perfect fit…How did he know about her? Hmmmm…..
He told me that Senora Gina needs to take care of me, and that I need to let her. He said we had found each other and have traveled many life times together.
“Yep,” I said.
Then he reminded me that my mom is with me constantly and that I haven’t been listening to her. With his instructions I was told to sit and write with her in mind. Hans believes that I can do this hands down with NO problem. In doing so, she will come through with her messages. Hmmm, I said again.
Hans then went on to tell me that I need to return full time to Sayulita, Mexico as soon as possible. He believes that this is the place I relax and fit with ease – my soft spot.
I responded by telling him that I have a plan of my own to stay in the States for one year with trips to Mexico every two months and return sometime next spring.
He told me to set my intent, and that by next June my health will be strong.
He said, “You can’t go backwards in life.” I responded, “Then how can I move back here?” He said that when I return I will be a different person, and the world I set up will be new and changed.
Funny thing is we returned to Mexico with plans of emptying out our beach house and returning it to the owner. However, the road was such a mess it was impossible to access the house by car.
So, in a few months when the road reopens and the rainy season passes, we will return with a new plan.
Then Hans King spoke of Mee; Mee as an individual- not a wife, not a mother, not a friend- but as Mee – just Mee.
He said that for 7 YEARS (how did he know about my cycle? In fact yesterday was my 7 year anniversary) I had been a good wife and a strong supporter traveling all over the world with my husband. I had been a good and supportive mother – tender and loving. He said that now I was going to support myself in the same way that I have been supporting my family.
Hmmmm…I said.
Hans then began to talk about my work- can’t tell you all this ’cause I don’t want to jinx it! haha… but it was SUPER EXCITING!!!!!
I will tell you this though, he looked to the invisible panel that had shown up and then back to me asking, “How busy do you want to be?”

Oh, gosh gotta stop… the little people are up… I will write more later, especially about the CONVENT that he knew houses my work!

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Dinner with the past, present and future..

June 10th, 2009

What a huge week we’ve had!
Where to start I just don’t know, maybe with the tummy?
That’s right, I should have known what was coming, but how could I have? In the States life is all about doing as much as we can, packing as many activities into one day as possible. In fact, I don’t usually sit down to do NOTHING until 9:30pm, when I go to bed!
OK that’s not true, I do nothing once a week with Happy Son Of My People (Gil Ben Ami).

The moment I walked through the door of Senora Gina’s grand casa I felt shaky and weak, sinking into one her fabulous chairs.
By our third day here my tummy started to ache more and more. You see, it had been building a week before we left the States. My tongue started swelling everytime I ate something but when the pain hit I wasn’t prepared for the punch it was packing.
By 6pm I was on the floor, not really believing that this was happening…After all, I’m better? I don’t suffer as much as I did.
Senora Gina to the rescue, we got on the phone, called Virgina Harper and started taking action.
The last time I suffered a bowel obstruction was last November and it was scary. It was not unlike Fred Sanford and knowing if it’s the “big one” – the one where my entire intestine rips apart. Here I am, at least 4 hours from a hospital that could save my life.
This time it was different, Virginia Harper gave us directions: I used a ginger compress to move the circulation and help reduce the inflammation, soaked my feet in a bucket of hot water while Senora Gina massaged the pressure points in my hand that are connected to the intestines. These obstructions usually last up to 72 hours, can you imagine pains worse than labor?
Lucky for me to know Virginia, ’cause within a few hours the worst passed!

Then next two days were really tough- not physically, but emotionally. I felt defeated, confused and scared that what I’m doing isn’t working.
What are my options? Horrible drugs that don’t HEAL but push the disease deeper into my body and add gnarly symptoms?

Senora Gina and I got in the kitchen and began drinking my teas and cooking super soft, healing foods.
In the meantime we were all blessed with an interesting and charming dinner guest, Hans King.
Hans is a medium, someone who speaks with folks on the other side, hears angels, and sees direction when others can’t.
He recently moved to Puerto V. and came to dine with us and share his gift.
Senora Gina hired a chef and put on a feast! She wasn’t so excited about having a “reading”- she’s never done so before and it’s not really her thing. Not that she is a skeptical person, just someone that doesn’t have a desire to know what she doesn’t know.

Hans didn’t seem to pay much attention to this; he guided her down to the pool area and chat, they did.
She described her interview as “radio-like” because, in her words, what she thought was just the two of them sitting down together turned into an entourage of folks from her past!
For starters, he knew exactly how her father passed, what her relationship was like with her mother and a great many things that I am not privileged to share because she, herself, had not EVER shared them with another human! Until Mr. Hans King came for dinner.

My turn!
Hans King had no idea that I had been sick – we didn’t speak about it when he arrived and I decided before he got to the house that I need to represent the dream in my heart. I got up, put on my favorite dress and applied my cosmetics as if I were heading to a fine Mexican restaurant. I have a theory that when someone with the gift gives you a reading they can only read what you are seeing for yourself. They can see your fears, your dreams, your doubts, your wants.

OK gotta stop…The Mango Mommas are arriving for a dinner/pool party!

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Shorty Girl is born!

May 27th, 2009

Yesterday I rambled about my 7-year cycles and while I was typing away in the convent, my best friend Gab launched a new cycle of her own, she gave birth to her first child.
Gab and I are seven years apart in age; to say that we have a sister-like in relationship is an understatement. Not only have our lives shadowed each other in different ways but our sense of humor and timing dance to the same beat.
Just before leaving Malibu I tossed with the idea of renting a small house there just so I knew I could return. After hearing that voice deep inside of me that said, “girl you gotta jump and let go of what you know”, I agreed to not rent the house and leap off to Mexico. Gab supported this, telling me to fly and be brave. I looked into her eyes, knowing that if I jumped I didn’t know where I’d land but I probably wouldn’t return to our sweet mountain top overlooking the “BU”. In fact, at one point I was panicky, almost begging her to not let me go, it wasn’t the place but the people that I loved.
Gab says that the two of us always find our way back to one another… I guess that’s what happens to twins tied by soul cords.
So as I’ve become a new version of me, my dearest friend has been on a subway ride of her own, and her new stop is motherhood.
I just got the pictures of her birth experience and my eyes shook with emotion, I felt like I was watching my friend walk across the platform and board her connecting train.
I miss being there so much right now but I keep hearing her voice, “We will find a way back to each other….”
This soul cord that connects me to the people I love is fierce and I wouldn’t cut it off for anything. Richard, my friend from high school, said, “We are never really older than 7 years since our cells are die in 7 year cycles.”
I like this, a girl is born and a Lady Girl continues to grow.
Welcome to this wonderful world of dreams, Shorty!

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For all the LADY GIRLS!

May 26th, 2009

Whenever I look out the window, it’s hard to see where I am. You know, like when you’re on a subway and and the reality of how fast the train is moving is unclear until you try to see what’s written on the tunnel walls?
Then, dang, the realization of the speed at which you are travelling grabs your mind and you reach for the pole.
Every time I look up from my little bubble, I get dizzy with how quickly time is passing.
Virgina Harper (my food counselor) says that life is made up of seven-year cycles, the human body changes and cells die every 7 years. For me, this makes sense. Isabella will turn 7 years old this August, making me a 7 year old mother. Ginny also says that every 7 years we become more of ourselves and less of our mother… hmmmm.
So as Isabella becomes more of her and I become more of me, a door is opening, one that I feel I’m just about to walk through. Seven years ago I birthed my first child and this summer I will birth a creative project that has been growing inside of me for at least 7 years!
Maybe all of these issues with health and wellness and my mother’s issues are taking a turn too?
Fourteen years ago I was “Hi I Can Save Him” and in relationship with “Hi I’m Fine With Out You.” We resided high in a tower overlooking Los Angeles; I toted a tiny little white dog named Oliver and spent most of my days avoiding life. Truth be told, that tiny little dog was probably the first being that I openly connected too, opening a door for me to “grow through”.
Oliver would have been 14 this August, maybe his passing over is still attached to mine? Looking back at 2 seven year cycles is really cool.
Stop and count back as many cycles as you can….

Memorial Day morning was spent with Happy Son Of My People, a perfect place for remembering! We talked about “Yom Ha Shoah,” the day of remembrance in Israel.
On this day, everything stops at 10am – literally EVERYTHING – cars, TVs, radios, WORK!
The first time I was in Israel, I had NO idea what was going on. I was with a friend in the Northern City of Haifa (the San Francisco of Israel) when loud sirens went off and I immediately panicked thinking, Oh, no it’s a bomb! Then I looked out at the busy road and was shocked to see all of the cars STOP and people get out and stand right there in the middle of the road in honor of the dead. This holiday was primarily to honor those that passed in the Holocaust, but also includes all who have passed.
Once my friend whispered in my ear what was happening, my mind clicked with my heart and the wave of emotion was HUGE! I mean, when an ENTIRE country comes to a stand-still in honor of the dead, WOW!
After Gil and I discussed the power of this collective memory, I climbed on the table and let my mind run through its vast books of information…remembering all the parts of me that have died.
Starting with my infancy, elementary mee, teen mee, 20′s mee, and now making my way through my 30′s. What stood out is how long I have been a girl!
Some women are WOMEN at 19, but I, for sure, was not. In fact, when I was 12 I thought that fo’sho’ I’d be rocking a woman’s body! Ha,ha.. Some women are WOMEN by their late 20′s but I, for sure, was not. Some women are WOMEN hands down in their 30′s and I, for sure, have not been one of them. I used to think it was because of my tiny build and small face, thinking once I had kids I would be a total woman. Nope, however I did become a mother, not a girl mother but a true MOTHER.
Then I thought by my mid 30′s I would be A grown up Lady! Nope, still a girl. But something has changed; I can honestly see that I am “A LADY GIRL!”
I’ve been comparing myself to this old idea of being a woman – you know, round, full, reserved, sitting still, pant suits and a terrible haircut and remembering High School as the “good old days”.
High School was rough!

Whew, the pressure is off, the maturation of me is its own. I don’t have to give up my grooviness, turn down my hip-hop, or drop my lingo lovin’ talk.
For women nowadays, our aging is different. After all, we have been influenced by different women than our mothers. Madonna has been in our face staying sassy and making it happen into her fifties. Deaths of ourselves are not endings but beginnings! No wonder I feel fresher, sharper, cooler and more together than I did in my twenties! These beginnings just keep getting better!
Just maybe I AM standing on life’s subway being moved into my next incarnation, unable to see what it looks like but loving the movement?

Posted in 7 year cycles, Lee Mccormick, Mee Tracy, PKIA, children, gil Ben Ami, macrobiotic, princess know it all, the ranch, virginia harper | No Comments »

Lessons in Food

May 19th, 2009

The tooth rat came!
I’m assuming he took the tooth with him ’cause I haven’t been able to find it and I’m hoping that Bella doesn’t find it before me!
Speaking of Bella, she’s been having terrible tummy aches for the past year, maybe longer. When we were in the jungle I chalked it up to stress or water issues. Now that I’m digging through my own set of “guts” paying attention to what stirs hers is in my face…
Of course, lurking in my mind is… “Could she have this too?”

Saturday, I jumped up in my ride and rode over too Virginia Harper’s house (she is also my food counselor) for a cooking class. This was desperately needed because I’m getting a bit bored with the rice, bean and veggie combo that has become my staple.
I hadn’t been back for a cooking class since January, all my learning has come from books and websites. There were a few people who had been at that first class and they were shocked to see me, because they couldn’t believe that it was me! I guess I looked very ill in January and now I’m glowing (so they said). Ginny went on to say that she never judges what will happen with someone when they show up, it’s all about inner strength and lining it up in one’s mind and heart, “claiming” it, as she says.
As we went around the room introducing ourselves, one of the women told the tale of her son who was diagnosed with Crohnes Disease in the the 7th grade. By 9th grade he wasn’t getting better and suffering terrible side effects from the medicines. Their family has been eating whole foods ever since and he will graduate from high school next week with a clean colonoscopy! That’s right folks, his colon is FREE of all signs, symptoms, ulcerations and inflamation! The DOCTORS have given him a clean bill of health!!!
I thought of Bella…
My turn came around and I shared my journey so far, ending with my fear of passing this on to my girls.
The last woman to tell her tale gathered herself before speaking and then, with a deep breath out, she began her story of why she was there: her 9 year old daughter has been sick with Crohnes for the past few years. They have tried EVERYTHING, the little girl is now in Vanderbilt hospital with a colon that looks like chopped beef, it’s so torn up and bleeding that the doctors want to remove the entire colon – at only 9 YEARS OLD!” Of course the docs aren’t bad, they are trying their best to help her but medicine will NOT. Look at food as a reason or at least an alternative.
Once again, the only thing touching the inside of the intestines is food, why wouldn’t it affect it?
As the woman told her tale, my eyes filled with tears, not for me but for Bella and all of the people that suffer, especially the kids. Did you all know that LITTLE kids are the fastest growing population of digestive diseases?
Wonder why? What are they eating? Cookies, hot dogs, white flour products, tons of dairy, fast food… how many kids do you know that eat WHOLE grains and beans with a side of veggies for lunch? How many public schools serve this alongside of organic meat or fish for lunch?
NONE!
Just as the little girl’s momma was about to finish, she turned and said to me, “So the next time your husband or someone else hands one of your little girls an ice cream cone or a bag of chips think of my daughter. If your mom had this and you have this, you should be “PREVENTING” this as a gift to them.”
I lost it.
Big tears…
It was as if a knife shot through my heart into my back.

I returned to my house and immediately sat at my past life statue’s feet, praying for this little girl, praying for her mother, praying for my little girls and praying for myself… for the strength to make this happen for my family, not just me.
Later that night my tummy burned with emotion but I knew what to do to take care of myself. I drank my Umeboshi Plum, Twig Tea and Kuzu root with Shoyu sauce brew, soaked in a warm tub scrubbing my skin to circulate the blood, and relaxed on my bed. Within a few hours the pain in my abdomen passed and I claimed my position once again.
This way of living works, I just need to stay calm and patient.
Yesterday I returned to Happy Son Of My People for some acupuncture. I told him of my pain but that I wasn’t worried because I know this is all part of my healing. He said that when my heart is whacked with such a fearful blow, my tummy takes the brunt of it, locking up and constricting, and holding on tight, bracing for another mental punch.
This time I didn’t do it, this time I let it roll and opted to take care of myself by “CALMING” my mind and body.
Happy Son Of My People loaded me with a GANG of needles, I was KNOCKED out. I have no idea how long I drifted between realities, but everytime I tried to open my eyes I felt a part of my body drop deeper into peaceful darkness.
No visions, no thoughts, just rest.

I took Bella to the doctor, they ran SED rate tests on her and another blood test looking for signs of Crohnes… I’m waiting for the information to come back.
The little girl in the hospital is having a hard time now – her body has developed “steroidal diabetes.” I spoke to her mom yesterday, all she has to do is get this girl stable and then she will make her well… I will pray again today.

Posted in Crohnes disease, Lee Mccormick, Mee Tracy, PKIA, gil Ben Ami, healing foods, macrobiotic, nashville, princess know it all, virginia harper, whole foods | No Comments »

Teeth and Germs

May 14th, 2009

The weather has warmed up over the past few days and now tiny flying little bugs come out at night! Our house is swarmed!
Its a good thing the ants in the jungle wore me out ’cause now as I’m typing this there are at least 10 of them crawling around on the screen.
Oh well, surrender at it’s best!
Don’t worry, we have ants too but I’m able to look past them..
Bella lost another tooth, literally lost it!
She came home with it in a little envelope and now it’s gone!
Does the tooth fairy come anyways? Or should I say the “tooth rat” like in Mexico?
Hmmmm…
On an upside, the viral cold that flustered our house is making its way to the door. Lola came down with a nasty cold and a double ear infection that spread to Bella and, of course, MEE!
Just maybe those germy little f—— at the park that spit on her last week started this whole thing?
What do ya think?

Posted in Mee Tracy, parenting, princess know it all | No Comments »

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