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SUN ART The SUN promises to rise again Coming soon...

< Back Roasted Garlic Soup Date added: 12 Dec 2023 Duration: 60 - 120 min Category: Food Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Link kopiëren Introduction Garlic is always a good idea! It truly is one of my favorite flavors. Description Prepare a baking sheet/oven dish with parchment paper, a sieve, a soup pot, and an immersion blender/blender. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Cut off the top of the garlic bulb. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the garlic bulb in the middle of the parchment paper. Put the dish in the center of the oven and roast the garlic for 40 minutes until tender. Remove the garlic bulb from the oven and let it cool slightly. Hold the garlic bulb at the bottom and squeeze the garlic out of the peel with your thumb. Chop the onion. Heat the butter in a soup pot and sauté the onion. Then add the bay leaf and clove for about ten minutes over low heat. Add the garlic and flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and beef broth. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer gently with the lid slightly tilted for 30 minutes. When you place a wooden spoon on the edge of the pan, it won't boil over. Remove the bay leaf and clove. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Strain the soup through the sieve. Season with pepper and salt if necessary. Click on the related content button if you like to see another one of my favourite recipes! Serve the soup however you'd like. Anything goes; it's your party! MUNISA ELEPHANTI wishes you a delicious meal! Related content Previous Next

< Back Hotel Derlon in Maastricht Date added: 10 Feb 2024 Duration: 2 days Category: Places Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Link kopiëren Introduction In Limburg (Netherlands), there are several beautiful cities that MUNISA ELEPHANTI would love to take you to. Description Hotel Derlon holds a special place in MUNISA ELEPHANTI's heart. This is where I had my first weekend getaway with my boyfriend (now husband) 18 years ago!!! He also proposed to me here - YES! Great to have him on the team (click on the related content button below). Hotel Derlon is located on the Onze Lieve Vrouweplein in Maastricht, next to the Basilica of Our Lady, on the corner of Stokstraatkwartier, where you feel like you're in small alleys just like in France. All worth visiting. The hotel has 50 rooms, all with different luxuries, from ultimate tranquility to stunning views of the Onze Lieve Vrouwenplein. In the basement, remnants from Roman times (circa 200 AD) are visible. There is a brasserie with delicious dinner and drinks options. There are also various restaurants and bars nearby, as well as cultural options, canal cruises, and shopping opportunities ranging from small independent shops to luxury stores and even a lovely department store. Something for everyone. From March 9th to 14th, 2024, the The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) in Maastricht is a special moment to book Hotel Derlon; perhaps you'll even encounter one of the artists. MUNISA ELEPHANTI wishes you a lot of fun at Hotel Derlon in Maastricht! Let us know about your experience here via the contact form! We love to send love, We love to receive back. Related content Previous Next

< Back Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Throwback To My Birthday & My Marriage Proposal Saturday, 24 February 2024 It is a sunny (22°) Sunday on March 8, 2015, as I turn 32, and Lola (my first service dog) turns 9. I decide to keep my birthday small, mostly because no one can make it. There's a presentation of the parade film, vacations are booked, all understandable but still disappointing. Nevertheless, I had seen this coming and planned my birthday in a way that I would have a super day. On Saturday evening, I went to dinner with Vanessa and Luc at the Greek restaurant Daphne on the market in Sittard. Fortunately, Leroy could join after work. We laughed and discussed that I would like to get married... This was because my dear godson had the idea that it was time and it might happen. Just to be clear, I know absolutely nothing. Sunday morning at half past ten, mom and dad pick us up to go to the market in Liège. We pick up Vanessa, Luc, and the kids and continue the journey. It had been so long since we, as a family, had done something like this together, and the weather only adds to the joyous faces. The audience hasn't changed much over the years, but the stalls have evolved with the times. We score a few cute kaftans and have a drink on a square. There, I unwrap the gift Vanessa made for me, a wooden "F" with various Frida Kahlo photos. I also receive a pair of beautiful Frida earrings, and I am overjoyed. My parents had bought me a beautiful pair of glasses, but they hadn't arrived yet. My mother found that unfortunate, so she bought a card with music. It was a cheerful card with an elephant in a hot air balloon (including balloon sound) that promised a day full of surprises... I was curious. Leroy starts acting a bit strangely, but I have no idea why. He suggests driving to Visé and having Belgian fries with mayo. Delicious, sitting in the sun on a curb. That was a long time ago! My birthday party comes to an end. Mom and dad take us to Maastricht, where we have an overnight stay at Hotel Derlon. Leroy had gifted this stay for my birthday, and I loved it! When we check-in at Hotel Derlon at 2:00 PM, the receptionist (intern) asks when we want the champagne breakfast in the room. Leroy answers, "That was a surprise, honey, but how about 9:30?" What a great idea! I thought, "I know the surprise!" After bringing our bags upstairs, we head straight to the lobby for a drink. We try to find a spot so that we can eventually find a place on the OLV square. But there's the hotel owner, Benoit Wesly, and he beckons us over. Hours pass, and many glasses of wine later, Benoit gets up to do "something." When he returns, he tells us that he found it so enjoyable, and to wish me a happy birthday, he had a bottle of champagne brought to the room. Fantastic! I'm thrilled, and Leroy is too, though with a forced smile. He tries to contact the receptionist now, but the message apparently doesn't get through. We decide to take a walk first and have a drink by the water at... the sun hasn't set yet, but with all our chatter, we've missed some of it. It doesn't dampen the spirits because, despite the pain I've been feeling today, we're fully enjoying ourselves. As the sun begins to set, we decide to walk back to the room, hoping for a bottle of champagne in the room, while Leroy hopes for something later. On the room, there it is, a beautiful cooler with champagne. Leroy asks if we want to wait until after dinner. But that seemed strange to me. You don't leave champagne to "warm up." He opens the bottle, asks me to sit down because he wants to give me something else. The first thing that comes to my mind is, "Darling, more? I've already been so spoiled." He opens the safe (again) and takes out a wrapped box. Like the average woman, I can tell from boxes what kind of jewelry might be inside. So, this box was in the category of 'earrings.' A realistic option since I had also asked for earrings. But to my surprise, this earring box is a box from Jeweler Van Sloun?!? So, as I say "Van Sloun?!?" and look up, Leroy is on one knee. He tells me how important I am to him and that he wants to grow old with me. I complete him. With tears in my eyes, I say yes, of course! As we hug and give each other a kiss, Leroy wants to toast! So, we toast to our engagement! I exclaim, "I have to call my mother. Yes, really." Let's be honest; in the end, I'm still that little girl who likes to share everything with her mom! I absolutely did not expect it! Despite having already filled in the surprises in a different way, Leroy managed to keep it well hidden. Leroy had wisely planned to ask me after dinner, considering my eating problems. After the proposal, we went to eat on Vrijthof. But unfortunately, after a slice of Margherita pizza, I had to make everything disappear through the sewer again. Despite these odd practices, we walked around like a couple of love-struck teenagers. I couldn't stop looking at my beautiful ring. How beautiful and romantic! He really made one of the most beautiful days of my life! The next morning, he woke me up with: "Good morning, fiancée!" I immediately started crying again! I thought, "Oh yes, it's true! He proposed to me yesterday!" Related content Previous Next

< Back Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link MUNISA ELEPHANTI = LIFE Monday, 25 March 2024 It’s time to give you a look into my life and how I cope with living with a disability. But why did MUNISA ELEPHANTI start? In my early twenties a doctor told me it was likely I wouldn’t become older than 30 years. It was a smack in the face at the time. I can still get angry when I think about that moment and how unnecessary it was. In the end it also gave me the opportunity to take a good look at my life, my body, and my mind. It gave me many therapy sessions, retreats, mindfulness, meditation, singing bowl sessions and many more experiences that I did because of that horrifying news. There is a thin line between accepting your disability and the decline that comes with it. It’s also about the possibility of finding new resource to feel a bit better than I do now. A great therapeutic method is to creatively express myself in multiple ways. People that know me for a long time have seen some of the things I create. However, for a lot of years I destroyed my creations at a full moon to set myself free. Until an artist friend said to me: “you’re free. You’re allowed to keep it. It’s yours to keep or even share”. Now, I believe to create a space where everything comes together. A space where you can go to from anywhere as long as you have internet (LOL). A space to find a bit of peace, happiness but also a deeper story. A space called MUNISA ELEPHANTI. I was blessed to experience over a decade of extra time on this planet. I wanted to make most of this extra time. Creating MUNISA ELEPHANTI was one thing, but my health keeps surprising me. I went to see a doctor that really understood Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I contacted family and friends if they knew anyone that could help me by looking into my case. Unfortunately, in The Netherlands it wasn’t possible. A few weeks later I’m watching a young girl on YouTube called Bucketkris. She is traveling by herself in a wheelchair and having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She visited a doctor in Barcelona (Spain). I’ve heard of him before but on the video, I could see the streets and I knew I had to go to Barcelona to meet this doctor! It's a really weird feeling to go abroad for medical help. Partly because it’s an expensive trip. So, if I’m going to spend so much on research on my body, I must also spend time on my mental health during this trip. What better way to do so than to create MUNISA ELEPHANTI? Barcelona was a beautiful week. A week of questions to answer, and answers to question. It was the moment to set the path for MUNISA ELEPHANTI! Today is the start of the MUNISA ELEPHANTI website. On every FULL MOON you’ll find a story to inspire connection, humor and feel a bit of my life. Like MUNISA ELEPHANTI would say: “a bumpy road filled with tickles and laughter”! Be inspired by lifestyle themes such as music, food, and other recommendations every NEW MOON. Anything that can help you to clear your mind in a few minutes. The SUN ART page is still under construction. Please wait a little longer. The SUN RISE will show you the process of making my art. The SUN SET shows the result. Now it’s time. No more burning ideas or not sharing them with you. This is my life… from ME to YOU. It is wrapped in various ways. Hopefully we will bring you the tickles and laughter in a bumpy road! MUNISA ELEPHANTI is a community for all of YOU! Related content Previous Next

< Back Radio Nonnevot Date added: 11 Jan 2024 Duration: 15 - 30 min Category: Art Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Link kopiëren Introduction Next month in the South of the Netherlands Carnival is being celebrated in full swing. Description I absolutely love this period, dressing up with family and friends, painting your face, and of course, the music. Carnival (also known as “Vastelaovend”) is originally a Catholic folk festival and feast. "Carnival-like" celebrations were already held by the Romans, Egyptians, and Germans, similar to what we know today. The festival precedes the 40-day fasting period leading up to Easter. Music is an integral part of any folk celebration. It varies by region, but one of my favorite radio stations during this time is Radio Nonnevot. They play very local songs from Sittard, Limburg, so not everyone may understand the lyrics, but perhaps you can still enjoy the rhythm. Click on the related content button below to listen to Radio Nónnevot! MUNISA ELEPHANTI wishes you a lot of listening pleasure! Related content Previous Next

< Back Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Es Vedrá And Its Magnetic Attraction Saturday, 28 October 2023 As promised in the previous FULL MOON story, I would come back to the name of my new assistance dog, "Vedrá". If you missed the previous article, click on the related article below. Let me begin with what Es Vedrá means to me. First, a few facts. It is a large rock located southwest of Ibiza, approximately 400 meters high, consisting mainly of limestone. It is the primary botanical area for the Balearic Islands, with high concentrations of minerals and metals, creating a significant magnetic field. Only the Bermuda Triangle and the North Pole are said to be more magnetic. Next to Es Vedrá are Es Vedranell (also known as its sister) and Els Illiot de Pontent. The three rocks together are part of the natural reserve Cala d’Hort. Hundreds of people visit Es Vedrá daily to admire it. Could it be because of the magnetic field? The allure? Something rarely seen? The myths? I have met one of my best friends there, and he feels like family to me. Es Vedrá brought us together, or was it Atlantis? We enjoy the view, paint, laugh, make music, or simply sit in silence. Most visitors come only for a selfie, all from the same angle, the same bush, the same pose, you name it. The beautiful birds of prey are often entirely overlooked. Many visitors also leave behind trash, which we jokingly refer to as the 'new botanical garden,' picking it up on the way back for our coffee table. Is the beauty of Es Vedrá and its magnificent heart being exploited? What does Es Vedrá have to do with an assistance dog? When I met my trainer, she gave some tips on how to better function with your assistance dog. Not touching a assistance dog is, of course, number one (except for the user). You can slowly expand this indoors, but not too much. The name of an assistance dog is the most beautiful gift. The name means everything to the dog. It might trigger an action, like going outside, doing laundry, or having a meal. By not sharing the name, people cannot call her from a distance. This was not the case for my dear retired assistance dog, Louis. He was recognized so quickly that "hey Louis" would be shouted from 100 meters away, resulting in falls, etc. I know that if I'm in a room with you and I call her name, you'll know who she is. I hope that by explaining this, we can receive the respect so that we can continue to be a team for a long time. Vedrá and I know that assistance dogs have an attraction just like Es Vedrá. It is magnetic with love and light. Related content Previous Next

< Back Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link MUNISA ELEPHANTI Gift Wednesday, 18 September 2024 Munisa Elephanti loves to give presents! Sharing is the best feeling in the world! Did you find a gift yet, or did Munisa Elephanti give it to you in person? It took Munisa Elephanti quite some time to figure out what would be the ideal present to give to people I meet. It needed to be safe to leave in nature as well to give to the people who don’t know Munisa Elephanti yet. Everybody needs a present from time to time. Even people you don’t know. Maybe even more, because unknown people can give you new perspectives in life. In the previous FULL MOON story, we talked about Saint Rosa de Lima Peru. How important she is for Munisa Elephanti’s hometown and all the traditions. Therefore, we knew it needed to have a bit of Peru. Munisa Elephanti is not just about story telling. It’s a way of life. How to balance yourself in body, mind, spirit and love. Living a life full of pain day in day out can be exhausting. To keep the mind clear meditation is a major key! It’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay to say but not today! To help me get in that state of meditation (quick but guided) Palo Santo does that perfectly! Palo Santo cleans your body from negativities and cleans your room with positive love filled frequencies. Palo Santo from Peru is the gift. Munisa Elephanti is not from Peru. So how could we add some love from Sittard to you? When you loose control over your hands a lot of new perspectives occur in your mind. You realize how much stress you can let go by working with your hands. Writing, painting, crafting, making bracelets, crochet or embroidery. Munisa Elephanti loves it all. The paintings I make nowadays are body stamped paintings. We’ll tell you more about it soon. There’s one store called ‘Wollstreet’ in Sittard. Wollstreet is a big store where you can buy all types of yarn. The most amazing colors and materials all under one roof. I had a love and hate for this at the beginning. In the end love wins! I hated it because it confronted me with all the things I couldn’t do anymore. In time, the love of all the colors, possibilities of creating and crafting from scratch makes the pain of not being able less and less. I could sit there for hours looking at all the different kinds of yarn. Even looking at people using their hands gives a smile on my face. There’s no pain in enjoying people how they are enjoying themselves. Add the fact that the store is owned by al lovely lady Munisa Elephanti adds a piece of cotton yarn for you to make whatever you like. Last but not least, a gift from Munisa Elephanti wouldn’t be complete if We didn’t add the iconic Elephant butt. On a linen papier we give you a vision of a child, reality of an adult. Munisa Elephanti hopes you enjoy. Did you find it at a restaurant, meditation spot or store we would love to know! If you like to know how you can use palo santo, click on the related content button below. Dare to walk through the gate The MOON will be your light The SUN promises to rise again LOVE yourself LOVE all others You will find a bumpy road Filled with tickles and laughter Related content Previous Next

< Back Follow the Cows to Sluiz Date added: 3 Sept 2024 Duration: 60 - 120 min Category: Places Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Link kopiëren Introduction Are you looking for a place to be inspired on Ibiza? Just “follow the cows” to Sluiz. At the “world’s wackiest concept store” you’ll be inspired by art, home decorations, clothing, accessories and much more! Description What a shock it was on 31st July, when MUNISA ELEPHANTI learned the news of one of my favorite places on Ibiza was forced to close its doors for good. It was a store that was able to excite me from the parking lot. Cows hanging in trees and special parking spots for special people. How wonderful it was that they recognize specialties in all people! Once you entered the store you entered a world of art, quirky statues and a touch of provocation. Something MUNISA ELEPHANTI can relate to. When you walked through the entrance of the store, you were overwhelmed by all the products that are on display. From rustic furniture to pop art style art works, Sluiz had it all. Luckily for all of us, as MUNISA ELEPHANTI, Sluiz doesn’t take “no” for an answer and they have reopened their store ACROSS THE STREET 1st September 2024! So whenever you’re on Ibiza on the road from Santa Eulalia to Santa Gertrudis… Follow the cows to Sluiz! If you’re unable to visit their inspiring physical store, I am sure you’ll find some desirable items from the comfort of your own chair at home. Click on the related content button to visit their website. Related content Previous Next

< Back Goat Cheese Lolly’s Date added: 15 Sept 2023 Duration: 1 - 15 min Category: Food Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Link kopiëren Introduction This is an easy appetizer or amuse that you can create in various shapes and flavors. Description Ingredients Plate/bowl, skewers/toothpicks/fork, goat cheese, nuts (such as pistachios), walnuts, cranberries, raisins. I'm getting creative here with an additional flower mix for the edges because I want to try something new. MUNISA ELEPHANTI will get back to that later. Preparation Mix the nuts with the cranberries and raisins and finely chop them. Knead the mix with the goat cheese. Form small balls with your hands. Prepare your plate and skewers. Thread the goat cheese balls onto the skewers. Roll the balls in dried flowers or the crumbs of your nut mix and serve. Invite people over or take it with you and enjoy together! Click on the related conent button below for more floral inspiration. MUNISA ELEPHANTI says: Enjoy! Related content Previous Next