Mimi Mine

 I have long found carriage house or lantern style lighting to be very charming. Some people might refer to the style as Georgian. The appeal for me is the old world charm such fixtures exude. To me, the lantern style fixtures go well with the French Country aesthetic and I am quite partial to that style. The ones I so much admire are often painted black and sport lots of sparkling glass "windows" or panes of glass.  Though I adore the style, the retail price for most of these beauties is much more than I care to pay. So, I  was keeping an eye out for something that would have the characteristics I had been looking for and still be achievable at a price I was willing to pay. Some time ago, I was perusing a local thrift store and spied a light fixture that had lots of potential. It was, however, not black but a shiny brass one. It was in very good condition and, at around 22 inches in height, was a perfect size for my family/living room. The fixture had six l...

Do you like cookies? Most people do enjoy a cookie every once in awhile and I am no exception. There is nothing quite like the fragrance of goods freshly baked in one's own kitchen. Cookies are one of those treats that are especially fun to make when you can share the experience with one of your favorite grandchildren. Kids love to help while baking is being done and my Sophie is no exception. Of all the desserts classified as cookies, Snickerdoodles are one of my absolute favorites. For some reason, I have never actually baked Snickerdoodle cookies. That is, I have never baked any homemade Snickerdoodles, totally from scratch. I have bought the ones that are in a plastic tub (some of which are even already pre-formed individual portions of dough). You may have purchased these and they can be stored in the freezer. Now, mind you, those are actually pretty good. At least, the ones I have had experience with have been good. For the past week or so, I have been guiltily thinking a...

It has been ages since I last posted on my blog and I really miss posting and visiting others on a regular basis. It so happens that I have been having a lot of pain and discomfort in my hands for several years and it has become more intense and debilitating in recent months. I have been severely limited in my ability to do many of the things I like most to do. Being one who puts off going to see a doctor until it can no longer avoided, I kept hoping things would get better and things only got worse. I finally broke down and went to see the doctor who had performed carpal tunnel surgery on one of my hands years ago. I was thinking (hoping) he would probably tell me a there was a quick fix for whatever was ailing me. It was a real let down to hear that I have arthritis in both hands and in one hand there is no cartilage  between the thumb and index finger at all. In his words, "bone is literally touching bone in the joint." Any surgery to try and correct the prob...

I attempted to write this post earlier and somehow managed to publish the post before it was completed. Therefore, I am giving it another shot. Please forgive if you inadvertently received the fragment of the first attempt. I hope that doesn't happen again as it is very disconcerting, to say the least. Today, I would like to share another place that is near and dear to my heart. Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens is a wonderful place to visit and has been named among the top ten zoos in America by TripAdviser in May, 2012. You can read about that  here .  We have been visiting Riverbanks for many years and, as with many places we know and love, we have watched it evolve. We began taking the eldest of two daughters when she was very young and she is now in her early forties. We now have the privilege of taking our five grandchildren, more often to the zoo than to the gardens because, like most children, they love seeing all of the many animals. There are very large mammals,...