Weekend Recap Part 1: Planning for July 4th

What a weekend!

I have a weekend recap for you all, plus 3 tips for staying hydrated during next weekend's Independence Day festivities.

Saturday started with a car wash!  If my car could talk, it would say, "Finally!  Thank you for cleaning me up!".  I got the outside of the car nice and shiny, and vacuumed the inside as well.

Then, Andrew and I headed to The Grove for their Heritage Festival.  Many people know of this place because they had a field trip here in elementary school!  It even has a beautiful space called The Redfield Estate in which you can hold events such as weddings and dinner parties!  I can do a whole post on just the wedding planning at this place!  Let me know if this is something you are interested in by leaving a comment below!

While at The Grove, there were volunteers dressed up in mid-18th century clothing and doing reenacting of what it was like to live at this home in its prime.  Below is a man acting as a school teacher.  He asked all of the young boys and girls to behave and even taught them how to bow and courtesy! School was so different back then! (Note the chalk board and iron stove!)

 This is the school house from the outside.  An exact replica, built in 1982 that could have up to 33 children from grades 1 through 8 learning at the same time!

The day started to get very warm, so Andrew and I decided to cool off with a snack of fresh juicy watermelon under the shade of a tree.  Delish!  Note the multiple napkins...I still had loads of watermelon juice all over my face!

While at The Grove, we learned to march Civil War-style, dipped candles, saw how to make linen from flax, and simply walked the grounds enjoying the sun.  Whether or not you have kids, if you enjoy history and learning, this place is for you!  I really wish I would have made a candle, but there were too many kids at the time and I've made my own taper candle before...

To keep this post form getting too long, I will stop here.  Be on the look out for part 2 coming soon!

 

25 Days of Blogging- Day 23: Biltmore Estate

Hi Friends!

Today's post is going to be a little bit random.  I for the entirety of these posts, up until today, I have been planning and preparing the topic and pictures I want to post.  Now what it is only 2 days until this challenge is complete, I have stopped preparing.

This says a little about me, as I tend to do this fairly often.  First of all, I am definitely an idea generator.  I can come up with so many ideas in one day, but I rarely follow through with all of them.  That is not to say I never follow through (as I definitely do); I just wait for the perfect opportunity to come to my mind before actually doing anything about it.

Take this blog for example, I've had it for nearly 5 years, but have only just recently started putting content for you (my readers) this past year!  I guess I felt as though I had nothing to say until now haha!

So, enough about me...these posts are supposed to be about the holidays.  So here's what I am going to do.  Since I know we all have a very full plate this time of year, this post will remain short and sweet. AND!!  Since Andrew and I went on our Honeymoon to the Biltmore Estate, I will a leave you with some of the breathtaking pictures (from their website...as pictures were not allowed to be taken of the interior of the home) of the holiday season:

Link for Image

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25 Days of Blogging- Day 22: Oh Bring Me Some Figgey Pudding!!

Hi Friends!!

I have another recipe for you today, and guess what?  It holds a special place in my heart as well!  Bet you couldn't have guessed that...!

Depending on how long you have been reading this blog, you may or may not know that I have a love for history (Medieval/Rennaisance/18th/19th century eras to be exact).  I love these eras so much, I hope to one day make vegan recipe books for each!

Speaking of, I have already begun this journey!  I actually wrote and published a medieval cookbook called, Medieval Feats and Marvelous Treats.  The recipe I am about to share with you is found in this book alongside a short story about a young girl's adventured with her brother.  There are many authentic medieval recipes, each with their own story that I wrote myself.

I am very proud of this book, although I am sure I will do things differently for my next book.

What kind of vegan recipe book would you like to see?

25 Days of Blogging- Day 21: Cookies for Santa!

Hi Friends!

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, placing cookies and carrots on the table for Santa is a fun tradition that I still enjoy doing to this day!  Granted, Santa’s cookies are now more healthy, (and vegan), but they still taste amazing!  And since they are fairly healthy (I’m still working on replacing the vegan butter…) they are a perfect pairing with coffee or tea on the Holiday Morning!

So, before we dive into the recipe, I want to share a fun little story with you as to why these cookies are so important in my life.  When I was little, my parents told me that Santa’s favorite cookie was Almond Crescents.  Each year during the week before Christmas, we would head to the store and buy a box of Almond crescents and a pack of carrots to leave for the reindeer.

Fast forward several years and I found out that Almond Crescents weren’t Santa’s favorite cookie, but my dad’s!  My dad eventually told me that I never left Santa enough cookies, so he would bring the box downstairs to our living room while he and my mom wrapped presents (before Santa came of course).

I have tried my hand a few times at making these cookies from scratch, but it has been awhile; and since I am doing 25 Days of Blogging this year I figured, why not try it again and surprise Santa with some of his favorite homemade cookies!

This year, I am basing my recipe off of Vegan in the Freezer’s version, but making a few swaps from my past experience: