Cavagnole was a French game of chance similar to Bingo or Lottery. It was a low stakes game, extremely easy to learn and cheat at, and rather boring to play. Nevertheless, it was very popular. In the late 1730s the game became all the rage among the ladies of Versailles, Queen Marie...
Continuing the quest to cover the alphabet! That may prove impossible due to the vast number of words in the English language, but I can try to find a few fascinating examples. For a list of all my archived posts covering the topic: VOCABULARY Flea Market The term flea market...
American Independence Facts In May, 1776, after nearly a year of trying to resolve their differences with England, the colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Finally, in June, admitting that their efforts were hopeless, a committee was formed to compose the formal Declaration of Independence....
The final and full text of the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Congress on July 4, 1776. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the intention of the Declaration was not to say something new, but– …to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain...
Red, White, and Blue Pasta Salad Ingredients:16 oz rotini pastaRed and blue food coloring16 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed6 oz pepperoni slices, quartered7.5 oz marinated artichoke hearts, chopped3.5 oz sliced olives15.5 oz garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained1 medium red onion, diced1 red bell pepper, dicedCheese & Garlic Italian dressingsalt & pepper to...
Coconut Water and Fresh Berry Popsicles Ingredients Fresh Berries (blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, etc.)Coconut Water (best with pure coconut water such as Amy and Brian’s Coconut Juice)Instructions Drop berries into popsicle molds (smaller pieces will go to the bottom, others will have to be gently nudged into the mold using...
Continuing the quest to cover the alphabet! That may prove impossible due to the vast number of words in the English language, but I can try to find a few fascinating examples. For a list of all my archived posts covering the topic: VOCABULARY Earl Earl is the counterpart of...
Incroyable et Merveilleuse was a set of 33 engravings, published in 1814, depicting extremely fashionable French men and women. They were engraved by George-Jacques Gatine after drawings by Horace Vernet and Louis-Marie Lanté. While most fashion plates were on a small scale designed to fit in women’s magazines such as...
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1: 3 A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the...
Today is Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday or Covenant Thursday or Great Thursday. The term “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum which means “command” and refers to the command Jesus issued on the last Thursday of His life, which was to “love one another as I have loved...
Peeps are marshmallow candies, sold in the United States and Canada, that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals. There are also different shapes used for various holidays. Peeps are used primarily to fill Easter baskets, though recent ad campaigns tout the candy as “Peeps – Always in Season”....
Today is Shrove Tuesday — also known as “Mardi Gras” or “Fat Tuesday” — the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Traditionally viewed as a day of repentance, Shrove Tuesday has become a day of celebration and feasting before the period of fasting required during the Lenten season. The name Shrove...
Fashion print is from the March 1818 issue of Ackermann’s Repository of Arts fashion magazine. The image to the right is the original plate, faded and yellowed over time. Below is the fashion plate as refined by me. The print was described in the magazine as follows: “A fawn-coloured poplin...
ORGEAT – the drink with the odd pronunciation (I will explain in a moment), is never mentioned by Jane Austen, either in a letter or her novels, but surely would have been known to her. Mentions of Orgeat being served at Almacks and other Society gatherings are scattered throughout letters...
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch...
