Author Archives: Jennifer

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Today is brutal. The weather is unbearably humid and fairly hot. I guess I shouldn’t complain since this summer has been pretty nice to everyone. It didn’t help that we had to park our car farther than usual and I had to carry a dirty wet 25 (and more) pound watermelon a quarter of a mile. My farm grew a record breaking (at least for them) 30 pound watermelon! Eek!

It is so hot that I actually plan on eating out tonight, even though I have more food than what I know what to do with. No way I’m turning an oven on in this small apartment.

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I have been plagued by this question- would Sailor Moon be a vegan? I feel like she would. So far I’ve only seen her eat mochi and toast, and that is in fact vegan. Actually, that’s not true. She is always eating generic bento boxes, which probably has some meats or fish packed in there. But I blame Usagi’s Mom, she is the one making the meals. I just picture Usagi sitting in her room eating lots of mochi and Earth Balance Mac and Cheese.

Realistically Sailor Mars would be the vegan since she is a shrine maiden. Shintoism has deep respect for animals, so Rei probably does as well (and her favorite food is vegetarian pizza, whatever that means). Or maybe Sailor Jupitar would be vegan? She is such a good cook that she looks for a challenge by cooking vegan food. She would save so much money! Although Sailor Neptune could be vegan since she is so smart.

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Can I make a confession? I kind-of hate watermelon. I know, that is totally un-American of me. It is actually a curse. I love the FLAVOR of watermelon, I just can’t stand the seeds. I am a chewer so I manage to crunch into each and every seed before I can spit it out. I know you are thinking “Well then just get seedless watermelon!” Yeah, I have tried farm fresh watermelon, and now seedless watermelon tastes like bland water pulp. So I am stuck craving watermelon but regretting the first bite.

This leaves me with a problem. Melons are doing really well at my farm. Just last week I took home THREE cantaloupe. Yup. That’s right three. I had to give one away since they were huge. This week I only got one small cantaloupe, and we got one watermelon. Then my mother in law pointed out that there was a huge watermelon that they were having a guessing contest for. Winner takes the watermelon. I never back down from a competition.

Low and behold the skills I picked up from working a restaurant kicked in. I thought “Wow this feels like a 25 lb bag of beets, only minus a pound.” So I guessed 24 lbs even, and I found myself taking a 24 pound watermelon home with my already huge pick from my share. I figured if I was going to get these watermelons gobbled up by the end of the week, I should probably drink them.

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I had this recipe sitting in the drafts section for a few months now… 7 months to be exact. Which is a shame because these are great cookies to make with non-vegan friends. It calls for almost all “normal” ingredients. Meaning there isn’t any fake butter, or things you wouldn’t find in the pantry. There is technically 2 tbsp of soy milk, but you can sub it for water. And there is flax and chia seeds, but you can take them out, you’ll just have a more tender cookie.

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New York Times have dubbed the best iced latte in America a vegan latte. Hard to believe but true. Two coffee shop owners didn’t want to put an iced latte on their menu because it wasn’t something they would drink. But they knew about the demand for an iced latte, and searched for a way to bring up to their standards. The answer was a velvety nut milk.

Am I claiming my latte is better? Well, no. But it is still pretty dang good. My biggest complaint about non-dairy lattes in stores is that they get gritty when hot, and iced the coffee gets dulled. I like my coffee strong so I find myself making my own coffee often at home because of it.

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I haven’t talked about fashion or clothing in awhile. But fall is coming up, and I am very excited about it. Although warm weather is nice, I much rather enjoy cold weather. If I had a million dollars, I would buy lots and lots of coats. It is something I fight since I know I really only need one for the winter. I use to have a wide selection but had to get rid of a bunch since most apartments I lived in had no coat closets.

Now I feel like I should add another coat to my collection, although I might not have enough money for some of them. That’s the problem with coats, they are so expensive and can only be worn for part of the year (and only part of the day too!) 

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1 : Swell Farewell Vintage / 2 : The Arbor Vitae / 3 : Fox Burrow Vintage

Can I say I am absolutely in love with this plaid swing coat with fur trim? If money was no object I would buy this coat right now. It looks so warm for the winter time, and would be great for layering. And I had a coat similar to this style, and that type of fur collar- simply amazing and snuggable. But I might want something that ties around the waste for flared skirts like this pumpkin spiced colored coat. It is much cheaper in comparison, and has a great color. Fox Burrow Vintage has a great green vintage coat with a houndstooth like pattern. Though, I feel like it would be the hardest to fit clothing underneath it, making it more of an errands coat, not a walk in the city coat.

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4 : Butch Wax Vintage / 5 : American Prospecting / 6 : Sartorial Matters

I am not a huge animal print person, but every so often I fall in love with it. I am not sure what makes me love this tiger print fur coat so much, but I want it badly. I was never a huge fur fan, and my vegan-like eating habits make it hard to justify wearing it. But I do love a nice vintage fur trimmed coat. Especially this mustard coat with dark fur trim. It looks nice a roomie for layering. I am also a sucker for capes. I know I shouldn’t since it is impossible to hold a purse with one, but I keep buying them. And I am loving this burnt orange plaid cape.

So is anyone else hunting around for winter coats already?


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Sorry that I’ve been MIA these past few sundays. My goal was to keep a list of articles and videos that I wanted to feature each week, but my work schedule kept hindered my writing. It’s not that I work really late, but I am on my feet all day and just need a chance to relax. Pile on some personal life issues and working on the blog fell to the bottom of my to do list.

I didn’t want the Sunday Reading post to go for another week, so I’m featuring lighter reads that I enjoyed and could relate to these past few weeks. Sure, some of these featured posts are a bit older, but I’d still like to share them, especially since they are written by some of my favorite blogs. Although I don’t assume my favorite bloggers have perfect lives, you rarely see any of their struggles through the eyes of their blog. So, I am glad to see some of these girls step up and say “hey, I’ve been going through some tough stuff too.”

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It has been a rough few weeks. My work schedule has been totally flipped upside down, and I found myself working mostly night shifts instead of morning. Which means that I’ve just been unable to make dinner for half of the week. Now, just the idea of cooking dinner feels like a chore. At the end of each day, I think about how someone has to cook otherwise our ingredients will go bad.

Luckily, I have the best husband who will cook dinner even though he gets home around 7pm at night. I become an early morning sous chef and pre-chop veggies to make it easier.  I’ll try to gather or bunch ingredients together in the fridge or cabinets, so he doesn’t have to hunt them down.  Sometimes all he has to do is toss a casserole dish in the oven and bake. But one night I wrote down a totally new recipe and let him work it out. 

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liebster2 We have been nominated for the Liebster Award! Awww I’m touched. For anyone who doesn’t know what it is, the Liebster Award isn’t really an award. It is structured game to connect to other bloggers and get to know each other. There have been various games like this when I started to blog 10 years ago, so I am kind-of psyched for some old school Q&A. I was tagged by Jamie from Cute Peach (whose new layout ROCKS!)

So what are the rules? 

  • List 11 facts about yourself
  • Answer the 11 questions asked by whoever nominated you
  • Nominate 5-11 bloggers* with less than 200 followers (excluding the blog who nominated you)
  • Ask 11 new questions for your chosen nominees

* I have seen this number be 11 (you know, 11 facts, 11 questions, 11 bloggers) but I was tagged with the rules being 5 so I am sticking to that.

11 Facts About Me

  1. I did color guard for one year in high school.
  2. I was in a music video for a band, I was just an extra though. (I have the short hair, blue shirt, and plaid pleated skirt for anyone who wants to look for me)
  3. I interned for Fox 29, the Philadelphia affiliate for the Fox network.
  4. My prom dresses were both sewn and designed by me.
  5. I built a cardboard car in college.
  6. I’ve been to only two countries, the United States and Canada
  7. At my jobs I have served Bruce Springsteen, Joe Flacco, and a bunch of Flyer players, whom I don’t know who they are but are famous.
  8. I really really love ice cream.
  9. I have been to three different Gwar concerts.
  10. I graduated from the University of the Arts in 2009 with a major in Finger Painting (just kidding it was in Video)
  11. I’m the youngest in my family.

11 Questions

How did you get into blogging and why do you like it?

I did it originally in high school. I remember starting out with a hosted blogs, sometimes updating manually, sometimes using blogger. I eventually made the switch to LiveJournal since it was easier to follow friends. But I dropped out of blogging for a long time, until recently. I found myself reading a bunch of fashion and food blogs and thought, why not?

What is your favorite book or book genre? Do you judge a book by its cover?

I think I judge covers in two ways. One is if the cover looks like a specific genre. I don’t think certain genres are bad, but when I look at a cover and it screams “historical fiction” or “horror” it puts me off. It isn’t that I won’t read them, I just feel like the publishers are trying too hard to sell a genre over the story. Then it comes off that the publishers don’t think anyone would like the book unless they love that genre.

I also hate covers with movies posters on them. I remember searching around nonstop to find a certain pressing of Raise the Red Lantern just because I wanted the cover with the lanterns on it instead of Gong Li sitting. I know it is suppose to help sell both the book AND the movie, but I am sorry I am READING the book, let it stand by itself.

What kind of music do you like?

Kind-of funny that Jamie asked this question since she knows my choice in music is ALL over the place. But I will summerize mentioning the two concerts I REALLY want to go to (but don’t have too much money) Perfume and Blonde Redhead. I definitely don’t have the money for Perfume, but possibly for Blonde Redhead… You can check out my last fm profile to see my top tracks, though my plays don’t always get tracked.

What are some of your other hobbies?

I went to art school so I use to make a lot of things. I’ve kind-of stopped and I wish I haven’t. Adult life have really blocked my creative juices. I use to paint, sew, film, photograph, block print, anything I could think of. Lately I’ve been keeping up with some photography, and I want to start sewing again. 

Do you have any fears or phobias?

Getting too old and getting Alzheimer’s or going into a vegetative state. I am a very proactive person, and I can barely sit still when I am sick. So the idea that I would forget who I am, or can’t do basic everyday functions freaks me out. Not only would I feel trapped, I would know it would really hurt people who love me. 

What is your favorite season of the year?

Fall. It is the best since you get to cuddle with a blanket at night, but it is still warm enough for long walks outside. It is also my favorite weather to go running in, breathing is super easy and sweating is minimal.

Are there any foods that you absolutely don’t like?

Steak. I can’t stand steak cooked in one big piece (like a steak house with potatoes)

What is the most interesting or delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

Hmm… not sure how to answer this one. I am pretty game to eating anything. Heck I would break my ethical eating to try something new ONCE. But I think the most interesting thing for most westerners would be natto. It is soybeans that are molded and are slimy. They stink and are stretchy like melted cheese. Weirdly I love eating them and will occasionally buy them frozen from Asian food markets.

Most delicious thing? Would probably be from Franklin Fountain. I would visit when the owners would still work the counters. They were awesome because you could go in and say “I want a pumpkin milkshake.” Then the owner would chime in a say “Oh add some malt, and walnuts, and a little caramel swirl!” and it would be brilliant. So a Caramal Swirled Malted Pumpkin Milkshake is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. Best thing? They now sell vegan pumpkin ice cream and vegan caramel so I can almost recreate that milkshake again this fall.

If you could travel to any country in the world (either to live or to visit) where would you go and why?

I would live in Portland Maine. I visited the city for my honeymoon and I thought “I could live here.” I love mild summers and lots of snow. There is also a great local food movement in the area, which gave me lots of eating options. If I could visit anywhere it would be Korea or Japan. They are awesome countries, with lots of food that I want to try.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

I would want everyone to be more responsible. I wish people read more, kept learning, were more aware of how to preserve the earth, and ate a little less meat. I know everyone thinks differently, or have different priorities so it isn’t like I want everyone to be just like me. Then life would be boring. 

Nominees:

Alexa from One Raw Bite Okay this might be cheating but I wanted my co-blogger to also answer some questions! (no need to nominate someone bbcakes!)

Jenny from She Loves Dresses I’ve been stalking Jenny on Instagram and she just opened up her blog. She has such a cute wardrobe and wears vintage in a refreshingly different way.

Ursula from Ursula Goes She feeds my love of outdoors. Her blog features some cute photos from her hikes and trips.

Katie from Buddle and Squeak I love Katie’s positivity and feminist posts. She has such a cute and quirky sense of style.

Allison from The Mantis Princess I started to follow this blog right when she started it! She has super cute hair and glasses.

Miss Lixxie Lou from Miss Lixxie Lou Another instagramer I’ve been following who just opened up a blog! She also wear vintage styled clothing but in a very different way from Jenny (She Loves Dresses)

11 Questions for the Nominees

  1. What is your favorite food: One savory, one sweet?
  2. How would your describe your fashion sense?
  3. Which do you prefer dresses or skirts? (or pants or shorts?)
  4. Where are you from, and where is the furthest you’ve traveled from there?
  5. What would your consider the best day off?
  6. How do you take your coffee?
  7. Do you have any pets? Who are they?
  8. Are you more likely to watch TV shows or Movies? 
  9. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
  10. If money didn’t matter, what would you be doing with your life?
  11. Other than what you feature in your blog, what are your other hobbies?

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Alexa is searching around for new healthy snacks, but sometimes I neglect to try out new things. When shopping with my husband I have a one track mind, get everything on the list. If I don’t I would bring home an extra $30s worth of snacks home each week. Which isn’t so great on my wallet. But while in New York last weekend, I let myself splurge a little. I saw two things I wanted to try in a small grocer, raw chocolate and Califa Farms’ almond milk.

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