Author: Virginia Ellen
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Amethyst
Amethyst, a semi-precious stone, is the traditional birthstone for February. It is a violet variety of quartz and is found in South America, North America, Africa and Asia. The best amethyst comes from Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and the far east. Greek for “not-intoxicated”, amethyst was believed to prevent drunkenness and in fact people made… Read more
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Celtic Symbols
What are Celtic symbols and where do they come from? The Celts are a diverse group of peoples united by a common language and related cultures. The Celts originated in central Europe, spreading out to France, the British Isles, and parts of Spain. From what historians and archeologists can tell, the Celts arrived in Great… Read more
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Happy Chinese New Year (of the Red Rooster)!
Celebrating Chinese New Year is a great excuse to throw a make-your-own wonton party! It’s also a fun time to wear our new rooster earrings. This year, the Chinese New Year starts on January 28th. Chinese New Year is 16 days of festivities. There are seven lucky foods which include fish, dumplings, spring rolls, rice… Read more
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Artisan Boutique Show
Swain School Holiday Marketplace Moves to Macungie This year The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is hosting a Boutique Style show at the Macungie Institute. We have a new name and a new venue – but you can expect the same quality of fine hand-made crafts from local artisans. Saturday, October 8th… Read more
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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks salt and pepper 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, diced 3 carrots, peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 8 cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves 3/4 cup uncooked… Read more
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Irish Cultural Community Day
MAR 19 SAT Irish Cultural Community Day 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM FREE Open to the public. This event is presented by the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Inc. and sponsored by the West End Alliance of Businesses as a contribution to the community to highlight the Irish culture in dance, song, art, music, sport… Read more
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Happy Year of the Fire Monkey
In case you missed it… here is a post about the Chinese Zodiac from 2014… How the Buddha Named the Years Posted on January 21, 2014 by Virginia Ellen As you are no doubt aware, Chinese years are associated with animals, but you may not know how this tradition started. Many, many years ago on… Read more
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Venus Jasper
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, our feature gemstone is Venus Jasper. Mined in Mexico, Venus Jasper gets its name from the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Metaphysically, Jasper is known as the “Supreme Nurturer,” as it is a stone of grounding and stability, providing comfort and security, strength and healing. Read more
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Updated White Chicken Chili Recipe
After making this recipe many times, we have refined it a bit, and have added a large version for parties and occasions where you have more hungry folks. I made the mistake of taking this off the menu for one of our parties, and can’t tell you how many people asked “Where is your chicken… Read more