Tag Archives: richmond

Event Announcement: Meet Up @ Local Barre

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Hello friends!

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

We have an exciting announcement to make! The lovely folks at Local Barre have offered all the Virginia Bloggers members a free barre class on Saturday, December 8th, at 1pm. The studio is located near Short Pump, and space is limited, so please RSVP as soon as you can! (Just shoot us an e-mail at virginiabloggers@gmail.com and let us know!)

To learn more about the barre classes, click here!

Hope you’re all having a great week!

Liz

Guest Blogger: A T-Shirt and Pearls

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Hi there! I am Sarah from over at A T-Shirt and Pearls. A T-Shirt and Pearls is a collection of my musings on fashion, decorating, cooking, entertaining, and life in general. I have a little something for everyone, so stop on by and check things out. Hopefully you’ll find something you like and stay awhile. You can also link up with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest via my blog.

I live with my husband, Britt, in Richmond, VA. We met while attending Randolph-Macon College and decided to stick around. It was an amazing decision and we love our little home and life in the suburbs of Richmond.

While I have you here, I wanted to share an upcoming event that is happening right near my Alma Mater, in the quaint little town of Ashland, VA. The event is called Deck the Halls and is taking place on Sunday, December 2 from 11-4. I am so super excited for this event and have already gathered a group of girlfriends to go with me. I hope some of you will join us there!

Deck the Halls is a fundraiser for Hilliard House. Hilliard House provides housing and supportive services for homeless women and children (up to age 18) for a stay of up to one year. Their mission is to provide support and services to these families in order to build their capacity to go out and live productively in the community (information from hilliardhouse.org). So, in a nutshell, this event is for a really good cause. I encourage you to check out their website to learn more about their programs and ways you can volunteer.

Deck the Halls is an outdoor event on a historic farm in Ashland. The cost of your ticket allows you to make as many fresh Christmas decorations as you can carry! {I have had two third floor apartments in my life and I have learned how to carry a lot, like bags from my fingertips to shoulders…two trips are for weaklings. So, I plan to make and carry a lot of good Christmas decorations!} They will provide you with a variety of fresh cut greenery: pine, cedar, hemlock, fraser fir, holly, nandina, boxwood and more and all of the greenery is from local farms! They will also have bows, wreath forms, wire, clippers, gloves, and anything else you need for your wreath making adventures. There will be garden club volunteers there to help you with your creations incase you are not very crafty, which I am not. While you are there you can visit the warm and cozy Big Red Barn for holiday treats, cocoa, and live music. There will also be pre-made greens and other goodies for sale.

The cost for all of this is only $25 (!!!) but get your tickets now because after Thanksgiving the ticket price increases to $30. Still a good deal, but why not save yourself $5?! For all of the details on this event and to purchase your tickets you can click here. You can also visit the Facebook page for Deck the Halls here.

This will be my first time at Deck the Halls and I am excited to fill my home with the smell of fresh greens all while helping a great organization. Make sure to check back on my blog because I will be posting pictures of the event and all of my goodies I create…hopefully they will be worthy of sharing and not a hot mess! See you soon!

Sarah @ A T-Shirt and Pearls

Guest Post: Dogs of Richmond

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Hey everyone, Paws up! My name is Conor, but you can call me Conor, and I “blog” at DogsofRichmond. This is a one stop shop for pictures of local pups, doggie events around town, and some scattering of my sporadic life. My recent life has been anything but scheduled. I moved to Virginia a year and half ago from Ohio, started a career, bought a house, and have picked up and dropped almost every hobby possible. The only constant thing in my life has been being a dog-owner and dog-lover.

Liz from IHeartVegetables actually got me started blogging about this passion and it’s given me excuses to run around taking photos of cuties to share with everyone! Regardless of how awkward that makes me look…

My posts are 60% about dogs I run into during my weekend adventures in Virginia. They are 20% events in the area including costume contests, dog meetups, and even human-activities. The last 30% of the blog is filled with weird life events or adventures I think are funny but are probably just socially embarrassing. Did I mention I’m great at math?

If you like cats, that’s cool. I own a gray tabby who happens to be a wizard. However, Dogs of Richmond probably isn’t for you. If you secretly are a dog-person, no fear! You can browse the blog in a private tab and no one will ever know (Shift+N in Chrome). I won’t tell the cats.

In the time I’m not blogging about, talking about, or photographing dogs I’m usually sleeping or playing video games. There are other skills I consider myself proficient in: Tree-climbing, hair-flipping, planking, owling, slaying dragons, sleeping through my alarm clock, drinking an excessive amount of white mochas, and putting clothes on ALL BY MYSELF! :D

Feel free to stop by Dogs of Richmond, but wipe your feet and paws first, I just mopped. If you’re a Social Media junkie like myself, you can stay looped in with Dogs and my crazy mind on Tumblr, Twitter, & Instagram @DogsofRichmond!

Flames 231 Meet Up Recap

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We had a great turn out at the meet up on Saturday! Thank you to everyone that came out, and a special thanks to Flames 231 for accommodating our group! It was so awesome meeting new faces and having such a diverse mix of food, lifestyle, fashion, and fitness bloggers!


Clockwise from left: Kaytee, Ashley & Jeri, Liz, Conor, Jonna, Valerie, Eric, Ellen, Ann, Carrie, Gabby, Sarah, Kate, Shannon, Brian and Sydney!

It was great seeing so many bloggers, and meeting some for the first time!

The food and the service was great (especially their homemade hummus!) and it was so much fun connecting with local bloggers from around the state. I’d highly recommend the food here, (gluten free pizza crust, vegan cheese, so many options!) and I’ll definitely be going back soon.

For more recaps on the event, check out some of these great bloggers!

Shannon from Thirsty Richmond

Valerie from Pursuit of Sweetness

Jonna from Naturally Glam

Conor from Dogs of Richmond

Kaytee from Kaytee Lauren

Ashley & Jeri from Fashion Junkies United

If I missed any recaps, let me know!

Thank you all for coming, and thanks to Flames 231 and The Firestarter Group for hosting our event!

Virginia LOVE,

Liz @ I Heart Vegetables

Next Virginia Bloggers Meet Up- Oct 20th

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Hello friends!

There have been tons of events and activities going on around the state, so hopefully you’re all enjoy the season now that fall is underway! We’re excited to announce the next “official” Virginia Bloggers Meet Up!

What: Virginia Blogger Meet Up (ALL bloggers welcome! Lifestyle, fashion, food, fitness, DIY, etc.)

When: Saturday, Oct. 20th @ 1pm

Where: Flames 231 – a new local pizza place located in downtown Richmond (click here for directions)

And just in case you’re not totally convinced…

The pizza is delicious!

We love meeting new people, so even if you’ve never come to an event before, we’d love to have you!

Please RSVP by Oct. 15th, by e-mailing us at virginiabloggers@gmail.com

Event Annoucement: RVAFB Meet Up THIS MONDAY!

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Hi all!

We have an important announcement for all the fashion bloggers out there!

RVA Fashion Bloggers is holding a meet up this Monday night @ 7pm, at Tastebuds American Bistro

4019 MacArthur Avenue, Richmond VA 23227 (it is in the Northside of Richmond, off of Laburnum Ave. in Bellevue).
You can read a recap of the last RVAFB Meet Up here, and I’m sure this one is going to be fantastic as well!

Just a few of the beautiful people from the June meet up!

You can check out all the details on their blog here. And while you’re there, check out some of the fashion blogs!

Event Announcement! Meet Up @ Kabab Grille

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Hey bloggers!

Come join the Virginia Bloggers at Kabab Grille in Richmond on August 4th at 1:00 PM for a #VAis4Bloggers meet-up, where we will feast on authentic halal Pakistani (Punjabi) dishes prepared especially for us by the creative, and award-winning kitchen.

Kabab Grille has offered us a 50% discount ($5.75 for everything except drinks) on an array of menu items that will be served to us family style, as well as the opportunity to sample more of what we’ve tasted—or entirely different dishes altogether—from the impressive lunch buffet.

In addition to the ever-changing buffet menu, some of the dishes prepared exclusively for us will be Chicken Tandori Kababs, Goat Curry, Channa Masala, Tofu Jalfrezzi, Tandori Naan, Chicken Curry, and assorted Basmati rices. Vegetable dishes will rotate throughout the day, but may include Baingan Bharta (eggplant), zucchini, and Daal Tarka (lentils).

And of course, let’s not forget the real reason I’m going to be there: Halwah, a saffron-and-pistachio infused cream of wheat dessert that I first tasted at the Richmond Vegetarian Festival and subsequently had a near- foodie heaven experience.

Please RSVP to virginiabloggers@gmail.com if you can make it!

[For directions, please visit Kabab Grille's website.] You can also check out their Facebook page here!

Hope to see you there!

Guest Post: Whirl & Whisk

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Today’s guest blogger is a self-described bakeaholoic who makes some crazy-delicious goodies! Spend 10 seconds on her blog, and your sweet tooth will be itching for a bite! Today, she’s sharing a recipe for some homemade hazelnut candy bars! Enjoy!

I love living in Richmond. I grew up hearing (and believing) that Richmond was boring, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to find that Richmond is full of extraordinary places! Especially when it comes to food. I adore my city’s love for food and it has inspired me to start my blog whirl + whisk where I bake up something sweet daily.

One place in RVA that I love is Pasture. It’s a little restaurant located on E. Grace Street. They have THE most amazing homemade hazelnut candy bar. It is borderline life changing. So naturally I had to try to make it myself.

I’m not a huge fan of the actual hazelnuts in the candy bar, so I didn’t add any to my recipe, but there’s lots of Nutella flavor to make up for it! Feel free to add whatever you like to this recipe!

Hazelnut Candy Bar

Prep Time:†10 minutes (2 hours cooling time)
Bake Time:†0
Yields:†3 candy bars

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
Directions:

    1. Mix chocolate and nutella in a bowl. Set aside
    2. Heat heavy whipping cream in a pan until it is about to boil (when bubbles start around the edges) and poor it over the chocolate and nutella mixture and whisk on med-high for about 2-3 minutes
    3. Line a square baking sheet with parchment paper and poor the mixture in. Let cool for 2 hours
    4. Remove the parchment and cut into 1 inch strips. Cut the strips in half
    5. Stack 4 pieces on top of each other (they will stick together) putting melted milk chocolate in between
    6. Add more milk chocolate to the top and set in the fridge for 20 minutes
    7. EAT!
It came out amazing, and very close to the real deal. As a dessert and snack blogger, I can say that Richmond offers up a ton of inspiration for me and I wouldn’t be happier anywhere else.
Be sure to follow my blog to keep up with all of the crazy desserts and snacks I make daily! Like…

See more desserts and deliciousness @ Whirl & Whisk

Lunching Richmond: 52 Lunches

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It started as a game. Of course it started as a game.

We (Adam & Ethan) work for the same company and had briefly worked together, but didn’t realize at first how much our interests overlapped. Cyclists, dads, gamers, geeks. We started a weekly lunch and on the way to the second one, Adam turned it into a game. “You know what would be fun? If we never ate at the same place twice.”

The rules were simple. One of us picked a new place to eat and also paid. The following week the other would do the same. The first to repeat a choice, loses.

We made it to somewhere around week 30 before a repeat (for the record, Ethan lost). Instead of giving up though, we started round two and doubled down. We added reviews to the mix. Whoever picks still pays, but the recipient of the free lunch has to review the choice. We’d both blogged with some regularity previously, so writing was something we already enjoyed. At the time, a years worth of new restaurants seemed like a monumental undertaking, so we went with 52 and were off to the races. We also started capturing our Lunch Topics. Regular readers know we’re very much into games.

The learning curve for restaurant reviews was surprising at first. Expanding our culinary vocabulary beyond “that taste good” took some time. Eventually we got our sea legs though. We know what we like and are more than happy to share it with our readers. When we finally hit review 52, we discussed briefly resetting the game. A season 2 if you will. We quickly did away with that notion however and are now on the brink of 100 reviews. At this point it looks to go on to the bitter end, neither of us yielding until Richmond runs out of restaurants. And given the turnover in the Richmond restaurant scene, that doesn’t seem imminent.

Adam & Ethan @ 52 Lunches

You can check out all their reviews of Richmond restaurants on their blog, but here are some of our favorites (all pictured above):

Anyone have some suggestions to pass along to Adam & Ethan?

Thursday Feature: Volunteer Gardening

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Hi again! It’s Adrienne. You may remember me from my healthy snacking post back in May.

Not only do I like to attempt to take good care of myself but I also enjoy helping others. I strive to regularly volunteer and this past weekend I had the opportunity to do so over at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

In the back of the park hidden from the regular visitors, they have almost an acre of gardens that produce vegetables for FeedMore’s Community Kitchen. This year they hope to produce 10,000 pounds of crop. Last year they only missed the mark by about 80 pounds!

The garden depends heavily on volunteers to help with all tasks from tilling the land to harvesting at the end of the season. I enjoy gardening at my own house so I thought it’d be fun to help out.

We spent the morning moving through various tasks.

The first thing we did was check squash plants for squash bug eggs. It’s a tedious but necessary task that helps prevent the bugs from killing the plants. To get rid of the eggs, we snapped off any leaves that held the tiny, copper-colored eggs. Pretty easy to do and rewarding.

We planted tomatoes next. Many plants are grown from seed on site but others are often donated like the ones we dealt with. We planted about 30 plants in a very short amount of time. It’s amazing how much you can achieve with a good amount of volunteers!

After planting another 20 or so tomato plants, our last task was to do some weeding in the wheelchair accessible beds. Yet another task that seemed to go quickly. Did I mention that I love weeding? Not normal. :)

I really enjoyed the morning – talking to the other volunteers and learning a little from the head gardener all while helping the community. I hope to visit again soon. It’ll be fun to see the results of our work!

If you’re interested in joining me one Saturday, please visit Hands On Greater Richmond to sign up. I usually click on the ‘Project Calendar’ at the right-hand side of the page to find opportunities. On the calendar you’ll see that you can volunteer at Lewis Ginter every Saturday and Monday for the next couple months.

You don’t need any experience to come help! Just wear some clothes that you wouldn’t mind getting dirty, closed toe shoes and bring gardening gloves if you have them. Water and sunscreen are good to have too!

Feel free to email me at hippieitch [at] gmail [dot] com if you have any questions or comments!

Adrienne @ HippieItch