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“They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere"

~ Sir Percy Blackney, The Scarlet Pimpernel

Over the years, I have heard of The Scarlet Pimpernel here and there, but up until last year I knew very little of what the story was actually about. I always enjoy trying new things best with my family, so, when I finally decided to give this classic a try, it was unanimously agreed upon to be our next sister buddy/read-aloud.

 
Baroness Emma Orczy, 10 June 1920

The Scarlet Pimpernel was written first as a play by Baroness Orczy in 1903. Its success was so great that it was then published as a novel in 1905. 

The story begins in the year 1792, during the height of the French Revolution. Triumph has turned to terror, and all dilemmas in the city of Paris are answered in the form of executions. However, a mysterious Englishman, only known has "The Scarlet Pimpernel", has made it his mission to rescue the innocent French aristocracy from the clutches of Madame Guillotine.

 Madame Grand (NoΓ«l-Catherine VerlΓ©e, 1761–1835)  Artist: Γ‰lisabeth Louise VigΓ©e Le Brun
 
 
Lady Marguerite Blackeney, a former french actress, is now the belle of English society since her marriage to the silly and dandified, Sir Percy Blackney.
 
Upon discovering that her beloved brother's life hangs in the balance, Marguerite is thrown into a quandary. Should she aid her blackmailer in discovering the identity of the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel? Or should she turn to her frivolous husband for help? Perhaps the Scarlet Pimpernel himself is the only one who can solve this quandary!
 
 
Artist: Arturo Ricci (1854-1919) - Musical SoirΓ©e
 
I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but suffice it to say - we adored this book!
The writing was excellent and the drama impeccable. As secrets began to give way to answers, it was fascinating to see how Marguerite and Sir Percy managed to resolve their seemingly insurmountable differences. And as to the Scarlet Pimpernel and his league of compatriots, they were pretty fantastic as well!  We had a lot of good laughs along the way at some of the over-the-top drama and Sir Percy's ridiculous ways.
 
The historical setting was fascinating and has made us want to read some non-fiction books that explore the background and history of the French Revolution in more depth.
 
 You can read this book for free on Project Gutenberg HERE
And you can listen to this book for free on Librivox HERE
 
 
 
 Once we finished the book we decided that we had to round off the experience by watching a movie version of it!  We chose the 1982 adaptation to start with. 
 
This film combined the first book with some of the incidents that take place in the other books in the Scarlet Pimpernel series and they wove them together marvelously into a seamless plot. The script contained a lot of funny banter between Sir Percy and the villain, Chauvelin. 
 
Various family members watched it with us, and were able to follow the story line without ever having read the book. This movie even got a thumbs up from our brothers and has made it to our list of  re-watches.
 
So, if you decide you'd rather skip the read and watch the film . . .
You can watch the movie HERE

 
Naturally, we soon discovered that each one of us needed a copy of this gem of a book. Juuust in case we should all three decide to read The Scarlet Pimpernel simultaneously . . . which is very likely to happen once we begin discussing it. We have already begun working our way through the rest of The Scarlet Pimpernel series, and we'll have to keep you updated with how the series progresses!
 
From left to right: Bridget, Megan, and Brittany.
 
I am so glad we read this book together and can now form our own little league. Books are so much better when shared together!
 

 
 

 
The lovely blooms of spring have been calling to me outside my window, and I wanted to try and capture some of their beauty with my paintbrush.
 
 
New Feet Within My Garden Go
by
Emily Dickinson
 
New feet within my garden go—
New fingers stir the sod—
A Troubadour upon the Elm
Betrays the solitude.

New children play upon the green—
New Weary sleep below—
And still the pensive Spring returns—
And still the punctual snow! 
 

 
My main inspiration for this piece came from the first stanza of the poem above.
This first thing to appear on the paper was this jolly wren, dashing through the violets and stirring up the sod with his little feet!
 
 
Next, for our darling troubadour, I painted a blue bird perched amongst the daffodils singing a sweet song of spring! Fluttering, Orange Sulphur butterflies were the perfect finishing touch to complete this watercolor.



 We're currently giving this mini art print away with all orders placed in our Etsy Shop during the spring months. It's such a sweet reminder of all the beauty of spring! πŸŒΈπŸƒ
 


 

 Any time is a good time for a coffee break!

Most days we usually whip up a batch of frozen mocha frappes, however the cooler temps of these late-winter and early-spring days have had us experimenting with our go-to coffee recipes and we've been loving these toasty, warm Caramel Macchiatos.

We've also been loving this new mushroom and hedgehog mug from our Redbubble shop. Covered with snails, bumble bees, frogs and mushrooms - it's perfect for Spring!


Dairy-Free Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Makes one serving


1 tsp collagen powder
1 tsp coconut milk powder
1 tsp coconut sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
dash of salt

1 tsp of caramel syrup
1 cup of almond milk - unsweetened with vanilla
1 cup of coffee - (caramel flavored coffee makes a more caramel-y tasting drink without adding any extra sugar.)



Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk until combined.
Bring to a simmer on medium heat.

Once the liquid begins to bubble, turn off the heat and froth the mixture with an immersion blender. (Macchiato could be frothed in a traditional blender instead.)

 Ladle into your favorite mug and top with your preferred toppings!

We love to add a dollop of whipped coconut cream and a dash of cinnamon.


 

Caffeine-Free Variation:

Since some of us are sensitive to caffeine, we usually substitute the coffee with dandelion root tea.

Brew a bag for 15 minutes and use just as you would the coffee. Since dandelion root tea is not as strong as coffee, we prefer to omit the caramel syrup because it can overly sweeten the macchiato. 
 
Large Batch Variation:

Makes 60 servings
 

 
1 Cup Collagen Powder
1 Cup Coconut Milk Powder
1 Cup Coconut Sugar
2 Cups Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Salt 
  
Being a big family means that we're usually making six drinks at a time, and we've found it to be a super time-saver to mix up a large batch of dry ingredients ahead of time and store in an airtight container. The above portions make 60 servings (10 batches of macchiatos for six people). πŸ˜‰πŸ˜‹

When we're ready to make a batch of drinks we combine:

1/2 cup of dry macchiato mixture
2 cups of coffee (or 2 bags of dandelion root tea steeped for 15 min)
2 cups of almond milk - unsweetened with vanilla
2 Tablespoons of caramel syrup.

To finish we just follow the above directions.
 
Let us know if you decide to try making these or let us know what your favorite warm beverage is in the comments down below! 
 
Note: We've linked to all the ingredients that we like to use, but we're not affiliated with any of these brands. We just wanted to share our favorite suppliers since using different brands can sometimes affect the taste. 😊


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