Happy Easter Sunday 2024

Noli me tangere by Simone Cantarini (1612 - 1648), an Italian painter who was born in Pesaro, the then Papal States 

Scholars of theology think Mary Magdalene was an influential figure in the early Christian Church. According to all 4 Gospels, she was one of the women who traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry from the beginning to the end. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mention her by name 12 times, more than any other woman fellower, as well as, more than most of the apostles. Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute. Blame Pope Gregory IX for a sermon he gave in the 13th century for this wrong perception. According to the Gospels, she witnessed the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and was the first person Jesus appeared to after rising from the dead. Some theologians think she was a leader of the early church. She is declared a saint in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches. In 2016 Pope Francis elevated her status higher calling her the "Apostle of the Apostles." Theologians postulate the reason Mary Magdalene was the 1st person the risen Christ appeared to was due to how highly he regarded her. Some of the unauthorized (called non-canon gospels, the gospels of Thomas and Philip) portray Jesus and Mary as romantically close, which so far is impossible to confirm, but surely will continue to be the source of endless speculation. Easter, the most important date on the Christian calendar, celebrates hope, optimism, and human perseverance.

Enjoy the day and eat the chocolate.

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Sterling Silver Mother Of Pearl Drop Earrings

In 199os innovations in the freshwater pearl industry brought down the prices of what was once a natural gem far too expensive for the masses to buy. Pearls were for royals. Today genuine pearls no longer cost an arm and a leg and are quite reasonably priced. As a general rule,  I recommend not settling for fake pearls, instead buy real freshwater pearls as they're affordable and worth the money.

Nonetheless, every rule has an exception. The exception could well be these dangle pearls selling on Amazon for $16.88. Here's why ...

1)  A pair of 12" round real pearl earrings in 14K - 18K gold costs about $1,000, which is a lot of money! As with other gemstones, the price of bigger gems like pearls goes up exponentially ... because of their rarity. With these, you can enjoy the effect of bigger pearls without the big expense.

2) The metal is 925 sterling silver (like gold a precious metal) coated in 18K gold.

3) Without a doubt, this purchase of fake pearls is 100% fake ... and yet not 100% fake in every way. They are shell pearls -- made from natural Mother of Pearl (a substance secreted by mollusks, the same sea creature that secretes natural pearls.) Cut and shaped into round beads, these are covered with Nacre (the same substance pearls are made of) to give them good luster. So you get manmade fake pearls made out of the same natural substances as real pearls but for less moola!

4) The lever-back drop design is elegant and unlike the usual dangle.

These would never replace a lovely pair of freshwater pearls but are cheap enough to buy in addition to real pearls ...  for fun, for traveling (always leave your good jewelry at home), and for their bigger size and unique design. I wouldn't invest too much money in fashion or inexpensive jewelry, but a single splurge on classic earrings with a ton of 5-star reviews, sureee, occasionally.

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Oatmeal is Healthy And Versatile

Royalty free photo

As we wind down the days of nippy (and rainy) weather to enter the balmy sunny days of spring and summer, I find myself eating creamy oatmeal for dinner. I toss 1 cup of dry 1-minute oatmeal flakes and water into a bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes. After the microwave cooks the oatmeal, I add 5 to 6 tablespoons of dry powdered milk to the mixture. Sometimes I also sprinkle in Stevia or honey and cinnamon, but often I don't. It's my favorite way to eat oatmeal. The dried powdered milk adds creaminess and light sweetness. Usually, several hours later I'll snack on hummus and saltines, slices of extra sharp cheddar, fruit, baby-cut carrots, peanut butter on crackers, or Misu soup with mixed vegetables. It varies. 

Oddly enough, I don't eat oatmeal for breakfast, but occasionally as a quick dinner. Oatmeal with milk is an easy-peasy comfort food, relatively filling, and a good sometimes meal without much preparation or cleanup. It contains a decent amount of protein and lowers bad cholesterol in the body. My mother was told by her doctor to eat a bowl of oatmeal several times a week to lower her cholesterol, which she followed and after a time her doctor was able to wean her off of Lipitor, a necessary cholesterol-lowering drug. Oatmeal is a good fiber-rich food to work into a diet.

People make the mistake of buying single packages of instant oats when 1-minute or 5-minute oatmeal flakes quickly cook in a microwave just like the more expensive less healthy instant oatmeal. Knockoff brands from Amazon Walmart or supermarkets are great too and cheap. You can then add healthy ingredients like berries or nuts to it if you wish.

Another way I use oatmeal is in most recipes that call for breadcrumbs. Oatmeal comes in a big size while breadcrumbs come in much smaller quantities. I don't tend to stock breadcrumbs.

Next, I'll have to make this YouTube influencer's savory oatmeal dinner. With chopped vegetables, milk, eggs, water, and grated parmesan cheese, it looks easy and scrumptious!

BAKED OATS (makes 6 slices)

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (180g) 1/4 cup ground oats, or oat flour (25g) 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy (240ml) 1 cup water (240ml) 2 eggs 1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1/2 cup grated melting cheese - gouda or cheddar cheese (50g) 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (20g) 1 medium onion 2 cloves garlic 1 small zucchini (130g) 1/3 cup frozen peas (50g) 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (80g) NUTRITIONAL INFO (per slice): 223 calories, fat 7.9g, carb 27.3g, protein 11.4g Preparation: First, saute onions and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add sliced zucchini and frozen peas and cook for the next 3-4 minutes. Add rolled oats and toast for 5 minutes, to develop a lovely nutty flavor. While it's cooling down, prepare the wet mixture. In a bowl add, eggs, milk, water, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, grated gouda or cheddar cheese, and ground oats combined with baking powder, and mix it well. Now, add the vegetables and toasted oats and stir well together. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Grease your baking dish with some butter and pour the mixture in. Bake at 350F (180C) for 40 minutes. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then cut into 6 equal pieces and serve with spoonful of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of hot sauce.

Photo & recipe courtesy of How To Cook Smarter

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3 Low-Tech Cookers Worth The Money

If you have a stovetop you're all set, so why buy extra cookers? 

Well, because the following 3 appliances do their jobs of cooking their specific food better than pots and pans on top of a stove. Plus they're low-tech and super cheap, which makes their respective ease and efficiency worth considering. Let's take a look:

1) An Egg Cooker - When I first saw egg cookers on the market I thought how ridiculous to buy a special gadget to boil eggs, but I've changed my mind! The reason is you can cook either hard, medium, or soft boiled eggs perfectly every time. Not so in a pan of boiling water on a stovetop, where the results of getting the eggs cooked just right can be mixed. Cooking time is less using the egg cooker also because you use far less water. You pour a small amount of water into the egg cooker which quickly brings the water to a boil. A see-through cover lets the eggs steam until the water disappears which activates an alarm telling you the eggs are done. To clean, just raise the parts with tap water as they get steamed, not dirty. 

Egg cookers come in mini, small, medium, and double-decker sizes corresponding to how many eggs you need to cook at once. They'll also make a custard, though I don't plan to utilize this function.

2) Rice Cooker - Again initially I thought what's wrong with just simmering rice in a pan on a stovetop? Nothing ... but a rice cooker steams the rice perfectly every single time and you can serve it in the very same cooker. I selected the Progressive Prep Solutions Microwave Rice Cooker over a pug-in-a-wall option. It makes up to 6 cups of tender flawless rice and can be tossed in a dishwasher. The rice is as fluffy as using plug-in models. Six cups of rice is enough for many recipes, but if you need to cook more rice, bigger units are also sold.

3) Mainstays 12" Nonstick Electric Skillet - I made Salisbury Steak with mushroom and onion gravy for 4 people in the skillet and it turned out just like it does on a stovetop. I let our dinner keep warm by lowering the pan's setting to 150 degrees F while we ate our 1st serving. You can sauté, sear, roast, braise, and steam family-sized meals in the 4 1/2 quarts pan. The skillet is ideal for entertaining as it sits on a countertop and is easy for guests to help themselves to seconds. Best of all, the electric skillet and its tempered glass cover top are dishwasher safe minus its easily removable temperature control component.

After a neighbor's fire in 2019 left our entire NYC apartment building without cooking gas for 8 months, an electric skillet would have come in handy for making one-pan dinners. We got tired of snacks, cold cuts, and eating out, which also got costly.

Wow, 3 economical simple cookers to make home-cooked meals better and more convenient. From cooking to serving dish to dishwasher!

🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪🍔🥖🥪

👺Just for fun, here are 3 gadgets that tend to be a complete waste of money: 1) a George Foreman grill, 2) a sandwich maker, and 3) a breadmaker as you'll rarely reach for them. Tasty hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a loaf of bread can be made as easily or consistently on a stovetop or inside an oven without special gadgets -- the reason you'll stop using them. I had a small George Forman grill. It grilled burgers no better than a frying pan on a stovetop, but I had to wash a special catch-the-meat-juices tray that is placed under, in front of it, so I gave it away. I never bought a breadmaker as I knew from experience you don't need one, and the devices seem to produce small loaves. When I bake bread I like sandwich-sized slices.

Bon Appetite at home!🍷

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Stuff I Don't Bother to Buy Anymore

Zebra Plant

When I started working and earning wages there were a few commodities I always bought that I don't value or bother with anymore. Here are 5 of them:

1) Scented hand and body lotions - For years freesia was my signature scent. Today I've replaced all scented body and hand lotions with drugstore brands, namely CeraVe and Cetaphil Moisturizing Creams, and use them as all-purpose (from face to toe) moisturizers. I love both dermatologist-formulated, fragrance-free brands, so much that I don't need to buy anything else. I mainly stick with these two, although I like other drugstore moisturizers such as salves from Neutrogena, Palmers, and Aveeno to name a few. I've moved on from freesia also. If I want a scent, I dab on drops of genuine Bulgarian rose oil. 

2) Scented Candles - News stories warned us that synthetic fragrances usually contain phthalates that get released into the air as candles burn. Phthalates can be inhaled and dissolved into the skin. They get absorbed into the bloodstream to alter hormone levels and worsen asthma. Since it was reported, I don't bother buying candles. Then a careless hookah-smoking neighbor set her apartment on fire causing hardship and 4 maintenance hikes which were passed on to all the tenants in our building. Nowadays there's little joy in the thought of letting candles burn in my apartment.

These will stay on the runway.

3) Clothes - Although I continue my efforts to look polished, COVID has changed the world and me. I no longer aspire to be a fashionista. Apparel doesn't hold the same appeal or importance to me. Wearing coordinated and comfortable basics time and again is fine and dandy. No-fuss clothing I can machine wash, dry, and wear tempts me now.

Cute, but nope.

4) Shoes - Although I have shoes for every purpose: dressy heels, casual flats, supportive walking shoes, sporty sneakers, airy sandals, warm/rain/snow boots, and cozy houseshoes, my interest in new pairs only kicks in when something old wears out. 

5) House plants - One potted pathos sits in the corner of my living room. For a decade I also had an African Violet but after it died in its 10th year, I never replaced it. I also killed a Zebra plant, as well as, several Poinsettias over the years. At Christmas, I don't buy Poinsettias anymore. I'm fine with my only thriving greenery, a Golden Pathos.

A golden pothos 

Hmm, am I becoming an old fogey? Are there things you once bought regularly but over time seem to have grown out of bringing home and fooling with them?

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Sunscreen Face Powder

EELHOE

Dermatologists have long recommended wearing sunscreen all year around — spring, summer, fall, and winter including cloudy days — wherever the sun touches our naked skin. Sunscreen prevents skin cancer and premature aging. Below I'll link several prior blogs detailing the importance of wearing sunscreen.

Hydra

It's simple to apply lotions with sunscreen before leaving home in dry seasons, but not as much in hot, humid July or August, especially on your face where you don't want to shine. Also when out and about, it can be challenging to reapply sun protection every few hours as advised.

Both issues can easily be resolved by using mineral face powder with sun protection. Various brands come in different SPF factors and price points. You can also get sunscreen face powders in tinted or untinted formulas. The SPF should block UVA and UVB rays. Ultraviolet A (UVA) has a longer wavelength. It causes skin aging. Ultraviolet B (UVB) has a shorter wavelength. It causes skin burning and cancer.

Colorscience

• SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays
• SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays 
• SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays 

Skin doctors often recommend using SPF 30 because they know many people don't reapply their sunscreen as they should. The SPF 30 offers slightly more protection than SPF 15, but you must reapply all sunscreen every 2 hours.

Moreover note that mineral powder sunscreens are not meant to replace traditional lotion sunscreen, which you need to slather on fairly thick when spending time outdoors in the sun. Then use the powder to reapply on top of makeup while away from home.  

The wand mineral screen powder can be shaken (to get the powder to the brush) and applied with a brush stroke while the Physicians Formula compact comes with a mini brush stored in a separate compartment. All fit inside a purse or pocket.

Hawaiian Tropic and Physicians Formula

You can take the wands or compact case with you wherever you go! Reapplying face sun protection just got less messy and more convenient. The power protects wherever you use it, but of course, due to the small quantity of the product, it's more practical for your face.

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Do It Youself Meal Plans Are Cheaper

As we move into the Spring people think about dropping a few winter pounds, and I understand why some of them turn to meal programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. (The latter is the least expensive of the two.) There's no guesswork. Every bite you eat is packaged for you. The cooking and cleanup are light. It's convenient and nutritionally balanced, and if you follow it, you'll drop the weight. Years ago (around 2009), I tried Nutrisystem for 30 days. I wasn't hungry on the diet and remember dropping down to 118 pounds. As a younger woman, my loftier standard of my ''ideal weight'' was much lower. I was a size 6 - 8 for many years (without starving!). Today I'd love to step on the scale at the weight that I started with before dropping down to 118 pounds. THAT number + 20 pounds would be my ideal weight today!:)

At the same time, we also don't want to gain 10 additional pounds each and every year so our weight becomes unhealthy. Unfortunately, even without stringently high (or should I say low?) standards, you can't let yourself go! No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh.

Today I'm going to discuss the well-known Nutrisystem meal plans. If you were to buy similar food independently and are disciplined not to cheat, but follow the plan, including its portion sizes, you could reduce the cost of the diet significantly. Moreover, I remember not liking all of the Nutrisystem meals, yet ate them because of the expense and my commitment to losing weight.

Breakfasts were a combination of protein shakes, dehydrated scrambled eggs (add water and microwave), protein muffins, and protein bars.

Here's what I think you could substitute:

* 1 dozen fresh eggs

* You're favorite high protein, low sugar meal bars - Clean and Pure Protein bars are examples. Look for at least 15 grams - 20 grams of protein with low sugar per bar.

* Protein shakes - Look for 25 grams - 30 grams per serving with low sugar and minerals. Consider buying protein powder (over liquid shakes) and adding it to skim milk for savings. Also try different brands like Premier Protein, Aldi or Trader Joe's house brands for greater savings.

Lunches consisted of canned soups and you could eat fruit or vegetable sticks that you furnish.

THE SAVVY SHOPPER has recipes for a variety of homemade soups, but this post is about convenience.

So you could buy the healthy choice varieties of any number of soups at your supermarket. Read the labels carefully focusing on low calories, salt, and at least 20 grams (30 grams if you can find it!) of protein. I will give Nutrisystem credit for sending chunky protein-rich soup, trickier to find with supermarket canned soup.

Dinners were frozen meals: meat (beef, chicken, or pork), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta), and a vegetable, such as broccoli or peas and carrots).

Look for the many wholesome options of supermarket-carried frozen dinners. They'll likely cost less than what's on Amazon, but I'll link those for educational purposes. At the supermarket, most are half the price of a Nutrisystem frozen meal. I happen to like a brand called Healthy Choice, but there are other options also at the supermarket. Aim to find 17 grams - 30 grams per frozen dinner with 250 - 500 calories per serving. You may have to supplement some meals with a glass of milk to bump up the protein.

Snacks I liked the Nutrisystem protein chips and protein bars. The cookies and cake were good too. I was allowed 2 snacks per day. Protein chips are expensive everywhere. What's more, you don't get much in the costly bag. Consider skipping them as snacks for an ounce of cheddar (or your favorite cheese) on a saltine cracker to lower the price. Still, I'm not against expensive protein chips if they help on a diet. Spend the bucks as needed to succeed. 

I disliked Nutrisystem's dehydrated eggs. The pizza crust was as dry and flat as a cracker (which subsequently may have improved to taste like most frozen pizzas). Nutrisystem's vegetable patty on a bun was not good in taste or texture, and I thought their frozen pasta dinner entrèes were insufficient and expensive. I'll take a lean real hamburger over a Nutrisystem patty any day. It's easy to grill a raw beef burger on a stovetop. Add a slice of onion, tomato, and lettuce with ketchup, and thank me later.

Supermarkets offer all of the above meals for less than $5 - $10 each of the Nutrisystem entrèes. You'll spend far less money plus only have to eat the dishes you like!

When you buy Nutrisystem you still must buy extra fresh fruit and vegetables as they aren't packaged and mailed to you.

Nutrisystem is great at teaching people what they should eat in a day; selecting food with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber; eating a variety of food; learning portion control; and eating when you're hungry. Also, you should and do consume 1/3 of your daily protein requirements with each meal.

Helpful tip: If you desire to follow the Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig diet on the cheap: Go to the supermarket and buy a full month's supply of alike meals + snacks to follow the plan faithfully. Do not stray from the plan. When you subscribe to the more pricey trademarks, the companies send you a box of food you eat for the month. This will put you in the same mindset for less.

Savings versus Convenience: Finally, if you don't mind paying 3+ times the money, you avoid the work of picking Nutrisystem meal equivalents at the supermarket. The food is shipped directly to your home. Nice! I enjoyed the convenience for a short time. But. After 30 days I decided I didn't need a meal plan, as I had good eating habits and didn't mind shopping or cooking. Sometimes cleaning up seems like a repetitive chore though.

Good luck! Losing weight is hard. The older you are, the tougher it is. Cutting calories is never fun. From time to time, we all go through it. "It's a marathon, not a sprint!"

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My Favorite Oscar Dresses 2024

America Ferrera in Versace

The show is not half over! This year's Oscar gowns are lovely and tasteful if not as drop-dead glamorous as other years. Would you agree? Many of the dresses look comfortable so perhaps more attendees decided to dial it down a notch to better enjoy the evening without the fuss or pain. 

Left: Jennifer Lawrence  wears Dior Culture, Middle: Anya Taylor Joy in Dior Couture, Right: Charlize Theron adorns Dior

Left: Emily Blunt in Schiaparelli, Right: Zendaya wears Armani Privè

Left: Michelle Yeoh in Balenciaga Couture, Right: Zuri Hall shimmers in Rony Abou Hamdan

The gowns are unique in a refined way! There's something of interest in each dress. Michelle Yeoh's long black gloves look so smart with her shimmering gown. Emily Blunt is elegant but her straps don't move with her. Jennifer Lawrance wears playful polka dots elevated by her diamond tennis necklace. More shine than vivid colors this year too!

All photos - Getty Photography

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Blue Diamonds Hold The Earth's Secrets

Photo: IFLScience

Full disclosure: I'm not a scientist and I don't want to take credit for the work of others. All I can do is read a bunch of sources, then put some of the facts together so you don't have to read all those sources yourself. The following is a paraphrasing -- the Turner "CliffsNotes" -- from several sources on a subject I love covering ... gemstones and jewelry! In today's blog, let's learn more about blue diamonds!

Photo: The Hope Diamond - Smithsonian

Only 1 out of 200,000 diamonds are blue. Like all other diamonds blue diamonds were formed billions of years ago when the element carbon was exposed to extreme heat and pressure deep in the earth's mantle. Clear (a/k/a white) diamonds are pure carbon. If traces of boron contaminate the carbon during its growth, a blue diamond is created. The industry calls all colored diamonds fancy diamonds.

Photo: MID: Okavango Blue

Scientists are intrigued by the origin of blue diamonds because they hold many of the earth's secrets. Once an enchanting mystery, gemologists now think they understand how these extremely rare blue gemstones came about. It also gives us clues about the evolution of the earth, itself. After the Gemological Institute of America conducted studies using lasers to uncover impurities (minerals) that got trapped inside blue diamonds, the experts started to assemble a picture of how and where blue diamonds were formed.

Photo: Getty - The National

Based on their discoveries, scientists know that blue diamonds were formed much deeper in the earth (below 410 miles) than other diamonds (formed between 90 miles - 125 miles below the earth's surface). It is believed that boron in the ocean floor "was pushed down when plates that make up the Earth's crust collided," making the diamonds appear blue. (According to researchers, boron lets the diamonds "absorb some red light, so the diamonds look blue.")

Getty - The Oppenheimer

Diamond deposits formed very deep within the earth eventually reach the surface by volcanic eruptions.

Now we know how some of the big rare blue gemstones such as the Hope Diamond and Oppenheimer Diamond were born. Billions of years ago Mother Nature had to come together in just the right way to produce them and for humans to find and have them all these years later.

Heart of Eternity

Both blue and white diamonds are graded using the 4 Cs: cut, clarity, color, and carat. But! Blue diamonds are so rare and in demand for their beauty, that they tend to cost more per carat than white diamonds. The blue diamonds that become well-known and fetch millions of dollars at auctions invoke excitement and fame because their unique size, color, and clarity are so rare.

Mouawad Blue

As it happens I don't have any blue diamond jewelry. Diamonds are valued for their sparkle and brilliance. Colored gemstones will have less sparkle than white diamonds. Their value is determined by the vividness, tone, and saturation of their color. Vivid blue diamonds are so rare and expensive that we get less for the money than if we buy white (a/k/a clear) diamonds. I have never been tempted to buy blue diamonds because blue diamonds aren't very budget-friendly, and I don't want to spend a lot of money on faint or tiny blue diamonds! I'd rather compromise by buying a commercial-grade sapphire.

The good news is scientists can make blue diamonds in a lab. Laboratory diamonds are grown in an artificial setting that mimics how diamonds grow naturally below the earth's mantle. Lab-grown diamonds are getting better and more plentiful all the time, which is lowering the prices per carat of all diamonds! 

The color of these blue diamond earrings looks enhanced. You never see such dazzling blue diamonds in jewelry display cases! They did, however, inspire me to write the blog. Wouldn't we love to own real blue diamond earrings just like them? Of course we would!:)💙🔵  

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