Gotham City's Season Of the Witch

All photos were taken on a walk in my neighborhood. Click to enlarge any photo. Bart the Bartender (↙below, left) has your wine.

Halloween is here on The Upper East Side once more. Let me give you this year's tour. 

But a tour alone would not suffice, so accept these words of sage advice ...

🎶 "You've got to pick up every stitch," as it "must be the season of the witch."🎵

When you look outside your window what do you see?🎶

🎶 Eerie sights and spooky people to be! 🎵

The range and change are very strange! 🎶

And ... 🎶 you've got to pick up every stitch. 🎵

Since it 🎶 must be the season of the witch. 🎵

Frankenstein, Satan, and Beetlejuice have come to make their pitch. 🔱

 While the undead slots its evil niche, 🎶 you've got to pick up every stitch. 🎵

       When you look over your shoulder what do you see as true? Creepy creatures are looking back at you! 🎵👺

 A skeleton upon a scaffold is spine-chillingly rich -- that's why 🎶 you've got to pick up every stitch. 🎵

 

Beware! 💀🧛👻 ... Time to go!?!  ... 🧛‍♂️🧟🧙‍♀️A twitch, oh no!

The switch!! 🕷🎃👺 A stare!! 

 The scare!!! 🧟🐾

Too late ... your fate is up in the air!?! 🖤 

Or down below, in hell 🔥 ... who knows? 👀

On the qui vive! ... watch out!! ... 🎶 

Coming down to bite ... no doubt!🕷

Quick! 🎶 You've got to pick up every stitCH! 🎵

🎶 Must be the season of the witCH! 🎵

Happy Halloween from THE SAVVY SHOPPER, Donavan, and Gotham City!

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Happy Easter My Lovelies

Photo: Patch

 It's Holy Week on the Christian calendar, a time to remember it takes hope and perseverance to overcome the expected and unexpected challenges in our Journey of Life. 

Photo: Country Living

Equally important to note: Life is meant to be lived -- happy, enjoyed and purposeful, so try to reach out where and when you can to make a connection and difference in someone else's life.

Photo: recordonline

Be kind! Embrace the spring ... your family and friends ... your unique talents and interests ... you be you!

Photo: Istock - Getty

Value a pretty table setting and a good meal; and don't forget the chocolate bunny!

How lovely and apropos to the season is the sentiment of Phillip Phillip's song, Home -- and just to be clear: On this earth it's meant to be a message from human to human.  Below are my favorite lines: 

''Settle down, it'll all be clear

Don't pay no mind to the demons

They fill you with fear

The trouble - it might drag you down

If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone

'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home ''

Hope and human perseverance! Happy Easter, Friends!🌷

It's Easter Sunday

Happy Easter 2020

Happy Easter Weekend

The Secret Sisters: Tomorrow Will Be Kinder

Low Fat, Sugar Free Eggnog

Photo: free iStock

Nine years ago I shared a recipe for old fashioned eggnog here, but perhaps it's time to try to make eggnog healthier, a lower-calorie version that's still tasty. After all, we're all a decade older and food-wiser, no? In the effort, I omitted most of the fat and all of the sugar and still love the eggnog🎄. Hope you will too:

Low Fat Sugar-Free Eggnog

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

2 cups fat-free milk

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons stevia graduated blend 👈 what I use

(Feel free to sweeten with 1/3 cup of sugar.)

12 oz can condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: Bourbon or rum to taste (Mine is alcohol-free. I love the sweet, vanilla, nutmeg flavors which the bourbon hides from me!🙄)

Directions:

1) Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks with an electric mixer and set aside.

2) Toss into a blender the egg yolks, skim milk, cornstarch and, nutmeg. (I used fresh and dry nutmeg.) If using white sugar, here is where I'd add it. The cornstarch reduces the risk of cuddling when heating eggs and milk together. Blend until creamy.

My eggnog batch

3) Pour the mixture into a saucepan and whisk on medium heat until the start of a boil, but do not allow it to boil. Immediately lower the heat to the lowest setting and keep whisking for 5 minutes. During the 5 minutes is the step where I add the stevia blend.

4) Turn off the flame and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk in the can of condensed milk, vanilla extract, and whipped egg whites. Add the optional alcohol if using.

5) Pour into a container with a lid and chill in the refrigerator before drinking.

According to the American Egg Board, "while it is possible for Salmonella to be in both the white and yolk of eggs, the white doesn't readily support bacterial growth," so there is a low risk in using them uncooked to make eggnog. In the USA the eggs sold at the supermarket have a low risk for bacteria because they ''are washed and sanitized" as reported in Forbes. Fresh or pasteurized raw whole eggs are also safe.

I'll continue to buy eggnog, but this much lighter, sugar-free and cheaper batch (104 calories a cup) is surprisingly thick and delicious, plus we know every ingredient in it!

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Let's Be Grateful This Thanksgiving

In the world of hard knocks, COVID has reminded us of what we intuitively know but don't always let inform our actions. The world is interconnected. Whether we're talking about a disease, healthcare, global warming, or sharing the earth's resources, we need to look after each other to survive. If you simply care for yourself, eventually everybody parishes. 

Humans are basically good ... and selfish. "Love one another" is hard to follow sometimes, isn't it? Because emotions, insecurity and selfishness creep in. Yet if we only tend to our own tiny bubble everyone suffers. When COVID dies in 2021, I hope we keep its "We're all in it together" lessons. The year has been tough, but I'm grateful for the red flag of "must-do" some things better for humans and our country and world.

No turkey this year. I'm thinking: a chicken breast, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes and broccoli. 

Personally, I think President-Elect Joe Biden is setting the right compassionate tone backed by science and facts to lead our country. I'm grateful for the experience and leadership he shows. When I was still in school I was a Congressional intern in Washington, DC and I remember the talk of Biden as a young Senator who was raising his two young boys alone after the tragic car crash of his 1st wife. Sometimes I sat in the Senate balcony with the Congressional press watching floor votes and can remember where Biden sat next to another young Senator Gary Hart and not far away from Senator Ted Kennedy. Once I was sent down to the chambers beside the floor to deliver a note to my boss and of course, delighted, I took in as much as I could of the activity at eye level. So Biden comes to office with a wealth of Washington government experience which should be good in leading the country. I am grateful for his relationships, character, empathy, and experience.

What a quiet Thanksgiving for those of us who won't be traveling to see family, or joining nor inviting friends over for dinner. Yes, the loneliness sets in.

At times how we handle stresses and calamities define us, right? A wise quote I read recently comes from becomingmininalist:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Be patient and vigilant a little bit longer. Stay healthy friends!!

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Jewelry Holiday Gift Ideas At Macy's

The brilliance of a diamond tennis necklace has a huge effect. See my budget-friendly tips below.

Last week I was invited to a Macy's jewelry trunk show at Herald Square. You know I went, People!😍 It was the most upscale, expensive, and gorgeous jewelry I've seen in a department store. I tried on a flawless 12-carat Tanzanite ring ($85,000), a 7-carat pigeon-blood ruby ring with diamonds ($49,000), and a 5-carat emerald and diamond ring ($43,000). Each piece was spectacular, yet even before arriving, I knew I wouldn't be buying anything. Who walks into Macy's and drops that💰sum💸 on one luxury item? Rich folks and broke folks, that's who!

Some of the very expensive jewelry from Effy's trunk show at Macy's. Lots of trunk shows now.

After perusing the gems at the trunk show I walked around the jewelry department, looking at everything in the display cases. To be sure, Macy's has a huge array of jewelry from costly to moderate prices. (It's why I love Macy's ... throughout the store, you can find quality items to fit any budget.) From now until Christmas, expect tons of sales. Wait for a Friends and Family, Black Friday, or VIP sale to get an extra 30% off on already well-priced merchandise.

Coseup of the Effy trunk show sapphire and ruby rings - the expensive heirloom line.

If you ask me (and even if you don't😊) jewelry is always a winning holiday gift. The following are beautiful examples of mid-priced jewelry from Macy's showcases -- precious (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds) and semi-precious (the amethyst) stones set in 14k gold:

1) Diamond Pavè Huggie Hoop Earrings; 2) Ruby & Diamond Necklace; 3) Amethyst & Diamond Accent Oval Ring

4) Effy Emerald & Diamond Earrings; 5) Belle de Mer Pearl Studs; 6) Diamond Hoop Earrings

7) Italian Gold Bangle Bracelet; 8) Velvet Bleu by Effy Sapphire & Diamond Bracelet; 9) Effy Emerald Drop Earrings

The 2 pairs of emerald earrings and ruby heart pendant look gorgeous in the store. I wanted them!!! The 5-carat amethyst ring is a splendid color, size, and clarity ... and affordable unlike precious stones of similar size. The hoop earrings, pearl studs, and gold bangle are classic pieces that never go out of style. The sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet is as lovely as its pricier all-diamond sisters. I've linked all the jewelry (except the diamond necklace, which is at the store to try on) so you can read more details. Lots of the pieces are available in other gemstones also, and the pearls are in other natural colors.

Macy's makes sparkle more affordable, and the trunk shows have fun, to-die-for, eye candy. Will I ever get tired of gawking at jewelry? Never!👀 

Extra Budget Tips: Due to its brilliance, a diamond tennis
necklace of 3 carats has a huge effect, therefore, bigger may not be worth the exponential price increase of buying more carats. Consider how 5-7-or 10 carats of diamonds get more expensive, not simply doubling or tripling per carat, but exponentially. And yet on your neck, the effect is not always as big as the exponential rise in cost! Until you bump up the diamonds to 20-30 or 50+ carats, i.e., Elizabeth Taylor or Queen Elizabeth II size, the effect isn't automatically more stunning, so may not be worth the huge price hike. Therefore, my budget-friendly tip is to buy the "effect," not the carat weight in a tennis necklace.

Curiously, sometimes the 10-carat stone necklaces twist and turn on the neck while the 3 carats don't ... which is definitely a disappointing effect!

To get the most "effect" for less money, buy a graduated diamond-style tennis necklace. People notice the bigger stones at the front, not the decrease in sizes going towards the back of the neck, an area unseen if you have flowing hair. The entire necklace, including the smaller diamonds towards the back, will sparkle like crazy! A big effect at a lower cost!! Another tip in buying a tennis-style necklace or bracelet for less is to consider compromising on color and clarity since the diamonds are tiny. But, the color in the line must be consistent and match!

Of course, at a trunk show try on the Queen Elizabeth II big gemstones. I say, be a dreamer, then a realist! And yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely accept your kind invitation to see the Crown Jewels. Hey people, you never know who reads the blog.🙂😍💂

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