Ally Pain-Free Dress Shoes

Ally Shoes are one of the few luxury shoes worth their asking price IMHO. Definitely expensive (on par with men's shoes) yet not outrageously so, and you get a lot for your money. If you look, you'll also find promo codes to reduce their cost by as much as $20. What makes them worth considering?

The shoes are made with lambskin leather uppers, Italian leather soles, suede linings, an ergonomically designed insole, proper arch support, and strategically placed padding for comfort. 

According to its founders, Ally Shoes is a company run by women to empower women. 

The shoes are engineered with the help of a podiatric surgeon to create a flexible structure that secures your foot without sacrificing style. Its innovative design makes everyday pumps and flats that do not hurt. Available in sizes 4.5 - 12 with 4 different widths, the shoes are scientifically engineered to give structure with flexibility and support to a woman's feet so you can wear them from boardroom to ballroom.

All the pumps are 3 inches tall. Block heels are the bomb! I like the dressy pointed toes, while also hoping Ally Shoes launches a rounded toe in the future.

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Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ 0.3% Night Cream

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ 0.3% Night Cream is relatively new on the market. It isn't for beginner users of retinol but if you've been using Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair for a while, the newer Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ o.3% Night Cream is stronger. A potent retinol is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid to be tough on deep wrinkles and dark spots yet gentle on the skin. It fights the signs of aging while moisturizing the skin. Use it only at night.

Starting slow is always wise. You might try using it 3 times a week for 2 weeks before applying it every other night. If your skin tolerates it well, then use it every night. Retinol (as well as its prescription strength Retin-A) reduces the signs of aging only if you can use it regularly without stopping due to red, raw skin.

Consumers are promised visual results. Instantly you should have smoother softer skin. In 1 week your skin feels hydrated and rejuvenated with brighter and healthier skin. In 4 weeks you get firmer-looking skin with softer lines and improved skin tone. Retinol promotes cell turnover and the production of collagen. 

The 0.03% Retinol is developed to be a pure, powerful retinol that's still gentle and hydrating on the skin. The retinol is stabilized and the night cream is fragrance-free.

I bought just the night cream and have no problems using it on my face and under my eyes.

Currently, both Walmart and Amazon are selling the newer 0.03% Retinol for about $22 which is a discount on its usual $34 cost versus $29 for the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Cream. I love all the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair formulas and plan to buy the best deal!

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The Rockettes And The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Photo: The New York Times

The Radio City Rockettes have kicked off the holiday season in New York City for the last 91 years. On my walk to the Time & Life building (i.e., work) in the morning, I petted the baby camel parked outside on one of the tiny side streets of Rockefeller Plaza. Golden fur, soft and so clean! The Living Nativity and Parade of the Living Soldiers have been in the Christmas show since its beginning. The Rockettes are a precision dance company famous for their kickline and eye-high kicks.

To be a Rockette, hopefuls must measure between 5'6" and 5'10.5" tall in stocking feet. The dancers must know tap, jazz, modern, and ballet. A total of 80 Rockettes are hired for the Christmas Spectacular, with 2 casts of 40 dancers for the afternoon and evening performances. They rehearse in the basement of St. Paul the Apostle Church (located on West 59th Street beside Lincoln Center) for six hours a day, six days a week for six weeks.

Only 36 dancers appear on stage at one time. The tallest dancers line up in the middle with shorter dancers on the ends. It gives the illusion that each woman is the same height.

The dancers do their own hair and makeup. Each performer wears a French twist, red lips (the shade is MAC Red or MAC Russian Red), and eyelashes.

There are more than 1,100 costumes and pairs of shoes. Their shoes have microphones so the audience can hear the tap dancing during 12 Days of Christmas and Rag Dog.

Other fun facts include the show runs for 90 minutes with no intermission. The Rockettes do more than 160 kicks per show and can perform up to 4 shows a day during the busy season. Since the Christmas Spectacular premiered in 1932, 3,000 women have been Rockettes.

Show tickets are not cheap, but nobody goes home disappointed. Here's a link with tips on how to get a discount on tickets, however, this may be a time when paying the piper is necessary as these suggestions don't look easy. More like hope and luck.🔔

If you wish to know what it's like to auditon and be a New York City Rockette, click the entertaining video below to hear firsthand:

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Exercises For Plantar Fasciitis

Photo: Avita Health System

Plantar Fasciitis is heel pain in the plantar fascia, the connective tissue located on the bottom of your foot that connects your heel to your toes. With high arches, a person underpronates (underrolls her foot inward) when walking, so her arches and knees take a pounding on concrete. In doing this research, I learned people with flat feet (who overpronate) can also suffer from plantar fasciitis. How about that? 

According to another source, the condition means there are microscopic tears in the plantar fascia which are slow to heal.

In my 30s I wisely started selecting shoes with arch support and stable heels, as well as, putting insoles with arch support inside my shoes. Years ago a podiatrist also made custom orthotics for my high arches, but they don't fit most of my shoes including my Nike sneakers! They are so wide they only fit my Ugg boots and Croc ballet flats. His answer was I had to buy very big shoes! {Ridiculous! ... clown shoes!?!} I've read this is the wrong solution as custom orthotics can and should be made to fit most of a wearer's shoes, and one shouldn't have to go up more than 1/2 shoe size. Alas, I gave up on the podiatrist several years ago.:) 

Well, luckily I averted heel pain until this November 2023 when suddenly I developed worrisome pain in my right heel. Now I'm on a quest to find an effective drugstore pair of orthotics to fit my other shoes. Recommendations are welcome!

Meanwhile, daily stretching of the foot and calf can help ease pain by helping to decrease the amount of tension in the plantar fascia. Pain is caused by the inflammation of this connective tissue. If you've ever experienced it, you know you can barely walk when you rise from bed, or sit for a while, but moving makes walking and the extreme pain better.

Podiatrists recommend 3 exercises that stretch the plantar fascia: 

Wall Stretch

Photo: The Healing Sole

1) Face and put palms against the wall. Extend one leg forward about 12 inches apart, one leg bent in front with the rear knee straight.

2) Keeping both feet on the ground, lean towards the wall and bend the front knee until you feel a stretch in the back leg. 

3) Stop if you feel pain.

4) Hold for 20 - 30 seconds and repeat with the opposite leg.

Towel Stretch

Photo: Versus Arthritis

1) Sit with your butt on the floor and both legs stretched out in front of you.

2) Loop a towel over the ball of one foot at a time while keeping your leg straight. Pull it towards you until you feel a stretch in your calf and hold for 20 - 30 seconds.

3) Repeat with your other leg.

👠👟👣

UVM Health org

Stair Stretch

1) While holding onto the stair rail, stand with your heels hanging off a step. 

2) Slowly lower the heels until you feel a stretch. 

3) Hold for 20 - 30 seconds.

Other actions to ease the pain include:

The Tennis Ball Roll

I'm also rolling my arches and heels over a tennis ball which brings relief. It's advice I read years ago. Btw tennis balls are multi-taskers. Toss them into the dryer in place of fabric sofer. They work!

Other exercises to gently stretch the foot help too like flexing and pointing your toes up to the sky. 

It's a pity no matter what we do to slow it down, the years inevitably take their toll. We are all destined to fall apart. Teeth, feet, ligaments, and bones, wear out. Aim to slow "it" -- i.e. your state of disrepair down with sensible strategies. :)

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Macy's Black Friday Sales: 5 Lab Grown Gemstones

The last of my Macy's Black Friday gift guides will also discuss whether or not, you should buy lab-grown precious gemstones as jewelry. Regular readers of THE SAVVY SHOPPER already know my answer. Yes! Absolutely and without a doubt, if the price is right. When priced fairly (meaning not inflated) you'll get a lot for your money! 

Lab-grown diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are as real as natural-grown diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Lab-grown gemstones are physically, chemically, and optically the same as gemstones that form over billions of years in the earth's mental or crust. 

Natural gemstones are more expensive than lab-grown gemstones and tend to fetch a higher price on the resale market primarily because they are in higher demand by the public, but as lab-grown gemstones gain more acceptance ... and now as more retailers are entering the market plus manufacturing methods are getting better and cheaper, this is changing. In fact, the greater acceptance and availability of quality lab-grown diamonds are already lowering the prices of mined diamonds produced in nature.

Under a loupe gemologists and jewelers can tell the difference between natural-grown and lab-grown gemstones, yet both are genuine, authentic, real gemstones because chemically and optically they are the same. Both mined and lab-grown stones are the same chemical elements transformed into various gemstones by enormous heat and pressure. Gemologists can also determine where on earth natural sapphires, rubies, and emeralds were formed, as there are tell-tell signs informing them of a gemstone's origins, so it makes sense they can also tell when a  gemstone is lab-grown.

I sound like a broken record in saying, never think of jewelry as an investment but only as a luxury good with huge markups, things of beauty we love but do not need. Except for high jewelry (the apex of rarity and perfection of cut, carat, color, and clarity) or the estate jewelry of a celebrity, you'll rarely get what you pay for your pieces on the resale market.

The great benefit of buying lab-grown gemstones is customers can get bigger gemstones with higher color grades and few inclusions for far less money. They cost at least 1/3 less than natural stones. Short of a cartel forming, I predict prices will continue to drop.

Whether buying lab-grown or natural gemstones, we still need to ensure we're getting value for a good stone based on cut, carat, color, and clarity. 

For this reason, I'm a big fan of Macy's for mid-priced jewelry that ordinary people can afford, and I'd be over the moon to have any (or all😍) of the five 14k gold large sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or diamond sparklers featured here today. OMG, I live at the right time when huge gemstones can be grown in a lab! Dear Fairy Godmother, gimme!!!!!

Final thought: Black Friday sales come and go. If you miss this one, wait for another promotion to come around. They'll run all season and several times of the year!

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Waldorf Salad With Leftover Chicken or Turkey

Originally when the Waldorf-Astoria's maitre'd hotel, Oscar Tschirky, created the Waldorf salad in 1896 for a New York City charity event, the recipe only contained 3 ingredients: apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Contemporary recipes of what was once a simple salad on a bed of lettuce turned the dish into a light meal by adding either turkey or chicken, grapes (or raisins, or dried cranberries), and walnuts. Some cooks prefer pecans.

Photographed above (with the recipe below) is my version made with Thanksgiving leftovers:

Waldorf Salad

Ingredients

2 cups white meat - turkey or chicken, finely chopped 

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 medium apple, finely chopped - A green apple is usually suggested. I had a New York State apple.

1/2 cup of red grapes, finely chopped - Green grapes are used like a green apple to keep the color of the salad green, but I don't care about the color although I do love granny smith apples:).

1/4 cup of walnuts, finely chopped

3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise (Don't use fat-free as it is tasteless.)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Using a chef's knife, finely chop the ingredients, one by one, but you can also chop them into larger chunks if you wish. I favor finely chopped to make a creamier salad and sandwich spread that stays on the bread.

2) Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, pepper, and taste to determine if you need the salt. I omitted salt because I cooked the bird with salt.

3) Chill and let the flavors marinate before eating as a salad or sandwich between 2 slices of rye or grainy bread.

Bon Appetite!

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Turkey Pot Pies With Leftover Stuffing

Thanksgiving sides are delicious! They can include stuffing (called dressing when not stuffed in the bird), green beans, carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and potatoes, along with cranberry sauce. It's what we ate. Although we lacked a crowd dining with us, I wouldn't dream of omitting the Turkey stuffing. This year instead of toasting bread and making a pan of cornbread which would make more stuffing than we desire, I used a box of Stove Top Turkey flavored stuffing combined with a box of Stove Top Cornbread stuffing as a starter then added small amounts of grilled sausage, ham, onion, celery, mushrooms, walnuts, hot pepper flakes and dried sage to it. It came out homemade because all you get in a box of Stove Top are the croutons and seasonings. We still had plenty of stuffing! I know just what to do with our Thanksgiving leftovers:

Turkey Pot Pie - Inspired by the recipe off the back of the stuffing box which uses premade and frozen ingredients. We can use our homemade leftovers to make a different meal without really having to cook again!:

Ingredients - already cooked: 

2 cups of leftover stuffing - Mine has tons of onion, celery and sausage.

2 cups of turkey, diced (also works with chicken)

1 cup of cauliflower or broccoli, diced

1/2 cup of green beans, bitesize

1/2 cup of carrots, sliced

2 cups leftover gravy

Directions: 

Mix the vegetables and gravy in a baking dish. Top with the stuffing. Either reheat it in the oven or microwave. If reheating in the oven, brush the bottom of the dish with cooking spray or butter. Because your food is already cooked, it should only take about 15 minutes to reheat in the oven and less time to reheat in the microwave.

Eyeball the amounts of the ingredients. The above is a guide for making 4 servings. Use more gravy if needed, or other vegetable leftovers if you made them. {During the rest of the year, it works well with either leftover chicken or 3 cans of white chicken chunks, a box of stovetop stuffing, and a 14 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables. If using boxed stuffing, grill and toss in some diced onions and celery.}

You can also prepare the dish for one. Measure out according to appetite and what fits into your bowl, then reheat the single portion in a microwave in about 3 minutes.        

Another leftover we had on Thanksgiving was a bit of an experiment. It's a cherry tart on a digestive biscuit and applesauce crust (as opposed to a gram cracker crust). It has a cinnamon, strudel topping with bourbon-soaked pecans, a few white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and walnuts tossed on top for good measure. (No added sugar in the crust or crumb topping and just enough butter in the topping to get a crumb texture). The only reason I made it was to use a jar of cherries I've had in my pantry for 1 1/2 years. It had to go! I baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes. The tart was sweet from the cherries yet not too sweet to make you feel sick after eating it. Like a healthy cherry Pop Tart!

Do you have a favorite recipe for using your Thanksgiving leftovers?

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Happy Thanksgiving Friends

This year I'm especially thankful for family and friends.

As a caregiver, I'm thankful my very senior mother is not bedridden but walks inside the home with a walker. She can walk to the bathroom; and for all the foods she'll no longer eat she's surprisingly healthy, strong, and doesn't require any prescription drugs to make any of her bodily functions work properly. I'm slightly in disbelief. How is this possible on such a limited diet? She is strong enough to be safely bathed in a shower chair, which is such a huge help to a caregiver. She gets a complete spa treatment of skin, hair, and nails twice a week from me. I am surprised at how fast her hair grows. A podiatrist told me that all elderly people have nail fungus, yet my mother's nails are white and strong with no nail fungus. They grow fast too, and we must cut them weekly. Her good health for her age is a blessing.

Moreover, I'm thankful for my hometown friends and neighbors who are what we tend to call good people for short. Each one is a godsend to know. They watch our backs and property and give us lots of joy with their camaraderie and kind hearts. I love spending time with them and keeping up with their families. Our bonds make life meaningful and interesting!

Additionally, I'm thankful for my Manhattan friends, one of whom moved this year to Atlanta Georgia. But we all keep in touch regularly by telephone. Luckily I see them occasionally when we're in the same place, and when out of town by phone and texting. With New York friends, spacing out in-person visits isn't uncommon even when both parties are in New York City as New Yorkers tend to lead very active lives.

This holiday season, we miss our dear friend, Sheila, who lost her battle with breast cancer in June 2023. Life is bittersweet and it makes you appreciate loved ones even more. 

I'm grateful I have hometown and New York friends who I'll know for the rest of our days. In both locations, they are good people with kind hearts whose companionship I cherish and thoroughly enjoy.

I'm also grateful for a few blogging and Facebook friends, who reach out from across the miles 🌍🌎🌏 to support me. I suppose generosity and kindness know no bounds. Readers and fellow bloggers, you touch my heart! I enjoy connecting and hearing your thoughts. A special thank you for becoming a kindred spirit!

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Types Of Potatoes

Photos courtesy of Markets at Shrewsbury: Fingerling potatoes. Click the link for more potato facts.

Although I rotate the starches I eat to include whole grains, corn, sweet potatoes, and pasta (as I do within other food groups) in an effort to consume a varied and balanced diet ... it's really white (as opposed to sweet) potatoes I love the most and could eat daily as I never get tired of them! Is my English and German ancestry the reason why?

Russet (or Idaho)

A potato is a tuber root vegetable, a perennial in the nightshade family. There are nearly 4,000 types of potatoes in nature. They are categorized by their content of starchy compounds to solid-to-water ratio and texture. Potatoes are classified as 1) starchy (i.e., mealy or floury), 2) waxy, or 3) all-purpose.  

Below are several varieties of potatoes commonly found at the supermarket: 

1) Starchy potatoes - Have high solids, amylose starch, and low moisture. Russet (a/k/a Idaho potatoes), Goldrush, and Long White are three examples of starchy potatoes. They are good baked, mashed, or fried, mm, like French fries. They pick up moisture and lose their shape when boiled. Personally, I don't think that's a bad thing in a vegetable medley as it thickens the broth! I also like to use Russet in American potato salad mish-mashed with eggs, onions, and celery.

Red potatoes

2) Waxy potatoes - Are high in moisture and sugar, but low in starch (here called amylopectin). Waxy potatoes include red potatoes, fingerlings, new potatoes, golden, and baby potatoes. They hold their shape when boiled, so they work well in soups, stews, and for making scalloped potatoes or German potato salad. Ideally in German potato salad, you slice and hope the slices hold their shape, yet in our family, we use whatever variety of potatoes, waxy or not, we have on hand. We want dishes to be delicious but aren't foodies. A foodie would use the right type of potato.:)

Blue potatoes

3) All-purpose potatoes - Are medium in starch and therefore fall between starchy and waxy potatoes. They are suitable for most recipes as they hold their shape better than starchy potatoes and are good for roasting, making potato salad, pan-frying, boiling in soups, and gratins. You can bake or mash them also, although they are less fluffy than starchy potatoes. Examples include Yukon Gold, White, Blue, and Purple potatoes.

Potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, potassium (in fact higher than bananas), and dietary fiber. What's more, like most brightly colored vegetables Blue and Purple potatoes are packed with antioxidants, containing 2 - 3 times more antioxidants than white potatoes.

Yukon Gold potatoes (left) and white potatoes (right)

Over the years I've leaned towards buying Russet potatoes, but have eaten red, golden, fingerling, white, and blue potatoes. Hey, does a bad type of potato even exist? I volunteer to try as many of the 4,00o potato varieties on earth that come my way!

Yellow potatoes

What's your favorite potato? Our family eats potatoes in one form or another with most of our dinners (over rice, corn, or pasta -- which we eat less often). How about yours?

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Macy's Black Friday Specials: 10 Awesome Gifts For $10 or Less

Bell de Mar Button Pearls

If you're a high earner it's fantastic to buy loved ones expensive gifts. How lovely for people who have the means to give generously to others. It's equally vital to remember that Christmas was once not the over-the-top commercial holiday it's become. At one time people were content to exchange inexpensive treats like fruit, chocolates, or homemade gifts. So if you're on a tight budget this year don't fret, it really is the thought based on what you can afford that counts. 

Since I promised to create gift guides this year from Macy's Early Access Black Friday Specials I'll select 10 Awesome Gifts for $10 or Less:

1) Bell de Mar Cultured Freshwater Button Pearl Earrings - A very decent size 8-9mm with sterling silver (a precious metal) posts and backs. However according to many reviewers, the backs are flimsy and loose, so plan to use alternate posts you already have in your jewelry box or enclose a few rubber backs in your gift box for your giftee, so when worn an earring won't fall out. Despite their ill-fitting backs, I still think the earrings are an amazing buy and I'd be lying if I say I don't want a pair of pink pearls for myself! I only own white pearls! The button-shaped pearls are available in ivory, pink, grey, and black. Sale price: $8.12.

2) Art+Sound True Wireless Earbuds - The earbuds have a "crystal clear" sound, a comfortable fit, and many positive reviews. Fabulous time to buy them! Sale price: $9.99

3) Art & Cook 2-Speed Immersion Blender - Often I wish I had an immersion blender so I could insert it into a pot on the stovetop instead of pouring soup into a blender to cream it. Less cleanup! At $9.99.

4) Thermal Shirts - for men or women - For layering. Winter is coming! Nice to have warmth without bulk! Sale price: $9.99

5) First Aid Ultra Repair Cream - 2 ounces - A stellar skincare brand in limited edition holiday scents with serious moisture to treat dry skin. Hand/body creams make fabulous emergency gifts if you need a hostess gift or for an extra visitor at your gathering. Sale price: $9 {In the past I've also fallen back on quality scented room candles as an emergency gift which Macy's is offering for $10. A Christmas ornament can be a winning hostess gift.}

 6) Thirstystone Printed Coaster Set - Every home dweller needs stylish coasters to protect their furniture from drips and rings from drinks. There is an assortment of brands, designs, and colors. The sale price for a set of 4: is $7.99.

7) Holiday Lane Shine Bright Collection - Ornaments start at $2.99. In the USA it's protocol for a boss to give employees holiday gifts, but employees aren't expected to reciprocate because bosses make higher salaries. It can be awkward giving a boss a gift, but you can play it safe with either a lovely ornament or homemade Christmas cookies and a festive card. This eliminates dilemmas like wondering how much to spend; is the gift too personal, or appropriate? {I once brought homemade Christmas cookies in a tin to the office that my managing editor at Time ate during Christmas week, until he said, "Oh, please don't bring any more cookies in, I can't gain more weight!" I've published my cookie recipes throughout the blog.}

8) A set of peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla-flavored lip balm. $8.93.

9) Art & Cook Coffee and Spice Grinder - For the serious home cook or serious coffee drinker who likes to grind her/his own spices or beans. $9.99

10) R.H. Macy & Co. Chocolate Rum Cake - A premium blend of cocoa and dark rum with the flavor of butter syrup tossed in. Cheaper than a cup of coffee and a slice of gourmet cake at a cafe! 1 lb weight. Sale price: $9.99

Nobody should max out their credit cards for the holidays. Instead, give friends and family your time! With a little thought and the help of a Macy's Black Friday sale, you can find perfect gifts that are thoughtful and budget-friendly.🎄

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