Zlogger - Learn, Live Well And Share.

Photo: The New York Times Buttermilk layer cakes are what generations of Southern women made for Sunday dinner. They are cakes suitable for birthdays and summer cookouts. After looking at recipes from the New York Times and the Joy of Cooking , which were identical, I came up with a recipe too. Think fluffy, vanilla cake that can be left simple; or easily enhanced with favorite ingredients like nuts, coconut or chocolate.   I like to add a half cup of finely ground nuts to my batter: Butter Milk Layer Cake (with nuts) Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups butter (= 1 1/2 sticks) 1 1/3 cups sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk Debbie's version: 1/2 cup of finely ground walnuts or pecans Directions: 1) Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. 2) Add the eggs and vanilla. 3) Add the dry ingredients followed by the buttermilk. 4) Toss in the ground nuts for oomph. 5) Pour i...

Prada - One dress in 2 lengths: maxi and knee Summer is my favorite time of the year despite some hot and humid days. We can enjoy long hours of daylight dressed in comfortable natural fabrics like cotton and linen. The lack of layers is reason enough to love summer. What's more, summer style often features vivid colors and lighthearted stripes! A mild sunny season is ideal for people watching and style gazing! Next time you're out-and-about town, enjoy the show! Meanwhile here are a number of fashionable ways to wear  summer stripes: From retailers 1) Haultlook.com -  knit pencil skirt ; 2) Calvin Kline - crew neck, fitted, tee dress sold at Walmart; 3) Loft - strappy sun dress; 4) Miting - the shift dress; 5) Old Navy - crew neck, fitted, tee dress in classic red or navy ; 6) John Lewis - fit and flare dress with blots of yellow and black ; 7) Dapper James - ruffled Nellie top with umbrella designs; 8) Diane Von Furstenberg - stretch knit vertical stripped dress; Old Navy -...

Dapper James - Mary Beth cotton sundress According to fashion magazines, we will see lots of gingham over the summer. Indeed, the pattern has been popular since bombshell Bridget Bardot got married in 1959 wearing a pink gingham dress. It never truly disappeared. Gingham is a lightweight cotton fabric that comes in checked white and a bolder color. Here are some stylish and comfortable ways to wear gingham: From retailers: 1) Free People - swing dress; 2) Forever 21- jumper dress; 3) Madewell - bell sleeve shirt 4) Ellen Tracy - lace and gingham dress; 5) Draper James - cloister top; 6) ASOS - smock dress; 7) J Crew - cigarette pants; 8) Topshop - embroidered gingham shirt; 9) Madewell - 3 '' shorts; and Dapper James - the garden party skirt (a floral and gingham pattern). To celebrate the summer solstice😎 in the Western Hemisphere, THE SAVVY SHOPPER will feature not just gingham, but a trilogy of playful summer patterns to wear. Two others are just as fresh, crisp and fu...

Photo: The Sun I started first grade late, missing a quarter of the school year. Mom had taken me with her on a visit to Germany and wasn't as punctuational as she should've been in returning to the USA. Dad was not happy. He registered me in absentia, so I could begin school as soon as I came home. One of the first things I noticed in attending classes was this ... students who did well received gold and silver stars on their perfect and near perfect classwork, which hung prominently in Mrs. George's classroom. But since I entered school 2 months after everybody else, I played catch up for much of the year, rarely getting those metallic stars on my papers. Although lagging behind for months, I managed to catch up enough by year's end to be promoted to 2nd grade. Here's how this story fits into Father's Day.  I remember coveting those gold and silver stars that I seldom received on my schoolwork, but have no memory of ever complaining or talking about it. But so...

Photo: shugarysweets Two unopened pints of cottage cheese hid in my refrigerator for a month. Naughty, naughty! Sometimes you don't crave undoctored cottage cheese, so I turned them into a creamy cheesecake. While slightly less tasty than a full fat cheesecake made with cream cheese, it holds its own in the delicious department! Unlike the rich, full fat variety, I don't feel nauseous, after eating a huge slice. Because it's high in protein -- consisting of cottage cheese, eggs and milk -- I'm serving it for breakfast on the weekend with a fresh pot of coffee.  What's that you say? Oatmeal? Ha! I prefer my breakfast. Here's the recipe: Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Ingredients for the crust: 1 1/2 cups graham crackers, ground 1/4 cup real butter olive oil to brush your pan (and add to the crust as needed.) Optional: 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds if you have them. Directions for the crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients and spread on the bottom of a...

Buckingham Palace Queen Victoria tea cup and saucer You can buy fine china (and other items) inspired by none other than the British Queen. That's right, get your next teacup from Buckingham palace. Ohh , I'm a lady, I am! 👸🏻 The Royal Collection sells by piece, and you can buy as much of a china set as your bank account allows. Furthermore, here's something I did not know until recently: Teacups and coffee cups are not one and the same, but have different shapes. Naturally, the Buckingham Palace collection offers both. Buckingham Palace Chelsea porcelain coffee cup and saucer A teacup (the top cup) is lower and wider. It lets very hot water , which tea experts tell us is key in making a good cup of tea, cool quickly.  A coffee cup (our 2nd image) is narrow and high because coffee is usually brewed at a lower temperature than tea and doesn't need to cool off as fast to drink. Although I have a college degree (with a 3.85/4.0 GPA, not too shabby), I did not know thi...

Subscribing to a makeup club usually costs between $10 - $15 per month, depending on the club, which adds up to $110 - $150 a year. A few clubs charge more. Popular makeup clubs include Birchbox, ipsy makeup bags and Beauty Army. Most clubs let customers cancel a membership at anytime, without penalty. Upon joining, a subscriber is asked to select her makeup preferences. This includes: 1) Types of products: mascara, eyeshadow or lipstick, etc; 2) Colors: reds, pinks, plums, browns, or nudes; and 3) Looks: bold, glam or natural, etc. However, customers find that the boxes contain essentially the same products, regardless of what they select. So is subscribing to a makeup club worth the money?  Yes , if it brings you happiness. But  no , if you are looking for value. Here are the reasons why: 1) You have the ability to try skin care, or cosmetics for free simply by going into the Sephora, or Ulta shops.  Plus, beauty companies give away plenty of free   samples...

We know how bad the sun is for our skin. It causes premature aging and skin cancer. A tan is the skin's attempt to protect itself from the sun's damaging rays. I don't know about you, but I wear sunscreen and walk in the shade, as well as, cover myself up in cotton clothing and a visor if I'm in the sun for more than a few minutes. So what is a pale face to do to look healthy and sun kissed? Fake it, of course with a quality brozner.  Contour your face like a celebrity: Brush bronzer on the temples, chin and under the cheek bone to create shadows at the edges. A bronzer can also give your face a tan-like-glow. It is what I call sun kissed, and it is the main purpose of a bronzer. Bronzer adds warmth to a porcelain face. There is sometimes shimmer in the color which acts as a highlighter. Maybelline just launched a FaceStudio Master Bronze Kit, which I am eager to try. Drugstores and Bed, Bath and Beyond don't have it yet; but it is listed on Amazon and  Ulta . S...