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Here's hoping you enjoy time with family and friends over a festive meal. Hours of catching up. Much laughter. A little reflection. Some sweets . And, a bit of rest and relaxation.  On the holiest day of the Christan calender, thankfully, it remains a low-key holiday. No gifts to exchange and no commercialization. A quiet, yet meaningful holiday of eternal hope.     Easter celebrates perseverance over adversity, which is something all human beings have in common.  Whether or not your faith celebrates Easter Sunday, let's all plan to enjoy the day ... and eat a piece of chocolate in solidarity! Happy spring , a joyous Passover  to readers who celebrate and ... Ha pp y E as te r E ve ry on e! 🌷 You may also enjoy: It's Easter Sunday      After Easter Vittles Easter Sunday Thoughts    Happy Easter This Sunday

After marriage at age 17, Queen Victoria insisted her daughter maintain her Englishness, which  made  her an easy target  for her adversaries in Germany. Since Bismarck could not criticize the Crown Prince directly, he planted unflattering and untrue newspaper stories about his "English" wife. As 2nd in line of a conservative dynasty, Fritz was powerless to dismiss Bismarck, who feared the progessive Crown Prince's ascendancy. As some of you know, I'm reading bios on the children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Recently I finished one on her eldest child: Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, who was born on November 21, 1840, 9 months after her parents' wedding. Soon styled "The Princess Royal," historians consider Vicky the brightest and most precocious of Queen Victoria's 9 children. Starting as a toddler, she received many of her school lessons from her brilliant father, Prince Albert, who also doted on her. The child spoke fluent French at 18 ...

1) The Ingenue Charlotte Tilbury  is a makeup brand on the same level as Chanel. The colors and textures are beautiful. Since the retailer is English in origin (not French), it's a few bucks cheaper then Chanel, but still a luxury brand and a splurge for the shopper on a budget. The Limited Edition Face Palettes are a smart entry into the Charlotte Tilbury line. Although not cheap at $75, the palettes are ample-sized, the hues are ultra flattering, and it contains a variety of face products to create a complete look. The company website is a wealth of helpful information and great fun to explore. In addition to discovering and shopping for new looks and listening to catchy music, you can watch how-to videos featuring professional makeup artists who show you the steps in creating the different looks. Click each image below to enlarge: 2) The Golden Goddess                                     ...

Photo: Colorbox Popcorn is a whole grain, low calorie snack. At 30 calories a cup, it is high in fiber. I have owned 3 hot air popcorn poppers. When one burned out I bought another. But as it turns out, you don't need a hot air popper, or a special microwave bowl to make homemade unbuttered popcorn. All it takes is dry popcorn kernels, a microwave and a brown paper lunch bag. Who knew? I always knew not to buy the commercial microwave popcorn at the supermarket. It contains too much fat, and too many chemicals. Plus it's expensive! That's why I used a hot air popper. But lately, I tried a brown paper lunch bag, and it works too! Two pounds of unpopped popcorn is $2.49, and 50 brown paper lunch bags sell for $2.99 at the drugstore. If you keep the bag clean, it can be used more than once. Directions:  1)  Fill the paper bag with 1/4 cup of unpopped kernels.  2) Fold the opening of the bag over to close it. 3) Microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes. Stay close by to remove the...

Photo: Southern Living My father loved bread pudding , but we never made it at home. When my mother made a big weekend breakfast, it was always savory: crispy bacon, eggs, biscuits, orange juice and coffee. If you desired something sweet, you put strawberry preserves on your hot biscuit. My dad ordered bread pudding when we ate out at a restaurant, usually as a dessert after dinner. Today I'm jazzing up my father's favorite, bread pudding, with pecans. I often add nuts to my pastries, too, to balance the sugar. Here is the recipe: Creole Bread Pudding Photo: Simply Ingredients: 2 cups milk 2 large eggs 1/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 7 slices of whole grain bread 1/2 cup broken pecans (or walnuts) 1/2 cup raisins Optional: 1 cup whipping cream (I omit it because I don't think to buy it, but then add 1 extra cup of milk as we like pudding.) Directions: 1) In a mixing bowl whisk together the milk and eggs....

This is song #5, skip and finish with it. You'll be glad you did. 😎 🎶 Last year I decided to retire the Guilty Pleasure Song List because after compiling a list of songs, they disappear all too often from YouTube. I dislike having dead links on a blog.  That said, Old Man Winter will soon leave us, opening the door for optimism. It's time to come out of hibernation and turn up the music. So despite my misgivings, I'm compiling yet another Guilty Pleasure Song List : Let's call it Guilty Pleasure Songs: Performer's POV  - Music from the point of view of the person performing on stage. 1) Fame by Irene Cara (1980): In the beginning there's the dream, the ambition, the talent, the training, the hours of practice, practice, practice, as well as, the wait to be given the chance to showcase a talent. 2) Turn The Page by Bob Seger (1976):  Bob Seger wrote a memorable story-song about being up on stage! (What a coincidence.😅) Featuring a soulful saxophone, it's ...

Target is teaming up with Hunter, th e British designer of the signature Wellington boot. The iconic rubber footwear is a favorite of fashion-forward celebrities like Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Princes William and Harry, as well as, wife of William, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Hunter boots at Target will drop on April 14th at select stores and online. The collection includes the tall heritage "Wellies" style boot, made as a one-off and affordably priced, selling in the $45 range, which is down from it's usual $150 price tag. Perhaps customers won't get exactly the same higher priced boot ... yet if past collaborations (such as Liberty of London, Zac Posen and Philip Lam) are indicators, consumers will get quality for less moola. (My Liberty of London  well-made, 100% cotton dress is still going strong!) Frankly, I have a love/hate relationship with clunky, sweaty rainboots. A necessary evil to keep my feet warm and dry during a storm. I dislike wearing them, ...

Photo: Allure New chic makeup launches for eyes and lips.  First up eyes: 1) Make Up For Ever's Star Lit Glitter Palette  - Get eyes to pop with the next generation of glitter! The palette shades catch the light for an intense simmering effect that is a step up from previous glitter palettes. As sparkly as the eyeshadow is, it is not messy (as there is no fallout) and the hues don't look cheap. When applied, the eyeshadows are incandescent  nude tones. Innovative! The 6 shades in the palette have names like: Spark, Reflection, Prism, Flicker, Flame and Beam. They range from radiant violets and berries to brilliant bronzes. "Beam," the purple hue on the end is more understated and complex than it appears above. Rich pigments.  The look is magical and very pretty! Cost: $45 for the palette. Next lips: Photo: Allure 2) Velvet Matte Cream Lip Stains, Pencils and Glosses  -  Makeup Maven, Angie Smith, alerted me to the launch of new lip formulas from ...

Photos: Getty 1) Gal Gadot wearing Givency; 2) Nicole Kidman in a gorgeous colbalt blue Armani Prive gown; 3) Emma Stone suited in Chanel; 4) Jennifer Laurence wearing Christian Dior; 5) Margo Robbie in a white Chanel dress; 6) Lupita Nyong'o wearing Atelier Versace; 7) Sandra Bullock in a silk gown from Louis Vuitton and 8) Ashley Judd wearing a purple strapless Badgley Mischka gown. The Academy Awards are only one hour in, and as usual it will be a long night. But the Red Capet has been walked and here are my favorite outfits of the evening. This year's overall look is elegant and classic, and I like how Emma Stone and Nicole Kidman took chances with their attire: Emma in a Chanel combination top with slacks and Nicole wearing a feminine and balanced Armani Prive dress. Margo Robbie has the right amount of sparkle to jazz up her modern, ladylike, solid white gown. Oh, the impeccable gowns, hair, makeup and jewelry ... definitely a return to old Hollywood glamour. You may als...

Photo: Wallpaper THE SAVVY SHOPPER turns nine years today, and who knew I'd still be writing it? You can go back and look at the 1st blog I wrote to see if I got any better.😊  Published topics are ones that I (or a reader) want to know more about. Somehow the blog rings true and has a voice. Writing is a bit of a mystery. Although I know how to write blogs, I don't plan them. Usually I have an informal mental outline of important points or information to include which can change as I research and write the blog. It is vital to get the focus and facts right! In writing, I don't always know what I will say, yet I know I have something fruitful or beneficial to say. Plus, I know the post must be worthy of a reader's time.  People who read a blog ... eyeballs want everything fast. A blog must have the same substance as a printed article, but say it in fewer words. Blogging has made me a concise writer, as well as, a curious and critical thinker. Who knew? We have grown th...