Pearls of Wisdom

Pearls have to be one of my all time favorite kind of jewelry. I received my first strand of pearls when I was 16. I was so proud of my new treasure. I go vintage shopping and always see signs for vintage pearl pieces. How can you find out if the pearl broach or pearl ring you are about to purchase is really a true pearl?

My grandmother, who was an antique dealer, told me a little trick I use whenever I am about to buy pearls. Take the pearl and lightly rub the pearl between your top and bottom teeth. If the pearl feels "sandy", you have found a legit pearl. However, if your pearl feels "slippery", then it's a fake.

This is a great trick that has helped me to decide whether or not I am buying a real pearl.

Happy hunting!

-ani

Nailed it

I love how my midwest wardrobe turns into a garden of fresh colors for summer. However, it was most depressing when I could not get a polished toe that went with my whole summer get up. Wearing pinks, corals, and poppyseed reds -it’s really hard to find a polish that can go with everything. (Especially since my pedicures last FOREVER.)

THEN, the wonderous OPI company came out with Most Honorable Red. It goes with every summer shade you can imagine and does not discriminate against skin tone. The color is truly a chameleon and works very hard to turn red, pink or orange whenever you change outfits.

You can find this wonderful nail lacquer at fine salons, opi.com, or at Marc’s (my favorite place to get OPI).

Oh, and do yourself a favor- buy it in bulk.

-ani

** The photo simply DOES NOT does not serve this color justice.

Lettuce have salad

I may be apart of a dying breed of brown baggers. I still like to pack a good lunch and bring it in to work. However, packing a salad is a pain- it gets soggy if you prepare it the night before OR you have to bring fifty different elements to work in order to have a decent salad.

Here is an easy way to pack a salad... No extra work, no 5 million containers of dressings/garnishes.

• Prepare extra lettuce the night before (like when you are making dinner).
• Put ALL veggies/seasoning on bottom of a container.
• Layer dressing over veggies/seasoning.
• Add a meat of your choice (I always make an extra chicken breast so I can throw it in my salad).
• Add lettuce (fully washed/dried) .
• Throw cheese/croutons in a small plastic bag.

Voila! You have a salad that is packed and ready to go. The dressing will marinate the veggies and meat over night AND no soggy lettuce, croutons, or cheese.

Eat and enjoy!

-ani

Salutations

Welcome to ani-cidote, a blog that promises quips to solutions on all things that transpire in real life! I will note two very important things about ani-cdote.

1. All solutions/opinions are from years (okay, only 26 years) of harvesting tiny bits of information that must be shared with everyone. Some tips/solutions/opinions are my own, some are from others who graciously let me in on their little secrets. I will do my best to give credit to those who were the original idea-masters behind the fabulous tips.
2. ani-cdote was not my idea. A few people liked what I had to say and encouraged me to share my thoughts with others. They will probably be my only followers, so this is for you!

I hope you enjoy my little ani-cdotes!

- ani