Cleaning a glass top stove

Glass top stoves are a great invention. They are easy to clean and can provide years of great service. They come in both black and white. Never again will you have to tear your burners apart, pulling out the heating element and the drip tray underneath. You will never have to try to clean spills that have gone to places you can barely see. No more soaking and scraping those crusty trays. Many women are very grateful for this, myself included.

Not to imply that there is no clean up with a glass top stove. Unless you are a flawless cook there will still be spills and if you are not right there to wipe it up, it can burn and harden on the burner making it much more difficult to remove.

One thing you don’t want to use on a glass top stove is glass cleaner. Harsh cleaners such as ammonia and bleach can damage the stove top according to the manufacturers. When it comes to cleaning the glass top stove, gentle is the way to go. This makes it more important than ever to get to the spills as soon as possible.

Glass stove tops have made cleaning the stove top much easier. It is easy to clean a flat surface that while simple to wipe down can become dull and lifeless if the wrong cleaners are used. One thing to note, scratches are permanent so it is important to never let them happen in the first place.

Spills are easiest to clean if they are wiped up as soon as the stove top has cooled. Take a clean sponge or paper towel with plain water and wipe down the stove top. If there are stubborn stains they need to be worked on.

Stains need to be soaked. You can use a combination of dish liquid and water or if you prefer a more green approach, white vinegar and water. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. With a plastic scraper pad, attempt to remove the stain. If it is tough, repeat.

The Mr. Clean Eraser is great for removing spill, smudge,s and dullness on your glass cooktop. Just wet it and rub away, it is non-abrasive. It is also non-abrasive on the cleaner’s hands.

Finish up by using a cream cleaner designed especially for glass cooktops. Apply in a circular motion and allow t to dry. Wipe down with a soft cloth. By polishing the cook top it will have a shiny new look. This is the perfect way to keep your stove looking bright and new and stain free for years to come.

Catholic Traditions: Adoration of the Cross

Good Friday is a very solemn day in the Catholic Church. According to tradition, Jesus died on Good Friday at 3 p.m. Most Catholic Churches hold their Good Friday service at this time. Adoration of the Cross is part of this service. In order to understand what happens on Good Friday, it is important to understand Holy Week.

On Holy Thursday, the Triduum begins with an evening Mass. This is the Mass of the Last Supper. After the Mass is over, the Eucharist is taken from the Church and placed at an altar of repose. The door of the tabernacle is left open and the sanctuary candle is removed or at least extinguished. Jesus has left the building. Now, of course, not every church has a place outside the church proper for the altar of repose so in many parishes, the host is placed on a side altar. The church is then left open for as many hours as is traditional in the parish so that like Jesus in the Garden, the faithful can keep him company as he awaits what he knows is a horrible death.

On Good Friday, there are no masses said. There are services, Morning Prayer may be recited and the Stations of the Cross may also be prayed. The Service at 3 p.m. is the main service of the day.

There are three parts to this service. The Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and Communion.

During the Liturgy of the Word you hear the word of the Prophet Isaiah followed by Psalm 30 “Father, I put my life in your hands.” The Second Reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. The Gospel Reading is the Passion of St John.

This is followed by a short homily and by the General Intercessions. You pray: For the Church, the Pope, the clergy and the laity of the Church, for those preparing for baptism, for unity among Christians, for the Jewish people, for those who do not believe in Christ, for those who do not believe in God, for all in public office and for those in special need.

Adoration of the Cross, which the Catholic Church refers to as veneration, goes back over fifteen hundred years. September 14th, 324 A.D. is the date attributed to the finding the true cross that Jesus died on by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. The Church of the Holy Cross in Rome is built very near the site of her home. Catholic adoration of the cross is a very ancient tradition and has been incorporated into the Good Friday service.

During the Veneration of the Cross, the Cross processes into the church and the faithful process to the front of the church and can kiss the Cross. Sometimes it is a crucifix and sometimes a cross, without the corpus. If it is a crucifix, you usually choose to kiss the wounds on Jesus’ feet. The crucifix is then wiped after each person venerates it. This is a very solemn moment when you recognize the awful sacrifice that Jesus made for you, personally.

Following the Veneration, the Eucharist is brought back into the church for distribution to the faithful. After everyone has received communion, the Eucharist is again taken out of the church. The priest leaves the church but does not process. The faithful then leave the church in complete silence; this is not a day to socialize or to speak at all until you have left the Church.

Those who are present, are encouraged to stay in the church and silently contemplate the passion of Jesus and his death on the cross. Confession may be offered after the service for those who choose to go.

This is a beautiful and very reverent service and if you have never been able to attend, why not make the effort this year. In order to fully appreciate the Resurrection, you need to be part of the suffering and death of Jesus. Come and Adore the Cross, you will be glad you did.

Wearing the green on St. Patrick's Day

Traditional, people wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. For one day of the year, everyone is Irish. If you want to pay homage to the universal Irish in everyone, do you need to wear a bright green outfit? Not at all, there are many ways that you can be very fashionable and be wearing the green. Start by looking into accessories.

Scarf

A scarf is a very fashionable accessory. It can add a finishing touch to just about any outfit. There are several ways to go with this. The simplest way is to just wear an Irish green scarf tied around your neck. It can be knotted, draped or loosely tied. All green is the most obvious but wearing black or white with shamrocks on it.

By the same token, any plaid or paisley design that uses the correct color of green is acceptable. A scarf can also be used as a belt. This works with just about any slacks, even a pair of jeans.

A simple sheath dress can be updated with a scarf belt or a small scarf inside the neckline. With a business suit, a small green scarf in the pocket makes just the right statement.

Jewelry

A magnificent emerald is always an option. It can be worn as earrings, a bracelet or necklace. Costume jewelry in the shape of a shamrock is traditional. To combine the scarf and the jewelry, a nice emerald green pin can be worn to hold a scarf in place. A pin also works on the lapel of a blazer or jacket. For a fun twist on St Patrick’s Day, they sell leprechauns in a variety of jewelry styles. Wear these with attitude.

If you wear a charm bracelet, there are a variety of charms that come in green and also are Irish in theme. Remove all your other charms and just do the Irish and green.

Shoes

If you are a fashionista, a great pair of Irish green high heels will turn a simple black dress or suit into the perfect way to announce to the world, today is St. Patrick’s Day. If heels are a bit much for you, a pretty pair of ballet slippers will do the trick. If you can’t afford to buy a new pair of shoes, consider adding an inexpensive shamrock pin to the top of your shoes or even your sneakers. If you are wearing running shoes, think about adding green laces for the day.

Purse

A great little green purse will be perfect for St Patrick’s Day and can be a nice addition to your purse wardrobe. Admit it, you have a purse wardrobe, most women do.

If you want to do more than just accessorize in green, it is perfectly fashionable to wear a great green cardigan, tee-shirt or blouse to let the world know that you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. So don’t be shy, be fashionable and be Irish, at least for the day. Wearing green fashionably is part of a long tradition on St. Patrick's Day.

Aging gracefully

Aging is the most natural thing in the world. When you are young, time seems to drag and as you age, time seems to fly. One morning you wake up and discover that you are no longer young. What does it mean to age gracefully? It means knowing who you are and how you want to look. It means taking gentle measures to make sure that your outside is a good match for the person inside.

A large part of the aging process is mental. Accepting the fact that aging is a part of life, is the hardest part. Not recognizing the face you see in the mirror, is the reality. Everyone reacts differently to the inevitable changes. You don't, however, have to sit back and just take it. The world has changed and with it, there have been great advancements in the war on aging.

Plastic surgery has come a long way. The beauty of aging gracefully is that with a little nip here and a little tuck there, no one ever has to know that you have given nature some assistance. It has become acceptable, almost expected, that when you start to age you are going to put up some resistance. How resistant you want to be, only you can answer.

No matter what you chose to do to assist nature, in order to age gracefully you need to accept the fact that you are aging. That will involve changes in how you dress. As we age our weight may redistribute to places it never was before. Gravity is the enemy and things will begin to go south.

No matter how much work you have done on your face, necks and décolletage tend to show signs of aging. It might be time to resist the plunging neckline and go with one that covers the skin that doesn't look as young as it once did. This can be very stylish and flattering.

Dress appropriately for your age. Find your own style, celebrate the fact that you are a survivor. You want to look stylish and aux current without trying to dress like a teen or pre-teen. Nothing looks less graceful than trying to dress 20, 30 or even 40 years younger than you are. It really is all about color and fit. If you haven't had a color assessment recently, get one. You may be surprised by the changes age has made in the palette that looks best on you.

For the men the same holds true. If your clothes look like your teenage sons, you might want to reconsider how you are dressing. Dressing for your age makes you look younger, not older.

As you age, less is better in the makeup department and hair colors should go lighter. Dark colors can appear harsh. Go with makeup that doesn't emphasize wrinkles, the light mineral types are good choices. There are wonderful moisturizers and toners that can help keep your skin as youthful as possible. Exfoliate frequently and help those new skin cells regenerate as quickly as possible. Stay out of the sun. This is one thing that doesn't change with age, the sun is the enemy of youthful skin.

Keeping an active lifestyle and adopting a healthy diet will help in the process. Find new hobbies, make new friends, embrace your age, it is after all just a state of mind. You are as young as you feel and if you are confident that you are looking your best, age is just a number. There is no secret to aging gracefully. Aging is just another phase of life to be embraced.

Benefits and disadvantages of early retirement

Social Security is the reward for working hard and being a part of the system. It is what our parents counted on to help them to survive once they had retired. Baby boomers are expecting a lot more from their retirement than just survival. They want to enjoy retirement and be able to do all the things that they have put off while working and raising a family. 

This will require a lot more money than the Federal Government supplies from your weekly deductions. Before you can decide if you will retire early at 62 or work until your full retirement age, which can be between 66 and 67 years, you need to know how much of your retirement income will be coming from Social Security.

Retiring early, at 62, results in a severe drop in the amount of your monthly Social Security payment. Exactly how long you are going to live, you have no way of knowing. Averages can help you to determine what you’re likely age of death will be but at the end of the day, it is just a guess. Social Security Online has a benefit calculator that will help you when it comes to deciding when you should retire.

Before you try to estimate what your benefit is going to be, you need to know that you will have your 40 quarters of eligible employment completed. When you go to 

the benefit calculator there are three calculators that you can choose, The Quick Calculator, Online Calculator and the Detailed Calculator that you need to download. If you just want a rough idea, you can check the yearly statement that you get in the mail from the Social Security Administration.

Let’s say your income this year is $40,000 and you put that into the quick calculator and ask it what you will make when you retire. If you are 60 today and will retire in 2 years your benefit will be $907 a month. If you are 50 today with the same scenario, you benefit at 62 will be $944. If you are 40 today it will be $1,014.

Now if you wait until 66 or 67 for a 60-year-old it goes up to $1,262, for a 50 year old $1,294 and a 40 year old $1,478. As you can see that is quite a significant difference.

$43,536 is the amount of money you would receive between age 62 and age 66. At age 76 you will have earned $152, 376. If you retire at age 66 at age 76 you will have earned $151,440 at age 76. As long as you live beyond the age of 76 it will be beneficial to wait until you are 66 to start collecting your Social Security if you can afford to. Within a very short time after 76, your larger benefit will outstrip your smaller early retirement income.

Since the average American can expect to live quite some time beyond 76, taking your Social Security benefit early should be a last resort. This does not take into account all the other income you will have from your pension, IRA, and 401K.

Only you can decide if early retirement makes sense to you.