Lifestyles category, Page 152
Take advantage of seasonal pause to make 2020 garden plans
The outdoor growing season is over in most of the U.S., and it’s time to pause and take stock. Review those gardening impressions that delighted you as well as those that disappointed. Apply what one veteran planter calls “creative staring” to improve the look of your landscape and the rewards...
Canna roots must be dug, stored for the winter
Question: We had several huge canna lilies in our garden this year. They have now been killed by these recent cold temperatures. Is it too late to dig them up? If we do, how do we keep them through the winter? Answer: Cannas are beautiful, tropical plants that make a...
Snag a few bargains now at the garden center
It’s always a sad day to walk out to the garden after the first hard frost of the season. But as another year of growing tender plants comes to an end, there’s still time to sneak in some bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Often times they can be found on...
Twinkies cereal coming to your breakfast bowlVideo
The iconic snack that went through a shake-up seven years ago is headed to the supermarket breakfast aisle. Post has teamed up with Hostess to release Twinkies Cereal. The cereal replicates the taste and oblong shape of the golden-colored snack cake, the company said in a release. The cereal will...
Bob Evans matches ‘feast’ orders with food bank donations
In an effort to extend the spirit of hospitality across communities with Bob Evans restaurants, the chain is inviting guests to help support local families in need this holiday season. For the first 100 people who order a Farmhouse Feast online on Nov. 14, one Farmhouse Feast will be donated...
Sizing up the 2019 holiday shopping season for retailers
NEW YORK — With two weeks until the official start of the holiday shopping season, the nation’s retailers are gearing up for what should be another brutally competitive shopping period. The good news? Many retail CEOs say the U.S. consumer is financially healthy given the economy remains strong and the...
Frost n’ Sip classes tackle cake decorating with a side of wineVideo
Canned frosting, sprinkles and gels can make cake decorating fairly easy, even for the amateur. Piping with design tips, rolling and shaping fondant, can be a little tricky. Perhaps one just needs a little instruction, accompanied by a “take the edge off” glass of wine. Julia Harhai, owner of Frosting...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: A variety to sample for Thanksgiving
When family and friends gather for Thanksgiving dinner, diverse personalities, political opinions and tastes invariably convene at the table. A variety of dishes with clashing flavors adds fuel to the hubbub. Lest you despair, remember this potentially volatile mix also creates a terrific opportunity to serve fun wines. One bottle...
Pittsburgh Pet Expo highlights competitions, adoptions, stage shows
There’s no reason to leave your best friend at home when other members of the family attend this year’s edition of the Pittsburgh Pet Expo. Pets on leashes also are welcome at the annual three-day event Nov. 15-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Billed as the largest consumer...
Travel site lauds Laurel Highlands as ’emerging destination’Video
It comes as no surprise to the agency promoting the region, but the Laurel Highlands’ recent TravelLemming.com award nonetheless is a thrill, say Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau staff members. The corner of the state including Westmoreland, Somerset and Fayette counties is among the top 30 vote-getters (coming in at 27)...
Out & About: Seton Hill reception welcomes Pittsburgh Ballet
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers delighted a Greensburg audience on Nov. 8 with their “Classical Romance” program in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center. The performance was the culmination of a residency of PBT dancers at the university, working with dance students in six sessions over several weeks. It also...
Out & About: Greensburg Art Center has unique gifts for everyone
That one-of-a-kind person deserves a one-of-a-kind holiday gift — and the Greensburg Art Center has just the thing. “When mall shopping just won’t do,” the center says, visit The Art of Gifting, the Hempfield center’s annual holiday show and sale of artisan gift items from about 30 area artists. The...
Simple can be gorgeous when setting a holiday table
Setting a gorgeous table for a holiday meal doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult, says interior designer Elizabeth Stuart. Sometimes, a simple design using just a few plants and candles can be more beautiful than an intricate display. “There are no rules,” says Stuart, and you can plan a...
Out & About: Champions of Dance take over Ramada GreensburgVideo
The Champions of Dance competition proves that age is just a number when it comes to cutting a rug. Held Nov. 8 in the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel & Conference Center, the annual event benefits the United Way’s Open Your Heart to a Senior companionship program. Competitors Leslie Schupp...
Out & About: Greater Latrobe gala previews new art selectionsVideo
From elementary to high school, Greater Latrobe School District students have opportunities to evaluate and appreciate art through the district’s special art collection. The GLSD Art Conservation Trust, which oversees and preserves the collections displayed in each school building, held its 28th annual Art Gala on Nov. 7 in the...
Out & About: The Westmoreland welcomes Pittsburgh artists’ group
Tailgate a football game? Sure. But a fine art exhibition? That’s something different. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art may have experienced its first-ever tailgate (we can’t verify that) on Nov. 9, with the opening of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 107th Annual Exhibition. On a corner opposite the Greensburg...
Out & About: Library event takes guests to Hemingway’s Key West
It was chilly outside but downright tropical inside the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library on Nov. 9 for the annual Library Libations fundraiser. “Welcome to Hemingway’s Key West” was the theme, and the dress code called for sundresses, Hawaiian shirts, Panama hats and flip-flops. Rattan and bamboo ringed the room, and...
Living with Children: How to handle stealing, lying
Question: Our 7-year-old son recently stole two small model cars from a playmate while he was at the playmate’s house. Apparently, he wanted to trade one of his toys for the two cars, but the playmate refused, so he stole them. When we found them, he claimed his friend had...
Travel tip: AAA warns against using vehicle technology en route
A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that using in-vehicle infotainment and navigation systems while en route could be a potentially dangerous distraction — especially comparing drivers ages 55-75 to those ages 21-36. That’s because it takes the older group longer to do tasks involving voice commands...
Pick these pears for the perfect fall dishes
Apples may get all of autumn’s accolades, but it’s time for pears to muscle in on the action. Understanding which pear varieties are best for which uses will help you choose wisely from the fruit you’ll see at farmers markets, farm stands and grocery stores. You can eat any pear...
The secret to great travel photos? Practice makes perfect
The path to better photography is the same as a musician’s route to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. But these tips, hacks, ideas and tactics will get you there faster. They’ve been collected from photo staffers at the Los Angeles Times and several teachers over the years. Yet there are...
Air plants are fun to grow, but they do require some special care
Air plants have made a comeback. These members of the bromeliad family, known as Tillandsia, were popular with 1970s houseplant growers, and they’re now back in vogue. While many folks think these cute little plants survive on just air, they’re mistaken. Air plants need a little more TLC than you...
Sweet competition benefits the Leechburg Public Library
You don’t have to cross an ocean to see who is crowned the next best baker. Just come to Leechburg. An upcoming spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Leechburg Public Library will include a baking contest for a chance to be the named “Star Baker of Leechburg.” The idea came from...
Diamond showroom to open in Downtown Pittsburgh
The gems sparkle from inside the glass display cases at the Rothschild Trading Company, a Pittsburgh and Los Angeles-based diamond manufacturer, that celebrates the grand opening of its diamond showroom in Downtown Pittsburgh Friday, Nov. 8. Owner Henry Rothschild rented the space six months ago. The New Orleans native chose...
Greensburg Ladies Night will be shopping fun for everyone
Ladies Night in downtown Greensburg is not just for the ladies, says chairwoman Ashley Stevens. The special shopping event was given the name when it began “decades ago,” Stevens says, but “it’s a great night for shopping with your kids, your friends, your husbands, really everyone.” Downtown merchants will keep...
