Lifestyles category, Page 211
Hold up! Candy hearts will be available for Valentine’s Day after all
If you’ve been holding out for a hero to save your Valentine’s Day from being devoid of those candy conversation hearts … well, your hero has arrived. Recently it was revealed that the iconic SweetHearts candy with phrases like “Be Mine” and “Let’s Kiss” wouldn’t be available this season because...
Husband pressures introvert into another uncomfortable vacation with the in-laws
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: About three years ago my husband and I (no kids) went on a big vacation with my husband’s family. I REALLY wasn’t interested in going but his mother had pushed for a family trip for a long time, his father had just...
How long is the airport security wait? These apps will tell you
Airport security lines can behave like curly hair: One small change in the atmosphere and everything can go out of whack. Weather, holidays and most recently the partial government shutdown have turned a routine procedure into a panicky production. The Transportation Security Administration and airlines advise domestic passengers to arrive...
Out & About: Country stars bring ‘Roots & Boots Tour’ to The Palace
Who needs the Grand Ole Opry when you’ve got the Palace Theatre and the Roots & Boots Tour? Greensburg’s grand dame of entertainment venues had a honky-tonk feel Feb. 2 as country music icons Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin and Collin Raye shared the stage for an acoustic evening of classic...
Kitchen islands evolve to meet today’s needs
Prep surface. Gathering spot. Storage solution. The kitchen island is one of those home elements that seems to have known its purpose from its inception: a utilitarian divider between kitchen and family zones, the heart of the home. Over the years, the kitchen island has come to offer far more...
Regional artistic, maker opportunities abound
From sipping while painting to sketching with charcoal, molding hot glass, dyeing fabric or woodworking, opportunities exist for crafts people from novice to advanced to practice their artistic and making skills. Throughout the region, children and adults can find places to let their creative juices flow, with minimal or step-by-step...
Travel tip: Go batty at Lincoln Caverns’ 12th annual Batfest
What’s the only mammal capable of sustained flight? The bat. Learn more about the much-feared furry flier at the 12th annual Batfest from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 9 at Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon County. Visitors will have a chance to view tri-colored bats in their natural habitat and learn about...
Living with Children: Parenting vs. childrearing
There is “parenting” and then there is bringing up, rearing, or raising children. The difference is night and day; so are the outcomes, short- and long-term, to all concerned, meaning every single one of us. Parenting is what the vast majority of American parents have been doing since the early...
Brother’s marital strife is beginning to affect his young children
Dear Carolyn: My brother and sister-in-law have two little girls, 5 and 2, and I love the four of them very much. My brother is a doctor and works many irregular and overnight shifts; my sister-in-law must necessarily manage the girls by herself a lot. My brother and sister-in-law fight...
Visiting Alaska in wintertime is a travelers’ badge of honor
Bundled in the warmest clothing I own, at least I’m snug while speeding across snow-covered trails and onto the Chena River, covered with a layer of 2-foot-thick ice. The old sofa cushion on which I’m seated helps smooth the ride. Ice crystals, kicked up by the 40 paws of 10...
Turn a plain brown paper bag into the perfect popcorn maker
Microwave popcorn is a great idea—in theory. But most packaged options have a long list of unnatural ingredients and don’t taste very good. This fun recipe turns a plain old brown paper bag—the kind you might use to hold your lunch—into a microwave-safe package for popping corn kernels. Make sure...
Passion fruit is a tart, tropical MVP ingredient
I’ve gone on record here as an avowed Anglophile who thinks there are plenty of things that Brits do better than us. Scones. Tea. Cooking competition shows. I have something else to thank them for: Introducing me to the wonders of passion fruit. In the few weeks I’ve spent across...
Politics burnout craves a newsbreak
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Hi, Carolyn! I try to keep informed with politics and the state of the world, but I’m getting so, so tired. I have depression and anxiety and struggle to deal with my daily first-world issues — how do people deal with watching the world...
Mother abandons fulfilling volunteer gig at the soup kitchen
Dear Carolyn: For the holidays this year, my mother was torn about her regular “gig” — volunteering at a local community center serving as a “soup kitchen.” She has volunteered there for many years for the less fortunate. My mother ultimately decided never to return to the soup kitchen. She...
Level Green furniture builder wins customer service award
Penn Rustics, a Level Green company that offers hand-built furniture made from solid wood, has been awarded a “Best of Customer Service” badge from Houzz, an online forum for architecture, interior design and decorating, landscape design and home improvement. The custom rustic furniture company was chosen by the more than...
Tom Davidson: For the love of ‘Truck’ and the weather
My latest son could be born at any time. That’s what my wife and I have been saying for the last two weeks. Any time will likely mean Tuesday, but that’s a guesstimate at best. It’s made work and life interesting as I continually pelt her with “Are you OKs?”...
Husband opts out of Valentine’s Day the moment they’re married
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: Valentine’s Day is coming and once again my husband will do nothing for me. He said, after we got married four years ago, he shouldn’t “have to” anymore. This was a huge shock since, when we were dating and engaged, he would...
Ohiopyle State Park celebrates season with annual WinterfestVideo
Skiers, sled riders and snowman builders all are hoping a significant amount of the white stuff is still to come to the region before the winter season ends. So is Barbara Wallace, environmental education specialist with Ohiopyle State Park, where the annual Winterfest is set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb....
Beverly’s Birthdays founder gets surprise party from ‘Returning the Favor’Video
Megs Yunn is used to throwing birthday parties for others, founding Beverly’s Birthdays in 2011 to ensure homeless children in the region get to celebrate their special day. Mike Rowe, who spearheads “Returning the Favor,” which streams on Facebook, thought it was time for Yunn to have a celebration of...
Can Hempfield’s Gigi Thomas ‘Bake It Like Buddy?’ Tune in to find out
Hempfield professional baker Gigi Thomas, owner of Gigi’s Signature Bakery, and her husband, non-baker Randy Thomas, will appear on “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s television show “Bake It Like Buddy” at 9 p.m. Feb. 16. The couple will compete against another husband and wife team from Chester, Pa., according to Discovery...
A cookie in a skillet? Skeptical? Just try it
A cookie in a skillet? We admit this Internet phenom made us skeptical—until we tried it. Unlike making a traditional batch of cookies, this treatment doesn’t require scooping, baking and cooling multiple sheets of treats; the whole thing bakes at once in a single skillet. Plus, the hot bottom and...
Buffalo Wild Wings offering free wings if Super Bowl goes into overtime
Are you watching the Super Bowl? Do you like wings? Do you like free wings? If Super Bowl LIII - featuring the New England Patriots vs. the Los Angeles Rams — goes to overtime, everyone gets free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. The chicken wing chain says everyone gets free...
Lifetime’s ‘Love You to Death’ delves into Munchausen syndrome by proxy
LOS ANGELES — It’s easy to judge the incidents that inspired the Lifetime movie “Love You to Death” as extreme cruelty and abuse. It’s a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy when a mother forces her healthy young daughter to pretend she is ill so she can reap the rewards...
What’s Brewing? Don’t judge a beer by its glass
There are a lot of odd-looking glasses from which to drink beer. There are tall glasses that you might accidentally slam against your front teeth until you acclimate yourself to the approach. There are behemoth beer mugs that will have you feeling like you’re drinking and lifting weights at the...
Pittsburgh chef, former Steelers player team up for ‘Taste of the NFL’ to benefit food bank
In a way, Scott Walton and Andy Russell have been a part of the same team — only at different times. Russell was a linebacker and part of the “Steel Curtain” defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s until he retired from professional football and went into business. Walton...
