Lifestyles category, Page 206
Shoes pulled from Katy Perry line after blackface criticism
LOS ANGELES — Katy Perry’s fashion line has pulled two types of shoes after some people compared them to blackface. The Ora Face Block Heel and Rue Face Slip-On Loafers were released last summer in nine different colors. They included protruding eyes, nose and red lips. In a statement released...
Daffodil Days return as American Cancer Society spring fundraiser
The American Cancer Society has announced its annual spring fundraiser, Daffodil Days. The colorful first flower of spring represents a campaign to bring hope to cancer patients and those affected by the disease, the nonprofit states. Funds raised through sales help support groundbreaking research, patient services and other cancer society...
South Side Soup Contest guarantees to warm your belly
The popular South Side Soup Contest that brings more than 1,200 participants into the Pittsburgh neighborhood for an afternoon of soup sampling is taking a cue from Disney World with the modification of its VIP ticket to include a FastPass feature. “This year’s VIP FastPass ticket will allow ticket-holders to...
Shake things up with these Valentine’s Day cocktails
It doesn’t matter if it’s surf and turf, a heart-shaped pizza or death by chocolate, Valentine’s Day meals should be chased with a special libation or two. Soft drinks and tap water just won’t do. If you are looking to capture your loved one’s, or your intended’s eye, along with...
Heart-shaped pies turn pizza into romantic Valentine’s Day fareVideo
Making dinner reservations or preparing a home-cooked meal for Valentine’s Day can be stressful. No worries. Numerous area pizzerias will play Cupid for you, rolling out a heart-shaped pie that you can share with your sweetheart. And as Feb. 14 approaches, their phones start ringing. Holiday pizzas popular Area pizzerias’...
Big Brothers Big Sisters plan ’80s-themed guest bartender event
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region will host a guest bartender fundraising event from 5-8 p.m. March 5 at Oliver’s Pourhouse, 8 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg. “Battle of the Banks ’80s Edition” will feature guest bartenders representing S&T Bank, Standard Bank and Somerset Trust Bank. Tips will benefit...
Fighting the urge to coach nervous rookie parents
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband and I got married and had kids relatively young, especially for his family’s standards. Our kids are now in middle- and high school and doing well. His sister is only two years younger than he is but has a 6-month-old...
Overachiever son ditches fast track after college
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My son, “Ron,” 27, works part time at a low-pressure, low-paying job. He has a four-year college degree my ex-wife and I paid for and he graduated with honors but has never worked in that field and shows no interest in doing...
Spring break: Planning and flexibility key to successful travel
It’s not too early to start thinking about spring break. The annual rite for sun worshipers, which runs from February to mid-April, isn’t just a stampede toward warmer weather. Many ski resorts experience peak demand, too. If you’re traveling somewhere in the coming weeks, you’ll need to start planning now...
Check out these Valentine dining deals
From romantic meals to schussing with your sweetheart, celebrating with your gal pals or putting your romantic thoughts on paper, regional Valentine’s Day deals abound. Breakfast in bed Spoil your sleepy sweetie on Valentine’s Day with the hot or cold beverage of their choice and a heart-shaped bagel from Bruegger’s...
Don’t wait for a disaster to take inventory of your belongings
With floods, fires, tornadoes, superstorms and even cranes toppling onto apartment buildings, no home is completely safe from natural or man-made disasters. Although many of us are prepared to either stick it out with emergency supplies or evacuate to safer locales, only 44 percent of homeowners have inventoried their belongings....
Out & About: Mosaics adorn Penn State New Ken art gallery walls
Steven “Stevo” Sadvary is making the world “a more beautiful, happier place” one mosaic at a time. The Penn Hills resident, who has an art studio in Squirrel Hill, is sharing his beautiful, happy vision with an exhibition in the art gallery at Penn State New Kensington in Lower Burrell....
Out & About: Saint Vincent College ushers in Chinese New YearVideo
Maybe we should reconsider the lowly image we have of the pig. That was one takeaway from the 2019 Chinese New Year Party at Saint Vincent College in Unity. The event was held Feb. 5 in conjunction with the holiday that ushers in the Lunar New Year in China. This...
Out & About: West Overton exhibit says ‘We Can Do It!’
Judging from the Feb. 9 opening reception crowd, “We Can Do It! WWII” is going to be a big draw at the West Overton Distillery Museum. The crowd was wall-to-wall, vying for a look at the traveling exhibition from the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh that gives an...
Out & About: Pitt-Greensburg welcomes St. Clair Lecture speaker
Historian Susan Sommers visited the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on Feb. 5 to delve into the life of a local Revolutionary War figure. The Saint Vincent College professor of history discussed “Arthur St. Clair: Myth and History” as the 2019 St. Clair Lecture at the Hempfield campus. The lecture...
Annual Natrona Heights quilt show bursting with color
Nancy Pauli has been involved with needlework and crafts of all kinds since she was a small child at her grandmother’s side. But she kept putting off starting to quilt until she retired because she thought it would “take over my life.” “And it has,” says the former health care...
Entitled 8th-grade daughter refuses to clean the litter box
Dear Carolyn: I live in a home with two indoor house cats with a litter box. My 8th-grade daughter is supposed to be responsible for sweeping and scooping litter but does a terrible, lackadaisical job. It’s in my laundry room, where I smell and step all over scattered litter. Half...
Travel tip: Consider a cruise for a midwinter getaway
Trade your cabin fever for a cruise ship cabin. Cruise Critic offers five destinations for winter vacations on the water: 1. The Caribbean and Bahamas: Warmth and sunlight are a year-round draw. Keep in mind that some February and March cruises fill up with spring breakers and can get rowdy....
Rethinking Chicken Florentine with clearer, brighter flavors
Chicken Florentine is a buffet-line favorite featuring chicken breast and spinach in a mild cream-and-Parmesan sauce — sometimes stuffed inside, sometimes stacked on top. All of these components are good, but this dish can often be stodgy or fussy (involving dredging chicken in flour and sauteeing). We wanted a simplified recipe...
Living with Children: In education, the old standards worked better than the new
As with nearly every public policy topic these days, myths abound, but few mythologies rival that surrounding public education. Some examples: Myth: Smaller classrooms promote better learning. Fact: The teacher-pupil ratio has little to do with student achievement, as demonstrated in the 1950s when elementary classrooms were bursting at the...
4-H fun: It’s so much more than cows and cooking these daysVideo
In case you were wondering, 4-H is more than just cows and cooking these days. That’s the word from Lyndsey Androstic, the Westmoreland County 4-H extension educator. “I tell people that we are maintaining tradition, but also changing to remain relevant,” she says. What that means is that young people...
Take some lessons then hit the slope, rink with confidence
On a recent Sunday afternoon at the bottom of the Boyce Park ski slope, class was in session. Students listened as instructors took the time to discuss everything from how the equipment works to how to turn to the proper stance when heading down the hill. It was one of...
Can this Hempfield couple ‘Bake It Like Buddy?’ Tune in and find outVideo
Some husbands and wives might throw in the (dish) towel if asked to enter a test kitchen and make a technically difficult cake from scratch in four hours. While being filmed. And while competing against another couple. And being judged by television’s Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro. Hempfield’s Gabrielle “Gigi,” 57,...
American presidents inspired these grand old hotels
Pair history with exploration when you and the family check into a storied hotel inspired by an American leader. Here are five to consider: 1. McKinley Grand Hotel, Canton, Ohio This boutique, independent hotel is the ideal home base from which to learn about our 25th president. Visit the William...
Win it for Vivi! Whiskey the whippet revs up for Westminster
NEW YORK — Sleek and aerodynamic, Whiskey the whippet is dashing through the dog show world. He’s among the fastest breed of pooches on the planet, and his rise has been rapid: Coming off big wins televised on Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day, he’ll now try for dogdom’s Triple...
