Tookie’s Handknit Santa

Such a cheerful gift.

Thanks Tookie.

A new ornament to hang and enjoy. Santa is adorable. Your knitting looks wonderful.

 

Sugary Breakfast “Pastry”Pop-Tarts Introduced in 1964

Pop-Tarts. Yes or no?

Since 1964.  They come in a foil sleeve in a box from the grocery shelf.  Steve was given a box of Pop-Tarts (Strawberry) and he put two in the toaster. The hot bubble-gum flavor aroma alerted me that something was up in the kitchen. When they came out, he put them on the plate, and showed me.  I said “Wait, don’t bite it yet. Let me photograph them.”  They are from the same era as Tang, an orange powdered breakfast drink that the astronauts were supposedly consuming.

Sugary is the word. There are 18g of sugar in a serving. Here’s a CBS News article  Pop-Tarts

Pop-Tarts is a brand of toaster pastries that the Kellogg Company introduced in 1964. Pop-Tarts have a sugary filling sealed inside two layers of thin, rectangular pastry crust. Most varieties are also frosted. Although sold pre-cooked, they are designed to be warmed inside a toaster or microwave oven”     Wikipedia 

Strawberry Frosted Pop-Tarts

Prisoner 88 Author at Kate’s Kid Book Bash!

People at Work Series- Young Adult Author Leah Pileggi with her book Prisoner 88 

Leah Pileggi, Author, at her table display where she signed her books we purchased 

from Leah’s Website 

A ten-year-old in prison? Prisoner 88 is my middle-grade historical novel set at the Idaho Penitentiary in 1885. Check out the trailer!

Awards for Prisoner 88:*Indies Next List pick

  *2013 list of Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts by the NCTE

*2014-15 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award (DCF) Master List (State of Vermont)

*2015-16 Nebraska Golden Sower Award List (in the YA catagory)     

*2016 Charlie May Simon Honor Book (State of Arkansas)

____________________________________________________________________________________

The scene was the Ace Hotel in East Liberty.

The event was Kate’s Kid Book Bash! on Sunday December 8th.  

“A holiday children’s book marketplace celebrating the life of beloved Pittsburgh picture book author, Kate Dopirak. Proceeds benefit Reading is FUNdamental/Pittsburgh. Buy your favorite kids books (board books, picture books, middle grade, young adult) and have them signed by dozens of authors in attendance. Pop Up Bookstore by Riverstone Books. Storytime for little ones. Art demos by children’s book illustrators. Meet members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Bring your reusable shopping bags!”

Illustrator Cori Doerrfeld drawing a bunny while an appreciative audience watches in awe.

Below are two more books I purchased at the pop-up Riverstone Bookstore.  

Then we went to each author’s table display to have them signed.

Author Sharon G Flake’s book
Signed by author Marjorie Dennis Murray

McWalker Yarns Sweater Party NaKniSweMo 2019

Saturday afternoon the November sweater knitters gathered in Millvale Pennsylvania.  McWalker Yarns was the place to celebrate participation in the National Knit a Sweater in a Month Challenge.  50,000 Stitches, cast on just after midnight on November first.   The sweater was to be completed (ends woven in and blocked) by midnight November 30th.

If you follow me on IG you know my sweater was 24 hours and 15 minutes over the cut off.

Here is Clarissa,  the Grand Prize Winner of NaKniSweMo 2019 holding her prizes- a generous gift card to McWalker Yarns to buy yarn for the NEXT sweater and a very cool magnet/bottle opener.

 Trove by designer Emma Durcher.  Yarn is BC Garn Semilla Melange Sport Weight

Detail below of Trove.  PomPom Magazine Autumn 2019

Jes sporting her very fine knitting SC1 by Allison Brookbanks design  Yarn Neighborhood Fiber Co Loft

 

Robin designed her sweater.  The design name is Hauplande  Yarn Loch Lomond by BC Garn worsted weight.  I think she has 150,000 stitches in her design. WOW!

IMG_2041
Hauplande designed by Robin

 

Jes photographed me wearing The Purl Code Sweater Designer Isabell Kraemer. Yarn- Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK weight in Rhubarb colorway,  Using the Morse Code Alphabet provided in the pattern there are phrases, words, place names, favorite movies and books, song lyrics and people I love,  knit right into the sweater.


Christine is holding a gift bag with the sweater she crocheted as a surprise gift.

Her sweater (which she translated into Crochet from Knitting) will be added after the holiday season.  Christine brought cheese ball and crackers and spinach dip to round out the party fare.  McWalker Yarns Shop owner Amy McCall baked a delicious and moist chocolate cake with sweater decoration.

 

Below see Shop Owner, Hostess, Sponsor and Chief of Inspiration for the NaKniSweMo 2019 Challenge, Amy McCall.  Making the Local Yarn Store a welcoming community for all.

 

Spruce Point Pullover designer Amy Herzog               Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn yarn

 

Feistywoman Knit Hanefjed Sweater  click for details 

BC Garn Loch Lomond Bio GOTS certified  and Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool

 

https://www.ravelry.com/projects/feistywoman/hanefjed-womens-version

 

Polish Poppy Seed Rolls – Makowiec

Southwestern Pennsylvania is famous for baking poppyseed and nut rolls for the holidays

Refrigerator case at the Polish Deli in Pittsburgh’s Strip District Friday afternoon

Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll

Here’s another recipe for Polish Poppyseed Roll

In the video/ slideshow Marlene “bakes” Hungarian Nut Rolls with her sisters eight years ago. She bakes it for real every year.  It’s delicious. I found the words “beigli – a traditional Hungarian pastry roll filled with walnuts” and Kolache  

 

Here’s a post I did on Povitica -a Croatian Bread that looks similar

 

North Side Views from a Parking Garage Roof

Thursday December 5th. NorthSide Pittsburgh.

Vintage Santa at Grant Bar in Millvale

Grant Bar and Restaurant Wednesday night-

This molded plastic Santa, lit from within, had an expression that caught my eye.

Perhaps he feels overwhelmed by the frenzy of the Season?

Vintage Santa Decoration

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

‘Tis the Season for Model Trains

Franklin Park Conservatory and the Columbus Main Library have creative model train displays created by Applied Imagination (click for article) a company founded by Paul Busse.

Here’s the Enchanted Express Garden Railway at Franklin Park in Columbus Ohio.  You can see the Three Little Pigs Houses, Rapunzels  Tower and the Old Woman in the Shoe House and Cinderella’s Castle to name a few..  I think Charlie could watch the display revolve all day long, waiting for the trains to reappear, around and around.

Another Leaf or Two

December first- I got in my daughter’s car and found another Leaf on the windshield today.

I took a photo of it and said “ another leaf but with blue sky today.”

When we got where we were going (Worthington OH) Charlie (4) said

“I’ve got a Leaf on my window. I want to take a picture.”

I handed back the phone and he took the second photo.

Photo by grandson Charlie.