Happy Halloween!

Are you taking a relative or friend Trick or Treating? Here are the trick or treat times for Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas!

Image From Pixabay

Here's a roundup of trick-or-treat hours around the Pittsburgh area for communities that haven’t already celebrated the occasion.

Adams: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Aleppo: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Aspinwall: The borough will hold its annual Halloween celebration at the Aspinwall Borough Municipal Building at 7:30 p.m. and door-to-door trick-or-treat will be 6-7 p.m. Saturday.

Avalon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Avalon-Bellevue North Boroughs Halloween Parade starts at 11 a.m. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at Avalon Elementary School.

Baldwin Borough: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Baldwin Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 2 to 3 p.m., the township Halloween parade will begin at the municipal building, end at Armstrong Park pavilion.

Beaver County: Beaver County Humane Society is hosting a Beastly Haunted Trail from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 3394 Brodhead Road in Center. Cost is $10. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent. Information: 724-775-5801 or beavercountyhumanesociety.org

Bell Acres: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Bellevue: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Ben Avon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Ben Avon Heights: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Bethel Park: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, high school students will present a Haunted Courtyard in the high school outdoor courtyard. Admission is a $5 donation.

Brackenridge: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Braddock: 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Bradford Woods: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Brentwood: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Bridgeville: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Butler City: 6-7 p.m. Saturday.

Butler Township: 6-7 p.m. Saturday.

Carnegie: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Castle Shannon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Churchill: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Clairton: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 5 to 6 p.m., treat bags will be given to children at the municipal building.

Collier: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Connoquenessing Borough: 6-7 p.m. Saturday.

Connoquenessing Township: 6-7 p.m. Saturday.

Crafton: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Cranberry: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Derry Borough: 4-8 p.m. Saturday. At 3, the parade will be held downtown on East Second Street.

Derry Township: 3-7 p.m. Saturday.

Dravosburg: 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday. At 5 p.m., the Halloween parade begins at the borough building. There will be treats, and prizes for best costumes. Register for the parade by calling the borough office at 412-466-5200.

Dormont: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 11:30 a.m., there will be a pet costume parade in Dormont Park, followed by a childrens’ parade at Noon, with hot dogs, games, pumpkin decorating, treats, prizes, and more.

East Deer: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

East McKeesport: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

East Pittsburgh: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At the same time, ''trunk or treating'', in which treats are distributed from decorated car trunks, will be held at the community center on Bessemer Street.

Edgewood: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Edgeworth: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Elizabeth Borough: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Elizabeth Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 5 p.m., a parade begins at the middle school and end at the municipal building, where treats will be distributed.

Emsworth: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Etna: 5:30-dusk Saturday.

Evans City: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Export: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Saturday. At 7 p.m. today, a parade will begin at the fire hall on Main Street.

Fawn: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Findlay: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Fox Chapel: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Forest Hills: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Forward: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Franklin Park: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Frazer: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Glassport: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Glenfield: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Glen Osborne: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Green Tree: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Greene: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Greensburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 5:30, the parade will begin at Lynch Field led by the Greensburg-Salem Band. Line-up begins at 5:15.

Hampton: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Hanover: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Harmar: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Harmony: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Heidelberg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Hempfield Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Saturday.

Homestead: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 2:30 p.m., parade line-up will begin at Roberta Drive and Main Street in Munhall, and conclude at the No. 4 volunteer fire house at 3401 Main St. There will be treats for youngsters.

Indiana Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Irwin: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 3, the parade will be held on Main Street.

Jefferson Hills: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Kennedy: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Kilbuck: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Latrobe: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 2:30, children should gather in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium for the parade.

Leetsdale: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Liberty: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 5:30, the parade will begin at Sceneridge and Riveridge drives. A costume contest for children with prizes will follow.

Lincoln: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Marshall: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

McCandless: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

McDonald: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

McKeesport: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

McKees Rocks: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Middlesex: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Millvale: 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday.

Monroeville: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Mt. Lebanon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 11 a.m., rain or shine, the parade will start at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, go through the Washington Road business district, and end at Washington Elementary School. Children with adult chaperones can join the parade. Afterwards, children can trick-or-treat at Washington Road businesses with ''Trick or Treat'' signs in windows. Registration is required for organizations to march in the parade: 412-343-3409 or www.mtlebanon.org.

Mount Oliver: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Munhall: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 2:30 p.m., the parade line-up will begin at the corner of Roberta Drive and Main Street and conclude at the No. 4 volunteer fire house at 3401 Main Street. There will be treats for youngsters.

Murrysville: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 11 a.m., the parade, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Murrysville-Export, will begin in the Mother of Sorrows Church parking lot.

North Braddock: 5-7 p.m. Saturday.

North Fayette: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

North Huntingdon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

North Irwin: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

North Strabane: 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday. At 9 a.m., the 11th annual Jack-O-Lantern Jog will be held at Central Van & Storage, 595 Meadowlands Blvd. There will be a 5K run and a Skeleton Stroll fun walk for families. Race registration is $23 in advance at www.active.com, and $25 on Saturday. Proceeds will benefit the Community Scholarship Foundation of Canon-McMillan School District, Dollars for Scholars.

North Versailles: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Oakdale: 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday. The parade starts near Willow Creek Crossing.

Oakmont: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

O'Hara: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Ohio Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Penn Hills: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Penn Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Peters: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Pine: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Halloween party and parade at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Wexford Volunteer Fire Company, 228 N. Chapel Drive. Costume contest, games and food.

Pittsburgh: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Pleasant Hills: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. There will be no parade this year due to road construction on Old Clairton Road.

Plum: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Port Vue: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 1 to 3 p.m., the parade will begin at the borough building. There will be treats for children.

Potter: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Raccoon: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Reserve: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Richland: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Robinson: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Ross: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. The "Montgomery Cemetery," a Halloween display and guided tour will be held from 6-9 p.m. at 9008 Hampshire Court in Bennington Woods located at the intersection of Thompson Run and McIntyre roads. The event benefits North Hills Community Outreach and admission to the tour is a financial donation to NHCO and/or nonperishable food items.

Rosslyn Farms: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Scott: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Seven Fields: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Sewickley: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. The Halloween parade is at 10:30 a.m. beginning at the borough building on Thorn Street. The Quaker Valley Rotary will distribute hot dogs, drinks and candy to the children.

Shaler: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Sharpsburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

South Fayette: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Police officers will patrol the neighborhoods and pass out glow-in-the-dark necklaces.

South Greensburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 5:30, the parade will form at the American Legion on Huff/Broad, ending at the fire department on Poplar Street.

South Park: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

South Versailles: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Southwest Greensburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At noon, registration begins in front of the Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary School on Welty Street for the parade, which begins at 1. Treats will be provided afterwards.

Springdale Borough: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Springdale Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Stowe: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Swissvale: 5-7 p.m. Saturday. At 11:45 a.m., children should line up on Roslyn Street at Woodstock Avenue for the parade. Treats will be provided afterwards.

Tarentum: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Thornburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Trafford: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Unity: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Upper St. Clair: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Verona: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 11 a.m., the parade will begin at the municipal building on East Railroad Avenue.

Versailles: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Wall: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

West Deer: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

West Elizabeth: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

West Homestead: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 5:30 p.m., children should gather at the fire hall at 447 W. Eighth Ave. for treats and costume judging.

West Mifflin: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

West Newton: 2-5 p.m. Saturday. At 1, the parade for children begins at the West Newton Elementary School.

West View: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

White Oak: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Whitehall: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Whitaker: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 9 a.m. to noon, Whitaker Volunteer Fire Department will host a Halloween breakfast at 239 Cedar St. Cost: $5 per person to benefit the fire hall.

Wilkinsburg: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. From 4 to 6 p.m. today, the parade for children begins at the municipal building, 605 Ross Ave. A party will follow in the third floor auditorium.

Wilkins Township: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

Wilmerding: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 1:30 p.m., there will be registration at the borough building for childrens’ activities that begin at 2 p.m. with a parade, which will start at the borough building, and end at the park where there will be refreshments, hayride, prizes, games, costume judging and other activities until 4 p.m.

Youngwood: 6-8 p.m. Saturday. At 6, the parade will begin at Christ United Methodist Church, 100 Lincoln St.

Zelienople: 6-8 p.m. Saturday.

You can find more info here. 

Read more »

Pittsburgh Halloween

Image From Pixabay

We love Halloween. Pittsburgh is a great place to be for this spooky holiday. There are so many great events that you can attend throughout your Halloween weekend. Here are a few that we recommend for your weekend schedule.






Jam on Walnut: Halloween Edition
Animal Rescue League
Masquerade themed party on Walnut Street in Shadyside
10/24
Meooow!

Rum Runners Saloon Halloween Party
Babcock Blvd - Pittsburgh
10/30
Argghh!

Family Lantern Tours - Trial for Witchcraft!
Depreciation Lands Museum
10/17 & 24
Witchcraft

Hundred Acres Manor Haunted House
Allegheny County South Park
6 HAUNTED ATTRACTIONS - ONE PRICE
Hundred Acres Manor is Pittsburgh's largest and most extreme haunted attraction spanning over 1 mile and ranked as one of the top in the world. You will come face to face with some of the most terrifying zombies, creatures, monsters and products of your worst nightmares. Named one of the best in the nation and world visit Hundred Acres Manor Haunted House this season to see what all the terrifying buzz is about.
Be Afraid!

ScareHouse
Allegheny County, Etna
Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House! ScareHouse has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine.
Boo!

Phantom Fright Nights
Kennywood
The worst nightmares keep coming back.
Like the undead crawling out of their graves, Phantom Fright Nights is back at Kennywood. Come experience the most intense spectacles of sheer terror – BioFear, Voodoo Bayou, Mortem Manor, Villa of the Vampires, and others too horrific to mention.
Don't get caught in the Potato Patch after dark!

Zombies of the Corn
Three Rivers Paintball Park
Zombie shoot & zombie compound terror! Board our "Zombie Fighting Vehicle"- take aim and shoot live zombies as they try to attack you and your friends (they don't shoot back). Then find your way through the zombie compound before being discovered by roaming zombies and other creatures!
Survival Horror!

Night Of The Singing Dead
Jergels Rhythm Grille, North Hills
10/30 & 10/31
Obituary Check

STEEL CINEMA Pittsburgh Halloween 2015 Celebration
Pittsburgh
"Watch it!"

“A Night In Gotham” Halloween Party
Buckhead Saloon, Station Square
10/31
To the Bat bar!

Bump in the Night
Lower Frick Park
10/16 - 10/17 & 10/23 - 10/24
Bump!

Disney In Concert: Tim Burton’s
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Heinz Hall
10/21
Jack the Pumpkin King!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Hollywood Theater, Dormont
10/31
Do The Time Warp Again!

Halloween Mayhem
Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh
10/24
Zombies, a costume parade, puppets, live performances, games and more fill Kelly Strayhorn Theater for the seventh annual Halloween Mayhem, a spooky day of activities designed to delight and entertain the whole family.
Spooktacular!

Caste Village Spooktacular
Caste Village
10/24
A day of family fun with pumpkin painting, hay rides, trick or treating and costume contests!


Pumpkin and paint!

Read more »

Mythbusters: Apartment Edition

Image From Pixabay

We all have the myths that we believe about apartment living. However, many of these myths are false. Living in an apartment has some great benefits and with a little creativity you can do everything in an apartment that you can do in a house. Apartment Therapy is here to bust those apartment myths that you have always believed.


Myth: You can't share a small space

Think you have to live solo if you're calling a studio or small space home? Not so! Plenty of couples, housemates and families have created the room they need in a small home. The trick seems to be customized storage, regular decluttering, good communication and a way to mentally "get away" from the person or persons you're sharing your small space with when you need some alone time. Not convinced? Check out real-life examples of multiple people making it work in small homes:


→ Inspiration for Livin' Large In Small Family Homes
Myth: You can't entertain in a small space

We're not saying it's super easy to entertain when you have a super small space, but it's not impossible. You can always rearrange your home to fit a dining table (or temporary table) in the living room (using the sofa for one side of eating and chairs from around the house on the other sides). Or you can just feature a bunch of plates and trays of snack food sprinkled around your small space as guests mingle around.


→ How to Entertain Big in a Small Space
Myth: Bigger is always better

There's the false notion that having more room is always the best choice. Like if you have the choice between a big home and a small home (and could afford both), why wouldn't you choose the bigger option? Take it from me and my personal experience, yeah it's luxurious to have a lot of room and extra bedrooms for guests, but it's also a lot more room to fill up with stuff and more square feet to keep clean. Nancy also shares why she's learned to love living small:


→ How Living in a Tiny Apartment Made Me Happier and Saner
Myth: All your furniture has to be small to match

It's true, you have to consider proportions and balance when you're bringing in furniture to your small home. And there are some instances where keeping the furnishings small can really help a small home feel airy and open. But it's not the law. You can totally sneak a sectional in a tiny living room or have a bedroom that's all bed if you're going for a cozy vibe.


→ Trick of the Trade: Sectional Sofas in Small Spaces
Myth: You can't fit hobbies or work in a small space

Feel like you can't do anything fun in your small space because you've got to make room for like, living? Not true! You can fit a small workspace and a little storage in even the smallest of homes to give yourself a work surface and a dedicated spot for work or hobbies. Like anything, you've just got to declutter the spot regularly so it doesn't take over the rest of your space.


→ Yes, You Can Fit A Home Office Into Your Tiny Home
→ How To Sneak a Home Office into ANY Room
Myth: You have to be a minimalist to live in a small space

Hey, the less stuff you have, the easier it is to live in just about any sized space. But you don't have to consign yourself to a minimalist lifestyle to live in a small space if it's not your thing. You've just got to get creative to customize your small space so it works for your lifestyle (and yes, maybe declutter regularly so you don't have too much stuff).

Read more »

How To Get That Perfect Room?

Image From Pixabay

Did you recently redecorate a room? This process can be time consuming and frustrating, if it is not coming out the way you want it to. This is why Apartment Therapy has some great tips on how to figure out why your room is not coming together. Try these six steps below and see if you can make your room the one you pictured in your head.


1. Compare it to your inspiration
Whether you tried to copy a room you saw on Pinterest piece by piece, have always just wanted a room that feels like Kelly Wearstler designed it or looked to a piece of art for color palette inspiration, go back to that inspiration and compare. What do you have in your room that's not in the inspiration? Whatdon't you have? It might be a case of you trying an extra element that's fighting the harmony of the original inspiration, or you may have forgotten to include a vital element that makes your inspiration work.

2. Try taking things out
Take out a big element. Yes, even something big like curtains. Now step back and look at the room again. Even if the room feels a little emptier, you might be able to see the potential of where the design needs to go. You might not be able to see what your room is missing because there's something that doesn't belong in there already, blocking your ability to see the room's potential.

3. Focus in on a spot, corner or wall that you do love
Why do you feel like that spot is working? What is it that you love? Take what's working and spread it out around the room a little more. Maybe it's a color you only used a touch of that could be maximized more in the space. Maybe it's a style of furniture you played around with on a small scale that the room could use more of. See what adding more of what you love in the room does to the feel of it.

4. Shake up your style
Grab something from another part of the home, from a friend's home or find a free thing — just make it something that seems surprising to add to the space. As we've mentioned before, sometimes bringing something that you think obviously doesn't go can produce one of two equally favorable outcomes: either it surprises the heck out of you by working in the space, or it points you in the right direction to go in by being so mismatched!


5. Take a picture (or two or three)
And then leave the room you're trying to figure out. Like, go to a coffee shop or somewhere else. Look at the photos you took on your phone and scroll through them. Look at the photos on a small scale; small thumbnails that let you see the whole space. Put some mental distance between the fact that this is a room you live in and see every day and instead view it like a room you'd be spotting on a blog somewhere. And then immediately listen to your gut on what you think the room might need (or need taken out).

6. Doodle
Those pictures you took earlier? Print them out if you can (or turn to a digital photo manipulating tool) and start doodling. Drawing patterns. Drawing furniture pieces. Squares where you think more art could go. Doodle stuff you wouldn't do in your right mind with actual items. That you can't do financially. Play. And when you hit on something that feels like it clicks, figure out how to make it work on your budget and in your space!

Read more »

National Cookie Month

Image From Pixabay

We love cookies almost as much as cookie monster. This is why October is one of our favorite times of year. This month you can enjoy Halloween, fall and National Cookie Month. We have found a great cookie recipe from The Kitchn to help celebrate one of our favorite times of the year. Comment on our Facebook page with your favorite cookie recipe!

Chunky Monkey Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies

3/4 cup walnuts

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon banana extract, optional for stronger banana flavor

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or 1 6.5-ounce chocolate bar, roughly chopped)

3/4 cup banana chips, roughly chopped (see Recipe Note)

Heat the oven to 375°F. Scatter the walnuts over a baking sheet and toast in the warming oven until fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Roughly chop the walnuts while they're still warm and set aside.

Combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon or spatula until thoroughly combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the softened butter to the bowl and work it into the sugar until you form a gritty, sugary paste. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until no more egg whites remain. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Whisk together the salt, baking soda, and flour in a small bowl. Add this to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl, and stir gently until you've formed a thick dough and you see no more dry flour. Add the chocolate chunks, banana chips, and chopped walnuts, and use a folding motion to incorporate them into the dough. It's OK if some of the chunky pieces fall out.

Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure to portion ping pong ball-sized gobs of dough (roughly 2 tablespoons) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced an inch or so apart. If any chunky pieces fell out while you were making the dough, press them gently into the tops of the cookies (or just use some extra leftover pieces if you'd like a chunkier appearance!). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies look puffed and the edges are turning a darker shade of toasty brown.

Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. As they cool, the cookies will collapse into craggy, cracked, chunky cookies. Continue baking the cookies in batches until all the dough has been used.

These cookies are best the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

Recipe Notes

Finding banana chips: Look for banana chips in the bulk bin section of grocery stores, or along with the dried fruits. (I found the banana chips for this recipe at Trader Joe's.)

Freezing cookie dough: To freeze unbaked cookie dough, portion the cookies out onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer container. Freeze for up to 3 months. See here for more details: How To Freeze Cookie Dough.

Read more »