The past weekend, the high school cheerleaders sponsored their annual "Snowball Dance." Starting on Friday right after school, the girls made signs to decorate the gym and the hallways for the special event. Since many of the seniors on the Varsity Squad are involved in art classes, the signs were painted and drawn magnificently with major detail. Not only did the girls help, but so did the parents. Mrs. Ansell was in charge of the entire dance and without her, it would have never happened. After the dance, the moms stayed after to help clean up. Since everyone volunteered, there were no expenses other than the DJ, which made this fundraiser for the cheerleaders a success. 

Valentine’s Day is just about two weeks away and we all know what that means, chocolate, flowers, and candy hearts. Those are all nice things to give someone, but they are generic. Make your gift something from the heart and out of the ordinary. Below are some suggestions for girls and guys to make your Valentine’s Day memorable.

To surpise your loved one, you can take them to New York using the information in my last blog. To make it more interesting, do not tell them where there are going; simply tell them what to pack and leave it at that. If you want, you could leave hints around the house to let them figure out their Valentine’s Day getaway.

If you want to stay local to enjoy your night, you can take your date out to dinner to their favorite restaurant. You can surprise them with this as well. If you do not feel like going out and wish to stay in, you can cook dinner with your date at your house. There are recipes all over the web that you can cook that are perfect for Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go out during the day and find everything you need to make the recipe. You can also buy Valentine’s Day themed aprons and cooking utensils to use while you are cooking dinner. Set the table with pink and red colors and in the middle, create a centerpiece with red roses.

If you are the type of person to enjoy a low key Valentine’s Day, take your sweetheart to see “The Vow.” “The Vow” is about a car accident that puts a newly married Paige (Rachel McAdams) in a coma. When she wakes up, her new husband, Leo (Channing Tatum) is by her bed side. However, she does not remember him or anything that they had together. The movie is about Leo trying to win back Paige. It is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

If you’re a sports fan, you can buy sports tickets to a Pen’s game. While you are there, you can take a picture together and later put it in a photo frame and give it to them. Also, if you are a crafty person, you can make a scrap book for them. Simply buy a scrap book, stickers, and things to decorate the pages with and gather photos from when you first met or the beginning of your relationship. From there, you can put everything together and type quotes and write captions for the photos. This will be a gift that will never be forgotten. You can also keep updating the scrap book by adding pictures and memorabilia in the future.

With February fourth quickly approaching, the students at Peters Township High School look forward to the snowball dance. This dance is a fundraiser for the Cheerleading Squads so they plan and decorate for it. However, unlike Homecoming, the snowball dance is not as formal so the fashion is simpler.

                  The dance will be held in the PTHS gymnasium from 7:00-10:30.

                  Most girls will be sporting little black dresses and darker colors because it is during the winter. However, you can add pops of color in your shoes, jewelry, and makeup to make your look come alive.

                  Sparkly heels can be paired with almost any color of dress, especially black. That adds just the right amount of “bling” to your look without being over the top. You can pair the sparkly heels with a pair of Sabika or Swarovski Crystal stud earrings and a colorful and sparkly ring or bracelet to tie everything together.

                  If you are going for a more colorful look, you can wear a black or dark colored dress and with that, wear bright colored shoes with black accents. You can match the color of the shoes with a headband for your hair. Pairing the headband with a silver or colorful ring will complete your look.

                  For your makeup, you can keep it simple or you can dramatize it.

A simple look can be accomplished by applying a base coat of foundation then, add bronzer to your check bones, temple, the bridge of your nose, and your hairline to appear bronzed and sun kissed. For your eyes, apply a primer to your lids and then apply a matte bronzy/ pinkish color. Then, add a darker brown to your crease and the outer part of your eye. Eyeliner and mascara should then be applied to finish your look.

To dramatize your look, you can apply the same foundation and bronzer as above, but for your eyes, apply primer and then do a smokey eye. To do this, apply silver to your entire eye lid. Then, add a matte black color to your outer eyelid and on the top of it. Blend the two colors together. After you do that, add a goldish/ white color to your brow bone and to the corner of your eyes. Adding black eyeliner and mascara will help bring out the silver and the color of your eyes.

The stress of every day can be enough reason to plan a weekend getaway for anyone. Instead of sitting at home for the weekend, why not travel to New York and enjoy the city of lights for a few nights?

New York has much to offer such as Broadway shows, shopping, restaurants, museums, and many other fun things. This weekend also does not have to be expensive. You can book a hotel through nyc.com and combine a show and a hotel for a package price that is unbeatable. The tickets go for as little as $90.00 and depending on which hotel you choose, it can be as low as $109.00.

You can drive to New York on a friday which would take about six hours and cost not nearly as much as it would for a plane ticket. In driving, you can save money and the time it would have taken you to get through the grueling security and check-in lines at the airport.

After you check in to your room, plan out the rest of your weekend. Keep in mind that booking a hotel with a complimentary breakfast would be helpful and save you money and time every morning.

The night you get there, you could go shopping at New York’s famous stores or you could also go sightseeing and out to dinner. Make sure to bring your camera because you will take lots of pictures.

Saturday morning, you could enjoy breakfast at your hotel and spend the day visiting Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum, take a stroll through central park or central park zoo, and continue shopping.

Since Saturday night is probably the best night for your Broadway show, you can go back to your hotel after you spend the afternoon out and freshen up and get ready to go to dinner and your show.

You can end your trip by relaxing in a spa, or in bed, on Sunday before your drive home. Who would have thought this weekend getaway was all under $600 dollars?

                                                                                                                                                    

Unfortunately, it is the time of the year that shorts and tanks are tossed aside and jeans and sweaters consume most of our wardrobe. I know that everyone would rather it be warm and sunny than cloudy and cold but you can still have fun with winter fashion in numerous ways.

                “Sweaters are fun because you can dress them up or down and they go with anything,” says Cara Casilli, a PTHS sophomore.

                Sweaters can be easily dressed up with skinny jeans, tall riding boots, and a large pearl necklace that ties in the back. But for those more relaxed days, throw on an oversized sweater with long black leggings and any pair of UGGs. That way you will be comfortable but stylish at the same time. Also, you can wear a high waisted tight skirt with sheer pantyhose and wear a loose sweater overtop of a tank top. You can add any piece of colorful jewelry to add a pop of color to the outfit since almost everyone wears darker colors during winter months.

                Investing in one pair of good jeans every year will build your wardrobe and come in handy. Even though a good pair of jeans from Macy’s or Buckle can cost up to $300, they are worth the investment because they can be worn frequently. That way over the years you will accumulate a few pairs of good jeans that can be paired with any type of shirt or shoes.

                Bomber jackets are another big hit this season. You can create a girly outfit with a light pink skirt and long sleeve black tee with a black or grey scarf and to add to it, a black bomber jacket. With that, you can pair black leggings to keep your legs warm. You could also wear black leggings and a grey oversized short-sleeved sweater with a bomber jacket and chunky necklace.

                Casual dresses are acceptable in the winter months under one circumstance; make them cute. Throw on any casual dress that you have, layer a long grey sweater overtop of it, and purchase a studded belt to belt the sweater and the dress. Then, add a bracelet and earrings since the dress will most likely have a pattern.

                “Sabika has great jewelry that can be worn casually or dressy with any color outfit,” says sophomore Lexie Antonucci.

                Make sure no matter what you wear during the winter; alter it to fit your sense of style.

New Year's Eve is always a time for the cutest of dresses and the highest of heels. Sometimes, a little sparkle is necessary too. Lo Luthringhausen does an amazing job on combining the two in her New Year's make up and outfit video on her YouTube channel.

Lauren (Lo) Luthringhausen lives in Chicago and is a senior in high school. She knows about all things fashion and beauty. Not only does she have a YouTube channel (LoLuFullyLoaded), but she also has a website and blog (lolufullyloaded.com).

Her video about New Year's consists of a tutorial for smoky, sparkly eyes, how to get a perfect edgy look, and how to add some extra sparkle to an edgy black dress.

The dress that she features in her video is solid black with bold statement cut outs. She pairs it with semi-sheer sparkly black leggings and black heels that have accents of sparkles.

For her make up, she uses NYX eye shadow primer and on top of that, she uses a creamy consistency sparkly base from Victoria’s Secret. After those are applied, she uses a NYX jumbo eye pencil that has white sparkles all over it. She applies that to the whole eye. She then applies loose silver glitter all over her eye.

The glitter will stick to your eyelid because of the creamy consistency of the bases, but to get the glitter to stick to the brush, wet the brush just a little bit. After she is done, she takes a matte black shadow and adds it to the outer part of her eye to add some darkness. Then, you can line your eye however you would like, adding some silver or white eyeliner underneath your eye. Add mascara when finished and you have a great look that will last you all night.

As far as jewelry goes, you want to make a statement because your dress is black. Lo chooses sparkly bangles and a sparkle triangle necklace. But, you could go colorful as well, it's up to you and your personal style.

Whatever you do for New Year's, you are sure to impress everyone if you follow these tips and styles.  

Make sure to check up on her videos and website for tips and tricks about fashion and beauty.

This holiday season means many things: family, friends, food, presents and parties. Most families have traditions as to who has what holiday. Well, why not spruce up those party traditions for this Christmas?

For Christmas Eve, every year my family comes over and we have a party. A few days ahead of time, we bake gingerbread and sugar cookies so everyone at the party can decorate one. After everyone decorates the cookies, we have the younger children judge who has the best cookie. You can also do this with gingerbread houses. You can split into teams and give everyone 30 minutes to decorate their house and have a panel of judges (younger kids, grandparents, etc.) to judge the houses.

This may sound a little crazy, but have you ever thought about having a “Just Dance” dance competition? Everyone in your family will have blast, I know mine does. All you need is one of the games “Just Dance,” “Just Dance 2,” or “Just Dance 3,” a Wii, and as many remotes as you have. Up to four people can play at once so you can set up brackets for who will verse who. You could even create a prize for the winner such as a box of homemade cookies or a $10 gift card to Farm House Coffee.

Also, since the reindeer will be visiting your house on Christmas Eve with Santa Claus, why not give them a treat for all the hard work they do? To make reindeer food, you need ¼ cup oatmeal, ¼ sugar, and as much red or green sugar crystals as you feel necessary. You can set up stations with one part of the recipe at each station. Then, the kids can go around and the adults can help them make their own little bag of reindeer food. In doing this, the kids have something to look forward to when they go home.

Themed parties are also a great way to shake up tradition. At one of your parties, make everyone wear an ugly Christmas sweater. You can drape a white sheet against a wall and take pictures of everyone when they walk in throughout the party on one camera. From there, you can download those photos on your computer and print them out. You can also make a slideshow of all of the photos and put some music to and gift it to someone or play it during Christmas dinner. 

With Christmas a little over a week away, everyone’s “To do” lists are ten miles long. Running through your mind are thousands of things, but you probably have not thought about what to put in your loved one’s stocking this Christmas.

                When out and about, you can stock up on little things to add to your stockings such as a magazine that would interest someone at the grocery store, a nail polish that would go great with your daughter’s new UGG boots, or a baseball card that would add to the collection to a guy of any age.

                Although this may be a little out there, you can “theme” the stockings that you fill. For a teenage girl, you could purchase some new magazines, Katy Perry’s or Kardashian’s new nail polishes, and face masks. You could also roll up shirts or pants and stuff them in the stockings as well. You could even go as far as to put a flat iron, curling iron, or waver in the stocking.

                Teenage boys might be a little more difficult but you could stuff their stockings with things you know they need. That might include new under shirts and clothes or possible even a new cell phone. All guys love work out gear so filling the stocking with all work out related gear. If you drop by TJ Maxx, you could pick up these new water bottles, called “Bobbles,” that filter the water as you drink it. They are only $9.99 which is a steal for how often they would get used.

                Also, if you stop by Gifted and pick up any Vera Bradley bags or accessories, roll those up and stick those in any stocking too. Jewelry from Gifted, Pandora charms or bracelets from Delightfully Different, and gift cards to TJ Maxx, farmhouse, or Starbucks are also some ideas for stuffing that stocking.

                For younger children, you can stuff their stocking with just about anything and they will be happy.

For girls, you could choose to theme theirs and fill it with rolled up clothes, candy, a new Barbie, and possibly, if you are feeling confident, lip glosses or nail polish. There is a new nail polish called “Piggy Polish” that is “as natural as mud”. It is formaldehyde free so young babies can stick their hands and feet in their mouth without having to worry about it.

Younger boys will love anything dealing with Star Wars or video games. You could get some action figures paired with a new game for the Wii. A few extra controllers might be a good idea as well, that way your whole family or your child’s friends can join in on the fun too.

While you are out picking up those stocking stuffers, don’t forget about your furry friends either. Wet Pets and Friends has nyla-bones that most dogs love. They also have treats for every animal and accessories and toys as well.

               

    With Christmas right around the corner, gifts are being bought, trees are being put up and Christmas cards are being sent out. Every year families all over the township stress about sending out their personalized Christmas or New Years cards.

                Make it easy on yourself this year and drop by TJ Maxx. They have unique Christmas cards that you will not be able to find anywhere else. Also, Trax Farms always has neat cards to choose from as well.

                If you have some extra time on your hands, why not make your own Christmas cards? Choose a photo of your family, kids, or pets and go to a website called Shutterfly.com. Shutterfly is a website where you can choose the layout of your cards and what they say. You can add your photo to it and add a message such as, “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings.” The cards you create will get sent directly to your house. Shutterfly is having 30% off their Christmas cards which is a great way to save some cash for the holiday season.

                If you are the type of person that enjoys arts and crafts, you can hand make your Christmas cards. You can take a piece of sturdy blue paper and fold it in half “Hamburger” style.

From there, you can cut a piece of dark blue paper and center it on the outside of the card. Then, add a picture of your family on top of the dark blue paper, leaving just enough room for the edges of the dark blue paper to show. Next, you can get a Snowman stamp and white ink and stamp the snowman on the edge of the photo and blue papers meet. 

    After it dries, you can add a hat, nose, and mouth to it. You can either draw snowflakes or you can buy snowflake stickers to stick around the photo and snowman. On the inside, you can type up your message on the computer, use a neat font, and make the color of the words the same blue to match the dark blue on the front. Before you glue the message down, on a tile, glue another piece of dark blue paper. Then, add the message, tilting it slightly to contrast with the tilted dark blue paper. 

    You can then add whatever you would like to the top of the card on the inside. Whether it be another picture, a message, or more stamps, people are sure to love the craftiness of the card.

When asked what you are doing this weekend, you may reply grocery shopping or running some errands. While you are out, why don’t you stop by Wet Pets and Friends and join in on the fun of their 20th Anniversary store-wide super sale?

Wet Pets and Friends started off as a hobby in the 70’s between Ed Taimuty and his oldest sons Ed Jr. and Brian with saltwater tanks. By the 80’s the boys were saltwater experts and their passion for animals branched out to other critters, such as small animals and exotic birds. Not only was their love of animals a hobby, it became an income.

The Taimuty family had 120 tanks in their basement and supplied retailers all over Pittsburgh with thousands of fish per week. At this time, their mother, Patricia, and their youngest brother, Dean, started to share their intense interest in animals as well.

Now, Wet Pets has become much more than a hobby. Brian and Ed Jr. opened up their first store in 1992 in Waterdamn Commons with the help of their parents. The store moved in 2005 and is now located on Washington Road with the entire Taimuty family working there full time. Wet Pets is 10,000 square feet and is home to many different animals and animal supplies.  

Their 20th anniversary sale is to recognize all of this and to thank its customers for sticking with them for the past 20 years. The sale will occur on Saturday December 3rd and 4th only, so make sure to stop by!

The sale will include 20% off all livestock, food, ornaments, supplements, bedding, gravel, driftwood, filter cartridges, toys, bulbs, penguin and whisper filters, books and more.

Just by walking in the door, you can enter to win free door prizes. Also, by spending $100 in the store, you receive one entry ticket for a chance to win an Aqueon 55 gallon aquarium, hood, light and stand, a Marineland 48" LED lightstrip, and a Tetra 9wt pond UV sterilizer.

Not only will major sales be going on, but also on December 3rd  come in to meet some special guests. Those guests include Dorthy Hurley from "Two little Fishies," Leng Sy, owner and originator of "Ecosystems Refugiums," Missy Stewart from "Penn Plax," and Jeff and Joleen Turner from "Boyd Enterprises."

Don’t miss this chance to start your holiday shopping for everyone in the family (including Buddy). Wet Pets and Friends is the place to be this Saturday.