Kutztown Revisited

Our wedding anniversary is January 8th....but after our 40th my dear husband had the great idea to celebrate in some small way on the 8th of EVERY month.   Sometimes it is something simple like going out to lunch, or the movies, or getting ice cream...or taking a ride.  This past Friday we decided to take a ride to where our story began...Kutztown, Pennsylvania.   We met there and have so many happy memories of that time.  I was a student, he had just graduated from Penn...and though we did not date when we first met, once we connected there was no looking back.  The other reason we wanted to take a ride to Kutztown was to find Bear Claws.  Bear Claws are wonderful buns with cinnamon, icing,....kind of like bread with icing.  But, there are other pastries called Bear Claws that are more puff pastry with almond paste inside...good, but not the kind we were craving.  We had been searching for good Bear Claws and striking out at all the markets here.  We remembered there were REALLY good ones at the market in Kutztown....so ROAD TRIP!

Our first stop was Renniger's Market.  We used to visit all the time when I was a student there in the 70's.   

The first thing that greeted us as we entered were these beautiful mums...

I was so tempted to buy one...but our screened patio gets very little sun and I don't have any luck out there with any live plant...so I passed.

We made our way into the market....looking for the elusive Bear Claws.

Along with lots of food ( produce, meats, etc.) Renniger's is famous for antiques and collectables. That part of the market is BIG on Saturdays, with just a few stands open on Friday...

But I spied this Hess Brothers hat box - How I loved that store in Allentown, PA....gone now, jut a memory.

At my age I did not think I suffered from PMS any longer...but it looks like I still do !

We turned a corner and THERE THEY WERE!   Joy! Rapture!  See the doughy bread, the streusel like crumbs, the icing....We bought 5 - 4 to take home and one to eat right then!

Covid is still spreading in our area, so we took our drinks and treat to the car...

SO good!

They were as delicious as we remembered.

We split one...but truth be told, I could have eaten the whole thing...maybe more than one!

Renniger's Market

We went to the Kutztown Market...because there you can find food and antiques.  Renniger's has several market locations...not all have food.  You can check them out on the link above.   After our treat we headed into downtown Kutztown and Kutztown University for a stroll down memory lane.   I will share that on my next post.  Until then...let me know if you have ever been to Renniger's.  Or if you have a baked good or treat that you remember enjoying years ago and are trying to find.  Please leave a comment below - I love hearing from you.  And now, on this October Monday morning I am off to do my to do list and turn it into "Ta Da"!  Thanks so much for stopping by Our New Vista - have a fabulous week!

Ready for Halloween!

Can't believe we have flipped the calendar over and it is October!  I love the fall weather and decorating for Halloween is always fun.  When we downsized to "Our New Vista" 4 years ago we discarded/yard sale sold/donated many item.  Lots of dishes and out door items - but I held onto all of the seasonal decorations for inside.  Each year I try to think "ok, do I need all of this ?  Do I really need 3 totes of Fall decorations, 1 tote of Halloween, and another tote of Thanksgiving items ?"  Yes....I do!  Our storage unit in the underground garage is not overflowing and there is plenty of room for all this "stuff" - so I am holding onto it and enjoying "playing house"!

The ghost wreath is several years old...I made it with a scrap of white fabric, half of a Styrofoam ball, and some ribbon.  I found the little Happy Halloween sign in a gift shop and it adds a nice touch. 

This welcome sign is perfect in the foyer with some scary, glitter spiders from Dollar Tree.

The wine rack gets some decorations with a cork pumpkin that was made by a friend, some old books painted black and decorated with silver letters from Dollar Tree.  The Bat Wing bottle and Spells book are also from Dollar Tree.  The other two bottles are from vanilla and worcestershire sauce.  The color looked good...I have to find some corks for the tops!

This Jack O Lantern - and the ghost - is SO old.  Back in 1977, when  I was first married, I went to a ceramics class and made these.  The Jack O Lantern used to sit in our front window to welcome the Trick or Treaters. 

There is no electrical outlet near where it sits now on our server - between the living and dining areas - so I put a battery operated candle in it and it works great!

A little candy corn filler and friendly ghost cheer up the dining table!

A little Halloween décor on the coffee table and some Halloween napkins for when we have treats.

Added the small Jack O Lantern and the ghost to our mantel....hoping it will scare those Philadelphia Eagles into winning!  So far, no luck.

This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE decoration.  My dear Aunt Mamie made this for me when she was in her 90's and started taking ceramics classes.  She made this and asked if I wanted it to light up...she can figure out how to do that.  And she did.  She made several for our family and each year we love to get out "Aunt Mamie's Ghost"!   God rest her soul...she lived to be 97 years old and her memory is a blessing!

Going to finish here with a little pillow I found in a gift shop several years ago...love it!   

Do you decorate for Halloween?  Inside or outside?  Both?  Please leave a comment and let me know - I love hearing from you.

Thank you for stopping by Our New Vista!