If you have never seen the Niagara Pier condominiums, get to the next open house fast when there is one. The units — all located right off the Bayfront Parkway — have become popular real estate lately. Read my story here in House to Home.

Other information in House to Home includes:

» Garden club plant sales in full bloom
» Hay-fever season sign of pollination
» Grow your own organics
» Plant native grasses to save water
» Color your door, entry hall
» Tilling soil for yard art
» Designers provide privacy tips for open floor plan

You’ll go down in history!

Share some Erie history with us! The Erie Times-News celebrated 125 years of delivering the news on April 12, and we are celebrating all year. We want to hear your stories of home restoration. Click here for all the details on our Historic Homes contest. Reminder: This is a web contest, so you must submit everything on the Internet. The grand prize winner gets a weekend stay in one of the oldest brick buildings in North East — The Grape Arbor Bed & Breakfast.

Pam Parker has written about real estate, home improvement and remodeling for 25 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom to three.

The clothing is coming!

The clothing is coming! And a whole lot more.

“Downton Abbey” styles goes retail this year — according to Gareth Neame in an interview with CNBC.

“We’ll be working across an entire range of products coming out this year. From fashion, apparel and homeware and furniture to wallpapers, beauty products and stationery,” Neame, who is also the show’s executive producer, told CNBC.

“Some of these things have been available since 2012 and we publish books and have made a music album, but the more complex products take time,” he said, adding that there would be even more scope for merchandising in the future.

Click on the picture — it takes you to the story from Huffington Post in the UK. Here’s the story from Huffington Post in the United Kingdom. Here’s the story from E!Online. Here’s the story from Vogue.

Will 1920s styles sell nearly 100 years later? That will be the real story.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom of three and step grandmom of one.

All of us can think of a nurse who cured us. It’s time to thank them.

Nurses Week starts Monday and stretches through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. At the Erie Times-News, our salute to nurses runs today Friday, May 3. It is written by regional nurses. Read all the stories here.

National Nurses Week took decades to become sanctioned, according to the American Nurses Association. In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare proposed Nurses Day to President Eisenhower. A year later, National Nurse Week kicked off from October 11 – 16 celebrating the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s international mission. In 1965, the International Council of Nurses celebrated “International Nurse Day” on Nightingale’s birthday.

In 1974, a week in February became National Nurse Week, thanks to President Nixon. Four years later, May 6 became “Nurses Day” in New Jersey. In 1982, May 6, became “National Recognition Day for Nurses.”

In the 1990s, the week received a permanent recognition.

Hug a nurse today.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom of three and step grandmom of one.

I get a lot of e-mails about gifts for Moms, Dads and grads. Last year, I blogged that what grads want is plain old cash. Don’t get clever, just hand over the Benjamins.

Mom and Dad want greeting cards, gift cards and a few hours of your time — simple.

Finally a web site agrees. Here are the results of ShopAtHome.com’s latest survey results:

23 percent of moms and 30 percent of dads prefer gift cards over traditional gifts like perfume or clothes

Both moms and dads (52 and 48 percent, respectively) want their loved ones to spend $30 or below on a gift
22 percent of moms and 17 percent of dads prefer a simple greeting card
59 percent of graduates would like money as a graduation gift
In a press release, Lesley Kennedy, ShopAtHome.com senior managing editor suggests, “If you can save money finding a discounted gift card online and pair that with a heartfelt homemade card, a home-cooked meal or a simple phone call to say  ‘thanks, Mom and Dad.’”

Kennedy added that you can buy and trade gift cards on sites where you can save up to 30 percent on the cost.

ShopAtHome.com was founded in 1986 by husband-and-wife team Marc and Claudia Braunstein. It provides online coupons on the web. The survey took place on ShopAtHome.com’s Facebook page with more than 4.4 million Facebook fans. It had 1,825 respondents from April 18 to 24, 2013.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom of three and step grandmom of one.

To see the preliminary 2012 -2013 budget pages, click here — thanks to No New McDowell on Facebook.

In other news, the district’s business manager will now report directly to the board — read Erica Erwin’s column here.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom of three — all graduates of Millcreek elelmentary and middle schools along with McDowell High School.

Decades ago, I discovered a battered old Hoosier in my 1920s house. In the basement. In a corner. Covered with green paint.

The Hoosier is a 1920s cabinet that pretty much served as the kitchen in old homes. Many of the units had coffee grinders, flour sacks, pie safes and bread drawers.

I didn’t know what a gem it was until I went into the former Haupt’s Meat Market on West Eighth Street by Villa Maria Academy. The owner had a black and white Hoosier. I told him about mine, and he told me it was a venerable antique.

I called the guys from the Back Porch in Erie, and they completely restored it – even the insides of every door and drawer.  I retained the old drawer pulls and bought it a new logo sign — Sellers Indiana — where a lot of Hoosiers were made. My Hoosier sat in the front hall of my old home for more than a decade. It held art supplies for every project my kids did — and notebooks, card games, cameras and other oddities that I recently cleaned out of it.

When we moved into our new home a decade ago, it didn’t fit into the decor on the first floor, but it became an attractive  storage unit in the basement rec room. This past weekend, my stepson and a friend moved it upstairs into the living room for us, and it was like seeing an old friend. My husband and I fussed over what to put on it and how to position it.

I think it looks pretty nice, but it still needs something. We are enjoying looking at all the websites that show off Hoosier cabinetry. If you have one, enjoy it — it has some great history.

Chick here for an interesting tale of where the word Hoosier comes from, thanks to the Indiana Historical Society.

Click here for a link that explains the history of Hoosier cabinetry — and here’s another link to more history.

Pam Parker has written about real estate, home improvement and remodeling for 25 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom to three.

Local authors are meeting during a local author fair, from 1 to 5 p.m., at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5909 Peach St.

Participating authors include Victoria Norvaisa, who recently published her first novel “Desire and Red Wine — A Life’s Journey.” This is Victoria’s first novel, and it captures the triumphs and tragedies of one family’s journey from WWI, through Nazi journey and settlement in the United States after WWII. We are giving one of her books away next week in Her Times.

Jamie Wilsoncross, Cinthia Ritchie, Lenore Skomal, Ken Springirth, Holly Jacobs and others round out the crew. Books are available for purchase and will be signed on site. Proceeds benefit the McDowell High School Literature Club.

Cost: Free

Info: Call 864-6300.

Pam Parker has written about real estate, home improvement and remodeling for 25 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom to three.

Check out House to Home this week and get a park view right now — buy one of four homes for sale on West 24th Street priced from $75,000 tp $104,900. These two-and-a-half-story  homes include a lot of square footage and great views.  Read my story here.

The rest of our stories include:

» Right plants yield big results in small gardens
» Sputnik blooms, recalls 1950s space race
» Cattin’ around town plants ideas
» Pizza oven tops off backyard patio
» Tongue-and-groove returns to home décor
» Backsplashes make big impressions

You’ll go down in history!

Share some Erie history with us! The Erie Times-News celebrated 125 years of delivering the news on April 12, and we are celebrating all year. We want to hear your stories of home restoration. Click here for all the details on our Historic Homes contest. Reminder: This is a web contest, so you must submit everything on the Internet. The grand prize winner gets a weekend stay in one of the oldest brick buildings in North East — The Grape Arbor Bed & Breakfast.

Pam Parker has written about real estate, home improvement and remodeling for 25 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom to three.

Are you seeing people wearing white year round? I am, and it appears that old Memorial Day to Labor Day seasonality of white is gone — thank goodness! Fashion stylist Christie Maruka says wearing white all year long is a new trend. Here’s her advice on wearing white:

1. Does white work for you? It works for many women, but not everyone. If you have a great tan or naturally dark skin, it’s beautiful. Warm skin tones go well with white. If it washes you out, forget about it.

2. The hottest way to wear white this season is head-to-toe. It can be really flattering if the proportions and the fit are just right. White jeans and a v-neck T-shirt or crisp button-down tailored shirt are great looks.

3. A pencil skirt with a classic white top can be fabulous. Be sure everything is slim but not tight. White can be unforgiving. As for jeans, make sure they are not cropped ,or they can make your legs look shorter. Pass on white skinny jeans unless your very slim. 

4.  An all-white look can be really great accessorized with one of summer’s uber-bright colors such as coral, turquoise or royal blue. A handbag, sandal or scarf in one of these shades can make white pop. A bright print top paired with white pants and blazer is beautiful. And don’t forget stripes with white, especially navy, black or white stripes.

5. The biggest mistake women make with white is what they wear underneath it. When wearing white, it’s critical to wear lingerie that is as close as possible to the color of your skin. Don’t wear white undies because every line will show. Don’t wear colored undies unless you are trying to make a statement.

6. When shopping for white clothes, opt for natural fibers, especially linen or cotton, which are beautiful in white. Avoid white satin or polyester.

7. Beware of cling when wearing white. White doesn’t take well to being too tight or showing bra or panty lines. Dresses that flow gently past the curves look best. Some flowing and billowing sundresses or flirty tops can be lovely in white as well, especially when paired with a narrow silhouette such as a skinny jean or leggings.

8. Avoid white for photos or TV. While it may look lovely in person, it can, sadly, add pounds when worn on TV or captured in photos.

9. When buying something white, especially a dress or pants, it’s important to make sure it’s opaque or solid and not too see-through. Try holding the dress up so the light shines through it.

10. Invest in quality white pieces that you will have for a while. This is where you can feel good about spending a bit more..because quality white pieces hang nicely, wash well, and you can wear year after year.

For more info on Maruka visit fashionfixnj.com.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times andHouse to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step grandmom to one.

Click here to read the op ed by courageous Joseph Barber Pinto, at left. He is a student at McDowell who hopes the award-winning speech and debate team survives the Millcreek School District’s budget crash.