Did You Know Tuesday - PEZ

I'll admit right now:  I love PEZ.  Not just the cute dispensers, but the candy too.  

I grew up with PEZ.  There was always a PEZ dispenser in my Christmas stocking, my Easter basket, and various other times of year as well.  I still have a little family of PEZ dispensers, mostly with holiday and Peanuts themes.

PEZ was created in 1927 by Eduard Haas III in Vienna, Austria.  He initially planned to make a candy to help smokers stop smoking.  The initials PEZ are short for the German word for peppermint, "pfefferminz."  Early PEZ dispensers were shaped like a cigarette lighter.  

Plastic production slowed during World War II, but this product picked up again in 1952 (PEZ-Haas in New York City) -- and the cute PEZ dispensers first appeared in 1955.  The first dispensers were Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse.

In 2006 the original owners of the Pez company purchased 67.5% of the company stock, so the company is now headquartered in Traun, Austria, and Orange, Connecticut.  The candy is produced in Austria and Connecticut, while the dispensers are made in Hungary and China.

PEZ comes in many different flavors, but the most common flavors in the USA are grape, orange, lemon, raspberry, and strawberry.  There are 12 pieces of candy in a standard PEZ roll.

Many different PEZ characters have been available over the years.  These included some historical characters during the American Bicentennial (Betsy Ross, Paul Revere, Daniel Boone), Star Wars, Elvis Presley, The Wizard of Oz, and more.  Vintage PEZ dispensers can be quite valuable.  The most valuable PEZ dispensers were three political donkeys owned by President Kennedy (valued $13,000).

The all-time most popular PEZ dispenser is Santa Claus.  (No surprise here!)

Here are a few holiday PEZ ads you may enjoy.  This Halloween ad is lots of fun:

Vintage Christmas PEZ ad:

Vintage Valentine's Day PEZ ad:

Vintage Easter PEZ ad:

1950's spaceman PEZ ad:

Do you love PEZ?  Do you have any PEZ dispensers?  Would love to hear from you in the comments, below!

Book Review and Giveaway - Trick or Deceit by Shelley Freydont

Trick or Deceit (A Celebration Bay Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
Series: A Celebration Bay Mystery (Book 4)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (September 1, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0425281475
E-Book ASIN: B00SI02FHA


Synopsis

This October in Celebration Bay, you can’t swing a black cat without hitting a haunted house. There are three finalists in the contest for the town’s official Haunted House, and ten thousand dollars will go to the winner, with the rest of the contributions and proceeds funding a new community center. Event coordinator Liv Montgomery has invited her friend Jonathan Preston, the debonair CEO of a philanthropic organization, hoping he will award a grant to the center.

But after the Museum of Yankee Horrors wins first place, the transformed Victorian boarding house is vandalized … and among scattered mannequins of Hester Prynne, Lizzie Borden, and the Headless Horseman, a real dead body is found—one of the contest judges. Now in addition to playing host to Jon, Liv has to play detective and coordinate the clues to unmask a self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner. 

My Review 

What a fun holiday theme mystery!  This is my first read in the Celebration Bay series, but now I want to go back and read the other books as well.

I really loved the small town setting.   It was described perfectly, from the quirky townsfolk to the small town streets where people walk to work or shop.

The Halloween motif was fun.  I enjoy holiday mysteries, and this was especially enjoyable since it involves one of my favorite holidays.

Liv is a likable, intelligent protagonist - and amateur sleuth.  I also liked Ted, her assistant at work ... as well as her relationships with Jon and Chaz.

There is even a cute dog - a lovable Westie named Whiskey.

This mystery is well written, with dialogue that moves the story along at a brisk pace.  The characters were defined, and descriptions were especially strong.  The mystery aspect was well done, and kept me guessing until the book's conclusion.

I recommend this book for fans of cozy mysteries, holiday mysteries, and small town settings.  You will enjoy it!

About the Author

Shelley Freydont is the author of the Liv Montgomery Celebration Bay Mysteries, Foul Play at the Fair, Silent Knife, Independence Slay as well as the Kate MacDonald Sudoku Mysteries and the Lindy Haggerty dance company mysteries, and the upcoming Newport Gilded Age Mysteries, beginning with A Gilded Grave (6/15)

As Shelley Noble, she is the NYTimes Best selling author of women’s fiction (Beach Colors, Stargazey Point, Breakwater Bay, and Whisper Beach as well as several novellas. A former professional dancer and choreographer, Shelley lives at the Jersey shore and loves puzzles, light houses and antique carousels. She also loves to hear from readers.

A former professional dancer and choreographer, she most recently worked on the films, Mona Lisa Smile and The Game Plan. Shelley is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and Liberty States Fiction Writers.

For more about Shelley, please visit her website www.shelleyfreydont.com. 

Author Links

Website www.shelleyfreydont.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyFreydont
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Shelley-Freydont/e/B001HCUVP4
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ShelleyFreydont

Purchase Links
Amazon
B&N
 

Giveaway 
a Rafflecopter giveaway 

I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tour in exchange for an honest review.

Music Monday - "September" by Earth Wind and Fire (1978)

It's September, and this song is one of my favorites ... so today's Music Monday selection is "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire. This song was a hit in 1978, and made it to number eight on the Billboard chart. I love all the EWF 1970's hits, and enjoyed seeing them in concert with Chicago a few years ago. The bands played separately and together, and still sounded great!  Do you remember this song?  Any other favorites by Earth, Wind and Fire?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books: Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Hi vintage friends!

Hope you are having a fun three-day weekend.   Just a reminder that my 10% off, 10 day sale ends Labor Day at midnight.  You'll find over 2000 goodies here:  Birdhouse Books on eBay.  That's also the destination for the children's books and vintage cards you'll find featured here.   Hope you'll stop by!

This Santa Claus coloring book is unused, from 1985.
 

The 123 Coloring Book is undated, but appears to be 1960's - 1970's.

 This newer, unused coloring book is about the Georgia Bulldogs and University of Georgia.

 This pretty vintage Easter postcard features a chick and lilies.

This 1909 vintage postcard features a chick in a hollow egg shell.

This lovely Easter postcard features two angels carrying a cross.

This vintage Christmas postcard features a cabin in the snow - very pretty card!

This charming vintage postcard features an old fashioned house in snow.

This vintage Thanksgiving card features grapes - what a lovely card!

This 1915 vintage Thanksgiving postcard features harvest corn, pumpkins, and straw.

This 1910 Thanksgiving postcard features a turkey and a wishbone.

 This especially pretty Thanksgiving card features a turkey, with gold trim and cranberries.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!   I'll send another update on new arrivals next Saturday.

Dear Abby: Recent Dachshund Pictures from Pinterest

Dear Friends,

I hope you have had a wonderful week, with fun plans for Labor Day weekend!   Because it is a holiday weekend, I'll keep my post short and sweet today.

I like to help Momma find fun doggie pins at her Pinterest page.   I help with the boards Cute Dogs and Dachshunds.  As you can imagine, I have a lot of opinions!

Here are a few doxie pictures that I love from the past week or so.

Vintage children's book illustration of a dachshund riding on a turtle:

Truer words were never spoken: 

A vintage dachshund book, translated as Nicki and the Red Butterfly:

A dachshund puppy napping with her sock puppy:

A vintage photo of a dachshund drinking from a water faucet (I love this!):

A vintage Christmas card featuring a dachshund playing records with his person:

A dachshund who has the right idea about bed:

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!   Would love to hear from  you in the comments, below.  I only have a few questions stored here to answer, so would really love more questions for Dear Abby.

Thanks and love to all,

Abby xoxoxo