Erie was once full of little hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants that offered real homemade food -- including pies and baked goods made from scratch and authentic Italian spaghetti sauce. Seems all these places had a little old woman or man in the kitchen doing all the cooking who still spoke their native tongue.

Among Erie's best was Chuck and Ginny's Place at 429 Raspberry Street which, sadly, closed earlier this year -- leaving Erieites hungering for their signature sauce.

In a letter to the editor in October, Virginia Smith -- owner of Chuck & Ginny's said

I would like to thank the people of Erie for 46 years of dining at my family business, Chuck & Ginny's Place.

My parents enjoyed so many prosperous years in this fine city. My parents gave their all and then some to make sure everyone felt welcome.

My mother got her recipe from my grandmother, Assunta Serafini. She and my grandfather, Edward Serafini, started Serafini's in 1938. By the grace of God, my parents were able to go out on their own and establish Chuck & Ginny's in 1961.

They made so many wonderful friends over the years, and many came back generation after generation. I also have many friends and supporters who were saddened to see us close.

The memories we all have will stay with us forever. Even now when I am out and about, people stop me and tell me how much they truly miss us. I miss them, too.

It has been a huge adjustment for my family and me because we have never done anything else. But I know, with the good Lord's help, we will move on to new endeavors.

I know my parents are proud that we tried our best to keep things going. Maybe someday we will be able to jar our sauce for the people who truly loved it.

Thanks, Erie.

The good news -- you can now get Chuck and Ginny's jarred sauce -- at Frontier Pharmacy .

Sweet.

Got my annual holiday gift from the YMCA -- ANOTHER rate increase. Merry Christmas.

This despite the fact that I now must pay $30 per session (8 weeks usually) for my two kids to go to swim class -- which was the ONLY class they can attend since all of the others classes are held DURING THE DAY when parents work.

So, now they're asking me to pay $60 a month for a family membership...which neither my husband nor I use -- that's $720 a year -- plus an ADDITIONAL $30 PER SESSION for swim classes which amounts to another $200 a year.

$1,000. Mighty expensive swim classes, eh?

Meanwhile, they brag about opening a brand new child care facility on Poplar Street. Again, I ask...WHAT IS YOUR MISSION, YMCA? Is it child care or is it health & wellness?

... Cause it sure as hell isn't serving your members -- you know...the ones who actually have the money to PAY for the memberships.

I write them letters complaining. I have never once -- not once...gotten any sort of response from them.

I am angry and yet, I want my kids to lead a healthy lifestyle.

What's a mother to do?

Well, this mother is going to look into some other gyms -- Pennbriar is an exit away and they have swim classes for kids and, at this point, I'm so pissed at the Y that I'm willing to pay more money to join another gym out of spite.

Three things I'm loving this week:
1. Mabel's labels. I dutifully labeled all of Kelly's gear when school started, but come winter, there is more stuff (coats, hats, boots, mittens) to label. And, as we all know, if you don't label, you risk losing the stuff to the school's mountain of lost-and-found forever. My personal challenge -- I buy a lot of black (shows less dirt) and it is hard to label. Mabel's Labels offer washable, peel-and-stick labels that can be stuck right on clothing, coats, etc. I opted for the "School/Camp" pack for $30. I thought it was a bit pricey, but so is buying a new winter gear. P.S. If you've got a hard-to-buy for kid or new mom on your list -- these would make a great and useful gift.

2. Tomato soup and grilled cheese. Seriously, is there a more perfect warm-your-belly meal that is easier to prepare than grilled cheese and tomato soup (Campbell's only, of course). I swore off grilled cheese a decade ago -- too much fat in the cheese and the butter. I didn't touch one for years. Then there were serious advances in fat-free cheese (it melts these days) and I discovered fat-free butter spray, ah....I can enjoy grilled cheese again without the guilt.

3. Studded winter tires. We scored big last week when I spotted an advertisement in the classified for like-new studded winter tires that would fit my GMC Jimmy. Four tires for $220. Better than the $400 we were going to have to spend on cheap, new tires when, after the first big snowfall, it became apparent I wasn't going to make it through this winter without them. With four-wheel drive and four seriously studded tires, I don't have to take the long way to the sitter's to avoid the scary hill with a the one-lane bridge at the bottom that separates my neighborhood from hers.

Three things I'm hating this week:

It's a long story, but I ended up spending the evening at my parent's house last night from 8 to around 11 p.m. I had the gigantic television -- with 68 cable channels -- in the downstairs family room all to myself.

We don't have cable -- and that's a good thing because I would spend every night of my life doing what I spent last night doing -- watching five different shows -- flipping from channel to channel like some kind of addict -- 32, 38, 39, 52, 08.

I was like a kid in a candy store. I just didn't know what to settle on and I wanted to watch it all. So, I did...32, 38, 39, 52, 08 ... 32, 28, 29, 52, 08.

By far, the biggest train wreck -- that I just couldn't stop watching -- was A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV. Tila is a bi-sexual batchelorette looking for love. My jaw dropped at least 5 times when she met the final four contestants families. I had to flip away when she started lap dancing on Danny's granny.

When my girls were babies I thought 4 mos. was the perfect age, then I thought it was 5 mos., then 6 mos., then 7 mos. and so on and so on. The truth is -- it just kept getting better and better.

The pessimist in me was waiting for the shoe to drop.

I thought it did when they reached 18 months. But, despite their newfound independence and stubborn streaks, they were still so much fun. Their vocabularies were growing, they were able to participate in activities, they were unabashedly excited about silly things and capable of walking alone.

At 6 years and 4 years, I still find every age that they're at to be the best age. Every age is more fun than the next (not all the time, but...).

Which '08 presidential candidate shares the sames views as you? Find out here
(Former Erie Times-News reporter, Peter Panepento, posted a link to this quiz -- designed by former CyberInk designer, Sarah Sampsel -- on his Outside Erie blog).

Warning: It's long (25 questions) -- so it's going to take you at least 1/2 hour if you read all the responses.

The cool thing? You are choosing a candidate based on their views and platforms because you don't see who said what (you can turn that feature on, but I'd suggest you don't and find out which candidates views you really support...and not just who you hope wins).

If you find yourself with an ice-encrusted windshield and no ice scraper and/or snow brush in the car, do not use a Mag-Light flashlight or you will leave scratches all over your windshield.

Coincidentally, does anyone happen to know how to remove scratches from a windshield? Isn't there some miracle spray or something?

Oh...my husband's going to love this one.

kids really do have more fun with the boxes the gifts come in -- especially when a handy daddy turns it into a cage so the kids can play "guinea pig."

Here's hoping the like the gifts that came in this box as much as they liked the box.

From my "Wild Words from Wild Women" calendar:

"Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."
-- Dr. Laura Schlessigner, syndicated radio shrink

Three things I'm loving this week:
1. My ultra-warm, but not bulky Land's End winter squall jacket which is similar to this one. I got my jacket last year though the Land's End overstock site so I paid about half what the new one is and I like mine better cause it's solid red -- color blocks are for boys Garanimals, aren't they? They have a great parka at the overstock sitenow. Be aware of two things if you order from Land's End:
A.) Their sizing runs big -- very big.
B.) You can return anything bought at LandsEnd.com to the Sears store in the mall (sweet).

2. Holiday greeting cards in a hour. Thank God for digital cameras, the internet and one-hour photo developing. I finally got a decent photo of the girls on Sunday. I uploaded the pix to www.walmart.com on my lunch hour yesterday, chose a card, sent to to the store and picked up 50 photo cards on my way home from work. Now, if only they could address and stamp them all, too...

3. My husband's boss -- Jim Foltz at Arrow Electric (Greenville, Pa.). Dan's worked for three different electrical companies and Jim is, by far, the most honest, genuine and fair of all the company owners he's ever worked for. He's good to his guys and they work hard for him. That's not to say he doesn't piss them -- and the wives -- off occasionally. Had I been doing this "Three things" list in the summer, there was a time when Dan was working 70-some hours a week that Jim might have been on the other side of my list. But, coming off a recent Christmas party at which he made numerous humble and heartfelt speeches, heaped praise on our guys and gave them generous Christmas gifts, well, I'm feeling the love.

... if you scroll through these. I'm not sure which is funnier...the 'toos or the comments below them.

Enjoy.

And, cover your keyboard.

So I organize an Angel Tree here at the newspaper every year at Christmastime. I get 80-some names of kids (babies to teens) from Community Shelter Services. I write out Angel Tree tags with their first name, age and a few gift suggestions and then I hound my co-workers into adopting an angel (or two or three).

In past years, their generosity has been simply overwhelming. Bags and bags of presents, bicycles...you name it...so many gifts I couldn't fit them all in one conference room.

This year, not so much.

The truck comes tomorrow to pick up the gifts and there are still 25 angels hanging on the wall in the lunchroom. I've been feeling pretty downhearted about it and, frankly, a little disappointed in my co-workers who are paid better than most. I know, however, that money is tighter for most middle-class families -- mine included. Everything is going up -- YMCA memberships, gasoline, natural gas, garbage pickup ... leaving little in the family budget for generosity.

Just now, a woman from the newspaper's outside accounting firm came into my office, introduced herself and wondered if she could have the weekend to shop because she and her husband would really like to take the rest of the names that are left. All 25 of them.

My Christmas spirit is now officially restored.

The December issue of Her Times magazine publishes this Sunday, Dec. 16. Be sure to look for it in your newspaper.

The theme is "Time to Escape" and we'll be giving you lots of great stories and exit strategies including:

* Ten great escapes from the kids
* Your options for a period-free life
* Escaping into the moment
* Traveling at Christmas

And (as always) much, much more!

The husband and I were at a wedding reception on Friday evening. One of the couples at the table asked how long another couple had been married. Soon we were going around the table, each of the couples saying how many years they'd been married.

I tried to do the math in my head quickly, but, alas, when they got to Dan & I, we just sort of looked at each other and said..."uh..I don't know...what? 12 years now? Or is it 13? Oh...God, I don't know...we've been married forever now."

And, yet...the man is sometimes as clueless as the day I married him.

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Good old fashioned Quaker oatmeal. You know...the kind in the big cylindrical cardboard that your grandparents ate? I am a recovering bagel addict -- I would make excuses to go miles out of my way in the morning to get a fresh Giant Eagle "everything" or salt bagel and it was starting to interfere with my life. Enter hot (and cheap) oatmeal which is oh so yummy and hot on a cold winter morning. Best thing is? It's really good for you. I add lots of salt which is not so good for you, but it makes the mushy stuff palatable. And, now I'm addicted to salty oatmeal.

2. Butterscotch chips. At our recent cookie baking day, my sister made oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips and, despite my once iron-clad willpower and evidence of a growing waistline, I've eaten all but one of them. And, I'm hiding that one from my husband. (It's mine...all mine...)

3. Kindergarten kids. They all thought I was the most fascinating thing in the room last Friday when I had the day off and volunteered to help Kelly's teacher make gingerbread houses with her 16 students. There were two other moms there, so we each took a table of four kids. The kids all called me "Kelly's mom" and were constantly vying for my attention. "Kelly's mom, my roof is falling off." "Kelly's mom...look at my door. I made a doorbell with a gum drop." "Kelly's mom, I have a dog." After the gingerbread houses were built, we had some free time and soon each mom had a cluster of kids circled around as we read story after story. I felt like a rock star.

BONUS: I am LOVING this sunshine. I know it's 20 degrees, but I don't care -- it's good to see the big yellow ball in the sky.

To hear others talk about making bread, you'd think it was complicated. And, I'm sure it can be -- if you enjoy cooking and finding just the right combination of flavors.

Me? I'm a simple girl and recipes don't get much more simple than this one from Woman's Day magazine. It has just TWO ingredients (seriously) and one of them is beer -- which is always in stock at Cassa Cass. Even better, the recipe involves no kneading or waiting for dough to rise.

2-ingredient no-knead beer bread

2 2/3 cup self-rising flour (not cake flour)
12 oz. beer, freshly opened, chilled or at room temperature

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.
2. Pour flour in a medium bowl. Add beer and stir with a rubber spatula just until flour is moistened completely. Scrape into prepared pan.
3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until top is lightly browned, the sides pull away from the pan and a pick inserted near center comes out clean.
4. Cool.

Cheddar-Scallion Variation: Mix flour with 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar, 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions and 1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning.

Each year somebody at ETN (not sure who) creates great little calendars that fit on the top of our PC monitors. They're extremely handy -- checking a date requires only a glance up.

I haven't seen any of them floating around the building yet, but I did happen upon this site where they've already done the work for us.

You can print a set of calendars on regular 8.5-by-11 paper or you can opt for the bigger calendars that print on legal-size paper.

The funny thing here...is that my little nephew is completely missing the cookies on the bottom shelf.

Just like a man to overlook the obvious. :-) "Honey, where the heck is the milk?"

We've got a new feature in Her Times called "Girlfriends" where we publish pictures of girlfriends having fun.

Do you have a great photo (I know you do!) of you and your girlfriends (or sisters or moms & daughters) from a recent get-together? Send us the photo! Be sure to identify everyone in the picture and give us some information about the photo to write the caption (what are you doing? why? how long have you been friends? things like that).

We're game for almost anything -- so send me your favorite pix of you & your pals (relatives count, too).

We had a surprisingly light schedule this holiday weekend which meant the girls and I were able to find time for some fun. Hmmm...but what to do in Erie in the dead of winter?

Well, for starters, we headed over to Asbury Woods Nature Center on Saturday morning for a program about hibernation. The presenter brought out some animals for the kids to touch -- a ferret, a frog, a salamander and a big black snake. The coolest thing at the Nature Center -- the see-through honeybee hive -- I could've spent all day watching all those bees go about their bee business.

After the program, we headed outside to walk the center's boardwalk and look for wildlife and other cool things. We found plenty.

I definitely want to visit again in the other seasons -- I imagine spring would be an exciting time to visit. (Ah...sigh...spring...).

Sunday, we decided to try out the Family First Fun Zone. I had a coupon for the "Bounce Zone and Mini Golf" (from the Erie Times-News' Coupon Clipper) for $8 per child. The pass is all-day access, so you can spend all day there golfing and bouncing if you wish.

We spent about three hours or so. And, it was the best $16 I've spent in weeks.

Today -- Christmas Eve -- is the day in the holiday season that I most look forward to.

On Christmas Eve, my family celebrates at my mother's house. Around 4 or 5 p.m., her tiny house will fill with my brothers and sister and in-laws and lots and lots of kids. You'll be able to smell the ham before you even open the door.

When you do open the door, all the delicious smells of Christmas dinner will hit you -- smells I love -- even if it's food (ham, sausage, etc.), I don't eat.

It will be hot. And crowded. And loud. Kids will be yelling. Adults will be laughing. And every square inch of the house will be decorated -- from the toilet seat to the windowsills (I'm not even kidding).

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Cranium’s Balloon Lagoon. You know those carnival midway games that your kids are always begging to play? Like the fishing game that costs $2 because every kid is a winner (of a poorly-made, teeny stuffed animal that probably cost 12 cents to make). Well, now you can let them play until their heart's content with this 4-in-1 game that also happens to be sort of educational, too. A friend gave this game to my daughters for Christmas.They opened it Saturday and have been playing it every day since.

2. Yak tracks. If I’d have known how great these things were, I’d have just bought them for myself about, oh, 10 years ago when I first started running. Or, at least 8 years ago when I moved south of I-90 where the footing is always bad. To be honest, they looked kinda scary and uncomfortable (all that coiled up metal). It only took one little 5-mile run on Christmas day in icy conditions to show me the error of my ways. Let this be a lesson:Never judge a yak until you've run in his tracks.

3. The Borders Rewards card. This is one "rewards" club you want to give your e-mail address to. Why? Because they mail you great offers and discount coupons. I used a 30% off coupon that they e-mailed to me to buy the Jerome Bettis book and got an additional 10% off for using my Rewards card, which meant that I got a $26 book for about $15. Now, I will say that the frequency of e-mails got a little ridiculous before the holidays -- I think I got a Borders e-mail every day, but you can't fault them for trying.

I made a conscious decision to have a more simple holiday this year -- to chose which traditions meant the most to me and let everything else slide. I vowed to quit doing things I didn't want to do just because I felt I "had" to or "should."

Aside from my tirade two Sundays before Xmas (See my Dec. 17 post, "He'll Never Learn ... Or Maybe He Will") when I was trying to fit every single holiday task into one weekend, I think I did pretty well.

So, my uncle died yesterday after a 6+ year battle with Leukemia. He was the husband of my dad's oldest sister -- my Aunt Barb. I feel sad for her (and him), but it was not unexpected.

The girls and I were fairly close to my Aunt and Uncle -- more so than any of my other sibs -- we visited often and they babysat the girls occasionally. They have always lavished them with too many gifts and too many sweets, no doubt making up for the grandkids they never had a chance to spoil.

Now, I'm faced with a dilemma though: Do I take the kids (4 1/2 & 6 1/2) to the funeral home for the open-casket viewing on Sunday?

They understand death -- we've buried a dog and a guinea pig and flushed a fish or two, but this is a person and it's one they knew well and liked. We just saw him Saturday, in fact.

My gut instinct says that I don't necessarily want them to see that yet (to be honest, I don't want to see it). And, yet, I want them to be there for my Aunt -- cause I know she'd love to see them as would all the other relatives and friends who will come to offer their condolences.

Though none of us would choose to start our New Year's Eve at a funeral, it does put things into perspective. In the context of making New Year's resolutions, having attended a funeral this morning makes things like "lose five pounds" seem ridiculously shallow and stupid.

My uncle was buried this morning. Today would've been his 74th birthday. So, on the day he was born on earth, he was returned to the earth. There's something quite poetic about that.

We don't live forever. It can be over sooner than you ever imagined. You could be six feet under by the weekend. You just never know.

This isn't intended to depress you, but to inspire you to live in the moment and to spend your life collecting memories, not stuff -- because you can't take it with you.