I went to Saturday night's Shimmy For A Cure Bellydance Gala at the Erie Playhouse with a group of girlfriends from the YMCA. This event was a Bellydance show with several different performers and groups -- all done to raise money for the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.

We got there early since seating was first-come-first-serve and there were 15 of us who wanted to sit together. As I read through the rather lengthy program I wondered if it was going to get boring after awhile. There were performances by duos, trios and groups as well as individual performances & I thought..."hmmm..I bet I'll be sick of this by intermission."

Not even close.

You may remember me whining about the diet my personal trainer put me on last week. I don't do diets...I don't do self-deprivation (been there, done that...never going there again).

It took several days of pouting and feeling sorry for myself and scowling at my husband every time he opened a bag of chips or ate cookies right in front of me ("I KNOW you are not going to sit here & eat those, in front of me, ARE you???"), but I've made it a full week now and am seeing serious results. Different scales say different things, but I believe I've lost somewhere between 3 and 4 lbs. This, even with occasional cheating (a caramel rice cake here, graham cracker there, vodka-and-diet-coke here, handful of pretzels there).

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

I tried: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-touch Sunscreen.

Looking to add some fun to your summer schedule? North Coast Dance school -- 1230 French Street -- is offering FREE summer performing art classes.

When I attended the Shimmy for a Cure Saturday night they handed out a flyer with a list of free classes for adults and children from July 7 to July 31. Classes are held at different times during the day (including lunch hour) and they're offering all kinds of fun stuff, including:

* Adult Ballet
* Yoga for Kids
* Adult Belly Dancing
* Singing
* African Dance
* Acting for Kids
* Ballet for kids
* Tap for kids
* Adult Pilates
* Tumbling
* and more!

Most of the classes are an hour long and..did I mention..they're FREE, FREE, FREE (supported by The Erie Community Foundation).

I can't find a Web site to link you to, so call the school at 456-4470 for more information.

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. "Last Comic Standing." I don't buy into most of the reality shows (I've never even watched an episode of "American Idol"), but "Last Comic Standing" is worth catching -- even if it means sitting in the house on a warm summer evening.

2. The end of the never-ending Democratic primary. The way I see it, we couldn't lose either way -- both Hillary and Obama are strong leaders that inspire people to follow. I'm just glad it's over and we can all kiss, make up and move forward as a united force.

3. No more bus rush. Yesterday was my oldest daughter's last day of school. This morning it occurred to me that my mornings are going to be much more pleasant now that I won't be rushing around and saying, "eat, eat, eat....get dressed, get your shoes on, get your backpack, brush your teeth...let me fix that hair...hurry...the bus is coming!"

Be sure to look for the June issue of Her Times magazine -- in your Erie Times-News this Sunday, June 8!

Theme is: "Women in the Driver's Seat" and, as always, the magazine is chocked full of great stories that are fun, informative and all local.

I wrote a ">"Good Morning" column than ran in today's Erie Times-News about my Vo-Tech background and how it prepared me for college more than any college-prep courses could have.

I wanted to keep my Good Morning positive and I had a limited amount of space, so I didn't delve into my revelation about the worst crime that occurred against the tech kids back then -- letting them slide.

This is a cute video shot by our ETN videographer, Matt Mead, of a sweet chubby baby (oooh...you gotta love chubby baby legs!) swinging in the park. You have to watch it all the way to the end...you'll laugh. :-)

The girls and I went to the Erie Runners Club meeting at Presque Isle last night. We headed over to the beach side after the meeting to catch the sunset. As we walked down to the water, I was disappointed to see that there wasn't going to be much of a sunset since the sun was obscured by clouds.

Silly me. Even a "bad" sunset at Presque Isle is spectacular. Check out these photos:

We hope to catch another awesome sunset on Wednesday night when the Presque Isle Sunset Music Series kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Beach #1 with the Duke Sherman Blues Band. See the rest of the concert dates & scheduled performers here.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Today's topic: Garmin Forerunner 205 wrist GPS

What it is: It's a little GPS receiver that you strap right onto your wrist, but it's not the kind of GPS that gives you directions, rather it records valuable information. Like mileage, your pace-per-mile, how many calories you've burned, how long you've been walking/running. It's sort of like an electronic pedometer (only waaaay cooler).

In my organization column in last Saturday's House to Home (the Erie Times-News' real estate section), I wrote about last minute Father's Day gift ideas from the heart -- things you can make with the kids for the special dad(s) in your life.

If you missed it, you can download and print it here. Download file

One of the things I suggested is that you ask the kids a series of questions about their dad and have them draw a picture of their dad on the other side of the paper.

Here's a PDF of the questionnaire I use with my kids that you can print and use -- or modify for the dads and grandpas in your life. Download file

The key is to write down (or have them write) exactly what they say. You'll get some pretty funny answers.

Three, er, four things I'm loving this week:

1. www.Pandora.com. I heard a co-worker talking about this music site the other day and had to give it a try. It's an online music-listening site that allows you to "create your own music station" using "music genomes" to build your own custom play list.

Basically, you go to the site, you enter the name of an artist, group of band that you really love and Pandora.com picks music that has similar qualities and should, therefore, appeal to you. I chose "Nickelback" to start with and I've loved almost everything they've played (including some groups I never listened to before). I also love country and 80s and 70s and alt 90s...and I can add them to my station..or make up separate stations I can listen to depending on what I'm in the mood for.

Oh...and you don't have to download any software! You do have to register, but it's easy and they don't even require your name and address.

2. West Ten Podiatry. My youngest daughter was having a problem with her big toe for a couple weeks. Being a runner and having lost a few toenails in my time...I knew she was losing the nail and that another would grow back beneath it, but...I was concerned her toe was infected. Our pediatrician recommended West Ten. As luck would have it, they had a cancellation that day & got us right in. The staff were very friendly and the doctor was great with my little Lauren who was a brave little camper as he cut the toe nail off.

3. P.I. Sunset Beach Concerts. It just doesn't get any cooler than the P.I. Sunset Beach Concerts. Live music. Hot sun. Cool water. Soft Sand. Hundreds of friends. Sunset finale.

Lauren & her beach buddy, Ellie, make sand angels.

My tiny dancer.

Still dancing!

4. The first downtown Block Party of the season -- at Calamari's on State Street with One World Tribe performing. Every year I vow to make it to one of these outdoor shindigs and I never have. Tonight's the night! I love Calamari's, I love One World Tribe and I love sipping a cold drink on a hot night.

We went to the Block Party at Calamari's last night and all I have to say is that they need to turn that weekly event into a Blocks Party because one city block is far too small to contain all the bikes, bodies, beer and bands at that event.

It was PACKED.

We never got there until close to 9 p.m. and eventually made our way to the bar inside Calamari's to get a mixed drink. There were people three deep lining the bar waiting to get served, so we decided we'd just drink the Budweiser (ick) they were selling by the bottle out front. Hey....beggars can't be choosers, right?

Dan had wanted to eat, but...there was no way we were going to get food at Calamari's since you couldn't even get near the bar...let alone get a table and get served.

We ended up walking over to the Brewerie where we had a nice, quiet and very late dinner. It was almost 10 p.m. by the time he ordered dinner. (Only a guy can order a giant cheeseburger and fries and eat it all...guilt-free...at 10 p.m. at night!)

We went back to the block party to have another beer and it had cleared out some and we managed to grab some seats at a table outdoors. As we sat there talking and looking around, it occurred to me that the entire scene reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans (minus the vomit stench and topless women...though...that might have come later...who knows?).

The windows in the upper room at Calamari's were open wide...people hanging out of them...watching the concert and the people go by. It was a nice, warm night -- made warmer by all the bodies in close proximity. There were hotties (and not so hotties) everywhere -- a people-watchers' dream. There were people drinking in the streets, drunk people dancing in the streets -- even a neighborhood sex shop right there (just like the French Quarter). And, oh, yeah...a jammin' band, too.

My complaints? Same as New Orleans:
1. Can't get near the bar
2. 45-minute waits for a bathroom with no toilet paper
3. Too crowded in spots

I'm not sure if we'll go out of our way to go to another one, but...if we do, we're going to get there earlier.

You guessed it...I'm on vacation next week.

I'll blog if the mood strikes and if we're actually home for more than an hour. I have a GIANT list of fun things to do with the girls next week - rain, shine, hot or cold -- we've got lots of options. From Claytopia to the beach to mini golf to the art museum -- we'll be on a quest to pack every day with fun!

Though this week's weather is less than ideal for summer vacationing at the beach and poolside, we managed to have plenty of fun on the run on Monday.

We went to Frontier Park at lunchtime because the newspaper had said that there were going to be kid's activities and games at the labyrinth. We couldn't even find the labyrinth let alone the activites and games, so we just picnicked and played in the playground for a bit.

Check out Kelly's new, shorter, summer 'do.

Then, we were off to Claytopia -- Erie's paint-your-own-pottery place. Each year I have the girls do a 5" tile with their handprint and signature. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the tiles, but it would be fun to incorporate them in a bathroom design one day -- and be able to line them up and see their handprints grow and their handwriting change over the years. I always let them paint a smaller tile, too.

This year, Claytopia had some cool little bisque beads and pendants that you can paint and then string on a necklace cord (which they sold, with the clasp and instructions for a few bucks). I can't wait to see them once they're fired! (You have to leave your creations at the store for a week to be glazed & fired).

We headed to Presque Isle for a bike ride on the trail. I wiped the dust off my old rollerblades and bladed while the kids rode -- that turned out to be more of a workout that I thought and I remember why I don't like rollerblading (calf chafing!).

Then, we headed over to the beach side, but it was too windy and the waves were too high to do much more than sit on the shore and play in the sand.

Of course, no trip to Presque Isle would be complete without a stop at Sara's.

We also stopped by Mason Farms to pick up some fresh strawberries. They're fresh from the fields (they just started picking yesterday) and are sweet as local summer strawberries get. At $4.25 a quart I thought they were kind of pricey, but....they're worth every penny. I've eaten half the basket already.

We went to Liberty Park on the way home, then the dock to feed the ducks, then to the library and -- finally -- home...where the kids promptly fell on the couch exausted.

Not sure what's on tap for today -- considering the weather...it's going to be something indoors!

At this point, it's like Mother Nature is mocking me.

"Heather, dear, I know that you are one of the few people who appreciates hazy, hot and humid weather. I know that you scoff at air conditioning and those who love it. I know you want nothing more than to spend your entire vacation in nothing more than a bathing suit. But, up yours. You get rain and 50 degrees and an entire week -- indoors -- with the kids. Have fun, honey."

We've been trying to make the best of it, but I'll admit that now I'm pissed and I'm in my upstairs office pouting instead of sitting on the sand at Beach 1 at the Sunset Concert Series. Sure, I could still go. Bundle up the kids and drag them across town, but ... sitting on the beach in mittens and winter coats is just...wrong.

After I posted last night's entry, I went out for walk by myself. (It really wasn't that cold). After a nice long walk in the cool air -- singing out loud to the songs on my iPod (God it's so embarrassing when someone is outside and I scare them when I start busting out some lyrics)...I felt much better.

I was having a bonafide 36-year-old temper tantrum last night because my vacation was not going the way I had it pictured in my head and there was nothing I could do about it. But, the truth is that what I needed was to have some gratitude for a PAID week off. Even if I spend it sitting on the couch watching Oprah...I'm geting paid to do it! There are many who don't get paid vacations, and even more who never get any vacation at all...so I should quit my sulking and enjoy the time, right?

Ah...here I am back at the nice, quiet, cool office...where I have no windows to see the shining sun mocking me. Never did I think I'd be so grateful for my windowless cinder block walls. Though...I know from having run out at lunch that it's not all that warm out there.

We found plenty of ways to have fun last week -- we swam at the YMCA, we went to Family First and the girls ran around the Bounce Zone for 5 hours while I sat on a couch and read through several magazines (making a dent in that pile!). It's so nice now that they are older and don't require constant supervision!

There was a spectacular rainbow at 6:30 a.m. I had just gotten back from my run when the husband called me outside to see it before it vanished (it didn't last more than a few minutes).

Check it out:

With our pool and two little water-loving girls, we go through a lot of swim suits at Cassa Cass. I noticed that several of my daughters' suits were looking stretched out and ragged the other day.

Having had luck at the online Disney Store before, I decided to surf over and, sure enough, the Disney Swim Shop is offering lots of cute suits for just $10 each. They've also got some adorable character sandals, and sunglasses for just $3 and beach towels for $6.

Stock up and save -- if you order more than $50 worth of stuff you pay just $5 shipping.

Tuesdays are "I Tried It Tuesdays" where I'll tell you about something I recently tried -- an item, a movie, an activity, etc.

Yes...I'm aware it's Wednesday. I've been on vacation...I'm still wading through the e-mail inbox. :-)

I tried: Oatmeal Scotchies. (Yes, folks...I baked!).

What happened: In case you missed it, it was cold last week and I decided to bake just to heat up the house a bit. I scrounged up a bag of butterscotch chips and found a recipe on the back for Oatmeal Scotchies. Usually the recipes on the bag don't turn out all that great, but...I was too lazy to dig out my Betty Crocker cook book & find a different one, so I tried it.

How did they turn out: Easily the best cookies I have ever made. Though, to be honest, the baking bar isn't set real high for me, so... Normally I can resist any and all sweets, but....these were irresistible. I'm convinced there are five or six of them that have taken up permanent resident on my belly (sigh...a reminder of vacation gone by...and something to work for at the gym, eh?)

The recipe: Can be found here.

The secret? These silicone baking mats that line your baking sheets. My mother bought these for me for Christmas. I scoffed, but I love them. They keep everything evenly cooked and make it hard to burn the bottoms (which was never a challenge for me before). Plus...they're much easier to clean than scraping those stupid cookie sheets clean.

Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Strawberries! This is the most wonderful season of all -- when strawberries from the local farms are sold at roadside stands -- warm and soooo sweet. I had been meaning to take a drive out to Finnell Farms in Harborcreek to get some strawberries this weekend and, lo and behold, I found a whole display full of Finnell Farms berries at Giant Eagle this morning. I scooped up two quarts ($3.99 each) and am considering leaving one in my car so I can eat the whole thing myself.

2. Invitations...STAT! To heck with writing out all those birthday party invitations -- you know the ones you fill out every line with the who, what, where and other party details. It's so much easier to make your own custom invites using a favorite photo. Just upload your favorite photos to your favorite digital processing site (I use www.yorkphoto.com), click on "cards," then "birthday." Pick a background, put your photo in, type in the party info and voila! You'll have invites mailed to your door, ready to be mailed to party guests for about $12. That's less than you'd pay for the regular fill-it-in invites!

3. Bob Sanders. What's not to love about this guy? He's hot, he's humble, he's an incredible football player, he loves his family and he gives back -- in so many ways. If you missed the story in today's Erie Times-News -- you can read it here. There's more to come -- I've seen some incredible photos our photographers shot at his training camp today. Sigh..if only he were a Steeler, he would be perfect. :-)

My husband's grandmother, Sadie, died June 18. She was Dan's step grandmother and was an amazing woman -- always kind, happy, welcoming and smiling.

After one of the viewing at the funeral home, I was standing outside with Dan's family and asked his father -- who was the third oldest of the 8 Cass children -- how old he was when his mother died. He was just 14.

"Your mother died and your father -- a farmer -- was left with 8 children to take care of?" I said. The mother in me knew what kind of work two children are...let alone 8 children and a farm to run. "Who took care of you? Who bathed you? Who fed you? Was he even capable of taking care of all of you?"

"No, not really," he said. "We sort of ran wild. There was a Cass in the office every day," he said (referring to school).