One of our stops yesterday was to Party City -- on upper Peach next to Kohl's -- so the girls could pick a theme for their July birthday party (they share one big party because their birthdays are 10 days apart).

We happened upon the Clearance section where I found some extremely cute invitations for $1 to .50 cents! I scooped up enough Princess invites for the girls' party (50 cents a pack) and picked up a few "Spa Party" invites for the future (25 cents a pack).

They had cute birthday invitations (particularly for boys) as well as surprise parties, retirement parties, general parties and tons of thank you notes. All for less than a buck a pack.

If there's a party in your future, I suggest you stop by. Some of the invites they had an abundance of at the Peach Street Party City include:

Cupcake
Just moved
Pizza Party 1
Pizza Party 2
Glitter fish
Martini glass

Get ready for the summer beach season. Grab your credit card and surf over to the Disney Store where they've got lots of super-cute bathing suits, towels (personalized if you wish!), beach shoes, cover ups, swim hats, and even beach chairs on sale -- most for $9.99 or $12.99!

These items would also make great birthday or Christmas gifts (even if we will be buried in a foot of snow by then).

I make a conscious effort to shop local even when it means a few more cents (or dollars). I have a family of four who live on the income of two and sometimes shopping local is simply out of our price range. But, for the most part, I make an effort. I buy Meadowbrook Dairy products even though the store brand is cheaper, I buy Dad's cat food even if Friskies is on sale, I choose Channelock pliers for my Dad's birthday gift, I buy Arrowhead or Mazza wines at the liquor store, etc.

But, some area businesses make it hard for us to support them. Two that come to mind - that I've been foiled by recently are Erie County Farms and Nickel Plate Mills.

In both cases, I've been standing at their doors, money in hand, ready to spend it all in their establishments, and they're not open.

I have -- for two growing seasons now -- wanted to support Nickel Plate Mills and buy my flowers and vegetable plants there, but on weekdays they are closed by 5 or 6 p.m. -- even in the spring when everyone is planting and it's light out until 9 p.m.! I can understand why they might not want to be open after 5 p.m. most times of the year, but...if you sold plants and flowers, wouldn't you expand your hours in May and June? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve “swung by” there after work only to realize they’re closed. So, of course, I take my dollars up the road to Kmart or to one of the big box home improvement stores where they have store hours that allow people who work to shop there. On a brighter note — Stan’s Garden Center has very customer-friendly summer hours (and yes, I spend more than a few of our hard-earned dollars here).

Erie County Farms, of course, is legendary for treating their customers like crap. Since they close at 6 p.m. every day (and I work a 10-hour work day), going there after work is not an option for me. I'm stuck with Saturdays which means I’m also stuck with taking two kids with me. The last time I went there I was waiting in line full of angry people, with two cranky preschoolers, shivering in the freezing cold (I think it was March) and it was more than 20 minutes after the store was supposed to have opened. We left and I've never been back. There is no amount savings that justifies that sort of shoddy customer service. I just won’t stand for it. Again...the big grocery stores win because they open on time and have convenient hours (and heck, a couple even have babysitting so I can shop to my heart’s content).

I want to shop local, but, customer service counts -- particularly with women. And, if you aren't offering it, women will go elsewhere -- and take their entire household income with them (because in most households, the woman does all the shopping).

In the category of You Learn Something New Every Day, I just discovered a cool service that the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com offer to help you find what you're looking for in the Classified ads.

I hesitate to admit it, since the Erie Times-News butters my bread, but despite the studies saying my age group is the biggest user of Classified ads, I never read them. The teeny tiny type and all those listings for everything from jobs to used cars to old dolls for sale is just overwhelming to me. I just look at those ink-filled pages & think...I don't think so.

It's the same reason I hate flea markets, big discount retailers that have bins full of stuff you have to wade through and almost any kind of big outlet. I just don't have the time or patience to wade through to find the good stuff.

But, having come up empty-handed during the Steelers single-game ticket sale last month, I remarked to a friend that I would have to start reading the Classifieds now.

She told me about a cool service that we offer that I never even knew about. You can sign up -- online -- to be notified of ads that contain keywords for items you're looking for. In my case "Steelers." Then, every morning, you get an email notifying you of all the ads that match your criteria -- allowing you to jump on the item(s) quick.

So, what are you looking for? Patio furniture? Baby clothes? A baby sitter? A job at Erie Insurance? A velvet Elvis? Sign up and let www.GoErie.com notify you when your coveted item makes it to the Classifieds.

To sign up, go to www.GoErie.com, click on "Classified" in the menu bar at the top. Click on "Notify me" under "search classifieds" and set your keyword(s) and type in the address you'd like to be notified at.

Voila.

Really, it's that simple.

If there's one place I could spend my entire weekend (and paycheck), it's a book store.

I love books -- all kinds of books -- fiction, non-fiction, biographies, self-help, advice, etc. Unfortunately, right now, my busy life allows almost no time for reading for pleasure (unless you count "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type" and "Moo, Baa, La, La, La"... which I sort of do count). But, that doesn't stop me from buying.

I ran to Barnes & Noble last Friday after work for two reasons.

1. To pick up a couple of favorite children's books for a friend's baby shower gift.
2. To select a classic book to mark my daughter's first year of Kindergarten (I'm going to buy her a classic each year when she starts school to build her library).

I was there for hours and spent $80. Safe to say I picked up a few more things.

It took me nearly 45 minutes just to settle on a classic book for Kelly -- I wavered long and hard between "Little Women" or "Anne of Greene Gables" (ooh...or "Wuthering Heights," or..."The Scarlet Letter," or...). I settled on "Anne of Greene Gables" mostly because, well, I've never read it and I hope to find the time to read it before Kelly grows up and moves out.

Then, I got lost in the parenting section, then the children's books section, then the travel section, then the "bargain book" section ... Truly, books are like crack to editors. I just cannot help myself, every turn brings another book I want to read or another subject I want to know about.

In one of my turns, I happened upon a table (just outside the children's section) filled with hardcover, large-size, classic, "I Can Read" kid's books for $5.98. These were books I remember and loved from my childhood -- "Danny & the Dinosaur," "Amelia Bedelia," " "Little Bear," "Frog and Toad are Friends," "Morris Goes to School," "Sammy the Seal."

These books would make excellent Christmas or birthday gifts for any kids in your life. And at $6 a piece, you can spring for a couple of them.

In my humble opinion, there is no better gift than a book (or two or three) which will encourage kids to read and helping foster a love of words that will last a lifetime.

One of my fondest memories from my youth were of riding the bus with my Grandma Bruce to Erie (grandma's didn't drive in the old days, you know) where we'd shop at the Boston Store and other downtown retailers (the mall was brand-new and quite small back then).

Sometimes she'd treat me to a Disney movie. I'm not sure why "The Jungle Book" would've been playing at a theater when I was a kid in the late 70s since it came out in 1967, but I remember her taking me to see it. And, I loved, loved, loved it. Still do.

I cannot get enough of the music and of spunky Mowgli and grumpy Bagherra and fun-loving Baloo and wild King Louie and the lisping snake and that doe-eyed pretty village girl that Mowgli falls in love with at the end (sigh).

Today, Disney is releasing a 40th anniversary 2-disc DVD of "The Jungle Book" and I cannot wait to experience it again. You can read more about the DVD here.

P.S. If you buy your DVD at Target today, you'll get a $5 gift card. Several other retailers are dangling carrots for those who buy today, too.

Target has the cutest calendars in the One-Spot. I picked up a couple of cute ones for my desk -- one is a smaller-size blotter (about 8-by-10-inches) that will fit perfectly in the space between my keyboard drawer and monitor.

The other calendar is a smaller version of a regular calendar with space at the top to attach a 4-by-6 photo for each month. It's fairly flimsy paper, but it serves it's purpose.

They also have daily pocket-size planners, monthly planners and regular calendars. They're a little thinner and flimsier than regular calendars, but considering the office supply stores charge ten times the price of the $1 one-spot items -- they're worth it.

I caught up on some reading this weekend and saw a cool tip in one of my parenting magazines (I think it was parenting...God only knows...I subscribe to far too many magazines).

You can use Kodak's EasyShare software to transform your favorite photos into coloring-book pages, then upload them to Kodakgallery.com. They'll send you a custom coloring book full of family snapshots.

You can read more about it -- and download the free software -- here (you'll have to scroll down a bit to see it).

How fun is that?

Wouldn't the kids in your life get a kick out of coloring themselves?

(Actually...if you have a working knowledge of PhotoShop you can probably do the same thing with the tools in that program and print them out yourself).

Ever surf on line and find something you really love at a local store. Then, you go there -- thinking you'll save yourself the shipping costs -- & they don't have it in stock at that store? I know it's happened to me a few times.

Well, it need not happen anymore at JCPenney. They're offering a cool new online features allowing you to see if the store you shop at has the item in stock before you go!

All you have to do is go to their Web site, select any item tagged "Also in Stores" or "In Stores Only." Enter the size and color you want. Enter your zip code and voila! -- you see a list of nearby stores and if they have the item you want in stock.

Check this out -- for 88 cents you can order your own personalized Wal-Mart gift card for all the special people on your list. When you pick up your card, you can load it up with whatever denomination you want to give.

'tis the season to humiliate our beloved pets. Just got this press release from the NW PA Humane Society...time to dig out the reindeer ears for the cat, tie a big red bow on the guinea pig and sew some jingle bells to the dog's collar.

Have your pet’s picture taken with Santa at the Humane Society of NWPA! Mom, Dad and the kids are welcome to join in the photo and the fun. All pets are welcome. Dogs, cats, ferrets, birds, reptiles & goats have all posed with Santa at this annual event. “Santa Paws” will be held Saturday, December 1, 2007, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, December 2, 2007, from Noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, December 8, 2007, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. & Sunday, December 9, 2007, from Noon to 4 p.m. Photography provided by Ronald J. Stephens of La Mirage Studio Photography & Video Production.

The Basic Package includes the sitting with holiday background, 1- 5x7, 2- 4x6 & 8- wallet-size prints for $29.00. Additional photo packages & Christmas cards are available. For more information, please contact the Humane Society at 835-8331. All proceeds benefit The Humane Society of NWPA.

BTW -- the Humane Society has moved. They are no longer across from the Erie Zoo. They are at 2407 Zimmerly Road on the west side of Erie.

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.

Or, do you love one?

Then...you need to check out ebags.com.

I have a thing for bags -- not purses, but bags -- and this site is like heaven to me. I could spend a whole lot of money there (and some of the prices are right).

I love bags so much I created a whole issue of Her Times dedicated to baggage -- publishing on Sunday, Feb. 10. I'm working feverishly to finish that issue now which is why I haven't blogged much this week and is how I stumbled upon ebags.com as I was looking for bags to give away (yes...legitimately shopping on company time and, yes, I love my job).

I'm the first to admit I am fashion challenged. I've never been into labels or felt a need to have the latest, most stylish clothes. It just seems like such a hassle. Give me a basic black suit and six colored blouses and I'm good to go.

That said, I am a woman and I care what I look like. I dress as fashionably as I can with a minimum of fuss, a sense of professionalism and an eye toward value.

I've come a long way in my shopping habits and selection in the last few years, and that is due in no small part to our Her Times magazine fashion consultant Valerie Weaver and the fact that I can no longer shop for clothes without hearing Valerie's voice in my head.

If your kids are as hard on their school backpacks as mine, they're probably in need of another one right now.

You're in luck -- www.ebags.com is having a great backpack sale.

When we put the 2nd floor on our house years ago, we incorporated space for a small home office. At the time, I was telecommuting twice a week, so a designated home office was more than a nice feature, it was a necessity.

Once the office was done, I had to figure out how to furnish it. I half-heartedly browsed office stores and furniture stores, but (this should be no surprise to you), just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do and found the whole thing annoying and overwhelming.

A friend at work suggested I look into having an office designed by a pro. I scoffed, assuming it would be too rich for my blood.

But, I decided it couldn't hurt to find out and I called A.J. Grack (they do all our office design work at the paper) to see what they would suggest and how much it would cost.

... home movies, that is.

But, our video camera -- circa. 1998 -- is woefully outdated and absurdly large. I'm embarrassed to pull it out and use it. Other parents -- with their tiny video cameras in one hand -- look over & think, "Wow..must be heavy to hold that thing up there."

It still takes tapes -- which have to be played on our VCR (yes...we still have a VCR...several in fact) using a conversion tape.

The battery charge rarely lasts more than a 1/2 hour now and the zoom button doesn't work right.

Yeah, it's sad.

Needless to say we rarely use it.

I'd buy a new one, but...they're expensive..and I don't know what to buy and my PC can't handle converting files (it's so old and buggy that it can barely open Photoshop). So, I've put off doing anything about it.

But, it occurred to me this weekend, when Kelly asked to watch her baby tapes again (It's the "Kelly Show") this weekend, that we are missing out on recording these oh-so-adorable kid years that are going to go by very, very fast.

The girls love watching themselves on TV. I, too, love watching those movies. I can barely remember what it was like to cradle a 6 lb. infant -- those videos bring it all rushing back.

It's time I suck it up and invest in a new video camera before my kids go off to college. But, dear readers, I need your help.

Tell me about your video camera. Do you have one of the new hard drive kind? Do you have the DVD kind? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Where did you get it? Do you wish you'd bought something else? Have you had trouble converting your movies from the hard drive to DVD? What advice do you have for a girlfriend?

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: Fisher Price "Kid tough" FP3 Player"

The Christmas before last -- so...it would be the Christmas of '06 -- I bought each of the girls this Fisher Price "Kid Tough" FP3 player -- a digital music headset for wee ones.

The skinny: Like most Fisher-Price toys (but not all...more on that next week..), this is a pretty solid investment -- particularly for the preschool set. It's sturdy, it's easy to use and it will keep them quiet for hours on end (aside from the singing, of course).

I ran up to Babies-R-Us to pick up a gift and noticed a new little book store tucked in between Target and Barbies-R-Us.

Sign said 70% off retail prices...and, despite the fact that I HAD to be home in 20 minutes, I was drawn into that book store like a moth to a flame. I didn't see the 70% off signs anywhere in the store, so I wondered if it was just selected books. With no time to ask or browse, I grabbed a cool kid's storybook for my friend with the new baby. It was $20, but I loved it and I was in a hurry.

When she rang it up -- it was $6.50. Woohoo. I was a happy shopper.

I immediately wished I had more time to look around.

If you're a book lover, it's worth checking out.

Online digital photo giant Winkflash has a great deal going on -- a flat-rate book sale -- 8x8 books start at $14.

These books made great Father's Day gifts and end-of-year teacher gifts. And, at this price...they're a bargain (provided they aren't gouging you on shipping).

I always make a photo book for the kids to give to my husband for Father's Day each year. I call it, "A Year With Daddy" and I fill it with fun things the girls and Dan did throughout the year. This year, I'm going to have the girls draw a picture of Dan, scan it in and use that as the cover.

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.

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.

I thought I was being smart by stopping at Giant Eagle on upper Peach on Sunday morning to buy $125 worth of Kohl's gift cards. I was on my way to Kohl's to buy a set of luggage for my nephew for his high school graduation gift (this is a gift from all the siblings and I), so I thought...hey...why not get 5 cents off a gallon for my trouble.

Yeah...except...beware...gift cards do NOT activate immediately. They can take up to 24 hours to activate.

Which means my trip up to to Kohl's and time spent picking out just the right set...and the time it took the cashier to look through every pocket of every piece of the 5-piece set of luggage...was wasted.

Good thing I saved 5 cents a gallon, eh? I'Il need it to drive back up there again.

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 item is appropriate for our nice, hot, sunny weather (FINALLY!): Bull Frog Quick Gel Sunblock

What it is: It's a sunblock in a gel form.

I received a sample-size of this gel in my packet at last year's Cleveland Marathon. I threw it in the car, figuring I'd have it on-hand for the kids if I ever found myself in a sunny situation in which I forgot the sunscreen. When I finally tried it at the end of last summer, I was mad I hadn't opened it at the beginning of the summer. I loved it!

Why I love it: It's not the goopy, gooey white sticky stuff of typical sunscreen that gets caked between your fingers and takes a couple of minutes to dry. Bull Frog Gel is a clear, lightweight gel that goes on quick and easy and dries almost instantly.

One warning: The gel is cold -- soothing for most adults, but not for most kids who don't like adults smearing cold gel all over them.

Where to get it: Any mass retailer or any store that sells sunscreen. Sells for about $10 for a 5-ounce bottle.

While you're at it: Pick up a Bull Frog Quick Stick. These are perfect for putting sunscreen on kids' faces. Just rub it on their cheeks, forehead and chin and then use your hand to spread it around and rub it in. No fuss, no mess, no whining (and the sticks are not cold).

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: Dove facial moisturizer

What it is: Uh..facial moisturizer. (guys...this is something women need to put on their face to keep dry skin at bay...it's one of the many mystery bottles, tubs and tubes that is cluttering your bathroom sink/vanity/medicine cabinet).

Why I tried it: I realized at 35 that I was getting old and started to notice signs of aging on my face and neck. Terrified of the thought of a wrinkly "turkey neck" and leather face at 40, I decided I'd better start moisturizing (better late than never).

Why I tried Dove: I'll just admit that I bought into the whole Dove "campaign for real beauty." and I deliberately choose Dove products when I shop. I love what they're doing -- even if it's all a ploy to sell more beauty products. Focusing on real women with real bodies and real fat and real blemishes just makes me happy. I'm so sick of all those flawless models -- who are hardly flawless by the way....watch this.

With school season fast approaching, check out this backpack bargain at www.JCPenney.com

I stumbled across these backpacks when shopping online for a birthday gift for a friend's son. I ordered it -- with a monogram -- and crossed my fingers that it would be a quality backpack.

It was. It was very nice. It was so nice, I went on & ordered a few more for the other little kids in my life. For less than $25 you can have this monogrammed and shipped to your house. You even get a choice of the style of monogram and thread color.

The front pouch opens to reveal pen holders, an I.D. card and other little pockets for holding things in place. It is a full-size backpack and seemed to be made of sturdy material that should last awhile.

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: Stain Buddy

What it is: Stain remover

Why I tried it: My mother's a big QVC shopper. Seriously, she has the QVC credit card and everything. She saw Stain Buddy on QVC and ordered it for herself. One day, when Kelly was about 3, she dumped an entire bottle of liquid vitamins (brown) on her brand new light gray carpet. I tried to clean it up, but ended up just covering it up with a couple of cute throw rugs (when you can't get it clean, go shopping!). My mother noticed the stain a month or so later and insisted she could get it out with Stain Buddy. I told her it was an old stain and there was no way it was coming out. She wanted to try anyway.

Did it work? I still can't believe it, but it did. It took some elbow grease, but...darn if that stain isn't good and gone...all of it.

How do you use it? On old stains -- and, I'll just admit that by the time I get around to noticing stains at my house, they're usually old and dry -- you just spray the stuff on...give it a few seconds to soak in and rub it in with your fingers. Blot with a clean, white towel and voila -- stain is gone. It can take several applications, but....if you keep working it -- the stain will lift. Remember to test it on your carpet first to be sure it won't discolor it.

How much is it? Currently...two bottles for $20 at the Stain Buddy Web site. .

Would I use it again? Yes, I would...and I do. With two kids in the house, I use it a lot. In fact, I just noticed when cleaning Kelly's room on Friday that she spilled some red nail polish on her carpet (and, covered it up with her cute throw rugs -- like mother, like daughter) and tried Stain Buddy on it. It didn't take it off completely...yet...but with a few more applications, I think it will.