Ken’s Steak House Balsamic and Basil Vinaigrette. Trust me. This stuff adds *so* much delicious flavor. For dinner, I’ll marinade and grill boneless breasts and serve them hot with a vegetable – and every time, my kids go “Yum! What is this??” I usually make a batch on Monday to cut up and have with my daily lunchtime salad.

Recipe(ish): Put 3-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts into a large ziploc bag. Pour in the dressing – enough to cover them, maybe 1/2-3/4 cup? Then use a mallet to pound the chicken to an even thickness. Let them sit as long as you can – an hour or overnight (better) – squeezing and turning occasionally. Grill and enjoy.

Then send me an e-mail thanking me for my culinary expertise. Or something like that.

It’s in a gorgeous neighborhood, full of winding streets, nice people (I know, I stopped to talk to a couple of them), hardwood trees that will be stunning in the fall, and is surrounded by a golf course (I guess the neighborhood was so nice, they decided it might be a good place for golfing.

It has 2 stories, 4 bedrooms, 2.2 baths. A 3 car garage (that Vic’s truck will fit into – phew), and a 1/2 acre yard. With real grass. I’m sorry, but bermuda is pretty and all, but there’s nothing like running barefoot through a gorgeous lawn of fescue.

It has a full basement with sliding doors – 1/2 finished and (barely) enough unfinished for Vic’s workshop. It’ll do.

I don’t know how long we’ll be there. But for however long we call it home, it will be a fine place to call “home.”

I’ll have more pictures to share once it’s ours. We close on August 11th.

Since my business will be on hiatus for awhile, I thought I would use ye olde blog to keep family and friends (and anyone else along for the ride) updated on our big move to Erie.

First off, it turns out Vic wasn’t comfortable selecting a house all by his lonesome, so the kiddos and I flew up last week for a househunting trip. And may I just say right here: Thank GOD for iTouches, iPhones, and children who are old enough to be entertained by them for hours on end. May we all share in a Hallelujah?!?

As negotiations are underway, I won’t say more about the househunting, but hopefully I’ll have some news soon. If it doesn’t work out, I found a nice suites hotel that allows pets. And may I say right here: Thank GOD I’m not moving with a baby this time. Much, much easier.

We did have one nasty hitch during our trip: The lovely staff at the Hilton Garden Inn on Peach St. decided to empty the kids’ room (we had adjoining rooms) the day BEFORE we were leaving. Imagine their surprise to come back to find their clothes, toothbrushes, swimsuits, Ava’s rolling bag, and – most offensively – her stuffed horse Toby were missing. Umm….excuse me? That much stuff in the room and you don’t think to CHECK?? Unfortunately, the only thing that was found was Ava’s bag – now emptied of her Leapster Game system. Needless to say, that was NOT a good day.

As for Erie – LOVED it. The town where we plan to live – Millcreek – is glorious. Mind you, it isn’t November (so don’t hold me to my accolades), but the rolling hills, hardwood trees, gardens, farm markets, flowers, fescue grass, and SOFT SERVE stands so remind me of my hometown. It seriously was like going back. An added benefit is how nice everyone is. No offense to the folks in the North, but being from there myself – y’all know that sometimes “nice” isn’t a word used to describe us. But the Erie folks – everywhere we went we encountered nothing but friendly people – including the sweet older gentleman who sat next to us at WEGMANS and chatted us up for about an hour.

Wait – did somebody say WEGMANS?!?! Oh my goodness gracious – have you ever been in a Wegmans??? The kids and I walked in the door, and we all just stopped and went “Woooooooowwwwwww……” Seriously? The most gorgeous grocery store I’ve ever been in. Can’t wait to shop there all the time.

The highlight of our trip had to be taking the kids out to see Lake Erie via Presque Isle. You see, to my kids, a lake is something small and treed, and you can yell to the person on the other side. So the thought of living on Lake Erie didn’t thrill them so much. But when they got out of the car, crossed the berm and saw it in person? Shock doesn’t quite describe it. They then spent about an hour skipping rocks and begging to go back the next day.

More soon…and since no post is complete without a picture, here’s a quickie from my little Canon point-and-shoot of the kids playing at the lake.

And here we are. All I did was blink. And now he’s almost 11. Camo lunchbox (but he always wants to buy). Wants long hair so he can “flip it.” Will only hold my hand if we’re someplace that he’s certain nobody knows us. Looks more like me. Big brother. Watches Sportscenter in the morning instead of cartoons. Gifted and so intelligent he makes us feel foolish.

He is my heart. I know you’re not supposed to be friends with your children, but he is truly one of my best friends. He calms me and we talk about everything. And I think (!) he listens to me. He’s SO much like me it’s scary, so I’m trying to teach him at a young age the things it took me 30 years (or more) to learn.

I’m afraid to blink again, or I’ll be adding a 3rd panel – graduation day. I’m not ready for that.

rarely stops moving.

loves pink and twirly dresses.

owns any room she enters.

loves her daddy, swimming, lulu, painting, going to the gym, and playing outside.

doesn’t eat much for lunch or dinner, but would eat from 2:00 until 5:00 non-stop if i let her.

has decided that she wants to be friends with girls instead of boys (until tomorrow, her mother predicts).

hates having her very thick hair brushed (hence the short cut for summer).

has inherited the connelly thighs (poor thing).

asks repeatedly to have her fingernails painted in sparkly colors.

met belle, sleeping beauty, cinderella, snow white, and ARIEL(!!!) at disneyland (not yet blogged by her way-too-behind mother)

orders PASTA every time we go out to dinner.

has mastered both her Leapster and the PlayStation Dora game (which she can hook up herself…scary).

4 1/2 going on 17.

always says she wants her mother’s ‘quirly’ hair (enjoy that thick, straight hair, honey – trust me).

enjoys harassing her brother until he retaliates…then tells on him (siblings!).

looking forward to her new preschool, which she points out every.time.we.drive.by “That’s my new school!!”

thoroughly charms every person she meets.

is loved so much it hurts her momma’s heart sometimes.

The colors are so delicate – the way the green/ivory centers transition into beautiful shades of blue, pink or purple.

As mine were starting to bloom in ’08, we were hit by a hard late spring frost that burned them. Nothing that year.

In ’09…nothing. I think they were still recovering.

But this year? They’re back. And they make me happy every day.

On this Mother’s Day, my thoughts are with all of the women who are not yet mothers…who want to be a mother more than ANYTHING in the world.

Women for whom this day is only slightly less painful than Christmas. Slightly more painful than Halloween or Valentine’s Day. Because every holiday takes on a different meaning when you’re suffering through infertility.

I’m thinking of you. I walked in your shoes, and I know how hard it is.  But hang in there…don’t forget who you are…don’t lose yourself.
Here is a wonderful video by Keiko Zoll. It made me cry…a lot. And then it made me feel hopeful.

What IF? A Portrait of Infertility from Keiko Zoll on Vimeo.

If you’re so inclined, and would like to help all of those future mothers, please support the cause of insurance coverage for infertility. When you consider all of the things that are covered…helping women become mothers should be a no-brainer.

Just a note that we are headed outta dodge for the next week. I’m *so* looking forward to sun, sand, legos, zoos, and quality time spent with my wonderful kids and amazing husband. Hopefully I’ll still think they’re amazing after a 5 hour plane ride. I DID pack a camera this time (two, in fact!) and I have vowed to spend more time with my family than my phone or computer.

I’m excited to meet up with my sweet friend Alison, who not only is coming to hang for a bit before headed out on a trip of her own, but also offered to leave beach chairs, an umbrella and toys next to her house for us to use during our trip. Yes, my dear readers, she rocks. Bigtime.

For those who have posted comments over the past few days, thank you – I get such a thrill when I see a sweet comment from Josie, Berta, Dennis, Sharla, Leonie, Melissa…everyone! And I know my clients love reading your wonderful words about their little ones! My internet has been out for most of this week (it’s back up today – woo!), so I’ve been unable to write you back. But know that I thank you.

We return on Friday, so any e-mails will be returned then. I hope everyone has a wonderful spring break, and I’ll catch you on the flip side!

I have to mention that as kids, we would toss ourselves down hills probably 1/4 mile long and so steep you had to hope you avoided a tree. Whereas this joyful hill Miss Ava is careening down is simply the slope off my parents’  riding arena. So flat we had to give her a hefty push, and the ride was approximately 20′ long. But hey – to her, it’s Heaven. And worth repeating about 5,000 times.

Prior to the sledding festivities, a snowman was in order. Since it was *so* cold, the snow was gritty and not “snowman snow” (if you’re from a snow state, you know what I mean), so she and Vic basically made a snowman HILL and carved him a neck and waist.

Saratoga Race Track hat, a baby carrot for a nose, and horse treats for eyes and mouth (which mysteriously were gone the next day, Bleu – my parents’ new weim mix dog being the likely culprit), and Frosty was complete:

Disclaimer: Aidan WAS with us. However, just as the snowman building began, he decided to hit Vic with a mondo snowball – Vic (naturally) retaliated, which resulted in Aidan running screaming to the house that Dad was going to “get him.” Ahhh..our sweet, overly dramatic boy!

On the Lisa Russo Photography front, I’ve already photographed my first newborn of 2010, beautiful Harper. Be on the lookout for her sneak peek soon.

My schedule is full for January – I’m currently booking February through April dates. If you’re interested in a session – especially if you’re expecting a baby soon – contact me asap!