Just Simply Holly

My sister called me yesterday. I had emailed her earlier in the day asking about Thanksgiving dinner this year. I wasn’t sure if it was our mother’s year to cook or not, and if it wasn’t, I was going to be brave and volunteer to have dinner this year. While we were talking she mentioned that mom was going shopping that night because her favorite store was having a sale on winter coats, and she wanted to know if my kids needed new coats this year. On top of the great sale price mom also had a coupon for another 30% off her total purchase. I said that yes, they actually do need coats this year because they both had major growth spurts since last winter. We talked for a while and one thing led to another and I decided to head up to Michigan and meet them so that I could maybe pick up a few bargains myself and get my shopping started!

We got great deals on coats for both kids and managed to find a few other things that I know they are going to love! I also managed to find some size “0″ jeans on a sale rack for $7.99 for my daughter, take the additional 30% off that $7.99 sale price and you’ve got jeans for less than six dollars a pair, now that’s a price you can’t beat! I also snagged up a super cute sweater for my daughter and a really rad sweatshirt for my son!

We were all being very silly while in the store, I think it was just the fact that it was the first time the three of us had been shopping together since the day after Thanksgiving last year. We decided we were going to walk through the store and see if we could snag up any other great buys, but ended up doing things like trying on silly hats, spraying perfume in the aisles, turning on every musical stuffed animal we could find simultaneously and even tried on some of the biggest faux diamond rings I’ve ever seen in my life!

We had such a good time, it was nice to spend some silly time with my mom and sister!!  To see my mom laugh as hard as she was laughing really made me feel good!  After we were done shopping I went with my mom and helped her clean one of the offices she cleans, which I know she was thankful for the extra help.  When we got there, my step father was already busy running the vacuum, so he had a good head start on us!  It didn’t take us much longer than a hour to finish up and afterwards the three of us went out to dinner.  This was the first time I had spent with my step father since he had surgery this fall for a lump in his neck.  Fortunately every thing turned out to be OK, but I know that it was a heck of a scare for him!

I had a nice night though, I don’t get to spend much time with my family even though they live about an hour away.  They’re all busy with their own lives and I always feel like I’m bothering them when I ask if it’s a good time to come up and visit.