For Whom The Bell Tolls

The holidays are full on here and the girls are having a blast. Mom and I have been running various errands in the mornings while Katie is at school which is a nice way to visit and be productive. I have been lucky enough to find some pretty good deals throughout the year so I don't have tons of Christmas shopping to do as far as gifts. Just the last little details and of course my regular jam packed (keep myself crazy busy) day to day running. Today I had to get some prescriptions filled which I had called in the day before. It should have been a quick run in run out sort of situation but for some reason they did not have it on file. Really? So we had to walk around and kill twenty minutes while we waited. Mom's knee has been bothering her recently so the thought of walking around did not exactly trip her trigger. She told me to go and look at whatever I needed to and that she would watch Via and meet me in the front of the store in 20 minutes. Done. That sounds awesome. I was able to move quickly through the store without distractions, pick up my meds and meet mom in the front. But where was she??? Turns out for that whole time she and Olivia were ringing the bells in the entryway. Now I have my own personal issues with the Salvation Army (anti-gay and all) but in the spirit of the season and teaching my child that it is better to give than to receive (even if its to hate mongers) I was happy to hear that she (through her adorable smile and my mothers prompting) had raised over twenty bucks in that red pot. Hmmm. Not bad! I would have rathered it was going to an animal shelter or a battered women's home but charity comes in many forms. For example: one of my early Christmas gifts from my dad: he painted my kitchen. I have been meaning to do it for months and now it looks great. thanks dad!!!