It's still October but feels like August and we're Christmas shopping. Ellie and I hit every department store in First Colony Mall today. We were looking for a dress coat for our granddaughter in Chicago. Finding a dress coat in Houston for a 5 year old that will stand up to Chicago weather turned out to be quite a job. We finally bought the first one we had found at a small specialty store.

Then it was off to Toys R Us. The search for a special Elmo doll was fruitless but we did manage to spend well over $100 on other stuff. And this is only the beginning.