t'was the week before Christmas ...

   I've been having issues with insomnia lately which is very frustrating.  I've had to reschedule Charlie's last laser treatment twice now because I've not been able to sleep until after 330a or later ~ Saturday I didn't get to sleep until after 6a.

  When I finally did wake up Saturday, Bipin and I drove to Roanoke to bargain shop for some warmer winter coats for him.  At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  I know nothing about the three pairs of boots/shoes that somehow made their way into my car.  

  To be honest though, one is a pair of knee-high "mud" boots.  Something I can wear when gardening, or when slogging through a creek as I sometimes want to do.  Another pair is Sperry "duck boots," a style of wet weather shoes [Like these ~ link> only for $16, not $100!].  But the last pair ... really didn't "need."  They are sage green short boots that will be super cute with leggings and a sweater I have of the same color.  What can I say, they were close to the register ... by a few aisles, and they were on clearance so I got them for $8.

  I also picked up three lined winter beanie-style hats that I actually did need.  Well.  I needed one, but couldn't decide on a color so I just got all three.  The price was right.

  We then went to another store, Gabe's, where I mostly shopped for Charlie.  It's kind of like Ross where they offer huge discounts on fashion and home goods.  Plato's Closet, where we shopped first, is a store that buys gently worn name brands and then resells them at up to 70% off.  I could have spent days in there looking at the clothing because there really wasn't any organized chaos.  It was straight-up chaos times 100.  There might have been some kind of dividing line between his/hers/kids, but it would have been really hard to find.  

  When the sun is out Charlie likes to spend some time people-watching on the front porch where he can get warmed up by the sun.  So I got him a little bed with a waterproof bottom to sit in and keep his toes warm.

  There is a winter storm currently blowing outside that brought several inches of snow this afternoon.  More is expected tonight through midnight, but it is unlikely to be a white Christmas for us here.  Daytime temperatures will reach the mid-50s on Sunday, and even with a few nights below freezing, anything that will get some sun during the day will melt.