Aaand, we’re back!
Thankfully this year we didn’t have any freak snow storms to deal with, so Saturday morning we were able cruise from my house, where my Mom picked me up at 6:30am, to Starbucks for a hot cup o’ Joe, and pull up to the Mall of America at precisely 11am…just in time to inhale Chipotle burrito bowls to fuel us for, gulp, FIVE STRAIGHT HOURS OF SHOPPING!
(pic borrowed from last year’s post because it was super foggy in MSP this weekend!)
The mall was decorated to the nines, per usual, and after lunch we quickly got our shopping underway. 3 floors + 400 stores = a lot of road to cover!
In addition to crossing some gifts off my holiday shopping list, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes peeled for a few items I’ve been eyeing online, including my beloved Sorel Joan of Arctic boots, which I spotted from 50 yards away as we were coming down the escalator at Nordstrom’s! I couldn’t have been more jazzed to pull on a pair of the warm and fluffy boots, and was admiring them adoringly in the full-length mirror when, I took a step. And cringed.
They are so uncomfortable! There was this hard, ridge-like thingy that was stabbing me in the back of my heel/calf, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I even tried on a couple of different sizes to make sure it wasn’t me or the boot, but no dice.
Fellow Joan of Arctic owners – do these break in at all? I hope so because they are SO cute, and SO warm. They’d be absolutely perfect for the brutal Midwest winters, though by the looks of today’s temps (63!) you’d never know it was December ’round here!
Anyways, later I consoled my sad tootsies with a rub in a foot/calf massager at Brookstone. I know. Gross. I hardly cared though. 5 hours of shopping in flats (what was I thinking?!) will convince you to give anything a try! Totally worth it.
A Coldstone Oreo Ice Cream with Brownie mix-in snack helped too. :)
After all the Christmas gifts had been bought we headed to our hotel to relax before heading off to dinner. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott, which was less than a mile away (you could see it from the mall,) and had clean, nice rooms for a great rate. We’d definitely stay there again!
We had to nearly peel ourselves out of bed an hour later to go feed our grumbling stomachs. The beds were oh-so cozy, but our appetites were oh-so strong. I know some people pssht at this, but shopping seriously takes it out of you.
Not wanting to drive any further than necessary, we headed to a nearby Friday’s because it was close and, gosh darn it, I have a not-so-secret love for the chain. Once seated we proceeded to order everything on the menu…!
They have this 2 for $10 meal where you can get an app and entree for, well, $10, and of course we had to add a cup of Friday’s famous French Onion Soup (perhaps my favorite soup, ever?!) In the end, our eyes proved to be bigger than our stomachs and I bet we ate 1/3 of what we ordered. Luckily our hotel had a fridge!
We fell fast asleep back at the hotel circa 8pm while watching Inception, but it was probably for the best as we had one last stop to make on Sunday before heading home. IKEA! :D
IKEA might be my most favorite place ever. I love their designs, and wandering around their ingenious showrooms for dream-home ideas. This modern-yet-cozy kitchen with dark wood, and stainless steel accents had me drooling.
Nothing in the showroom gets me quite as excited as kitchen utensil alley though! I have had so many stainless steel IKEA utensils, gadgets, and gizmos last me for years. They really are of high quality – and for so cheap!
Including these DARLING mini stainless steel prep bowls. CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE THIS?! :D
After checking out at IKEA, we headed on home. Another year, another successful mother/daughter holiday shopping trip in the books!
Kristi 12.04.2012
I am excited to give my boys a new mario wii game.
Jennifer Tait 12.04.2012
I am hoping to give my daughter a balance bike, my husband bike gear and my parents some framed photos that I took (I have been working on getting better at photography).
Michelle M 12.04.2012
I’m most looking forward to giving my niece a toy on her first Christmas.
Sandi b 12.04.2012
I think a little extra time with the husband and kids away from normal everyday stuff is the best gift.
Sandi b 12.04.2012
I think a little extra time away from normal everyday stuff is the best gift.
Sharron 12.04.2012
Can hardly wait to give my husband of 44 years the HoMedics shiatsu back massager [with heat!] that I saw and immediately bought. It’s like a payback for all the manual back massages he’s given me :)
Kim 12.04.2012
I am most excited to give my son and his girlfriend new gifts for the baby they are expecting on Dec. 30th !!!!
Vanessa R 12.04.2012
I am looking very forward to giving my best friend a gift in person this year! I only see her once a year or less, so I can’t wait to see her.
Your trip photos have inspired me to visit the MOA this season. I’m only 20 minutes away and I rarely go, so thank you for the fun photos. :)
Melissa W 12.04.2012
I am so excited to give my boss’ 2 granddaughter hand knit matching cardigans–they are almost done, and I am feeling pretty excited about meeting my deadline way early this year!!
Monica L 12.04.2012
Our daughter just got her dream job – but it has a 45 minute commute each way. So, she is getting new tires and brakes for Christmas! Not as exciting as a gift card to Nordstrom’s, but we want her to be safe on her way to and from work, and since she is just starting out, we did not want her to start with a large balance on her credit card!
molly 12.04.2012
i am most excited to give date gift, messages, dinner, volunteering, and then festival of lights.
i would love this giveaway
Elizabeth @ Southern Color 12.04.2012
Excited to give back! We’ve “adopted” a family to give Christmas gifts to. This is a great giveaway – I would give the Keurig to my sister since I’m not a huge coffee drinker :)
Lindsay Elmore 12.04.2012
I got two names off the angel tree at the mall and bought them each a toy. My kids are so spoiled and its nice to do something for a kid that is not.
Megan 12.04.2012
I’m most excited to give my niece a doll cradle that I got for her! She lives her babies, so I know she will love it.
Kirsten 12.04.2012
I’m very excited to give my grandfather the new watch he’s been eyeing for months!
Claire Hearn 12.04.2012
I’m looking forward to adopting a family in need for Christmas this year. We’ve been assigned a family that we will bring a couple presents for each family member so they have something for Christmas. We also make them something for Christmas dinner which is exciting because I LOVE to cook. Love your blog!!!!
Caitlin 12.04.2012
I’m most excited about giving my mom a Coach purse! She has tons and tons of fakes but I’m giving her a real one! She’ll be so excited!
Tammy 12.04.2012
My birthday is 12/21 so when my family started asking me what I would like for my birthday/Christmas present this year I decided to do something a little different. I read about the Birthday Project on another bloggers site, and decided instead of receiving presents this year, I would give. I have found 42 (yes, I am wearing that number proudly!) ways to pay it forward, and these are the presents/time/donations that I am MOST excited about giving this year.
Lauren 12.04.2012
Paying for my brother’s half-marathon registration! He’s been debating whether or not to sign-up
Cathy Carlin 12.04.2012
We had a major scare with my mother’s health this summer and I’m just happy to be able to give her a gift at all! She’ll be getting a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant.