‘Tis the season to shop ’til you drop!
This weekend my Mom and I went on our 4th annual girl’s shopping trip to the Mall of America!
It’s one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me, as we get to spend the entire day together shopping. What more could two gals ask for? ;)
We woke up at the crack of before dawn, hit up Starbucks and were on our way to Minneapolis by 6:30am. At 10:00, we entered the mall in all its glory. You couldn’t help but get into the holiday spirit, what with the twinkling lights cascading down from the ceiling, and the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
Two hours of intense shopping later, we were famished.
We searched high and low for the America’s Next Great Restaurant winner’s place – Soul Daddy, right? – but alas, it was nowhere to be found. Charley’s Subs did the trick.
I don’t know what it is about Charley’s, but both my Mom and I are obsessed with their grilled subs. Maybe it’s the free samples they’re always hawking out front.
All I know is the Chicken Teriyaki sub with pickles totally hit the spot, and fueled me for another 4 hours of shopping. Muwahaha!
After six hours at the MOA, here’s what I walked away with – thoughtfully modeled by Ben. Christmas gifts for the fam (unpictured, obvi,) a fleece vest from Old Navy, belt from Forever 21’s accessories shop, electric eyelash curler from Sephora, and anti-static hair products from Aveda.
I am THIS CLOSE to chopping my hair short again, as the level of static my hair experiences in the winter is absolutely unreal. I begged the Aveda girls for help, and this is what they came up with. Fingers crossed!
Right, but what did you bring me?!
As we walked out of the mall, we were (un)pleasantly surprised to find this. SNOW! There was already 2 inches on the ground, and the fat, heavy flakes were still coming down hard and fast (twss.)
Luckily our next stop wasn’t too far away. It was right across the street, in fact. IKEA!
IKEA is the furniture store equivalent of Target. Don’t even think about walking out of there without dropping at least $100.
After slamming a couple Reese’s Trees for a pick-me-up (they’re back!) we headed in.
We oo’ed at the kitchen setups,
and ahh’d over cute bedroom linens.
But we really went cuckoo for the kitchen wares – a foodie’s dream come true.
Whisks, colanders and dishes, oh my!
This is the part where the cart really started to fill up.
I couldn’t help but throw in measuring cups, cutting boards, pastry brushes and a whole lot more for “Santa” to bring me for Christmas.
$3.99 knife sets make me happy. :)
Here’s my loot:
Individual sized bowls and baking dishes, napkins (really?), package clips and a dish brush,
new bedding for the guest bedroom,
and new drapes/curtains for the kitchen. I HEART these!
By the time we left IKEA, the roads were a complete mess. I ran into a curb, actually, so we said to heck with it and grabbed dinner at the closest restaurant we could find. This ended up being T.G.I. Fridays, where we shared pot stickers, Chicken Bruschetta Pasta,
and an all too small serving of Oreo Madness.
After crashing at the hotel, we got up early the next morning to head home before the next storm hit. Sticking with the closer to the hotel the better theme, we made a quick stop at IHOP for breakfast first!
I’ve actually never eaten at an IHOP before, but pretty much got the gist when they slammed the syrup caddy down with my mug of coffee. ;)
Pancakes it is!
I panicked and got Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. They were pretty much the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Supplemented by eggs, hash browns and bacon which, well, weren’t.
Another successful girls trip, in the books! :D
I wish the story ended there…but it doesn’t. I locked my keys in my car at a gas station on the way home. BLERG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Similar to losing glasses in hotel rooms, locking my keys in my car is also one my things. One of my highly obnoxious, inconvenient, irritating things. Once in college I locked them in my car twice in one day. When I lived in Minneapolis a few years ago, I locked them in my car two weeks in a row, not just at the same gas station, but at the same pump.
Luckily AAA saved the frickin’ day, and we were on our way 20 minutes later. Hallelujah!
what a fun trip! the first store i head to is crate & barrel and j. crew.
on a different note, ihop eggs make me nauseous, but their pancakes are to.die.for.
Starbucks first and then any store close!
You should get the new deep conditioning treatment available at Aveda salons! Does wonders for the static and it only takes 5 minutes! It leaves your hair super soft and is supposed to last 6 weeks! I just had it done and it’s helped so much!
I have the EXACT same Ikea curtains/drapes as you just bought! My fiancee and I fantasize about going to Ikea one day and saying: “We will take that entire kitchen.” Cabinets, table, chairs, accessories, everything…. A girl can dream. :)
I like to shop online, but when I do go to the mall, I usually head to Ann Taylor or Ann Taylor Loft first. I got sooo frustrated over Black Friday weekend b/c they did an online 50% off everything deal. I spent about an hour picking stuff out online, then I could not check out. Their website wasn’t working. Oh, the disappointment!
I had no idea they make electric eye lash curlers. I love the idea, but I bet it would really hurt to burn an eyelid.
Hooray for a fun day out shopping! I just LOVE LOVE Ikea! I could live there and or buy the whole place!
At MOA I head to Marshalls! We do an annual girls trip there in March with my mom and her sister and sister’s daughter! Something to look forward to after a long hard winter!
What a great shopping trip, I’d love to visit MOA at some point in my life! Booo to the snow though, it was 60 degrees here today and it can stay that way for as long as possible please haha
I was at the MoA (and that Ikea, for that matter) in July and we searched for Soul Daddy too, to no avail! Wonder what happened with that…
Looks like such a fun time, and beautiful pics. :) I think it’s so cute you and your mom go together every year! Great way to bond.
I love Francesca’s, too! Every other store can let me down in my cute clothes search but they usually pull through. :)
Being a California girl I have never been to the Mall of America but I have heard that it is a pretty phenomenal place. As for IKEA, love that place! I have the same red and white bedding that you got and the same pillow that your mom got. The bedding is beautiful
Oops – forgot to include that in my pic! The pillow is actually an accent pillow for the guest bedroom. I LOVE it.
Week 1 was pretty great! I’m not being so hardcore as to do Monday through Friday. It just doesn’t fit into my schedule, so I’m getting 5 workouts in, but giving myself two “off” days, wherever I need to take them. It’s working! I’m grateful for the challenge to keep me on track this holiday season :)
The first store I head to is H&M
I can’t stop laughing because I do dumb things like lose my keys, wallet, etc…. typical “d’oh” type moves! ;)