weekend post: snow, shopping, and silly hats

We had our first official snowfall last night!

A fluffy white dusting covered everything from head to toe.  Oh how I love this time of the year. 

In fact, I take back everything I said about not liking the cold; this morning I felt like a little kid in a playground.  And if it absolutely must be cold outside before we can enjoy a fresh new layer of snow—if there’s absolutely no way to skirt around the issue—then I’ll take the chilly 10 degrees.  😀

I love the way the thin, crisp layer of snow crackles and crunches under my feet while I’m running. 

Music to my ears.

I’m kind of loving winter right now.  I hope this feeling lasts a long, long time. 😉

Know what else I’m loving right now?

Shopping (and eating) with mom…

…and shopping with my bestie.

There’s something special about shopping with family.  They’re not afraid to say, “ugh, I don’t like that!”  And they’re also not afraid to say, “oh my word, you look awesome!” 

I love both of these gals to bits. 😀

You probably know this by now, but we tend to shop till we drop.   Today we shopped until we dropped after dropping.  This is dangerous territory.

This is the territory where you start laughing for no apparent reason at all.  Or crying.  Whichever comes first.

This is where you try on silly hats.  Or stare at people without realizing that you’re staring at people until they start staring back. 

Yes.  Dangerous territory.

(p.s. Silly or not, I kind of wanted this hat.  Just in a bigger size. 😉 )

It was quite the successful shopping day.  I didn’t leave with any new hats, but I did find a new winter coat that was more than half the original price.  And I purchased a couple of Christmas gifts for family. 

No Christmas Eve gift shopping for me this year!

And, most importantly, we had fun. 

Yes.  It was a very successful shopping trip.

Question: Do you have snow where you live?

Breakfast Bonanza, day 2 (shopping energy!)

I wasn’t always a bargain shopper.

My sister was the one with the willpower.  “I’m going to wait until this goes on sale,” she’d say confidently, placing the prized shirt back on the rack until further notice.  I’d shake my head, tell her she should buy it now while she could, and move on to purchase my own expensive shirt because I couldn’t bear the thought of not having it.  Sure enough, a week would go by, and that same shirt would be half price.  Nicole would just laugh, as she purchased her favorite items.  On sale.  I would groan, realizing that I just dished out an extra $20, when I really didn’t need to.

But this story has a happy ending, because I finally (after many, many, many purchases of overpriced shirts) learned the art of patience.  The art of spending more on favorite items and spending less on others.  The art of balance.

Balance.  This one word seems to apply to everything in life, doesn’t it?

Today’s shopping trip was a full one.  From the time the mall opened to when it closed, my mom and I meandered our way through each and every store, searching for bargains.  I found lots of cute tops that I’ll put to good use with nutrition seminars and presentations.  My favorite find of the night was a $30 dress from JCPenney.  I can’t wait to pair it with a cute belt and some yellow flats.

And, of course, no shop-till-you-drop shopping trip has ever occurred without the assistance of an energy packed breakfast. 

That would be Breakfast Bonanza, Day 2.

This morning I opted for something simple but amazing.  Whole wheat toasts, smeared in almond butter and pleasantly topped with plump, sweet banana slices.

I’m sure that this is probably the standard breakfast for many healthy breakfast eaters out there, but I never seem to think of it.   Obviously, I’ve been  really missing out.  This is going to be a perfect meal for those busy morning weekdays.

It was also perfect for shopping-till-dropping.  It literally kept me going all morning (and afternoon, and night!) long!

 

I think tomorrow’s breakfast is going to start with a ‘p.’  And end in ‘-umpkin.’  But it won’t involve oatmeal.  Any guesses? 😉

Question: Are you a bargain shopper?  What are you willing to splurge on and where do you try to save? 

shop, drop, and roll

When in doubt, “un”overnight oats can always be counted on to deliver.  Tast.  Nutrition.  Energy. 

 

“un”overnight oats—simply mix everything together, directly before eating

• 1/2 c. raw oatmeal
• 6-oz. plain yogurt mixed with 2 T. crushed flax
• 1 banana, chilled and sliced
• almond butter

I think “nom, nom, nom” is way overused, but I’ve actually never ever used it here on the blog.  So…nom, nom, nom.  It suits this bowl of ooey gooey deliciousness to a T.

 

My mom and I have been planning a getaway to the mall for a while now, and today was the day to make it happen.  This was not just a routine shopping trip.  This was a serious, all-out, shop until you drop day.  It’s intense.  For real.

But we both love it, and that’s why we get so excited about it.  (My sister and I are already planning another one for September.)  The day doesn’t require that anybody spend anything, but it does require serious energy and trying on everything and anything. 

Of course, there’s always food involved (energy, energy, energy.)

Sorry for the notsopretty photos, but I was relying solely on my miniature camera for transportability purposes. 😉

Lunch had many courses…

(1) a tuna salad sandwich (1 can of tuna mixed with a lil’ mayo and cumin, lettuce, 2 slices whole wheat bread)

 

(2) a reduced fat mozzarella cheese stick

 

(3) a homemade granola bar (click for recipe)

 

(4) heeps and heeps of watermelon

 

There was also the routine stop at Starbucks.  No girly shopping trip is complete without a coffee stop, where both my mom and I ordered a Grande Soy Misto and snacked on some trail mix.

I came really close to adding some splenda to this cup of frothy goodness, but then resisted.  I have nothing wrong with using the occasional packet of splenda, but I try to stay away from artifical sweeteners as much as I possibly can.  Sometimes it requires getting used to a new flavor (this was a little less sweet than I would normally drink it), and sometimes it requires improvising.  I ended up adding cinnamon when I was halfway through drinking it and it recreated the drink!  Seriously.  It wound up tasting like a snickerdoodle and somehow intensified the sweetness. 😀

 

 

I also bought a water to take along with us for the rest of the shopping trip: Hint Blackberry. 

 All natural ingredients, with a very subtle hint of blackberry.  So refreshing. 😀

 

The shopping trip was such fun.  Great deals.  New outfit.  Lots of girly gab and conversation.  Fun.

H&M was full of great bargains today too.  I’m not even kidding when I say that practically my entire wardrobe is from this one store. 

I’m very into plaid and jean skirts this year.  

Dinner was quick and easy to throw together, as I was craving a refreshingly cold smoothie.

Smoothie In A Bowl

• 1 c. frozen blueberries
• large handful of beet leaves
• 1 c. soymilk
• toppings: Natures Path Pumpkin Flax Granola, coconut, 1 tsp. chia seeeds, scoop of PB&Company’s The Bee’s Knees

Sometimes a smoothie just hits all the right spots. 

 I am so overtired tonight, it’s not even funny.  I think a good night’s sleep is in order. 😉  Tomorrow I have a busy, busy, but fun day planned.  I also need to complete my internship homework (almost done!) and a powerpoint presentation as well.

G’night!

Question: Do you enjoy going clothes shopping?  Do you prefer shopping solo or going along with a shopping buddy?