Sleep, Shop, Eat, Repeat

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Have I ever told you all just how much I hate Monday mornings?

There is just something about being required to get up early on Monday morning instead of CHOOSING to wake up early on a Saturday, for example, that simply doesn’t sit well with me. BUT – as much as I dread Monday mornings and the idea of having to plow through my inbox sifting through email after email, fulfilling request after request, it’s also kind of nice to be back in the routine again and to have a fresh start.

This morning it was especially difficult to get my butt in gear since my weekend was spent having the best time with my mom and husband. As I mentioned in a previous post, my mom was visiting as a part of my 24th birthday surprise and it couldn’t have been a more fun time. We shopped a ton (so many fun purchases to share!) enjoyed the cooler weather in the city, and shared a few delicious meals together. I’m sad to see her go, but luckily will see her again very soon.

So what did we do this weekend….where to begin? Oh, yes! How about Friday morning getting ready to head out of the apartment – M. going off to work for the day and me, well I packed up the pup and made my way to the theater to wait in line for $30 tickets to How to Succeed in Business starring Daniel Radcliffe (yes, of Harry Potter fame). And yes, we had both seen the show already when M.’s brother was in town a few months ago, but because it was SO absolutely fabulous and because the tickets were a measly $30, we figured it was a “can’t miss” for my mom. Not to mention, Daniel is finishing up his run on the show, and is absolutely fabulous in the lead role!

After sitting for about two hours in line (yes, I got there very early to ensure good seats) we packed up our chilly selves (it was a bit brisk on Friday morning) and headed back to the apartment where my mom was knocking on my door just a few minutes later. The warm sun streaming in our apartment was so comforting after spending a morning sitting on the sidewalk, but there was no way we were going to let the chilly weather keep us inside. We headed off for a little city roaming and found ourselves on the high-line, a really neat addition to New York City (see more about it HERE) walking by Chelsea Market.

We stopped into Chelsea Market and enjoyed a light lunch at Hale & Hearty (one of my favorites). Two soups and two sides of bread and we were set to go. I think that’s one of my favorite parts of Fall….all of the delicious soup options!! We popped into the Anthropologie where I picked up a pretty little tank for layering under blazers and cardigans and then we continued on our way. Stopping at stores along the way and picking up a few fun things in the process including a fun pink (big surprise) blouse that will be perfect for dressing up at work and dressing down for the weekends.

Earlier last week I scheduled a manicure appointment since I had some gift certificates to use. We made our way to the salon and enjoyed a relaxing manicure – Mom chose an awesome “Greige” color for her nails, and I went with a poppy hot pink shade. I don’t treat myself to manicures often (I usually do my nails myself), but man is it nice to have them all perfectly filed and polished!

After our relaxing salon time we stopped by the Kate Spade store to admire all of the beautiful clothing, jewelry and shoes, stopped by a wine store to pick up something delicious and picked up a few treats at the drugstore before meeting M. at his office for a little tour and a quick dinner before the show. I hadn’t ever seen M.’s office for more than a few minutes, but MAN is he really living the life! I thought my office was beautiful, but the views from his building rival any of the “great views” I’ve seen in New York so far. Lucky boy! :) We originally planned on pizza for dinner, but it turned out the restaurant we frequent was way too busy and would’ve taken far too long. Instead we opted for an even more casual dinner, but still a favorite – The Shake Shack! You can’t beat a Shake Shack burger and their delicious crinkle fries. We enjoyed every minute of our dinner and then hopped in a cab to make our 8 o'clock show time.

This time around the show was EVEN BETTER! The actors did some funnier things and even cracked a few impromptu jokes that weren’t included the last time we saw the show. Unfortunately, half way through the show, the two empty seats next to my mom were filled up by two foreigners and the man next to her decided that he needed to spread his legs out COMPLETELY so that "he’d be comfortable". HA. This of course proved to provide lots of laughs for us as we’re still confused by people who don’t respect personal space and of course, why the heck some men feel the need to spread their legs so wide..hmmm!? :) After the show we were all pretty tired out so we headed home, watched a little TV and then called it a night. My mom and I had a long day of shopping ahead of us on Saturday.

One huge bagel later on Saturday morning, my mom and I headed off for a day full of shopping. Things started out slowly (maybe due to the huge bagels we consumed), but we quickly found our groove and it wasn’t proving difficult for me to spend some money! We actually started our shopping day at Mood fabrics. Yes – Mood fabrics of Project Runway fame. My mom was looking for a very specific embellishment for a little project she is working on and I was dying to check out the home upholstery fabrics. Of course, I was drawn to ALL of the beautifully colored patterns and boy do they have quite the selection! Luckily, a beautiful patterned fabric caught my eye and I realized it was the perfect finishing touch to the throw pillows on our couch. Thank goodness for a mom who knows how to sew (someday I’ll learn!) because she agreed to sew the fabric into throw pillow covers for me. I can’t wait to show you the finished product – AND our newly covered couch, which, thanks to my mom looks absolutely incredible (will post pictures soon-ish).

Anyway, after our fun trip to Mood, we hopped in a cab to Bloomindales where we spent at least an hour sifting through some beautiful clothes. We tried on a few things, but nothing really screamed “buy me” and we walked out empty handed. I was getting a little discouraged since I hadn’t found anything, so we decided to take a quick break from walking and felt like something sweet would hit the spot. A Crumbs cupcake (my first Crumbs experience) and two salted caramel hot chocolates and we were set for more shopping! After a trip to the “staples” - Ann Taylor, Talbots (yes, I said Talbots), J.Crew, Zara etc. I ended up finding some really great things – again, the pieces I picked up are great for work (since my office is business casual) and for weekend wear. I must say, I was a little disappointed with J.Crew, but I’m guessing it’s because the first round of “Fall-Winter” clothing is not ever THAT exciting. I did of course see some classics that I’ll be picking up soon – cable knit sweaters and cardigans in fun, new colors, yes please!

Our last stop for the day was Lord & Taylor. I haven’t spent any time in the Lord & Taylor in NYC, but was pleasantly surprised that they were having a huge shoe sale this weekend. I picked up these adorable shoes (please ignore the rolled up jeans and the ugly “footies”) and absolutely cannot get over the sweet coral colored bow and all over patent finish. I’m really excited about adding these into my outfits and although they look a little "spring-ish" I've already been formulating Fall outfits that will include these kicks! In addition, we both ended up buying a fabulous pair of leopard print, little-higher-than-a-kitten heel pumps that are being sent to our homes! :) Let me tell you though – Lord & Taylor was a MADHOUSE in the shoe department. I literally felt bad for the employees because there were shoes EVERYWHERE and SO MANY women. I was happy to get out of there and get a little fresh air – we ended up being in the shoe department for an hour and a half!

After our WALK home (yes, we walked a TON on Saturday) we sipped on a glass or two of wine before heading off to dinner. Originally we were going to have a “nicer” dinner one of the evenings my mom was here, but in all honesty, sometimes I would rather just hang out and eat good food in a non-stuffy environment. We decided to try a pizza place (since pizza on Friday night was canceled), Artichoke Basilles, one we hadn’t tried before. The pizzas were HUGE, but they were delicious. We actually ended up ordering a LOT – a stuffed artichoke (yum!), the “meatball” pizza and a “wedge” of the artichoke pizza. I’ve got to say, this pizza certainly wasn’t a traditional New York slice, but it was SO DELICIOUS after a long day of walking…plus the wine we enjoyed wasn’t so bad either! :) We ended up staying at dinner for about two and a half hours before heading home and crashing in our beds. It was a long day and I was already feeling sad that Sunday was our last day together.

Our original plan was to get up to go to church at St. Patrick’s, but unfortunately the evening before really took it out of us and we instead slept in a little bit and then headed off for one last walk around town. We all enjoyed a casual lunch together before my mom and I went off on our own for a litttttleeee more shopping. We tired out quickly though, but not before I found a cute new skirt and a nice case for my phone (I’ve been going without a case for a while and the 10% off that they were offering at Kate Spade convinced me to finally buy one. Here’s the case I chose!). The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on the couch watching Mad Men (just started watching the seasons since my mom said the show was so good and now I am officially addicted!) episodes and baking M&M cookies. Originally we planned on just not eating anything for dinner, but when the thought of one last meal at the Shake Shack appealed to my mom…we were convinced it needed to happen. Can you tell we’re creatures of habit when it comes to delicious food?

I was sad to say goodbye to my mom this morning before I left for work, but I’m so glad that she had the chance to come visit. It certainly made my 24th birthday a memorable one and thank goodness for a sweet husband who knows just what makes me the happiest!

Big enough re-cap for you all!? I’m finally back in the game….see you tomorrow!

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