Christmas Shopping

For my return blogpost, I was hoping to expound on something profound, but am unable to think of any such subject at the moment. I wasn't even going to blog today, but the blizzard outside somehow changed my mind. No school today......basketball game cancelled last Tuesday night and tonight. Today's snow was forecast already during Tuesday's snowstorm, so when Wednesday rolled around, I knew I'd better brave the snowy roads and head to our local shopping mecca, Waterloo-Cedar Falls......before Christmas got any closer.

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First things first.......sustenance for the day's adventure. If you look closely at the base of the Mickey-D sign, there's a digital temperature reading of 11 degrees.......not bad, really, with the sun shining.

First stop........KOHL's........and it turned out to be a long stop. I fell victim to slashed prices in the Christmas towels and dishes department, and sniffed dozens of candles, searching for my favorite scent of cloves......without success.
On my daughter's Christmas list is a gift certificate to Starbuck's......I was lazy and took advantage of the drive-through, as did many others, as you can see. Evidently, the economy isn't stopping us from shelling out shekels for expensive (and delicious) coffee drinks.

You can leave a tip, if you wish. I didn't......and didn't. I grabbed my Caffe Mocha and gift certificate and ran! The certificate came in a lovely little red velvet holder.

Stopped in my tracks by a kneady man.........wouldn't you know it! (Click the photo to see him better.)
Several minutes later, Kneady Panera Man and I met each other again---at a red light this time---we both were still trying to manuever our way out of the maze of the College Square Mall parking lot. Kneady Man was in NEED of a green light!

Oh, my.......I did overhear the cats discussing a shopping venture this morning in the barn. Looks like they decided on pizza for lunch!

Oh, yeah, and then there I was.......fretting over traffic frustrations, when out of the fog of exhaust fumes up ahead of me appeared this license plate........REMEMBER 9/11. And, I did.

Oh, thank goodness.......the day is nearly over. Target is usually my final stop on a long day of shopping.......which, by the way, I haven't done for ages........a long day of shopping, that is. Now that the kids are older, my shopping habits have changed considerably. Mostly, I run for groceries and essentials now.......less time spent in clothing, shoe, and toy departments.

Well, Target didn't quite have all the grocery items on my list, so I had to muster up energy for one more stop. HyVee has the best bakery buns and rolls, anyhow. I'm amazed at all the grocery sellers in the area. Several HyVee's have been in business in Waterloo-CF for a long time, but then a few years ago, Target and the two Walmarts morphed into "Super" size, adding huge grocery departments, plus Fareway built new grocery stores, too. I'm not sure how they all can stay in business. I rarely ever shop for groceries at Walmart and I shouldn't at Target, since I truly feel its ridiculous that those stores added grocery lines. HyVee is my favorite food store, but since I like Target for other shopping, its handy to grab grocery items there, too.

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Well, the day is finished.......and so is my Christmas shopping! I hope yours is, too! And, if you can't figure out what to buy for someone on your gift list......here's an idea:

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