Today I headed out into the shopping world. I used to love the hustle and bustle of Christmas Shopping. It was so much fun to search the stores for the perfect gift that that certain someone was bound to love. Today…not so fun.

My mom, Cedi, Capri, and I bundled up and got into the minvan. After a short stop at a craft sale we headed to the mall. I had a few gifts for the Bank’s giving tree I had to pick up and a few odds and ends as well.

The roads in Madison are not good. They still have a few inches of snow/slush on them and there are ‘pot holes’ in the snow. Not the worst to drive in but they are if you are driving on the same road as morons.

My shopping experience really started out bad when I patiently waited for someone to pull out of their spot (the lot was literally full…wow!) and some girl came swooping in and stole it! I’ve heard of that happening but it never happened again. Luckily, (for her) my kids were in the van so I just honked a few times and tried to control my temper.

Shopping with two kids in a double stroller during the holiday season…never fun or easy.

We found what we were looking for pretty quickly and then headed out. In the past I would usually be loaded up for a few things that I ‘needed’ as well from my shopping experience. That’s were etsy comes in. I have a really hard time buying items that I know everyone else has. Now that I have found etsy…there’s no need to do this anymore. I can buy one-of-a-kind (or close to one-of-a-kind) items from an actual person – why would I buy from the big guys anymore? Now, I’m not saying I’ll never buy retail again…I still need jeans and the basic clothes and whatnot but I have lost the joy I used to feel walking into a mall. Overall, I would say that’s a good thing.

Here’s what I would “buy” if I could go shopping on etsy tonight!

This may be a boring first pick on my ‘shopping spree’ tonight but I’m drooling over this ‘In the Beginning Peering Animals’ fabric that can be found in SpiceBerryCottage’s shop. ($7.95)

My husband would ask, “Why do you need another hat?” Response: “Because it’s awesome”. I’m loving this Hat from Knme! ($20)

I’m always looking to add to my collection of real handmade creamic mugs. The two I have so far are just fabulous! This Large Mug in Honey and Red from clearmountaincraft looks like it would be a perfect addition to my collection! ($20)

I would continue shopping but I’ll stop for tonight at $47.95 plus a little shipping…too tired to go on. I’ll admit, instead of having to get in my car and drive for 30 minutes to get home, I can just shut off my laptop and crawl right into bed!