I have gratitude today for...
* Mom cleaning up some of the dishes from last night when she got up. The kitchen was in pretty good shape considering what a mess I made making dinner. I love cooking but I hate how many pots/pans/dishes you need to make most meals. 
* a nice drive to the outlets. GPS took us on back roads---it was pretty to see the snow with the sun shining on open fields. 
* a fun day at the outlets with Mom & Kelly. Kelly was able to use a $50 gift card at the Coach store on a gorgeous bag on clearance. She ended up walking out with a $400+ bag for $33 out of pocket. That = outlet success! We went in and out of most of the stores and had the teriyaki place for lunch. I found I wasn't even really that interested in buying clothes. By the time Mom & Kelly left I had only bought a few camis from Forever 21. 
* deciding to stay at the outlets after they left. I went to Express and found an adorable sweater dress for $6 (originally $59.99). I also got a work tank top and another tank top all for $13, woo hoo. Then I decided to go to Steve Madden to look for boots. I had my heart set on a pair of Cole Haan boots that I saw before Christmas when I was there with Viki, but they no longer had them in my size. All boots at Steve Madden were 70% off already marked-down prices! I was lucky to find a whole bunch of styles in my size, and ended up with four new pairs for $63!!! When looking for the images on-line I noticed even on sites like Zappos or Hautelook.com they are anywhere from $59-79/pair! 

My pretty new Steve Madden collection!

* the Le Creuset outlet. Oh my God I am in love with this stuff and I wish I could buy every piece! When I was there last time the guy working there was French. He was telling Viki & me about the braiser and how amazing it is. The seed was planted and I've wanted to one ever since. I decided to go for it today and ended up getting a $250 piece for $145! It's gorgeous and I spent an hour tonight pinning braising recipes. I also bought the large utensil crock and a few silicone utensils. Next on my list are the teapot and butter dish!

Aren't they pretty?

* finding tons of recipes I'd like to try on Pinterest tonight that use the braising technique. I also came across Chef Michael Ruhlman's website, and now want his book! 

This needs to be on my bookshelf!