Despite the surprisingly mild-for-Evanston weather we experienced this winter, the quarter definitely still had its downfalls. Classes were no walk in the park, not to mention we lost the one place where we could always go to let loose when we needed it most. Don’t even get me started on my issues with Caesar and crappy registration times.
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Needless to say, I’m getting pretty excited now that the end of this quarter is fast approaching and spring break is in sight. Here are some of the various ways I plan to treat myself over my glorious-almost two week long!-break ranging from food to fashion to fiction (alliteration is fun)…
1. Baking these delicious spring treats
While I may not be the best baker, I’m obsessed with treats that taste delicious and also look super adorable.  (I’ve discovered this might be due in no small part to having a mom who always made incredible birthday cakes growing up, like the Emerald City castle from the Wizard of Oz. No joke, she should be the new Cake Boss.) These Martha Stewart spring flower sugar cookies certainly fit that description and I can’t wait to test out the recipe-with the help of my mom of course.
Let’s not forget, spring wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory Girl Scout Cookie order. Personally, I’m a Thin Mints kinda girl. Since my sister is a Girl Scout, getting my hands on this hot commodity has never been too much of an issue; however, the cookies keep getting smaller and smaller, and at $4 a box, I’m beginning to wonder if my sister is actually running some sort of operation on the side.  So I obviously got way too excited when I found out I could bake my own with this lovely recipe from Cupcakes and Cashmere
2. Reading and watching the Hunger Games
Yes, I know they are written for little kids, but this is my latest guilty pleasure since Twilight. Except I feel a little less embarrassed to be reading these books in public, I think?  If you haven’t gotten into the series, there’s really nothing to lose in trying it out-you can easily read the series in a few days over break. As soon as I finish my last final paper I plan on promptly picking up the last book in this series and getting my Hunger Games fix. And the movie comes out March 23rd. So you know where I’ll be that night….
3. Pampering myself with the latest spring hued nail polish
While I love getting a mani/pedi as much as the next girl, it was definitely the first thing to fall by the way side this quarter.  Time and money seemed to be better spent on about a million other things. So, this is definitely one of the luxuries of break I am looking forward to the most. Essie’s new spring 2012 collection reminds me of Easter, one of my favorite holidays as a little kid. I already snagged the lavender polish at CVS last week during a total impulse buy, but can’t wait to try out some of the others.Â
4. Watching juicy new TV shows
HBO Go was the death of my productivity this quarter. While it may not have been the best idea to attempt to watch all four seasons of True Blood in about a month’s time, I loved every minute of it. My latest obsession? Mad Men. January Jones’ outfits and the dashing Don Draper add up to one irresistible combo. And I definitely don’t plan to deprive myself of this treat over break. If you have any other recommendations for me feel free to shoot them my way…
5. Buying these awesome neon pink shorts
I am thrilled to say that I will actually be venturing to a climate where I can rock these shorts over break. Yes, I know they’re slightly obnoxious, but I’ve had my eye on these bad boys (courtesy of J Crew) for some time now, and they are definitely going to be my first purchase once I escape these flurries and prepare for my trip to the beautiful beaches of Mexico. I’m hoping they’ll look even better with a tan.Â