Ikea

This weekend we had two adventures. On Saturday, we went hiking in the Fells. I love hiking in the Fells with my boys, but other than a really interesting orchid that kept popping up every five feet, it wasn’t much different from other times hiking in the Fells.

Sunday, after church, we went to Ikea. I had two stated goals for our trip and one unstated goal. First, I was in desperate need of more meatball-makings. (Ikea meatballs are one of my go-to meals for when I need to get a dinner on the table in 20 minutes that Grey will eat and the rest of us like too.) Second, Grey’s dresser is broken and he needed a new one. Thus for the stated. The unstated? I wanted a new armchair for Thane’s room. The rocker I’d purchased for Grey’s nursery had aged badly and was yucky.

It took us forever to get out of Burlington. It always takes us forever to get out of church, because we’re always happily chatting with our friends. Then we went to the Macaroni Grill, where we once again lamented the lack of dessert ravioli. (WOE!) Then we went to Starbucks because I am an addict. Then we needed gas. Then we got stuck on horrible, terrible, no good traffic on 93 just south of the big dig.

Finally we landed at Ikea and met up with Unka Matt. Thrillingly, Grey is now tall enough and potty trained enough to go to the Ikea childcare. He had a ball in the ballpit and other than getting decked in the eye very much enjoyed himself. The lady doing the check-in, however, never managed to process that Unka Matt and I are NOT MARRIED. It’s an understandable but obnoxious mistake when we go out places together.

Our first goal location was the dressers. Frankly, we didn’t really find one that was perfect. We wanted one low enough that Grey could access the drawers himself, in natural wood, that would grow with him through to college. The one we ended up getting (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10034189) was much wider than I was planning on, but has this lovely top that seems destined to be a window seat or a bookcase or a playspace or something. It will certainly be large enough — it might actually have some toy storage or paper storage space. He has a lot of clothes but not even he has THAT many.

Next up was my stealth-goal. When I’d come to Ikea in December, I’d nursed Thane in this chair and it had been so comfy that I was resolved to return. Actually, I’d love to have one for each bedroom. I think a comfy reading chair in the bedrooms is a good idea if you’re trying to raise readers. But first things first. It was even on sale! How could I resist!

And here it is in its natural habitat:

And we ate meatballs and bought meatballs and somehow managed to get it in the car and stayed up too late that night assembling it the end.

Also, I put the blanket on the chair because the cats LOVE to sleep there. My housekeeper put the dragon on the back of the chair and I like it. It’s sort of a 21st century, baby-themed take on the tiger-skin rug.

I haven’t gotten the dresser set up yet. I’ll let you know. Because I know that what you want in your life is more pictures of Ikea furniture in action. Don’t worry — I aim to please!