Swede Envy

I braved the massive crowds at IKEA this morning for a looksie at all their wholesome, affordable goods and I wasn't dissapointed. In terms of beating the crowds, it helps tremendously to have a rooster in the house (see previous post). We were there right when they opened with only a handful of the Portland Metro area. As much as I talk and dream about Ikea, I have not been to a store in over ten yearws so this was really exciting to say the least. We beelined it to the kid area so Mizz could do some running around. He had a blast in one of their awesomely fun egg shaped chairs that has a closing hood so he could play some mad peekaboo. From there we wandered our way through Mr Ikea's bedrooms and kitchen areas; I was contemplating all the stylish, organizational systems, Mizz was looking at lights and Cheezits. When all was said and done, I walked away with one medium stainless steel bowl (for cherries of course), a bath mat, a RED! pillow for Mizz, expansion train track, and a pack of ten washclothes for a grand total of 30 bucks. Not too bad, huh? To round the morning's semi conspicuous consumption out, Mizz and I shared two hot dogs and a cinnamon bun for lunch for two bucks. Of the course, the Ikea seed has been planted and tonight I will dream about a 79 dollar bookcase and that cute little toddler bed motif. And that's really how the stores get you. They plant all kinds of little ideas in your head, that percolate, and then before you know it, you are matter of factly stating to your husband "You know, what we really NEED is..."