IKEA...then Collapse.

Today, for the first time since the birth of Miss D, my daughter and I went shopping without her.  (She stayed home with Daddy and ran him ragged.) 

We went to the fancy mall, didn't buy anything.  Went across the road to IKEA, where we ate lunch then wandered.  For hours.
 
She is pretty sure they have identified Miss D's big girl bed.   And, as Miss D is determined to be a big girl like, NOW, I'm thinking this would be a great 2nd birthday gift.  She'll be  tall enough to scramble onto it at her current rate of growth.  She's probably tall enough NOW, actually.

It is ridiculously clever and versatile - a twin bed with three nice deep storage drawers below, and an absolutely ingenious pull out frame to make a second twin bed for sleepovers.   It's just made for life in a 10x11 bedroom, which appears to be where she's gonna be for the next few years.

And I browsed kitchen cabinets, and found a thing I must have. MUST.

Picture this: Right now, if you are facing my fridge, there is a totally random chunk of kitchen cabinets to the right of the fridge - cabinet above, about 30 inches of countertop, cabinet and two drawers below.  Very standard 80s equipment.   This was actually the UPGRADE kitchen in these condos; the standard cabinets ended at the fridge, leaving a bigger kitchen eating area but rather lousy storage.  I use those cabinets of course, but it's not useful space, and I'd been wondering what the hell I'd do about that random chunk of cabinet when I re-do the kitchen.

IKEA gave me my model, if not the actual cabinets themselves - I'm still shopping around. But they have a full height pantry cabinet with a single door and all sorts of customizable pull-out shelving that made me salivate!  That's IT!!! That is exactly what needs to go in to the right of the fridge!  All my beans and grains and spices and gadgets and what-have-you, on roll-out shelves.  A far, far better use of the space. The storage is to die for, seriously, and while providing a boatload of storage, it also frees up a few square feet of floor space currently occupied by the current fairly useless cabinets. That will buy precious kitchen real estate to put a small kitchen table in front of the windows, instead of the teeny semi-useless barstool thing I have there now. 

We did make a few small purchases - my daughter bought a six pack of inexpensive wine glasses and some plastic storage ware.  I bought a very lightweight comforter, and the duvet set I'd coveted - it was ON SALE!!  It was meant to be.  I also bought a cheap square vase and a couple of stalks of bamboo.

I had a moment of arrgh this week, when we posed for our company website photos. Our office is so minimalist, it's really kinda sterile.  Our marketing person, who is working on the new website design, scavenged some stuff from her own house to add a little color to the background of the photos.  Random stuff, like tall vases, silk plants, interesting, not my personal style, but actual decorative items that were chosen with care to create an effect.  Her house has DECOR. Mine has random stuff. 

And I realized that I have gone so far off the rails from my own taste, when I look around my own living room I feel like I'm living in a museum of other people's stuff.  I have my mother's hope chest, my uncle's bookcase - sentimental things, for sure, but I haven't made them MINE.  I need to display things that make this my home. 

The $4 worth of bamboo plants in a $4 vase is a start.  A very small start, but a good one.  Like finding the duvet cover I wanted was on sale, it's a sign that it's time to stop planning my next move and start nesting where I am. 

Oh, and in the Swedish food area, a sample girl was giving out samples of this elderflower syrup, in a non-alcoholic and very refreshing drink.  We had to buy a bottle of the syrup each.  They had a recipe card for a cocktail with vodka and fresh lime, and it sounds like the perfect summer evening drink. It would also be great with sparkling water, like a Swedish version of an Italian soda.  

So it was a good day.  I'm exhausted.  Too tired to put my nice new duvet on my bed. That'll have to wait for tomorrow.