Shopping in Chicago...

well, okay, I am working too, but yesterday was a tremendously fun shopping afternoon. I introduced Ronda, Teresa, Amanda, and Sharla to my favorite store of all time... yep, Ikea. We browsed, we oohed, we aahed, and I do believe I have them quite addicted now. Lucky them, they are getting an Ikea practically in their backyard... I am so jealous!

I was only going to pick up a few little things, and then I found this lamp for the boys' room. Chet wants a solar system theme in his room, and the kid asks for so few things, how can I possibly say no? This lamp spins and casts stars, moons, and planets on the walls... how perfect is that? And right next to that wonderful little contraption was a display of these utterly lovely beaded lamps... lamps that perfectly match the beads we are hanging in the two upstairs rooms to divide Jessica's room from the younger girls' room. Who could resist them? Not me, that is for sure! I bought two, one each for both of the rooms! I also bought a gauzy curtain to hang between the beads in the doorway, and some really nice black iron keyhooks. The really great news is that there is an Ikea in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Sacramento, Long Island, Houston, and the St.Paul area... and guess who is hitting all those cities this year??? By the end of the year my house should be completely done over with all the wonderful things Ikea has to offer! After Ikea we headed to TJ Maxx, where I found the perfect coppery brass hanging baskets and fruit basket for my kitchen table. So what if we don't have a kitchen table for the new house yet... at least it will be well dressed when we get it, right? We also went window shopping at Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, and the Container Store... what a wealth of inspiration those stores are as well!

The house is almost all packed. I was literally packing up until the minute I had to leave to catch my plane out here. When I get home this Sunday, I will finish up with the final packing and cleaning details before I had out to Novi on Tuesday. Then when I get home next Sunday we are getting a good night's sleep and heading out to Arkansas Monday morning. I am a bundle of very tired nerves, and the kids are going back and forth on whether they are happy about this or not. I am making Faith a little album to keep pictures of her Vegas friends for my next assignment, and I should have it done to give to her before I get home this week. She is having the hardest time with the thought of leaving.

It has been a day today... we are all working hard and well together, but the electronics are conspiring against us. Tomorrow we will be ringing everybody up on calculators, and taking a manual inventory of the remaining stock... fun, fun, fun. I bet you all wish you were here doing it instead of us! :0)

I am going to head back up to my room and go to sleep so I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to teach and help run the booth tomorrow. Wish us luck!