Had a fun weekend in Dallas. Our primary purpose was to go to IKEA to get a desk I found on their website. We bought Alexandra a touchscreen computer in November and didn’t have a secure spot for it. It’s been precariously sitting on my old toy box. We’ve also been needing a desk in the “library” instead of the old sewing machine we’d been using. I’ve been tossing around the idea of a curved desk, something handmade and adjustable as Alexandra grows. This one at IKEA most closely fit the bill with legs that adjust from 23” – 32”. I couldn’t find the exact combination I wanted and had a few questions, so Michael made sure they at least had all the parts in stock at the store in Frisco before we ventured over there. Once we got to the store, it was a little bit wider than we wanted (weird shape with one part of the curve ending in one measurement & the other side wider – hard to get the right measurements for each section online), but as I sit here with all the junk I’ve already put on the desk, I’m glad we got it anyway. More surface space will come in handy. Now my online search shifts to the articulating arm wall-mount for the computer. Though we have the desk now, I want the computer to be adjustable to come out to the range that Alexandra needs and then the ability to push flat against the wall when we need the desk space.
I really like IKEA and wish we had one closer. Michael says it’s the “Wal-mart of furniture stores” but that’s not always a bad thing. It has affordable fun pieces. AND the $19 little red roller chair we got for Alexandra seems to be of higher quality than the $27 black roller chair we got for the adults at Wal-mart. My coworker laughed that we were going all the way to Dallas to go to IKEA, but hey, what’s wrong with venturing out for a weekend and going to hang out with a friend?
We stayed with my friend Catherine. In case I haven’t said a million times before, she’s my college roommate and Alexandra’s godmother. MAYBE this’ll be the last time I explain in such detail as I know I tend to repeat myself. One of my coworkers in Atlanta told me once that I always talked about my friend Rodney as “my good friend Rodney Bryant.” I always thought I was differentiating between that friend and the guy Rodney that worked with us, but by the 100th time, they KNEW who Rodney Bryant was and found it humorous that I continued to explain every time, always with the exact phrase. Lol
Ah, but anyway, back to my friend Catherine, you know, my college roommate & Alexandra’s “Fairy Godmother.”…;-)
She lives in a loft near downtown Dallas and I just love the vibe there. That kind of “city” vibe. She took in two cats recently and now is afraid of becoming “the cat lady.” Lulu, the female, looks a lot like Jess, and Zulu, is a younger male and is growing into a huge cat. When we got back home, Jessica acted like she was really mad at us. She wouldn’t come out from under an end table and then went into my closet and hid. We kept smelling a burnt smell and searched all over for any electrical problems. The smell seemed to be emanating from the bedroom. Finally Michael narrowed it down to Alexandra’s coat I had thrown on the bed with the luggage. Um, I think one of Cathy’s cats gave us a little shower sendoff and with it being so strong, Jess must have thought another cat was in the house. ;-)
But I guess that’s what washers are for. We had a fun time and got back in time Sunday to put together the desk. In true “planner form”, I had some other items on our itinerary while in Dallas. We went to the Galleria to see a free puppet show and there was a big kid play area. We let Alexandra play with the other kids for awhile. We also checked out the ice skating. I think that’ll be fun to do when Alexandra gets a little older (maybe next year). I had an optional visit to a neat modern art museum planned but we didn’t make that. Saturday night Catherine & I were able to make a side trip together to a store called Sam Moon. It was SO GREAT to spend some time just the two of us and also be able to shop without the constant interruptions of a kid. This place has TONS of inexpensive but nice costume jewelry. I actually only got to take in about 1/5 of the store before they closed, so it’s on the list for the next trip. I’ve never been that much of a “jewelry person”, but I like colorful things and want to start wearing more, so this was a great place to get some pretty things cheaply. We swung by the Boston Market near Catherine’s old place to bring food back for everyone. Hadn’t been there in quite awhile, and it really hit the spot.
More pics...
I came across a set of little garden tools a few years ago that we bought for "The Two Abbys" (Our niece & my cousin Lori's daughter are both named Abby & are friends in Louisiana.). Of course I had to get a set for Alexandra, so now she is big enough to try them.
