Adventures in Furniture shopping...and other random observations

There is a preponderance of mushrooms. In all kinds of those "Lean-Cuisine-y" meals, apparently, which are cheap and okay for lunch at work, mushrooms spell fabulous. We went to Olive Garden the other night...mushrooms everywhere. There were lots of pasta dishes that sounded wonderful, except, as I read the description...yep. Mushrooms.

Okay, now, let's review. Mushrooms are fungus. They grow in dark, smelly places. They're gray, for goodness' sake! How can anything gray be considered food? They have a horrible, rubbery texture, almost as bad as raw oyster. Eew! Note to cooks of "Lean-Cuisine-y" foods and restaurant chefs: Go ahead, put mushrooms in some things. But they are not needed everywhere! They look and taste like dirt! Wet, smelly dirt that is made up of...well...I think we all know what. Eew!

I finished yet another class in the long, long, LONG, pondering, winding, annoying path that is school. I got an A. It was one of the cooler classes; I will say that.

My office is moving. I never, EVER want to work in an office that has to change addresses again. What. A. Stinkin. Horrible. Mess. My boss is completely stressed out at all moments. Great fun. Yeah.

We got the couch from the post below. I went to IKEA on Saturday, with my 11- and 9-year-old children. I saw a dresser perfect for the 9-year-old, who is our daughter, and who has used the same, falling apart, beat up, hand-me-down dresser for 6 of her nine years. I have no objection to hand-me-downs; I love them. But, when they are falling apart, it's time for them to go to the big furniture store in the sky.

So, anyway, I found a great dresser at IKEA that, judging by its weight, should outlast her grandchildren. Now, IKEA has signs everywhere saying that customers shouldn't hurt themselves; just ask, they say, and they'll be happy to help load things. Because you have to take everything, including couches, beds, and dressers, through the checkout. They have no little tags you can take to the front, like Toys R Us. So, I asked my son to go find one of these helpful associates to help me load the two boxes of dresser onto my nifty wheely cart. He was wearing Heelys, and needed to burn off energy. So off he goes. Time passes. More time passes. He comes back alone. He says no one will listen to him. I know, I should have gone myself, so I and the kids work together to get the two boxes of dresser onto the wheely cart. Then I go off in search of a rocking chair and the couch. While pushing the cart with the two boxes of dresser.

Did I mention that on IKEA carts, all of the wheels turn all directions. You know how the front wheels of a grocery cart go all directions so you can turn corners? ALL the wheels do this. Which probably makes the chore of taking a dresser through a checkout line lighter. But, it kills my back, because I have to keep the cart from spinning off in 67 different directions while I push it through the aisles looking for the rocking chair. Because I can't find a helpful IKEA employee to ask the location of said rocking chair. Ouch.

I eventually find the rocking chair. I'm really tired at this point, but I'm near the checkout, and I see (no kidding) a stack of the couch we want. In the middle of the aisle. Like a stack of canned peaches at the grocery store. Each on its own, pre-loaded wheely cart. Right near the register. Sweet! I go get the couch cover (it comes with a slipcover, which can be changed out when the couch needs to recover from my dogs). I say to the kids; we're going to have to do a tandem thing here, where I take the first cart to the cash register while you guys stay with the couch, then I'll come back and...no, wait. We won't get in the same line then, and I have to pay for both carts. Hmm...I know! I'll ask a helpful IKEA staff member. Except after 10 minutes, I can't get the attention of any of them. Hmm...

"Hey, Ben. Do you think you can push the dresser cart to the register?" I swear, they didn't look far away. And Ben is 11. So, "Sure I can, Mom! No problem" (grows two feet taller with pride in being asked to do something big and helpful). The poor, helpful boy wrestles the cart through tiny aisleways (I think they crowd more things in, closer to the registers, so they can laugh as customers try to wrangle couches through the stacks. It's probably good stress relief for the cashiers) to the line, only to have his idiot mother figure out that it's a self checkout. Yah. That's happening. I'm going to check out a couch myself. Sure.

So, we back up, and hey! Here come two IKEA male staff members. They should be able to help, right? "Hi, could you..." "Excuse me," they say as they step over the dresser cart, completely ignoring the plight of the idiot and her wonderful children. Sigh. We back out, turn around, and head down to one of the TWO checkouts with cashiers. With an absolutely packed store, and all kinds of checkout counters, they have TWO cashiers. We wait, angling our carts so people can walk through the aisle behind us, which IKEA has stacked with planter baskets, Lingonberry preserves, and gravy mix. I kid you not. And I like Lingonberry preserves. Really. I had it with a meal I got at the IKEA cafe during an earlier visit and it's good. Kind of similar to cranberry sauce. But I digress...

Some "helpful" staff member asks the woman behind me to please move further into the checkout line, so people can walk through (to the other cashier). Except she can't, because if you remember, I have A COUCH that I have to check out, through the cash register. She tells the staff member to get real, or open another checkout. I love her! :)

We check out, after the cashier and I have to lift the couch and flip it over so we can find the price. But, things start to turn around at this point. Not only is the cashier incredibly helpful and kind, but when we push the giant carts over to the home delivery area, across the store from where we were, we find out that they can deliver the next day! Which they do. And it is beautiful. And comfortable. And almost worth the trip to IKEA! :)

I had a migraine today. :( First in a couple months. But, after I threw up (does the sun HAVE to be so stinkin' bright when I have a migraine?) and attached and turned on the nifty pain-relief device the pain doctor gave me, when I went after my last migraine, called a TENS unit, and went back to sleep, I started to feel better. My boss called at 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m., and at noon. My co-worker called at 12:30, and I decided the heck with it, got up, got ready (slowly; I still wasn't feeling great) and went in for four hours. With Vernors ginger ale, to keep me from throwing up more. It's gone now. Good machine!

I found plane tickets I can pretty much afford for our trip to Michigan this August. Tony the husband isn't going; but the kids and I are. I just need a rental car and I'm all set. I am living for the vacation this year, because I am sick of being in an office that is moving.

Did I tell you my husband is writing a book? Well, he is, and now he is finishing his book. He is doing a total of seven hikes between now and a week from Friday. The fun never ends here. :) If you want a sneak preview (or to pre-order), here is the linky to Day and Overnight Hikes in the Tonto National Forest

I hear the author is a really cool guy.

In other news...hmm...I guess it's 11:04 and I'm tired. Here's a shout out to Lauren- you're in my prayers tomorrow. I know you will soon be stressing about much better things to stress about, like weddings and damask and hot pink. Have you decided on nail polish? :)