Ikea fun

I was SO excited that I was able to go with my mom...and kiddos...to Ikea in Atlanta.  We typically take a trip up there once a year to do a little shopping before Christmas, but we didn't make it in 2011.  It kind of worked out well, though, because I found out that Melanie Dickerson...author, writing mentor, and just a neat person...was going to be in Atlanta for a few days and had time to meet up!

 What a great time we had!  I was also able to meet her friend, Suzy, who is a writer as well.  I was so encouraged by talking with them.  They both gave me some great advice and encouraged me to keep moving forward with my writing.  It gave me some good things to think about.  We were also able to have lunch together and enjoy some good fellowship.  Overall a great time!

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I had some shopping goals for our trip, too.  One of the big things I was looking for was some way to store wipes and diapers above the changing pad we have in the boys' room.  I was thinking baskets or some kind of shelf or something.  I wasn't really sure.  We saw these big plastic storage things that were cheap (because, yeah, I was thinking cheap, too) but looked too deep and would be ackward to try to pull things out of.  After lunch we looked around the kids section and what do you know...I saw this nifty little pocket thing that just happened to be the same colors as the boys' room!  Yes!  And guess how much....a mere $3.99.  I nailed it up today and it's pretty much perfect.  Just what I needed!  Don't look too close.  No, I'm not that great at nailing.  I don't measure or center anything, I just go to town.  Oh, well.  It's up there.

 A few other things I found...a set of three knives that were less than $5 and a pack of kid proofers for the fridge...because somebody keeps opening the refridgerator door...all the time.  Yes, it's driving me crazy.  No, it's not my husband.  It's the other guy in the house.  I hope this works and isn't too hard for the grown-ups to get into.

 A few other things I got included this cute little strawberry stuffed toy and a set of circus finger puppets for a 3 year old birthday party gift.  I knew I could find something unique at a great price at Ikea.

 I had to get a close-up of these finger puppets.  I thought they were adorable!  The circus tent is a cardboard thing and then you've got the little character puppets, including a horse. 

It was a great day at Ikea, but I must confess I was worn out last night when we got back and today!  I can tell that I don't have the stamina I used to!  Well, it's about 8 weeks until our little one arrives, so I guess I've got a good reason to feel tired.  I'm just thankful that we were able to have a little getaway and meet some new friends!