IKEA

What does it feel like to buy new furniture? It's knackering.

We went to College Park Ikea to get our new living room furniture this morning. I actually found a solid wood coffee and end table set (light brown finish; can repaint it if we change our mind on the colour later), sofa, chair, ottoman, and a love seat (husband said we should get it; I was trying to save money - surprised he actually wanted to add it on) and a different bookcase than we originally spied. I wanted the white four by four cubicle shelf ($159), but after we chose our coffee table and end tables, that bookcase in white, black or pine colour wouldn't work. So, the bookcase my husband pointed out is the one we got and it belonged in the same family as the tables. Solid wood - good way to go as you can re stain and paint it any colour (I wanted to go white, but whatever). The chair and ottoman are in dark navy and the sofa and love seat are beige. Delivery tomorrow. The other stuff we brought home with us.

I can't wait to use it, but won't be able to until we move in somewhere in Hawaii. It will be in our garage, then crated, then shipped via a ship, and then warehoused . . . finally in our "home" and I'll be able to christen it all properly when I get to sit on it. I can't wait! The stuff we have now has been projectile vomited on by the eldest, peed on by all three, puked on by all of us (I think), dogged on (dog went wee on it), cat haired, and other things for fifteen years. We have never owned a coffee table - or matching end tables. This is a BIG deal.

So I forget the drum teacher is coming. She's here now, but I'm embarrassed as we were not prepared. On our part, we all forgot! Thankfully, we are home from Ikea already . . . I would have felt far more embarrassed had we not been here.

I have so much to do . . . and I so love my husband, because he said to me, "Don't worry about stuff being everywhere when your guests come to dinner tomorrow, because we're moving and they know that and they're all in the same boat we're in." Nice reminder. I'm not fretting near as much 'cos he said that.

The plan is to put clean sheets on my bed, finish up a few loads of laundry, clean the 1/2 bathroom downstairs (so they have a sterile - it's already clean - seaty should they needy it while here), and vacuum. I so much just want to sit and work on my stitchery, but I cannot. We have a dinner to go to tonight. I have three hours to get all this done. I have very little time tomorrow to bother so . . . I best get busy.

The sun is out and the temperature is creeping steadily up toward seventy. The next three days it's said it's going to be in 85! Hurrah!