Ikea

Always an adventure.

Paige has been working on her room and needed some furniture. I'm going to be getting her a queen sized bed, so she needs a bed frame. We went to Ikea and dragged Gabe along. He really wasn't interested in going but when he got there he really liked it. It was Paige's first time there too. It took a long time to go through the whole store because they were enjoying the whole Ikea shopping experience. Paige picked out a bed frame she liked but they were out of stock. We'll go back next week and get it. We did get the dresser she wanted.

I found a very nice sink and vanity for the front bathroom. The vanity is $179 and the sink is $100. There's also a medicine cabinet and a tall, narrow floor cabinet. All the pieces are really nice looking. I wasn't really planning to get stuff for the bathroom today so I put that idea on hold. When we reached the end of our Ikea journey we went to the As-Is section. That's where they have floor models and damaged items for sale at a much reduced price. Sitting on a pallet were 6 sinks, all the model I liked. I asked the guy why they were there. He said some of them were part of a shipment that had come in damaged boxes and some of them they just got for free from the company. They're in perfect condition and they were fifty bucks apiece. So, I bought two of them. I love a good score.

The sink in my other bathroom is shot. It's all crusty with mineral deposits and it's stained with rust. There's no way to clean it and I was planning to replace it anyway. Getting these two sinks changes my decorating plans a bit but really, these are an upgrade. When we go back for Paige's bed I'll get the vanity for the front bathroom. And now I have a problem.

I had the front bathroom all planned out. I even bought the paint. But now I'm thinking of going in a whole different direction and that orange paint might not work. All my cutsey ideas for the cabinet and the stuff I was going to put on the walls are out the window. Hell, even my idea for the window has to change. Oh well. This isn't the biggest problem I've ever had, eh?

Uh-oh. Now I'm getting ideas. Time for wine.

Bird in a blanket

This morning after I got out of the shower I went into my room to get ready for school. Lio was pouncing on my blanket and looking very agitated. I thought maybe Ivy was under there but there was no Ivy-sized lump in the blanket. I didn't want Lio to rip a hole in my nice blanket so I picked it up and shook it out. Something fluttered and Lio freaked. He ran over and caught it but I grabbed him and made him let it go. That's when I saw that it was a bird. A bird in my bedroom. A healthy, uninjured bird. I think Ivy must have brought it in and decided to show off in front on Lio. Sure enough, Ivy was right outside the door.

I put both cats outside and blocked the kitty door. When I went back into my room the bird flew into the closet. I didn't have time to deal with it then so I went to school. When I got home the bird was up on top of the curtains. I went to the window and unhooked the screen. It was as if the bird was waiting for exactly that to happen because it flew over my shoulder and out the window. Happy ending for the bird.

I've had cats for years but these kittens are the huntingest cats I've ever had. And they just love to bring their still alive trophies in the house. We've had 2 birds, a few lizards, a mouse and a giant grasshopper. Sometimes the lizards arrive in pieces and a couple times I've stepped on them. Barefoot. In the dark. There's nothing that'll give you a major case of the willies like cold lizard guts stuck to the bottom of your foot.

I'm going to bed. Pretty soon Lio will join me and probably lay down on my head. That's fine as long as he's alone.

Stuff

Not much going on right now. I grouted another section of the chalkboard frame today. I know it's taking a long time to finish this sucker. It's just that every time I grout a section it's a big commitment of time and it's kind of stressful. Plus, it eats the crap out of my hands, even with rubber gloves. Almost done, though. One more section.

I bought a new digital camera the other day. This is way more camera than I'll ever need. I've been reading the owner's manual and I'm barely understanding most of it. But I've got the basics. I've been itching to get some eBay sales going and now I can take photos of the stuff I want to sell.

I take my speech final on Monday. I'm so glad this semester is over. I'm not taking any summer classes. I want to be free to do a little traveling. I'd love to take a river trip or two.

Lio had a lumpy lump in his groin area. The vet thought it was caused by an injury of some kind. He said if it's a tumor then it's a nasty one because of its shape. He suggested we try antibiotics first. Well, it looks like that's doing the trick because I can't feel a lump anymore. That's a huge relief. Lio's my awesome little dude and he's only a year old. I want him to stick around for a very long time. I feel bad about giving him the antibiotics. It's a liquid that smells like bubble gum. Why couldn't they make it taste like fish?