27 January, 2011

Day Trip!

Randomly, we decided to go to Ikea in Dublin over the weekend, and let me just tell you - it was a blast!

Also, we were able to stop along the way to visit a new album supplier, which proved to be very beneficial! Here's a sneak peek of things yet to come for our business, but shhh!! Don't tell anyone yet ;)


I have to admit, that getting our albums done IN Ireland, is very nice... Especially since we can drive there to pick them up, if there's a need. Love it!

V and i actually got a pretty late start, considering Dublin is 2 hours drive... But like i said, it was pretty spontaneous of a decision so i suppose it doesn't matter. We weren't on a schedule.
The sights along the way were gorgeous.



Ireland really does take my breath away. It is sooo beautiful, no matter what time of year it is. Maybe i'm just still enchanted with the whole "living in Ireland" thing... but i can't help myself.

Our GPS was set to "shortest distance" instead of "fastest route" so after getting to enjoy such lovely scenery, we had to go through almost 45 minutes of driving through the city itself to get to Ikea. It was a little painful, as traffic got heavy right about the time we got there, but finally, we arrived!!!


We had fun perusing the staged rooms looking for furniture to come home with us. This time, we were looking for something to keep my Hummel figurines not only safe (as one was already sacrificed to the cat... damn it!) but prettily displayed along with my Alaskan Native dolls, all of which belonged to my mother.
V and i discussed a few options and were talking about a few that we liked (and didn't) when we looked up, and saw our piece staring at us from the wall, waiting to be noticed. It was perfect!
Next, we found a small shelf to set our router and telephone on, as they have to be plugged in downstairs (to my chagrin). They've been sitting on the floor in a jumble of wires since we moved in.
The shelf we wanted ended up being out of stock (to be replaced the next day! ahh!) so we chose a different, taller bookcase...

We discovered we were a bit peckish by the time we got to the cafeteria... funny how that works. We shared a plate of Swedish Meatballs...

 You know... I can't help but wonder if Swedish Meatballs actually taste like this in Sweden. Not that they're bad or anything - i happen to love them, but i've always wondered... All my in-laws are in Sweden... I should ask them...
It was nice to rest our feet, but once we finished our meal, we knew what was coming. The hard part...


I find whenever i go to Ikea, no matter what country apparently (as i have been in Ireland, the States, and Poland), the goal for me is to escape Ikea's bottom level where they have all their cool little items without spending tons of money. Sure, it's all inexpensive and decently priced - but it's all those little cheap items that add up!!!

Fortunately, we made it through their maze of goodness, got everything we needed and a little more, and even stayed UNDER BUDGET! Hallelujah!
So we packed everything up on our roof rack and prayed that it wouldn't rain (in Ireland... ha!) on our way home.


We got everything set up the next day, and as soon as we get one of those plastic drywall anchors to keep our display case up on the wall and not crashing down with everything in it (a recurring stress dream of mine), i'll be putting my Hummels in it! In the mean time, it holds some non-breakables.


It's exciting to have something pretty! We've waited a whole year to get any pretty furniture because the place we lived in before was so damp and there was the potential for mold - which happened to one of our other pieces of furniture (that we are currently trying to dry out and salvage). I love these dolls too much to sacrifice them to mold or mildew... we already had a moth scare back in '97. Moths invaded my mom's display cabinet and literally ATE the fur off several of her beautiful Eskimo dolls, reducing the original beauty of some, and absolutely destroying others. These dolls are made of seal, rabbit, wolverine, and in some cases, polar bear fur, are hand-sewn, and not exactly what you would call "replaceable". It's a very real concern when i see even ONE moth in our house.
Needless to say, i'll be vigilantly watching over these and will be investing in some pretty sprigs of lavender to hang in the case as a deterrent!!

Have a closer look at these beautiful heirlooms:


I love them so dearly. Not only are they memories of my mother, happy Christmases, and my family growing up, but they are a little slice of home... Alaska.

Here is our other shelf:


I put it together myself, and i have to say, i'm pretty proud.
I'm loving how this new place feels more and more like a real home every day. Hopefully everything will be in place soon and i can share some photos of our finished decorating process! 

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