A Lesson Learned About Ikea Furniture

We had such a great weekend. I am ever so tired but very thankful. Grant's parents came in from New Orleans to see our new digs and help us with a few projects, and I am SO glad they did. And Ellie was, of course, over the moon. She loves when Baba and Papa come to town.

They arrived late Friday night and the first thing they did was help us put our second couch together. While I still need drapes and an accent table and a lamp and eventually some chairs, I do have the beginnings of a living room! Furniture, hooray! Here's the progress we made this weekend:

The bottom rug is from Overstock, the layered rug is from Pottery Barn, as well as the coffee table. The couches are from Ikea, and all the pillows are from Homegoods, Pier 1, and TJ Maxx. The dog is from the land of dumb-dumbs. 

Saturday morning, Ellie and I left for awhile to go attend her cousin Dean's 6th birthday party. It was at a park with lots of slides and swings and Ellie pretty much thought this was the most fun she's ever had in her whole life. She never stopped running and playing, while also keeping tabs on where Dean was at all times. "DEAN!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?! DEAN!! I'M OVER HERE!" 

At one point we had a panic attack because she announced that she needed to go potty. Unfortunately, this park does not have bathroom facilities. I was a little panicked. Thankfully, another mom at the party announced that she had a potty chair in what seemed to be her magic van. She brought it out and we put Ellie behind a bush and she peed and then ran off to play some more. Moms never cease to amaze me. I will also carry a potty chair in my car from this point forward. 

There was a pinata and cupcakes and lots of Skylanders things. There was even a face painter who was painting the kids faces. Dean, of course, was a Skylander, and even requested that when we sang Happy Birthday that we please not sing "Happy Birthday to Dean." We were instructed to sing "Happy Birthday to Chaos."

Well, okay then.

I love that Deanie Monster. Always have. Always will.

Ellie and I came home and Daddy and Papa went to play golf. We visited with Baba and played with new toys. For Christmas, Baba and Papa got Ellie her own little 4-wheeler. However, we didn't have room with us in our car to take it home, so they brought it with them this weekend. Ellie had forgotten all about it and was overjoyed.

We went and fed the ducks and got the mail and she just had a ball. 

Speaking of the mail, I had a nice surprise in my mailbox. If there's ever been a shirt that totally speaks my language, this is it:

I mean if that ain't the truth.

The one thing from the weekend that I did not document was my sweet husband and father-in-law putting together the mountains of Ikea furniture. Since we needed to buy so much new furniture, I was trying to keep it cost efficient and decided to do Ikea because it is quality but also well priced since you have to assemble everything yourself. Well. Grant and his dad had to assemble 1 couch, 2 desks, 2 cabinets and 3 bookshelves. After all was completed, Grant came to me and said

NEVER AGAIN.

Lesson learned.