August 19, 2007
Birthday Blast Part 1
We started the birthday celebration today a day early with a trip to Ikea. Giving my money to a bunch of sweedish crackpots is not my idea of the grandest birthday, but what can i say they make cheap furniture. We had an hour and a half window to get there, and home after church (factor 10 minutes to get there from church and 30 to get home from Ikea and we really had about 50 mins). And if you've ever been to Ikea getting through there in an hour is a tough sale.
But we've been struggling to find myself a desk ever since we moved down here. The wife's taken over the old desk, and turned it into a sewing station/computer desk. But the goal was to give me the front room downstairs as an office for when I work at home... granted I need soundproof walls a moat and a gate to keep Anna-Kate out but we'll work on that. A desk/workstation will still go a long way for those days I want to work @ home, unfortunatey the room has no doors so that is kind of a problem.
But after months of searching Craigs List and a few furnture stores we came across the new Ikea catalog and found a new line of stuff that isn't too euro trash for us. Its the Markor series (insert umlaut over the o... can't figure out how to... and don't care to). Its a dark wood stain, not black, but close to it. A cherry finish without the cherry... if that makes sense. The desk is simple and had one key feature, the cabinet. I wanted something I can put the computer inside of so Anna-Kate and subsequent little ones won't mess with computer.
We also got two matching Markor book shelves, here's a picture from the website but they're the color of the desk above.
But the kicker on the bookshelves is the price. Basically when wife and I were down at Ikea this morning we just wanted to make sure they had the desk in stock, which they did, but we didn't think 2 seconds about the book shelves. So then crabb and I went down to get the desk and book shelves. But wife and I just assumed the bookshelves would be there, not sure why we did, but we did. So we get there, no book shelves... well stinko. So we look in the scratch and dent... two matching Markor bookshelves for a 100 bucks each (regularly 150)... so sweet good deal. Only major problem that can be forseen is one of the shelves didn't have the legs... so just take the legs off the other one and make them sit on the floor, no big whoop.
Well then Crabby notices a paper sign (today and today only 50% off all scratch and dent...(regular price 50% off)) So we ended up getting the bookshelves for 75 each... basically 150 for the pair, basically buy one get one free... also already assembled.... which presented a problem.
You see... I drive a car called the fit... not necessarily your run of the mill Ford F150... I had measured the dimensions and in the boxes, we could get everything in the car. However with the bookshelves put together... well we had a problem. Crabb and I got one shelve in easy... well sticking out the back a bit, and then the desk on top... and basically I had to run home sans crabb drop off the stuff and come back and pick him and the other shelf up. Which his patience and sacrifice of a sunday was much appreciated.
Also much gratitude and thanks go to my parents for help funding this furniture expedition. And the sweeds send their thanks as well. Janelle received a gift card from them back in february that we've horded till now and coupled with the check they sent for me birthday this weekend we were able afford this nice sweedish furniture.
So now we actually have furniture in the room up front. The room could use a bit of paint and some personal touchs still but we're working on that. There's some pictures I'd like to hang but we'll have to see if they meet the wife's approval. She's just glad that we can finally unpack the boxes of books we had stored upstairs.
Posted by holtonian at August 19, 2007 11:11 PM | TrackBack