Happy Easter! I can't believe Easter is already here and that spring weather is finally on it's way! We've still had a few cold days here in Maine, but the warmer ones are coming more often. Today it's actually close to 60° here, so that's nice! Eliot and I aren't going too far today though. We've had an eventful holiday weekend, so we're spending today having a quiet day at home working on orders.
Our holiday weekend actually started a little early. Eliot took Thursday off so we could work on some stuff around the house. We'd always planned on doing this, but after our recent squirrel adventures, we needed to clean my office. Thursday afternoon, we spent a few hours vacuuming and wiping stuff down. I disinfected my stuffed animals with Lysol spray. Thankfully, we're fully stocked up on the Clorox wipes and sprays!
Eliot had Friday off since it was Good Friday. We had made plans with my brother Jeremy to goto Massachusetts to get stuff at IKEA. Jeremy was able to take the day off from work too, so we made a list Thursday night and planned to meet the next day.
Friday morning, Eliot and I got up early. We made a few quick stops on our way- the post office, McDonald's for breakfast, to gas up the truck and to drop a few things off at our new storage unit. Then, we hopped on the highway and drove down to MA and the Burlington Mall where we met Jeremy. We had decided to make a quick stop at the mall to stretch our legs, use the restrooms and to check out the Disney Store.
First, we went to the Disney Store where I had barely walked through the doors before I found the red, white and blue stars and stripes Loungefly bag that I'd wanted to get. I also found the Carl (from Pixar's Up) plush that I needed for my Up display. Both items had sold out online and I haven't been able to get them. Finally, Eliot grabbed a small Pluto hand sanitizer holder. It was nice to take a quick peek there, especially since I hadn't been there since we went in January. After that, we made a quick stop at Newbury Comics before the three of us hopped into the truck to continue our journey.
At that point, I was thirsty and I kind of wanted a milkshake. After accidentally missing the turn I was supposed to take, we ended up turning around in a McDonald's. It was a happy accident since I got my chocolate milkshake, Eliot got a vanilla and Jeremy got an Oreo McFlurry. We enjoyed them while we talked and rode down the highway.
I was so into the conversation that I completely forgot what exit I needed to take, we took another detour and passed by the exit for Gillette Stadium. Then, we got off the highway a few exits down the road and took the back roads to IKEA. It ended up taking us right there, but we definitely took the long way.
Once at IKEA, we made our way through the furniture displays. We stopped at the couches so Jeremy could pick one out for his condo. (He hasn't had one since he moved... so it was time.) We weren't able to bring it home with us since one part was out of stock, but we were able to set up delivery for next week. As we made our way through the store, I photographed the locations of the furniture we had on our list.
I was very excited to see that they had the food area open. When Eliot and I went to IKEA last June, the cafeteria area was closed due to COVID. (It was a lot different; now they seat you and the food area is marked off in 6 foot increments.) Jeremy and I decided to get food while Eliot sat at our table. We both got salads and I got a side of meatballs since I wasn't too hungry. (If I was hungry, I would have gone all out with my usual meal.) After a few minutes of watching us eat, Eliot decided he wanted food too so he got himself a salad. We enjoyed the break to sit and take our masks off safely.
Once we finished our food, we continued downstairs to the Marketplace. We went through this part of the store pretty quickly since it's easy to get sucked into all the cool gadgets. Thankfully, this time Eliot was able to find the lazy Susans I'd wanted but couldn't find last time. We also stopped to get the bath mats I wanted. I had a few other things I needed to take a quick peek at, then we entered the warehouse are
It took us a few minutes to find and gather all of the furniture boxes. I was excited to get a 4x4 Kallax storage cube unit for my office. We also got the remaining pieces we needed for the vanity mirrors that they didn't have when we went last trip. Ironically, they had the pieces of the display bookcase that "weren't in stock" but they didn't have the bookcase which had shown online that it was in stock. However, we bought the doors and the extra shelves anyways so we have them.
Once we had everything we needed, we made our way to the registers where we picked up the last things on my list, cinnamon buns and chocolates. I was pleasantly surprised to have our order come out to only $41 and change over the loose budget that I'd set for us- and I hadn't accounted for taxes either. Eliot and I only grabbed two things that weren't on my list- an extra set of storage containers (that I use all the time and love) and another pencil light for my office. It was definitely a successful trip!
Before heading back out, Eliot and Jeremy got a few snacks for the road. We walked out to our parking spot and loaded everything up in the truck. Thankfully, nothing was too heavy so we didn't even bother with the loading area. (I had dreaded backing the F-150 up into it.) Eliot secured the items with some straps and we were on our way!
I drove back to the mall where we stopped so Jeremy could get his car. Then, he headed for his condo to grab his weekend bags while Eliot and I went to the Nashua Hobby Lobby. We picked up a few paints for our business as well as some things for Eliot's soap making. Next, we went to Jeremy's condo for a short minute before I decided I was hungry enough to get food. Jeremy was still packing a few things so I ran through the McDonald's drive through to get my dinner (the boys had eaten their IKEA food) and I started to eat while we waited for Jeremy to arrive. (Yes, we went to McDonald's three times that day... and I didn't even realize it until the following day.)
After Jeremy pulled into the parking spot next to us, he followed us up to Maine to spend the weekend with us. We drove from New Hampshire to Maine, made a quick stop to drop some of the IKEA stuff off at our storage unit and then arrived home around 10 pm. At that point, we were all exhausted, but somehow Eliot and I made it through the San Jose Sharks hockey game before going to bed around 1:00 am.
Saturday morning, we all slept in since we'd stayed up so late. After having a quick breakfast of IKEA cinnamon buns, bacon and eggs, the three of us brought all of the IKEA stuff still in the truck inside. I put away and organized the smaller stuff while Eliot and Jeremy put my new 4x4 Kallax storage unit together in my office. After they finished, they even put all of the new storage bins into it too! I'm excited to have so much more space to organize my crafting supplies now!
Our big plan for the day was to go up to Portland shopping since we knew everything would be closed on Sunday. We all took showers and got ready and on the way up, we dropped a few more things off at the storage unit.
First we headed to Joann's so I could get something I needed for my sewing class. I'm so glad we went there when we did. While I was wandering around the aisles, Eliot came into the store (after checking out Lowes) and there was small black lab puppy near the entrance. I could hear someone ask another person if they were ok with dogs and when I heard the "absolutely" I knew it was Eliot. I turned the corner and saw him petting the cutest little puppy. My heart immediately melted.
Her owners were taking her out to stores to socialize her, and they wanted strangers to pet her so she'd get used to it. We spent the next ten minutes or so petting the 10 week old ball of energy and talking to her owners. She was precious. We were in the store for a few more minutes and she seemed to keep finding us throughout it. After petting her a few more times, we finally made our way to the register and out of the store. Jeremy had stayed in the car and thankfully the puppy came out a few minutes later so he could at least see her before we left.
Next, we went to the Portland Mall. The boys wanted to check out Newbury Comics so we did that and then went to Hot Topic. At both stores, Eliot and I found a few Funko pop vinyls we'd been looking for so we got those. After that, we stopped at Mrs. Fields to get a few cookies and we each ate one before we went back to the truck.
Our final destination was Target. We checked a few things out before picking up soda to have with dinner, a few snacks and some food for Sunday. Then, I drove over to Texas Roadhouse to pick up Eliot's and my dinner. Of course, Jeremy had to get his Pat's Pizza so we stopped there on the way back home.
Once we returned home, we watched a few Inside Pixar shorts on Disney+ while we ate dinner. Then, we switched it over to the San Jose Sharks game once that started. Jeremy watched the first period with us before calling it a night. Somehow, Eliot and I made it through that entire game too. Afterwards, I was definitely ready for bed!
This morning, we all slept in again. Eliot and I were actually woken up when Jeremy accidentally locked himself out of the house. (He had gone to grab the stuff he had for me and didn't realize the door was still locked; we got a good chuckle out of it.) I joked that the Easter Bunny still brought me something while I admired the garden statues, faux succulents and the Harvey's Up bag Jeremy helped me get on release day. Then, Eliot and I made bacon and eggs for the three of us to eat for brunch.
After we were all done eating, Jeremy helped Eliot move our washer and drier so we could check behind it for a potential squirrel entrance. I was pretty sure he got in on that end of the house, and sure enough, Eliot found the clawed out drier hose. At least now we know how he got into the house. (The vent was literally a squirrel gate.)
Before Jeremy left, Eliot wanted to show him the Glowforge so we all watched it make a few cuts. Then, Jeremy packed up and we said goodbye. I did notice that it was really nice outside. After Jeremy pulled out of the driveway, Eliot and I went to the backyard to tend to the drier vent. Thankfully, it was a quick fix and Eliot thinks it'll be squirrel proof now. But we are going to continue to keep checking it... just in case.
Eliot and I spent the remainder of the afternoon working on desk accessories and mouse ear orders. (We have a ton of orders to mail out this week.) Tonight, we'll probably take a break to watch a Hallmark movie or some shows and then we'll be rested and ready to tackle another week! It wasn't a super festive Easter holiday weekend, but we certainly had a very productive one and it feels good!!! °o°
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