three stores

While I was vacuuming this afternoon a thought occured, "If you were in a hypothetical world with only 3 stores, what would those three stores be?". Only three stores, really??

Okay, definitely there would be an IKEA. I love Ikea! Lucky for us the Swedish home superstore is only a 20-min drive away. Have I ever mentioned that when we moved to MN over a year ago, all we had was 5 suitcases worth personal items which were mostly winter clothes? The first store we ever went to was Ikea so we could furnish our bare apartment. From our bed to our sofa to our dining table down to our drinking glasses - our home is literally an Ikea showroom. Well, it's not exactly showroom material (yet) but you get what I mean, right?

a peek at our home that is a perpetual work in progress

My second store would be TARGET. Wait, make that SUPER TARGET so I can get the Roast Chicken for those nights when I'm not in the mood to labor in the kitchen.

Third store is still a toss up between H&M and GAP. But I guess when it comes down to price and variety I would go with H&M. But wait, am I a stay-at-home-mom or working mom in this hypothetical world? Because if I were a working mom I would probably just choose GAP for their corporate chic styles that can take you from day to night. I wouldn't mind paying a little more for better quality either.

There, choosing just three stores wasn't so difficult after all.

What would your three stores be?

highlights of the weekend

I always look forward to the weekends. It's the two days in the week we spend sampling the different restaurants and exploring the numerous recreational parks around the twin cities. And if I'm lucky, we squeeze in some time for shopping.

Last Saturday, we started our little city adventure with lunch at Champps Americana. It's a sports bar chain that looked more like a restaurant you would find in Napa Valley if not for the large tv screens scattered around the dining area. The interior looked very bright and relaxed with its high ceiling, glass walls, brick panels and natural wood finish. Food portions were very generous. The Pulled Pork Sandwich exceeded expectations, yum! Definitely a place where we could bring guests to enjoy American food.

After the hearty lunch, we hit the mall for some shopping. I wasn't really looking for anything to buy for myself. My only agenda was to get new toys for Bud. But then I found these ballet flats in Gap for $5 a pair! What a steal, right? They were so darned cheap that I got 2 pairs, one in silver and another in blue denim. Bargain price aside, they were great shoes. Chic and comfortable. The leather was really soft plus it came with rubber soles which is a preference for me these days. I was giddy with delight when I walked out of the store.

To cap off the day, we went to Lyndale Park Rose Garden. It's the second oldest rose garden in the country with more than 250 varieties of roses and other flowers. The garden was so vibrant and lush yet serene. The atmosphere was so relaxed and unpretentious. It's like stepping into a secret garden in the middle of the city.

Phelps (turtle) Fountain.
Photo courtesy of wikepedia.

More than my shoe(s) purchase, the highlight of the day for me was watching Bud play in the Turtle fountain in the garden. He was cruising around the rim of the fountain and trying is very best to climb into the cool water (good thing he was still too short to get in by himself). Then he made some new friends and they threw pennies in the fountain. It was too bad we didn't bring a camera to capture that lovely evening.

And because Bud loved the water so much, the next day we took him swimming in the sand-bottomed lake in in Bryant Park. It's the next best thing we have to a beach. Again, we forgot to bring our camera.

The days just go by so fast. Before I know it, it will be the end of the week and the start of another adventure.