Sunday Salon:IKEA, MOA and Other Minneapolis Things

First of all, I just need to warn everyone that this post is pretty much a rundown of everything we did on our spring break trip to Minneapolis.  This is the third year (or maybe the fourth? we can't decide) that my friend (and co-worker) Crystal and I have taken our five daughters  - 3 are mine, 2 are hers- on a little shopping trip over break.  This is also the first time we stayed overnight.

Minnesota is much like Iowa.  If you don't like the weather, blink once, and it will probably have changed.  So, our children prepared for a bit of everything.  Flip flops and snow boots.

Middle Sister ready to be served at one of IKEA's model kitchens.  This is proof that my photography skills aren't always horrible.  All except for Big Sister photo bombing in the background.

Little Sister was all about pushing our cart around.  

And what impressed me?  These little carts that carried our food from where you selected it to the table where you ate.  Quite handy.

Middle Sister declared this airport-like people mover the highlight of her trip so far.  It doesn't take much.

 On to our second stop: The Wild Rumpus Book Store.  Not only do they have books, they also have a menagerie of wild and not-so-wild animals that hang around . The clerk who helped me with my purchase said that at last count there were 24 animals including: chinchillas, ferrets, cats, hairless rats, and chickens.

Even the bathroom is exciting at The Wild Rumpus. This picture hangs right above the toilet - done by famous illustrator Chris Raschka.

Little Sister was delighted to get a chance to pet a chicken.  And of course, I picked up a few books I can't wait to share on this blog.

My friend Crystal is great at spontaneity, so when we drove by a store in a cute neighborhood with some big letters that must have come from big signs sitting out front for sale, and I suggested we stop there, that's exactly what we did.  We had no idea we had stumbled across Hunt and Gather, one of the absolutely coolest, retro, dealers of "stuff."

These pictures just don't do it justice.  I think we could have spent all day in there. I was sucked in by a violin case containing hundreds of match books - remembering some of the designs from my own childhood, and explaining to the girls what matchbooks are. Can you see all those canned items behind the girls? They aren't edible anymore, but they are cans (and cans and cans) of food that people use to decorate their homes.  Who knew?

Despite the fact that Crystal's youngest daughter was concerned that I might not find Dick's Last Resort funny, I enjoyed it a lot.  

Middle Sister might not have liked it quite as much because she and our waiter did a nice job of giving each other a very hard time.  Thus the name "Butt Nugget" on her hat.  Notice, she is still smiling.

Big Sister is proud of this hat.  

And Little Sister even wore hers yesterday while playing in her bedroom (but not with naked Barbies).

This is the pictures I sent my husband showing Middle Sister zip lining across the MOA.  Yes, she is high above us, having a grand 'ol time.

KD, on the right, hasn't missed a day of practicing her viola in something like three years. Middle Sister is always a bit skeptical of this. So, she had her French Horn packed as a bit of a joke. But, ha! The joke's on her!  She wound up practicing a bit herself. 

And Day Two: The MOA.  Shopping with all five girls at The Apple Store.  They were all busy listening to music on Beats headphones.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets: burgers, fries, music from the 50s and 60s, and a big peanut butter chocolate milk shake.  I didn't eat again that day.

All my girls are enjoying Legos from time to time. I am thankful for the Legos Friends series and that Little Sister is totally obsessed with them right now.

Crystal, my partner in crime, with her new dreads and do-rag.  

We finished off the day with shopping, shopping, and shopping and managed to make it home around 10:30 at night.

The rest of the break has paled in comparison, but it has been nice to have some time off to read, relax and get ready for spring.

The forecast calls for snow tomorrow, which hopefully won't stay around very long.  This break has given me a chance to do a lot of reading and I am lucky enough to also have found a bit of time to get some book reviews written and scheduled to post.