The end of an era

We went to Ikea today, looking for curtains, baby stuff, and assorted storage solutions for our house. Usually I love going to Ikea. I get lots of decorating and organizing ideas, and see all sorts of things that I have to restrain myself from buying. But today? Everything looked drab and cheap. I think we've finally outgrown Ikea. Now that we're in what we think of as our permanent home, I want to stock it with permanent things. Things we love, and not just things we bought because they were inexpensive, easy, and cute. I don't know where to find things like that, and I suspect it involves actual shopping instead of going to one store a few times a year, but that's the goal.

My love affair with Trader Joe's remains intact, though. My parents made a last-minute visit and we didn't have time to shop or plan any meals. We cooked lunch and dinner entirely out of the pantry, about half an hour start to finish each time. Thanks to some giant white beans and a carton of black bean soup that we've had hanging around for months, the parents were impressed. Brunch tomorrow, including some local cousins, will be waffles, cranberry banana muffins, chicken apple sausages, and fruit -- again, made entirely out of pantry/freezer ingredients (except for the several pounds of Costco berries my parents showed up with). Lately I've been thinking we should stop stocking up the pantry and just buy things we're planning to cook within the next week, but right now I'm grateful that we can feed a small crowd without notice.