I started my afternoon work, which included the following “to-do”
-Order IKEA furniture online
Did you hear the IKEA devil laughing
?IKEA doesn’t do online orders for most of their furniture. OR phone orders. You must present yourself in person, pay in person, pick out your goods in person and order delivery in person. Silly me – why didn’t I realize that!
Enter immediate afternoon road trip – 4 hours total –to IKEA and back.
Luckily Matt was able to join me. He’s building the oven Tuesday-Thursday so it was now or never! I was quite scared to go by myself in fear I’d have to pick up all the heavy stuff myself. It actually would have been quite impossible to do it myself!
We arrived in good time, minimal traffic.
We first went to the delivery section to determine when they could deliver.
And that’s when they told us they only had 50% of the stock we needed to fill the bakery!
NOoooooooooooooooooo!!!
However, super nice employee KIM of the Woodbridge IKEA stayed 30 minutes after her shift to help us get what we needed in an unconventional order to the Baltimore IKEA involving gift cards and multiple phone calls and transactions.
We are so thankful!! Everything should still be coming, although we had to pay two delivery fees and Matt is not very happy about that!
All the other stuff was easy to find, though.
Soon enough we were on the road again – and eating the dinner I put together in 10 minutes flat.
I always prefer packed meals. Not just because they are healthier, but because you save money and because you don’t have to stop! I hate stopping the drive – even to go to the bathroom or get gas! It drives me nuts.
How many wives do you know that feed their husband smoked paprika grilled cabbage while they drive?!
I packed yesterday’s Easter pesto pasta salad along with a crumbled bean burger and some crumbled tempeh. It looks disgusting, but it was delicious, and those Philly Homegrown noodles were awesome!!
I morphed yesterday’s grilled cabbage into an easy-to-eat veggie side dish
Mango for dessert!
We also munched on these Danielle’s Jackfruit Chips (coming to OpenSky next week, methinks!)
Like a pineapple apple mixed with astronaut ice cream!! LOVE these!
I was actually able to get tons done on our car trip. We made lots of bakery decisions on resale items and pricing, and I finished up a freelance article on morphing leftover wine into recipes on my netbook. A very successful trip!
Matt just left to meet the oven guy (at 9:30p!) and has to be there at 7:30a to get started on 3 days of manual labor. A huge thanks to TATE for helping out!!!
Did you think I slipped out of IKEA without buying one thing for myself? Oh no, despite the fact that we bypassed the maze and headed straight to the warehouse, we came home with an updated coffee table. You’ll have to wait till the morning light to see it!
Nite!
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says
That’s the IKEA we go to! I can’t believe you drove all the way over there. Strange that IKEA doesn’t ship. Can’t wait to see the furniture!
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
I love IKEA and I’m so glad we have a location less than an hour away. I can’t wait to see what you picked out!
Good luck to Matt with the oven! Yikes!
Miranda @ Working Mom Works Out says
I’m big on packing food for road trips, too! Especially since there are usually kids involved. You feel like you’re *always* stopping.
Abby says
One more thing to check off the list! Woo hoo! What a busy day!
Ellie @ The Mommyist says
I also can’t stand stopping on road trips. My husband does not agree. He likes to stop and have meals at a restaurant, or have a picnic, so we can get a break. It drives me crazy. Doesn’t he understand that one hour stop could mean that we reach our destination an hour earlier?
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
I love IKEA 🙂 We go to the Woodbridge one all the time!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
“How many wives do you know that feed their husband smoked paprika grilled cabbage while they drive?!”–
None but I love it!!
Jackfruit chips??? NICE!!!
The whole experience of Ikea is a hair pull. you have to go in person, they never have everything you need in stock, so you have to coordinate the 1st delivery (assuming you don’t own an 18 foot semi) and then you have to coordinate the SECOND delivery for the items they didnt have. And if you’re like me, delivery always equals assembly, too. So it’s two deliveries, two assemblies, <—hourly fee much? lol
But b/c their furniture itself IS so cheap and holds up, it's worth it. But god, I get sooo overwhelmed in that HUGE place and the stress just creeps up and up and up.
You are a champ, Kath!
🙂
Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing says
I have to ask — are you guys at that point in a project where you’re just ready to be up and running?! This looks like so much work — way more than most people probably assume a small business takes! I am sure it will be totally worth it. I can’t imagine trying to do everything you two are organizing/planning/etc! Props fo sho.
Also, I haven’t heard anything about “astronaut ice cream” in sooo long! Like, since my brother went to space camp-long! 🙂 Totally rockin.
KathEats says
Oh GOSH yes!!! We HATE all this start up stuff. But everyday it gets a little bit easier..
val says
IKEA is an all day event no matter what, it’s so big and so much to see!! I love the idea of pre-packing a dinner, I feel like I would always mean to pack it, but I’d forget. OR if I did pack it, I’d not want it if I saw a salad bar or something like that:) Good job!
Baking Books says
You write in the car?! Wow – you have good “non-motion sickness” skills 🙂
Eating in the car – yes I’ve done. Eating noodles while driving?…that can’t be comfortable…
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
Yay! You got what you needed, sorry about the two delivery charges. That would make me a little irritated too. We have to pack meals since we have so many dietary restrictions. I normally make a huge thing of hummus, cut massive amounts of veggies and some cold meats. I will dip the veggies (especially romaine lettuce leaves) in the hummus for Tony and pass it to him while he drives. It works like a charm. Good luck with the oven. I hope it goes fast.
Heather says
I always pack snacks/meal when I go on a road trip – I hate stopping as well. Problem is, I tend to drink a lot of water. That necessitates some stops.
At least you got everything taken care of! Much be a relief. Good luck to Matt with that oven task.
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) says
IKEA is a great time-spender. I love wandering around and looking at everything they have – especially their pre-fab “rooms.” the last time The Boy and I were there we spent over an hour just looking at kitchens!
Erin says
I remember my mom feeding my dad a Hardee’s chili dog while he drove…but never smoked paprika grilled cabbage. Haha!
Emily @ Savory and Savage says
It is impossible to leave Ikea without buying something!
Your car dinner looked yummy 🙂
staceyhealthylife says
Wow things seem to be getting busier and busier. Good luck, looks exciting but stressful.
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
Love IKEA! Sad they don’t do online-kinda lame in my opinion. But glad you got ‘er done!!
Jenny @ Fitness Health and Food says
Such a great example of packing healthy foods for busy days and nights! 🙂
Good luck with all of your prep you two! 🙂
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
Man, I complain about IKEA being 20 minutes away- that sucks that you had to go so far! Glad it’s all resolved 🙂
Kim says
I always pack lunches for car trips and my husband sneaks fast food anyway. He always pretends he is stopping for gas or something, and he’ll stop at a Sheetz and get chicken fingers.
Donna says
Things must have changed at IKEA. I ordered (by phone) an entire integrated wall of bookcases, TV cabinet, drawers, doors, storage baskets…a couple thousand dollars worth…without going to the store and all of it was shipped to a summer home in Northern Michigan.
KathEats says
Jealous!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t know why my store would not cooperate!
Ginger&Rice says
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMango!
That picture on your laptop is so cute!
Alex says
Kath what is the best way to store Great Harvest Bread?
KathEats says
On the counter, tightly sealed in a plastic bag. Never refrigerate! But you can freeze it, whole, in its own plastic bag and then thaw on the counter when you’re ready to eat.
Melissa @ Journey to Marvelous says
I can never get out of IKEA without buying a ton of things for myself! Good for you, having restraint at just one coffee table. 🙂
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says
I F’ing hate IKEA. I’ve never had an experience there that I would consider remotely pleasant. If I am a bad person in this life, I know what to expect in Hell.
Ash @ Good Taste. Healthy Me says
Yay, successful trip!I like going there but I had a nightmare when I purchased a dresser there one time. The thing had two left sides instead of a right and a left. The IKEA was two hours from my house. I had to call. They shipped me the wrong one again. So I had to call AGAIN. It was basically a nightmare…I’m scared to ever buy furniture from there again!
Liz says
You should try fresh jackfruit Kath! It’s the most wonderful fruit. We have a lot of jackfruit in India.
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
I can never leave IKEA without buying something for myself either!
Sana says
We have the same netbookssss! Love the pic of you and Matt!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
Glad everything ended up working out with the trip… sounds a little stressful, but you both certainly handled it well and got what you needed! 🙂 Those fruitchips look really good!
JenATX says
Kath, I think a really interesting blog post might be about how you & Matt handle the business & personal aspects of your relationship. Is it pure business during “business hours?” How do yall deal with differences of opinions?… Idk if that is too personal into your lives, but I thought I might throw the idea out there!
KathEats says
I don’t think we’d be a very good example! We talk business all.the.time and it does get old. But it’s also the best USE of our time right now – there is so much to do, so we feel like we’re getting things done whenever we make decisions.
We rarely disagree. We have a great way of just reasoning with each other, and we are rarely on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Usually one of us feels strongly about something and the other is just kind of in the middle.
We’re stressed, but we’re also best friends and have a really great give-n-take relationship depending on who needs more attention at the moment!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] says
Cute outfit!
Alaina says
A trip to Ikea is always such a chore. I prefer going during the week too because I’m not a fan of the crowds. Hope the rest of the week goes smoothly! 🙂
Lu @ The Orange Spice Kitchen says
It’s great to see that your bakery is coming together. Does it feel like a dream come true? Well, other than meeting the oven guy at 9:30 pm.
Allison @ Happy Tales says
My goodness, Kath. I am so impressed with all of the hard work and effort you and Matt are putting into the new bakery every *single* day, it seems! And I’m even more impressed you handled the Ikea so well… that place gives me such anxiety! I have to mentally prepare myself days ahead of time before stepping foot in there. gah! However, I’m betting that’d I’d do much better if I just headed straight to the warehouse… it’s the upstairs that gets me!
Sarah says
I was just thinking I need some recipes for leftover wine. Where is your article going to be published?
KathEats says
I think this fall, so a while away. If you Google it, you’ll find tons of ideas! That’s how I did some research
Christine says
I think Ikea has a feature online where you can check if what you want is in stock (unfortunately that means you have to know what you want ahead of time, though, and then you still have to deal with getting the missing items). All this Ikea talk makes me think of 500 Days of Summer!
KathEats says
Everything said it was in stock, but what it didn’t know to do was check if there were TWELVE chairs and SIX tables! They only had 3 and 4 of them.
Ashley @ Feeding Ashley says
Tease! I can’t wait to see the table.
I love car trips. When I was younger they were terrible and drove me crazy (So punny), now they’re kind of relaxing. You’re dinner looks fantastic! Way better than fast food.
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Why do they require you to be there in person? You’d think they’d get more business if they opened up their inventory for online purchases too. Oh well, guess they’re not exactly in need of improving their sales!
Ashley says
I know ALL about IKEA and their ordering…good grief!! Luckily everything we needed was in stock. We also had to do 2 shipments + 2 shipping fees, but it was actually cheaper than placing ONE big order. Figure that one out! I had a heck of a time ordering over the phone and getting ahold of the same people to help me each day. It was a bit of a nightmare. We almost drove out to the Salt Lake City IKEA at first, which is 8.5hrs away. LUCKILY, when I called the Ikea Direct, they told me if you have problems with your in store purchase, you have to go BACK to the store where you got the stuff to get whatever was damaged. I would have cried if we had to make another 8.5hr trip to ikea. I could write a book about it. 🙂
KathEats says
I can’t even imagine how difficult a whole kitchen would be.
Were you able to place your whole order on the phone!?
Ashley says
Yes! Everything was placed over the phone. It was ridiculously hard!!! I had to figure everything out before we closed on the house. So, I couldn’t keep coming back to the house to make sure measurements were right, etc. I used their little IKEA kitchen planner, which was a bi-otch and a half because I’m used to more technical drafting programs. I can’t even tell you HOW many phone calls it took and then how many angry phone calls it took because I wasn’t getting calls back from the woman that was helping me. Again…you can read more about it in my “I bought an IKEA kitchen over the phone” book. It comes out in 2020…hopefully I’ll finally have our last kitchen cabinet door by then. This one dang 24″ door keeps coming damaged…like 3 times…Ugh! Okay…I’m done. 😉
KathEats says
Yikesssssss!!! At least you didn’t have to drive there multiple times!
Amanda (tomboy that wears makeup) says
I’m moving this Friday and am going to make an Ikea run. We are moving into a place that is twice the size of the place we’re in now, so it’s going to be empty! So excited for you and your bakery! That is fantastic!!! xo
Gina says
I’m always so impressed (and motivated) by your meals on the go! Just 10 minutes of planning and you get a successful dinner while avoiding unhealthy and spendy road options, awesome:)
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
There is an Ikea less than 2 miles from my house. It’s like a black hole. I walk in on a sunny afternoon and when I leave it’s dark out and I missed dinner. 🙂
Namaste Gurl says
You two are WAY cute– love it 😉
Glad you had a successful trip– sending you best thoughts!
Khushboo says
Ikea is a dream…When I go there, I’m like a kid in a candy store! Considering how reasonably priced everything tends to be, that ain’t stopping me from racking up a hefty bill!
Claire @ The Lazy Alchemist says
I love IKEA! Last time I went I was only going to get a pillow. A duvet, futon, and a bunch of flatware later, I realized I had no self control. Also, I hear they have good meatballs!
Hannah says
Your husband is certainly very lucky to have you, cabbage and all!
Cait @ Beyond Bananas says
Jackfruit chips sounds great! I love going to IKEA – but always have trouble putting their things together!
cathy says
way to go with the flow, kath! a time-consuming and nerve-wracking expedition, but glad it worked out in the end. thanks for giving the shout-out to kim, the helpful sales associate: i work in retail and it’s always nice to be appreciated.
good luck with the ovens today! fingers crossed for you!
Christine @ Burning It Off says
I think it’s impossible to go to IKEA and leave without buying something you weren’t planning to buy. Even if you stick to the warehouse.
Lauren says
We have a trip to Ikea coming up on Friday! I had no idea that you had to buy most of their furniture in store. Good to know! Glad it was a successful trip!
Andrea @ a farmer in the dell says
IKEA is dangerous!
kaila @ healthy helper! says
I LOVE Ikea! I wish I could get there more often though…..the bakery is gonna look so great with all ikea stuff!
Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) says
Love the first pic of you in the mirror! Very cute. 😀
Molly says
Ikea is so overwhlemingly huge! I’m definitely intimidated by it!
faith says
So glad it all worked out!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Oh man I would be so peeved if I had to make a 4 hour trip that I hadn’t planned on making! What a pain in the butt! But I’m glad it all worked out for you in the end. 🙂
Mimi says
After all that run-around, you deserve something for yourself!
Errign says
I’ve never been to an IKEA, I’m pretty sure I’d need to leave with half the store!
Beth @ DiningAndDishing says
It just seems like everything is available online these days so it’s always disappointing to find out when it’s not! Spontaneous road trips are always a good time though :).
Laura @Foodsnobstl says
I cannot believe that either of you are smiling in those Ikea pictures. I would be in tears or too frustrated to even fake a smile.
Angel7 says
Growing up, I lived not too far from IKEA, and only was ever there about two times or so. And when I was there, I did not buy any furniture.
I know that people travel great distances to go to an IKEA, because of there great prices.
I think that IKEA does not sell much online, and does not do phone orders, to keep the costs of their goods down.
I cannot wait to get som Danielle chips!
Angel7 says
Please let us know when those yummy Danielle chips come to OpenSky 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
KathEats says
They’ll come right to your inbox via my OpenSky newsletters – sing up on the Shop page if you’re not already following
Alyssa says
I LOVE IKEA, but I absolutely hate that they are inconvenient about ordering and delivery! Ours is opening in Denver earlier than expected! Hubby and I are going, but it will be a mad house…might want to wait a week or 2 before commiting IKEA suicide 🙂
Nichole says
My husband last night told me, “our dinners are never boring.”. Doesn’t every wife serve stuffed portabella mushrooms on steamed buckwheat:). I’m just glad he goes along with my crazy combinations.
lynn @ the actor's diet says
i’ve found the only time i can go to ikea and not be totally stressed out is by myself on a weekday when i have nothing on my list. then i stockpile on random stuff and leave very happy!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
Wow! What a night! I actually love stopping for dinner on road trips! I love checking out new areas!
RhodeyGirl says
I love and hate IKEA at the same time- love that you can pick up most stuff right then, hate that you need a helper to pack the car (and a big car).
Trig has MAJOR issues with stopping at rest stops and such when we drive to and from RI. Unfortunately now that I’m pregnant my doctor asked me to stop every 1.5-2 hours to stretch my legs and walk around (to prevent potential blood clots) and it drives Trig CRAZY. He understands it but I can practically feel him thumping his foot as I rush to the bathroom, stretch my legs, and hop back in the car. Anyway, maybe you two should take road trips together and stop the least number of times possible.
Brittany says
Jackfruit!? Have you ever tried Jackfruit fresh?? When I was in Hawaii my dad bought a jackfruit at a farmer’s market because it looked so cool. Enormous, spikey, green. We had to try it. First of all, it was a pain to carry, we made my brother do it. The outside was so spikey and sticky that he was not happy. And then we cut into it. Let me tell you, this thing stunk to high heavens. We had to put it on the balcony to try to dissipate the smell. It didn’t work. Its been 5 years and I’m still smelling jackfruit! It actually tasted pretty good, but we couldn’t get past the smell or the sticky sap that stuck to your fingers for days. We ended up wasting most of it because we just HAD to dispose of it. Haven’t heard a word of them since. Ha.
KathEats says
Haha – maybe it was rotten!?