Pittsburgh Trip

Late last night we got back from our shopping trip to Pittsburgh.  It is a bit of a hike for us, so we spent the night at the Hyatt Place-Pittsburgh Airport.  We were quite happy that they upgraded us to a cafe suite, so we had a nice living room area to hang out in.  The girls, however, had other ideas:

The girls breaking in the beds at the Hyatt

My eldest daughter's best friend moved there last year, so her mom and I conspired to surprise the girls with a sleepover.  I'm happy to say that that went off without a hitch, and our two girls stayed up until 3:30 in the morning catching up and eating a giant cookie. 

They are too flippin' cute.

On the way to Liz's best friend's house, we passed a candy shop called Andy's Candy in Burgettstown.  It is the sort of old-fashioned, handmade chocolate shop that is a rare sight now... so of course, we stopped.  

I couldn't stop laughing at these bunnies!

With the egg-hiding rabbit holiday upon us, there were loads of springy sort of chocolates... bunnies, eggs, chicks, flowers.  I was gobsmacked, though, when Evie, the middle kidlet, picked up this:

BACON!

Hold the phone.  Chocolate.  Covered.  Bacon.  And not just teeny tiny bits of bacon swimming in chocolate, either.  This glorious creation is bacon strips enrobed in the creamiest milk chocolate around.  

I bought 3 packages of it.  Before you scream glutton, only one package is mine.  My BFF, Lola, gets one, as goes my other partner in crime, Corey.  Everything goes better with bacon, and that includes friends.

On our arrival day, we went to HomeGoods to scope out their offerings.  I ended up getting most things for Lily, who needed a new harness, leash, and some dry shampoo.  Since it is nearly time to start foraging in the woods for wild ramps and mushrooms, I got her a dayglo orange harness so that any spring hunters won't mistake her for a turkey.  

I think she's embarrassed

Sadly, the console tables were pretty picked over at the HomeGoods we went to, so I didn't get one.  I was excited to find the Cynthia Rowley quatrefoil towels that I had picked up at a HomeGoods in Florida, so I got a few more of those.  I didn't find a jewelry box that fit my standards, but I did find a necklace tree to keep them in check for now.

On day two, we went to Ikea.  I forgot the camera in the hotel, so the pics I did take ended up on my Instagram feed.  Fair warning, it's mostly cake-related.

Ikea was PACKED with people since they were running a new event (Bring Your Friend) and the kids even had to wait 20 minutes before they could get into Smaland (the little kid playground inside).  I was armed with my list, most of which was to replace the Ikea 365+ dishes that have broken or chipped, bigger bowls for pasta, some food storage bits, another roll of paper for the easel, and some bits for the front porch remodel.

food storage bits

I generally cook a few times a month, in huge portions so that they can be divided and stored in the freezer.  Dinner in our house is a simple affair:  I just pull something out of the freezer the night before and either finish cooking it, or heat it up.  These food storage containers make that job a lot easier.  The red-rimmed 365+ container has a little vent at the top to make reheating in the microwave that much easier.  It seals like no one's business, and freezes without any freezer burn issues.  It is also under 5 bucks.  It comes in a few different sizes, but the one I rely on is the 10x7x4-inch badboy.  They easily store a main dish for 4 people.  There are larger and smaller sizes, so you can easily find one to fit your needs.

The bowls are the Reda food containers (they have all sizes), and they are the nesting set of 5 different sizes.  These are about $4 at the store, even though the website states that they are $2.99.  I use them to store leftovers, extra egg whites, and veggies that I've pre-cut for dinner.  

I stocked up on some must-haves:  Ribba frames, Bevara bag clips, and Kassett magazine files.  

My most favorite thing I picked up was a set of Dinera bowls for pasta.  They didn't have 8 in the beige that we originally wanted, so we settled for the green, which has grown on me.  I am really happy that I got them.

They're already washed and in the cabinet.

The other 365+ bowls and plates are on the 2nd shelf next to the owl mug (West Elm).  We wanted to have a set of 8 so that we could entertain comfortably, since there are 5 of us, and six of everything just isn't enough.  In case you're wondering, the hobnail-looking mugs are from Target.

Today, I've been getting the raised garden beds put together and prepping to get that all set up before Wednesday.  More to come on that note.  I hope it is just lovely where you are!