Weekend Getaway-Part 1

We decided to spend this past weekend driving to Chicago to visit IKEA and my brother-in-law as well as make a side trip to visit historic Galena, Illinois. We had an early morning start and arrived in Chicago around 10:00. Our first stop was the Musuem of Science & Industry. I love this museum. It's huge and there are so many interesting exhibits. One of my favorites is the massive model train layout they have. It's amazing all the tiny details that went into this.

We also found the U-boat exhibit fascinating. We opted out of taking the tour of the inside since we toured a submarine last year while in Michigan, but I'm sure it's really neat as well. The story of how this German sub was captured and how it ended up at the museum is pretty amazing. If you are ever at the museum, this is one exhibit to check out.

After all that educational stuff, it was time to head to IKEA. IKEA, how I've missed you. I haven't been there in 5 long years. This is the closest IKEA and it's still 300 miles from our home. Even though we were there in the middle of a Friday, it was still very busy. I love all the room set ups they have. This bedroom was one of my faves:

While there were many things that caught my eye, we didn't go to crazy with shopping. Here's the list of purchases. First we bought these curtains for our bedroom. I have been looking for long curtains and these 118" long curtains at $24.99 for the pair were a bargain.

I found these cute tealight holders, also a bargain at $2.99 for the set.

I picked up a 2 pack of white frames for $3.99 and these small white vases for $1.99 each.

I thought this candle holder was pretty. Another steal at $2.99. Even Clue seems to enjoy it.

The final purchase was this area rug for our office. Our dog seems determined to destroy the carpet in that room by digging though it and pulling up the fibers. So this $29.99 area rug should help cover it up.

After a couple hours of wandering all 3 levels of the store, we checked out and headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Schaumburg, very close to IKEA.

After checking in, we met up with my brother-in-law and his fiance. They took us out for some yummy barbeque. The next day we enjoyed the hot breakfast buffet at the hotel complete with made to order omlettes. After stuffing ourselves we headed out on the road to Galena. Stay tuned for part 2 of exploring Galena, a historic former lead mining town.