We Had a "Grand" Old Time...

On Thursday, after our IKEA breakfast and exploration of the store [I bought a lamp and napkins] Katie, our hostess, and my sister Ashley and I cruised over to St. Paul to check out a few gift stores. I love Bibelot with all its unique gifts and odds and ends. A feast for the eyes... a browser's delight. I was about to escape without spending a dime when I stumbled across a little Wonder Woman credit card case... superheroes are my kryptonite. I was powerless to resist.

For lunch Katie and I tried some of the celebrated food of Cafe Latte and I had to feed Pee Wee some LeeAnn Chin's later because the unfamiliar fare of the cafe was too much for the poor thing! We just got lucky and discovered one of the yarn stores on my list was right next door and I was nearly swooning over the delicious colors and textures of The Yarnery. In two different areas women were knitting and visiting in this store. It was tiny but filled with floor to ceiling shelving full of beautiful... and expensive... yarns. I didn't buy anything but it did make me long for such a place a little nearer to home.

A short stretch up Snelling from the Grand Ave. district is a handful of stores called the Retro Loop. We explored three of these shops and Ashley and I had some laughs trying on some crazy dresses. Of course, the last laugh was on me when she decided she just "had to have" one of the dresses--a green and white gingham square dance number. It fit her like a glove and was perfect for the St. Pat's day holiday. I'm a pushover, I guess. And as promised, before the afternoon was done we also managed to indulge in some Jamba Juice and hit the St. Paul Half-Price books.