#2 GOES TO COLLEGE

Two weeks ago today we loaded another work borrowed truck and "hauled" #2 to college. 

("Hauled" is a word that the Man of the House uses daily and it is one that I have tried to break him of for many many years. It just irritates me to pieces everytime he uses it. Last time I checked, we live in a small city and we don't haul anything around, especially our children. )

The trip there took us all of twenty minutes. 

I know you are thinking that the fact that she is so close shouldn't make the good-bye so hard. 

I know you are thinking that the fact she is so close means we will see her all the time.

Wrong!

It was just as hard.

The only thing that made it easier was that the drive was too short and I didn't have that much time to really dwell on it and feel sorry for myself! I also didn't have the time to rattle off that last minute list of Do's and Don'ts and I am still regretting that.

As far as seeing her a lot, we've seen her for about an hour. She had a doctor's appointment and HAD to come home. She acted very irritated about it too! I think after the newness wears off and everybody settles into a school routine we will see her a little more often, maybe. She is in  an incredibly time consuming curriculum (Design School) and is already spending many hours in her studio on campus. She is going to have to be very disciplined and manage her time. 

This is what the foyer looked like the week before we took her to school. 

I was very glad to pack that stuff up and get it out of there!

This was the last day at home and the last minute packing.

I think Mr. Bubbles knew what was going on and didn't want her to go without him!

The morning of the big day...

dad made her some pancakes and she ate them off of the Red Plate!

Walking out of her room for the last time..... all smiles.

*****there are no words*****

We waited until this morning to remove her high school decal and put on her 

"Wolfpack Girl" one. I guess that made it official.

First order of business.....

sanitizing the mattress! 

We used almost the entire can of Lysol. The mattress had to dry before we made the bed!

This is during the process of unloading.

(very overwhelming)

#3 sat out in the hallway and put together four pieces of furniture all by herself. 

She was such a blessing to have there!

After a long days work........

she was so excited and happy with the way it turned out!

This is her sweet roommate. They met on Facebook back when they were looking for roommates and once they connected they quickly became best friends. She is so similar to #2 it is almost scary. She is from the town where I grew up and our families have many connections.

TROUBLE  x's four!

The other two girls are their suite-mates. The girl in the plum colored shirt is actually one of #2's best friends from high school. 

Like I said,

T R O U B L E!

AWWW...#2 was thinking of me!

She and her roommate had someone take their picture as they were heading out for their first day of classes! 

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TGIF

My thought for the day!

I am feeling good about the things I have accomplished this week. I have been cleaning like a mad woman. I've got a load ready for Goodwill and have thrown a lot of stuff away. 

Girls have a way of accumulating so much! 

I did manage to find some time for a quick visit to the mall this week. I haven't been all summer to look for myself or just to wander through places like Pottery Barn. 

I love looking at all of the new fall things they have right now.

I have two huge house projects that I've got to get to, but I putting them off as long as I can. 

I hope to keep up the momentum and get them done next week. 

I am having a hard time with storage. I need to pack up the Barbies and American Girl Dolls and store them away, but I am going to have to clean out our cedar closet and get rid of a lot before I can do that. 

It is a never ending circle.

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I CAN'T WAIT

(I am taking a break from showing kids, dorm rooms, apartments, first days of school........

I need a break! Of course, #2's dorm room can't be left out. It will just have to wait a day of two!!)

Back at the beginning of the summer I ordered a piece of furniture for our den. The place I ordered it from makes custom pieces out of antique and reclaimed wood. Our den has a big wall that has always given me problems. I have never really been satisfied with it how it looked. I have tried putting pictures on it, furniture up against it, but the wall is so big everything looks too small. 

I ordered a piece that is just like this, but in a different color.

(pictures from my phone)

I cannot wait to get it. I am expecting a phone call any day now. 

I know it will definitely fill the wall up, and I am a little nervous about the initial shock of it.

I am not sure what to put on the shelves, we already have a full wall of shelves and cabinets around the fireplace. I think I might have to keep it simple and go for a library type look and put a lot of books on it and maybe some pictures. I am really looking forward to the storage underneath. I plan on putting off season platters and bowls there. (I have way too many dishes and am a sucker for platters. ) It will be nice to really feel like I can check that room off my To Do List. Of course there is always another one ready to take its place. 

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PICTURE PERFECT ENDING

#3's first day of school 2009

Ready for 7th grade!!

#3 got her back to school haircut last week and decided to get about five inches cut off. 

She has never had her hair this short before.

I love it, but like I said before, she looks so much older to me. 

She went back to school last week. 

She LOVES family game night and we try to have them as often as we can, but with the last few weeks being so hectic, we haven't been able to find the time or energy to play anything. So when I asked her what she wanted to do on her last night, I was not surprised when she asked to play Pictionary. It is one of our favorite games, along with Rummikub and Phase  10. We are all very competitive and sometimes our games get very loud and heated, especially if there is a timer involved! 

I am not sure what the word was that she had to draw, but evidentially she wasn't liking it...

and was having trouble with it.

#1 kept trying to sneak in hand signals and those are definitely not allowed.

clobber?

The Man of the House and I pretty much clobbered them and won the game. Usually the two of us end up really mad at each other when we are partners and somehow that didn't happen this time. 

I am not sure why. Maybe we are maturing!!  

Don't feel bad for sweet little #3, the baby of the family. She is the most competitive of the family and will do anything to win. We bought the card game Rook this summer and learned to play it, but I refuse to play with anyone who sets me up and can calculate exactly what my next three moves (discards) will be before I even know myself. She is like that with every game. She is sweet though, and a rather polite girl, because she apologizes as she makes a fool out of you! 

 I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the World Poker Tour when she turns 21! 

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APARTMENT DWELLING TARHEEL STYLE

#1 officially left for her second year of college on Thursday afternoon. We have been taking loads to her new apartment for over a week now. It is so nice that her school is only forty miles from our house (if that much). We were able to get #2 all settled in her dorm in between the trips to #1's apartment. I cannot tell you just how busy and how hard we've been working over the past weeks. I feel like we lost a month of summer because of all of the events happening around here. I literally sat at home for over three weeks when the air conditioning was being replace (along with the hole in the ceiling). I got and still am so behind because of it.  I am looking forward to  some calm!

Being the wonderful dad that he is, the Man of the House brought a truck home from work to keep the furniture moving part to only one day. This had to be the hottest, stickiest day on record. August in NC....... take a deep breath and drown!

This is our first trip last Thursday.

#1 has three roommates and they didn't move in until the next day. It was nice to have the place to ourselves that day and get our stuff situated.  My mom is always there to lend a hand. She wiped down everything, washed all of the dishes and organized the kitchen. 

So cute!

Here is a view as you come in the door. 

I love the brick walls and cement ceilings with the exposed ducts. 

You would think you were in NYC or some other big city somewhere. 

This is the LITTLE living area several days after all of the roommates moved their things in.

Since this picture was taken, I've hung pictures and someone else bought a rug. 

#1 spent a lot of time over the summer refinishing and painting an old bedroom suite that belonged to my grandparents. It has been in our attic and it was in pretty bad shape. 

I think she did a great job. 

We bought glass knobs with brushed nickel to give it that Shabby Chic look.  

Her room is so cute!

The entire wall is her closet and there is a floor to ceiling curtain that hides all of her mess!

This picture was taken before we put her bed up.

We still have a few things to do and get for her room. We are looking for a rug and a small piece of furniture to put her TV and printer on. Those things will have to wait a week or two. 

After a week of going back and forth, she was finally ready to go and stay and get the school year started. She left Thursday evening. Classes start on Tuesday, but her sorority has meetings all weekend long. They are getting ready for Rush Week and planning their year.

#3 is going to miss her sisters, but I think she is glad that all of the chaos is (just about) over. 

It is time to get back into a routine....... as if we've had one before!!

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THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BIG MOVE

It has been 5 days since we moved #2 into school and I am just now catching my breath (and recovering from my sore muscles).

We moved her into her dorm on Saturday morning. Last Thursday we moved a load of #1's stuff to her apartment and have been finishing that up slowly this week. 

I have been on the road a lot and have seen the inside of Bed Bath and Beyond more than I care to.

We've had a mild summer as far as humidity goes here, but of course Mother Nature made up for it all at once on the days we were moving furniture up four flights of stairs. It was so hot and stifling. 

I have taken sooo many pictures over the last week, it is going to take a long time to get all of the events on here.

The night before #2's big day, we went out to eat and just enjoyed some down time and time together. After we got home we took our "official "

End of Summer Pictures.

I take a picture like this every year.....

the sun going down on our summer. 

I hate this sight!

#2 and #3 with her new hairdo! I love it, but am still getting used to it!

I think she looks older... too old!

me and my girls

proud mama and daddy

Look at what I have been blessed with!

#1 and #2 go to go to rival colleges. 

#1 is a Tarheel at the University of North Carolina

#2 is now a member of the Wolfpack at North Carolina State University

Around here you are either a State fan or a Carolina fan.

We have this flag in our yard that explains everything...

we are a house divided!

Where will #3 go to school?

(I hoping for Duke!!!)

This is a (another) family tradition that we have for the last day of summer (the day it ends for us). 

As the sun goes down, we eat Nutty Buddies  on the front porch steps  and talk about all of the things we did over the summer and the school year ahead. 

This was back in 2005.

 It is the earliest picture I have on my computer, but we have been doing this since #1 went to kindergarten. I love all of the chocolate around #3's mouth. 

2009

Nutty Buddies

No more looking back girls.... it is time to move forward!

So this is how our last night of summer went. We still had a lot to do inside, a lot of packing and organizing. #2 was so excited about Saturday and I couldn't help to be excited for her. 

I was so glad that she was happily anticipating going off to school,

even if it is just on the other side of town!

Can't wait to show you the dorm room and apartment pictures!