Monday, August 26, 2013

Trip recap and room reveal!

Well, we made it to Texas and back.  Baby girl and I headed out in the wee hours of the morning last Monday.  She wasn't feeling so hot, so I drove the first stretch.  We made a brief stop in Meridian, Mississippi for a potty break and beverages, and then continued on to Monroe, Louisiana where we stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A.  Baby girl then took the wheel and we headed to Tyler, Texas, our last stop for gas before heading on to Waco.   We made it in exactly 12 hours, and beat dad to the hotel by 5 minutes (he flew to Austin and had a few stops to make along the way...a girl has to have a TV!)

All in all the drive was pretty uneventful.  Baby girl stayed at the hotel with us Monday night, and bright and early Tuesday morning we started moving her things in.  The car was packed (despite the fact that she had left a lot of things behind prior to coming home for the summer).  At one point we questioned if it would all fit, but after a bit of rearranging...all was good and we could still see out most of the windows!

Of course it was HOT and HUMID!!  We have been so spoiled with rain and cooler temps here in Georgia this summer.  She was loving the sunshine and warmth however (better you than me kiddo).

The duplex she shares with three of her sorority sisters is adorable.  The girls really outdid themselves in the decor department.  Of course their dads were questioning why "art, curtains, rugs, and such were needed"...they are supposed to be in college after all!!!

Okay, enough said...here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

The girls stole found an old door last year on the side of an old building and refinished it, then turned it into a coffee table.

Here you can see the original doorknob and keyhole.

One of the girls made this HUGE chalkboard for their kitchen.  It is probably about 4X6 feet.

A sign made with an old pallet and painted for above their kitchen table.

Z Gallerie curtains they chose for their living area.  They have solid aqua ones in the kitchen as well.

One of her roommates made this cute scrabble wall art with their names.  It hangs on the wall going up their staircase.

Baby girl's gallery wall.  She put it all together and made most of the artwork.

This is a 16x20 print she made that is framed and hangs on the side wall by her bed.

We found this subway art at HomeGoods for a steal!

This is her TV/Desk area in her room.

Her dresser and cart from ikea.  She loves being able to move the cart to where she needs it.

This lamp was another HomeGoods find.

Another canvas she painted for her room.

Monogrammed canvases she painted for each of them.  They hang in their upstairs hallway.

As I mentioned in a previous post...she made good use of my craft room this summer!!!  I kinda miss walking by it with all the paint, canvases and brushes everywhere.  However, I think she has inspired me to get back to crafting!! LOL

The only difficult part of the trip was the fact that just before we left, both baby girl and I were put on gluten free diets by our doctors.  Turns out she has delayed allergies to wheat among other things (egg whites, honey, certain spices, etc) and I had been having stomach issues (mostly due to the fact that my stomach doesn't produce enough acid to break food down properly).  We managed.  We went shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes back home and packed a box for her to take.  And, then once there we hit up the gluten free section at her local grocery store.  I am happy to report...she is not going to starve.  The girls made a "family meal" last  night...steak fajitas with peppers/onions served with rice and corn tortillas!!  Not the college food I remember.

 Hubby and I enjoyed a few days in Austin, and made a side trip to the San Marcos outlet mall (it is HUGE) where I scored a really cute pair of Tory sandals and Fredricksburg.  Hubby enjoyed walking through the Naval museum, and I enjoyed all the quaint shops along Main Street.

We returned home Saturday, but didn't stay home long.  We headed out to our local high school to watch the football team play an ESPN game.  Our oldest and her boyfriend joined us around half time.  Unfortunately, our team lost big time!!!

It has been awfully quiet since then.  We are slowly but surely getting back into our empty nest routines.  Poor Kylee misses baby girl.  She keeps looking out the window for her!

 Hope all are doing well!  Especially all my empty nest buddies who have just recently sent their kiddos back to college.


20 comments:

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

GOOD EVENING LAUREN!

WHat a happy space here, with the best quotes and encouragement to help a student get through life. YOU HAD A GREAT TRIP TO TEXAS! YAY! I bet your weather is super hot, as it is here in Minneapolis!

Thank you so much for coming to visit and to comment; I was gone all day at teacher meetings,and the rest of the week will be one of preparation for a new school year.

Many hugs and thanks ! Anita

Brandi said...

Impressive!! Your daughter and her sorority sisters really did a great job on their apartment. I can't get over how creative they are. I love all the artwork and personal touches throughout.

Unknown said...

So so so cute. So many darling ideas. Holy cow. LOVE the scrabble letters. And that lamp from Home Goods. The door table. Very creative girls!

Nancy said...

her place is amazing! totally the opposite of the places I lived in during college. ha! I wasn't crafty back then. glad you enjoyed your trip here to texas! you definitely have to come back in the spring when its cooler :)
sorry to hear about your tummy troubles...do you take digestive enzymes by any chance?

Becky {This Is Happiness} said...

Love the gallery wall and all the art work your daughter made. She is really talented. And how clever is the door turned coffee table.

Vicki @ lifeinmyemptynest said...

Everything looks so cute! I love the door made into a coffee table - how creative. Hope you are getting lots of texts from Texas :-)

Laura@Elegant Nest said...

Wow...how fun to help your very creative daughter move into her cute new place! Helping my son move out of his bedroom today and packing the truck for his move into the fraternity house. Safe to say that it will not look as pretty as her new space! Good news is that I am turning his old room into my art studio. Maybe he will craft when he comes home to visit...NOT!

Leslie said...

What a great little spot you've created here! Love all the inspiration everywhere and the bright happy colors. It's tough leaving the kids .. but they figure it out. It's definitely a time of transition. xxL

birdie to be said...

There is sooo much goodness and creativity in all these photos! Love them!

Allison said...

The door turned coffee table is wonderful! I love that subway art. What a fabulous apartment the girls have. It's a happy place and full of creativity, color and inspiration. Glad you had a good trip and got your daughter all settled in. I wish her a fantastic year!

Anne said...

The girls have done a fantastic job to make it so bright yet homely! I love your daughters room:)
~Anne

Tara {The Silver Lining} said...

Your daughter made some of the cutest pieces of art - with my favorite being the "dress like Jackie, etc..." Their apartment looks so cute! My college room never looked so good. If only we had pinterest and blogs back in the day to inspire me! haha :) Glad she's back in Texas. Best wishes to her at school. I'm still loving the warm weather too! Oh, and I'm glad you and your hubby got to visit Austin and Fredericksburg. So fun!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Hello there, Lauren!

So your youngest took French for seven years! That is a great start. I hope the he/she will continue on to love learning and maybe other doors will open for language. Like math, it works the brain on so many levels. Merci for coming by to visit today! Have a super week in September! Anita

Katie said...

they did such a great top decorating - i want them to do my house! i love that coffee table and that pallet sign!

Karena said...

Dear Lauren, a beautiful Mother-Daughter trip. I love what they have done with their space, I noticed that all of the girls have a loving and positive spirit. We can see this in their inspirational wall art!

xoxo
Karena
Feature: Entrepreneur Sigal Sasson

Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia said...

I love the space! Thinking we have some design stars :)
XO
kristin

Isaiah 55:8-9 said...

What a beautiful dorm room! Not like the college experience I remember, haha! :)

How are things going with gluten free? Please let me know if you need any suggestions or help! :)

Alexa said...

Oooh gorgeous Love how everything turned out for her!

Val said...

Such a great youthful room.

Preppy Empty Nester said...

Lauren... don't know how I missed this post. The girls are so creative with their projects. Cute stuff. Sent your link to my girls. Glad you got to San Marcos. Isn't it great? Sorry about the stomach issues. My #2 has been battling serious ones for about a year and a half. No fun. Hope you and Baby girl are feeling better since going gluten free.