She's Gone, Gone, Gone

*sigh* My baby girl is now a Georgia resident. After 22 waking hours of hard labor on Saturday less driving time and another 8+ hours on Sunday, we got Keri settled into her new home. During those work hours we unloaded stash from 3 vehicles, painted her bedroom & bathroom, washed an unbelievable amount of dishes, eating utensils & cups, ran numerous errands to Target, Lowe's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Hobby Lobby, BrandsMart, Sears, et al, hung curtains and pictures, disposed of enough cardboard to fill our own dumpster and rearranged furniture over and over again. Three days have passed since I left her standing at the curb waving goodbye and I am still exhausted! Here is a picture of our foyer before we began loading the vehicles.

We knew we had a limited amount of space even though we had Keri's car, my car and her dad's Suburban so we opted to wait until we got to Georgia to buy some of the bigger items. Keri is fortunate that Target is directly across the street from her apartment complex. We assumed we could find almost anything we would need there because we all know Target rocks! Right? Well, every single resident in the entire apartment complex plus half the residents of Athens must have had the same idea. The place was PACKED! And we needed A LOT! Take a look at our carts:



Yep! We more than filled 3 shopping carts! You should have seen us trying to maneuver through the crowded aisles! Despite our exhausted state, we were still able to laugh and enjoy the moment.



The hard work was worth it...her apartment is awesome! Keri and her roommate, Erica, are thrilled. They are so proud of their space. Even though it is hard saying goodbye, knowing she is so happy and settled made it a bit easier. Both girls are little homebodies and they have the perfect little spot to nest.

I have to share one really tough moment. Keri went down on Friday to have her license transferred, get insurance, apply for a job, etc. On Saturday, we were waiting to be served lunch and she showed me her new driver's license. I commented on how cute her picture was and didn't really think anything more about it. After lunch, as we were walking back to her car, she pointed out her license plate to Erica and I almost lost it on the spot. Crocodile tears welled up in my eyes when I saw that Georgia tag on her car. Crazy, huh? I just wasn't expecting that. Funny how the tiniest of things can bring on the waterworks.

So now I'm back to life without my baby. Taylor is still here but he is working like a madman to get his new house finished. He has 15 weeks to complete the project in order to qualify for first time home buyer tax benefits. Looks like I will be a true empty-nester again around Christmas. You can bet I will be soaking up the remaining time with him...well...as much as he will let me!

In scrapping news, it's time for my challenge with Kim. This month we are doing something a little different. We would love to have any of you join us that so wishes. Here is the challenge:

Create a layout of your choice using a minimum of 3 patterned papers. Also include at least one handmade embellishment and incorporate some "cut work" into the layout. You have until the 15th of September to complete the layout.

If you decide to play along, please be sure to leave a comment here or on Kim's blog so that we can check out what you've done! We started doing this just for grins, often using challenge blogs for our inspiration and this time just playing for the fun of it. We will post each other's LOs around the 15th of September and if you would like to have your layout mentioned, be sure to let us know.

Now I have a confession. I forgot something very important on my last post (please forgive me Liz). My favorite movie layout was inspired by a sketch from my new friend Liz. She is not only a fabulous scrapper, but she creates some really cool sketches. She is also one of my fellow Design Team members at Serendipity Scrapbooks. Her sketch challenge blog is Welcome to the Scrappiest. I took her Sketch #21 and modified it.



Here is my layout again for reference.



If you enjoy working with sketches, be sure to hop on over and play along with her monthly challenges. She always has some fun prizes up for grabs.

Speaking of fun prizes, Stacy Milford is currently doing a fun giveaway on her blog to celebrate her one year anniversary. Stop by and congratulate her on her one year anniversary and tell her I sent you.

Another fellow blogger and friend is also celebrating an anniversary of sorts on her blog. Christine is doing a special giveaway on her blog. Her celebration is very unique and AMAZING!!!

Before I go, I have to remind you of our Happily Ever After Crop at Serendipity Scrapbooks this weekend. The festivities run Friday through Sunday and you don't' want to miss it. I have been lucky enough to preview the challenges and the design team has outdone themselves! Be prepare to be inspired AND enchanted!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I am slowly getting my world back to normal...whatever normal is. Enjoy your weekend and try to do something crafty!

Hugs & Love,
L