Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Rental, Rummage, Rake, Round-up, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Roadtrip, Retrieve, Ranch, Roam, River, Rest, Recline, Refrigerator, Return, Real, Room, Remove, Raving

The past couple of weeks have been all about the letter R.

We drove north to move our college daughter out of her on-campus apartment into an off-campus rental house, which she will share with several of her friends.  We  rummaged through the boxes and mess and tried to help her get settled in.  Mr. Garden also raked and bagged a ton of grass clippings and leaves.   It is an adorable little house and I think the kids will enjoy living there.

 (Family photos may not be borrowed or pinned.)

We also had to round-up some furniture.  Daughter feels very strongly about the whole  reduce/reuse/recycle concept, so we searched for and found some second hand pieces.  It all cleaned up pretty well.


 (Family photos may not be borrowed or pinned.)



 (Family photos may not be borrowed or pinned.)

She spent several days unpacking after we left.

A week later we took another roadtrip.   This time we headed west to retrieve our son from university and move him back home for the summer.  


We passed several cattle ranches.


And just a few of these:


Wait... go back... taking pictures from a moving car is really hard.    
Can you tell what those little black dots in the grass are?  Bison!    
"Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam...."


Descending down into the river valley where the university  is.

Rested for a few minutes on these orange recliners after loading everything (including a refrigerator) into the car.
 (Family photos may not be borrowed or pinned.)

So, son has returned home and everything has been put away and looks great!  
Ha ha, NOT,  Let's get real!  There are piles of stuff everywhere around the house and it is a mess!



It's one thing if he wants his room to look like that.  But he needs to remove the pile from the downstairs living areas before his mother (that would be me) turns into a raving lunatic and threatens to throw it all away.    

It is pouring rain at the moment.  I think we might float away.  

I'm joining the fabulous Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday- letter R.  I hope you visit her blog and read all the other fun posts. 



57 comments:

  1. That was a good one!! Our daughter came home last month and I swear, there are still mounds of gear and stacks of rubber maid boxes in places other than her room. You had a Really busy time of it!

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  2. Running round after college and university students certainly keeps Mum and dad busy. I remember those days and I'm glad its over now.

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  3. Great fun...parents are such dependable creatures! What would our kids do without us? Love the roaming bison!

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  4. I remember well the twice a year move in, move out. Glad that's done! Your daughter's house looks adorable. Great job finding pieces that you could reuse. Much easier on the checkbook too :) Kathy

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  5. What a huge undertaking! I bet your daughter is THRILLED to be renting with friends!

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  6. Real lot to do in relatively little time. I hope you get time to relax.

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  7. totally and completely loved that post! Has he picked up his bags yet?

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  8. O My... You have been busy. I can only half relate. We just moved one daughter home after she graduated. Our homes look very much alike! FULL OF STUFF!!! Your daughters house is so cute. I bet she will love living there. Great post.

    ~Nancy~

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  9. Hello Gayle,

    What a lucky girl your daughter is: such a nice house and all this furniture ... it looks great.

    Have a nice day & hugs, Carolien

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  10. Wow - what a busy time you have had! Your daughter founds some great furniture. I have all that to look forward to with two high school aged teens in the house. At least in Australia most kids stay at home while they are at university rather than go to university's out of state.

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  11. thats a great amount of r words :D

    love the road trip :D

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  12. Oh, what a fun time. Moving into a house, furnishing it with recycled furniture, sharing life with a group of friends. . . the joys of youth. Best wishes! ~ Sarah

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  13. That sounds like a roaring good time. Looks like your daughter found some nice furniture. Hope all is in order soon.

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  14. really really refreshing!

    going to read and rest now!desperately seeking some R and R.

    ciao bella
    creative carmelina

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  15. So how many months before you have to go in REVERSE, and do it all again?

    Have a great summer.

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  16. wow, you went crazy on those r's during the last couple of weeks ... all of that moving must be exhausting! and your daughter's little house looks so cute, she did well with the recycled furniture!

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  17. Wow, lots of movement with your kids this past week! I'd go nuts if I had to unpack any of that stuff.

    Thanks for dropping by. I'll keep your nephews in my prayers.

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  18. Those were the days my friend. Oh I don't miss the summertime moves.

    Ya'll have a wonderfully blessed day!!!

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  19. Our youngest comes home this weekend, but since we've moved to another state and live in a tiny apartment, he had to put his stuff into storage and will only have a carry on with him! Such a huge change from the basement packed to the gills with stuff we were storing for the kids, as they shifted around from rental to rental, then back to our home, then back to school....

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  20. I think you REALLY had too much fun with the letter "R."
    Very creative!
    Now you need a REST!

    Melinda

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  21. Great R post. I bet your daughter will love living in that little house. Enjoy having your son home before you know it, he'll be back at school. Time flies so fast.

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  22. haha! Love your R post! What a very cute place for your daughter and her friends :o) And you have been very busy being on the Road...helping your son and daughter get ready for their next year...
    Last year, our 3 children and son in law were in a very cute house that was converted into a duplex. But this year...all are moving on...our daughter and son in law move to Indiana for his first year residency (she says she felt like a mom without the right to reprimand the younger ones haha), so they will be a couple in their own place for the first time :o)...our other daughter moves into a new condo with 2 other girlfriends and classmates...and our son moved in with 4 other college boys into a (thankfully!) very huge 100 year old home near the campus. I was concerned at first to think that 5 boys were going to be crammed into a little apartment like setting!

    Blessings & Aloha!
    (love all your photos of all the "R" related things :o) Thank you for stopping by :o)

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  23. Now, this R post is RIDICULOUSLY REAL! Love that you could REDIRECT everyone's lives and keep from RANTING! Haha...

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  24. That's such a cheery looking little house. I bet it's fun to live in.

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  25. you've had a ROUGH couple of weeks. You might need some R&R with a little vino.

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  26. What a busy time full of events moving your daughter on in her life.

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  27. I remember these days of moving into dorms and out of dorms into rentals and then back home for a while and then out to apartments. It seemed like it would never end but now they are off on their own and I miss them!

    Fabulous R post!

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  28. Amen to the lunatic mother!!! I had two move home as well and man oh man can I relate!! Normalcy...that's what I want and crave. My motto around here is "Everything has a place and everything in it's place please!" HA I feel for you. Hang in there.

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  29. What a good mom you are, you sure did find some wonderful things for your daughter, everything looked nice in her place. And I sure hope sonny picked up his mess boys just don't get it at any age! I need your mailing address you won the guess the Mommies Belly. Thanks so much for playing along it made my daughter feel so special! Hugs, Diane

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  30. Wow! Y'all have been busy. What great R words and a fun look at real days in real life - significant events getting kids settled and bringing them home. Your daughter is adorable; and, of course, your son is shuai (handsome in Chinese). Hope you get to reclaim your living space soon.

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  31. Wow, what a busy time you've had, loved all the "R's", smashing post!
    ~Maggie~

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  32. Great moving stories and photos. Pat yourself and your hubby on the back for being such wonderful, supportive parents. I love the orange reclining chairs.

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  33. You seemed to have a lot done...
    Mothers are Priceless...
    mine is here
    Have you a blessed weekend!
    hugs
    shakira

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  34. My house is a mess too! Love your R post!

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  35. Oh your daughter is beautiful! I am glad she is into reduce/reuse/recyle - you can get great stuff for reasonable!

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  36. Oh, my girls are in their thirties and past all this. You'll get a breather come fall.
    Brenda

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  37. Oh yes, the first off-campus lodging! The coming home mess! I miss it all now that the boys are out of school and married. Of course, there's still "stuff" around but not nearly enough. When our younger son was home last, I told him to take his cello back with him (you can guess he isn't playing it at present) and he did. I e-mailed him to bring it back. Why? It just seemed too final. Moms can be silly like that!

    Thanks for the memories!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  38. Great little house! She looks happy! You have a very smart girl there! I have two in college too! They're both going very nearby - happy for me!
    Love those life changes :)
    Kathy

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  39. You had me laughing. I bet that stuff isn't put away yet. Don't worry...it will get moved when he goes back!

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  40. Great R post!!! The perfect climate for getting all those R's out and dusted off.

    Have a great weekend!

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  41. Oh my! I had forgotten about those days when the kids were in college and moving back home and out again...yep...been a LONG time.
    It was kind of fun though...just a part of life.

    Ok..about the silly camera of mine. Its a Kodak and it has this SanDisk in it..but..the camera will also store pictures...without the disk. What happened is I took some pictures that did not go on the disk...and I cannot figure out how to get them from the camera to the computer!!! We have a cord that plugs into the camera and into the computer...but it doesn't work..and I admit to feeling downright STUPID. I'm doing something wrong...or NOT doing something right..???
    One day I will read directions BEFORE I lose or misplace them~!
    Hugs... :) Hope your Saturday is going smoothly. Just got home from the garage sales... :) What fun! WAIT 'TIL YOU SEE! :) It's like a treaure hunt!
    Hugs,
    Mona

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  42. YEP! I hate it when they clutter up the living areas with their junk! I rage and rant too!

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  43. That house is soo adorable. I think that is great. And I just have to say, that after driving across the country twice...I think I have been on that road before. haha.

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  44. my son came back from uniiversity last night and i am in the same situation now! things everywhere in the house. And i soon have got to move his stuff from Paris !

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  45. My kids are 13 and 10...I have lots of things to look forward to...not!
    Great "R" post!

    Thanks for visiting this week. Hope your week is fabulous.

    Best wishes,
    Natasha.

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  46. LOL, I remember my mom threatening to throw out mine too! I think when I got married some of it remained there for years after wards!
    Lucky dd has a good dad to do that for her!
    My dil did a semester at Trinity in Dublin..She went to Boston College.

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  47. What an amazing R stop on my little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's Letter "R"!

    Before I forget, what is the painting on the left in her adorable little house? It almost looks like petals. I love that? Did you paint that?

    What a great start to independent life in that sweet house with all the "green" furnishings! It sounds like you have raised a responsible adult there....good for you!

    And the bison. Roaming. How cool!

    Thanks for this wonderful post! It really made me smile!

    A+

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  48. Oh how soon they grow up move out and then move back in again! LOL I have been there a few times! Good luck with the BB. :D

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  49. Wow! You have been busy living all those r words....it look like you got your daughter all set up.....I love the little house...you must be proud.

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  50. Hello Gayle,
    I wanted to thank you for your concern and your sweet note you left when you dropped by earlier.

    I'm doing okay...just seem to be having a hard time getting back in my routine since we got home. I hope to be back to blogging again within the next couple of days.

    Loved your post from last Thursday with the "R"'s! The house your daughter and her friends will be living in is really cute. Love that table and chairs you found for her!

    Hope by now your son has been able to get things moved to his room from the main living quarters. I would hate to find a post on your blog signed "the raving lunatic". lol You are one funny lady, my friend.

    Thanks again for checking on me!

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  51. Thanks for stopping by and posting!

    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  52. How busy you've been! I can relate to the kids moving back home with all their stuff. Then it seems to grow and multiply. Fun having them home though!

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  53. Thank you, Gayle, for passing on that information about your daughter. I am SO glad that she is enjoying her time here. Hopefully she will still feel the same way once she has endured one of our winters. :-)

    You've really been on the road a lot then, over the last few weeks! Not sure of where she is exactly but we are located about 30 minutes East of Morgantown. If you are ever anywhere near our neck of the woods, I'd love to share a bit of time with you.

    I've been working out in my flower beds all morning. Came in for a bite of lunch and do a couple of things inside. Then I would like to go back out. It's been fun...weeding and planting!

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  54. Your daughter looks lovely and happy....

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  55. Wow that is a lot of Rs...Your daughters house is adorable! Good luck with organizing....try to get some more rest in there somewhere..xoxo

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  56. Ha, ha. I remember the post college mess. My one in college now is communiting wo we don't have to deal with all that for now.

    Your daughter's thrift find looks great.

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  57. Oh you have been busy! Your daughter and son are so cute. That house is adorable, and it looks like she's on her way to a great living space. Good luck getting your son to put away his stuff!! laurie

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THANK YOU for your thoughtful comments. Replies to your questions will be posted here, so be sure to check back soon. Have a wonderful day! - Gayle, Garden Of Daisies