As planned, we spent the weekend finalizing DS1’s packing/buying list for college and we started our shopping. It was fun doing this with DD when she went. It was almost like a treasure hunt. She found a reversible comforter she loved on sale and that started the whole summer hunt. We took those two colors (turquoise and lime green) and hunted all summer for everything she needed. It was fun to find perfectly coordinating things at all kinds of different stores. We found all kinds of cool things; rugs, towels, chair pad, baskets with colored liners, bedding and body pillows/extra pillows to transform the bed to a couch, bed risers so big bins would fit underneath and coordinating beach towels to use as a makeshift bed skirt since we didn’t know how tall the bed would be, butterfly chair, tons of desk accessories, wrapping paper and ribbon and colored push pins to transform her bulletin board, curtains, dragonfly lights to hang over the bed, etc. We’d find the best deals and made some returns when we’d find a better deal on something…I’m sure we spent less than most kids rooms. I even surprised her with a little art project and bought 3 large poster papers and large tissue paper in every shade of her colors…we spent a day tearing tissue, decoupaging strips down and making a triptych for her bed wall.

We got the room/furniture dimensions online and I drew it all up on my architect computer program and we figured out the best layout and viewed it 3-D. I may have told you this story, but I don’t think so…she had such an enormous pile of stuff when we unloaded the van on the curb on move in day…We left DH with the pile (and snickers from all the dad’s unpacking their much smaller piles around him) while we went to find a cart…when we came back he said he got so many question he lied and told people he was ‘moving in the twins’ LOL. DH swore as he filled the center of the shared room with her stuff that it wasn’t all going to fit and he kept offering to put the 3 stackable cabinets we bought back in the van…DD and I knew better…we knew it would fit…we’d seen it. We sent the boys off to the bookstore to pick up her order while we moved everything into place. She was so proud of her room when we got it all done and decorations up. Girls kept coming in to see it and asking her where she got things (I heard the local Wal-Mart had a couple-hour wait to check out that day…yikes). Yes, she also had the bin of every kind of medicine (and soon became the local ‘drug dealer’ LOL on her floor when friends got sick). It certainly made it easier for me to leave her knowing she was happy and had everything she needed…I was ‘nesting’ and Mama bird let her first baby go.

OK, I had to wait until I had DS1 trapped in the car ride to PSU to have him answer me yes/no on the packing/room list I had kept from DD…DH was happy to hear the pile is going to be MUCH smaller this time (we girls come with lots of accessories). It was like pulling-teeth to get DS1 to go with us to pick out his comforter, sheets and towels to set the beginnings of his room. He picked a reversible plain black and gray comforter, black sheets and plain gray towels…his ‘bachelor’ days have begun I guess…BLACK? GRAY?...I can do black, but plain...how boring...and would a punch of color kill him?!

DH let DS1 go and we went on to Bed, Bath & Beyond to continue the hunt on our own…WHAT? NO treasure hunt with my boy?!!! OK, I can deal…I found a young manager at the store to bond with…she printed me packing lists from PSU to compare to my lists and took me around the store to find my listed items…she was as excited as I was to find things…she even called the store near PSU for me and is having 2 camp style folding chairs with the ‘Nittany Lion’ emblem on them shipped out here...we bonded (I’m buying an extra one to give to his best friend and roommate...apparently a little PSU stuff is OK, matching bedding isn't...'looks like you're 10')

...Oh, and tip in case you have a BB&B store near you…they take expired coupons and you can use one coupon for each item you buy even on the same order…Yes, I forked over 13 coupons I’d been saving for my purchases and got 20% off each item. I found 2 bed pillows (for the couch look) with black pillowcases (I may have to find some fabric and make something a little more exciting than plain black). DH was a trooper shopping for hours, but a Debbie-Downer as he usually is when it comes to shopping or anything to do with decorating… ‘You can NOT buy him towels for a bed skirt!...So WHAT if the bins under his bed show!!…He will not let you put a bed skirt on his bed!!!’ I may have to sneak in a bed skirt…maybe I can make it to match the body pillow covers I’ll make…hey, it’s not like I’m going to use black and white toile, zebra print or anything floral…

Would a straight piece of black/white maybe striped fabric hanging down from the bed spring frame get him teased for life?! Seriously, I’m asking!!! I did walk away from the cute pillows and throws.

I was happy to see that DS1 was interested when we got home and came over to see all the things we bought in the ever growing pile in our great room, but he was most interested in the electronics…4-cup coffee maker, alarm clock, etc. Oh well. I did talk him into doing an art project for his wall…amazed, aren’t you?!! You SHOULD be! He never would have agreed if it was with me (ex-art teacher…he likes to do his own thing and is so over me teaching him) and he would have thought I’d make something too sissy. I got sneaky (I know, ‘as usual’ LOL)…DH can’t draw a straight line to save his life and hates even playing ‘Pictionary’ because our kids (all got my art talent gene) love to laugh at him. I remembered though that in HS DH had to take art and got into making batiks for a few months. I ‘suggested’ that DH show DS1 how to make a batik and they could do one for his wall…well, that went over so well that before I knew it they’d planned doing a giant ‘Lion Paw’ print (one of PSU’s trademarks, apparently it recently went from 5 to 4 toes) and I was tasked with getting the supplies…if it looks ‘cool enough’ he’s going to hang it….sneaky works!

Tonight we’re off to buy all the toiletries, cleaning/laundry, and the obligatory bin full of medicines. Yes, I’m ‘nesting’ again. Maybe I can talk them into going to the fabric/craft store with me for the batik supplies?!! I might be able to get some fabric opinions while we’re there…hey playing cards are mostly black and white...maybe a poker theme...he loves poker...sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.