Feeling a Little Sad

Finally, after months of procrastination (and some legitimate delays) the yard sale has been completed.  I can't tell you how happy I am to have that junk (I mean, amazing stuff people must buy) out of the house.
Gathering up items for the sale was a bit emotional for me. I am very sentimental. My husband went  through his clothes to get rid of his "fat" clothes. I couldn't help but get a little choked up when the shirt he wore on our first date was tossed in the "go" pile. I struggled with giving up some of the crafting supplies. I did some beading for awhile but I just wasn't very good at it. I made some very basic things but didn't have good manual dexterity to do some of the more intricate work I wanted.  Sometimes it is just hard to move on :(

Despite the rocky road to the big pile of stuff to get rid of, yard sale day finally arrived. My husband had to work. My sister and father-in-law brought some of their stuff over too and hung out with me during the sale. 

We have been a bit spoiled with cooler temps, but Saturday may have been the hottest day of the summer (high of 99 degrees) and SO humid.  When I took stuff out in the morning it instantly became wet due to the humidity. I had debated on canceling the sale when I realized how hot it was supposed to be. I am glad I didn't.  Turns out heat doesn't not stop people from shopping!

By about 10:30 a.m. traffic had dropped off considerably.  My plan had always been to dispose of the leftovers - I didn't want it coming back into the house.  So, instead of trying to sell everything until the very end of the sale, I started putting items on a couple of the tables and marked them "free". As people arrived, I told them they couldn't leave without at least two free items :)  Some people absolutely insisted on paying for items from the free table...well, okay I will take your money. At the end of the sale, I put the free tables out by the street and went inside to try to recover with some serious A/C, ice water and lunch (I never got breakfast).  I saw a few people stop by and get take some more of the stuff.  I was thrilled to end the day with two paper boxes of leftover stuff and a small garbage bag of clothing. Turns out I can take it to Goodwill on a Tuesday in August (I think this is the last one) and get a coupon for a FREE large DQ Blizzard.

Sunday we went over to a former co-worker's house.  Every year she has a group of current and former employees over for a summer get together. She has the best back yard for entertaining.  Seriously, who doesn't want this pool??  There is a patio all around with several table and chair sets and a gazebo.  The open garage door you see goes into the back of her garage that has a bathroom/changing area.

This was the first year I got in the pool.  It is not that I think I now have such a better body and want to show it off in a swimsuit. Instead I am coming to more of a "who cares" attitude.  I wanted to have fun in the pool and my body is what it is. Okay, I was still a bit anxious about being in a swimsuit in front of my boss, but with a cute cover-up and a strategic entry into the pool I survived.

The food at the party was potluck.  Again, potlucks are a challenge, but we had decided beforehand not to sweat it. I had a little bit of everything - enjoyed it and moved on. 

Operation Shed has officially started. Since every good weight loss blog needs before, progress and after pictures.  I am sharing my poor shed's unattractive before shots. 

When I bought my (now our) house 8 years ago I planted two red bud trees.  The plan was that they would grow, provide shade, provide privacy from the church behind my property and minimize the ugliness of the old steel shed. Eight years later they have accomplished that goal.  However, I didn't really think my plan through very well...and now one of my poor redbuds must die :(

We are getting a shed that is almost twice the size of the current one so the tree in front of the shed will be in the way. When my husband first pointed that out, I almost burst into tears. We looked at putting the new shed in another part of the yard, but we kept coming back to this being the best space.  In the past two weeks I have come to terms with it. I am getting more and more excited about getting the shed as I realize the number of things cluttering up the house that will be able to move to the shed. (We don't have a garage or a basement.)

This morning my in-laws (who are the best in-laws in the land) came over to help remove one of the trees and some smaller trees/bushes behind the shed. My husband is a school bus driver and today is the first day of school.  There was no way he could be there to help.

Incidentally this is how good my husband looked on his first day of school :)  After school I asked him if any of the kids noticed his transformation.  He said it would be easier to tell me about the ones who didn't say something.  So proud of him for reaching his back to school goal!

I am thankful that my job is a little more flexible. I was able to use some personal time and to go in late. It is amazing how one tree's branches can take up so much space on the ground. Incidentally, I did not cry.

Cleaned up and ready for the next phase of the project.  My husband I will have to do some more trimming of the remaining redbud tree.  The new shed will be considerably taller so several of those lower branches on the left will have to go. However, I am determined to save as much as possible and make it a nicely shaped tree.

Millie had the best morning ever.  She likes nothing better than chewing up sticks and apparently even logs.  She ran around collecting pieces she wanted to keep for herself. Poor Millie was denied this chunk of branch. While my father-in-law and I were taking a load of branches to the farm, my mother-in-law filled Millie's wading pool with water...she loved that and made sure to take one final dip on her way in the house

Although I am feeling a bit emotional about the things that I have had to let go in the past week, I am excited about the positives things we will now have room to enjoy, I guess it is a lot like this crazy weight loss journey.  I have given up several things and gained so much.

I like the Special K advertising campaign..."what will you gain when you lose?"