To Do Tuesday #4 (AKA post 1/97)

So, obviously by this point in my day I haven't blogged nearly as much as I thought I would. I started the morning with good intentions, and photo edited all my pics I uploaded last night. About 10am this morning, though, my boys were getting antsy, so we headed out to Tuesday's To-Do . . . . (drumroll, please) . . . . ORGANIZING MY GARAGE. I could SO relate to Chris' pics on her blog with moving her whole garage onto the front yard to then get to clean it all out. The difference between me and Chris is how much she got rid of compared to how much I moved back into the garage. I should have taken before and after pictures, but I was in the zone, people! So, let me paint a picture of what I had to contend with and then y'all can stop on by and ooh and awe at a 3 car garage full of CRAP.

First, a month or so ago my brother Dave and I set up 3 sets of gorilla racks and I've been putting stuff on those shelves (holiday decorations, excess food/paper goods, hand-me-down clothes, etc.) Well, today I rearranged most of that stuff. I moved out oodles of baby gear, camp stuff, camp cooking stuff (yeah, we have those TWO categories now), teaching paraphenalia, old missionary and sports momentoes. And then I moved all the emptied shelving around to different places in the garage. Oh, and then I swept and dusted. It may seem silly since it's NEVER going to stay clean, but I can't handle all the dirt and dust that has accumulated on everything that's been out there for three years. So, yes, me and Endust and my towel worked it out in the garage. And I swept up a lot of dirt. And I ended up throwing away the towel from all the dirt. Anyway, I moved most of the stuff back into the garage, but the problem is we have too much stuff. YES, I agree, maybe 9 bins of Christmas decorations and 4 trees may be a much. And perhaps having 3 air mattresses and 2 air pumps is redundant. Need golf bags or clubs? We have about 6 bags and 4 sets of irons. Oh, but if it's the camping stuff you're interested in the Barlows can hook you up. We have about 10 tents, 10 camping chairs, 10 fishing poles, 3 coolers, 3 cooking stoves (with accessories - like 2 tables to set them on, extra grills, etc.), and 10 camping bags (for all your hiking, fly-fishing, overnighter needs.) Did I mention that doesn't even count what we have stored in the camper? Oh, no. I have 2 huge bins of linens because for some reason I can't break with the two sets of Cabbage Patch sheets that I used to have as a little girl or the other old sheets that we don't use or the the quilts and blankets that will come in handy when we have a house-full of guests. And if you're looking for a new name for the Barlows, the Griswalds might work because we have too many Christmas lights to even be contained in bins. And, of course, there's a bin (to go with the two already outside) of swim stuff and now a basket of snow clothes. I could go on, but I'm sure I've lost most of you already.

So after the moving and cleaning, I consolidated all the stuff together and schlepped it back in (if you don't count the curb full of trash and car full of donation items.) As the day went on I started waddling more and moving slower. I knew if I sat down I would be stuck, so I just kept moving. Until 7:30pm. YES, that's 9 hours (I did eat lunch) of hard back-breaking labor. And I am tired and achy. Tyler had mutual, so the kids and I got the inside of the house picked up (yeah, pretty much free reign whilst mom was a-slaving outside) and I ate. Then it was bathtime. Oh, my heck! I thought I was gonna be stuck and not be able to get up because I ached so badly. I mean, my toenails hurt. The kids got washed and I was able to soak after they were done. And I am ready for bed with some Tylenol taken with my apple pie dessert (c'mon, a girl deserves a reward, right?!)

OH WAIT. I have to blog and lift weights and read good 'ol 1st Nephi. Let it be said, let it be written, I am a goal-oriented person who is so tired, but too stubborn to fail (again) on day 1 of a new challenge. Tomorrow's lookin' busy, but hopefully I can get some pics up soon. I'm off to crawl to my room to work my arms and my spirit. Night.