We Cleared Out a LOT of STUFF!

We're back home from our whirlwind trip to help my grandparents with their estate sale. It couldn't have gone smoother! It took about 8 hours for me to price the entire house. I think the first half hour was spent by me walking around, rubbing my temples---very overwhelmed at the task before me! Kevin worked in the garage for a couple of hours from the list I gave him for prices and Eric mowed the lawn for a couple of hours, and then the first day was done-it really flew by too!

The second day was the first day of the sale. We made $1200 in the first 3 hours and we barely made a dent! There were 12 people waiting to get in when we opened! The first people arrived an hour early, and I was so afraid that they would be sorely disappointed once they got in and realized that nothing in the entire house or garage was worth waiting an hour in your car for!

We finished the first day off around $1700. The second day was slower, but not much. There was a constant stream of people in and out of the house, but we only made a little over $500. Today was the big sale day...one lady thought it was funny that a garage sale was having a sale. Everything was 50% off from 9-11 then from 11-12 it was 75% off-all except the tractor and cart and craftsman toolbox. I ended up giving my grandparents close to $3000 when all was said and done.

They stayed at their "apartment" and let me bring the money to them each day-although grandma made Eric pick her up the first day so she could come out and pick out some junk treasures to take back. She packed up 3 BIG boxes of stuff, and would have taken more if she hadn't worn herself out. It was truly an answer to prayer that they weren't there each and every day! It would have been so awkward for people trying to shop!

One of the last ladies there bought the coffee table that was loaded with Knick Knacks, and Eric jokingly said, if you take the table, you have to take all the knick knacks too, and I jumped in and agreed. She was actually THRILLED!   We ended up boxing up about 4 or 5 big boxes of junk knick knacks and she took them all! She was all teary eyed when she thanked me. She was going to use them for things with her family and her church and she couldn't be happier.

We met a LOT of interesting people. One old guy was looking over all the small kitchen appliances and was trying to decide what to buy when he mentioned that his wife took all the stuff he used to have. He told us that for their 21st anniversary they gave each other a divorce-because it was what they both wanted as their gift. He made some other comments, and said how much happier he is and another woman who heard the conversation mumbled under her breath and said, she bets the wife is happier! I laughed so hard-he never even heard it, because she was walking out the front door and he was walking into the garage when she said it.

I was surprised at how many people were worried that someone had passed away, even though we listed it as a "Living Estate Sale" in the paper and on Craigslist. I was surprised to see how relieved each and every one of them was when I told them they just moved to the new assisted living facility behind Walmart! I got called honey and sweetie so many times in the past couple of days-I almost felt like I was with a bunch of old relatives!

The only things left (other than the garage stuff I mentioned earlier) were the queen headboard I sold it twice and then they realized they couldn't fit it in their vehicles!), a couple shower seats, a few coffee mugs, a tea kettle, a couple books, a shower curtain and some knick knacks. The pile was so little that it could fit into the trunk of a small car.

I was really happy and felt so blessed to be able to help my grandparents out! My grandma was furious with my grandpa for telling me to sell the dining room set-she wanted it-even though they didn't have room for it (an oval table with 6 HUGE chairs). They were arguing about it when I left. I think they were happy with the work being done and having some extra cash-even if they didn't say it.

Last night we drove to my parents house-just past the Mackinac Bridge (about 45 minutes from my grandparents house). We stopped at my favorite little hole in the wall restaurant-Scalawags!!! It is a little fish place that has the best ever, hands down chicken strips! My boys and I just LOVE it and we always try to stop when we are in town.We spent the night at my parents house, and it was really quiet without them being there. They are en route to Alaska-a trip to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. Eric and I got to kayak on the lake for an hour or so, and then I took my book and took a lonnnnnnggggg soak in their huge jacuzzi tub. It was so nice!

Now we are home and all unpacked, and the laundry is just finishing up in the dryer-it almost seems like the last few days didn't happen...almost.

Here is what the house looked like all set up and ready to sell on Wednesday ...

Here is what it looked like when we left today...

We were so busy trying to clean up and get out the door I totally forgot to take pictures of the kitchen and living room-but take my word for it-they were just as empty!