Duck Barn Attack!

With the nice weather around for the weekend we decided to take advantage of it and get that ol' duck barn cleaned out. In October when the garage was converted to a mud room & a play room, all the stuff shoved in there was shoved into the duck barn. It was to the point you couldn't even walk in on the first floor.

So, out it all came. And when the first floor was basically empty, I headed up to the loft to get that sorted out. I was glad I didn't take a shower in the morning, because although the temperature was nice outside (mid- to high 60s), it was as hot as Hades up in the loft. Stinky, sweaty, yuck. But there I sat, tossing down old boxes, reorganized rubbermade boxes, and labeling everything with my handy-dandy label maker (I love that thing!).

Avery came to help a few times, in between helping Devon weed (aka find worms), and playing on her swingset with or without neighbors Sarah & Sean. Jordan even spent most of the afternoon out there with us, thankfully not coughing and barfing all day. Devon's really doing a great job on the yard lately. The new grass makes a glorious space, and seems to be doing well so far. It might even need mowed pretty soon. . . .

This is the best "before" picture we have -- imagine all this stuff shoved in the duck barn.
A bird's-eye view from the loftThis was after I'd been up there for an hour. . . .

Ahhhh, the memorabilia. Avery was fascinated with my old 4-H cow & sewing trophies, and even the little one for 7th out of 8th place at my one & only fiddle contest (age 10). She sorted them a couple of different ways, tallest to shortest, shortest to tallest. Now what do I do with them?
Other things I used to collect (or really, other people collectd for me): dolls of the world (now pretty ratty) and snow globes (almost all drained & pathetic). Now what do I do with them?Jordan enjoying the sun on the new, luxurious lawn.
Ice cream "Cheers" for the hard working team! That's Tillamook Mudslide -- definitely worth a try if they sell Tillamook in your area, and you LOVE chocolate.
Where does all this stuff come from? And why do we keep it for so long?
Avery could hardly have been dirtier. She was caked in snot, dirt, sand, and chocolate ice cream, and used her cloths for a napkin. Then she ran in the sprinkler to get cleaned off. She was chilled like a freezer-pop by the time I got her in the bath tub.
Sarah & Sean invited Avery to play on their new swingset, but soon the party had migrated to our yard: A traveling playday.