We began this journey just over a year ago when we left our lovely home along the Delaware Water Gap National Park and bought a small duplex in Selinsgrove, PA. We wanted to live closer to Darren's parents who shortly after were both diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer. It was great to be closer to them to help out on occasion. Especially when they found a lovely little Ranch style house in the development close to the "old homestead." We were there to help them move in the few things that they needed at the new place and adjust furniture, set up internet and phone service (well at least Darren helped them with that.) After a few months they were pretty much settled into their new place.

This left a void at the old place...what to do with it. They had talked of having an auction for years, but never had the time to really go through everything, document what was there, and prepare for a large scale auction. Discussions were made on different options. Darren and I continued to work on our house back near the Water Gap hoping we could get it on the market and sell it by summer of 2016. Then talks of Yarik finishing his welding classes and getting a job and buying the house from his grandparents started to look like a good option.

Darren and I thought we could help him out. We would move into the house with him, away from the small duplex with limited parking, and help him get things cleaned out and sold as we waited for our house to sell. The house in the east was on the market by Memorial Day and we had a few showings here and there, but our only feedback was that it was priced too high....such a disappointment after all we had put into it.

Months passed and still no movement on our house in the east. Yarik was still waffling about what to do with his future, so Darren and I began to try to figure out how we could buy the house and move in ourselves to begin the clean out. After many discussions with his parents there was a plan in place and we set a date in August to make it official. Yarik decided to try the life out west and moved to Iowa with a friend's family to start a new job and figure out what he wants to do with his life.

Then the real craziness began. We started cleaning out bedrooms so we could move our belongings into place and have a place to sleep. Finding a place to store the things we moved out was tricky, but we found unconventional places...like the front porch. We also began regular weekend yard sales. This helped get the 3 bedrooms open to our use and the kitchen and soon after a living room that we could try to relax in a few times a week.

We found a renter for our house in Selinsgrove, which really put the pressure on to get that house emptied. But we did it faster than I though possible. It took us a few extra days than we planned, but we got everything out, painted and ready for a new occupant. It looked so much better than when we moved in! (e really should have painted before we moved in, but we were in a rush as usual.) Leo Times did an awesome job painting the really tough parts!! If you need a great painter we can give you his number. Now I really wish we had taken before and after photos!!

That brings me to another part of the reason I wanted to start this blog. I want to document the transformation of crazy clutter collections and have photos of the efforts we are making. We have done so much already and have not taken any photos of how things started out. The other reason for the blog is to get the word (and photos) out of the many interesting pieces we are digging out and offer them up for sale to the highest bidder...or the first person who wants to give us a reasonable offer. So share with your friends, that antique collector you know, the civil war buff, the person who needs some stuff for their house, etc!

Our latest development was a request from a family we knew to rent our house out east...So that added extra pressure to bring the last of our belongings out of that huge house and garage and find places for them here. This has been no easy task! Yard sale weather is past and finding space is tough. We have worked really hard in the barn to clear out storage space. Along the way we found some really cool stuff...Hoping that this weekend, I can get some great pictures up of the unique treasures we have dug out. In the meantime, Darren is planning a trip east tomorrow to try to get most of the rest of our stuff out of our garage and bring it back here...so to make more room, I have photos of some of the items we want to sell. Please check them out and see if there is anything you are interested in buying or share with someone you know who might be!! Thanks in advance!!