Cookie Time!

So I told my husband this last week that I needed to clean out the garage.  In no time Girl Scout Cookies will be in.  Today I got up and was lounging around, thinking I have nothing better to do.  Then I got a text from the Group Leader about getting together for a meeting. " Oh yeah!", I was going to clean the garage this weekend, and now it is Sunday.

So above is the before picture, but it is actually after I swept the bed of leaves that fell 3 months ago and blew into the garage.  (Can I just say my husband openly admits that he has never cleaned our garage).  I'm grateful for the nice winter weather we have been having and my kids were able to  play outside while I cleaned.

 One of the first things I came across was these poster boards from college.  My mom brought them down from her house about a month ago.  I graduated in 2003.  Note the line on American Eagle kids clothes that I fashion before they started their line.  At the time the assignment was to find something different to bring to the market and I worked at American Eagle.  The next 3 boards I made for Betsey Johnson because she is awesome, and the one is a colored pencil drawing from one of the art classes.  The last one is just some designs I drew for something or other.  I ended up throwing all these out and keeping another bundle, which I hope I can eventually part with in time.  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

This is what I was able to fit in my car to bring to Goodwill.  This is left over items, mainly household, from the garage sale this summer.  

This is what I put in to the house.  Some artwork from my mom's house.  A feather Christmas tree that should be with the other holiday items in the basement.  I had some mattress protectors that were in my trunk from my sisters' house and a box of kids shampoo my other sister donated to me also from my trunk.  The black/ grey dirty seat cover from my has-been-bare-for-months-since-I-washed-and-then-forgot-to put-the-cover-back-booster-seat.  That Aldi blue hot/cold bag I actually ended up throwing away once I got it in the house because the handles are broken.

Here is the garage after being swept again and putting things in the rafters (like sleds, empty car stereo boxes, big cooler, and the tut cut out from Trunk-or-treat).  The corner area is stuffed full of tool items my husband needs to go through, more items I need to donate, and my garden supplies.  Outside the garage area there are a few cardboard boxes to throw/recycle, bikes, garden cart, garage heater, small cooler ( this one goes in and out of my trunk for grocery errands), and wt/dry vac.

Here is the end result.  I know I still have things to work on like the tools and why I'm keeping 3 hoses.  Living in the Midwest we need a snow blower and a lawn mower so they take up room along with all the bikes we have.  Sorry I forgot to take pictures before I put my car away, I was just so excited to have room to open both doors easily.  I really want to get all the items from the left side to the back of the garage because my husband usually parks his car at an angle because our driveway goes from one lane to two and we have our third car parked outside of his side.  I hope clearing more room with prevent such angles and we don't have to worry about dinging each others cars.  The room left open in front of my car is for the cases of Girl Scout Cookies.  I would say this project took about 3 hours and didn't cost me anything.

I'm linking this up to A Slob Comes Clean, and her monthly decluttering update post.