THE BIG REVEAL

We sweetened the enticement with promises of brunch at Hays City Store.

So, who did you guess would be the guy at the top of the ladder? Was it Nate? Young Austin? Wrong! It was the old guy! Partially my fault, I admit. When Austin mumbled something about Brown Recluse spiders, I really shouldn't have chuckled and said "Oh Sweetie, you don't need to worry about spiders. I'm sure the bats ate them all!" "BATS? I dibs the spot at the bottom of the ladder!", replied my son. Actually, I have always been quite grateful that he inherited a healthy dose of my common sense. I don't think I could have handled both he and his father needing to be carted to the ER on a regular basis. Speaking of which, when I saw my hubby up there...

yanking on those doors which were seriously stuck, after not having been opened for eleven years, I had such a clear vision of him tumbling backwards off the ladder and smacking his head on the concrete floor that I had to turn around and go back in the house. I just. Couldn't. Watch!

Sooooo, what do you suppose was in there? Treasure? Trash? A little bit of both, as it turns out, and not nearly as much as I had feared. There was:

Our Tent

and...

Some Car Ramps

neither of which we will ever use again. There were also a lot of seasonal decorations, from back when I had a lot bigger house to decorate, and had not yet fully embraced simple living.

Most of that will be going directly to the thrift store.

But, there were a few treasures too, which made it all worthwhile. There was a big crate of Legos, which we left in the attic, until Little Goober is old enough to play with them. And, this crate...

containing our most beloved baby clothes and a few toys, including the all-time-favorite Sesame Street house with Bert and Ernie and Oscar inside. (There are also a few more crates in our small indoor attic, containing the Brio train set, the Marbleworks set, and Lexi's American Girl doll and all her accessories.)

Most treasured of all? This!

Beautiful Rocking/Swinging Cradle Handmade by Hubby's Father

Well, that and the peace of mind that comes from finally having that dang attic emptied out!