What. A. Week.

Hello cleaning frenzy. We've called a realtor who will come by Wednesday for a walk-through of the house. We had several big items from the garage taken away by the garbage collectors. I cleaned out a ton of junk from the kitchen, especially a lot of items that will go into storage to be parceled out to kids as they move to college and beyond. Seriously, what kid wants to bother picking out plates and silverware while moving into their first dorm room? My true purpose is to clear off the cabinets to prep for painting, but as long as I'm clearing out the garbage can is getting filled regularly as well as the yard sale pile in the garage. (Ever noticed how garage and garbage are only a letter different?) The pantry also got a once over. Lots of stale crackers and cereal found their way to the birds.

The Christmas items went away, including the tree. The second living room is usable again. The light covers from the chandelier were washed along with the blades and light covers on the kitchen fan. The bookshelf was cleared out and cleaned, with loads of books donated to the library or put in the yard sale pile. Did you know that old text books have no place to go? Second hand stores don't want them, the library won't take them, and they won't sell in a yard sale. Off to recycling, my 20-year old biology books... your outdated information and your weight won't be missed.

For the past many months the boys' room has held a pile of items they wanted to sell, from a previous cleaning attempt with no garage space to put the sale items away. We'd just stacked everything up, and over time it had toppled, been dug through, rearranged. Saturday we sorted again, this time with boxes and trash can ready and space in the garage for everything they no longer wanted. We tossed clothes, dusted and washed and threw out bags of broken items. We bagged Pokemon cars, silly bands, I also changed out their curtains from black light-blocking ones to freshly washed sheers. The closet was cleared out and clothes hung properly. Under the bed was cleared out. The vacuum sucked up So. Much. Dust. The room looks amazing. Amazing. Amaaaaaazing. And huge. And clean. And it smells so good with those newly washed curtains up.

There were doctor appointments last week too. Tuesday Katherine went to the doc to get a burn checked out. It's healing, but it's also significant and will scar. Wednesday Jonathon went to the dentist. In Chennai he'd had 2 teeth covered in silver because 1) he has lousy teeth and 2) he doesn't take good care of his lousy teeth. Recently he mentioned his gum had a "bubble" so we took a look and yeah, it was a problem, an abscess was forming so the dentist pulled the tooth. The adult replacement should be in sometime this year.

And to bring our week/weekend even further down...

I have an uncle currently in ICU with pneumonia and complications.

And Sunday morning we learned that my grandfather (96 years) passed away. His obituary:

ST. DAVID - J. Cyril Beaulieu, 96, passed away Jan. 8, 2012, at a local health care facility in Madawaska. He was born Oct. 13, 1916, in St. Modeste, Quebec, the youngest son of Alfred and Leda Martin Beaulieu. Mr. Beaulieu's long business career and accomplishments started in 1937 when he graduated second in his class from St. Hyacinthe School of Agriculture, Quebec. At the age of 22 he emigrated to Grand Isle, speaking virtually no English and proceeded to establish the Grand Isle Creamery, which later became known as St. John Valley Creamery. After World War II Mr. Beaulieu expanded and moved his creamery to Madawaska and added Brunswick Beverages as a second business in 1952, becoming famous throughout the "valley," particularly for his cream soda flavored soft-drink. In the spring of 1947 Grand Isle Fire Department was organized and he was selected to be it's first fire chief, a position he retained until early 1951. He was a fourth degree member of the Madawaska chapter of Knights of Columbus, a member of Madawaska chapter of Rotary International and a founder of Birch Pont Golf Course. He also participated in the construction of St. Michael's Chapel at Birch Point. He was an organizing member and U.S. delegate of Club 200, a benevolent organization, which supported College St. Louis, Edmundston, New Brunswick, and was appointed by Gov. Edmund Muskie to the St. Lawrence Seaway Commission. In 2005 Cyril and his wife, Agnes, were inducted into Maine Franco-American Hall of Fame for their work in preserving and promoting the French and Acadian cultures. In 2007 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gov. John Baldacci for his civic and professional contributions to his state and community. He was a member of St. David Church parish serving on the parish council, choir member and Cemetery Renovation Committee. He was also a member of St. Thomas Church parish. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Agnes Daigle Beaulieu; son, Daniel of San Francisco and his wife, Kathy, and grandson, John Charles; daughter, Cecilia Rhoda of Houlton and her husband, Richard, and grandsons, Leslie and Daniel; son, John of Annandale, Va., and his wife, Wanda, his granddaughter, Michelle Hopper and husband, Ian, great-grandsons Jonathan and Nicholas and great-granddaughters, Rebecca and Katherine; daughter, Claudette Greene of Greenwich, grandson, Charlie and granddaughter, Jody; daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, grandson, Philip and granddaughter, Sarah, of Bangor; and his sister, Rose Beaulieu of St. Modeste, Quebec. He was predeceased by his son, Alfred, in 1991; and his son-in-law, Donald Greene, Sept. 11, 2001.