Good Morning Everyone :)
"Clink!"

Hi Theresa :)
The links are to the right of this page.

Hi Subclinical :)
WTG! for keeping up with things during this very busy time! :D

Hi Tatoulia :)
WTG! for continuing to work at clearing! :D
Boxes! Yes empty boxes have so many possibilities.
But it's all a lie.
Even if everything is contained in boxes it is now called an organized hoard.
Steven keeps adding boxes, bins, plastic drawers, etc. to his hoard and they just become a big problem on their own.
He puts "stuff" in them and then has to dump them all out when looking for something specific.
This is why I always stress not to buy any organizing containers until you have decluttered and now know exactly what your needs are to store your keepers.

I had plans for today but I am feeling tired and weak from the grocery shopping yesterday.
So, I will put those cooking plans on hold until tomorrow or later.
Last evening did a little bit of laundry. Just stuff I could dry inside on hangers & the rack.
With a high of only 38F it was too cold to bother hanging on the line.
There are a bunch of little quick tasks I can get done today.
Also have a beading plan I want to get started on too.
But the kitchen needs some attention so I will also wash dishes and wipe down everything.
First I need to clear my counter of stuff for projects that I am planning to do by doing some of these projects.
I need to refill my kerosene lamp and put away the kerosene bottle.
Need to hot glue a thing back onto where it belongs & put away the hot glue gun.
Might go out and light the burn barrel. ?
Need to remember to eat the last few nuts and wash the jar I store them in.
Etc. etc. etc...

Good morning! Coffee clinks!

I'll try to keep everyone straight today! I read it, think about you, then start to post and forget it all.

I'm working from home today. Doing little bits of laundry then will try to finish a package for overseas and get it mailed. I need to get out all of my recycling too. I took a few things last night. It piles up so quickly. I wish I had a fireplace for the papers and cardboard. But the important thing is I've learned not to keep boxes, no matter how cute or nice.

So, what are you doing today?

Yup. Hi! How can we help?

Also, greetings KSF, I am new since you left.

CM, so sorry about your van!

Just wanted to say hi all and weigh in on the coffee side, although my mother is a tea drinker and I really enjoy a cup with her.

Backsliding a little on the feedbags, but doing ok overall. Very busy right now.

Is this the online support group

Hello Everybody! :D
Green tea with lemon "clink!"

Hi Anonymoniker :)
WAY TO GO!!! for making all those decisions for everything that was/is on your table! :D
I think the coffee vs tea conundrum is both physical and psychological.
The caffeine is addictive and coffee drinkers can suffer terrible headaches with withdrawal.
Without my tea I can not function or think clearly.
Wishing you GREAT success with renting a truck and making fantastic progress! ;D

Hi CriticalMass :)
So sorry that happened. (((HUGS)))
Wishing you all the best getting it all straightened out properly financially.

Hi KSF :)
Welcome back! :D
Lost posts happen a lot here unfortunately.
I always copy my posts before posting them so I can just paste them and try posting again.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Bon appetite :D

Hi Subclinical :)
Hi Everybody else :)

Went grocery shopping.
Got enough to last me for a while.
Got it all put away.
Now I can just hole up inside here and hibernate.
LOL ;P

Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the bumps and bruises but I'm so happy to see so many of us posting and working on our situations! Welcome back, KFW (hope I remembered the initials correctly). In the future trybusung the back button to see if you can rescue your post.

Leaving for dinner. Keep up the good work!

Hi all - I am back after nearly two years. And after getting it together to do my first post, it disappeared. Apologies if this turns out to be a duplicate. This past year I buried myself in my work and now I look around and see I must wrestle with the consequences. Like you said Tatoulia, I will pray to be okay with my choices. I am taking up this journey again.

Sorry this post is just about me right now

Dang it, had a fender bender in parking lot yesterday. Irony of ironies, I thought a Monday morning would be safe enough to attempt my small bit of shopping during the holiday season. More later. Oh, and there were no injuries, my van is driveable - but I sure hope I get some compensation from her insurance company - long story. Not looking for punitive damages or anything, just enough that on my tiny income I'll not have to eat the cost of repairs.

~Good Morning & green tea clinks to all!!!~
Its funny yall are talking about tea vs coffee cuz, ive been thinking about that, too?! Ive been such an emotional mess the past few weeks & decided to get back to my healthy drinks. For some reason, just even the first maybe 4 sips of coffee is enough. After that im fine with green tea or lemon water, etc. It seems just psychological?!?
I was hoping to report the staging area table was now clear, BUT, its almost clear AND the decisions are made on the remaining few items! YEA! That was the hard part, cuz the few things left i was stuck on, but i found good spots for them!
My car needs work again & im going to rent a truck again so i can take loads to the dump! That will make a huge difference! :D
~♡~Happy Homes, Homies!!!~♡~ ;D

Good Morning Everyone :)
"Clink!"

Hi Anonymoniker:)
WTG! Congratulations for being such a wish non-shopper.
(((HUGS)))
Bet you will get a lot of use out of that simple black dress, so much potential there.
Hope you had wonderful success clearing the staging table. :D
Your family plan sounds very sound and a very grown up way to handle things.

Hi Tatoulia :)
I was taught that a nice cup of tea is required for almost any of life's problems.
Tea and sympathy doesn't fix the problems but it does help.
It's what civilized people do.
And when someone's sick or injured the tea is especially important.
Also important is what you put in the tea depending on whatever ails you. LOL :D
It's so wonderful that you and your Mom have this beautiful close relationship. (((HUGS)))
WTG! for all you have taken to donation and for noticing that the counter needs some attention again. ;)

OK, thinking today I will go restock some food supplies.
Still early enough in the month to not have too many holiday shoppers to get through.
There will still be that annoying music to suffer through though.
The orchestral music is alright, it's the singing jingles that get on my nerves.
I am running out of fresh fruit and veg. Have only 2 pears and one lemon and one pomegranate left.
Yesterday I did the real house cleaning, not just a tidying up.
Still need to do the ceiling fan and I also noticed the dangly crystals on the dining area light are looking less sparkly & need cleaning too.
There's always something...
It's soooo cold here and won't get above 36F today. :(

Congratulations Anony! You are making great decisions on clothes! No need for any more closet decorations! Tillie I too love a cup of tea/just not as an AM drink (big exception--iced tea in the summertime!). You're right about the differences in coffee and tea drinkers! One thing that really struck me is how after one of those recent tragedies in London, people took to twitter to offer people shelter. Without exception, each person mentioned tea -- as in "I have a spare bedroom with two beds and will put the kettle on". I do love the civilized nature of tea and so enjoy my afternoon cuppa. Plus, if I'm cold, nothing will warm me quite like a cup of tea. But, AMs are for coffee!

Great time with mom today. We went to see some old decorations from the 1950s and had coffee and blueberry muffins. So sweet and wonderful. She's so great to be with, and I try to remind her of that. I'll never tell her enough.

I've showered (mainly just to warm up). I worked on the front hallway a bit more and I just emptied the dishwasher. Two big bags of trash out. I was too cold to take the recycling out and I have a bunch. It has piled up on me.

I am going to wrap a gift I got last week for mom (immersion blender for squash soup). And I have another gift for her that I got back in September that I keep forgetting about.

I have to go clean my kitchen counter, too, because it's looking a little sad and I have been so happy to see it clean each AM.

Did I mention that I got three bags to goodwill on Sunday? Pretty pleased about that. Need another. I may follow SubC's lead and reduce some Christmas things. It will feel good.

~Good Morning Wonderful Peeps!~
I am starting to feel better about my 'family' situation. I think if they do plan to come, i will clarify a few things by email first & then i can more easily let go of cumulated resentments better, while we are together. ~♡~
Its not bitter cold where i live, but i love to wear cozy tights under dresses in the winter! It feels like pajamas, yet is still festive & pretty!
My friend & i went to a George Harrison appreciation celebration last night & i wore a 30 year old dress that i still love. We went in the gift shop & as much as i could really use some new, practical clothes, i could see nothing in the shop fit that description. A few years ago i wouldve bought several interesting things that wouldve 'decorated my closet' for years to come, but im amazingly realistic now?! I did buy a cozy & practical black dress last week that i can do a lot with & it was inexpensive, tho from a nice department store. I guess im bragging that im really at a good place in terms of shopping now!
Today im going to finish clearing my staging area table! YEA! ~♡~Love to you all!~♡~

Good Morning Everybody :)
"clink!"

Hi Subclinical :)
Wonderful that you are finished sorting out and rehoming thanksgiving décor!
WTG!
That's the best part about Winter, we can keep foods longer in a cold storage area.
Soon I will be defrosting my deep freezer because I can now just put it all in a box outside and it won't thaw.
Happy the concert was very good :D
YEA! for your "staging table" being a neat, pretty and functional space!

Hi Tatoulia :)
Have a WONDERFUL time today with your Mom sightseeing all the Winter displays! :D
Bet your home is starting to look very pretty and festive with your decorating.
Sorry about the coffee/tea conundrum.
I know how dedicated coffee drinkers suffer when they discover I only have tea to offer them.
My Grandfather made me a dedicated tea drinker when I was just a little girl.
We had some of our best heart to heart talks sitting by the kitchen table drinking tea before the sun rose, while all the rest of the house were still sleeping.
When he passed my Granma gave me his favorite tea pot and I still have it all these years later.

I still have absolutely no motivation to clean but I am determined to do so anyways.
I'm at a point where I feel "why bother?" nobody is coming to visit and the place will just return to it's present state in a week or less anyway.
But I know that kind of "stinking thinking" just exacerbates everything that's wrong.
When the house is clean I am less prone to depression and other negative feelings & thoughts.
When the house is clean I feel motivated to play and do fun projects.
OK, time to get dressed and have at it! :D

Tea clinks! (I am out of coffee). I have today off tonsoend with mom to do a few holiday things (mainly going to see some Christmas displays--no shopping)

My wreaths are up as are my battery operated candles. I devoatated the common hallway/not yet finished. I only have one gift to buy and I am done with that nonsense.

My next gingerbread house will be constructed on Sunday with two girlfriends. One of them I met in gingerbread school and I see her only once a year, when we have brunch and work on our houses. Should be fun. This is traditionally the house that I give to BF.

I love tea but honestly in the AMs I just want coffee.

<clink>

I love jeans and wear them all the time. I love pretty dresses too - the fancier the better, but rarely get to go anywhere I can wear them. (The concert was very good. I also like to stand at the balcony rail during intermission and look at everyone else's pretty dresses, but it was so cold most people were in pants this time. Dissapointing.)

I heard back from my son, so I can box his thanksgiving items up for him and put the rest in the goodwill box.

Then I will put the Christmas centerpiece on the "staging table" and just use it for gifts or eating.

I go back to the food bank today. The bread from last week isn't gone, but it isn't moldy either. It's been in the very cold garage.

LOL Tatoulia :)
Now you are sounding like my Granma, always saying
"we will go have fun just as soon as I wash these dishes, promise."
The wreathes on your bedroom windows sounds so lovely.
Happy you have them this year. :)
I have 4 skirts now but I so seldom wear them. Used to have more than that but could no longer justify keeping around things that I probably would never wear.

Just been puttering around in here today.
The sun is shining but it's very windy and bitterly cold out there.
Have put all my house cleaning supplies/things together in a small bucket.
Out where I will see it all day today.
Hoping that this will give me the motivation to clean tomorrow.
I will clean anyways but I want to want to. ;P

Your dresses sound so nice, Tillie. It's good to have a solid collection. I rarely wear pants and hate jeans (although I own one pair). I have skirts and suits, too, but only because they are good for work and when teaching or making presentations.

I am sitting in car right now while brother is in grocery store. I just don't have what it would take to go in today. Even though I need stuff, I'd rather go without.

We just bought my wreaths. I haven't had any the last two years due to $$ issues and I can't go a third year without them. They look so pretty on my bedroom windows.

Yesterday I uttered words Im not sure I've ever said before--BF was calling to see when I'd be stopping by and I said, "as soon as I finish the dishes". Yup, I'm keeping up with my dishes!!!

Wishing you peace and love.

Good Morning Everyone :)
Tea "clink!"

Hi Anonymoniker :)
YEA! for working on clearing your staging area table! :D
Follow your heart with family matters.
But we are allowed to request they treat us civilly and respectfully.

Hi Subclinical :)
YEA! for a lovely, no mall shopping day! :D
WTG! for continuing to find things you can donate.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Thank you.
Wishing you a good day today.
Good luck with your plans for later tonight. ;)

Today, what am I doing?
Thinking about tomorrow and doing some badly needed house cleaning.
He has had way too many days off from work and he is so messy that the housework falls far behind.
And I refuse to follow him around all day cleaning up after him.
But today I have no idea what I will do...
Went through all my dresses yesterday.
Checked them for condition, no mending required.
Ironed some that could use a bit of ironing.
There are 24 dresses. Some fancy go to weddings/parties in, some nice go to town or other gatherings in, some for hanging out around the house in and some that I wear when cleaning or gardening.
None are ratty, thread bare or rags.
Decided that since I always wear dresses except in the bitterly cold Winter that 24 dresses is not too many. ;D

Good morning!

I was home last night (BF working) and I did all of my laundry. Everything's folded and put away. I am seeing brother today so I'm having a cup of coffee before setting out.

I would like to do some cleaning tonight and finish getting my box for overseas packed.

Glad the pj excursion was cancelled. How was the concert, SubC?

so what are you doing today?

Anony, hurray for your staging table! I hope you find a solution to your family that brings you peace.

I was spared the shopping yesterday because dh tummy wasn't feeling well. He rallied for our date though, so it was a good day!

I hung some lights and surprised myself by finding a string I can donate. My box is getting full and will be dropped off soon.

Anony, every night I prayed to be comfortable with my choices. I hope you can do whatever you need to do with your family. I was often criticized for my good nature toward various family members (I don't fight other people's battles for them) and I'd respond with, at the end of the day I need to be comfortable with my choices.

While I do not want you to be in a hazardous spot with your family, if you will live with lifelong regret by refusing to see them, then do not refuse. I don't know what's best for you other than asking you to make the choice that you are most comfortable with.

Tillie the state of your yard is so distressing to me. You deserve better.

Gingerbread was fun. I made a bank building.

~Good Morning to all!~
Ive been having a really hard time over all the stuff with my family. I may just be super upfront with them about some of these things. They should remember i used be super blunt, even to a point of shocking...ha ha I may even email them about some things i want them to know. Id feel less resentful that way, i think? Id been contemplating just telling them no, that i can not emotionally survive such a visit, and then, in just a few days, 2 people i know had a parent die...so, that was a wake up call.....i dont know if i could survive never seeing them again, knowing id said 'no'...
Also, things keep ending up with my place & in my life, where i have to just depend on myself. No one is going to save me from anything.
Ive got most of my staging area table clear. Im feeling very hopeful about that!
~♡~Love to you all!!!~♡~

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi from tomorrowland Subclinical. ;D
Broken mirror art project sounds interesting
and shiny. :D
Hoping you have a fantastic weekend.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Happy that the mirror pieces are all gone!
I think trash companies aren't too particular about how we dispose of large dangerous glass shards because they are a public hazard and better off anywhere else besides our homes.
I want to smell baking gingerbread, makes the house smell so wonderful.

I am so in the mood to purge things.
My stuff has been gone through with a fine toothed comb and is alright.
But I hate seeing all that other stuff in the yard.
It has sat out there for years & decades.
I want to have those derelict vehicles towed away.
Then I would like to clear the volunteer tree jungles and reclaim the land for humanity.
If wishes were nickels we'd all be millionaires. ;P

Oops! I don't watch Dr Who but I'll gladly be Dr When! As in, when did SubC say she had plans?!?

Have a bag of donations ready to go! Will takevto cat and then will have three bags to drop off tomorrow!

Have a great day everyone!!!!

Which one of you is dr who? You are writing me from tomorrow!

Today was just school. I did end up having a really good day with the kids, so that was good.

I am just relaxing this evening by the fire. It's a good break between a busy school week and tomorrow's tree/pajamas/shopping/concert.

Gingerbread school definitely sounds like fun!

Good Evening :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Hoping/wishing you had a WONDERFUL time getting a tree and attending the concert. :D
Hope you were able to avoid the mall and that your husband changes his mind about your PJs.


Hi Tatoulia :)
Gingerbread school?
Sounds like sooooo much fun! ;D
Happy you had a good day today and tomorrow's house building sounds like a blast!

HI HI HI EVERYBODY ELSE! :D

Did a small load of laundry and a teeny tiny load of rags.
Did some other stuff too but mostly just reminisced and daydreamed the day away.
Hung out with the cats, held Marty a lot and played with Scooter. :D

SubC thank you for your support and good advice. No sign of the mirror anywhere--looks like garbage picked it up!

Did you get your tree? I suppose you are st the concert now. I hope the pajama situation wasn't too stressful.

I'm home. Just had dinner. Took a half day off work and spent with mom. And BF. Had a good time. Tomorrow am making the first of my gingerbread houses. Will do at a girl friend's house. Years ago we went to Gingerbread School together. She's got two little kids and it is going to be great fun.

It sounds like the mirror didn't break well for me anyway.

It also sounds like the mirror might have been the type to be coated with mercury, so I think throwing out the pj's and slippers was just fine. If you have a bag in your vacuum, please throw that out as well. Even if it is not full.

I'm glad the mirror wasn't someth8ng important to you.

My goal for today is to get through teaching and have the kids have a good day.

Tomorrow we get our Christmas tree and go to a concert in the evening. Dh wants to start our Christmas shopping also and buy me pajamas because he hates my winter pajamas. I like them and I don't want to buy more th8ngs, so tomorrow will be stressful. He will probably make me go in the mall.

SubC when I was looking up whether the trash would take it, I did read how artists might enjoy the broken mirrors for art projects and I'll admit I thought if you. I have to tell you, it fell into two very large pieces and then a piece like a sword. The rest of the pieces were about the size of a stick of gum. There weren't many tiny shards. I just vacuumed the area some more to make sure. I also thought of you when I made the decision to throw out the pjs and the slippers but I really thought it for the best. There is no need to get cuts. Truly my only worry was the kitty. BF's first question when he got here was, do you still have all your toes?

Let me tell you, this was a giant, heavy old mirror. On the back it said Virginia Mirror Company. And now it's gone and truthfully I don't care one way or the other about it. I need some spackle and some paint.

Now that Tillie's gramma's solution has been rendered, I'm not worried about any bad luck. Plus I technically didn't break it. It jumped.

I've decided to wait til next week to take my garbage out. I don't want anyone to figure out it was me in the event it becomes an issue with someone. This way my shards won't be in the same group as the mirror pieces. Fingers crossed the city picks up and it doesn't break more. It's so thick that it would take a hammer to break it any further.

Again, til it gets out of my life, I'm going to do some fretting, I'm afraid.

In other news, I have a new cleaning spray and it's grapefruit scented and it just smells so fresh. I did wipe down kitchen counter and I dusted half of the bedroom today. I also used the spray on the granite topped table in my bedroom. I hope the spray encourages me to clean more.

Thank you for your support, Tillie & SubC.

CM, I am late, but I am very sorry about the bunny. Unfortunately bunnies live short lives. But it sounds like your had a good one.

I don't think mirror recycles.

But I wish we had "wonkavision" I have a pottery project I want to try and I just need a broken mirror....

Although, now is not a good time. Too many things underway.

Yay me for not taking tatoulia's mirror out of the trash - lol!

I am almost caught up on trash. I'm buried under creating lesson plans for the two weeks plus tomorrow between now and Christmas break though.

Thank goodness for the antidote! Will see right to it!

OH TATOULIA!
So glad nobody was injured!
The trash services out here have no problem taking broken glass/mirrors so you did the only thing possible to dispose of it.
Sorry this happened (((HUGS)))
OK, my Granma would tell you to stand there and turn around 3 times counter clockwise.
Then "spit" on the ground where the mirror broke.
Since spitting inside Granma's house was strictly forbidden I did a sort of pantomime spit.
This way you will never have any bad luck from breaking a mirror. LOL :D
Please wear slippers around the room for a while still just in case a sliver is hiding.
I think you have done a very thorough job of cleaning the area.
WTG! :D

Sitting on your lap is Marty's job. I'm sure if you ask him who should dhave the dishes he'll point to Scooter!

Well my day went a little differently than planned but I'm good with it.

As I closed my closet door, my giant, heavy mirrror came crashing down. It damaged my bed table and knocked the lamp over but no one was hurt. I called BF to help. I picked up the smaller pieces (like swords) and we taped up the jagged edges of the five foot section and the two foot section. We put them as best we could in contractors bag and put out back. I sure hope either the garbage people tomorrow or the recycling people take them. I honestly don't know what else to do. All pieces under a foot I put in one of the grocery bags (the reusable ones) and then in a garbage bag.

I have vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed. There were no visible shards in bed but I've stripped it and am washing everything right now. Duvet washed and dried, coverlet in dryer and thin quilt in washer. I through out the slippers and the pjs that were on the floor. Not worth it.

I've dusted the table and the few things that were on it. I have to put the lamp back.

I just hope no one asks me about the giant mirror shards out back. Again, we've taped the sharp edges. I don't want to lie but I don't want to claim them, either. The city garbage site is silent on mirrors. The biggest shard wouldn't fit in the recycling bin.

OK...
I dusted somewhat
rounded up all cat toys
vacuumed the carpet
vacuumed cat trees & scratch posts
swept the floors
fed & watered cats
scooped litter boxes
cleaned the filters on the space heaters
watered house plants
Marty said it's now necessary that he sits on my lap.
I'm hungry and after I eat will clean the kitchen.
Most of the dishes are from the cats but they refuse to ever wash dishes.
They just say "not my job".

Good Morning Everyone :)
"clink!"

Hi Tatoulia :)
Thank you.
So, did you stay home or go in to work today?
It's so nice that you have a job that allows you to work from home some days. :)

I have a tiny post-it note about 1x1 1/2 inches big.
Have started listing todays To Do tasks on it and so far only thing I can think to do is wash dishes.
Of course I will do the usual everyday cat related stuff.
Still no need to grocery shop until sometime next week.
No need to leave home at all.
I really should dust but haven't found any motivation to do so.
Nobody is coming by and dust really doesn't bother me until it's much deeper than it is. ;P
Really should vacuum the carpet too but I hate having to crawl around on the floor gathering up all the cat toys that are everywhere.
It's just 8:15am here. Maybe I will find my motivation yet! :D
Last few mornings there has been frost on everything outside. It's beautiful to look at and melts away shortly after the sun hits it.
Want to do laundry but don't have enough to make it worth running the machine.

Tillie I love hearing how you assess your things and do regular deep cleaning.

Today I worked from home and finished up some laundry. All loads only. I kept up with dishes and mainly just worked. Met friends for dinner then had a lecture to go to. I'm just hanging out with kittycat now.

I should go to office tomorrow yet I do not feel like it do I likely will stay home.

Good Morning Everyone :)
"CLINK!"

Hi CriticalMass :)
You did a wonderful job helping Bunny and making her as comfortable as possible.
Know in your heart that she appreciated everything you did for her and she passed knowing she was well loved.
((((((HUGS))))))

Hi Subclinical :)
WTG! for continuing gathering and taking care of all your recyclables and trash!
Just keeping up with all that really helps keep things in some order while you are busy with your hectic schedule. :D

Hi Tatoulia :)
(((HUGS))) So happy you are removing your "ghost squalor" from your head.
You have done the physical decluttering work and now you are doing the psychological work.

Spent all day yesterday sorting out and straightening my cubby hole of a closet in my room.
It's where I keep my linens mostly.
It was a fun relaxing activity, working slowly, pulling out everything and evaluating them all critically.
Some washcloths and hand towels are now demoted to the rag cupboard.
A sheet with too many cat made rips/tears/holes is now destined for the no-kill animal shelter.
Switched out tablecloths.
Decided one flannel sheet was now demoted to cat blankie.
One pillow case joined the animal shelter donation bag.
Wiped the closet shelves and put stuff back all neat & tidy.
Now my mind is at peace knowing that I have enough of everything and what I have is still good and useable. :D

Cm I am so sorry about the bunny. I know you kept her comfortable and happy right up to the end. Sending love.

I'll be back soon with a general post, but just wanted to say that our ailing bunny girl passed away in the night. We knew she was declining more rapidly but this was sudden. Though when they have to put so much of their strength into things like moving around, it no doubt puts a strain on their hearts and so on. Hope she didn't suffer long at the end.

Thanks so much to all of you as you followed our struggle to keep her as comfortable as possible - it means a lot.

Coffee clinks!

I dropped the recycling and some trash yesterday and took a bunch of plastic bags to the grocery drop.

Dh did all the shopping last week and he always gets plastic bags :(. But I appreciate the shopping part, so...

Today is teaching and grocery store and I need to put the thanksgiving decorations away.

I also need to take more trash. We generated three plastic grocery bags over the holiday, plus I got behind on the feed bags.

Good day at work. I stayed til after 8 then walked home. When I came in, much to my surprise I saw the space in my house instead of the junk. Your words really reached me yesterday, Tillie. Thank you.

Hey SubC, I live in a city so twice a week trash pickup is a must! Now we have bins out back for recycling so we can bring out any time. Big improvement over the old way, when re lung was picked up once a week and had to be held inside. GET THIS/-just like on TV, I used to live in a tall building in the city and we had a trash chute so I could (and did) dump my trash nightly. My apartment was almost always guest ready.

Tillie that's very interesting about the phantom pain from hoarding. I am much more peaceful today, having read that last night and mulled it over.

Have a great day everyone. I need to get ready to go to my office. Haven't been there in one week!

Hi Tess, good luck with your next project!

CM, I bet the mess isn't as bad as you think.

I hope you get your house ready in time and that you get your pie. I wish I could share my pumpkin pie with you.

Tatoulia, i've Never lived anywhere with trash pick up more than once a week. That is surprising to me!

I need to take trash and recycling when I go to work and class today. It piled up from the holiday and me staying home.

I did burn the burnable trash from the garage yesterday, but I didn't add any scrap from the shop.

I also brought home way to much bread from the food bank yesterday. Ruth had bagged it all up in a garbage bag and told one of the guys to take it to my car. I guess I will feed as much as I can to the chickens and if it starts to go bad, I will spread it in the woods for the other critters.

Hello Everyone :)

Hi Subclinical :)
WAY TO GO! with all your disbursing of unneeded items! :D
I love when I can light the burn barrel. Feels so good that all that stuff is good & gone and I no longer need to be responsible for any of it. :D

Hi Tess :)
Wonderful that you were able to get all that off your chest!
That's the best kind of decluttering there is. :D

Hi CriticalMass :)
Sorry that all those loose ends are frustrating all your efforts to tie them all up.
When the weather is too nasty to work outside
please take the time to make yourself that pie.
You have earned it. (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
I believe you are suffering with "GHOST SQUALOR".
When a person has lived with clutter/squalor for so many years, even when the home is so much better, the "ghost squalor" remains in the person's mind.
It's not really there but the feeling that it is still remains.
This is where having some before pictures can really help you to see all the improvements you have made.
Take time to sit and look around. Think of all the things you have removed and all the things you have cleaned just this past year.
Remember how it was before the new drapes & chandelier and compare it to now.
Chase away, exorcise that ghost squalor.
You have made such WONDERFUL progress (((HUGS)))
WTG!
But you better ask Kitty about donating a blanket.
Cats are all big time hoarders. ;D

Well, he did go to the dump with a small truck load, mostly just regular household trash.
I tried to clean the bathroom today but he was just right there behind me messing it up again.
Thinking tomorrow I need the day off to recover from his days off.
He did not pick up all that garbage in his bedroom.
That would have made his trip to the dump worthwhile.
Anyway, I rearranged the bowls in the cupboard just because I was bored. LOL ;P

Checking in. All garbage out. Recycling out. Clothes to woman at mom's is out. Dishes done. Cat blankets washed and put away.

But I still feel like my house is a pigsty.

Tillie! I have a half a bag for the person in the assisted living. Found one more dress and three sweaters for her. All freshened up. Only a small bag for goodwill so far. Like you, I love the feeling of having a full bag to go. But I'll get rid of what I can!

Fingers crossed for Steven, which translates into fingers crossed for you.

Cm, I relate to the paralyzingly nature of loose ends. I am suffering a bit of that too and it's making me crazy.

Tess! Glad you are here and that your heart is mending! SubC keep moving forward--I'm glad that you are able to have your children take so many of the items. I have had to
Learn to take solace in the opposite, as I have no children and no nieces or nephews. So I've rearranged my mind to not hang onto stuff since there is no one to take it. Hard lesson for me.

I will have an enormous amount of trash and recycling today. Fantastic feeling!

Washing cat blankets and bed right now. Will perhaps decide to donate one of the blankets.

Morning all...

HI PORTER!!

Ups and downs lately, and intermittent bouts of mental funk. Mainly caused by too many LOOSE ENDS and time being chopped up. Time spent regrouping from one outing or obligation or preparing for another. Loss of focus, moodiness. Late November is a vulnerable time for me, time of past sad events - my grandpa's death, my own serious mental "crashes," and the departure from my foreclosed family home.

So I have to do whatever works to keep the faith and let go of the past. Easier sometimes than other times. The "loose ends" I mentioned above include: Still not having the furnace repaired, though we've heard from the guy now so there's reason for hope it will happen. Having to scrape, sand, and paint on the house to seal it for winter - and running into glitches of weather, etc., along the way, and racing against the short daylight hours.

I'm going to go sit evenings this week with my elderly lady. I would rather have daytime shifts but this is how it worked out. (I just don't fancy driving home later - but it's not terribly late, and there'll be Christmas lights to enjoy.) In the daytimes, dare I hope I can get the quilting markings on my quilt in time so we can put it in the frame when the current quilt is finished.

The clutter around here is getting aggressive like a tentacled creature from a bad sci-fi flick, and trying to strangle us all. The projects like the house painting take me away from being able to deal with it, and we all know how clutter unattended procreates and expands. My scribbled notes on little pieces of paper alone are threatening to bury me. The worse it gets, too, the more cranky I get at not being able to do relaxing and enjoyable projects.

Roommate was home so I got less solitude; this week I'll at least get that in the daytimes. Hoping it'll help me get centered again. I didn't bake pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving because I was just too fatigued. Hope to do that sometime soon - though no pressure if I don't. I just enjoy pumpkin pie and would like to have some.

Must make a trip to the pharmacy to pick up one Rx and submit a couple others. Don't know if it'll work out that I could just wait on those or if I'll have to make a 2nd trip this week. Guess I'd better get started so I can get back and try to get the painting done. The forecast for today was originally for a warm sunny day - every few days we've been having record warmth - but now they say it'll be winds 30-35 mph. I don't want to be way up on a ladder in that, yet I would SO like to have the painting behind me. So I guess all I can do for now is make my pharmacy run and then come back and see what conditions are like.

Hi everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

First, thank you all so much for the kind words a couple weeks ago. You are all right. The issue is with him. He's got some work to do. We talked a lot over the last couple weeks. I think he now understands that I'm angry and he understands why. We'll never have a relationship, but it felt soooo good to get that off my chest.

I've been in Montana since my last post, so no housekeeping has gotten done. I'm back home now and ready to tackle another project after work. Wish me luck!

Now I'm off to catch up on your posts. Looks like you guys have been busy. I'll post more later. <3

Good morning!

I still need to send my boy a photo of the kitchen / thanksgiving stuff.

Dd1 took the box of hats, gloves, scarves that had been set aside for a mitten tree. (For the mitten tree at her church)

Dd2 took a flower pot in which she planted a small cedar tree from our yard to serve as her new boyfriend's first "real" Christmas tree. (Dorm)

Today I go to the food bank and donate the pad Thai sauce that dd2 bought without realizing it had chicken broth in it.

I also plan to have a small fire this afternoon to clean up some of the non-recyclable (wax or food contaminated) paper/cardboard waste and unusable scrap from the shop.

Tatoulia, good job on cleaning out and not shopping!

Tillie, I hope Steven surprises you pleasantly today.