Yesterday I cleaned my bedroom from top to bottom in an effort to give my SO back part of the house. it took hours but i actually finished it. I realised the reason he can't see my progress is because if it isn't finished it doesn't look like anything to him. today I'm going to work on the den so he has a proper workspace. I'll be posting before and after pics once it's finished over on Candy's before and after thread.

I posted a new entry on How to Help a Hoarder, How to talk with a counselor about hoarding. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Good morning, all!
What a great discussion we had last night! I wish I could have hung in a little longer but it was after midnight here, I had gotten up early, and I just couldn't stay awake any longer.
Today:
1. One hour of outside yardwork. One hour only! (I'll have to set the timer. It is really gorgeous out today and the temptation will be to keep finding more outdoor projects to finish.) I need to tear out some vines, finish trimming, and fix the fence on the south side.
2. Clean out the car. My mailbox is at the end of the driveway and I tend to just throw mail on the front seat when I go somewhere. The important stuff goes in the house when I return, but the junk mail has accumulated. I also have two Christmas presents in there that I don't want to keep.
3. Continue decluttering the entry and living room. Tomorrow is trash day and the toter will hold three more contractor bags.
4. Talk to my neighbor about picking up the mail and mowing for me while I am gone.
Have a great day all!

Good morning, everybody!

Karl: Great on getting all that accomplished. By the way, I appreciate your commitment to the chats and the role you play in facilitating them. Super!

Me: I did get my goals done for yesterday. I realized after getting to my work spot that my weed issue is worse than I thought. I also spy poison ivy (or at least that is what I think it is) in that area, so I'm having to take extra precautions as I work there. I didn't get finished with the work, but I got a decent start.

Goals for today: Get laundry that I did last night dried and put away. Spend fifteen minutes (at least) working in the BIT book. Spend ten minutes on paperwork. Review my plan for the week I worked on Sunday. Make a business phone call related to insurance. Spend at least an hour working on weeds and/or yard debris, and do what I can to stay away from the poison ivy! Also, add to my gratitude list.

Hugs to all.

Karl: Way to go on the insurance forms! And cool idea for keeping the blank pieces of paper handy.

Roxie: Thanks for satisfying my curiosity about the saw. That's exactly what I have, and I love it. I have that, the weed whacker, and a hedge trimmer, and they all work really well for me. Yes, you might need to heal a bit more before you can use them as much as you want, but I'll bet you'll really like them when you're able to make full use of them. (No, B&D isn't paying me to say that. Ha.) By the way, when I posted a few weeks ago (April 11 or so) about getting a wire caught in a tool, that's what it was: it got caught up in that saw. (Glad to have it back up in running order again.) Hope your appointment goes/went well.

Dianne: Hope your "cat free" time goes well.

Tillie: Hope you have fun playing today!

Me: I did (eventually) get a decent amount of sleep last night. I'm pleased that even with all the outside work yesterday and with the high pollen count here, I'm still headache free at this point. (Yea!)

Goals for the rest of today: Add to my gratitude list, and (with sunscreen on) go attack some overgrown weeds and work on cleaning some yard debris. I also need to run the dishwasher. I will probably post more later.

Hugs to all.

Good morning :)

Hi Violet :)
So great you are getting support and understanding from Ax. :D
WAY TO GO! for all you are doing!

Hi LR2014 :)
Yes, Barb's list of rules is for everybody who wants to maintain the home and keep it from getting out of hand.
FANTASTIC work you have been doing working through BIT! :D

Hi Karl :)
YEA! for working on those insurance papers! :D
WTG! developing new systems for the scrap paper clutter.
Your plans for today are great! ;)
Last Saturday the grocery store here was all out of Esater candy, all gone. Good that I got mine when I did.

Hi Roxie :)
Ever since I first saw that alligator saw, I have wanted one.
But my hands and arms probably wouldn't be able to work it, too weak & wimpy.
This is "the spouse of a hoarder website".
The only place I have found that allows non clutterers to participate fully.
Good luck with that new doctor today. :)

Hi Dianne :)
You had me smiling and laughing with the tale of your day with the kittens. :D
Pets do take up a lot of our time, but only if we are doing it right.
Those fur babies are so fortunate to have you loving them. (((HUGS)))

Dark, cold and rainy day here.
The cats are all fussy and keep telling me to bring back the sun beams, like I can control the weather.
I am all caught up with the laundry & dishes. The house was cleaned yesterday.
Except for the usual daily stuff, I have the whole day off. :)
Planning to play all day!
Hope you all have a fun day too :)

Barb: About your post on the other thread . . . even though I live alone these days, I think I should post that list of rules just for myself!

Vi: It's so good to hear your progress. I'm glad Ax is trying to understand.

Tillie: I'm sorry you hurt your hand!

Me: I did go do my outside work today at that rural area. I used my "protective gear," and especially the dust mask. (It was really a high-pollen day!) Did a lot of walking in the process. I got good and tired, so maybe I'll sleep well tonight. I also did some "in town" outside work, like bagging up some leaves and dealing with some weeds. Got lots of laundry done and took it to the Laundromat to dry. Have put away some of it but not all of it.

As for my work in the BIT book . . . the next stage was for me to start taking "before" pictures. The thought of doing that doesn't bother me, but I was tired and didn't want to start on it tonight. I started to write "Am moving my BIT work goal to tomorrow." But then I thought, "I can get at least one small room done tonight, and then I won't have to fess up on the message board that I didn't get any of it done today." That was just enough motivation for me to get up and start taking some pictures. They are loaded onto my computer now. I started with the two smallest and easiest rooms (the bathrooms). I even took pictures of what was inside the cabinets. I had been wondering where I put my bathroom scales. What do you know? They were in the bathroom! (They were inside one of the cabinets, and I hadn't thought to look there!)

Have a good evening, all.

Good Mourning, it is rainy and cold outside so again the garage has to wait, so instead my focus will be on the den. The Den, is by far the worst of the rooms and I'll be working at getting boxes sorted and items pared down to fewer and few things. mostly it's books, but I have thrown out all the old magazines that no one has read in forever, anything that was torn, and put the old how to baby books into the donation pile. I'd keep them, but the man and I have decided our two kids are enough :)
Speaking of the man, let's call him Ax, has been really supportive lately. Ever since I've found you guys he's been more willing to talk to me earnestly about the problem without getting angry or hurt. He's really been stressing the importance of keeping the new place in order and clean and though i fully agree with him and really do want that I still feel completely ashamed that he feels he HAS to tell me that. But the truth is he has just as much invested in our home as I do and he's relying on me to keep the house and kids in check. Sometimes it's easy for me to dismiss him mentally with thoughts like he just doesn't understand or, it's too hard, and a million other excuses, but it's not right. I should be able to handle this no problem. granted I didn't create this mess all by my lonesome, but I have been the one in control of it from the very beginning. Self control hasn't been my strong suit, but it has to be now. I can't have the things I want for myself or the kids if i can't let go of the BS and excuses and just get it done.
last night I was telling him about some of the good things you guys have taught me, and i can see he's a bit irritated, so I tell him I'm sorry that it's taken me so long. He actually listened to my explanations about why I haven't listened to him, but somehow i get it when you guys talk. He says that sometimes I have to hear it from someone outside for me to get it. he's right. he also understands that it's going to be hard for me to keep it in check. I'm really glad that he's trying so hard to be patient and that he's trusting me with the things that are so important to us both.
Thanks again you guys. I may not ever be able to stop saying thank you.
I'll check back in tonight with today's progress. Have a great day, all of you

Also, ceciliab, if you come back and read this I really hope you can come back on Tuesday to our meeting. We were really sad when we couldn't talk to you last night and hope you come back, particularly me since it seems our current problems are very similar :)

Good morning :)

Last night was another GREAT chat session! :D

Hi Dianne :)
Glad you were able to get that leak fixed fast.
Yes, the hoarding and neglected repairs/maintenance here has made a lot of simple repairs into major and expensive projects too.
Hope you & the kitties had a pleasant and peaceful day together. :)

Hi Minnie :)
So wonderful meeting you in chat last night! :D

Hi LR2014 :)
Great thinking things through about what you brought in!
WAY TO GO! for that and all you have been doing! :D

Hi Violet :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D
Keep up all the wonderful progress you are making by tossing the things that don't fit in with your vision of your new life. :D

Hi Roxie :)
WAY TO GO! for keeping up with the little tasks.
They all add up and are important too.
Your delivery stuff sounds interesting, I like that kind of stuff too. ;)

Hi Diane :)
Hi Karl :)
Hi SusanL :)
Hi Susanl's friend :)

Hello, hello, hello to all who read here too. :)

My plan for today is to do the usual weekly cleaning...
bathroom, floors, wiping stuff, etc.
Hurt my right hand yeaterday, banged it hard.
Today it is sore and stiff.
Should feel better if I just "walk it off" and use it.
Dark & cloudy today with a chance of thunder storms. Good day to keep busy inside.

Happy Monday! :D

Good morning, everybody.

Roxie: Yes, it is great to know that people care. As a matter of fact, I was just getting ready to post the things below, and I said to myself: Wait! Hit "refresh," because Roxie has probably posted something by now! And I was right. (See, I kind of even know your schedule by now!) A "tea" clink to you! By the way, the batteries I mentioned below fit that saw I talked about, and I plan to use it today.

Yes, vi, it was a good meeting last night! Glad you are able to get rid of so much stuff!

My BRB comment last night turned out to be a stretch. I'd been awake since 3am and since my brain was also on Benadryl by the time the chat started, let's just say I had a "little" (uh, yeah, right) nap after I left the computer. I did eventually come back. (I have witnesses.) Sorry about that . . . and I'm sorry for my own sake, because I almost certainly missed a lot of good stuff. I tried reading what I'd missed, but there was just too much to catch up on. I'll just have to live with my feelings of deprivation for what I missed. So glad to meet the new people who joined in.

As for my goals for yesterday . . . I thought I did them all, but I saw this morning that I didn't add to my gratitude list. Did that one this morning.

I discovered yesterday that a package I'd ordered had been delivered, and I went to the delivery place to go pick it up. I spent a lot of time thinking about that package as I brought it home. "Is this adding to my clutter?" There were three things in the package. Two were replacement 18v tool batteries. I already had taken the worn out ones to a recycling place earlier in the week, so no . . . those weren't adding to my clutter. Two in, two out. Plus, they were making my tools fully usable again. The third item I'd ordered was one that will be used up in the next few months. The empty box? I found a very good reason to (sacrilege of sacrileges) get rid of it, and I did so. (Shhh . . . don't tell my old self that I got rid of a brand new box!) Conclusion: I did OK.

Plans for today: I plan to mail off a finished project. (Found items needed to finish that project when I was working last week on that bedroom, and I was able to finish it pretty quickly after that.) Weather and allergies permitting, I plan to go do outside work at that rural area I've talked about. (Yes . . . with already-loaded gloves, dust mask, goggles, boots, etc. I will also try to get back inside before it gets too hot. Hydration, yes . . . heat strokes, no. Thanks, Tillie.) I need to check on things out there, and I think the exercise I get out there will help me a lot with my sleep (less likely to wake up at 3am). I will probably also work in the BIT book and finish laundry.

Happy Cinco de Mayo. And by the way, although May 5 is a significant day in Mexican history, it is not (contrary to popular belief) Mexican Independence Day. That is in mid-September. Regardless, it sounds to me like a good excuse to eat Mexican food today and celebrate.

Have a super day, all!

today i did not a whole lot, but did nearly finish the dishes :) tomorrow I'll pack up the rest of the ones I can pack and will work on the den. and I'll toss some more stuff because I don't bloody want it anymore :)

good meeting tonight

Minnie: I am sooo glad you found us. Welcome! Please keep coming back here and posting. I see in the things Tillie wrote you below that she's told you about the chat tonight. As an FYI, we each get a fifteen minute turn to "talk" about our situation. You can just "listen" if you wish; you don't have to share if you don't want to. During the chat, we share helpful ideas, progress, plans, frustrations, and much more. The best part is that we share friendship and encourage one another. I'm glad you are reaching out for help. You're right; with the right kind of help and the desire to do so, we can make this situation better. I'm sorry you are going through so much pain in your situation. Hugs.

Karl: You get a lot done by bike/scooter/bus. I'm impressed!

Roxie: A coffee cup salute to you, too! (OK, I'm really more of a tea person myself, but same idea.) I'm still wanting to know about your saw. (See bottom part of my May 2nd afternoon post.) And I agree with Dianne: I love your pretty pink font. : )

Dianne: I'm enjoying getting to know you, too! Thanks for the positive words. : )

Tillie: I'd forgotten it was Star Wars Day! Thanks for the reminder. Yes . . . we're not getting dust here per se, but it's a high wind day. Me and my allergies have decided to stay inside much of the day.

My goals for today: Add to my gratitude list, spend fifteen minutes working in the BIT book, spend ten minutes on paperwork, and work some on my plans for the week. More than likely, I will be at the chat tonight, but it's a little more uncertain than usual. If I'm not there, have fun without me. : )

Hugs to all.

Dianne
(((HUGS))) back ;)

Hi Minnie :)
Welcome!
So sorry to hear about your struggles. (((HUGS)))
There is a book I wish your husband would read
"Digging Out", helping your loved one manage clutter, hoarding & compulsive acquiring.
This book helps people to understand the condition and explains ways to help, not hurt.
Yelling and threatening never work and just matters worse.
Please join us here on this message board and we will cheer you on and say WAY TO GO! for all your accomplishments.
Tonight we have a SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPORT GROUP.
Starts at 5:00pm Pacific time.
The link is just to the right on this page, just click on it.
We would all be very happy to have you join us.
Hang in there! :D

What am I doing today? I just found this site while looking for a counselor that specializes in hoarding. I found one. I don't know yet if she is on our insurance plan or not. My life is out of control. My husband is so angry, cold, full of rage and is acting like he hates me. My house is a mess. I am a hoarder but not at the TV show level yet. But it is getting worse. My marriage is at crisis level and there is no one currently I can talk to. So I'm sitting here in bed writing this. I believe I can make this house better. On Friday I cleaned in the family room because he had complained about it. Was he happier? No. He was mad that my art area is getting worse. Big fight on Saturday. I can't clean it all at once. Whatever I do accomplish, he acts like it is nothing and gets mad about some area I didn't get to. I'm trying. He is threatening to move out to an apartment. We can't afford but he says he will do it anyway. I'm not begging him to stay. All the yelling in the world isn't going to help me get better.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU
Happy Star Wars Day. :)

Hi Jess :)
WAY TO GO! with all you are doing.
Keep up the great progress. :D

Hi LR2014 :)
Hope you find those "before" photos :)
Keep doing what you are doing and soon the place will look like it used to, so many years ago.
I like how that room now has the sunlight coming in. WAY TO GO!

Hi SusanL :)
YEA! wonderful you didn't over order.
(((hugs))) for the last fledgling leaving the nest.

Hi to SusanL's friend :D

Hi Violet :)
Congratulations getting accepted for the apartment you wanted! :D
WAY TO GO!!! for all you have gotten accomplished for the move! :D

Hi Karl :)
WAY TO GO! scoring all the freebie comic books. :D
And for planning your grocery purchases wisely. :D

Hi Roxie :)
I love to read all the posts here while I drink my morning tea. :)
A good "trick" is to challenge ourselves with a 5 or 10 minute challenge.
Think of a task/chore, set the timer and work at it till the timer goes off.
It is really amazing what we can accomplish in doing just a few timed challenges every day.

Todays weather forecast is "DUST" which means the winds will be raging all the live long day.
Tomorrow the forecast is scattered rain showers so my windows are still not washed.

Looking forward to Sunday night chat. :)
Have a happy day everybody! :D

Hi, SusanL (and hi to SusanL's friend, too). Good to hear you were able to use restraint and not order too much. Cool.

Vi: So great to hear about your new place and that you are making good progress on packing! Yea!

Me: Another thought about moving I've intended to mention. Some of you (maybe Barb, others) have talked about visualizing rooms without clutter. That would be very hard for me to do. But . . . when I first moved here (ages ago), I first brought over just my "essentials" and set them up. I took pictures of my place and thought, "Oh, if only this were all I had to bring over here!" Without all those extra boxes (boxes of papers, of this, of that), the place looked fairly nice. I took pictures of it in its "nice," pre-cluttered state. I still have those pictures . . . somewhere. I can use those (when I run across them) to help me visualize how I would like things to look now.

Hugs to all.

I also wanted to say that you guys are all doing so well, and thank you for the sympathy about my hands and the window, I'm totally good though because my SO is a helluva nursie and patched me right up once he got home.
Jess, I'm also moving. Don't feel so bad about it. moving is a wonderful opportunity to start over with the things you really truly love and to selectively acquire new things that you love even more. on top of that it means getting to meet new people who you may get to love even more than the stuff. And on top of that moving means you get to be free of all the anxiety from your old place because they won't be there when you step into the new place. Good Luck, Jess :)
I'm really looking forward to Sunday's meeting so I can chat with you all.

didn't post yesterday, sorry but I'm here now. Good news, we got approved for the apartment we wanted and we're hoping to go take a look tomorrow! I realized 80% of the stuff in the garage isn't coming with us and the other stuff will either be stored or will be an easy pack since most of that stuff is already boxed! Yesterday I was able to wash and pack most of the glass/ceramic dishes and just need to pack the rest of the storage containers and cooking stuff. I also put all the pantry items into easily grabbed boxes and cleared all the cupboards so everything is an easy go once we get our move in date. our Daughter's room is clean and mostly ready to go, 80% of the laundry is done, all of the extra blankets and such have been packed and I cannot wait to button up the rest of the house :)

Jess: Good to "see" you. I don't know if this relates to what you are feeling or not, but . . . sometimes, when I have to make a change of some sort (move to a new area, get a new job, and so forth), the feelings of leaving the familiar to go to the unfamiliar is unsettling. It helps me to remember that soon, the new place (new job, etc.) will stop being so new and will start feeling "old and comfortable" (and then eventually I won't want to leave that place/job, either). I do know that I don't like it when my "stuff" gets scrambled in a move. Just don't do what I did the last time. I packed a box that said, "Open this box first." (By now, I don't remember what all was in there, but it must have been important to me at the time.) A long time after I moved into my new place, I happened to be looking for something amidst the boxes that were stashed under my computer desk (boxes that, like many others, still hadn't been unpacked). What did I just happen to see under that computer desk? The box that I had labeled "Open first." Arrrgggghhh! Live and learn!

Barb: Glad you got to be with your friends! Happy mowing.

Dianne: Glad you are free to be back here. You said, " . . . life happens and then you get back in the saddle." Super attitude! Yes, that's just the reality of life sometimes. Thanks for the inspiration.

Tillie: Thanks for the comment. It does feel great when I can see a change in my thinking. Fresh lemonade? Haven't had any of that in a long time! Mmmmmm . . .

Me: I did all my goals for today. I decided I was running out of time to do the out-of-town thing, so I opted for the bedroom project instead. I spent more time cleaning in that bedroom than I spent actually dejunking it. One thing I did in there was to clean around the window area and take down and wash one of the curtains. I don't want to say how long that curtain had been up there! (Glad it's washable.) I'd forgotten how much light comes into that room when there are no curtains. The other rooms in my place are very dark and dreary, and there's no good way to let much sunlight into them. I may leave the curtains off in that bedroom and start spending more time in there once again just to enjoy the lovely sunshine! I'm itching to work on that room some more, and that feels good.

Have a good evening. Hugs to all.

Hi everyone :) Checking in.

I am in the process of moving so I am doing my best to hold it together. I don't like the feeling of not being in control of my surroundings. But I think it's going well so far! I'm boxing stuff up everyday and making some really decent progress.

Glad to see you all! I'm drawing inspiration from you lovely folks.

Happy Saturday everybody :D

Hi Barb :)
Sorry you have such creepy distructive neighbors :(
Hope the weather cooperates for you.
How wonderful that you "girls" all keep in touch and make the time for getting together. That is very special. :)

Hi LR2014 :)
WAY TO GO! for thinking things through and not doing that second system.
That shows how much you have changed in your thinking processes. :D

Hi Diane :)
YEA!!!! for that nasty neighbor leaving! :D
Happy you were able to fix the fence area to keep puppies safe in your yard. :D

Hi Dianne :)
So very wonderful that you are able to come back to the message board, we truly missed you here. (((hugs)))
That's right, life happens to all of us but you are so much farther along now than you were when you first started so it will be easier to pick up where you left off from. :)

WAY TO GO!!! Everybody!!! :D
you have all been doing so GREAT!!! :D

Slept in today since the morning was so beautifully cool and quiet and Scooter was snuggling so sweetly.
Then I wanted to go get some groceries.
Well, I got my groceries but first he made a stop at all the charity thrift shops and the pawn shop.
He didn't do too bad, didn't buy much at all.
YEA!!! :D
He did spend a long time in the pawn shop playing with an extremely expensive guitar but he is not a good enough guitar player to own such a great guitar.
Just hanging out at home now. Planning to make some fresh lemonade soon.
Going to play with my beads and later tonight watch the creature feature on tv.
Thinking about lemon squares a lot lately, maybe I should make some.

Later Taters :D

Hi friends,
This morning I met for breakfast with four girlfriends that I grew up with. We try to meet at least once a year. There are actually six of us, but two had family commitments. It means a two and a half hour drive for me each way, but I don't mind. We are all scattered now and living in 4 different cities and towns and 3 different states. We can call and email, but these face to face conversations are so important.
I am gong to take a short nap and then mow the yard. It is not raining today and I should be able to get it done.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Diane: Glad you have a shortcut now to your meter and that you're free from issues posed by that former neighbor.

One of my thoughts for the day is this: Sometimes, what I don't do during a day is just as important as what I do. I have a certain system set up at home to accomplish a certain task. I realized a couple of days ago that I have all the needed equipment (except a few items) to set up a similar system in another room. It would have been necessary to have bought a couple of things to set up this second system, at a cost of $40 or less. If one is good, two is better, right? (Uh, yeah, sure.)

Then I stopped myself in my "thinking" tracks. I don't really need this "second system." I don't need to go spend $40 and spend my valuable time to set up this second system. In the past, I might have mindlessly (and maybe even with some pride) spent the time and money to set it up. But this is how clutter happens. So I didn't. (Yea!)

Morning update: Well, I got some things over to the shred place. At first (before I went over there), I was a bit glum because I thought I'd be taking a lot more stuff to shred than I did. Then I realized that my "throw away" bag was quite heavy and full. One way or the other, a fair amount of stuff was going out the door. I felt much better when I realized that. Yea!

Goals for the rest of today: Add to my gratitude list, work in my BIT book for at least 15 minutes, put away the laundry that I didn't put away last night, and (probably) go out to that rural area to check on things and get some work done. (Yes , . . . with boots, gloves, goggles, a dust mask, bug spray, and sun screen, and a drink to stay hydrated with.) An alternate plan (if I don't go out to that rural area) is to work more on the floors in that bedroom and on dejunking it. Tonight, I plan to spend some time with a good friend.

Happy afternoon.

It is so great starting my day with reading your posts. Vi so great you are excited about this phase of your life, cleaning! Sorry about your window and arm. Every time I get injured it seems to be a wake up call to be more aware of what I am doing in the moment.
Roxie, was so happy to read your post, and see your blahs have gone and you got so much done. When I read about your metal detector I got so excited for you, and me. I have wanted a metal detector for years, it would be such a great reward for completing inside of house decluttering. How did you or he select that particular model. I get confused when I look online at them, not knowing what would work.
Yesterday I tried out my new back pack sprayer. I couldn't get 2 of the straps hooked on frame, the hooks appear to be too small. I thought I can do it without hooking. Well it was very heavy, I got the shoulder straps on, buckled waist strap stood up and fell over, it is so heavy. I got a little cart with wheels, put it on there and hauled it around yard, not convenient at all. Partially want to take it back to store, but the spray is so wide and forceful, really so much faster than other sprayers I have used.
The neighbor to my North moved out, he used to yell at his dog all the time, foul mouthed fellow, well I took the privacy screen down on that section of the fence. I pounded those t-posts in, they were wobbly. Made an opening in that section of fence so I can get to water meter quickly. It is one street below me and had to walk all the way around my property to get to it before, really was aware of the inconvenience this winter with pipes frozen, leaks, broken pipes etc. Once I made the hole, I got out there and cleaned up all the fire debris in my neighbors yard and moved it away from my property. I patched up all the areas where their dog had dug under my fence, moved my bark mulch back towards my property that dog had scattered across fence. Cut bottom branches and dead limbs off their tree that comes across the fence. Took many hours, but feel more secure that my dog sitting will be safer, so was well worth it. Have 3 dogs coming here this month, so wanted it safe for them, no escapees.
Today I plan to do dishes, vacuum, put gutter on part of roof, put white roof coat on black patch I put on roof screws, had to wait for black to weather until now.
I really want to go through a bin of papers that I don't want to do,
I have a laundry basket full of things that need a home of donate
Water plants in yard
I like the idea of making a list and doing the best I can with it. Tillie, liked hearing of your good fortune of perfect weather. and your plans for fun today. I forget to have fun so appreciate your reminders. Today I think I will paint something, that is fun for me.
hugs to all

Good morning, everyone. Hope you all are having a great Saturday.

Following up on my goals for yesterday afternoon/evening: I did work on my paperwork and I did get a tiny, tiny bit of stuff off my patio. I didn't do my other two goals of getting more shredding ready nor of getting things ready for donation. I did go grocery shopping, and I got my laundry dried at the Laundromat. I also went to a special shop to recycle a worn-out tool battery and to buy a new battery for a cordless phone (a phone I haven't used in ages because the battery was dead). I did the latter because I have a headset for that phone. The phone will clip onto my belt. With the phone up and running now, I can walk around and talk at the same time and have both hands free to do other things (like fold my clothes or do some other potentially monotonous task).

After I got home from a special event last night, I was too tired to do much of anything else. I decided that getting sleep was the most important thing at that point rather than try to cram in those other two goals. I figured I could work on my "shredding" goal this morning and still get to the shred place on time. So that's my goal for the morning: get more items together to shred and then take those things to the shredding place. I may post more later.

Hugs to all.

Happy Friday, everyone. I would have posted earlier, but I was having trouble getting on the website earlier (much, much earlier) this morning, for some reason. Just as well . . . this way, I get to post after reading what you all wrote this morning!

First, let me follow up on my goals from yesterday. I did them. (How's that for follow-up?) I had a headache yesterday, too, Barb . . . just not as bad as yours, fortunately. That slowed down some of my work plans, but I was able to do some extra work in the BIT book as a result of having to physically slow down. I did go to bed early and get some decent sleep, and I feel much better today.

Candy: Sorry you are all having to deal with all that flooding! So glad to read your posts.

Billie: Hope you enjoy your new ferns. Did you end up getting more fish?

Tillie: I took not one, but two sets of goggles with me this morning when I went to do outside work. Yes, I donned my gloves, dust mask, boots, goggles, etc. (I washed one set of goggles when I came back in so the straps can be drying for next use.) Sorry to hear about that accident you had as a kid. Maybe we need an "accident" discussion thread here, too. (Just kidding.) Thanks for the comment about the dreams. Hadn't thought about it that way. Also, I like the amnesty idea. Helpful.

Diane: You were mentioning that success builds success. Very true, and it's a good reminder. Yea for all the progress you're making! (And yes, it's nice to have Tillie's be-safe voice in the back of our heads.)

Vi: I can't count the number of times that my cleaning attempts have been slowed down by accidents. Sometimes it's been carelessness on my part or I've left stuff sitting around and tripped and fell (and sprained everything under the sun), but sometimes accidents just happen. And I'm so sorry about your accident!!!!! And I'm glad it wasn't worse for you than it was! (Dang spider!) Many hugs! I'm glad you had some people to help with the window replacement and that you're still able to get things done.

Karl: Glad you're making progress with floors, storage unit investigation, and all the other things. Your post reminded me I need to go replenish some of my freezer staples.

Roxie: I think you and Vi are getting more done with one arm than I am with two! Glad you've "graduated" to a different cast. By the way, I was wondering about your new cordless tools. You mentioned your new saw. Is it one of those "alligator loppers," what some people call a gator saw? I have one of those, and I love it! (It's definitely much safer than a regular chain saw.) I was using it just this morning.

Barb: Sorry to hear about that situation you're having to deal with next door. Ugh. Hope you feel much better today.

Me: I've already done some outside work (as I mentioned earlier) at a property I have to deal with. Got some brush trimmed, some weeds dealt with, some debris bagged up and sent off to trash, and so forth. Down here, we sometimes have a lot of "chiggers" to deal with, so I made sure I got cleaned up really well after doing some of that outside work, and I got my laundry washed. (Still have to go to Laundromat to dry it, though. I need Karl's dryer.)

Goals for later today: One of my main goals is to get more shredding ready for tomorrow's local shred day. I also plan to spend ten minutes on paperwork, work some more on my back patio (getting rid of some stuff on it), and work toward getting some things ready to take to a local donation spot.

Have a good day, everyone.

Good afternoon (or morning, for those on the west coast),
Yesterday the temperature dropped back down in the 40s. I had to turn the furnace back on and had a terrible headache that meds wouldn't touch all day. I had to scale back on my cleaning plans.
Today is a bit warmer. I cleaned the kitchen and picked up the trash and dog waste in the yard. Just as I was preparing to mow, it started to rain.
The street sweeper was out on my street today. That's the first time since last fall, so it is much cleaner now in front of my house.
My neighbor to the south didn't sell his house, so he has had two sets of renters. The first family, newlyweds, were friendly. This new family has been there less than a month and has already trashed the house and the yard. There is a mom and dad, 4 kids and occasional "uncles" staying in a two bedroom one bath home. It must be a bit crowded and stressful over there. The other day they took baseball bats and hammers to the room size wrought iron gazebo. Now it is just twisted metal pieces all over the yard. The garbage and unmowed grass next to my property is becoming a problem.
It takes three months in this county to begin eviction procedures, so I will have to learn to deal with this the rest of the summer.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Back to the cleaning and decluttering.

Good morning :)
This is the most beautiful morning here!
Perfect temperature, perfect tiny breeze, perfect sky.

Hi Diane :)
WAY TO GO!!!
Getting lots of stuff accomplished and taking the time to put on proper gear for the job.
Hope the legs let you sleep last night.

Hi Violet :)
WAY TO GO!!!
For all you are accomplishing! :D
Sorry to hear about your accident. :(
Hope you heal well and fast.
When I was 5 I put my arm through a glass storm door. Still have all the scars from my hand up to my shoulder.

Hi Karl :)
Sounds like really good plans,
especially the one about restocking the ice cream stash. :D

Hi Roxie :)
WAY TO GO!!!
For everything you have been able to tackle but most of all for healing on schedule and getting the new cast! :D
Can't wait to hear about all the wonderful treasure you dig up with the metal detector!
All I ever found in this yard with one was an antique cannon ball that I donated to the local museum.

Been doing laundry this morning.
The stuff that doesn't get washed every week like mattress pads & such, along with the usual laundry.
Planning to shampoo my hair in a little bit.
Have a book to read and some beading to look forward to and a few sewing projects that won't take long to complete.
Friday! Hoping this weekend some things get done around here.
Have a GREAT day! :D

Thank goodness it's Thursday. TOday I worked worked worked and it still feels like I have to do more and I do, but my body is just bloody tired. got up early, showered, got the kids ready before it was time to go and came home to coffee and breakfast. finished off some boxes, and threw out the rest of the ugly silverware, plus some stray steak knives, lids and various other kitchen detritus. I filled the Recycling bin and I'm not sorry. all was going well until i walked out into the yard to grab some dishes left out by the kids, got distracted by the trash awaiting the dump, and decided to hop over some near a window... bad idea. got spooked by a spider and lost my balance while jumping away from the nasty beast and put my hands through the plate glass window. lost of blood, but fortunately the worst of it was on my left hand. skinned myself a bit but no stitches needed. My SO was just thankful I didn't ruin my hands. the window has already been replaced thanks to my SO's awesome brother's assistance and the Man's prompt action. Despite my hands and arms being torn a bit I got half the mountain of dishes done, and completely cleaned the room that the window had been broken in. More and more I'm grateful to have met you guys. I was lost and finding you guys have helped me find my focus again. I can't wait to get this done! I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow and the next day just so I can knock out more of this disaster.

Diane :)
(((HUGS)))
Thank you. :)

Great reading all of your posts. Tillie you were a busy girl, good you moved some of his stuff out of your way, it is ok. I know I wouldn't even notice if someone moved some of my stuff.
I had to get up and walk 2 or 3 times last night to get rid of leg cramps in both legs, ouch.
Even though did not sleep well and got up early, I feel ok today. I tried to put together my new fancy back pack weed sprayer, no go. So I sprayed driveway weeds with old sprayer took forever. After a milkshake, was able to concentrate enough to put sprayer together. Back yard weeds are too tall, so tried to mow, too tall. Got two old weed whackers out, am going to put both out on curb. Remember last year, got rid of all gas mowers, now have to try out all the weed whackers, these two work, not well, but are so heavy, really wore me out. I will try 2 more tomorrow. I want to finish whacking so I can use new sprayer on weeds tomorrow since it will be last warm day. Garbage tomorrow so want to put old whackers out tonight since scavengers always come early on garbage days. Was able to find lots to throw away. All dishes are done, did not want to but told myself success builds on success so if I keep doing them when I don't want to, it will become a habit.
cleaned off more deck.
1 load laundry, hung to dry.
cleaned up some yard
Took shower and washed, curled hair so I feel and look better.
When I was getting weed whackers out, had shorts and flip flops on. Tillies voice was yelling into my ear softly, protect yourself. On went heavy jeans, shoes, gloves, thank you Tillie. I had a few near falls today and told myself to be more aware of surroundings and stack boards that were just crisscross on the ground,in the way. Thanks for all that you post. I think Barb stated that she is letting go of denial that she is a hoarder, I was proud of her, then realized some things on deck and yard, look terrible, stopped the denial, tossed as much as I could, organized other things. Always more to learn.

Hi LR2014 :)
Hope you got a good rest last night.
When the sorting, decluttering, organizing and cleaning starts to invade our dreams, that is a good sign.
This means that change is happening for you on a deeper level.
Change comes from within and our dreams are the way our subconscious communicates with our conscious mind.

Hi Violet :)
WAY TO GO! practicing amnisty to get stuff out & gone by the easiest possible way.
You will see so much faster progress to get to where you want to be. :D

Hi Billie :D
Great to "see" you! :D
WAY TO GO! YEA!!! for all you have donated and getting stuff done.
The curb method works great, so surprising how fast stuff goes.
Friend of mine did that with a lot of stuff and within a few hours, it was all gone. :D

Hi Candy :)
WAY TO GO! after all that cleaning, wiping and washing I bet the house smells nice.
I love the smell of freshly washed dogs & kids. :D

I got all the watering done where I have to stand there moving the hose from place to place.
Now I am watering stuff where I can just put the hose down, set my timer and let it water.
Pruned some bushes, looks nice, less wild.
Washed, scrubbed, sanitized cat's litter boxes.
Dried them in the fresh air & sunshine, refilled & put back where they go.
Swept the floors & porches. Moved a bunch of his stuff off the back porch.
Need to buy a new hose or two, mine have been used hard for too many years and now have some major problems.
Just realized I only had a banana for breakfast.
No wonder I am starving!
Peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwich will really hit the spot. :D

TTYL