Hi from damp and chilly Kansas, where snow has arrived to the west and is predicted to reach our area later.

I guess I was overconfident about my illness. It's still not that bad, but I was out in the evenings last night and Wednesday night, and now I've had more symptoms. It's just the usual pattern of my respiratory crud, and I'm thankful I don't have any big plans. Roommate too is improving after the bad spell that lasted a long time. So likely we'll each spend the weekend taking it easy.

Thanks for the kind words about Heather bunny. Her successor (not replacement!) is Beatrix. Bea is a sweet and loving girl also. I've been treating her for fur loss around her ears, neck, and shoulders. She had a lovely coat until this summer - I thought she was just molting but then realized no new fur was coming in! I first tried Bag Balm on the bald patches and some regrowth occurred, then it kind of stalled out. Now I'm using coconut oil and seeing better results.

The cats may gradually, begrudgingly be starting each to concede that the other one could be tolerated under the same roof, but there are still hisses and the occasional snarling and chasing. But earlier this week I found girl kitty on roommate's bed with the dog and boy kitty on the dog bed on the floor beside. Hoping that's a good sign.

I did get the old CD holders and a few other items to the thrift store and did not buy anything else. At some point I want to go through the CDs and do the 80-20 rule purge or at least as close as I can come. Pretty sure I spend 80% of my listening time on 20% of the CDs. Nowadays with YouTube it's so easy to find just one or a few songs, or collections (I enjoyed several Christmas ones).

Today I will continue the reordering work begun yesterday. It will have future phases which involve taking stuff to storage when weather improves - and I'm gonna keep that 80-20 rule in mind there as well.

Goals include moving awkwardly placed shelving into a more stable and efficient configuration, replacing flimsy shelving units with the nice chrome ones on casters, putting loose items into clear tubs - smaller ones wherever possible; I'm getting older and tired of lugging the big ones. Fabric stash busting on quilts and doll clothes, stash busting and selling on other crafty things such as jewelry and steampunk.

Going through memorabilia and papers - that has come a long way over the years but is not out of the woods yet.

I'm not going to think about it too much just yet, but when the above goals are accomplished, there will be a need to reckon with the most difficult items. The sentimental such as stuffed animals. And those weird odds and ends I think most everyone has - the stumpers, I'll call them for lack of a better term. Things that I look at and go "I don't really have a sentimental attachment to this object, nor is it that useful, but for some crazy reason I can't bring myself to let go of it." Maybe if I've done the more straightforward goals, I'll have a momentum and a clearer head by the time I get to the stumpers!

Happy Friday with winter iced tea clinks!

Hello. Quick drive by. I remember watching the movie clutter. I remember it as a somewhat quiet movie and maybe a little sad. I don't remember it beyond the vague impressions.

I am late for work, as usual. I'm back to making good food choices and the holiday weight is coming off. Going in the right direction. Need to keep looking forward.

It would be so nice if the inconvenient parking motivated Stephen to get rid of a car or two. But I suppose that us wishful thinking.

Don't worry about me, dh is paying much closer attention now. He is also nagging me to make my regular check up appointment.

The new "desk" is much nicer. I have to confess that I have left it out with work on it, but that is because I worked until bedtime and had things to finish this morning. Dh is only here and awake for about an hour on Friday mornings, and part of that he is upstairs showering, etc. so i don't feel bad. I will clean it up after work today - before he gets home.

I skipped my "ten minute tidy" in the barn this morning because I was in a rush, but I am starting to see a difference.

Hi Subclinical
WTG! for eating well!!!
I just worry about you because you were so worn out and tired for so very long before you got help with that anemia.

WOOHOO!!!
For filling all the cans!

Bet grading papers at your low portable desk table made the task so much easier for you.

Last week the ground here was frozen but the last few days have been warm enough to thaw it out and that's what really motivated me to get the transplanting done today.
Soft unfrozen dirt not too wet not muddy at all.

When he returned today he again pulled in behind the car in the driveway and I immediately went out and had words with him.
He relocated the truck so tomorrow I can leave.

The front yard is divided in two.
It's a very large area.
The part out by the road is where he has 3 derelict vehicles parked.
The other half is inside the fenced area leading to the carport and garage.
There he has one derelict vehicle on the right side of the driveway.
Most of the driveway and all of the carport is totally hoarded.
So, there is really only room for one vehicle to park inside the fenced area, near the house.
He had to park the truck way out by the road behind the dead vehicles.
All the prime parking out there is occupied by derelict vehicles.
If he got rid of those he would have lots of very nice parking spaces.


Watched a movie on "tubi" tonight called "Clutter".
I really liked the message of the ending.

Hi CM,
sounds like you are making good progress on your space!

I am sorry about your bunny. I remember what a sad and difficult time that was.

Tillie, I hope your car is free! It is funny to read about your garden - my yard is frozen. I would need a pick axe to dig.

Don't worry about my "cold". It is just getting better slowly. All a doctor would do is treat the symptoms (which i'm Doing) or give me antibiotics - which at this point are most likely to cause a whole new set of problems.

Today I fought it with a banana, fresh eggs, a sweet potato, some broccoli, cornbread and molasses, almonds, an apple, and lots of hot tea. There may have been two candies that are probably on the unhealthy team.

I did not finish my grading, but I got enough done that I feel ok for tomorrow.

AND I got all six trash cans filled and up to the curb! But I am up late and should go to bed now!

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
(((HUGS)))
My kitties loved bunnies (a little too much) so I am sure our babies are all happily & gently playing together.

WAY TO GO! with all bedroom decluttering & sorting out.
Those slotted CD holders are a pain and take up more space than needed too.

GREAT job updating your computer!
I really hate Win 10 and it took a long time to delete or turn off all the BS it installed on my laptop.

Congratulations!!!! for your quilt being on the list!
Hope you are feeling totally better and do not catch any other virus.


Hi Subclinical
Please, please, please...
don't let this drag on much longer before seeing a doctor.

You are NOT a failure
WAY TO GO!!! having 3 full cans full!

You can start the bathroom project once you are feeling 100% and have no other obligations to fulfill.


Woke up early and wanted to go grocery shopping but he always parks the truck behind the car blocking me in.
He has been sleeping in till noonish and staying up until <3:00am>.
So anyways...
I hung out the laundry and lit the burn barrel.
Such a lovely day today that I went out and did a lot of gardening.
Transplanted a rose bush, some purple flowering plant and my hyacinth bulbs.
Pruned all the honeysuckle and a bit on the lilac bushes too.
Dug out some daffodil bulbs and iris rhizomes that don't bloom any more.
The cats all came out for a little while.

I honestly don't know how much he drug home yesterday, only saw the armful of bags he carried into the garage.
He has once again taken off to the thrift shops.
He took two small boxes (games/puzzles) so his excuse was he had to go to donate them.

So, I am watching for his return and if he blocks the car in again I will run out there and tear him a new one... >:/

Hi everybody! Motown, glad you popped in.

I'd planned to post Monday that I'd done three long overdue loads of laundry, the first step in being able to reach my wardrobe (after moving items directly in front of said wardrobe, LOL).

But as Monday progressed, so did a funny feeling in my throat. *Cue ominous horror movie soundtrack* By evening I didn't feel so great, but on Tuesday I was able to get to church for my holy hour and later the quilt guild's meeting where we got the quilt lineup settled for the bingo in March. Fun to see the one I made be officially put on the list! 😊 It's #17, I think, but that's okay. They have to sort and mix them up to make a variety - don't want, say, five predominantly blue quilts all together, etc.

Yesterday was a halfway or further back up to speed day. I finally did a long procrastinated task, namely figured out how to install my computer's Windows 7 updates that I'd put off when Microsoft started trying to sneak Windows 10 onto people's computers whether they wanted it or not.

I actually discovered someone had written a handy little utility program that you could set to do the nitpicky job of combing through the updates and not installing Win 10 ones. Ended up with 59 updates to Windows 7, haha. So glad to cross that task off my backlog list and know that I can update, at least till whenever they stop supporting Windows 7. I've had the laptop for nine years now! Can you tell I don't like change?

Today has been back to the original project of getting clothes put away and dealing with the stuff in front of the wardrobe. I got sidetracked but in a good way, changing out containers my CDs are in. They're now in small lidded tubs. Before they were in those slotted holders that don't keep the dust out, and are fiddly to put the CDs into. If I get far enough along, I will have an outing to rehome them later; if not, tomorrow.

I have gotten to the wardrobe and am done with my lunch so I am ready for the wrap-up. The decluttering won't be finished in my bedroom but I will have finally broken through the gridlock. And as we all know, working on areas we've not tackled in a long time leads to discoveries. Things that can be gotten rid of, things we wanted to use but couldn't get to, and a fresh look at the space which in turn leads to new plans and strategies.

Before I go, I just want to mark a memory. It's sad, but I need to acknowledge it. You may want to grab a tissue... It's exactly a year since my beautiful Heather bunny died after having found a raised piece of vinyl flooring I didn't realize was accessible, and ate enough to block her intestines. That day was the first of many very stressful events of 2018, and I pray 2019 will be a much better year for all of us. You, my friends, are making terrific progress. And I'm sure Heather and Tillie's cats and everybody's animals are playing at the rainbow bridge.

Oh dear Tillie.

At least he was gone for a long time, but how bad was the shopping? Did the dump load net you any reduction?

I'm glad you got some peace and quiet for your dollhouse.

Tatoulia, did your numbers straighten up?

I taught a full day yesterday and realized I am not fully recovered. My throat got sore again, my voice faded, and I was so tired. A friend came by to talk with me at lunch, and I didn't even have the energy to hold up my side of the conversation.

Meanwhile, I am already feeling like a failure because I only have three cans full to go up today, and I need to dedicate my morning to grading papers and getting lesson plans in order - work I meant to do over break when I was sick.

I haven't even tried to address the bathroom.

I have started a nice fire to take the chill off the room, and once I get dh's breakfast made and lunch packed, I will move my "desk" back in front of it.

OH Tatoulia
That is upsetting and frustrating.
Hope those evil numbers settled down and all lined up perfectly for you.

Well, he only took about one third of a truck load to the dump.
Then he was gone for hours, shopping.

Played with my dollhouse today.
It was enjoyable.
Washed some laundry this evening and have it ready to hang out in the morning.

Another hard day where my numbers aren't making sense. I am making such a mess of my spreadsheets. I'm upset.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
Your home sounds so lovely.
Good luck with your continued eating properly plans.
I'm sure the extra holiday weight will quickly melt away.


Hoping Steven will continue filling the truck with trash today.
Be nice if he has a full load before he takes it to the dump.

I'm running low on food, need fresh fruits & veggies.
But as usual, I don't want to go to the store.
Maybe tomorrow?
Have a bag with two things to donate and will drop that off when/if I go.

Have my doll house on the kitchen counter.
Want to play with it and do a little more decorating home improvement things.

Been monitoring the weather and tomorrow should be a nice day to hang out laundry.
So tonight I will get it all washed and ready to hang out when the sun is up.

Good morning! Just made a second pot of coffee and am running the dishwasher. I think the work has started downstairs.

Had a long day yesterday. But I walked to and from work so that was good. Having dinner with friends tonight. I need to plan carefully and before I get to restaurant in order to avoid overeating. I put on four pounds during the holidays and thankfully am heading back into the right direction.

Working from home. House is nice and clean and it appears to be beautiful and sunny.

After fifth grade ended, I put my school bag in the garage and a mouse made a nest in it! The mouse was there! Very cute.

I'm glad you were able to have a talk with Steven. I'm very impressed that you were able to get some answers. I do hope he gets to the dump.

SubC stay strong on the low table. It is helping you work and it is making your life easier.

Going to bed. Long day at office.

A little bit of positive news to tell...

Today Steven was removing some stuff from his truck
then he has been putting bags of trash from the garage into the truck.
He moves very slowly but something is so much better than nothing.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Starting with the bathroom is a really good place.
Bathrooms are small and you can get the most satisfaction quickly.

That low desk table sounds perfect for you.
Right size, a drawer, light enough for you to move it where you want it...
I totally understand your feelings about those stereo wires draped about and the other eyesores.

It is kinda cute all the tiny places mice will build their nests.

Another dark cloudy morning but the big storm is supposed to be over except for a few scattered snow/rain showers.
Having finally gotten him to talk about the financial issues and garbage disposal plan now I sit and wait for him to actaully do things.

Then when/if that gets done I want him to do something about him always having to park behind the car blocking me in because three of the derelict vehicles are taking up all the other parking spots out there.

The carport roof is still hanging on at the left and right sides where it's still attached to support posts but the center is now only five feet above the ground.
So, I used to want to have him clean out the carport hoard so I could park the car under there but I have changed my mind. ;p lol

Tillie, I am glad you got your answers. I'm sorry it's so hard.

We had another conversation about my "desk" this morning. He still does not like it.

I held firm that I deserve a functional place to work. I pointed out many functional aspects of this room that I do not find aesthetically pleasing (the giant orange guitar amp, the old heavy iron music stand with pealing spray paint salvaged from a high school, the stereo wires running out in the open...)

I restated that it does not have to be this table - it has to be the same height, with a hard, durable surface, it has to be at least close to the same size, I have to be able to tuck my knees under it, it has to be light enough for me to move to where I want to work - (currently with my back to the woodstove), and it would be nice if it had a drawer (this one does) for scissors, tape, notepaper, pens and pencils, and a few folders.

I will be moving the table back to it's previous despised location in the den before I go to work today. (Moving the table around also ensures that it will not collect clutter - it is light enough for me to move with a few things in the drawer, but I cannot carry it flat and balanced enough even to keep one book on it.)

The mouse didn't actually chew the wood - it collected grass and leaves from the tractor (the deck is always dirty) and made a nice little home. Unfortunately, it did not remember to go outside to potty - so easy decision there. I did salvage my bin - dumped it, rinsed it off, and filled it with soapy water and bleach to soak. BUT I clearly cannot put an open bin back in the studio, because it is too inviting for mouses.

Tatoulia, nice job on the laundry and continuing to clear out! I am glad your cleaning fairies have you all sparkly again.

I have 12 more weeks of trash service, and I am thinking about deep cleaning one room a week. The worst room, not counting the basement, is our bathroom. So I should do it first.

Subclinical
With this "NEW" desk system set up he will soon see how well this is working out for you and that the low desk is empty & tidy except when you are busy working at it.

Make sure it never becomes a clutter fixture
just to show him he's wrong ;) LOL

Japanese people understand the value of a low table.

Happy the mouse didn't shred more than scrap wood.


Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!! for a clean home!
WTG! getting more laundry done!

I did finally get him to listen to what I was saying rather than just screaming out all his lame excuses for things that I was not even talking about.
It took quite a long time of me repeatedly saying "I'm not talking about that, listen to me."
Anyways, the car insurance payment is straightened out.
He had still been paying insurance on those derelict vehicles.
Now it's just my car & his truck.
He agreed that the truck should be emptied of his mobile hoard and filled with garbage and taken to the dump.
He said when he straightens out the online payment problems he's having with the bank's new system he will let me have all the info so I can monitor & handle the payments too.
He also answered my questions as to just what automatic payments are on the credit card.


These were my main questions and worries right now and he finally listened to me and answered my questions.

Hello, hello! SubC keep up the good work! You are doing a great job getting your paperwork done. You reminded me of something I had long forgotten. When I was in grad school, I used to sit on the floor and do all of my outlining on my then- coffee table. All of my outlining and I used the same mechanical pencil the entire four years. I never used my then-dining room table and I didn't have my mother's desk that I have now. And no one had personal computers.

Keep up the good work, SubC! You are doing a great job! (You need a pep talk, I'm here with the pep talk!)

Motown so glad to hear from you! I did check out that blog, now I've forgotten who suggested it, and I read the one about the soy sauce and boy that stopped me in my tracks. All I have to do is remember the terrible feeling of wasted money on excess stuff and I should be able to avoid buying stuff. Esp sale stuff.

Tillie I wish you could even have a conversation with him. This is a terrible time and I'm sending you strength.

Cleaning ladies did a great job. I gave them two pair of jeans and two tops, one still had the tags on it. I decided I wasn't going to wear it. So that's that.

Glad to have my house so clean. I got two loads of laundry done today. I am grateful to be on the right path and to have friends like you to keep me honest.

Oh my, I popped back and saw your other post and apparently stuck the mouse line in the middle of my thought.

Way to go Motown!

Three cheers for closet floors and bathroom countertops!

Do you clean while you watch cleaning shows? A lot of times I will put them on while i'm doing dishes or putting away laundry or sorting things out. Maybe they will help you get your bedroom all in order!

Tillie. I got dinner ready and I greated dh at the door with my argument for my desk. He is not convinced, but he is thinking about it.

I sorted through my basket and the extra pile on the shelf and the extra pile on the scullery counter and the box of stuff I just tossed into a box on the last day of school when I was sick, and my teacher bag and library/other books pile. I got a lot done with my new "desk" but there is still a pile of books and a big messy pile of grading to do on it, and he says his objection is that there will always be piles of things on it.

The mouse nest was in the studio barn in the bottom of a bin full of wood scraps "for crafts" now they are in the trash can.

But there won't. I pile things on my actual desk in the basement because I don't actually USE it for a desk. I just use it for a storing and stacking zone. My little table desk can't be used for storage, because I need to work on it. But I will have to show him.

Also, all these piles and more were on shelves and the couch in this room when he left for work this morning.

Also Subclinical
I meant to say
WAY TO GO!!!
for all that clearing you did out there.
Really hope the mice are not chewing up anything precious to make their nests.


Been dark out all day.
Haven't done anything even though I've been doing stuff all day.
Really want to discuss finances and car insurance and online banking and what we should do about the garbage with him but he is so mean and nasty even if I ask a simple question.

Hi Ya'll

Hi Subclinical
Since you prefer to use a low table for your "homework" STOP thinking it as a coffee table.
It is YOUR desk where you do all your desk type things.
I too prefer to sit at and work from the low "coffee table".
It works best for my back and the way I organize things around me to work with.

Set that low table where it is best for your work.
Best light, no cold drafts, the right atmosphere.

Tell your DH it is NOT a coffee table
it is YOUR desk.

Where is the mouse nest???
Good luck and best wishes exterminating.


Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for tasty cakes!
Good luck with the laundry.
Happy cleaning Fairy day. ;)

Hi Motown
I love seeing before & after pictures too.
WAY TO GO! for every single thing you have gotten done! :D

SubC I have read Dana White's blog for several years now and she is hilarious and SO relatable with her "slob-vision". I can't say that it has actually helped me in my efforts that much but it has certainly been entertaining and makes me feel like I am not the only one with similar issues.
I have missed you all and have only had time to read just the most recent few posts. Tillie I am so sorry all this is happening in your life. Uplifting thoughts and prayers directed your way.
This is a very short post just popping into say Hi and that I have missed you all.
I have done a little around in my house over the last couple weeks. Found out that my closet has a floor and my bathroom has a countertop! Also cleared and cleaned out one corner in my bedroom enough to access the television and hook up a dvd player and a Roku (to make it kinda like a smart tv) so I can get Netflix in there too. So now I am binge watching Tidying Up by Marie Kondo just as inspiration. I don't do it her way but just seeing befores and afters helps me.
Gotta run as my work day is coming to a close. Didn't accomplish near as much as I had hoped for this Monday but there's always tomorrow.

Take care y'all!

Tatoulia, I bet the little buddy cakes were yummy no matter how they looked.

I'm glad your cleaning fairies are coming today. Did you get your wash in?

Tillie, I am sorry for no pretty snow, but any moisture us good there, right? (Unlike my poor soggy yard)

I think your way and the blogger's way are much better for me.

Right now I need a pep talk. I need to do my grading, but I don't like working at desks or tables. I like to sit on the floor. What I really like is to sit at a coffee table and tuck my knees under it. Dh hates coffee tables, and ours was given to ds years ago. Then he moved to another street and it was returned to us and stored in the studio barn.

I have decided that I deserve to have a functional place to work even if it is not "normal". Dh and I can work out a compromise, but for now, it is going to be the coffee table.

So, I wasn't sure how long I could face the studio barn, and I decided I would just work until I dug out the coffee table (which I could see part of) and then wash it off, bring it into the house, and do my grading.

I have worked over two hours. The back of my car is full of recycling, and I filled two trash cans. I came back for a glass of water, a banana, and some nuts to keep my stamina up, but I could use some cheering.

I also got very discouraged because I found a mouse nest. So now I need to set some mouse traps.

"All" that is left to do to get the table is to clean off the 1/12 scale 3 story toy tree fort and bring it back to the basement, and to clear a single layer off the table and wash it.

Good morning everyone! So good that you are better, SubC. My goodness you had a productive morning!

We took the single layer cake to our neighbor last night. It came out really cute. I gave the less cute bundt cakes to BF, who ate one and gave the rest to his employees.

Cold here today. Waiting for my cleaning fairies. Would love to sneak in one more washing today.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
So happy you are feeling better!
WTG! all you did before 9:00am!!!

There are many different ways to declutter and tidy and get organized.
Nice thing is we can all pick and choose which methods work best for us.

I only use a bag for trash and one for donate and just put away "keepers" as soon as I decide it's a keeper.
Undecided as to where it goes I put it in/near the location where it should (?) go.
If I am going into town and only have one item to donate I take it and donate it.

I only pull everything out to sort & clean when it's a small area, like one drawer or one shelf at a time.
To pull out ALL clothing shoes & accessories like Marie Kondo method would drive me completely insane.
I much prefer to pull out all my socks then put them back before I pull out another category.
Honestly, I have personally seen when people have pulled everything out thinking they would get sorted and just get so overwhelmed they just walked away and never dealt with it, just re-stuffed it away out of sight later.

Anyways...
since we are all special and unique individuals
we need to evaluate all different methods and find the ones that best suit our needs and lifestyles. :)


By the time the storm reached here it was rain with a little snow mixed in so no snow covered landscape for me.

I am finally better. Still a trace of a cough, but I got up this morning, did yoga with dh, made his breakfast, packed his lunch, cleaned up the kitchen, did chores (including moving another wheelbarrow of wet cement mud and finding ten things that could either go in the trash or be otherwise removed from my barn), started a load of laundry, and realized it wasn't even 9:00.

Now I am making myself a nice cup of tea, after which I will go out to the studio barn and spend some time working on thing removal and organization.

I started reading a blog called "a slob comes clean" I like a lot of things about her approach. One thing she talks about is how the whole "pull everything out" method doesn't work for her - it just overwhelms her, and how the standard "sorting" and then cleaning up when you are done also doesn't work for her, because you are "done" but then you have all these piles.

I can identify with both of those things. The only "sorting" containers she uses are a trash can and a donate box. Everything else, she picks up once and puts exactly where it goes. This is a lot slower, because you are running all over your house, but when you are "done" you just put the donate box back in it's location - or in your car if it is full, put the trash can back where it goes (take the trash out if it is full) and you are actually done.

Also, at this point in my life i'm pretty sure spending 20 minutes wandering all over my house putting things away is better for me than spending twenty minutes sitting still sorting through a cupboard, box, or pile.

Although, there are still a lot of things that don't have a place to go, but I could just designate an area in my basement called "things that don't have a place to go" and then at a future date determine if they are important and if so make them a place.

She says that when deciding where to put something, she asks herself "if I were looking for one if these, where would I look?"

Hi Tatoulia
Sorry the bundt cakes didn't turn out.
I never made glaze before just butter cream or cream cheese icings.
My favorite is when something has a crumb topping.

Very happy the steel wool is working and the book is not needed.

Good luck squeezing in laundry loads before the construction begins.
Hope it doesn't go on longer than anticipated.

YEA!!! for cleaning fairies!!! :D

SubC that's a great combination! And that poor dear pregnant goat. You are so wonderful. You've done a lot and stop feeling like a slug. I thought you did a lot, esp while battling the cold!

I just finished decorating the cakes. The big one is cute. The mini bundts are pathetic. I just called the neighbor to say we have a card for him and we'll be over about nine. He was pretty excited. I do love him so. I could listen to him all day. He moved to Boston from the South in the 50s and boston wasn't integrated by anyone's measure and he tells me about the buildings that were whites only and I find him so fascinating. He could talk all day and I don't get tired of him at all. When I called him we talked for about ten minutes before I got to the part where we have a card for him.

Tillie my love I don't mean to put you last. The steel wool seems to be doing its job. I don't have the book there anymore.

Cleaner says she's coming at 2 tmr. I do prefer being first but such is life. I may run errands after she gets here.

I don't know the start date for our construction and I'm hoping to do two quick laundry loads tmr. I'm running dishwasher now as I used so many pots and pans while trying (and failing) to make a chocolate glaze then making buttercream for the single layer cake.

Hi Subclinical

No snow yet but the afternoon got to looking like it will.

Great combining goat time with barn sorting out.
Nice thing too is it is only a 10 minute challenge so it will not be overwhelming.
It is amazing how much visible progress can be made in just a few minutes.

You have NOT been a slug all week.
You have taken care of necessary things along with recovering from that nasty lingering virus.
So there ;p

Got my cookies all baked, wrapped & stowed away.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Made some dinner then cleaned the kitchen again.
That's it.
All I did today.
It was a good day.

Any snow yet Tillie?

Dd really didn't have that much to do. I identified a small amount of stuff that could be tossed out, and let her know that I do want the buckets of glaze she decides not to keep. Took about ten minutes. Then we hung out for another two hours while the guys worked.

Now dh is cooking dinner.

I feel like I have been such a slug the whole break.

I did have a "adding task to existing task" I meant to tell you guys about and forgot.

One of the goats is dried off because she's too far along in her pregnancy. But, because she's pregnant, she still gets extra grain, so for about ten minutes each morning, she is taking up the milking stand while I wait. I could use that time to fill water buckets or feed the rabbit or whatever to shorten total chore time, but instead, I have been using it to clean up in the barn. I'm starting near the door where most of the stuff has gotten "stashed" and asking my questions. I have an empty feed bag for trash. The things I am keeping, I am also asking myself if there is anywhere they could go besides in the barn, because it seems like everything in the barn ends up dirty and damp at some point. The roof leaks in spots, and the floor is dirt, and sometimes water actually rises up and covers parts of the floor, and during the day the big doors on the ends are usually open for ventillation, and mice, and free range chickens.....

I'm not sure I can manage five cans this week - i'm not really going to get started until tomorrow, and I still have papers to grade and lesson plans to do, and I go back to work on Tuesday. I thought I would get to start Friday afternoon. But I will try.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
Let us know which cake/cakes turned out the cutest.
WTG! with the exercises! Nice that the down stair neighbor travels a lot.
How is the steel wool/heavy book mouse hole cover working?

Hi CriticalMass
If we ever get our hands on a Tardis I want us all to travel the Whoniverse together rather than declutter. ;D
I completely understand others not respecting our lifestyles, space and time.
So many times I have been told "well, you're not doing anything" and they think I should do whatever they want me to do when I'm actually very busy doing my own thing.
Happy the Barbie clothes turned out good and now you can enjoy making outfits to suit your own creative tastes.

Hi Subclinical
Yes, get that recycling bin and stuff it full every week! :D
DD's Great Uncle is a wonderful and loving person taking care of those he loves. (((HUG)))


Pretty good snow storm in the mountains but it's not coming down this way, yet.
Yesterday I stirred up a batch of chocolate chip pecan cookies but did not bake them.
My plan today is to bake them.
Most will be wrapped up and put in the freezer for future needs.
When I want a cookie I really don't want to resort to store bought ones.


Hi again Tatoulia
Have a wonderful day out with Mom and the Bundt cakes sound lovely :)

CM! WTG on finishing the Barbie clothes! I know what you mean about time-when I first started working at home, people would see it as my being "off work" that day. It drove my brother so nuts that I told him I no longer worked from home.

SubC your uncle sounds like a wise, compassionate person. I can only pray that I have that sort of grace when needed.

I was up late last night and here it is, almost noon and I'm having my first cup of coffee.

I will take mom out in a little while. I'm about to make chocolate glaze for the little bundt cakes. They are adorable. I will decorate with sprinkles rather than making a full buttercream and practicing my piping.

Hoping to get more done around the house today. Clutter issues. Cleaners come tmr, thank goodness.

Hi CM!
So glad the Barbie clothes are out of the way! Now, no more commissions! I never work on commission except for family. They know they get what they get or sometimes it doesn't work.

Tatoulia, the cake is a very sweet idea. How did it come out?

Tillie, i'm Glad talking to us helps you. I just wish we could help more.

My trash did finally get picked up, very late. I think it was just the holiday schedule and people having lots of extra trash this time of year. But I still have to call them because they forgot to leave me a recycling bin. It's not a big deal because it isn't going to hold all my recycling anyway, but I'm required to rent it for $1 a month, so I might as well have it and use it.

We had a really good time last night, but I didn't get to bed until almost midnight. Now I have slept late and need to get busy soon because dh made plans for us to go to dd1's house this afternoon. He is going to help dsil with some wiring, and I am going to help dd sort through some pottery equipment and supplies her great uncle gave her. He is at the end of his life, which is breaking my heart, and he is working on distributing things where he wants them to go so that his wife and daughters won't have as much to deal with (actually dh is his executor, because uncle didn't want his death to cause strife between his daughters and wife who is not their mother and he knows that dh is sensible, puts people over things, and loves all three.)

Anyway, he was a fairly good amateur potter and dd and I are the only ones who do much and my equipment is better - so he handed his on to her so she can set up a space to work in her basement instead of paying studio fees or driving out here.

...short story long, I'll let you know what I get done today.

Hi all - and belated Happy New Year.

I had thought I would post on New Year's Eve or Day, but my time got fragmented by this and that. I finished the Barbie clothes and got them to the gal and she liked them.

Keep on getting over those colds, Tillie and SubC! Hate it when they drag out.

I like the idea of pairing a second task with an established task. Want to brainstorm what things I do that would make workable pairings.

My room is still pretty bad. I even showed it to a friend of mine who also struggles with clutter. She and I have had our moments where I don't think she gets it that my intellectual and creative life, along with my bunnies, are my way of expressing my maternal side and using the best gifts God has given me. People with children and grandchildren often see long term single people as being okay to interrupt with trivial phone calls, etc.

This is a generalization, and so contains an error factor. But I do need to retrain a few people whom I've been more available to in the past; I still love them and we will have our chances to get together and whatnot, but when I have told someone repeatedly how much I've got going on and they forget by the next day, I get a little frustrated. I'm working on being tactful in how I communicate this when it happens, but I won't hesitate to take stronger measures such as voicemail!

Tillie, I wish the Doctor could get us all in the Tardis and bring us to help you. Maybe also drop off some of the hoard into a black hole on the return trip!

I have repetitive dreams about places full of "stuff" as I've probably mentioned in other posts. I get so sick of them. I can only imagine how much more intense and anxiety ridden your dreams must be.

I understand your worries, Tillie. I am sorry they keep you up at night. I'm pretty experienced in worrying too. I do hope that voicing them helps you. I know it helps me.

SubC what a disappointment regarding your trash service. I'm sure it is as Tillie described. I'll worry a bit bit I know that they will get someone out there.

I ran errands for my overseas friend today. It was pouring rain but I did okay driving; probably because I was alone and not having to worry about my mother.

I am baking a cake for my 85 year old neighbor?the one whose state ID we renewed in December. We will take to him tomorrow. I am making a single layer round cake and six mini-bundt cakes. Whichever comes out cutest will be for him. BF did not want me making him a full two layer cake in case he eats it all by himself. He has already arranged for someone to bring him a cake to bingo on Tuesday. I will bake tonight and frost tomorrow.

Got no walking in whatsoever so I did an exercise walking class on the television. It was surprisingly vigorous yet claims to be for the over 55 crowd. I think because it incorporates a lot of arm movements. Anyway I enjoyed it. My downstairs neighbor travels a lot so I'll be able to do this activity maybe on the days I work from home.

Hi Subclinical
Yeah, that was a hard autocorrect to figure out
But I thought it was supposed to be exhausting.
LOL :D

Oh My! that drainage project sounds perfectly awful.

I'm worrying that since this is your first scheduled trash pick up, the driver has forgotten to include you.
Make a call to the office and let them know and most always they will send a truck out right away to rectify the problem.

Having the right firing stilts is important.
Sure, others would work but the results might not be what you're after.
Sounds like a great compromise with DH buying them and you decluttering a few things out there.

Nathan would want to help me declutter but he is now living far away and also has his own life to take care of.
Nate is my "adopted" son who would do anything for me but I never want to take advantage of him in any way.
The main reason why I would want this place totally decluttered is because I will be giving him everything when I die.
He doesn't need or want to inherit a hoard especially since he himself is the child of a hoarder mother who he has not talked to since he turned 18 and got out of her house.

"Talking" writing about these worries on my mind is helping to calm my inner chaos.
Sometimes just getting it out there is good therapy.

Hi tilllie!

I don't know how "exhausting" became "e gay sting"

I'm sorry you couldn't sleep.

We will find a way to help you. Maybe we will enlist Cory and all come to meet you and be on tv.

My trash STILL isn't picked up. I am very annoyed.

I filled one wheelbarrow working on drainage. It was only a tiny improvement, but it was enough for now. The "dirt" is very wet and heavy - almost like cake batter. Or wet cement. I pushed the wheelbarrow aside in the barn so it can dry a little before I have to push it any further.

I went out to my studio and filled and labeled just a few drawers. I found the container for my favorite low fire firing stilts, and it turns out I can order a pack of 72 for $45 (including shipping). That is a little expensive, but I am extremely fond of them, and they take up so little storage space. Maybe I can get dh to buy them for me if I agree to give up some other things I have out there that I use less.

Dh and I have semi-separate finances - he makes a lot more money than I do and pays for all my day to day necessities - food, electric, water, gas etc. along with the property tax bill, my car insurance, medical, and usually essential clothing (if I have to buy it new, in a regular store for work or a special event). I contribute to the mortgage, cover all the farm related expenses except property taxes, and bought my own car (almost paid off). My "disposable income" - for shopping, classes, and non-date activities (he bought the tickets for tonight) is whatever is left of my income after my expenses.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Tess
WAY TO GO! for being a more conscientious shopper!

Hi Subclinical
Don't feel bad about only doing the absolute necessities until you are all better.


Terrible dreams & thoughts all night long.
Super depressed today from it.

My mind was insisting on mentally dismantling that hoard all night long.
What am I going to do about all the derelict vehicles?
What am I going to do with all those (100?+) cans of paint?
What do I do about all those things that are way too big and heavy for me to carry out to a dumpster or put into the truck?
Living out in the country in a rural county there are not as many resources to unload things as there may be in a city.
All the physical work involved is just too much for one little old lady to do and would end up killing me or crippling me completely.
This is all so unfair. :(

Tess, you did great! If I had to go to the apple store I would call that a day! And returns are e gay sting.

I did my one return and stripped my bed, washed the sheets and blankets, and remade it yesterday. That was pretty much it, except for dishes and putting away some laundry. I was as tired as I had feared.

Also I discovered that my trash is on a holiday delay schedule, so the cans won't be picked up until today. Which kept me from getting out into the studio and starting in on more trash.

While I was out yesterday, I stopped in a couple of stores on purpose. My aunt had given me money to buy a Christmas greenery/decoration and I tried to send my dh out while I was sick. He came back with one pink amaryllis, demonstrating complete lack of understanding of what I said.

So, yesterday I bought four more amaryllises - red, which have gone by of course, but will be beautiful next year, and enough LED lights to go around our garage, and because I had some money left - when I was at the grocery store restocking staples - a box of candy and a pair of grinch pajamas. Everything was 50-90% off.

I did not get to any of my grading or paperwork - I just curled up on the couch and read and watched videos between laundry/dish tasks.

I slept late and am less tired today, but dh and I are going to a concert tonight, and I need to do some physical labor tomorrow, so i'm going to be a little lazy again. This cold is never going away.

Hi ladies!
Quick update...Today I didn't get any housework done. I did pick up after myself, but today was a "there's not enough hours" kind of day. I had an appointment at the Apple store today. I finally have my phone updated and working again. I had been using an old phone for a couple weeks. It feels good to get that over with. I had been dreading it. The Apple store is a bit too much for me...too bright, too loud, too cool, too fast moving. Just too much. I also ran some errands I know I won't have time to get to over the weekend. Including a bunch of returns. I've been trying to be mindful about money. It was so so hard to go in all those stores (especially target) and not impulse buy. I only came home with 4 things that were not on my list. When I went to target, I went straight for the cat food and straight to check out! I feel like I deserve an award for that! So, that was my day. I didn't do too bad money wise. In the end, I returned more than I bought, so I'm calling today a success! I hope you all had a good one!

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Once your home is all finished with remodeling and all sorted out from being a house filled with children and now a home with just you and your DH,
It will be so much easier for you to maintain all the reduce/reuse/recycle that you wish for your lifestyle.

When there is a lot of stuff in a home that needs to be removed it is almost impossible to responsibly recycle/donate everything and would take way too long to finish sorting things out to even try, years as opposed to months.
Trying to just turns a house into an extension of the dump.

In reality the amount you send off to the landfill is like a tiny drop in the ocean when compared to what goes into the landfill every single day.

When all the excess has been removed from your property it will be so nice there.
You will very easily be able to compost & recycle and you will be more aware of every new item that comes in to the home.

If it falls to me to dismantle the hoard here
I will just get it all gone as fast and easy as I can and that means a dumpster.
The items in the garage really should not be donated because of the rodent contamination.
Sure, I could wash the poop & pee off things, wash all the clothing & cloth items but it is still wrong to donate or sell them.
And trying to salvage everything would mean that I would be spending years sorting through that massive hoard.
Best to just be done with it and get on with life. :)

Good job Tillie and scooter!

I can see where it would be hard to keep dresses neat without a hanging space. Tillie, you are very resourceful.

Tatoulia, good job on your sheets and your walk.

And Tess, I am glad you had clean sheets too.

I am very tired this morning. It was hard to get up. My body is sore, but the decision making was just so draining. I will try to do easier things today. Maybe some grading. Maybe I will get my basket out or some of my paper piles and tackle them.

My big goals for the day are to finally wash all of my sheets and blankets (kitty spent a lot of time sleeping on our bed when the doggies were here) and to take that return to the store.

Thank you for the feedback on my decisions and thought processes. It is still very hard to trust my judgement. I was afraid that I had just forced myself to make too many hard decisions - I HATE trash. Taking things from the earth and doing things with them that render them useless or even dangerous, and then carefully preserving them in that state (in a landfill) seems so insane to me. I thought maybe I had just given in to exhaustion and tried to soothe myself with the chair and drawers.

The chair I am still doubting, but again, it is wood, it is not "trash" and we were very tight for chairs we could pull up to the table at our party.

Wood and steel. The key to getting out of the waste stream is to stop the waste from flowing into my life. Once a piece is here, I need to let it go on to it's destination. Keeping it "in case" just makes it more likely that I will get overwhelmed and something else will get diverted to waste.

I'm very sure there were recycling and food scraps in the trash bags from the party, but I was too sick and tired to avoid that.

LOL Tatoulia :D Just as long as you remember the basket/hamper plan. :D
WTG! getting tasks done and also walking 3.3 miles!

Hi Tess
WAY TO GO! on what all you got done today even though you're tired!

The Marie Kondo show was...
She comes into the people's homes
talks about her methods to them
We see the people briefly sort out something
they talk about some difficulty they are having with sorting
Marie Kondo returns and looks at the home that is now all sorted out, clean and tidy.
We do not get to see much of the people's work.
It is mostly just a rehashing of whatever it is she wrote in her book.
A visual of her explaining her methods.

Hi Subclinical
ABOSILUELY LOVE YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES
for sorting out what should be tossed/donated/recycled!!!
So true, not everything has to be completely used up.
When it comes to fixing things or not, I like to ask myself
"even though I can fix/mend/alter this
is it really worth my time and effort when I already have other nicer similar things to use/wear or could easily and inexpensively replace this broken item if it's something I actually need?"

Steven has a problem with bringing home broken/damaged items saying he is going to fix them.
Dumpster diving mostly but some broken things he actually buys.
These are things we have no need for and he doesn't fix them.
When questioned about a broken something in the hoard he says he's keeping it for spare parts to fix some other broken thing he may find someday.
All the while the house is falling down around us.

Well, even with Scooter's help...
I was able to rearrange two of my drawers.
The socks are now in the other drawer with my skirts and I moved my two fancy party dresses into the same drawer as my night gowns so my drawer with my other dresses is not so full.
I think I can live with this. ;p
It's a little more difficult to nicely put clothes away when you don't have a closet for hanging dresses & blouses.
I'm just very grateful that I have clothes. :)

Hello ladies !! SubC what a lot you accomplished today! I am so proud of you! Taking strong advantage of the trash service! Getting those metal boxes for your tools! Great work! I'm impressed with your decision-making process! WTG! So happy!!!

Tess you and SubC have done so much! WTG on the clean sheets! You did so much and you'll be rewarded with your clean bed tonight!

have clean ones today instead of this weekend. My laundry in the building won't be available for about a week. I used to have my own W&D yet the three year old washer broke and the guy tried several times to fix it. Since I've gotten used to using our washer downstairs, I've decided to get rid of the W&D when I re do my kitchen.

I am back from dinner, got 3.3 miles in there and back.

I took the wreathes out when I left for dinner and will now and the garbage and recycling out in the AM. I will clean kitty's box at the same time.

Tillie my dear I've now forgotten what you've written.

Ttyl.

Hi Tess!

I have a basket, but I am bad at keeping it processed. Mostly it just gets full and then I pull a bunch of stuff out and move it. Sorting and filing defeat me.

I don't have Netflix,so you will all gave to tell me if something important comes along on the new show.

I made a decision tree to help me fill the trash cans. I look at an object and ask what it's final destination is (trash, recycling, compost, burn) if it is going to be trash eventually, I ask if I really still need it. If not, I assess whether I can donate it. If it isn't good enough to donate, then I should go ahead and get rid of it now, while I have trash service. Not everything has to be completely used up. Not everything can be fixed.

Examples of things I got rid of were five pairs of shoes that were really only good enough to wear around the yard in the mud to spare my other shoes - I have boots! And a nasty old plastic shower curtain that I am just not going to wash (my new rule is to only buy machine washable shower curtains. Target has very nice ones that are quite waterproof and last ages) and a cracked waterbucket that I was using as a feed bucket because the feed doesn't leak out, and a lot of plastic foodpackaging containers that I kept because they might be useful, but really, I had too many, and I need to shift my focus to finding alternatives to buying those foods instead of warehousing packaging.

Tillie- I agree with wanting to tell certain items they were a disappointment. Lol! How did you like the show? I just added it to my list. Also, I love your basket idea for papers. I might use that for myself. It will serve as a reminder to go through them more regularly.

Tatoulia - that was my reasoning with the books as well. I can always replace them on my kindle. These days I prefer my kindle anyway. Plus someone else is going to get to enjoy them. They live on :)

Subclinical - 5 cans is amazing! Good for you!!!

Today I didn't do much of anything in way of cleaning. It was a workday and I'm tired. I did take out that garbage from my decluttering session, change my sheets and clean the litter box. I also took care of paying bills, adjusting my retirement contributions and I cleaned out my purse. Now it's time to relax and watch a movie.

Hi Subclinical

WAY TO GO!!!
You sure did a LOT.
FIVE CANS AND A BLACK TRASH BAG AT THE ROAD!!!!
WOOHOO fantastic start utilizing this service!
24 shallow metal drawers sound like the most perfect storage place for your tools.
Have fun organizing it :D
Keep taking care of yourself so you don't relapse (((hug)))
Great job estimating how long the detergent would last and not overbuying/underbuying for your needs.
Good luck with the chair project or gaining a little more fireplace warmth.

Oh my, I have been good today, and I am tired.

Started this morning doing yoga with dh. Fed him breakfast, packed his lunch, got him off to work and did my chores.

I have washed and dried (but mostly not put away) all the sheets, towels, and blankets from company. One bedroom is guest ready again.

There are five trash cans and one black plastic bag up at the road. I walked a total of 1.2 miles to do that.

I got feed, went to the bank, paid the farm sitter, went to a different bank to pay my car loan, dropped a full carload off at goodwill, and bought fruit and laundry soap (remember way back when laundry soap was on super sale and I bought enough for "the rest of the year"? - it is almost gone.

"Bad" things I did - I brought home a pretty chair with a broken press cane seat from someone else's trash but I really want to fix it. And if I can't fix it, it's wood, so it burns.

Also, I bought four little metal cabinets at goodwill. They each have six drawers - 9"x16"x2" deep and they used to hold filmstrips. Three of the cabinets still have removable metal racks that kept the filmstrips in place. Each drawer has a metal handle with space for a label on the front. I intend them for small tools (paint brushes, texture rollers, stamps, carving and shaping tools) and have already set them up on my counter, but I have not put any tools away in them. I am saving that for a reward after I fill a trash can in the studio barn for the next load.

The only errand I didn't do is a return to a store that isn't near any of the other things I did. I will do that tomorrow if I am not wiped out from today.

I still have a mild sore throat from drainage and a bit of a cough, but I think I am finally close to well.

Hi Tatoulia

Great plan to combine the paperwork with something you already now do automatically!
Have fun tonight with your friends.
YEA! many cities now do recycle evergreens into mulch to use in public parks or put them into community ponds to promote healthy ecosystems.

Been rearranging some clothes drawers.
One was too crowded and one was basically empty except for just a few items.
This would be an easy thing to do except that Scooter insists on helping me. ;D