Good morning :)
LOTS of snow fell over night and it's still snowing.
My plan for today is to make a huge pot of split pea soup.
Have ham bone, split peas, celery and carrots.
Have some loaves of bread in the freezer that I made last month to go with it.
Want to make sugar cookies and use at least a dozen cookie cutters from my collection.
Have the sugar already colored and ready.
I have plenty of cocoa and tea to drink too.
I am thankful for a well stocked pantry, a roof over my head and heat.
Stay safe and warm. (((hugs)))

HI :D
I'm back home and all the groceries are properly put away.
Got a TON of wonderful foods! :D
Spent a little under 300.00 but saved over 400.00 by going there.
Most all the food is non perishable and my pantry is properly stocked to get me through the winter storms.
Saw a herd of Mustang (wild horses), lots of hawks, ravens & crows.
Saw the Bunny Ranch (a brothel) and the remains of an old pony express station.
The house did not drop below 52 degrees even with all the heat sources turned off so the cats weren't too mad at me for leaving, plus I bought them a "cat's Meow" as seen on tv toy that they have all been playing with while I put away the groceries.

Diane :)
Happy you have covered that hole and made a lovely linen closet! :D
Did you find out how to get the free shipping on hoard no more?
WTG! on the kitchen projects! :D

The next storm is blowing in tonight.
Temperatures will really be dangerously cold till next Tuesday.
So happy I can sit warm in a comfortable chair and think of my well stocked pantry.
Feel just like a Hobbit. :D
I have reread the Hobbit and trilogy faithfully about every ten years since I was only 13 years old.
This would be a good time to get the old books off the shelf and read them again.

Stay warm and stay home if at all possible but if you must got out take your time, drive safely and come back home safe & sound. (((HUGS)))

Thank you Diane and Roxie for helping me go today, so happy that I DID it!. :D

Tillie, where are you? Missed seeing your post this morning. Hope you made it home safely with lots of goodies.
Today I got up with a warm living room, yep, got up and put wood in stove, was afraid to sleep though the night and freeze. Now saying saturday night will be 15 below 0, wow, that is darn cold. I just put last piece of wood in stove, that means out I go to bring in more wood, brrrrrrrrr.
Today I took door off where furnace used to be and cleaned that out, realized the huge hole was allowing freezing air in, so turned area into a storage area, crammed old towels etc in the hole. Put contact paper down on gross areas after clean. Put plexiglass over the top to block wind as well as make a shelf, not sure what will store in there. I put electrician tape over the ends of loose wires, they were bare, although breaker is off, covered them for safety. Then thought what the heck, might as well finally take everything out of linen closet for the first time, oh my, floor was dusty but nothing gross. Cleaned shelves and walls then folded all towels and sheets. Made bottom area for all massage sheets and equipment, next shelf sheets, next was all bathroom towels, one shelf all kitchen linens. It looks so nice. Still have top shelf to do but I am tired and need to eat first. Later today plan to take everything out of cabinet with spices and organize them and place them so can be found on a step up wire rack that I never put in, so will be much easier to cook if I decide to. Glad it is snowing out and frigidly cold, makes me happy to be inside, except now have to face it and go get wood. Thanks for any updates you have time for. Frozen hugs to you

Thanks Roxie, yes I do have electric blanket. Thanks for suggestions for keeping warm. It has never been this cold in December for this many days, that I can remember. It is just darn cold.
How did it go Tillie? Hope you got all your winter supplies and enjoyed the scenery.
I ordered the Hoard no More kit today for my Christmas present to myself!! It can take up to 2 weeks to get it so for sure it will be here before Christmas, what a great gift.

It took until afternoon to get up to 50 degrees in here. then worked more on kitchen cabinets, I wanted to quit so many times, had no idea there was still so much crap in them. First cleaned kitchen months ago, but today found lots more stuff to clean and organize. One cabinet was skipped first time apparently, there was a pile of dog food in back corner that the mice drug in. It was not fun dealing with it, for a variety of reasons. I did get that entire cabinet clean and organized. even labeled the shelves with what is in there

Thank you Diane (((HUGS)))
Thank you Roxie (((HUGS)))

On long car trips I like to play car poker.
You see a car in the distance and call "dibs" on it.
When it gets close enough you look at the license plate and make a card hand out of the letters & numbers.
Then you do the same with another car to improve your hand.
Person with the best hand wins. :D
Remember, I live in Nevada. LOL ;)

I CAN do this and I CAN have fun and not worry.
Thank you both. :D

Finally went to sleep about 9am and just woke up.

Tillie: Too funny a pun on your angora-phobia. Thanks for the laugh. Sweetie, you CAN do that trip and I think you'll even have fun. You can work on a shopping list in the car if that helps. Or you two play one of those old games like that alphabet game where you have to go through the alphabet by spotting words on signs. Like Altoona would give you A. Barber shop would give you B, etc. I don't much like going out either, but once I make the effort it's usually worth it.

Diane: Sweetie, do you have an electric blanket or would that help? Or a hot water bottle? I am also grateful you have that wood stove and that you stocked up on the wood. Drink hot beverages to nurture yourself: tea, coffee, hot chocolate. I hate to think of you so cold. But having been there myself, I KNOW you can do it. Keep wearing layers and if you are sitting still, wrap blankets around you. You will get through this. Can you go visit a friend with central heating, or the library so you can warm up? Hugs

I imagine Karl still has to hook up his computer, but hope to hear from him soon.

Hello to everyone reading this. Drinking my coffee and checking email.

dear sweet Tillie, you can do this, what a great chance to try on your big girl panties!! I really do not like to leave home either, but when I do, I am always fine, and even enjoy most of it. You have all of our love and support today, and encourage you to go make it a fun day, so proud of you for sharing your inner fears and courage to do it anyway.
I have been feeling very emotional past few days, feel this cold is too much. Fire went out last night and it was about 30 degrees in here this morning, made a fire, went back to bed. It was -2 degrees past 2 nights, still pipes did not freeze, worried faucet in yard froze, will check and rewrap today, supposed to be -5 one night this week, too darn cold for me. Yesterday started to organize shelf and cupboards in kitchen. I need to organize things to make better use of limited space. Feel good about area I got done. Started on an odd cabinet today, found a bunch of keys, including 2 spare car keys I had made last year when I lost keys, they cost $52 each because of computer chip in them, glad I found them. I did get soup made yesterday, was so good. Fixed tarp that blew off in storm. It took about an hour. When I came in my fingers ached, close to frost bitten, painful warming them. Glad I had the soup to eat. Life is not easy for me right now. Realize my gratitude list is an effort daily, but does help. today I am grateful for surviving this cold, having wood stove for warmth, for a supply of food, for stereo and music. Grateful you posted tillie, makes me feel less alone in this struggle. Hugs

Good morning :)
I am so nervous and worrying my self sick.
Tomorrow his plan is that we will drive 150 miles round trip into Carson City to shop.
I have not left this area here in over 6 years.
But the stores here are terrible now that walmart moved in.
All the Mom & Pop stores are gone now. Only one grocery store left here.
The prices and selection are depressing.
In Carson City is a grocery store chain that I have really liked for decades.
He wants to go there and have us stock up on non perishable food, enough to last the winter.
I am all for that. I have the space in my pantry.
He also wants to go to Harbor Freight while we are there.
But I have a terrible fear of leaving the house, being in crowds and talking to people.
He got me the computer years ago just so I would start to communicate with humans again.
It has worked, I can talk to people here but in real life it is still very hard for me.
I call my condition "angora phobia" a fear of leaving the cat. lol ;)
Anyways, I am going to put on my big girl panties and do this.
I will push through the fear. :)

Hi Roxie :)
WAY TO GO!
Getting cat food and cooking a lovely meal for your self too. :D

Hi Jess :)
WAY TO GO!!! for all you got done.

Hi Roxie :)
Hope you got the cat food today.
I know my cats would conspire to hurt me if I ever ran out. LOL :D

Got my groceries.
The store was pretty empty of customers at the time I was in there. :D
The roads were all clear of ice & snow.

Stay warm. :)

diane - I love the positivity and the way you focus on what makes you grateful. I need reminders from time to time. Sounds like you have a good jump on preparing for more brutal cold and that's wonderful!

Tillie - I'm not a fan of crowds myself. I often have to give myself a pep talk, refocusing my thoughts from, "I have to go to the crowded store," to thoughts like, "I get to have fresh, healthy food and restock what I need." I hope your trip is pleasant. Please don't end up snacking with the cats! hehe

I've done the fireplace and vacuumed the living room. I stripped the bedding and washed that and some towels, as well as my comforter and 4 blankets. Two of those have been in the closet since last winter, since they are very heavy and only really used during this season. I dusted and vacuumed the bedroom we sleep in. The clutter bedroom has fresh sheets now but the floor is a disaster.

I've got a friend coming over soon so I'm going to tidy up the bathroom and I'll just have to put off the ugly bedroom for now.

I'm trying very hard to remain positive and be proud of the things I accomplished today. My urge to rip everything apart and do it better is pretty strong today but I'm staying focused the best I can.

Good morning :)

It's a whole 15 degrees on the back porch now.
No frozen pipes in the house this morning. :D


Hi Jess :)
Way To Go! organizing the kitchen and getting in good food!
Keep tackling one do-able task after another and your livingroom will soon be in good shape. :D

Hi Diane :)
Keep those cabinet doors open and even turn the tap on to a tiny trickle to keep the pipes open & unfrozen over night.
Hope you got the VCR connected and running. I love my bluray player. Plays bluray and DVDs and CDs but best of all is it plays the Netflix programs on the TV.
When my VCR died I never replaced it and I sold all my tapes.

I haven't been to the grocery store since way before thanksgiving. Hate crowds.
I am planning to grocery shop this afternoon.
Have my list all made up, running out of most everything except cat food & cat snacks.
Really dreading this trip. :(
Yesterday I hung a beautiful new pair of drapes in the dining area window. Now I have to try to keep the cats from swinging from them.
Have a matching pair for the livingroom area window but I am too afraid to hang those yet.
That window is where they mostly sit to look out.
Small changes like this help to keep my mind from getting boring.

Stay warm, eat healthy and find fun interesting things to add excitement to your day. :D

Jess, good work in kitchen! I did all dishes last night and have water stored in case pipes freeze, got up and put wood in stove during night, all faucets work this morning, 0 degrees, supposed to be -1 tonight. Have to shower and wash hair this morning in case pipes freeze tonight.
I had a really slow day yesterday, did some organizing, hung some blankets over doors, to keep brutal cold wind out.
Will haul more wood onto deck today. Have to return a phone call I have procrastinated calling.
Still need to make soup, really want to do that today. Now that everything is clean in kitchen will make it more inviting to cook.
Today I am grateful that I can leave cabinets open to let heat in where there are pipes. When Molly was here she would get into open cabinets and chew on anything she could find. I am grateful that I don't have to worry about cords getting chewed on. Grateful that I can now burn candles without worrying about having her knock them over. Grateful that I have hope that my clutter will continue to decrease. Even though short dark days zap my energy, I still am headed in the right direction. I am grateful for this group and web site to give me hope and direction. Grateful I don't have to be out in the cold today. Grateful I do not have to work this winter, can stay home when roads are icy. Grateful you post on here so I can get insight and hope.

I'm back in town from Thanksgiving and the little trip we took to attend a wedding. My husband and I decided to start eating better and getting back to working out. I cleaned the refrigerator and stocked it with good food. Had a bit of a moment of weakness and pulled everything out of the kitchen cabinets so I could arrange it the "right" way. Maybe not the best decision to give in to that urge? But it looks nice and it made me feel better.

Today I want to clean out the fireplace and vacuum the living room. I've let the chores pile up so there are lots of things that need to be done. I guess I'll just start there and then reassess because otherwise I fear I won't do much of anything.

Big hugs to everyone reading and trying to make their own plan for the day. I'm in your corner!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! First real snow of the season. Happy I have plenty of firewood.
Grateful I went to store yesterday and have plenty of good food. I had some pictures printed yesterday of the dog I borrowed. I took pictures of him with a santa hat on in between Christmas stuffed animals to make a christmas card for my friend that loaned him to me. I am so happy I did that and today I can make the card, so pleased when I think of something clever that will be an unexpected pleasure to someone else.
I have had a very lazy morning, looking on computer.
I would like to figure out the connection to tv/vcr today so I can watch some commercial free stuff!
Have plenty of old movies etc. just never took time to enjoy when was out compulsively shopping. This will be my first winter with out clutter in living area in many years.
Tillie, I like that you sit and enjoy your life and treeless window, gives me permission to lay low this morning. Guilt and anxiety have run my life long enough. Think I will put a pot of soup on the wood stove, love to cook on wood stove, and no Molly to worry about knocking it off. Enjoy your day everyone.

Good morning :0

Been snowing since sometime around dark thirty and continues to snow.
Dark gray day, bitterly cold.
Cats are all "starving" to death (their words) and trying to find suitable places to hibernate till Spring.
Even a dirty cluttered outside hoard looks good and fresh & clean when buried deep in snow. :D
So happy that tree is gone and not threatening to come down on me from the weight of the snow.
Planning to do the "Daily Tasks" then get right back into all the hard work (playing).
Doing some sewing projects, doing some doll house projects, thinking about baking.
Been spending a lot of time already today just watching the swirling snow flakes falling in the garden. :D

Good morning :)

Woke up before the sun was up, rolled over and slept in till 8:00. :D

Hi Diane :)
Good luck fixing the tarp.
Sometimes I get like that, spilling stuff and believe that I just need to slow down a little and be more aware of what I am doing, not running on automatic.
Yes, chat was really good last night! :D
I am grateful for this site and all the wonderful people I have met here. (((HUGS)))

Hi Roxie :)
As I told the folks in chat last night my telling him to show respect for the housework I do in here worked GREAT!
He removed his shoes every time before coming inside so he did not dirty my freshly washed floors.
And, he did a lot of GREAT work in the carport.
He can now get the front end of his truck under there AND he also gathered up a LOT of stuff, put it in his truck and will drop it off at the charity thrift shop today!!! :D

Hi Dianne :)

Hi MayMay :)

Hi everybody else here :D

Winter storm blowing in today.
The wind has it warmed up to 40 degrees right now but that will soon change.
Swapping out my lighter weight bedding for the warmer Winter stuff today.
Right now I have the light weight blankets and comforter all washed and out on the clothes line drying. Then I will store them away till Spring.

When this winter storm blows in the temps will be below freezing day and night. :(
Fortunately, I have 2 cats who love to snuggle in bed with me and they generate a lot of heat. ;)

Have a lot of fun activities planned for this week and hope the electricity doesn't go out while I am sewing. Oh Well. LOL

Get out there and look for the FUN in all you do today. :)

Roxie, what a great family, heart warming reading about the love you received, perhaps that is why you easily share love with us. I have lots to learn in that area.
Only .26" of rain last night and my tarp job wasn't angled enough so there was a huge amount of water ready to crash, so I have been out there getting water down, and showered with cold water. Will be great to have that section re roofed. Guess I will have to work on it today so doesn't fill up again. Often best to do it right the first time!!!!
Today went in big bedroom and there is so much still to do.
And here I sit avoiding starting. Going into Bend today to pay for my new insurance, and grocery shop. Tried to pay online but will be overdue before it gets to them, so today is the day to pay. Ice and snow starts later today, so need to go soon, while still over 32 dergrees.
I will do dishes first, have done most already.
Just knocked over my coffee on living room carpet, blotted with towels, last night knocked over grapefruit container in kitchen, what is the deal?
Cleaned up after Molly for months, don't want my spills to continue. Gratitude is so helpful, need to make list daily and make it a habit. I am grateful for the chat group last night, lots of great participation. Grateful for having time to organize, and the support here to make changes. Grateful for Tillie and Steven and Cory and all the chatters on here.

Good morning :/

Today I plan to do the general house cleaning stuff.
Clean bathroom
Wash floors
Vacuum carpet
Dust
Cook some food
Clean the kitchen

He has been home from work a LOT lately using up all his paid days off before the year's end.
Use it or lose it.
He will still be home a LOT this month too.
He has done nothing productive with his time off and has been making big nasty messes & leaving them for me to clean up.
I am at the end of my rope.

Anyways....
Hope to see you all in chat tonight. :)

OOPS! I just made a major TYPE-O!

I accidentally forgot to put the word "cousins" at the beginning of the second sentence in the paragraph in my last post. :o

What I meant to say was... "My cousins on my mom's side of the family are nice"

Hi everyone! :)

Hi diane,
Thanks. Yeah being alone can be good sometimes. :)

Hi Dianne and Tillie,
Yeah on my mom's side of the family, it's mostly my grandpa that causes all the drama. My on my mom's side of the family are nice; but I hate how my grandpa is constantly comparing me and my cousin Abby. In his eyes, my cousin Abby is perfect because she graduated from college and she's a super girly girl; and I'm the black sheep because I work at a bar and I mostly hangout with guys and I am a total tomboy. I hate to say this... But I can't wait until my grandpa dies. Once my grandpa dies, I think most of the drama will go away... Because that's what happened on my dad's side of the family. On my dad's side of the family, it was my grandma that caused the most drama. But then after she died, all of the drama went away; and now there is absolutely no drama on my dad's side of the family at all. We all get along great now.

Hi Roxie,
Oh wow! LOL. Luckily that has never happened to me before. Did you get into any trouble after any of the crashes? :)

Good morning everybody! :D
Wonderful to read all your posts.
Got me thinking about the very last time I attended a family gathering. :/
Xmas 1985.
Parents were planning to sell the house we grew up in and down size into a condo.
Father kept bugging me to come down for the very last xmas in that house.
Finally I agreed to drive 1000 miles from the San Francisco bay area all the way to Tucson.
The visit was pure hell on earth and even more.
I do not like any of those people. 2 brothers & their wives, 2 sisters, mother & I barely tolerated my father.
Over the years since then my father kept asking me when I was going to come back to visit and my answer was always when hell freezes over, and frankly it doessn't ever get that cold in Tucson, but if it does freeze over I will come and bring my ice skates. :P

Anyways.....
Been up since before sun up and got a lot of stuff accomplished.
Pondering what I want to do the rest of the day.
Never did make that ginger bread that I wanted so bad. Maybe I will bake. :D

Maymay, enjoyed your family fiasco. I dreaded going to moms drama filled feasts. I often think everyone but me has a good fun filled family feast, good to hear being alone is more fun sometimes.
Roxie, enjoyed your stories about noodling on couch and riding scooter. I used scooter after surgery, a friend took me to target, aisle were too narrow for this driver, clipped a few end displays!! Costco has better aisles for new drivers. I have a CDL for driving school buses so when ran into aisle got a good laugh. thanks so much for all that everyone posts

Yesterday I worked in big bedroom for about 4 hours, yes there is still that much stuff in there, sun was shining in, so was having a good time. When I decided I had done enough for the day, went outside and enjoyed the sun, then the clouds rolled in. I actually went from happy to gloomy, amazing how much the weather affects me. then I started regretting I had been indoors when sun was shining, had to talk myself into saying it was ok. I was at a loss to figure out what to do. Then decided to try to figure out how to transfer pictures from camera to computer, again. I got totally involved in the project and no longer felt sad. I actually was able to figure it out . In past months have had to take camera in and have pictures put on disc then put disc in puter. The camera is the one I got from a friend, it is 10 years old but a very good sony that takes great pictures. It has old sony pro memory stick that doesn't fit in computer, so have to use wires to attach. I came close to going shopping yesterday when felt bad, thank goodness I worked on camera instead. Nice reading your comments.

Hi everyone! :D

I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. Mine was ok. I'm so glad it's over though. My boyfriend and I spent thanksgiving with my parents and my mom's side of the family. I'm not going to lie. I can't stand my mom's side of the family. They are all annoying, mean, judgemental people and no one ever gets along with each other. All they do is fight. Thanksgiving got a lot better though once we left my parent's house and went to the bar to meet up with the guys. :)

WAY TO GO Karl! :D

Hi Tillie! :D

Hi diane! :D

Hi Roxie,
I love riding those motorized carts in the grocery store. Sometimes my boyfriend and I will race each other with them while we are at the store. It's so much fun! We are total kids at heart! LOL. ;D

Good morning. Got so much stuff done yesterday, felt good to keep busy and get things done. It is hard to know what to do with Stevens crap, so he may need suggestions on where to move it. Tillie, nice you are going to help Steven see the benefit of having windshield free of ice. It is sunny this morning, supposed to be cloudy today. It is 18 right now, in a few days will be 0 degrees at night, glad I have plenty of firewood.
I did not do dishes yesterday so will do that today for sure {I hope} I did finally pay bills last night. Have 2 phone calls to make regarding health insurance change, really dread it, then it will only take a few minutes, and I will wonder why I wait and fret.
Today I noticed I still worry about what others might think of the way I fixed living room, then I remind myself, it is comfortable for me and not to compare to my minamalist friends who only have the minimum of everything. I love having 3 comfortable places to sit in here, from 3 angles, when I only really need only 2. With no dog to please, it is really new to think what I really want and what is comfortable for me.
Had a sweet chat last night in chatroom, so grateful for this site. Today I want to practice relaxing, always feel a sense of anxiety about things that need to be done. Grateful I am not in a store getting great bargains that I do not need.
Just ran out and put garbage cart out, thought would be Saturday because of holiday, heard truck and ran out. Hope all of you had an OK day yesterday and were able to think of lots of things that you are thankful for.

Good morning :)
My plan for today is to try to encourage my hoarder to clear/clean out part of a carport
so that he can park his truch under there and not have to scrape ice off the windows every morning before work.
This would make his life so much easier.
Can't understand why he is so resistant. LOL ;D
Other than that my to-dos are the usual...
cat stuff & tidying up
then back to playing

Hope you all have a fun and productive day. :D

Great job Karl! :D
Happy that things are getting finalized for you.
(((hugs)))

Good morning everyone! :D

What wonderful and beautiful posts to read. :)

Been meandering around this morning, lost in thought and a benadryl fog.
My list of To-Dos for today are.....
cut & file my fingernails
brush the Pooh kitty
scoop litter boxes
put down fresh water & fill kibble bowls
play with my toys
watch stuff on Netflix
Already fed the cats and they have all gone off to take naps.
I'm planning to get dressed, brush my hair, wash my face & brush my teeth soon as I finish drinking my tea.

Everybody have a wonderful day. :D

brrrrrr fire went out and it is so cold in here, fire take awhile to get going and warm this old place up. Tanner was so happy to see his owner yesterday, and now I can move on with no dog here. It was a good buffer to have him here, and a reminder how much focus I put on entertaining dogs. Now it is time to focus on my life for real. I did take another load of stuff to thrift store yesterday. He did not go home until 5pm so didn't get paper sorting. I will wash dog dishes and put stuff I used for him in garage today, vacuum, do dishes and sort papers. I am looking forward to making a list of things I am grateful for, guess I can start list here.
I am grateful for each one that post on here. Other things i am grateful for: Having a place to live that I own and the security that provides me. having the time to sort and orgainize things. Guidance on this journey to clean. The ability to make friends when I am ready to. Savings account. Good health insurance. A deck with a view. quick wit, learning to keep going when I want to quit, Cute comfortable living room, and now know how to keep clutter out of it, most of the time. A comfortable bed to sleep in, heating pad in bed. Safe neighborhood. Privacy.Enough clothes, food, crafts, firewood, to make winter warm. TV, telephone, radio, car, RV, enough money to pay for insurance, taxes, utilities etc. Indoor plumbing, 2 toilets that work. I am so grateful for my health and the ability to haul in firewood, chop kindling, repair most things, paint walls any color I choose. really grateful that I can sleep in a dark quiet room without interruption now. I am grateful for this website and the comfort it gives me. I am grateful everytime someone posts their progress, also grateful when they posts slips, and then pulls it together and gets back on track to recovery. Any self pity I woke up with this morning about being alone and no family and only a few friends (that are in couples)is gone now that I focused on the abundant list of things I am grateful for!!!!!!!

Hi Tillie! :)

Sorry I forgot to say hi to you in my last post. :o

Hi everybody! :D

Hey Dianne,
Thanks. I've been super busy lately. Nothing too crazy has happened lately. I should have lots of stories to tell after tomorrow though; because my mom's side of the family is coming down from Michigan for thanksgiving tomorrow; and they are all CRAZY!

Hi diane,
Sorry Tanner had to go home today. :(

Hi Cory,
Aww! Your post is so sweet! :)

Hi Karl! :)

Hi Roxie! :)