goodmorning--heel kept me awake, finally just got up with only a few hours of sleep.
Yes Roxie, I saw you posted that you leave things and it gave me permission to be honest. You caught yourself before it got bad it sounded like. My leaving stuff around took a few months to become bad, but thank goodness living area is ok again.
Today my only goals are to soak my foot and do dishes. There are hardly any clean dishes. I got fixated on doing work on deck, then on living room, now kitchen, then would really like to do maintenance on all clean areas, and only tackle other rooms without hauling stuff out here to sort, seems some of it always stays out here. There is room to sort in other rooms now, so no reason to haul out here to sort.
A friend dropped by yesterday who wanted some pillows to help him sleep more upright. He had never been here before, he knows of my hoarding. He was surprised I let him come in here. After 3 long days of getting rid of stuff in living room, he said, boy you have a lot of stuff in here. He said it is so comfy and clean, has been to homes of hoarders that are really filthy he said. (retired house painter) He chose my 2 best pillows, I said you can have one but not both, they are Ralph Lauren, and cost a lot of money. This morning I was still feel upset he wanted both, so silly. He had called and said he was waking up with panic attacks because he could not breathe, so I offered pillows since I still have to many. I thought he could take several several regular pillows but he wanted the big feather ones. Funny I have given away so car loads of stuff, and that one pillow is a big deal, and it was given to someone that really needed it.
A woman friend is coming over this afternoon to look at my heel to see if there is glass or something in it after I soak it. I told her I get leg cramps every time I try to get it close enough to look, and she offered to come over. This is a big deal, 2 people in 2 days, when I am most comfortable with no visitors.

hello everyone. My window project took muuch more time than I thought. I scraped and painted the edges after I washed them all. Painted wall around window, ended up painting the whole living room a lighter tan, looks good. screwed all things back on., Can see out so much better now, although it was way more work than I thought, and I got drenched washing windows in yard when had a big rain storm roll in right when I finished.
I finally realized the reason I don't vacuum is that a bunch of stuff found it way to the floor. I spent the last 3 days reorganizing living room and dining room. There was so much stuff all over. It looks so good now, I never want it to get cluttered up again, so will have to learn to do maintenance and be more observant when I start leaving stuff around. Fridays Spring free debris pickup was a huge success for me. I filled up several bags of junk and big plastic outdoor shades that would never fit in can. I also have 3 bags of donations ready to go. I did not pace myself, just worked for hours on end daily. Really wanted to get junk out of here and reclaim my living area. Have any of you done that, get it finally cleared out then rejunk it? Let me tell you, it sneaks up on you until it steals your comfort.
When I was hauling donations out today, I cut my heel on something, peeled pack a good section, and it hurts so much. Made me realize I am now forced to slow down. I took a shower, washed my hair, which I have not done in days, want to prevent infection, so really took care washing foot. Then washed 2 loads of laundry and hung out. It is supposed to rain tonight, no rain today so far. I have many dirty dishes, but will rest for at least an hour with foot elevated. May have to wait until tomorrow, if foot continues to be this painful, will bring laundry in before rain. It is so nice to sit here in clean room.
Fun reading all the posts. Thanks for continuing to post and make progress.

Oops... I did it again. Posted my goals on the wrong thread (on the "gratitude list"). I won't relist them here. Have a great day, all.

Good morning :)

Drizzled all day yesterday except for the times it actually rained.
Really have to go grocery shopping today. Running very low on stuff.
Have my list all made up.
So cold today that I have to wear jeans and not a dress. :(
That old saying "April showers bring May flowers",
they also bring lots of weeds.lol :D
This laptop computer is almost at the end of it's life. Lots of problems and now the screen is going dark.
Hard to see to read.
Oh Well, some more duct tape and chewing gum should keep it running a bit longer. :D
Will probably get a new one very soon now, we have been researching them.

Have some fun today :)

Karl: Hope all goes well with your event tomorrow.

Tillie: I didn't realize hummingbirds were such curious creatures! Interesting! When I got out to that rural area this morning, the first thing I saw was something that looked to me like a road runner (or at least it had a gait similar to a road runner). I don't remember seeing one around there before, so that was fun.

Cory Chalmers: Glad you were able to have a day to relax!

Me: I got my maintenance request written up, but I didn't get it turned in yet. Spent most of the day in that rural area and was pleased with what I accomplished out there. I was very tired when I got home, so maybe I'll sleep longer and better than I have the last two nights. (Exercise was actually one of my goals for going out there today.) I did remember to wear my dust mask, take Benadryl, and wear sunscreen. I could have improved the hydration part. Beautiful day, beautiful scenery, very enjoyable experience.

Have a good evening, everybody.

WAY TO GO!!! Cory
For doing nothing today! :D
Sometimes nothing is really something good.

Good morning :)

Windy, dark, cold...
cats are not happy.
I am in a pretty good mood. :D
Been messing around on the interwebs, drinking tea, not dressed yet.
Thinking about doing some sewing today or maybe paint some doll house components or maybe both.
I always write things on my calendars. Good way for me to keep track of what I did & when.
Have a fresh, new to me book to start reading, YEA!
The Hummingbirds are back!!!! :D
Just saw two fighting over territory in my garden! :D
Out of all the birds, Hummingbirds seem to be the most agressive and territorial. Also curious, they will hover over my shoulder to see what I'm doing. They will also hover right in front of my face at times.
I don't think they realize just how tiny they are.
Wishing everybody a GREAT Friday, no matter what the weather is like where you are or what you may be up to today. :D

Good morning, everyone.

Tillie: Sorry the weather did not cooperate yesterday! (Mine didn't cooperate with my plans, either, but I just wasn't checking the forecast.) Glad you enjoy animal-sitting.

Roxie: Hugs to you, too!

Karl: Good to see that you have the memory and the organizational skills to know where your spare calendars are! Cool.

My goals for today: I am planning to leave shortly to do the outside work (with masks, Benadryl, etc.) in that rural area I intended to go to yesterday. How much else I get done when I return depends on how long that outside work takes. I do plan to add to my gratitude list. I am also planning to turn in another maintenance request to the office to get some caulking done before some water goes into areas it shouldn't go into.

I need to remember as I work today to wear sunscreen (and apply it frequently), and also to keep myself hydrated and to eat when I need to.

Happy Friday.

The weather forecast said that today would be nice. That the next storm would blow in sometime this evening.
They lied.
The winds began raging again by noon, blowing in big dark clouds that blotted out all the sunlight.
The cats & I had been having a good time out in the yard but when the wind started up they all went back inside to mope.
I finished up watering the trees & bushes & flowers and went inside to mope too.
Since I was in here anyways, I did some cleaning and stuff in the kitchen then took a short nap.
Neighbor came by & we chatted about stuff. I will be baby sitting their 2 small dogs and 3 cats this weekend. They will be at their house and I will walk over to play with them and feed them.
I enjoy baby sitting animals. :D

Karl: Yeah, I have to confess that I did at first take the time to stop and figure out when it would be good again. But I figured that by then, I would either have forgotten that I had it or would have forgotten where I put it.


Barb: Yes, I found that part about the categorization interesting, too. As for the hiking shoes . . . I relate to that feeling. Sometimes, as I've slowly started getting myself to actually throw away really old but beloved clothes (and especially old clothes that belonged to a deceased loved one), I do it kind of ceremoniously. I feel a little bit better if I place it "lovingly" in the disposal bin. (Hey . . . whatever works or helps for me to let it go, right?)


As for my final plans for the day, they didn't end up being so "final" after all. By the time I got everything loaded to go to that rural area, it was pretty late in the day and was very windy. I was afraid I'd either not have time to get the things done that I wanted to do there or else that I'd end up with a big headache tomorrow (allergies). I did get my notebook bought (and disposed of the old, damaged one). I decided to just come back and work some more on that bedroom, eat supper, wash dishes, do a bit of paperwork, and hit the sack early. It's not supposed to be so windy tomorrow, so I probably can get the outside work done then.


Hope everyone has a good evening.

Karl, I admire your frugality, but it wouldn't work for me. I mark up my calendars with appointments, events I want to go to, birthdays with the age the child will be, etc.
Do whatever works for you.

LR: I love your song lyrics. Pete Seeger's Step by Step has been a favorite of mine. I have a hard time discarding clothing, too. When they wear out it is like losing an old friend. I replaced my worn out waterproof hiking shoes this week and am breaking in the new ones for my trip but have yet to throw out the old ones. I remember hiking the Columbian gorge in them and viewing the beautiful hidden waterfalls. I still have the photos. it's time to let the shoes go.

I started reading Buried Treasures this week on Kindle. I took the Hoarding and Clutter quiz today. I came out much better than I thought I would. Although the clutter score is in the severe range, the activities of daily living, living conditions, and safety scores all fall in the mild range. That means I still manage to function in my home regardless of the clutter. The scale applies to the last week only. Last fall, I would not have scored as high. So I am making progress and that is a good thing.

One observation struck me.. The authors say that people who hoard have difficulty putting their own items in big categories. It is not that we are unable to put things in categories but that we over-categorize. In other words, when we sort we subcategorize too much.
This is true! My spice rack has meat and stew spices on the top row, baking spices are on the bottom row, etc. Each spice has a specific slot. All my soups are in a specific section of canned goods. Fruits in one. Vegetables in another. No wonder putting away groceries takes up so much time! I've noticed that when my sister shops she just loads everything onto her pantry shelves wherever there is an empty space. No fuss. No bother.
I don't think I am ever going to change. But it does give me some insight into how and why I do the things I do.
Have a great Thursday everyone.

Barb: I like that you have a vision in your mind of what your place will look like again at some point. I need to constantly hear that reminder: step by step. Hey, I just thought of a new song. I remember the old song, "Step by step, row by row . . .gonna make this garden grow . . . ." Maybe I'll go around singing, "Step by step, fast or slow . . . gonna make this clutter go . . . ."

Tillie: You said, "Sometimes things have been around the house & in our lives for so long that the thought of tossing them out just simply never occurs to us. HaHaHa" So true! I find I have "strange vision" when it comes to my clutter. For example, I often find that even though something in front of me is obviously worn out or faded, my mind often sees it the way it used to be. Sometimes it takes me a bit to step back, look at it, and say, "Wow, that's really, ahem, past its prime now." I'm glad I was able to do that with some clothes recently and chunk them. (They were so old, thin, and ragged that no self-respecting person shopping at Goodwill would have wanted them.) In the past, for some reason, I would never have dreamed of throwing away an item of clothing! So. yea for progress.

I had so many things to consider working on during this rainy morning that I was having trouble setting my goals, so I put each task I thought about on an index card and just drew a card out of the "deck." Result: to work on clutter in my bedroom for about an hour. So I did that. I also added to my gratitude list and did a little bit of work in my BIT book.

Now it's not raining, and I am planning to do some outside work at that rural area I've mentioned. On the way, I plan to pick up a notebook to use to organize some paperwork.

Hugs to all.

Good morning :)
Been up since before 5:00am.
Not because I wanted to be up but the cats said so.

Hi LR2014 :)
WAY TO GO!!! Keeping on track! :D
Sometimes things have been around the house & in our lives for so long that the thought of tossing them out just simply never occurs to us. HaHaHa
This is why it's important to take a few seconds on every article and ask ourselves "WHY???".
Especially the stuff that we have seen every day, year in and year out, until we really don't see it any more even though it's right there in front of us.

Hi Karl :)
Happy you finally got an answer as to what's wrong with the phone there. :D

Hi Roxie :)
You have been doing a fantastic job keeping up with the daily maintenance! :D
Make sure to get more rest and take care of yourself. (((HUGS)))

Hi Barb :)
WTG! for mowing the grass! :D
Try putting up a reminder for the night before trash day and getting the can out then.
It will be so nice for you coming home to a clear & clean entry, kitchen and livingroom. :)

I have a load of linens out drying on the clothes line.
Soon as I post this I will be outside watering the trees, bushes and flowers.
When that's all done must shower & wash my hair to remove all the pollen.
Need to do some work in the kitchen.
Tomorrow another storm is predicted and today is the only nice day we are having this whole week.
I plan not to waste any of this day cleaning inside. :D

Everybody have a wonderful time today. :D

Good morning, all.
Hi Tille, I hope your allergies are better. Remember to keep yourself hydrated as medication increases that need. I thought of you as I was sneezing and dripping while I mowed the grass.
Roxie: I appreciate your posts and additions to the gratitude list. I hope you continue to do well.
LR: You are making great progress. I hope you are having a good day.
Diane: Whew! Your window project sounds ambitious. I hope you find what you need. You are very resourceful and I am sure you will find a way to make it work. I am going to wait until it is consistently warmer to wash my windows and redo the screens. Two need replacing and one needs repair. It is in the high 40s today. That's a little brisk to have the house open.
Karl: I'm glad you tracked down your phone problem. My experience is that phone through the computer can be a little glitchy, but you are more computer savvy than I am.

I did get the lawn mowed yesterday. I trimmed the front and side yards but not the back. There are weeds and vines that need to be taken out in back, but that will wait for later in the week.
Today I am focusing on the inside. I have decided to spend an hour in each room. First the kitchen, then the entry, then the living room. By then it will be lunch time and I will need a break to regroup. I have some paperwork to complete and get in the mail.
I forgot to put the toter out for the trash men this morning. It is half full. I do have another garbage can with a lid in the garage I can use if I fill the toter before next week.
I want to put on a "full court press" to get as much accomplished as I can before my trip. I'll take it day by day.
Back in the old days, I used to thoroughly clean my house before a trip so it would be clean and welcoming when I returned. I will get there again one of these days. I have a vision in my mind of what that looks like. For now, my goal is to have a clean entry, kitchen, and bathroom to come home to. Step by step.

Roxie: I'm glad you're able to "finger" a few lines for us each day. It's so good to hear from you.

Karl: Good to hear about your progress on the phone situation.

Me: I eventually did my goals for yesterday. I was very tempted to put it off that dusting task I mentioned and do it on some other day. However, since I had posted it as a goal and had no truly good reason for not doing it, I eventually did it. (Yea for the message board!)

I am still working on my goals for today, but two of them will definitely be adding to my gratitude list and working some more in my new book. FYI, I just posted something on the "Why do you hoard?" thread that I wrote the other day after going through some things in my filing cabinet. In case you read it: I really did run across a very cute 1988 calendar . . . and I did chunk it. But there was certainly some debate in my head at first.

Have a good day, everyone!

Tillie: Glad to hear you did get some sleep.

Diane: I know it will be nice to have your windows clean and looking the way you want them to.

OK, now for my goals for the rest of today: Spend a maximum of 30 minutes cleaning up from the "aftermath" of this morning's maintenance work. (I can go overboard with that, so I have to watch my time on that.) Spend at least 15 minutes each on the goals I didn't get to yesterday. Add to my gratitude list. Inspired by many of your posts, spend 15 minutes dusting a specific certain area that hasn't been dusted in a while (understatement).

Have a good day, all.

WAY TO GO!!!! Diane :D
Try breaking the whole project up into do-able sizes and not burn out trying to do all that hard work too fast.
Set the timer to remind you to take breaks and eat & drink. (((hugs)))

After Tillie said she was going to wash screens and windows when she feels better, I thought, I should do that.
In old trailers, screens are screwed on in the inside. I have never taken them off because they wouldnt turn with the huge paint build up. There are 3 panels glass on a roll out thing, really old, most don't work, so have never been able to wash inside of windows or screen. Well today I beat the paint off the screws, used electric drill to unscrew them, power tools do what I am unable to do with hand tools. Well storm windows are in one pile and screens are in another stack. 4 windows in living room and dining room took almost 3 hours to get it all off. Well the inside of windows have warped unfinished wood, filthy dirty. with ragged or no insulation. It is an all day job and I am already exhausted. I am going to make a shake now and go sit outside. Then will haul all storm windows and screens out to wash filth off. Will wash inside of windows, and wood then paint wood. When I took off the screens off, it had blue and white wall paper that the place was covered with when new. It ripped around edges so have to decide what to do with that, whether to spackle it or just paint as is. It is painted a light tan, think light sage green would be even nicer. I also found that windows do not fit flush with frame. I would really like new used windows that work. I may take a trip to habitat restore to see if they happen to have that size, especially for the one with a broken window panel. Will measure exactly and pray for a replacement window. I took all valances down, not sure if they will be tossed or washed and rehung. It looks bigger in here without them. They do keep cold out in winter a little and heat out in summer. But with gaps in window really just need some double pained windows. These windows are from 1967, single pain, gaps between and very thin old glass. Enough already. Just wanted to say my goal today is to clean windows, screens, sills and paint.

Hi Everybody :D

Hi Diane :)
Sounds like you had a very good balance between work projects, daily maintenance, eating properly, enjoyable activities and rest & relaxation. WAY TO GO! :D
I guess there is still too much stuff in that bedroom, causing you frustration with the slow progress. An hour though spent in there is GREAT and little step by little step it will get to where you are satisfied with the room. (((hugs))) :)

Hi Karl :)
WAY TO GO! making more progress on straightening out the storage. :D
My fingers are crossed that soon you will locate that computer equipment. ;)

Happy Birthday Roxie :D
Such FANTASTIC accomplishments you are making.

Hi LR2014 :)
Good luck getting those maintenance problems fixed properly and fast. :D
P.S. just saw you posted while I was composing. Yes, I did get some sleep last night. TY :)

Hi Barb :)
Great! you got the mower back! :D
Enjoy the calm before the next storm.

The winds finally calmed down sometime last night.
Still cold today but is supposed to warm up by tomorrow before the next storm blows in for Friday.
Planning to get out and water tomorrow.
Didn't get rain here. :(
Just all that wind.
My teeny tiny doll house resides on top of a small antique chest of drawers in my room.
Around the doll house is a teeny tiny white picket fence with an old fashioned gas style street light out front, operates by battery.
After dark I walked into my room and saw the light was on!
The cats can't get up there, that's why I have the picket fence, and I haven't had the light on for months now.
That was FUN! :D
My big extra fancy Iris has but up a lot of flower stalks.
The house needs a good deep cleaning now to get all the dust.
If the wind storms are finished, that will be my plan for next week.
This week I haven't done much except reading and crafts and naps. :D

Have a wonderful Wednesday everybody. :)

OK, the earlier maintenance problem is fixed for now. (Still have some cleanup leftover to do from that, but the problem itself is fixed.) Yea!

Barb: Happy lawn mowing! (I happen to like to mow, usually.) Thanks for the inspiration to get winter gear ready for next year.

Tillie: I hope you feel better today than yesterday and were able to get some decent sleep last night.

Diane: You continue to inspire me with all the work you are getting done! Glad you are enjoying your kitchen so much!

Karl: Nice that you were able to get a lot done at the storage unit!

Roxie: I'm glad you were feeling well enough to get all that done yesterday. I continue to hope that you get all the rest and relaxation you need.

I will probably post my daily goals later. As always, one of them will be to add to my gratitude list.

Happy day to all.

Good morning, everyone.
I picked up the mower yesterday and filled the gas can. Today I need to mow. It is supposed to rain tomorrow.
When I'm done, I'll need to shower and head to the grocery store.
Have a great day!

Good morning, all, and happy birthday to Roxie!

I haven't read the recent posts as carefully as I usually do, but I hope to do that later in the day. My schedule is a bit "different" this morning.

As I mentioned to those who were able to make the chat last night, my "yesterday" didn't go at all as planned. The only posted goal I got done was to add to my gratitude list.

Early in the morning yesterday, I discovered a new maintenance issue I had to report to the office and deal with, and that took up much of the day. I did end up going to the Laundromat and doing laundry, which wasn't on my original list. Still have some of it that needs to be put away this morning. (At least it's all washed and dried.) Then after the chat last night, I discovered water backing up into a sink. Ugh. Maintenance people are now scheduled to come early this morning to deal with that, and I need to get off the computer soon for that.

More later! Hugs to all.

The sun came out today but it is very windy and cold out. I did fill a large garbage bag with junk today. Found more donations too. Ate healthy food. Did glue rocks together today.
Yesterday had very heavy rain and had a repeat leak in between the walls in big bedroom. Back up on roof today searched for problem area. Hopefully I figured it out and repaired it, although no area appeared to have a weak part. It will rain all week so will have plenty of time to find leaks, although I am very tired of dealing with repairs of roof. Was grateful no leak in kitchen so plan to replace the trim now that I know it appears to be fixed.
Worked on organizing bedroom for about an hour today. Really did not enjoy it, but see progress.
Kitchen has remained clean and I enjoy it so much.
Took table down that had junk on it in living room, glue gun etc.
I had a good day and enjoyed reading all of your posts.
Tillie, no lilacs open yet, I patrol bushes 3 or 4 times a day hoping to sniff some lilac. I did take a break and lay on lounger in sun in a protected area, so was warm enough with lots of clothes on.
Hope all is well and cats let you sleep tonight.

Good morning :)

Hi Diane :)
WAY TO GO!!!
for all you accomplished but most of all for stopping when you noticed you were tired and treating yourself to a nice rest with tea & treats!!! :D
YEA!!! for doing the toaster and being rewarded with a check! :D

Hi LR2014 :)
GREAT! to hear you are working through "Buried In Treasures"!
Looking forward to discussions here about thoughts and feelings about the book. :D
Keep up this GREAT! progress you are making! :D

Hi Karl :)
Happy you located some pay phones. Not an easy quest these days. ;)
Keeping my fingers crossed that your phone problems get straightened out soon.
Usually by the time the holiday candy reaches 75% off all the really good stuff is gone.

Hi Roxie :)
BIG WAY TO GO!!! :D
Wonderful that you were able to do this tidying up.
Wishing you a cheerful day. :)

Hi Barb :)
Call the business and ask them what is the best way to access the place to pick up the mower.
WAY TO GO!!! for getting the winter wear all ready for next year! :D

Well...
The winds howled all night long.
The cats all freaked out and fussed with each other all night, keeping my sleep disrupted.
Winds still going strong this morning and it's very dark and cloudy.
Allergies are smothering me and I have a pain in my head.
Oh Well, Anyways...
my plan for today is to play at whatever I fancy.
Will probably take a nap.
Good day to just hold up inside here and wait out the storm.
I have food and teas and books and art/craft projects to keep my mind occupied.

HAPPY EARTH DAY! :D

Good morning, all and Happy Earth Day!

Frank Kitty woke me a 5 demanding to be fed immediately. It's still dark at 5 and I was NOT ready to get up.

The mower is ready to pick up today. I will have to figure out how to get there as I noticed the road in front of the shop was closed yesterday. The warmer weather is greening up the grass and it will be ready to have the first mowing before the end of the week.

Yeah, Tillie on getting coats ready for next winter. I washed my coat and jean jacket yesterday. I also stored away the gloves, hats and scarves. Last year when it was time to wear winter outerwear, I had not gotten them laundered from the previous year. So I am doing better.

Roxie, I'm glad you're feeling better. Remember to pace yourself and don't overdo.

Good morning!

Diane: I'm with you . . . mornings are easier for me to focus. I've also found I tend to have more "courage" in the morning. If there is a task that has the potential to be particularly challenging for me emotionally, I myself am often more likely to get it done in the morning than later in the day.

Karl: Hope all goes well with the phone line repair.

Roxie: I have the impression that you're feeling a bit better than yesterday. Glad you're able to get things done, but I also hope you are able to give yourself plenty of needed R and R. FYI, I read your gratitude posts each day. Thanks for posting there so consistently.

Me: I hit the sack extra early last night and got lots of sleep. I decided my body probably needed it, so I didn't stress out too much about not getting one of my goals for yesterday finished.

Goals for today: Add to my gratitude list, look over my plans for the week that I started working on yesterday and check off completed items, do more reading/work in my BIT (Buried in Treasures) book, and spend a minimum of thirty minutes going through and dealing with paperwork.

Have a great day, everyone.

LR thanks for talking about papers. I gathered up all papers I need to go through, then decided I would do it tomorrow am since mornings are so much easier for me to stay focused. I will set timer and see if I can get through them all. I went out in garage to look for things to toss for Friday. It was still a bit overwhelming, did go through some stuff and found some junk. Either a cat or person had been in there and knocked a bunch of stuff off of a shelf, that had been organized. I will let it be a cat so I don't freak out about a person doing it.
Then I went in big bedroom that is still unusable, I was frustrated with all the excess. I worked as long as I could, then told myself I did a great job in the kitchen this morning and that out weighed the stuff I have not done. I appreciated reading LR s comments about job reviews. Have to find the positive.
Tillie the sun never came out here either and the wind was brutal today;, very gloomy. Hope tomorrow will be better tillie.

Tillie: Hope you get the vacation you mentioned. Wishing you a good evening.

Diane: Fun story about the check!

Me: I've worked on all my posted goals except one. Didn't work on the organizing-the-paperwork part. Was feeling mildly under the weather. Took a nap in early evening. Running dishwasher now, and shortly I plan to go back to sleep. I'm hoping that (as you said, Tillie), tomorrow will be a better day. I did do some written work related to exercises in Buried in Treasures. I may try to post some of it somewhere someday, because I'd be interested in knowing if any of you relate to one of the issues I wrote about.

As for goals for today, I mentioned my filing cabinets. I once used them well and frequently, but a lot of things in them got disorderly years ago when they got moved to where they are now. I never did "unscramble them" (had other priorities at the time), and as a result, I never really returned to using them in an effective way. Working on dejunking them is providing much more room in them, and I'm at the point where it would be fairly easy (perhaps not fast, but easy.not stressful) to put the contents back in proper order.

One experience I had today as I was "dejunking" those cabinets made me think of Diane's kitchen/check story. Can't say that I ran across a check, but I did run across a copy of an old performance review from a job I had, a review that was very positive. First, it was an ego boost to reread it. Second, in the type of work I've done in the past, these performance reviews can actually provide helpful information to potential future employers in that field. It was especially good (and ego-boosting) to find that particular one, one that had the signature of a specific former boss. Finding more documents like that and getting them together in one spot could be helpful in future job searches.

Hugs and happy evening to all.

Well,
the sun never did shine today and then the wind started up again.
Never did find any motivation to do housework.
Did wash my down jacket and will store it away after it dries completely. Plan to not need to wear it again till next Autumn.
Finished reading a Stephen King book borrowed from my neighbor's vast home library. :)
Then I took a nap.
Senseless to dust in here with the wind blowing every day. Might rain/snow tonight.
Had fish sticks and french fries for dinner with malt vinegar on them.
Looking forward to bed time now.
Tomorrow will probably be better. :)

Good morning, almost noon to all.
Tillie, thanks for the flower description. Roxie, surgery is a shock to your body, as are pain pills, both can make you feel glum. When feeling bad it is difficult to remember things will get better, but they always seem to.
Chat helped me so much, especially listening to people working on or living with cluttered kitchens. This morning at 7am started on dishes, finished all dishes. Divided up pot of soup into freezer bags as well as the rest in smaller pan. Washed all that stuff. Cleaned counters and stove top.
Pulled out refrigerator and cabinet and cleaned behind them. Dusted off all coils on refrig. back.
No dead mice back there this time. Have done this 2 times now since starting on this site. Had never been done the previous 17 years.
Started cleaning floor at 9:30, realized I was too tired and actually stopped. Made tea and treat, and relaxed a little.
I cleaned behind toaster. Told myself, you don't use it, it will be clean from last time. Well I wanted to complete kitchen so pulled it out. It was clean But there was a $75 check I had not cashed from dog sitting a month ago. I did not remember cashing it, but couldn't find it. When I asked woman a few weeks ago, she said she didn't know if it was cashed, so just assumed I cashed it. I was so happy to find it, what a great reward for completing the kitchen.
I would like to finish the kitchen floor after lunch. It is supposed to rain the rest of the week so even though it is very windy and cloudy today, want to get out and see what I can find for garbage.
In chat last night, listening about paper piles, I remembered someone told me years ago to just put all the stuff you can't decide on, just put in a bin, by the time you get to it, it will all need to be tossed, so would like to toss a bin today. Also plan to pack up all little piles of papers, bills, info, bank, receipts, receipts for tools, sprayer, that are in living room and sort, file, pay a couple of bills. Thank goodness for chat, got me focused with a list today

Good morning :)

Hi Diane :)
Hope your lilacs are blooming for you. :D
My wild yellow rose bushes started to bloom. One perfect, heavenly scented bloom greeted me this morning. Talking with a long time neighbor when I first moved in here, I learned those roses were brought here by the first woman back when they were "home steading" the property.
Making a short to-do list and setting the timer should help keep you from hyper focusing on the small stuff. Or put on some music and only work at the task till one to three songs have played.
Anyways, that is what Cory taught me. :)
Make sure to plan some "ME TIME". Get out and about away from the work this week. (((hugs)))

Hi LR2014 :)
Keep up this GREAT start you have been doing! :D

Hi Karl :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D

Hi Roxie :)
Happy you slept well. :D
It is hard work healing and takes how ever much time it takes.
Be kind to yourself as you would be to anyone else. (((hugs)))

Hi Barb :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D
for all your planning and preparing.
YEA!!! that you took off time yesterday! :D

Got up early and started watering the grass.
Now need to decide what I will do today.
Want to just sit and read and then maybe sew a bit.
Need to do some general maintenance type cleaning.
Want the windows washed but don't feel up to that job today.
Think I need a vacation.
Might go out later in the afternoon and water some other stuff, Idunno.
Anyways...
will scoop littlr boxes, fresh water, fill kibble bowls.
Will see what else gets done, or not, today. :D

Barb: Sounds like you have a lot of good planning going on.

Karl: Glad you're getting settled in!

Roxie: Again. lots of hugs.

My goals for today: Add to my gratitude list, work on my written plan for this week, spend 10 minutes going through old files to find things to add to my shred pile, pay some bills, spend time organizing some paperwork.

Have a great day, everyone.

Roxie: I'm sorry you're feeling glum. I guarantee you've already been useful today, because you've brightened my day already. Lots of hugs.

Good morning, all.
Yesterday, I focused on celebrating Easter.
I also made out my packing list for my trip and am evaluating what items and clothing I really need. I try to keep it to essential items only as I will have only a fanny pack and carry on. I used to travel a lot and kept my toiletry bag packed and hanging on a hook in the bedroom closet. I have refilled the travel size containers with fresh products.
I am going to start packing clothing this week. Some things (like my extra pair of shoes) will have to be added the day before. But packing most things in the suitcase ahead of time will keep those items neat and clean. A dryer sheet inside will keep it fresh. I am also keeping my itinerary, parking pass, and other documents in the side pocket of the suitcase so they don't get misplaced.
Today:
1. Pick up dog waste from the yard.
2. 1 load of laundry: sorted, washed, dried and put away
3. General maintenance in the kitchen.
4. Begin decluttering entry again. (Two boxes of personal items from retirement are still there.)
Reward: do my nails.
Whether you are energetic and hopeful or reflective and quiet today, I wish you all well. We will conquer the clutter. Step by step, goal by goal, item by item.