hi everyone. Beautiful day here. Haven't done much today other than maintenance and brushed dog again, really shedding alot. chatted on phone with 2 friends, felt better after they called.
I burned debris today in yard. Fires won't be allowed after June 15th so have most done now, tomorrow will finish.
I will water yard when sign off.
I am really looking forward to cleaning all of living area once dog leaves next week, never thought I would look forward to cleaning.
I agree would be nice to have noon chats. Guess we could sign into chat at noon daily and see if anyone else is available to chat.

Vi: Thanks for posting those links for me. I haven't looked at them yet, but now I have them when I'm ready to do so. I feel the same as you do about vacuuming. It encourages me to pick things up and put them away.

Barb: I'm glad you have family coming (well, scheduled to come, at least). Although I didn't "attend" it, I think that the noon chat thing yesterday was more of an "I'm going to work on xyz for the next 30 minutes, and then I'll report back" type of thing. I wasn't free during that time, or I might have tried to join in on it. If you want to propose a time for a daytime chat at some point, I'd love to join you. I'm expecting to be pretty busy tomorrow and would likely not be available, but another day might work out.

CleanLife2014: I started to post the very thing that Barb said . . . it's great that you're getting a start on this while you're relatively young. Way to go!

Tillie: I'm glad you got some decent sleep last night.

Diane and Roxie: I hope that both of you continue to feel better.

Me: I did get out to that rural area and get some work done this morning. Need to go back tomorrow (or at the latest Saturday) to finish a project out there that I started this morning. I had the time to finish it today, but I didn't want to stay too long and get overheated.

Working out there is a nice reminder that there are some very kind people in this world. When I got there, I saw that a neighbor's trash bag had gotten ripped open and there was trash on the road. I decided to pull over so I could put the stuff into one of my contractor bags. Before I even had time to finish getting my gloves on, another neighbor who had passed by and had seen it came to help as well. People out there are like that: they gladly pitch in to help one another. Being in that type of caring environment is one of the joys of going out there to do work.

I did several loads of laundry today and dried them at the Laundromat. I did some more reading in Digging Out while I was there. I also put clean bed linens on my bed today.

Before I go to bed tonight, I plan to spend ten minutes working on paperwork. I also need to put away the laundry that I dried.

Have a good evening, everyone.

Alright, TUesday night's chat and yesterday were very productive.
LR asked me to post these links as I have found them very helpful...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/5-chores-you-should-never-skip-even-if-youre-busy-203394 and http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-things-that-will-make-you-happier-at-home-174151

I made a list of daily things for me to do combining the two articles:
Laundry, Dishes, Counters, Vacuuming, Beds, Cats

I've gotten caught up on laundry finally so now I'm at my goal of one or two loads a day.

I'm still chipping away at the DIshes. the dishes seem to be my most hated chore.

Counters kind of follow dishes, but they also apply in every part of the house. the great thing about making sure your counters are clean and clear is that you have to put things away and it encourages you to stow everything in the vicinity as well.

Vacuuming like Counters encourages you to pick things up and put them away, and it's nice to be able to walk around in bare feet or socks without your feet feeling grimy all the damn time. If you don't have carpet think of sweeping or using a dry mop.

Beds are maybe the easiest thing for me. nothing belongs on the beds in my house but bedding and stuffies. Making the beds neatly is so nice to do, it's a good start to a daily cleaning ritual and it just feels good looking at a freshly made bed.

Cats need daily maintenance and I sometimes forget to do things like check the cat box or make sure the water is full. THis can be applied to other pets as well.

Many of the steps in the articles are surface cleaning things, but I think it's a good way to start on actually cleaning the house and so far it's been working really well for me.

TOday since I'm still trying to reset everything in the house it's dishes and vacuuming as well as laundry.

Good morning, all.
I just saw the post on yesterday's noon chat. I wish we had more of those. The Tuesday and Sunday chats start way too late for me. I am already winding down and ready to go to bed by then.
CL2014: Welcome to the group. I am so glad you are getting a handle on this while you are still young. I find prayer before getting started helps me focus and know that I will receive the help I need in persevering and in making good decisions.
Roxie: Your "voice" sounds stronger every day.
Tillie and LR: Six hours straight of Bingo is too much Bingo. It was just a way to shut out the world and procrastinate. Not good. There are other healthy ways for me to take breaks without immersing myself in a stupid game. I got my summer pass to the pool. That will get me out with other people and exercising in the sun. That is a better choice.

My family may be coming to spend a few days at the end of July. They have not been here in 8 years and have no idea what the inside of my house looks like now.
I really want them to come and I want my house to be ready. That means revamping my whole plan to declutter, clean and get needed repairs done. I need to pick up the pace.
Knowing my family, they could easily change their plans. I have been disappointed more than once. But this house needs to be clean, comfortable, and livable whether they show up or not. I need to do this for me. And if they do come and I can share a clean , comfortable home with them, that is an added bonus.

Good morning, all.

My goals for this morning are to go do some work in that rural area I often mention before it gets too hot. I will plan to take my usual protective items with me (sunscreen, plenty to drink, etc.) Have a great day.

hello everyone, great reading your posts and all that is going on with you
My mouth pain is much better today. Monday night was a nightmare, went to bed last night when it was still light out, first time in decades. Slept until 5am, so do feel better today.
Went to Lowes and bought a small pressure washer, reviews were mixed online. Followed suggestion to buy 2 year warranty from Lowes, so if it doesn't work for any reason, they replace it with a new one.

Hi, again, everyone.

So far today, I've worked a little on the kitchen floor, done some walking outside while the temps were still cool, bought a couple of bottles of sports drink this morning to help with hydration, met with a friend, and had a nutritious lunch. [By the way, when looking for a T-shirt to wear for walking, I grabbed an old one out of the closet. Turned out to be a T-shirt I'd saved for three decades. The decal was coming off of it, and the T-shirt no longer fit (as I found out today). I'd found various reasons in the past not to discard it. But today, out it went! (Yea!)]

My plans for the rest of the day are to finish putting away the laundry I dried yesterday, finish mopping the kitchen, do a little bit of reading, then try to take a mental break for a few hours. I've been having some muscle cramping that started last night, probably as an indirect result of my Tourette Syndrome. (I've had that happen before.) I suspect that my muscle cramping and the quality of sleep I get tonight will both improve if I get a mental break. (I'll make sure to drink plenty of fluids, too.) Sometimes, all kinds of things can improve when I act on the phrase, "Keep it simple."

Hugs to all.

Welcome, CL! It sounds like you are already making progress. A lot of the people who post here have been working on recovery from clutter/hoarding issues for some time (in other words, have experience with this) and will have many good suggestions for you. This is a great place to post your progress, goals, struggles, and so forth. I've found a lot of help, support, and friendship here.

Good Luck CL! if you need a bit of extra encouragement some of us are meeting here http://hoardingcleanup.com/chat_room at Noon Pacific to talk about today's progress so far.

I'm really glad that you're doing what you're doing and frankly I've started there too. one big box and just chucking it all in. Good job and keep going :)

Hello. I am new here. I am not sure if this is the right category to post in, but I just wanted to reach out.

A little about me: I'm 27, female, a hoarder all of my life in more ways than keeping clutter, and today I am being active in taking steps in learning to let go. I have set up a giant box inside my room and am going to fill it with everything I can find that I don't need. "Need" is the big word I need to fill my head with today. I prayed before I was about to start and then I thought of looking online for a support group. I had other plans of wasting my day today, and it is absolutely gorgeous outside so it's tough, but I know deep inside that I need to do this. I need to make progress. There have been so many dull days that I have wasted in the past. I want to be able to breathe again and look forward to coming home and sleeping in my own bed, not on a couch or on the floor because stuff is on my bed. That's how bad my clutter is. I can't take it anymore.

So here it is. My box. My big, almost empty box that is as tall as my waist and I am nearly 5'9". I hope the picture comes through for a visual of what I am setting myself up with today. My goal is to get it at least half full. Half full of things I either can sell at a garage sale or give away. Right now, I have things inside other, smaller boxes throughout my room that I have, at one time or another, categorized as things I would either sell or give away. The problem with that is that I have so many small boxed laying around that I look at them and I turn away because I don't want to go through them again and again. This time, I have one, big box, that I can neatly put things in that will save space and time and then I can just go outside with it and set up a cheap garage sale out of. That was a long run-on sentence! :p

Please pray for me. I don't ask for prayers much because I am one of those people who thinks others have it a lot worse, in which I still believe. However, I am at a point in which I know I need help from others. I almost died when my ex (boyfriend at the time) opened up my door without me knowing and stared into my horrible room. He hugged me and told me he still loved me. That was about four or five months ago. I called things off a few weeks ago, but we are still trying to be friends. Yesterday, he came over and to my surprise was just outside my door. I had been cleaning up the day before, so I was actually a bit excited to show him the progress since he hadn't seen it since the first time. He was impressed and I felt less-ashamed.

Even though he and I aren't together anymore, I want to someday show him a clean room. I want that someday sooner than later. I know I can do this. I know you are capable of cleaning too, and I am taking that knowledge and using it today to help me to continue to clean. I want that weight lifted and to breathe easier.

I know this rant is a bit unorganized and bounces around quite a bit, but I hope you'll forgive me for that. My mind is on getting started, but I just wanted to take some time and introduce myself and share a bit.

Wish me luck! ;)


~CL2014

Roxie, I agree . . . it is nice to have some people you can trust to come into the house. Sports drink clink to your coffee cup clink.

Barb, although by what you're saying, you spent more time with that app than you would have liked, I still think it's worth remembering that time for fun and R&R is important.

Me: Ran a load of dishes in the dishwasher last night and made it to chat.

I mentioned before signing off chat last night that I had a new use for the insides of paper towel rolls (dangerous territory here), but I signed off before saying what it was. FYI, I don't save lots of those things these days, but I do save a few. I eventually use them up and toss them. The main thing I use them for is to stuff my trash down further into my trash cans (to make room to put in more trash). But I discovered yesterday also that if I staple together the bottom part of one of those cardboard rolls, it makes a decent case to store my used, extra-long reciprocating saw blades. Now my used blades have a home, and I am less likely to accidently get cut by one of them.

More later. Hugs to all.

It is pouring down rain today. I'm glad. It is giving my vegetables and flowers a good soaking.
Yesterday, I downloaded Bingo on my phone and became addicted to trying to achieve higher levels and more points. It was a colossal waste of time. The first thing I did this morning was delete that app from my phone.
Today I need to get back on track with laundry, dishes, and getting the toter ready for curbside pickup tomorrow.

Hi to all.

Roxie: So nice to hear that someone was thoughtful and brought you those groceries. I liked your sentence where you said, "Sometimes the universe brings us what we need, and angels appear." I'd love to be able to share my spaghetti sauce with you, Roxie. I didn't even add any salt!

diane: I agree with Roxie. I like your post about letting go. Sometimes, standing up for ourselves in certain situations may be good and may be necessary. At other times, though, just "letting it go" is the way to go. And I do hope the mouth pain goes away soon and you start feeling great!

Tillie: Thanks for the donation inspiration.

Me: Yesterday, I got most of my posted goals done. I did the paperwork goal first, since that's one of the things these days I'm most tempted to procrastinate on. (I've decided that for me, "Worst things first" is a good personal slogan to help me with things on which I might wish to procrastinate.) I made the phone call next, because making business phone calls is another thing I dislike.

I started having foot pain after working at the storage unit for a while. I think I might have hyperextended something; I've done that (hurt my foot that way) more than a few times the past few months. In part because of the foot, I didn't spend the full 40 minutes working on that organizing project. (At least I did find a missing item while I was there, and two almost-full bottles of two different types of Roundup. Yea!)

Sometimes, when I hurt or am tired, it's hard to know when to push on and when to call it quits. I opted for the latter yesterday, then came home and propped my foot up some during the evening.

I also didn't work the full twenty minutes on the hunting-for-papers-to-shred plan for the same reason (foot), but I did get enough of it done to be pleased with what I accomplished. My shred pile is bigger and heavier now. (Again . . . yea!) Another thing I got done yesterday was to buy a new kitchen mop.

Today I met with some friends midday and had lunch with one of them. (The latter is getting to be a habit! For me at the moment, any increase in socializing is good.) While I was out, I stopped by a bookstore to buy Digging Out. I debated first about buying it. "Am I overdoing it, buying that book when I really need to focus on Buried in Treasures?" I'm glad I went ahead and bought it, though. I read through some of it while at the Laundromat. Although the hoarder (me) is not the target audience for Digging Out, the parts that I read ended up helping me with a section of the BIT book that was giving me trouble. It helped me get some clarity on my personal long-term reasons/goals for decluttering, and I spent a fair amount of time today writing down those personal goals.

Goals for the rest of the evening are to load the dishwasher, get myself ready for bed, and then be at tonight's chat.

Have a good evening, everyone.

thanks for the well wishes my friends.
Dentist was great, such a wonderful man and strong, he got that tooth right out. He only charged me $72 since I had already had paid for diagnosis appt and xray and it came out easily. He charges $120 if difficult $72 for easy. Sure beats $363 for the other tooth.
I decided to take donations to thrift store on the way home and happy to empty my trunk. Found a simple shower curtain that I like, my current one is bright colors, fun for a few years and now want to tame it down since bathroom is so small. It is really nice so I am pleased. When I got home and took 2 aleve the pain had already gotten pretty intense, the cost of shopping!!! I was going to go to Lowes to check out pressure washers, but knew I would not be using it for awhile, with the pain and dog, so just hurried home. I might have to take real pain pill if pain gets any worse, really do not like to.
While waiting at dentist read an article on heart health, didn't realize smokers have a much greater risk of heart attack. I have been taking in to much salt in salted nuts but other than that heart healthy. Mom had several heart problems, strokes etc. She was also very overweight which is a big risk factor. Today my to do's are to keep pain under control, may put off calling tech help until tomorrow, pretty miserable right now. Thanks for your kindness.

Checking back in.

Tillie: Yes, I did get out before it got too hot. As for the cat, we had one in my younger days (an outside cat) that was gone for I think about a year. Then one day, he just showed back up, ran onto the enclosed back porch when we opened the door, and then started looking around for his food just like you said . . . as if nothing had ever happened! I'm glad Marty showed up!

diane: Hope your dental procedure went well. Looking forward to hearing more from you when you feel up to posting again.

Barb: Sounds good that you're planning to try to balance outside work and inside work.

Me: Got my morning outside plans done, then came in, washed some laundry, and ate lunch.

Plans for later today are to work ten minutes on paperwork, freeze some of the excess spaghetti sauce I made yesterday, contact the lawn guy to get more mowing scheduled, spend a minimum of 40 minutes working at a storage unit to get some things more organized there, finish putting away tools I used this morning and getting items cleaned (goggles, for instance) and organized for my next outdoor-work outing, dry my laundry, and spend at least 20 minutes trying to get more papers together for the upcoming Saturday "shred day."

Happy Monday.

Good morning
A fresh new week in a fresh new month! :D

Hi Roxie :)
I don't know the name of the bats here but they are small, reddish fur and a sweet little face.
Some evenings the entire sky will fill with them, thousands, all swirling around eating bugs.
When this happens I stand out there with my arms spread out and they fly all around me, but never touching. :D
Please take care, give yourself more time to recover. (((HUGS)))

Hi LR2014 :)
Hope you got out while the day is still cool.
WAY TO GO! for all you are getting done. :D

Hi Barb :)
Sounds like a solid plan to try to accomplish those other tasks one every few weeks this summer.
Heaven forbid that Frank's food bowl should ever be empty and you trying to sleep! ;D lol

Hi Diane :)
Thinking of you today and wishing you all the best at the dentist.
(((HUGS)))

Marty (the cat) went out yesterday morning and was missing all day and night.
We slept poorly, getting up several times during the night to see if he was back & sitting on the porch.
Well, at 9:15 this morning he finally showed up on the porch asking for breakfast.
Will not tell me where the heck he's been and he is not sorry at all that he had us so worried.
Need to do a bit of house cleaning today, the usual stuff, bathroom, floors, dust.

HAPPY MONDAY!!! :D

Took shower, washed hair, off to see new dentist for 8am appt. Emailed him the xrays from other tooth pull, that I finally got in email. sure looks to me like wrong tooth was pulled.
Beautiful morning here, hope you all enjoy your day. Chat was helpful last night to realize how much we inspire each other to get rid of excess stuff. Thanks Roxie for putting into perspective how we need to live today, get things in order. So happy you are doing better and have family to help.

Good morning, all.
Roxie, it is so uplifting to read your gratitude lists every day. Please take care of yourself and don't try to move too quickly today.
I'm glad i got the lawn mowed yesterday. It looks like it is going to rain the next three days. That will force me to work inside.
Frank Kitty woke me up very early by biting my shoulder. He doesn't break the skin, but lets me know his food dish is empty and he is hungry.
I can't believe that June is here already. I have several projects to complete that can only be done in the summer: painting the garage door and trim on the house, repairing the screen windows, recaulking around doors and windows, cleaning the garage.
I need to focus on the inside, but if I can work on a project every two weeks I will get them done, too.

Good morning.

diane: Many hugs, and may your tooth situation be doing great soon! Thinking about you!

Roxie: I'm glad you have some family reaching out. Iced tea clinks to your coffee cup clink.

Me: Didn't set any specific goals for yesterday. I did do a little cooking, got together at lunchtime with some family members, got together in the late afternoon with some friends, spent a little time walking, and made it to chat. Lately, on days when I haven't done outside work, I've at least been trying to spend about twenty minutes walking in order to get in some needed exercise.

I'm planning to eat some breakfast, take my morning meds, do a reading in a daily meditation book, and the get ready to head outdoors (with sunscreen, a drink to keep me hydrated, and all that good stuff) to get some tasks done I didn't do Saturday morning. Want to get this done before it gets too hot here today. Will post more, later, probably. Hugs to all.

HAPPY JUNE 1st!!! :D

Great to read about all of your days.
Been so busy since Friday morning, no time for myself.
But I guess it's good for me to get out and interact with humans for a change. :)
There will be one more visitor here today and then chat tonight.
Meantime, I need to wash dishes, do cat related tasks and generally tidy up around here.
Have so much I want to say in reply to all your posts but no time right now.

Keep up with all your progress, take care of yourselves and (((hugs))) :D

Barb, I'm sorry things didn't work out about seeing your friend. Bummer.

Me: I did get my evening goals done last night. I'm glad I posted them, because otherwise I would have gotten off onto a lot of rabbit trails and probably not have done some of them. I'm learning to do the paperwork goal first on the days that I list that one, because it's the task I usually want to procrastinate the most on. Doing it first helps me.

Happy June. (Wow, how time flies!)

Feeling sad today. I was going to have lunch with an old friend who moved to Florida and was back in town for her granddaughter's graduation. Due to a family emergency, she is going to have to go back early. I have missed talking and laughing with her.
I'll finish mowing the backyard today. It got very hot yesterday. After I mowed the front and sides, trimmed, and swept, I didn't have enough energy left to finish the back.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Barb, glad you got to play in the garden yesterday.

Kathy, it's so cool that your mother is going to be 93! Wow!

Me: I did a little laundry this morning, got a tiny bit (but again, only a tiny bit) done on "the vehicle project," met with friends this morning as planned, and ended up having very pleasant lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in quite a while. For various reasons, I am probably going to do weed-eating on another day.

I'm going to go ahead and post a few more specific goals for today to help motivate myself: spend at least ten minutes on paperwork, work at least fifteen minutes in the BIT book, finish loading the dishwasher and run it, and spend ten minutes finding papers to toss or shred (shouldn't be hard to find those!). If weather permits (we're having off and on rain and thunderstorms today), I will also try to walk for twenty minutes.

Hugs to everyone.

BTW, Barb, on the Myer-Briggs test I am waayyy over on the introverted side. I did work for about 40 minutes on the top two left desk drawers, and even threw out some perfectly good boxes of staples because I just had too many, as well as a couple of decks of cards for the same reason. And the second drawer was more of a challenge because it had a lot of old checkbooks in it, some of them duplicate stubs and some unused, that needed to at least be torn in half before discarding them. I don't bother with shredding thngs, don't even have a shredder, but I don't throw away intact checkbooks for obvious reasons, even though the accounts are closed. So I didn't quite get through sorting the last couple of boxes of checkbooks, but I can go back to that. Worked probably 3/4 hour on it and that is enough for today. I need to pack for my trip down to see my mother tomorrow, and do some cooking.

I decided this morning it was time to add some fun into the summer, so I drove the dog (with his service dog jacket on) to the nearest beach, and we went for a half hour walk. Good to see the ocean, even if not going swimming or anything. On the way back I listened to the new Hoard No More CDs again.
When I got home I filled up my medicine box for the week. I need to take a trip tomorrow 125 miles s. to celebrate my mother's birthday, she is going to be 93 this week. I did empty the car after going to the beach, but still need to empty the bag I took out...trying to keep up with things instead of letting them pile up. As far as progress is concerned, I think I will spend a half hour on the cubbies and drawers on the left side of my desk in the den. The surface is decluttered, but the drawers and cubbies still need work. I returned two calls that came in while I was gone this morning (mom and friend) and I need to call another old friend who is celebrating her 90th birthday today. It's actually a significant anniversary for me too, which is why I remember her anniversary. This is a lot of socializing for me, even if it is all by phone!

Good morning, all!
It is a beautiful, cool morning here.
Yesterday I did not go anywhere or talk to anyone except on line. I worked in the garden and planted marigolds, sunflower seeds, and weeded a little. After a very frustrating Thursday, I needed to do that for me.
I took the Myers-Briggs personality test several years ago and discovered that I am 49% extrovert and 51% introvert. That means I need to balance my life with both time to socialize and be with people and take solitary time to reflect and be alone. Yesterday, it was time for the latter. Playing in the garden was very therapeutic.
I'm going to mow this morning. School is out and Clay is gone on family vacation.
I will also need to clean out the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Last night as I was doing dishes, water began flowing out from under the door onto the floor. I have a leak. I have a suspicion that it is where the broken garbage disposal is hooked up. I have avoided calling a plumber, but that's no longer an option.
It's so good to read everyone's gratitude lists. Even when things are going wrong, we can always find something to be thankful for.

Roxie, I am grateful for the many words of wisdom you have to share with us!

Vi, there was a point yesterday when I thought about checking to see if anyone was free to chat. I might just take you up on that sometime. Yea for no trash and for the house starting to look tidy again!

Me: I did get some decent sleep last night. Plans and goals for the earlier part of the day are to meet with some friends, do some weed eating (making sure to put on sunscreen and wear safety goggles), and work on my vehicle cleanout project. I'll probably post more goals later today.

more laundry today, a little at least, did the dishes with my son and took out all the trash. as of this moment there is no trash cluttering the house. Working on getting my things in order and getting a valid ID which I've been neglecting for years. tidying the mudroom and doing more laundry in a minute. tired and cranky because of lady problems and I've come to the realization that I've let myself become rather rotund over the last few months. Back on the diet and time to start moving more. I hate being messy but I hate being fat even more :/ My work yesterday has paid off at least a little as Sunday I have two walk throughs for potential homes. more and more the house is starting to look tidy again. It feels good to walk in a room and not experience instant heartburn at the sight of the crap i'm actively trying to ignore.

I'm glad you got a laugh LR. It seems many of you could use one these last few days. Tillie, I'm glad you got out today and had a decent time. Roxie, hang in there lady. I'm sorry that things have been so rough for you but you seem to be one tough cookie. Minnie, I'm really glad to see you but I'm sorry your daughter is having a rough time. If I could help you guys out or give you even a ten minute break to be calm and cool I would. To the rest of you, I check this thing daily and if you ever need to chat just to have someone listen you can reach me here.

Hi again to everyone!

Diane: Not being able to get sleep really stinks. Yea for June 10th ! I do hope you eventually feel much better physically after you get that tooth pulled. Hugs.

Tillie: Going out to eat, even! Whoo-hoo! Glad today went better than yesterday.

Me: In the grand scheme of things, the stuff that I'm down about today is nothing (especially compared to the heavy-life-stuff that some of you are dealing with at the moment). That being said (as someone near and dear to me often reminds me), my feelings still count. They're still valid. So here goes.

I mentioned yesterday that I'd rented an open-bed trailer. This morning, I washed a load of clothes, gave away one item that was still on the trailer, got the trailer cleaned up, and returned it. I was on the road (no pun intended) to being somewhat "down on myself" after that. For one thing, while it's true that I did get rid of some things yesterday, I also spent a fair amount of time yesterday doing what many of you call "churning," and that didn't feel good. (I did find a couple of missing items while "churning," so at least that was a plus.) Another thing that didn't feel good is that while working yesterday, I kept seeing how much work on "stuff" I have yet to do.

Fortunately, soon after I returned home from turning in the trailer, I read something in a book I use for daily meditation . . . something that reminded me to be kind to myself. So I tried to remember that I did get some things accomplished yesterday. Also, it was nice to think about the fact that my trailer-pulling skills keep improving! (That's a skill I didn't have a few years ago, so that was additional encouragement.)

Then . . . I was noticing on the way to a noonish meeting today that my purse was very full and heavy. Shortly after my meeting with these people ended, my purse tipped over into the floor, and a number of things spilled out. (Ugh.) So one of my goals for the day was to spend some time cleaning out my purse. Did that. Now it's not bursting at the seams.

Almost immediately after the purse incident, I went to the Laundromat to dry my clothes. When I was getting the wet clothes out of the vehicle, I ended up accidentally pulling some other stuff out of the vehicle and onto the concrete parking lot (in front of the Laundromat). (Ya think I've got clutter/hoarding problems, maybe????) : ) Am not very far along at all on the vehicle decluttering/organizing project.

I did get some bills paid today, did a tiny bit of walking, bought some more groceries, and at least attempted to buy a refill sponge at a certain store for my mop. (Turns out that it was available online only. At least I tried. Probably will be faster and cheaper just to get a different mop.) Now I'm going to add to my gratitude list, finish putting away my laundry, and then try to hit the sack early. Tomorrow will be a new day.

See, nothing major negative about the day. I'm just "in a mood." Maybe when I sleep, I'll dream that the Clean House Fairy (Clean House Genie? Clean Vehicle Fairy) came to grant me three wishes. Hmmm, let's see . . . . (Good night, everyone.)

HI!!! :D

Yesterday just kept getting worse & worse but today made up for it.
Busy, busy, busy still but just wanted to say "HI!!! :D"

I've had company since first thing this morning and still have company & things to do.
I also went visiting and catching up on lots of other people. Like a regular social butterfly. :D
Also ate lunch out!

TTYL :D

I can relate to so much that you wrote. I am having difficulty feeling optimistic. Dog hair is flying, I am sleep deprived and feel like eating all the time. I used to eat for energy, well it doesn't work when I really need sleep.
I have been out watering, yesterday burned lots o weeds and cheat(sp) grass, heard neighbors complaining and I just kept burning. No wind yesterday so wanted to get it done.
I really want to feel better so am more upbeat in my posts.
We all have ups and downs, but think I should be productive every day, and chee
rful.
I tried again this morning, redid cd for router or modem whatever it is called, followed instructions carefully, still shows signal but not connected to ISP. Did I call comapany for help? No, I think I need to figure out everything myself. And here it is 4 days later and still can't connect it, and it is Friday. Will go out an do dishes from 2 days, not that many. Brushed dog again today and vacuumed. she goes home June 10th A happy dance will feel so good.
I go to the dentist Monday to have tooth pulled, will be painful but then no more daily pain. thanks for being honest with your ups and downs, helps me feel less isolated and wrong for not feeling well.

Hi, everyone. Struggling with my mood today. More on that in a later post, maybe. Got a fair amount done in my BIT book while drying clothes at the Laundromat. Feel good about that. Going to eat some supper soon and try to relax a bit, then might post more later.

Vi: I just reread your most recent post. I got a good laugh out of your dust bunny comment. (I feel better already just from laughing.) : )

Barb: I do hope you got the chance to play! By the way, I read what you posted recently about dealing with inherited stuff. Helpful. Thanks.

Roxie: I'm sorry you fell. You seem to be doing good things (like reading more about your meds) to take care of yourself. I'm glad about that. Thanks for your loving words to us all. Many hugs.

Mar: Best wishes as you deal with your schoolwork and other things!

Minnie: That's awful about the way your doc treated you! I'm so sorry about that! So sorry, too, about your daughter's situation, but I'm glad that she's being treated at a hospital. I hadn't heard about that syndrome until you mentioned it, so I did a little reading on it and now I know at least a little about what it is. Many great big "Minnie" hugs.

Diane: I hope your computer/modem situation gets fixed soon. Thinking about you!

More later, probably. Time for me to go eat now.

Really down today. Seems like everything difficult is hitting at once this week. Tuesday I accomplished a lot in the yard and house so was feeling really upbeat about moving forward but Wed, Thurs and today have just been from bad to worse. Wed I had my hand splint taken off and the finger is healed all wrong. It is twisted so the fingernail is on the side!! toward the ring finger. The doctor said its no big deal, I said not to YOU but it is to me! So he got horribly abusive after that, grabbed my fingers and yanked on them very hard so I cried out in pain and he belittled me for having no pain tolerance! It hurt so much! Then he said he has had gunshot patients who didn't react as bad as me. Then he grabbed my hand again and twisted and bent my fingers very roughly continuing to say mean things! I cried all the way home. Since then, my finger isn't doing much like it is supposed to, bends off to the side, has weird sensations, continues to hurt. I am so upset over the way it looks and the way the doctor hurt me and humiliated me. Wed and Thursday my husband was home sick from work so I accomplished very little those days. Also as you may know, my daughter is in Minnesota (1500 miles away) for anorexia treatment for they estimate will be 3 months more at least. Well last night they took her to ER in an ambulance as they thought she had refeeding syndrome which is very dangerous and can be fatal so I slept very little out of fear. I believe she is somewhat better this morning but I hear very little about what is going on so that is worrisome. I am taking care of her two children (daddy has 2 fulltime jobs so isn't home much and sleeps when he is). He son is 6 but she has kept him sort of a baby so he is up a lot in the night crying for mommy and there isn't much I can do to sooth him. And I am getting not much sleep. So today I have had a bad headache all day and I have tried to get some work done in the house but I have done little. The kids get home in a half hour so it starts again and I am already feeling worn out. I'm 57 and tired. Being a "mom" again is wearing me out and now its the weekend so there will be no break in that for awhile. I have found that dad and grampa aren't much help with the kids but quick to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Okay sorry for all the woes and pity party. I did talk myself out of going to the church rummage sale where I got so much good stuff last year. But the biggest reason is I didn't get anything together to donate and I'm too embarrassed to go without giving something. Last year I gave a lot but this year I started gathering stuff and only got one small box, hardly worth driving over there. Well thanks for listening. Sometimes you just need to tell someone. I hope you all have better days.

Today, my goal is to take it slow and easy and work in the garden.

I spent much of yesterday trying to dispute a bill I got from a collection agency in Chicago. It is the $10 copay for my mammogram this fall that I paid in cash and was not credited for. I got nowhere with the clinic, Blue Cross, or the collection agency. So I will have to end up paying the collection agency again. This makes me very angry but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it.
I also spent time on the phone with the water company trying to figure out why I have an almost $200 credit on my account. It turns out that when I filled out the forms for autopay, I filled out the wrong form and instead of taking out what I owe each month , they are taking a set amount out which is much higher than my monthly usage. They told me that I need to come in and fill out new forms.
I will also need to stop by the county building. They billed me for the wrong amount on my spring taxes and sent me an amended bill. I paid spring and fall before the due date, and technically should not owe anything again until fall. However, they said that since the additional amount is assessed for both spring and fall, I owe a penalty for not paying 1/2 of the new bill by May 15. If I don't pay, they will put a lien on my property.
All this financial stuff is very frustrating. My poor brain and my patience need a break.
I am going to play in the garden today.

Spent all morning on the hunt for the apartment, then vacuumed the whole den and even under the couch. I think I may have killed an entire civilization of dust bunnies. folded all the clean laundry and did a few sink fulls of dishes. Made an appointment for a check up yesterday for late June. Finishing more laundry tonight. Still haven't seen that spider though did find a suspiciously large spider leg. my cats may have eaten her. Oh Well. See you all later.

My main goal for today was to rent a small, open trailer and use it to move some bulky items, some of which were destined for donation. (FYI, that thing I mentioned in my morning post, the item I'd waffled back and forth on for years, has now been donated.) I also used the trailer to help move and then trash a number of items I'd stored that had seen better days. I got a tiny bit of my vehicle reorganizing done today (but just a tiny bit), did some laundry, and did a tiny bit of decluttering on my back patio. While I was out there on the patio, a neighbor kid offered to clean it for me during the next few days. (I paid his sister a few months ago to clean up some leaves and debris that had accumulated back there, and now he wants his chance.) Sounds good to me.

Kathy, for someone who wasn't feeling well, you really got a lot done! Wow!

Tillie, I'm sorry you got that little early morning "surprise." Hope the rest of your day went much better.

Have a good evening, everyone.

Decluttered the corkboards, took out the trash for tomorrow morning's pickup, started the dishwasher. Things are in reasonably good shape around here, amazingly. :-)

I didn't post yesterday, because I woke up about 5 am with severe diarrhea, managed somehow to pull myself together enough to go out and give a talk by 10 am...came home had to do an infusion, go to online meetings at 4 and 9 and keep up with the dishes, take meds, feed dog etc. Under the circumstances that was as much as I could do. I didn't eat anything until about 2 pm by that time my intestines were OK. I think it was adrenal stress rather than an infection or anything.

Today I caught up on a number of phone calls that needed to be done this week, and the first prospective handyman stopped over with his daughter. He fixed my interior door that slides into the wall on the spot for $25, and gave me a reasonable estimate for taking care of the shed, pressure washing the front porch, painting the eaves where my son could only reach the bottom two boards, covering the hallway to my kitchen where the wallpaper is peeling badly with vinyl wainscotting, repairing the grout next to the tile floors, etc. I liked him and thought his prices were very fair so I'm going to get all that neglected stuff done. He is even a licensed electrician so something can be done about the lamppost in the back next to the shed which is half broken and just sitting there with the lamp hanging from the post.

I have two very cluttered corkboards in my house, one in my bedroom and one in the den, and I think this evening since I am still taking it kind of easy, I will spend 15 minutes on each--I bet I can finish them both in a half an hour.

Oh! And my Scottie got a bath down at the pet grooming place. I'm keeping up with the dishes and kitchen counter, amazingly.

Good morning :)

Not ten minutes after I crawled out of bed, my cat jumped up on the bed and vomited on my pillow. :(
Gunna be one of thosedays.

Anyways...
now have laundry hanging out on the clothes line.
Have no set plans for today. Did a little bit of tidying up and cat related stuff.
Thinking of looking through every drawer, cupboard, nook & cranny and seeing what, if anything, can and should be donated.
My favorite charity thrift store could really use some more inventory.
I have been supporting their worthy cause since 1988.
It makes it very easy to donate to them when I can see all the great works they do for people with learning disabilities right here in my community.

Don't forget to smile and look for the fun! :D

Good morning and happy Thursday to Abbey, Barb, Billie, Bluerthnu, Candy, Dave, Diane, Dianne, Helpless Hannah, Jess, Just Me, Karl, Kathy, Mar, Roxie, Sharon, Tillie, Trapt, Trust God and Clean House, and Vi (and to others here I may have failed to mention).

Some of us who have hoarding issues have problems passing up something that is free. Isn't it great that we can come here and get help, hope, support, caring, friendship, and more . . . all for free? Many thanks to you, our much-loved Cory Chalmers, for the time, money, effort, and caring you have put in to make this possible for us.

I got my posted goals done yesterday. I ended up spending longer working in my BIT book than planned, which is a good thing in my case. I didn't end up getting the type of "fun" worked into my schedule last night that I'd originally thought about, but I did spend some time on the phone with two good friends. That was "fun" enough.

One additional positive from last night is that I applied the principles from my Tuesday BIT book work to an item that's been taking up floor space and going unused for a number of years. I've decided to let it go. I think I can get it loaded up into my vehicle (by me or by someone else) for donation within the next two or three days. Yea for the decision (after years of waffling about it)!

Tillie, I hope you did get some rest last night. Thank you for what you do here to help and encourage us all each day. Many, many, many hugs.

Diane, I'm sorry you're not able to get much sleep right now. Sounds like you're getting a lot done. FYI, I got a big laugh the other day about the idea of vacuuming the dog. Hugs.

Roxie, I'll be sipping tea at breakfast and clinking my glass to your cup of coffee.

Will try to post more later. Hugs to all.