This evening I spent 30 minutes purging the front group of files on my hanging file cart...urgent, family, coupon and financial files. Threw out a wastebasket full of paper. This afternoon I got my oil changed, and they found out I had a nail in my tire (which of course I had to take to the tire place then because I had a road hazard warranty on the tire), but while I was sitting in the auto waiting rooms I also got most of my talk written for Sunday. They aren't bad places to write in, because you can't get distracted by the need to do anything else..you are stuck there. (I take my laptop and the one place even has wifi so I can check on references online). Took a long nap this evening. Called my mom (93 this week), who passed about 3/4 of her driver's license test so she gets a learners' permit and another chance. She was a bit upset, of course.I have very little idea what I did this morning. I must have been in a fog. I know I made lunch...puttered about, but the dishes are done, bed was made. Must have been "creative time" for the talk...LOL!

4:00 p.m. No Clay. 5:00 p.m. No Clay. I knocked on his door but no one was home. The front yard really couldn't wait to be mowed another day, so I mowed it myself, trimmed and swept. After spending the morning weeding, my back hurt too much to mow and trim the back.
I had really planned to put in the vegetable garden today, but that and mowing the backyard will have to wait until tomorrow. I will need to get up early to get everything done in time to shower and be at a 12:30 appointment.
I have decided to spend the money I was going to pay Clay to mow and go out to dinner somewhere nice this weekend. I earned it.

Hi all posters, made my day reading your adventures. Barb I am a farmer at heart also, enjoyed all you had to say about it. I worked in yard pulling up weeds and old grass with long scraggly runners, moved more rocks so could clean up more of upper yard. It is almost cleared out, I tried to imagine just leaving it open like and just put rocks and succulants, since they require very little care or water, rather than bringing up plants, still not sure. I threw so much away, yard junk, weed cloth etc. I felt like a crazed person trying to throw away enough to have things clean and simple. It is so clear that a hoarder wants too much stuff, inside and outside of house. I wondered if I am clearing away too much, right now I am really tired of trying to make things grow well on the high desert with poor soil. Grass is a water hog. Dog that is here peed on grass and it burned a big circle of grass. None of my dogs ever burned grass, so forgot that can happen.
Been taking her to lower yard to pee since she has been here, she just slipped it out on grass in upper yard, when I was working.
Thanks Barb for noticing my progress on donation of clothes, still need to put in trunk when it cools down. Clothes are not important to me anymore, still act like they are, old pattern of thinking when I worked. Today when I looked at the stuff to be put away, I realized I could give it all away and would only miss a couple items. Still learning to let go. Will make another run through on donation possibilities. Did put a stereo system in trunk, once clothes are in will drop off and go to Costco and load up on smoothie and soup supplies. Tooth pain is so much less now that I am not chewing anything at all.
Dianne I was so happy to read your progress, so happy you are taking action and have help on the way. Could you have professional carpet cleaner come and clean oriental carpet? Those are very expensive and if you still like it, it can be cleaned by an expert.
Love working all day and coming in and reading all of your posts, and feeling connected to your day. Tillie mother nature is really trying to make the hoard appear as what it is-----trash!!!

Good afternoon, everyone!

JustMe: Don't let us frighten you. You may have something as simple as Menier's disease which is an inner ear problem that affects your balance and equilibrium or high blood pressure. But please do check it out immeditely, if you are not sure what is causing this. There is no need to fight this if you don't have to.

Billie: Congratulations on clearing your sectional. Now you can sit or stretch out wherever you want. It sounds like alternating the house and yard work is really working for you.

Dianne: Great job on getting rid of things.
On the stuffed animals: A student I had years ago became a pediatrician. She accepts donations of clean, like-new stuffed animals to give to the young children in her clinic. Hugging a stuffed animal makes getting shots a little easier. The kids can then take the animal home. Knowing they are going to a good cause makes them easier to turn loose of.

Violet: Hooray for your progress on the dining room table and kitchen! Studies show kids who sit down together at a family meal at the end of the day do better is school. You are doing beautiful things for your family.
Crock pots are great! Dinner just cooks itself while you can devote your time to other priorities.

It's a beautiful, clear, cool day for working outside. I have been out pulling weeds most of the morning. It rained yesterday, so they are easy to pull. The weeds really proliferated while I was gone last week.
While I worked, the Boiler Express (Purdue's train on an automobile chassis) drove groups of kids from the local elementary around my neighborhood. I know many of the kids and teachers, so I stopped from time to time to wave as they went past.
The raised garden is ready to plant. I laid the little pots of tomatoes, tomatilla, basil, squash, peppers, and cilantro in their assigned spots. There is still room to put in a little lettuce and onions. Around the outside of the frame I will plant marigolds.
I used to put in a huge plot of vegetables, flowers, and herbs in the community garden. When they plowed the entire area with the big tractor in the spring, the weed and dill seeds were worked deep into the ground. Battling weeds in the plot was a daily chore. I loved working in the garden, but packing up my equipment, driving to the plot, working there, driving home and unpacking the equipment again took several hours a day. I also had flower gardens and yardwork to keep up with at home. Housework was neglected.
It is not very practical for me to have such a big plot anymore. There is only me to feed. I can buy a wider variety of fruits and vegetables at the Farmer's Market. I need to really focus on getting my house clean and uncluttered.
But I am a farmer at heart and cannot give up my garden altogether. It makes me happy.
Right now, I am on my lunch break. This afternoon, I will pick up the dog yard so Clay can mow at 4 when he gets home from school. I'll plant the vegetables and get them watered in.
Tomorrow: back to decluttering and cleaning inside again.

Good morning :)

Hi LR2014 :)
WONDERFUL! that you are thinking about hiring help to do that heavy work and save wear & tear on your body. :D

Hi Violet :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D
WONDERFUL to hear what all you have done and are doing! :D
Sitting down at the table and having only the shiney new kitchen stuff to use sounds like so much fun and enjoyment.

Hi Dianne :)
WOW!!!! :D
you have accomplished a fantastic amount!
Remember to pace yourself and always try to stop while you still have a positive feeling about the project.

Hi Billie :)
YEA!!! WAY TO GO!!! :D
Keep up all this great! progress. :D

Thank you everybody (((hugs))) :)
Been reading stuff online this morning while drinking my tea.
Might be a scattered rain shower today but looks like the storms are over with.
SO MUCH of his stuff is saturated now.
Much of the stuff in the carport was in cardboard boxed stacked high.
The roof leaked like a sieve and a river ran through, wetting the box bottoms.
The boxes are melting and spilling their contents.
It's stuff, assorted stuff. Many things that are ruined when they get wet.
The hoard in the garage only got wet from the bottom.
Many many more cardboard boxes filled with assorted stuff.
So much is destroyed now and is no more than trash, of no use or interest to anybody.
He is in denial, thinks it's alright.
A lot of his food stash is soggy, LP record albums, clothes, books, papers, electronics, etc. too.

Oh well...
all my stuff here is fine & dry. Nothing I can do about cleaning up his mess since he refuses to see the reality of the situation.

My plan for today is to start getting all the smaller branches, tree bark, leaves and other rubble out of my garden area.
Maybe tomorrow I will prune off the broken branches on the rose bushes & lilac hedge.

Time to look on the bright side of life. :D

What I done yesterday:
Yay!..My 20ft sectional is now cleared of clutter
With the exception of throw pillows. And the assorted stuffed frog toys, which are across the top, of 12ft of the sectional. I spent a total of one hour and 20 minutes on living room spending 15 or 20 minutes at a time and alternating with spending 15 or 20 minutes at a time, workin in my yard/garden.

This process worked quite well for me and I am planning to proceed with the same process today.

OHMYGOTH!
You have all been doing such amazing stuff! I'm really glad some of you have chosen to get professional help with your yards and the heavy stuff.
JustMe, please get that checked out. Just hearing about your vertigo scares the holy heck out of me. Speaking of scary, I'm so glad you didn't get hit by that lightning, Tillie.

I've got good things to report. First off I've been able to keep my dining room table clear and usable for three whole days! Yesterday I spent the entire day watching Mad Men, and cleaning the heck out of the kitchen. I managed to wash ALL of the remaining dishes, tossed every ugly old T-Fal pan I had except the big 12 inch skillet that makes multiple grilled cheese sandwiches possible , sorted out my measuring cups and spoons and managed to rebox all of the kitchen stuff for the move! As of now all of my pans are steel (aside from the one), brand new and bloody shiny. I have a whole set of brand new measuring cups and measuring scoops all matching, and a slightly mismatched, but functional set of measuring spoons! the kids and I ate dinner at the table and listened to music and read the news without too much hassle. it felt really good to sit down to a meal in quiet rather than hiding in the den during dinner. On the agenda today; clean the floors, clean the fridge, sanitize the bathroom, clean the bath in the master bedroom, laundry laundry laundry and basic maintenance in the bedrooms and living room. still no time for the den today, but once the heavy stuff is done upstairs I can come down and devote and entire day to it tomorrow. I also sorted out some items to give away out of my kitchen that just don't fit, or I've replaced with shiny things that make me happy. On the menu tonight, crock pot beef stew at my son's request!

Good morning.

So far, I feel much more rested today than yesterday, and I hope to get more done. Plans for early this morning are to work on the following areas for five to ten minutes each. (I might go back later and work on some of the areas for a longer period of time, but I'll use this plan for starters.) I plan to: load some dishes into dishwasher, sweep kitchen, find new (permanent) homes for a couple of items that are currently living as squatters on my kitchen countertops, work on my living room floor, and spend some time "packing" for my next trip to that rural area (dust mask, gloves, safety goggles, other such things).

Later, I plan to add to my gratitude list, spend at least ten minutes working in my BIT book, and spend fifteen minutes on paperwork.

Hope everyone who hasn't been feeling well is feeling much better today. Roxie, I've been thinking about you. (If you're reading this . . . lots of hugs.)

Hi, all. Tillie, so sorry to hear about your storms! Just read your updated, post-lightning post. Glad to hear that the yard cleanup is do-able.

This hasn't been my most productive of days. I felt really tired much of the day, sort of half asleep. I think some of it may have to do with a new medicine I started taking Monday night. We'll see. I may just need to get used to that new medicine.


I've read all the other posts (on this thread, anyway) and am thinking about all of you! Hugs.


I mentioned somewhere (maybe it was mainly on the chat last night) that I am trying to think in terms of what cleaning/decluttering jobs I can and am willing to have others help me with. One thing I did today was get in touch by phone with a yard guy I've used before in order to explain to him a specific yard cleanup project that needs to get done. He's supposed to give me an estimate on Friday. I'd been thinking about trying to do that job myself, but I've decided that doing it would aggravate some physical conditions I have. I also decided that my time would probably be better spent elsewhere. So I feel good about calling him for that.

I'm going to try to see if I can get to sleep soon and perhaps have a more productive day tomorrow.

Again, hugs to all.

Now to finish my post.
Had to get off the computer when lightning struck the side yard. LOL :D

This latest downpour was a pretty good one but not near as bad as that one last night.

I went out and looked in the garage, at least 1000 LP record albums stored in cardboard boxes, an electric guitar and lots of other stuff got wet.
He plans to not do anything about all his wet stuff, says it should be "ok".
This place is going to stink to high heaven by next week when the temperatures get back into the 80s.
He needs a dumpster.
Oh well....

Went out in my garden area and removed the large branches from there.
Will have some pruning of broken rose bush and lilac branches to do and LOTS of raking out of smaller crap but it is Do-Able and I can get it back in shape pretty quick :D

HI :)

Hi Billie :)
Thank you (((hugs)))
WAY TO GO!!!
for maintenance and trying out a different method of scheduling your time. :D

Hi Barb :)
Thank you (((hugs)))
How wonderful of them to take such good care of your baby birds. :D
I have a tub on the bathroom counter right under the leak and the water made it's own holes so it could freely flow.

Hi Just Me :)
Are you being treated for that vertigo?
Don't want to scare you but when my neighbor got like that she was finally diagnosed with MS.
Take care. (((hugs)))

Hi Karl :)
Happy you got a ride to storage and were able to get out some of the items you needed. :D

Hi Diane :)
Thank you (((hugs)))
Your soup sounds real healthy and will be nice to have ready to eat whenever you are ready for it. :)
Your smaller garden oasis will be so nice for you and easy to care for.

Tillie so sorry to hear of your storm and leak.
I cooked soup today and it has broccoli and cauliflower in it so house smelled like an out house. I was out working in yard while it cooked, came in tofind a house full of flies, apparently they didn't realize my cooking smells like rotten food. Put soup out on deck to cool down a bit and flies followed.
Clothes are still staring at me, from the couch. I agree with you tillie, sometimes you just need to hide from life after stressful days. Working on upper yard, realized, a lot of problem is I had fenced off upper yard, so have to remove weeds/grass on both sides. All the fencing was for dogs and today I realized, I never asked what I want, it was all about dogs safety etc. Down came the fencing and opened up the yard more, I like it so much better and will be so much easier to deal with. I have worked on it lots of hours and not done, but when I realize I am cleaning up some of it for the first time in years, and that in the future there will be much less to do, it is ok. I did some watering today. Played fetch over and over and over and over.
Boiled somer eggs, washed dishes as well as the soup and yad, so I feel tired, plus woke up too early again today thanks to dog. She may sleep on deck tonight so I can sleep, should be ok, covered area.

Oh, Tillie, I am sorry the storm was so destructive.
We have had intermittent storms today and a tornado southeast of here, but nothing like what you endured and so far no damage.
On Monday, the gutter men found a nest with 3 baby birds in one of the gutters. They carefully put it is a safe place. I did not see mama or daddy bird while they were working. I did not think they would survive. The men carefully placed the nest up in the top of the lilac bush under the eaves after they finished. Mama and daddy returned that evening, fed the babies and the 4th egg hatched. I am so relieved. So often, some birds just abandon their nests. I wish that your baby birds had been as fortunate.
Be sure to poke holes in your ceiling and put a tub underneath to catch the water. That will keep the ceiling from falling in.

My plan for the rest of today...I am going to try out: Work 15 minutes on maintenance or decluttering, then work 15 minutes in yard and/or garden. And just keep alternating back and forth and see how it goes. I will check in later with a report on how that turned out for me.

Hello to Everyone
What I have done so far today as best that I can remember"(since I "usually" like to to write down each thing, as I get it done. Washed dishes, cleaned bathroom wash basin, wtered some of my huse plants, took 3 pair of shoes from living room and returned them to the closet upstairs, washed out humminbird feeder to get ready to fill with the boiled sugar watr, and read the "What are you dong today posts of 19, 20 and 21.

Tillie....I just read your post about the awful storm you had. That is so disheartening :(
And especially so sad about the bird nests and your sweet little garden.
My thoughts and prayers are with you Tillie (((HUGS)))

Yesterday it rained, sprinkled and drizzled all day long.
Last night shortly before midnight I was woken up by the noise of a raging storm.
Looked like a hurricane out there.
Buckets of rain, winds blowing fiercely.
I comforted the cats as best I could till it passed.
The bathroom ceiling started to leak and now the plaster is threatening to fall.
Tree branches are down all over. Nests that had held baby birds are down too.
My garden looks pretty trashed.
Everything that he has piled up in the carport is completely saturated.
Weather prediction is for more rain today.
Think I will take today off from life,, calm my nerves and worry about it all tomorrow.

LR: dreams are our way of solving problems and rehearsing what we want to do. The days following my dreams of decluttering and cleaning seem to be my most productive.

Tuesday night groups are helpful, but it is hard to stay up after midnight and then get up early the next morning. I have a headache today from too little sleep.

I stated in the group that my main goal today is to get one contractor bag of living room trash filled and in the toter for pick up tomorrow. I have been doing very well in removing the day to day garbage and trash. It is time to tackle the trash that accumulated during those bitterly cold and icy days when I was housebound.
I am so fortunate that I do not have bugs or rodents. I want it to stay that way.
The ants did their annual march through the house at the beginning of peony season. They come in the bathroom right by the bushes and exit by the kitchen window. I think they must move from winter quarters to summer quarters. i don't kill them because they don't linger in the house and they are good for the flower garden soil which is mostly clay and needs aerating.Their annual migration only takes a few days.

Good morning!

I wrote recently about having a dream where I was cleaning or decluttering. Well, last night, I had a shopping dream.

I dreamed I'd gone to some dollar-discount-type place to buy a certain gardening tool I'd seen there. (They were out of it.) In the dream, I was looking at some other tempting things in that area, and I thought, "Would you really use this in a reasonable period of time?" I passed up things in my dream that I otherwise probably would have bought.

One funny part of the dream (I usually have strange dreams): We've all seen baskets with fake fruit in them, right? Well, at the store, they had little bins with realistic fake, chopped up veggies, including broccoli (inside joke from recent Tuesday night chats). I remember thinking . . . how cute! How novel! How dangerous . . . someone could choke on that! I passed up the temptation to buy any.

However, a sales guy saw me looking at some things and decided to give me a free sample of what I was looking at. He got a sack, put a considerable amount of the "stuff" in the small sack, and put a note inside that it was a free sample. I remember what the stuff looked like. It was a little bit cute but totally useless, but I took it without question, because the guy had gone to the trouble to give it to me. So this wasn't a totally successful shopping trip. (Progress, not perfection.)

That part of the dream ended while I was in the checkout line, so I don't know what would have happened when I got home. I probably would have brought that small bag of free, useless stuff inside and would have set it down on a countertop or on my dining room table, waiting to figure out what to do with it.

But maybe I would have woken up the next day, read more of Mar's and Tillie's posts, and said, "The natural state of the countertop is ?clear.'" And then maybe I would have worked a few more exercises in my BIT book and just chunked it.

Have a good day, all!

I missed the chat! Too much schoolwork.

Please, pray for me. I need to finish that presentation as soon as possible. And I need to sleep also! :-(

Good night all.

Sorry I can't join everybody on the chat tonight. One of my public speaking engagements is tomorrow morning...that will take till noon, then I have a meeting in the afternoon and have to start preparing for the next time I am working on Sunday. Will try to keep up with maintenance, not leave things in the car, etc.

Peace,
Kathy

Hello. thanks for the updates everyone, Dianne I am so happy you allowed them inside and are willing to let them help, great motivation for you to get as much done as possible before they come back. Tillie thanks for your support with this clothing thing, it has been difficult to let go of clothes, coming from a poor family with not enough to wear, and embarrassed about the cheap clothes I had. Emotionally attached to all clothes that were expensive with great brand labels.
Last night I did get through 1/2 of the pile, yes Tillie, small sessions over 2 hours. I first took a shower, washed, curled my hair. Dog woke me up at 5am again (I go to sleep around 11:30) and prefer to sleep until 7am. I was awake so did all dishes, cleaned counters and finished going through the clothes. I bagged up 21 clothing items from my good clothes, at end of bed pile, for donations. I dressed in clean clothes that fit and went to CPR class that started at 9am, will renew my RN license one more time so needed to get it done. I think this is the first time in 35 years I took CPR class months before due date, usually wait and have to stress out to find a class. Have had to pay for private class several times.
In the BIT book it has the questions to ask to help let go of my clothes. The ones I used over and over were "how many of these do I have" and "is this important to me just because it is in front of me now". When I started saying how I could alter clothing to fit, I said, if it doesnt fit me now, let it go, I have plenty. For some reason asking, is it important just because it is in front of me, was a question I never considered before and was such an eye opener. I instantly feel attached to item when I pick it up and look at it. To test it, I folded it up and put in donation pile, anxiety subsided as soon as I picked up next item, etc. Still have to empty some space in closet to put these clothes, so will have to do more decision making tomorrow, I am done for today I think.

Hi Tillie. Thanks for celebrating our achievements :-)

Oh, it's very late! I must go to the school. I have to prepare a presentation for next Monday and it makes me feel nervous, it's a lot of work!

Bye!

Hello everyone!

I wish you all succeed in your projects :-D

Barb: Thanks for sharing. It's great the way the teachers do with this "tidying up" time. Really the best method for beat clutter is to prevent it starts (ha, and until now I learn it!) Sadly, is soooo easy to leave things "provisionally" on any place when one is tired, too busy, "has no time" or is in a hurry, and they accumulate so fast... Uff! I urgently need to get this kind of habits. Keep hope.

Good morning :)

Hi Mar :)
WAY TO GO! :D
Fantastic that you now have a table you can use.

Hi LR2014 :)
YEA! :D
for making daily plans and accomplishing so much!

Hi Diane :)
Sounds like you have a pretty good mental image of how you want the "new" yard landscaping to be.
Such fun making new and improved spaces.
WAY TO GO! loaner puppy for figuring out the doggie door! :D
Now he will be spoiled and want one at his house too. lol :D
Diane, just spend 10 minutes on the clothes at a time.
Then go do something else.
Come back and do another 10 minutes, and so on.
Three 10 minute sessions = half an hour and it will all start to add up.
Don't want you to get burned out & frustrated because then you won't do it at all or will not do this task as well as you want it done.

Hi Barb :)
So happy to hear that Frank didn't go missing this time :D
YEA!!! :D for having new easy to live with rain gutters! :D

Hi Dianne :)
Good luck and best wishes for hiring help. :D

Hi Kathy :)
WOW!!! You accomplished a LOT! :D WAY TO GO!
Sometimes we need to keep things on a counter or end table because that is where we use them.
Clearing the surfaces means removing and putting away all the things that tend to collect on these surfaces that do not belong there.

Last evening the winds blew in the rain showers.
It's dark and cold here today.
Since we are experiencing another year of drought, the rain is wonderful. :)
I will amuse myself indoors today with maybe sewing or reading or playing/working in the dollhouse or doing beadwork, whatever. :D
But first I need to do some daily maintenance stuff.
Happy rain day! :D

Today my employee and I tackled some of the problem areas still left in my dining room. On one side was a white painted metal "organizer" with a top and two rather narrow drawers and a door at the bottom to a small cabinet, and on the other side was a piano bench with my dog's food in it and an open bin of things I need for online meetings (webcam, headset, notebooks). Also, on the organizer and around it on the floor were five canvas open bins with CDs, DVDs, various electronic cords and speakers, etc. And then there were two plastic bins from, apparently, times I had cleaned up fast or dumped my purse to look for something. I got the piano bench moved into the other room where the keyboard is, moved the dog food jar into the top of the organizer and the dog treats are in there too. In the second drawer are the preprinted home address labels where they have been forever. We threw out a very large white bag of old papers from credit cards I don't have any more and 10 year old tax documents (she tore up the convenience checks, but they were mostly for accounts no longer open anyway, moved old tax records to the tax archives in the garage, retirement account records to the proper place in the files, etc. And then went through the canvas and plastic bins. Moved things to appropriate places, threw some things out. So now there is only the white metal organizer there and it has the things in it I need for online computer meetings, and it has to stay clear on the top because otherwise I won't be able to get to the dog food (top swings up). I moved the boom box that was on the floor there to the top of a plastic file set of drawers on the other side of the room where it can plug in.

So a lot of things (especially paper and files) got thrown out, and some got moved into categories instead of dumped in bins. Some are put aside to donate as well, and marked as such. I am resisting the "clear surfaces" policy though when it comes to my big weekly medicine organizer. It's got to stay on the tray on the counter. I still forgot to take them until 9:30 this morning, 3.5 hours after I got up. Not good. I do better when they are right in front of me on the table. And I'm tired now and lying down.

Good morning, all!
Tillie: Thanks for posting the link to online timers over on the "Lost Items" thread. I use the timer on my stove, but can easily get sidetracked in the kitchen and forget what I went in there to do. LOL
Thanks also, for starting a new thread for this topic. It is so much easier to post now.

Mar: I love the "Natural state is clean" statements. My kitchen table and counter are so handy to park things on when I come in. I have to keep after those areas every day.
I learned a lot working with the kindergarten teachers over the past 3 years. Lessons consist of lots of hands-on activities using coloring, cutting, pasting, game pieces, etc. Work areas can get quite messy. The teachers schedule a "tidying up" time right before lunch and before it is time to go home. Everyone pitches in to clean up the floors and work surfaces. The teacher sets a timer or puts on music. The kids get in the habit of learning that "tidying up" is everyone's responsibility.
I need to get back into the daily habit of "tidying up" my messiest places: entry, kitchen, and bathroom. It really does make keeping the house neat and clean easier.

The men finished installing the gutters, downspouts, and gutter covers yesterday. They also did a good job cleaning up afterwards.
Now the helicopters can rain down and I won't have to worry about climbing on the roof to unclog my gutters. It should also save on caulking them where the rotting leaves and maple seeds begin eating holes.
Frank and the dogs coped very well with the workmen after initial anxiety.
The men were here until 5:30. They worked fairly leisurely and took several breaks. But they did a good job and I am paying them for the job, not by the hour.
I did not get to the greenhouse yesterday. After some initial tidying up in the kitchen and throwing in another load of laundry, I will go today. I want to mow and put in the garden before it rains tomorrow.

Have a great day, everyone!

It was supposed to rain today so when I went out this morning with the dog, I started working in the yard on an area of upper yard that has never been fixed up and that is where I want to bring stuff from lower yard to condense my watering. I was out there for hours working before rain started, felt guilty about the pile of clothes in bedroom, I was supposed to do when it was raining. Well here I sit after working on the clothes about 12 minutes. and the yard working in yard all day. I have the clothes in living room started sorting, and now it is not out of sight out of mind, they are messing up my clean living room, so must make decisions. Have to shower first so can try on some of them to make decisions easier, I am wearing a layer of yard dirt and dog hair. I have lots of excuses why I can't deal with the clothes, did you notice? If I could find my timer, it would be easier, love that excuse.
Great time saver, the retriever that is visiting, is able to fit through doggie door, and after a few tries learned how to go in and out without me.

Hi LR, and thanks.

The basic idea is very applicable:

The natural state of the table is CLEAR!
The natural state of the bed is CLEAR!
The natural state of the floor is CLEAR!
The natural state of the (put here what you want) is CLEAR!

LOL

Hi, Mar! Glad to see your post! I agree with you that Tillie's comments about the table and countertops are very helpful. Glad to hear your table is more clear!

Wheee! A new thread. I can't wait to see if my post works right! (I'll bet it does!) Thanks for starting the thread, Tillie! Also, Tillie, I copied and pasted your words about the clear tables/counters (giving you credit in my notes) into a Word doc for me to read and reread. That needs to become part of my vision. It's definitely not yet part of my current reality (at least not in certain rooms).

Barb: Your professional organizer is a for-sure LOL story! I don't think I'll put that designer on my helper-nominee list! (Sorry about the hassle with your checkbook situation.)

Dianne: Your story about your friend's professional organizer is definitely encouraging. I'd definitely take that one over Barb's person!

Diane: Thanks for mentioning the idea about the vacuum. Sounds like a plan.

Kathy: Good to see your posts! Yea for all the progress!

Candy: Best wishes for getting the pictures made and clothes put up for sale while you are taking care of those cutie-pies!

Me: Among the things I have done today are some bill paying, some banking, and some clothes drying (at the Laundromat). I probably got some other things done that I've forgotten to list. Also, I had lunch with a new acquaintance. Not only did I want to get to know this new friend better, but I also am trying to move away from isolation. I was once much more social (awkwardly social, but social nonetheless) than I am these days. I have to make a conscious effort to move away from isolation. My "natural state" seems to have turned into "wanting to isolate," and I know in the long run that's not good for me.

Goals for this evening: Spend fifteen minutes working in the BIT book. Spend twenty minutes on paperwork. Spend some time in meditation (haven't done that recently, other than meditating on why my posts wouldn't post). Put away most of the laundry that I dried today . . . which, for those in-the-know, includes the six pairs of new white socks I bought yesterday. (Yes, I will begin implementing my get-rid-of-the-worn-out-white- socks plan.)

Good to see so many at the chat last night! Hugs to all!

Hello everyone!

Happy to have found this place :-)

I loved your phrase "The natural state of the table is CLEAR", and truly it isn't long term storage! Precisely yesterday I was clearing the table into my room. It was unusable, covered with all kind of things, I could not work nor eat on it. I removed everything what had not to be there and cleaned it. Now it isn't very clear, but at least has no dirt and there is only what I need to have there (a few items).

Hi Kathy :)
you can post an intro if you want to or not post if you don't want to.
We are pretty much relaxed here.
People can post about whatever they want to post about. :)
WAY TO GO!!! :D
for having a CLEAR table to use to get yourself all organized!
Tables and counters are meant to be used for all sorts of reasons.
But never as a place to leave stuff, as if it were long term storage. ;)

Hi Candy :)
Good luck getting those things all sold and gone. :)

We have been getting a lot of small easy tasks handled today.
All the cats spent many hours out playing in the garden. :D
I burnt a lot of stuff in the burn barrel.
Killed some wasps trying to build nests around the house.
Scooter (1 yo kitty) keeps trying to catch wasps and today I smashed a wasp on the ground and Scooter ate it.
Someday he will find out why I keep trying to keep him away from wasps. :(

I have about 3.5-4 thousand articles of clothing, most of which are for sale. I will throw myself into posting them for sale, so they can get gone. I have 2 yo down for nap and 1yo is with me. she is easier to let go of to play in the yard (((because she cant climb yet and is too scared of the unknown to have me out of sight))) while I take pictures of merchandise.. which is the most time consuming part of selling on Ebay.

just refresh the page to see It Kathy :)

I posted a reply here but I don't see anything. Maybe it was too long.

Hi, Tillie and Diane I was on the Sunday chat last night. Is this the right place? Today I took my medical infusion supplies and gamma globulin for the next six weeks, put them on my CLEARED dining room table, and made little kits so I don't have to pull together the necessary supplies for each 3x/week infusion, and it will be easy-to just grab a bag. And then put all the bags in a bin, in my bedroom closet, cleared the table again. BIG NEWS--the employee that I've been paying to come in and help me once or twice a week has just sent me an e-mail saying she's decided to move with her family to TN, and I am not panicking because of the progress I've made. Managed to maintain dishes, kitchen, dining room table, picked up two Rx's. Even made my bed this morning!

Amazing thought, I think I remember how you put it: The natural state of the table is CLEAR!! who knew?

Should I post an intro from the material I posted on chat last night or what?

Dianne,
Before I found this website, I was referred to a professional organizer in my area who was supposed to be an ex-social worker and an expert in dealing with hoarders and clutterers. I finally swallowed my pride and got up nerve to ask her in to do an estimate. After inviting her into my home and talking with her, I discovered she was actually an interior designer. She told me that she would come back and help after I got the place cleaned up. LOL It was not a good experience for me. I trust the resources on this website, but would be more cautious next time I chose to work with any one calling themselves a professional organizer.

GOOD MORNING :D

DAVE! it is so good to "see" you :)

Hi Dianne :)
So happy to hear you feel ready to try getting some help. :D
A professional organizer may be what you are looking for.
Personalities differ and you may need to test out a few before you find one who understands you the best.

Hi LR2014 :)
Was wonderful to hear that you actually met Cory! :D

Hi Barb :)
It is hard when you are at the plant nursery to not want to over buy.
GREAT idea of making a list of what you have room and time for.

Hi Diane :)
Yes, I hate that we are missing out on people's long and well thought out posts. :(
Remember to lay out like items, rate them and then only keep the best.
Deciding on and rating only 5 or 6 at a time
then take a break before doing another lot.

I was planning on washing the windows today but we are predicted to have rain tomorrow.
Why wash windows right before it rains?
I will find something else to do today. :)

Have a GREAT Monday everybody! :D

Yes, yes, yes! It loads quickly and it is much easier to post without constantly saving your text. Thanks, Tillie!

Lets see if a new thread will help solve some of the posting issues we have developed in the first, long running thread :D