Hi all!
Tillie, im so happy the troublesome trees are getting cleared! That should change the whole feel of things at your place! YEA!!! :D
CM, ive often noticed myself having urges to want to clean up other's messes, too & thought how very odd?! And for some reason helping others with their messes, or even washing their dishes, always seems far easier than doing my own?!!
....it took me a while to read these posts cuz i keep crying & then couldnt see to read...whenever something upsetting is happening, then everything seems bad...i also am now having trouble with what to say to my dear friend with....cancer(its hard to even type that)...we usually text almost daily, but now i feel like i shouldnt be telling her 'trivial' stuff, or funny stuff, cuz it feels like im making light of things, yet i know being heavy & serious & scared isnt good either...i want so much to help her...im also looking at my own situation & wondering how much i should take on at my age, as far as putting in a new building to live in, a greenhouse, etc...
I feel so down today, but i can tell ill just keep spiraling downward if i indulge it, so when i finish my tea im going to work on the living room some. ~♡~

Helping to clean out the garage. Seeing another's clutter - feeling like "I could get rid of all this junk and that stuff can be donated blah blah blah and organize the rest in a day" and realizing I need to keep my hypocritical mouth shut, LOL! :D

Good Morning :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
Good luck with all the yardwork you need to get done.
That can be a great workout as long as you take care not to over-do and hurt yourself.
:)

Hi Pain :)
YEA! Way To Go!
with keeping up with your scheduled days! :D

Hi Anonymoniker :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
You are doing FANTASTIC!
Happy you are getting so much good use from your carpet cleaner. ;)
Please don't over-do and get too tired.
(((HUGS)))

Yesterday was so beautiful, sunny and warm.
Wore a summertime dress for the first time this year.
This morning is cloudy and sprinkling.
Really hope this doesn't delay the tree cutting down.
Yesterday I moved as much of his clutter away from the tree areas as I possibly could manage.
Just a few very heavy things left that I couldn't move.

Following routine today.
Kitchen and trash o

I worked in my dresser today, which is a clutter magnet. I just put out my garbage. I've showered and I'm going to set up coffee maker for AM. Goal is to leave for work 1-1/2 hours early so I can leave early and see mom.

Brought over mom's dishes today to run through my dishwasher. I'll then put them away--have paper plates and plastic utensils for her to use once she's home from hospital, until she had her strength back. I wanted to do more work at her house but the smoke alarm needed a new battery and the random sharp beeps were too unnerving. The front desk will have maintenance take care of it for me.

Her bed is all clean but I'd really like to get over there with my carpet cleaner and clean her upholstered chairs. Maybe I can swing that on Thursday.

Thank you for your support. I am doing things in a small way and I feel better emotionally and mentally.

I vacuumed bedroom today, did some dusting in bedroom, took a lamp to mom's house (I had disposed of a broken one at her house) and I shredded some papers. I still have to get garbage out and recycling. At least I did a little something in addition to working today.

I will need more cat litter. Going through quite a bit with two cats. But that's fine--they are worth it. The grumbling continues but not terrible.

CM keep up the good work. I'm sorry about your friend. Everyone, I am reading your posts and glad to see what you are doing. Tillie we had a pretty nice day here today. 50F. I aired out the house which always makes me feel more hopeful.

Happy Spring everyone!

It's going to be a busier Spring Break week than I had anticipated - in the sense of more things to do that are chores rather than things I'd like to be doing, LOL! Some critter chewed on and killed a tree in my roommate's yard, so we have to get that cleared away, and prepare for the termite inspection man by moving a lot of stuff in the garage and getting leaves from around the base of the house, etc. And I have to tackle some of the clutter in my room. It's too big a job to do to perfection, but if I can just get it semi-decent, good enough.

Whether I get to make a storage run this week or have to wait till next, remains to be seen. Today will be my exercise day and time to visit my friend who is in rehab after being in the hospital. The rehab is way across town, so gasoline is a concern, but there is a branch of the Y near there, which helps. All the yard work may suffice for the rest of my exercise this week.

I'll try to check in when I can . . . keep up the good work everyone.

Pain,
I am amazed how much you're able to get scanned. You must have a good speedy scanner. Mine is old (and in the storage at the moment) and slow as a slug - which makes me dread and procrastinate scanning, knowing how long it's going to take. Wish I had the moola to buy a better one.

Oh, and good quick thinking in your response to the passing stuff down to your daughter issue! It's important to balance keepsakes vs. too much stuff that's not as important, but that your daughter might feel she needs to keep because it was passed down to her. I am the end of the line in my family, and I'm not sure what to do with some of my family stuff for when I die . . . hoping to see after I get it scanned who is interested among my cousins and their children. Some things are cool - like pictures in those 19th Century oval frames with oval glass. I don't know whether I'll have a home large enough to display some of it. It may be better for me to take a photo and pass the big framed originals on. Decisions decisions.

Hello everyone! Spring has sprung!

I'm merely keeping up with laundry, dishes, garbage & litter box. If that's something.

Need to get to mom's apt to work in some stuff. I'm tired all the time. Just exhausted. hoping to pull it together at some point.

Keep up the good work everybody! I'm cheering for you!

SPRING EQUINOX!

Good Morning Everybody :)

Just sorta doing some tidying up inside & out today.
Mostly will be celebrating SPRING. :D
A time of promise and new beginnings.
A time to start clearing away the cobwebs and dust of Winter, making room for what this season has in store for me.
;D

Hi Pain :)
WOOHOO!
WAY TO GO!!!
Fantastic! that all your stuff from storage now fits in your room at home!
Very happy you got rid of that storage unit too.
Great job scanning that whole bin.
Enjoy your rest of the day :D

This was a great day for me.
I brought all my stuff home.
It's about 1/10th the volume it was when it went to storage.it all fits in my room.

I moved out of the extra storage unit. Because they tried to say it didn't qualify for the first month free because I'm not new customer, but that's exactly what they said. I said what the cost of I just get out of it today. It was what I had already paid . So I got the hell out of that.

Now the other storage is paid through September 30th.
I'm focusing on my daughter now , because she's willing to budge.

I have a new plan.
If I can my daughter to purge , on her own.
Then I get to focus on my wife's stuff.
Her mom said that some of it is for passing down to my daughter, and when I suggested we sell it she was aghast, but when I said pass it to some of the other cousins? I could sense her wheels turning.

I didn't purge everything I own. I don't expect them to either, but let's be practical about it.
There's no need in hoarding stuff to give to someday if they don't want it?


Also I finished the scanning of the box where as long as I have digital copies I can let go of the originals. That's huge , for me. About 8 years of scanning papers and pictured in the bin.

I'm done for the day. Gonna take a bath and a warm nap.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)

Hi Pain :)
I am a big fan of the "Tiny Home" movement.
Especially the ones on their own land where they grow gardens.
They are off the grid using solar panels and are completely self contained.
;D

Hi CriticalMass :)
Thank you ;)
Loved your long catching up post.
Happy you got your green cookies!
Sorting out and making so many small decisions is VERY tiring work.
So glad that that "tinkling" noise didn't throw you off course and everything went alright.

Hi Tatoulia :)
Hyacinths are my favorite bulb flower.
Now that they are planted out in the garden I spend a lot of time laying down in the dirt just to smell them.
Don't be hard on yourself about the state of your home.
Your Mom has been sick, you have been sick.
You have been dividing your time between the hospital, work and refereeing the cats.
Go do something FUN today.
Get out and play a little. ((((HUGS))))

Dark cloudy day here today.
Tomorrow, after he leaves for work, I need to clear away as much of his clutter from the base of the trees as I can possibly manage to move all by myself to make the tree cutters job's easier.
A rain storm is predicted for Tuesday and I hope that prediction changes and we can go ahead with downing those trees.
Today I need to do a bit of house cleaning.
Not too much to do but getting it done will prevent a bigger clean up job later.

TTYS :)

Good morning everyone! Good to catch up on your long posts. I'm pleased to see that despite some terrible news and events, everyone is still moving forward!

Hyacinths are my mother's favorites, Tillie. She used to plant a few bulbs by her bedroom window in the hope that a breeze would bring the scent into her room.

The cats are coping. I could do without the hissing and growling. Mom's cat sleeps by the foot of my bed and in the night my cat joined me up by my pillows.

Mom is doing better. Hopefully just one more week in nursing care before going home.

All I do here is dishes and laundry. I am unhappy with the state if my house. I'm sleeping too much too. And I'm not getting enough fun time in. If I work in even one of these things I'll feel better, I know.

Time to catch up.

Anony, so terribly sorry to hear about your friend's diagnosis. I think it still is good for her and you and all of us to do the healthy things because even though we don't know the outcome, it will give her more of a fighting chance, and you strength to be there for her. But I can certainly understand how upsetting this all must be. Before my hysterectomy there was an ovarian tumor and though it was not cancerous, that time of uncertainty was bad enough. You and she will be in my thoughts and prayers. <3

Pain,
Sorry about the lawnmower and the upset surrounding the thief. But good for you to recognize your anger was getting out of control and want to do better next time. I have anger management issues too and I know the struggle. It's not fun, the realization of letting it get the best of me, the remorse afterward and the concern about what that's doing to my health. But as I said, there is hope - I'm seeing some improvement; I've come a ways and am a work in progress hoping to be a much more serene person eventually.

I got aggravated at Walmart today because there are these salespeople for Direct TV that Walmart allows to be there, but instead of just staying at their table they're allowed to roam the store and bother customers. I had trouble with an overly persistent one and I let the management know about it; I was on the edge but hopefully I didn't totally open my can of crazy on them. I filled out the online survey from my receipt at home. By then I was calm, not tempted to cuss or anything, able to get my point across well. Not holding my breath it'll do a lot of good, but feeling that I did what I could.

Sorry too about your job uncertainty. The Uber and Lift sound like good supplementary options. Hope the main job gets more steady again or you're able to find an even better one.

I would love to have the link to that list of healthy habits. I do a fair number of those already and it sounds like a sensible, doable list. If you can post it, I'd be most grateful.

Tillie, you do so well blooming like a pink hyacinth amid the surroundings - I know it must be so difficult, but to have that ability to stay strong and not be completely overcome by the things you can't change - to me, that's a special kind of gift. It's your superpower, whether it feels like it or not.

As for me, well, I did predict an increasingly busy week and I was correct. My friend who was in the hospital went to rehab Friday; my visit just happened to time out perfectly for me to be able to help her get packed and see her off.

Before that I was at the doctor. He checked my surgical site, said it was doing fine, and gave me the advice I needed on exercising. So that felt great. I've lost 25-1/2 lbs. since last April - happy dance!

In the morning I had gotten to bake my St. Patrick's Day cookies. They are quite tasty. It's an oatmeal cookie mix from the Aldi store, to which I added raisins and green food coloring. If you try it, note that the amount of water the package says, 1 Tbsp., isn't enough in my opinion - I still had a lot of dry mix. So I added another Tbsp. or two and it worked out well. And you don't really have to shape them, I did them as drop cookies to save time.

So anyway, the week ended - Thursday night I was really grumpy from doing so much. I went to quilting but that was probably not a good idea. The night bunch of quilters are different from the daytimers - a lot more chattery, which would've been okay, but since I was already tired it was a bit overstimulating. Basically, I overdid it trying to cram one more activity in that day. Little frustrations after I got home were making me very cranky and gripey.

Earlier on Thursday I met the social worker at the storage, after morning running around. We got more accomplished, a trash bag about 2/3 full tossed. Filled some smaller bags with donations. But I forgot to take some of those because she stashed them behind the front seat and I didn't see them, so I had to make another stop on Friday.

While we were there, I could tell I was more tired, and a little ragged out. At one point I heard a "Clink" and went to see what it was, I was sort of freaking out. It was a small collection of cat figurines - turned out nothing broke - I had a mini-meltdown over all the feelings for a couple of minutes: first, anxiety over what made the clinking sound, then irritation, then guilt for feeling irritation, then anger at myself for caring too much about material things my entire life, and a bunch of other yuck. And not wanting to be angry at her because she has been so helpful. But I got through it and she was not offended and we got back on track pretty quickly.

I could tell that my tiredness was making me more easily flustered overall, and that "the feels" of the emotional level of decluttering were closer to the surface than they were the first go round. Yet despite all this, we did good work and the outcome was nice.

I also have realized that I need to make a solo run and find and locate fragile things and pack and label them myself for the transfer to the different storage location (more about that next paragraph). It will make me feel calmer, and it will prevent putting a "liability" burden on any helpers. I remember times in my life, going back to childhood, when I accidentally broke someone else's things and how horrible I felt - especially if they were nasty about it. Being proactive can prevent needless angst for everyone. I'm the one who knows what the breakable things, or the things that need to be padded or top loaded or kept from extreme temps, etc. are, and it's my responsibility to take care of those rather than go batcrap crazy when someone who isn't familiar with them, and who's been good enough to step up to the plate and help me, unknowingly does something "wrong" in handling them.

Some really good news - social worker has located at least one volunteer who will be able to help when it looks like we're ready to roll with a transition to a storage place closer to where I live. I don't know when this will be - but what a blessing to finally have the prospect of things coming together with all of that! :)

She's having surgery soon and that will be the perfect time to do the solo work, with spring days to do it in. So that's my plan.

Sorry for the long post; I guess I go into so much detail because it helps me mentally to remember what happened and process it. And because a lot did happen this week! ;) Hope I wasn't too tedious.

Pain, your health routine is fantastic!!! My friend does very similar things...ive never known anyone who did more towards health than her...now as i read my facebook feed, which is filled with how to be healthy & happy, etc. websites, i find myself having sarcastic, jaded & angry thoughts....part of me wants to do every harmful bad-for-me thing i can think of....and flip God the middle finger while doing it....

Pain, your health routine is fantastic!!! My friend does very similar things...ive never known anyone who did more towards health than her...now as i read my facebook feed, which is filled with how to be healthy & happy, etc. websites, i find myself having sarcastic, jaded & angry thoughts....part of me wants to do every harmful bad-for-me thing i can think of....and flip God the middle finger while doing it....

Thanks Tillie that seems to be the consensus.


Anony
Sorry to hear about your friend.
I'm on That Trek to stay healthy.
What I do to stay healthy


Monday
Walnuts, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, broccoli sprouts. Semi fast day 600 cals
Walking 15,000 steps

Tuesday
Protein shake and compound lifting at gym.
Salad for lunch, fish dinner with broccoli

Wednesday
Walnuts, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, broccoli sprouts. Semi fast day 600 cals
Walking 15,000 steps

Thursday
Protein shake 30min jumprope total
Salad for lunch, fish dinner with broccoli

Friday
Walnuts, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, broccoli sprouts. Semi fast day 600 cals
Walking 15,000 steps

Saturday
Protein shake compound lifting at gym.
Salad for lunch, chicken dinner with broccoli

Sunday
Protein shake core strengthening and sprints.
Salad for lunch, steak dinner with broccoli.

Of course I have vitamin water on fast days and supplements too. I can't stick to it as much as I want to but as I'm losing weight it's getting easier to stick to it.

I had a episode where I tried to hurt myself after a long bout with depression , then I was triggered by my persona destruction. I could no longer be the person I loved being .

During mandatory counseling I decided I want to live a long life. So I did the internet self help thing. Here's what learned.

Eat fish twice a week.
Fast 3 times a week.
Have animal fat less than 20 times a month.
Weigh as close to 120 lbs as you can.
Eat as close to 1200 calories as you can.
Walk 15,000 steps a day if possible
Eat walnuts or other nuts everyday.
Get 15 minutes of pure sunlight on bare skin daily.
Never become dehydrated.
Include antioxidants, pre biotic foods, probiotics, electrolytes, 100% nutrition, ect...
Detox the liver, gallbladder, and colon.
Include strawberries and broccoli sprouts regularly.
Eat blueberries with plant foods
Eat broccoli with meats
Include rosemary, turmeric, Ginger into meals as often as possible.
Use a infrared heat tent to detox the skin.
Drink water, with lemon. And green tea with stevia.
Keep the air in the home free of fungus.
Laugh as often as possible.
Dip in freezing water for 15 seconds a week.
Exercise when you have a cold.
Eat 2 table spoons of peanut butter a week.
Jump rope until you can skip for ten minutes to circulate the lymphatic system.
Don't eat foods that make sensitive to bloated feeling.
Avoid gluten,
Drink dandelion tea.
Find ways to eat red beans and dark chocolate.

And justvmake sure I express how far into the internet I've went off into the deep end.

All power on the planet should be from molten salt thorium reactors. All cars should be from hydrogen fuels. All home should capture it's own drinking water. Homes should heated from hydrogen bubbled out of urea.all homes could grow 10,000 calories a week. In sunroofs on top of homes and the side that faces the sun.


My understanding is if those things aren't accomplished in the 300 years the great societies will revert to primitive.

So I feel positive that I can do my best to live long enough to get my daughter through college .

After that I want to devote my life to clean housing for poor people. IE my model home designs.

Tamped earth first floor, foamcore aluminum second floor A frame . The design is for home ownership with less borrowing .

In opinion if the internet can homeschool us.
And we can build our homes at cost.
IF our vehicles don't pollute.
IF we can heat/cool and power ourselves.
Grow outcome foods without toxins.

Then what's left?

I believe god will have the last word.



Have a great day!

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Pain :)
If I found someone running off with something of mine
I would want to hunt them down and hurt them severely.
I do believe your emotions about the situation are exactly as would be expected from any normal human.
But acting on impulse and putting yourself in danger shows you might just need better impulse control rather than just anger management.
So very sorry to hear your washer is broken. :(
It might turn out to be cheaper to buy a used one rather than fix this one.

Hi Anonymoniker :)
So very sorry about your friend (((HUGS)))
Yes, it does seem unfair when innocent people get sick.

Another Saturday...
Planning to just hang around here doing whatever strikes my fancy.

Anybody have any fun plans for the weekend?
:)

Wow, Pain! You chased thieves stealing from you?!! Thatd freak me out!
I havent had hot water in almost 2 weeks, but i have a guy that says he can fix it next week.
Id planned to continue on my living room today but my good friend called to tell me the ovarian cysts she has are cancer...the thing that is even more devastating is that she has done everything possible to be healthy for the almost 30 years ive known her...it makes no sense at all this would happen to her...the whole world seems completely upside down to me right now....part of my is flipping the bird at God.....♡....and part of me feels guilty thinking such a thing....it does seem anytime things get figured out, pretty quick everything blows up!
I wish i had a nice comfortable home so i could invite them here....

Wow, Pain! You chased thieves stealing from you?!! Thatd freak me out!
I havent had hot water in almost 2 weeks, but i have a guy that says he can fix it next week.
Id planned to continue on my living room today but my good friend called to tell me the ovarian cysts she has are cancer...the thing that is even more devastating is that she has done everything possible to be healthy for the almost 30 years ive known her...it makes no sense at all this would happen to her...the whole world seems completely upside down to me right now....part of my is flipping the bird at God.....♡....and part of me feels guilty thinking such a thing....it does seem anytime things get figured out, pretty quick everything blows up!
I wish i had a nice comfortable home so i could invite them here....

My washer is in need of repair.
It's the 3rd thing that is a major need.

I need a dish washer.
I need a clothes washer.
I need a shower and or tub.

I no longer have a dishwasher.
I no longer have a clothes washer.

I need to prioritize and focus.
I can live on paper plates and plastic spoons.
But I cant deal with funky clothes.

OK enough torture talk.
For fun I I watched avatar for the first time
And Jack reacher for first time.

I ran down some thieves in the ally . They stole my motorless mower for metal. I turned into the hulk.
My wife came and stopped the maddness. I hate turning into that. It's so stupid. So dangerous.
I called my therapist . If I can't Control the anger and I bet to the point homicidal thoughts then the meds aren't the right meds.
For one I'm too old to be chasing after thieves.
For two it's just a cheap replaceable mower no where near the trouble .
Its me . And not just the meds.


I realize this isn't the best place to talk about it. But it was a piece of my hoard. And I triggered when when I caught someone trying to steal from it.

Hello everybody :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
YEA!!! WTG!!!
:D
Happy you have released the clothes you don't need.
Should you ever need more charitable clothing,
it will be there for you.
(((HUGS)))

Was having the darndest time looking for this thread this morning.
What was here was Halloween 2015 thread and posts.
HaHaHa
Time warp!

Anyways, guy from power company tree people came by this morning and let me know that he plans to cut down those trees on Tuesday.
May be Wednesday depending on maybe something else takes longer than planned.
I am so excited to get those trees down! :D
I still haven't told "some one".
Going to wait and see if he notices they are gone and says something about it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ;)

.....when i said 'taken' i mean given to be by a charity, not 'taken'as in that id stolen them or anything....just to clarify....ha ha :D

Hey, everyone? :D
I got several nice size chunks cleared from the living room! It was mostly used clothes that id taken ages ago that ill not likely ever wear, but the mind frame i was in at that poverty point when i took them was hard to shake as i was trying to toss them...i kept a small stack...ive found regret impedes future progress...it was good! Im gonna keep going with it tomorrow! ~☆~

Hey, everyone? :D
I got several nice size chunks cleared from the living room! It was mostly used clothes that id taken ages ago that ill not likely ever wear, but the mind frame i was in at that poverty point when i took them was hard to shake as i was trying to toss them...i kept a small stack...ive found regret impedes future progress...it was good! Im gonna keep going with it tomorrow! ~☆~

Hi Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
WAY TO GO! for keeping up with the laundry!
Wishing you a restful and fun weekend (((HUGS)))

Hi Pain :)
Good luck and best wishes finding a job that pays what you need and is also something you like. (((HUGS)))

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Thank you.
WAY TO GO! for your 3 accomplishments a day! :D


Hi CriticalMass :)
How did the storage unit meeting go today?
Hope you get to make and eat your green cookies :D
(((HUGS)))

That darn time change has really got me off kilter.
But I did manage to get a lot of heavy winter stuff all cleaned and stored away properly.
Makes so much more room in here.
My pink hyacinth is blooming now! :D
If the weather is OK tomorrow I plan to do some more in my little section of the yard.
It's looking so pretty right now with all the green leaves coming out and all the pretty blooms.
Such a big contrast to the rest of the property. ;P

Today I'm cleaning my car . I'm losing hours at work and may get laid off. They upsized I to a new facility and it's draining off our accounts . So third shift is losing its work to do.
I'm on the pilot light crew. Finishing up what second d can't complete.

So I'm in the job market.
The only thing that appeal s to me is uber and left.
So I can supplement my income if a new job starts out low scale. I was a private courier for over 20 years so using the car. Is OK with me. I know the ins and outs of car expense deductions and when to trade out and up.

Do today I'm cleaning the car as well as I can and organizing freebies for good reviews.
Waters, tissues, mints, candies , phone cords, music and or jokes. As well as sanitizer , fabrezze, and a hand held wash vacuum.

I think it's best I find something flexible in the $20 an hour range. And something else with health benefits. If I'm wise I figure out how to sell the cars I buy for exactly what I pay for them. I did that for a few years . But then quit trying when money wasn't asking an issue. No it is again. And I'll want to available for daughter when it's just us.

Late night update

Hopefully not too late though, because the full moon and the time change messed with my sleep plus the exercising for the first time in awhile made me tired. And I got up early today to go sit with my elderly friend who isn't supposed to be left alone. She's doing well, and it's enjoyable to spend time with her.

But I did crash this afternoon, about halfway through my clutter club meeting, and took a nap at home. Tomorrow I go to the storage and the social worker will come and we'll kick some more hoarding butt! :) I hope to go a bit early and do some on my own before she gets there.

Afterward I have a friend in the hospital to visit. If I end up with energy by evening I'll go to church and quilt, since I had to miss the session this morning. We'll see. The week has gotten rather jam packed towards the end. If I don't make it, there's always next week.

Then Friday I have that doctor appointment and the week begins to wind down. I'll be ready for it to! I hope to bake some oatmeal cookies, tinted green, for St. Patrick's Day.

Lots of plans!

Our kitties have been doing more roughhousing than usual of late. I wonder if they have spring fever. March Madness!

Hello everyone thanks for your posts! Anony so good to hear you so happy!

I got a lot of laundry done this week. The house is a mess/some of it is kitty-related but most of it is me.

I have a full day at office tomorrow. Wishing you all a good day.

Anony
That's how I started.
For years it was disorganized and clutter.
Then something clicked in me. I needed learn to reclaim living space. Clearing my living room, I felt empowered.
I learned sometimes I have more trash bags than can fit in my bin. But I take it all out anyway.

........and if a panic attack feeling arises, just...~Do the next step~....☆♡☆...(deep easy breathe..in......out)......(sigh)....i can get there....♡

........and if a panic attack feeling arises, just...~Do the next step~....☆♡☆...(deep easy breathe..in......out)......(sigh)....i can get there....♡

~Happy Ides Of March to all!!!~
Im please to hear how well you each are doing!
CM, swimming & hot tub sounds wonderful!
Tatoulia, im glad your Mom has improved, and how nice your brother was able to help her through her fear, and it sounds like the kitties feel more comfortable with each other!
Pain, youve gotten so much accomplished & your approach is fantastic!
Tillie, what a great space you have created for you & your kitties! The decisions youve made about boundaries makes so much sense!
I have been following my '3 accomplishments a day' rule & it is working well for me! Im still very bummed about not having that truck, but there is plenty i can still do without it. Today i want to work on my living room some cuz every time i walk through the house i cringe from it! I am declaring here & now that i will remove at least one garbage bag full from it & see how that feels! YES!!!
~☆♡☆~Happy Homes, Homeys!!!~☆♡☆~

Hi Tatoulia
Not disagreeing, one of my motivated plans is to downsize for the next move to a another home.
So on one hand I want to downsize. On the the other hand I don't want to pay for clutter twice.
So, my plan was to sell as much clutter at prices I could rebuy it back. So the tax deduction from donations fits great for things I can't sell. I've made enough money from sales to have paid for the storage through September 30th.

We're waiting to move so my daughter will not be bounced around from school to school. We hope to have her in the same grade school, same middle school, and same high school.

There's a back story of my mother decorated daughters room. Now grandma. Dumps tones of clutter in daughters room until it became so full that I was hoard.
I had to Intervene. And evict my daughter from her room , but still force her clean it up.
I wasn't a monster, but it was a terrible burden, to argue with grandma that the room is no longer livable. No more gifts will be accepted.

My daughter is only allowed to have clean clothes in the smaller room now. Until she is mature enough to clean up after herself. This may seem intrusive on my part. But can you imagine have a department of children's services worker come in and inspect the child's sleeping area and that area be a hoard. I had to Intervene or it would of been the end of our family at this address. In Fact that's exactly what happened. I didn't let them in for five days. But it kick started this purge.

So yes I'll donate stuff. , but I would rather sell it or get compensated. I'm managing it much better with the storage unit.

My wife is having friends come and go .
I keep prompting her to give back stuff that belongs to others. Buts it's slow going.

Tillie.
I keep writing epics about motivating a spouse to purge. But I end up writing about my journey.
What can I say. Hoarding isn't my only issue.

I like what you say about designated areas and what I say about common areas.

It's I believe a two prong approach.
To meet our expectations we have to find them the help and support they don't know the need.
Lol.

My wife just keeps apologizing for being sick and I know she means being a messy sick.
I just grin and bear it. I able to her so I do. No questions asked. But I used to be indignant about the clutter mess.



Wednesday is floors day.
I put everything on the floor that doesn't belong on the floor in the individual tubs. A d vacuum and dust. I am experimenting with this as.

Monday. Kitchen
Tuesday trash, cars and baths
Wednesday floors and stairs
Thursday laundry & closets
Friday common areas
Saturday storage and hoard
Sunday organizing and repairs. Prompting others.

He he he lol ,I can imagine a day where I invite my daughters friends to clean up her room for her for $
This week daughter next week wife.
I'll see if this makes a difference.

Pain, one thing I wanted to mention is to not let the fact that you are a maximum deduction to keep you from donating items. There are still a lot of months left in the year and don't think you have to keep stuff til next year due to donations. One thing I've learned is there is always more stuff than deductions, and I cannot let that be a sticking point.

Tillie do take it easier today.

Good Morning :)

Hi Donna :)

Hi Pain :)
Wonderful that you stood up for yourself and refused to take things that you don't want or need.
I know how hard that can be. (((hug)))
Over the years I have been given some GREAT advice from many professionals in the field of hoarding.
I have tried everything they taught me, to no avail.
The one best piece of information they have all given me is...
"if the hoarder is unwilling to change, they won't."
There is nothing we can do to change anybody else, we can only change ourselves.
This means we have to find what works for us.
Removing dangers/hazards, making "NO CLUTTER ZONES" and defending them.
Choosing our battles carefully, meaning only pushing hard to make/keep the home a more sanitary healthier safer place while hoping and waiting for the hoarder to want this for themselves too.
For the people who have a big clean out forced on them, the emotional turmoil is devastating and they will work hard and fast to reclutter the space in record time and will hold onto everything tighter than ever before.
Plus they will never trust anyone ever again because they feel they have been violated and robbed.
What I have learned from living with a hoarder who will not change
is to allow them to have their limited space to clutter to their heart's content
but also have the home clean & clear in all the main living areas, bathroom and kitchen.
Keep doorways, halls, windows and pathways clutter free for easy escape in case emergency personnel need to come in or you need to get out in case of fire.
Dispose of nasty expired/rotten food when you find it.
Work hard to keep the rodents and insects out of the home.
Minimize hazards where ever you can.
My biggest worry is the huge garage he has filled from floor to rafters.
He likes being in there, made a little nest for himself where he plays on one of his computers, cooks & eats, watches TV, uses a quartz space heater in the winter.
If it catches on fire the firemen would not be able to put it out and being so close to the house that would probably burn down too.
The clutter surrounding the house is full of rats and mice that get under the house and chew on any electrical wiring there.
Also, this area has Hantavirus and Bubonic plague.
The 6 derelict vehicles also have desert pack rats and Yellow Jacket wasps nesting in them.


Hi Tatoulia :)
If the little cat is being so cute running around and playing
That is why your cat hisses at her.
My cats hate it when kitties are being cute, except Twinkles.
He loves to play with them.
Hope you are getting all the rest & sleep you need.
Spend time sitting and cuddling your cat, you both need more cuddle time. (((HUGS)))


Taking today slow. Did so much since last Friday and need a slower day.
Just planning to do a bit of putting away some heavier winter things, straightening and whatever else strikes my fancy. :)

Working from home today. Finishing up laundry. Hope to get some papers shredded. Cats are still troublesome. I can't tell if my cat is eating. I miss her so much! I locked up the little one in the bedroom today just so I could get some time in with my cat. The little one is so cute, playing with toys and running around.

I must do some cleaning tonight. My sleep is weird and I'm sleeping too much and at odd hours. Need to pull it together. Have a long day at work tomorrow.

So, what are you doing today?!?

Tillie
My reading took me in this direction.

So, the next step in dealing with "functional fixedness" is no longer talking about your pain but rather your expectations.

It seems there is a great deal about motivating a spouse . It's rather academic to me at this point, but I'm extremely intrigued.

Not sure where it'll go, I mean the insights, somewhere like this.

We first need to make the change in ourselves that we want others to follow. Rather than fear taking a stand, continue to prompt expectations.

Something about being motivated by their pain not ours.

I'm just looking it so I'm not sure where it'll lead.

Hi Donna, Tillie,tat,CM, and everyone else.

Not much going on here.
I'm on a cleaning day , trash day,
Car, mopping floors , .

My mom tried to bring 4 boxes of stuff to my house.
Lately we haven't been able speak to eachother without hissing at one another. So I hissed.
I put her my list of people whose stuff I don't need. . I'm already at limit of what I can donate and get tax credit. I need to be a little nicer about it. If it's stuff she's clearing from her hoard then I'll help. But if she's going to goodwill and buying stuff I didn't ask for do t need or want. Then I need to be able to say no thank you ND be told I'm lacking in IQ.
Sigh

Not the best day or worst day .
Stayed with the routine.

Not sure if I'm getting on the board here???

Hi :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
I have one cat sleeping on the couch, one on the window ledge in the living room window and another on the window ledge in my room.
The other two are outside sleeping under various bushes. LOL :D
WTG! for cleaning the rug! :)
Hope you get your extra snow day (((HUGS)))

Hi CriticalMass :)
Swimming is great all around gentle exercise.
Wonderful outlook, because things will get better bit by bit. (((HUGS)))

Hi Anonymoniker :)

Hi Pain :)

The corned beef and cabbage is delicious! :D
The daffodils are beautiful.
The birds are starting to build nests.
My apricot tree has begun blooming.
Hope this next storm doesn't do too much damage to the fauna & flora.

I just shampooed bedroom rug. I did the light version, which dries in an hour. It needs deep cleaning but that's several hours of dry time and I just can't manage it today. I like the machine I bought. It's easy to use.

I wish we could eke out a second snow day out of this storm. I can work from home tomorrow anyway but I like the mental break of s snow day.

Hello! Thank you for the support, everyone! It helps to read & re read your kind thoughts.

We are having a snow day. Last night mom's cat slept with me. They are doing better. They are both asleep in the back part of the house right now. There's still much growling and hissing but they are coping.

I am working from home and just managed to vacuum the bedroom, now that there isn't a cat in there. My cat hates the vacuum and I haven't had the heart to vacuum while she was staying in there.

Like you, CM, I am doing laundry today. I forget that you are in a tiny room--do what you can to make your bed a peaceful place at night. Glad you are getting to the gym!

Tillie I hope your cooking is going well. So far today I've only had a bagel but I will make dinner tonight. For now I just want to soak up the peace that is two cats sleeping, albeit on separate couches.

Happy Tuesday

Tatoulia, sorry your mom had a setback but glad she is rebounding.

I accomplished my long-awaited goal of returning to the gym yesterday. Went for a swim. Figured that was safe enough for the post-surgical getting back into exercising; the water's bouyancy should prevent going too fast and straining something. And it was nice and warm, felt good. So did the even warmer whirlpool after the swim.

This morning I'm doing dark laundry so I'll have jeans to wear later in the day when I go out. All the household chores need catching up. I have a friend in the hospital downtown whom I'll be visiting when I can this week. I think I can make it work so those visits and my gym visits and Friday doctor's appointment are done in tandem so I don't start stressing about the gasoline.

Tomorrow, or maybe even later today, light laundry and changing bedsheets. I still haven't gotten to the point of a solution to the problem of putting things on the bed. Part of that is my need to see things I need to rremember. So they go on the bed during the day and down by my purse at night. But some of the clutter is just stuff like papers I'm behind on reading. In that tiny bedroom it's hard to find other places to put much of anything.

Still, I'll get it better bit by bit. Mustn't get discouraged.

Good Morning :)

Another lovely warm sunny day here but by Thursday that will change.
Washing cat blankets this morning.
Then I will be cooking a pot of corned beef, carrots, potatoes and cabbage.
I know it's a few days early but I have all the ingredients and am really craving it. ;D
Besides, there will be lots of leftovers to enjoy for several days.
Also planning to spend lots of time just admiring the blooming daffodils.

Hello Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
So nice to read your post :)
Hope today was another good day for you (((HUGS)))

Got the house cleaned.
Did lots of laundry and hung it out in the fresh air & warm sunshine.
I am still physically exhausted from all the heavy work outside on the weekend.
Hoping by tomorrow I can recover.
Daffodils are so pretty, wish I could share them with you all. ;)

Hey everyone.

The cats are spending more time closer to each other. Still some hissing and growling but it feels less tense.

Today, Mom was the best we've seen her. She took ten tiny steps today. Emotionally she's the best she's been and she looks very good. The hallucinations seem to have stopped. Her last panic attack was Friday, which my brother was able to help her through. He's certainly had his fair share of surgeries, panic attacks, etc, and when she called he just kept her talking and he said he knew exactly the feeling so he reassured her til she felt better. He then texted me and I left work immediately.

I got my sheets changed today. That generally isn't noteworthy but it's been a week and a half, if not longer, and I never go beyond 7 days. I need to wash my duvet cover/maybe tomorrow as I'll be working from home.

Well I'm pretty fragile emotionally but I got some good sleep in. It was due to a sleeping pill but it was very restful. Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. I am so happy to read of your progress.

Maybe this week I could find myself back on track.

Good Evening Everyone :)

Hi Pain :)
Plastic sheeting and tape.
I can think of a lot of things to do with that stuff.
Drop cloth for painting, wrapping things in to store over the summer/winter, putting down to keep car seat/carpet or other areas clean when moving about dirty items.
Tape has a shelf life depending on the conditions where it's kept.
Here, tape starts to stick to it's self and you can't pull it apart and if you do, all the sticky is stuck to the back of the other side.


Really wore myself out doing yard work since Friday.
Cutting down & sectioning trees.
Hauling all the bits over to the side yard.
Raked & raked & raked and hauled cart after cart full of leaves & etc. over to the side yard.
Beautiful weather but next storm is predicted to arrive here by Thursday.
Tomorrow I really need to clean house and do laundry.
Should cook something too instead of just making quick things like peanut butter sandwiches and cereal.

Tillie
I'm going to do some dwelling on this line of thought. I think it comes down to trust. And no matter how much I want to help. It falls flat on someone who doesn't want it. Now matter how I angle it.

Tatoulia

So hope you find hope and courage to know that love is stronger than all else.


I got a bit of push back on my thermostat spring challenge. Mother In law asked how much I hoped to save if I saved alot. I said $300 she wrote me a check. Lol I guess I may purge all that plastic and tape. But I'm sort a don't want too. But I don't need it . EeeeeK I wAnna keep it but I don't need it.