Hi Lila. I'm so sorry for what you are going through. I could also feel everything you were saying in your post. I cannot imagine how hard this has all been for you. I am sending you so many positive thoughts and vibes. I really hope that you will heal both physically and emotionally, even though I can understand how extremely hard that can seem. You are courageous and strong. I'm so glad you have a support system with your friends. Take care of yourself and give yourself all the time you need. I know I just joined and know very little about you, but I want you to know that I am thinking of you and pulling for you.

I hope everyone is doing ok this weekend. I've been making very slow progress. DH took quite a few things to the medication disposal box at the pharmacy today. The rest of them will be taken in shifts because there is literally so much old medicine and vitamins/supplements. I have finally filled a box with items to donate. I'm going to start a new box tonight or in the morning. I will write more tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good and restful night!

Lila, you are a wonderful writer. I felt every word that you wrote. You are also a wonder mother.

I related to having your son make the decisions in that when mom died, you may recall that I had friends clean and clear the bathroom, closets, and dresser and make all the decisions. It's better for me not knowing, just as it is better for you not knowing.

I'm so sorry about all of this. Having your youngest take over teen's room is very good. Will help more than it hurts. And I know you are in indescribable pain.

Thank you Tatoulia and SubC for kind thoughts and words. It has been a hard couple of years for me, but it feels like things are getting better. I do have very kind and good friends, a blessing from God, people who love me and notice when I am having a hard time and come right along to make me feel loved.

I have lived with very little for many years. The things I did have, Teen broke a lot of them. Or they were lost when it flooded in my downstairs, or things got taken from me when husbands left. I think that is a core of my hanging onto things. But as more and more is gone, things matter a lot less.

I did something hard yesterday but because I was in grief over other things it did not seem to matter. I have a very nice storage room that has been totally full of things forever. I remember posting on here how I finally went out there when ex-dh left and got rid of a lot of junk, and sorted the rest. It was still 80% full. We needed more space for TotsFam's stuff, and I wanted to put some totes of Teen's things in there from her room. So TotsDad asked if he could sort that room and I said yes. I looked out there after a couple hours and he had EVERY item out of that room all over the back patio and yard and he had the big trash bin sitting there with the lid open. I could not bear to look so I just went and worked on Teen's room. When he was done, I went and the whole patio and yard were empty and the room was maybe 20% full, very neat and organized and nice. I was kind of shocked, how much stuff was gone. I had already sorted it once and all that was in there was stuff I had decided to keep. But what a blessing it is that TotsDad was able to go in there and make it so nice. And no, I did not ask nor did I look in the trash can.

I also packed up every item in Teen's room. I wrapped every little fragile thing she saved in either tissue paper or bubble wrap, and packed them gently into totes. I labelled the totes and they are in that storage room now. This is exceptionally distressing to me, and if I think about it I nearly go into a panic, but just like the room and the trash can, I just have to walk away and not look.

Youngest Son will be moving into Teen's room. This also is both distressing and a relief to me. Today I mostly sat and watched tv and ate. I will work on all the tubs and totes from the upstairs bedrooms, which are mostly now in the kitchen and living room because of all the hole repairs and painting.

I am trying to remember the good and positive things. But I feel like losing Teen in this way, even though she is alive (but not well) is crushing and I wonder if I will ever be okay.

SubC, your positive attitude is infectious! Thank you!

Very quiet in the city today. Coffee clinks. I'm reading and enjoying my coffee.i have to fill out my ballot and get it over to the drop box near the library. From there I'll walk to Charles street to drop off the alarm system battery for recycling. Cannot tell if it will be a bit humid today, but certainly nothing terrible.

Will report back. Today should give me around 4 miles of walking, which will be an excellent time to focus and think as I bring myself back to good health and weight loss. I am not weighing myself just yet. I'm just trying to focus on feeling healthier and seeing how my biggest clothes fit. I am focusing on my need for clothes in December and that I have all I need if I can just fit into them. It is a strong motivator.

Good morning! White rabbits.

Coffee clinks!

Goodwin, it sounds like you are doing something even on down days. That will go farther than you think. Time to rest is also important.

Lila, I'm so glad to hear from you and that your body is healing. Grief is heavy and you are carrying a lot of it. Hopefully it will lighten with time. I am very happy for your friends and their kindness.

I hope the court date goes as you wish with the best possible outcome for all.

Tatoulia, I think you also deserve a decluttering break. Having everything in your home is the end of a long and heavy lift, and it's ok to just sit with it for a bit.

My eating and exercise routine have been a bit of a mess the last couple of weeks, but I'm ready to try again with the structure of school starting this week. As long as no one fills the office with overly tempting back to school treats, I should be ok. I hope to start listing good decisions in the decluttering your waistline thread soon.

I can't believe it's September already! In less than a month my new grandson will be here, even if he is late as can be! Possibly as early as this week!

Hi CM, hi Alanna!

Like Goodwin I've been dealing with a lot of heat, but it's supposed to break tonight. Hope so, because I'm going to the renfest with Bean tomorrow. My interior weather system hasn't been any better - scalding with scattered migraines, but I'm getting through with ibuprofen and cold showers.

I re-cleared (again) the end of the counter in the scullery and have been putting new additions in the clear space and trying to remove those, plus three, daily. Yesterday I didn't make it, so there are 15 items parked in that space. I will clear them out today and report back.

Today will definitely be home focused, because my car is in the shop for broken AC again, and Dh has gone off with the truck. So, off to make good life choices - I'll report back!

Lila! Thank you so much for stopping by! You are never far from my thoughts. You have lovely, lovely friends. What a gift! And I'm grateful you allowed them to make those important repairs. I'm sending you all my strength to help you through your court date.

I accomplished nothing today. I did have my groceries delivered and I did go to the grocery store as well. Ordered online for seltzer, juice, paper towels, went to store for fresh food that I'd prefer to select myself. I will go finish up the dishes and get ready for bed.

I am planning my trip overseas for December and soon I'll need to look alive for my girls' trip at the end of September. I need to make sure I lose some real weight before December. I have ballooned up after the tumult of last year and I'll be seeing BF in December so it's now or never. I'll have some cute clothes to wear if I keep up with my current regimen of not binge eating

Hello friends. Thank you for thinking of me. Just a short update - I hope to come back and catch up on posts later.

Mainly been struggling with health issues, emotional/stress over what is going on with Teen, trying to get caught up on work but failing. I find myself trying to escape reality by watching a lot of tv. That's a new bad habit. But it is hard to be in reality right now.

One very good thing is a couple of friends conspired to get the holes in my walls repaired. I am touched and moved by this. Over the past week, all the holes that Teen made in walls have been repaired and painted to match, so it looks like nothing ever happened. Also they replaced 3 doors that Teen had destroyed. I am quite blessed and this is the bright, healing spot in my life right now. Teen is not coming back here, so it was time, and I am thankful for the repairs. It is strange how moving into a new phase of life is hard and sad, even when it is also a relief.

I am feeling fairly well now and mostly healed from the various assortment of injuries and ailments. I am still incredibly tired. This is probably at least in part emotional.

I have to go to court in a few days which will either increase my stress exponentially or relieve it, depending on the outcome. It is re: Teen, so we shall see how it turns out. Today Son and I are packing up the remainder of her things into totes, labelling them and putting them into the storage room for when she wants them. This is exhausting. Imagine 500 nicknacks of a fragile nature and trying to store them in a way they will not be damaged. I bought bubble wrap and tissue paper, a tackle box for tiny wrapped things, and I have labels. TotsDad and I will try to make space in the storage room for these items in totes, and in the garage for her dressers and nightstands and her tv etc. It really, truly is exhausting even thinking about it, but we hope to get that done today.

I may end up with some things for the Daily Tally out of the garage and storage room (mine - I won't donate any of her things).

See you later.

Hey everyone! Stopping in to tell you. I am thinking of you! Very good decisions you are making, Goodwin! Decision-making, such as deciding to return things, IS work. I love that you are looking at what is reasonable for you and what you need or don't need!

Hello, SubC!

My friend Emiko came over for dinner tonight and I made asparagus, ricotta, and prosciutto tartines. Tasty. She said she wouldn't change a thing although I might use more lemon and more lemon zest next time. We had a good night together. And it's cool and the air feels so nice.

I've made a list for the weekend. Wish me luck!

Hey there. I've not had the best day physically and mentally. I haven't accomplished much. I put some items in my donation box today, but other than that I haven't done anything. I did too much because I felt totally drained. I'm not sure if it was because of the heat or what. It's been so hot here. I'm hoping to make some more progress tomorrow.

SubC: Thank you so much! It's good to know that there are cheerleaders in my corner!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be checking in soon!

Hey guys!

Goodwin, keep checking in - that's what we're here for! I know sometimes it gets quiet, but hang in there!

I'm glad you're taking the resale things back.

I've been super busy with school prep and Bean, but my classroom is (basically) ready and I just have to shine up my first day lesson plans (make some notes for my welcome speeches so I don't forget anything important I want to say)

It's getting late and I need to put the clean sheets on the bed, but I just wanted to check in.

Lila, I'm worried about you.

Hey all! Today is a busy day, but I feel like it helps me keep more accountable if I check-in.

Yesterday after I wrote I managed to clean more in my bathroom. I still have just a little to sort on top of the vanity. I also need to go through the drawers/cabinets to get rid of more things. I was fairly successful at getting rid of several things in front of my couch. I ended my day with a 2-mile walk on the treadmill.

This morning I had a chiropractor appointment, but thankfully he said I could wait 2 weeks to be seen again. I came home to eat lunch and take my dog out. I'm taking some stuff back to a store this afternoon. I bought some things thinking I could sell them and make a profit. I just don't have the same selling skills my DH has. I don't think I could sell water to someone in the desert! I'm taking those things back to get a refund. Then I'm also taking some things to send back to Amazon that I didn't need. I will be going to a social ladies' meetup that I've been trying to go to once a week. I really have no local friends, and I'm trying to make some connections. DH is going to a local baseball game with some guys from his job, so he won't be home until later tonight. When I get home from the meetup I plan on working some more on the couch area and possibly the bathroom. A little progress is better than no progress at all.

How is everyone else doing?

Tatoulia: Thank you for the encouragement. It means a lot!

Such a good reminder on organizing supplies, SubC. Often times they become one more thing to organize or become a source of shame and upset. Good work on the color jar lids. Perfect!

You are doing a lot of work, Goodwin. You are keeping up with your health and you are chipping away!

I worked on some papers tonight and feel really good about that. I am home from work early because I stopped by the vault to get mom's silver. There were a few moments of trepidation but we finally got into the right box and my stuff was there. So now everything I own is right here. I love that perspective, SubC. Very good for me to have. Now I can think about what I am willing to still own and what I am not.

Okay that's it for me now. Ttyl! Hello to Alana and Lila and CM and anyone else! Join when you can!

Hello all!

SubC: I think it sounds like you're doing an amazing job with everything. It sounds like you're super busy and I wish I had that kind of energy. Haha.
I wanted to thank you for the statement you made about organizing bins. That is a serious problem for me. I keep buying bins, thinking it will solve the issues and get things out of the way. Instead, it's probably making it worse. I remember my grandmother being the exact same way. She'd buy tons of storage containers from Dollar Tree and Walmart, but it never accomplished anything. I do have a lot of boxes filled with things that need to be sorted through. I will keep that in mind next time the urge to buy another storage bin hits.

I cleaned the dusty sink out yesterday, and that made me happy. I went through several more magazines and threw them away. I did make some progress with sorting through the stuff in front of my couch. There is still a lot to be sorted through. I will work on that today. I am also going to try to clean the bathroom counter off and throw away some things in there.

So far today, I've managed to do stretching and PT exercises. I walked a mile and a half yesterday and plan to try to do that again today. I'd really like to take some time to do something relaxing like crafting or reading today. I've been pretty anxious lately about various things. I struggle with panic disorder and it rears its ugly head when I feel like I have too much going on. I hope everyone has a great day!

Good morning!

I'm off to a good start this morning - yoga, chores, breakfast, dishes cleaned up, and a load of laundry started. Need to start a bit earlier tomorrow and stay in that routine for the school year.

Dh says he wants to do yoga with me again, so we're planning on 5:30 tomorrow. Hopefully having a partner will keep me from lingering too long online over my coffee.

I had a thought I meant to share yesterday - about my milk jars. I was listening to a podcast and she repeated the line we all know about not buying organizers until you have everything sorted out. And I always nod my head along. But I would say - don't buy organizers until you have everything sorted out IF you have something that will work to start off. Like, don't buy plastic bins if you can start by sorting into cardboard boxes and then pare down into bins you already have, but sometimes, you need the organizers to get organized!

My shoe sorter piling cabinet has made a huge difference in my life. And yesterday I realized that I now have all the milk in jars with color coded lids used in an order that makes sense to me, and so, I can very easily pull out the oldest jar or the newest jar and not struggle to remember which shelf the new milk goes on or which side I was pulling from, or if a jar gets shoved to the back, I can clearly see that it is out of order.

If the kids were still at home (I wish I had done this when the kids were at home) I would be able to say to one of them "go grab me a jar of milk with an orange lid."

Anyway, just my 2 cents this morning. Going to go check for tomatoes before the heat gets unbearable.

A quick check in before bed. Keep up he good work!

Good evening.

Goodwin, it is always nice when they notice!

I think you are doing well. Nice steady progress!

I put off posting all day because I kept wanting to be "finished"

Here is where I am, one week after I got back from visiting Birdy, which I am calling "baseline"

Milk and eggs - made cheese, gave a sour gallon to the chickens, cooked two batches of custard to freeze tomorrow. Backlog reduced from baseline.

Surfaces in living areas better than baseline - only one item on scullery counter that was not there a week ago - a plant that needs to be planted - too hot!

Laundry and dishes caught up - all clean, dry laundry put away. Things hanging to dry and a load to be run tomorrow - I'm going to start trying to toss in a load more regularly.

Tomorrow I need to organize my desk a little, work on lesson plans, and maybe get some beans into the dehydrator. It is still supposed to be too hot outside.

Good morning, everyone! So far this morning I finished getting all the junk out of the sink. I need to sort through the stuff I'm going to keep that I put on the counter around the sink. Thankfully, there isn't too much of it. I'll need to clean the sink itself. It's full of dust! I also need to clean the area around the sink to see what stays and what gets thrown away. I have been going through some magazines this morning too and throwing them away. I've done some stretches and will do some PT exercises after lunch.

Thank you Tatoulia and SubC for your encouragement and kindness. It really lifted my spirits!

Tatoulia: You're so right. I only need to worry about the here and now; right now, my house needs the work. I'm hoping it'll be many more years before I need to use the skills and habits I'm trying to form now. And I would have been losing my mind over that alarm beeping. It drives me insane when my smoke detector batteries start beeping. I used to have a dog that would bark every time one beeped. LoL.

SubC: I'm trying very hard to get my body in as best shape as it can be, especially for my vacation that arrives in 42 days! Yikes!! I have things that still need to be done to prepare for it. I'm slowly building on the amount of time I'm walking on the treadmill. Yesterday it was 30 minutes, and today I'll try for 35. I don't know if I'll build up to an hour before my trip, but my goal is to be able to walk an hour each day. This will help my overall health (weight, endurance, and balance).

Yesterday went pretty well with the couch. It's still got things on it, but I'm still working on it. I've got more magazines to sort through. I also want to start working on the stuff that's in front of my couch. I hope to at least get some of it cleaned up today. DH said he could tell I had worked on the couch, which was encouraging.

We are also going to be having a heat wave here, and I'll be staying inside as much as possible except to take my dog out for potty breaks. I will have today and tomorrow free to work in the house. It sounds like you have plenty to do!

Have a good day everyone! I hope Lila is doing ok.

Good morning.

Lila, how are you?

I'm taking it slow and nursing my aches and pains.

Tatoulia, I might have murdered the alarm with a broom handle.

Goodwin, I'm really proud of you for keeping up with your exercise! That's so important, and I know for me it's the first thing to go when I ge5 worn down. Maybe you will inspire me to do better.

It sounds like you made good progress on your bathroom. How did the couch go?

There is stuff on my couch again, but it is just from last night and I'll be moving it in a few minutes.

We'll be participating in the heat wave today, so I plan to stay mostly inside. The most urgent things are milk to make into cheese and ice cream, beans to blanch and dry, and lesson plans for next week. The lesson plans are less urgent, but more important because not having them has consequences worse than slightly increased grocery bills, compost, and chicken food.

I am also trying to get into a pattern of stripping the house back to the best it has been since we returned from Birdy's house every day that I stay home and trying to make progress from there.

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement, SubC and Goodwin.

SubC I'm glad the new schedule with Bean will work out! Dear little one! Sorry to hear about your ankle. I hate stuff that slows me down.

Goodwin, the infusions sound exhausting and you are doing so well in managing the fatigue and disruption. Permit me to make a suggestion: you only need to worry about making your home clean and clear. Trust me, the decision-making skills will be finely honed by the time you need to deal with other people's stuff. Another small tip: If I find myself saying, I loved this, I note that I'm using the past tense, which means I can let it go.

YES SubC thank you for the excellent point! Everything I own in the world is here. No where else. And that's a terrific relief! With one exception: the big safe deposit box. That I am clearing out on Wednesday after work. And then it is all here. What a relief I feel now that you've framed it that way for me. Thank you!

Okay going to do the dishes and head to bed. The last three nights I have had interrupted sleep because my house alarm needed a new battery, so it would beep incessantly four times a day. The actual alarm was not sounding, which would've been a nightmare. The new system battery arrived today and I have it installed. AND I found where to recycle the old one so I will walk it down to the place on Saturday. Pretty pleased with that.

Everyone, I am working on it. And I believe I can keep up and make this easier on myself. It's not a lack of space, it's too much stuff.

Hey everyone. Sorry to have been quiet for the past couple of days. I hadn't been feeling well after the infusion and I kept getting dizzy spells. I did manage to walk on the treadmill on Saturday and yesterday. However, it wore me out to the point where very little else got accomplished. The good news is that I have a lot of free time this week to get some things done. I started this morning cleaning some stuff out of a sink in my bathroom. We have two sinks, but the sink on "my" side needs something done to the faucet. I ended up over time just putting stuff in it and filling it up with random things. I threw a bunch of stuff away, and put some things away. It was good to have room to put the items I really wanted to keep under the sink because I'd cleaned the cabinet under the sink a while back. I have to finish that today. I am going to clean the area around the couch. It's driving me batty.

SubC: I'm pretty sure my cousins at this point in our lives are not interested in the slightest in my ancestors' things. I also have sort of a mental block/attachment to some of the items that I will have to work through. It's odd that I'm interested in genealogy so much when I have no children to pass it on to. I don't know if any of my extended cousins' children will be interested in the future, but I hope they will.
I'm sorry to hear you've hurt your ankle. I really hope that it'll improve soon. It sounds like you have a lot going on. Make sure to take time for self-care too.

Tatoulia: Thank you! I hope that it will help me be more accountable. I totally understand how you feel about it being hard to pare down stuff. I also dread when my dad passes. Not only will it be difficult on my mental health, but he won't even let me come to his house it's so bad. I dread trying to comb through all of that. I have enough trouble with my own things. When my grandmother died, he left her old house in the same condition it was in. I don't know if she was the first in the family to have so much stuff, but I know that she had a whole house full. There are things in there that I would like to get, but he doesn't want me in there. Sigh. By the time he passes, I don't know if there'll be any way to get to her house and his too. Oh well, I can only worry about today. I can only worry about each day as it comes.
I think it is good that you're making progress. Any progress is a win, no matter how small!

I hope everyone has a good start to the beginning of their week. I'm hoping I have enough energy to get started going through this stuff on my couch now. I will walk on the treadmill at some point and have some PT exercises to do.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, when you have limited time, I for one would rather hear how you are doing than know you have read all the posts!

I'm sure it must be frustrating - to get things under control, and then there are more things, under control, more things, etc. but I think you have everything at home now, right? Nothing at bf's, nothing in your car, all your mother's things. this is it. The last round.

Dh is terrified of the day I lose my mom. My parents have a five bedroom house. It is full. My mom is also the keeper of my dad's family history and belongings. My dad's family was pretty disfunctional and he cares about almost none of it - there's a photo of my great grandfather when he was in his 20's, and the watch he got when he retired. Mom has files and files of photos she can't get anyone to identify.

Goodwin, I was thinking , are there cousins you could share some of your things with now? When my grandparents died, my mom and her brother went through the house and took the things that were important to them. Then my brother sent a list and my cousin and I went through together. There was no fighting. When we wanted the same things, either one let the other have it because she could tell it mattered more, or we set them out and took turns choosing. The most important, healing part of it was talking about all the memories the things brought up. The best thing my grandparents left me was my cousin, and all the summers they kept us together in a little 8x8 bedroom with no AC, where it was too hot to sleep so we talked half the night and there was no one else to play with, so we had to be best friends. I want that for my grandsons more than anything else.

I survived open house yesterday. It was a little overwhelming and the power went out, and my room wasn't as pulled together as I wanted, but it was fine. We completely changed Bean's schedule. He's going on w/f now (with his best school buddy) - a space opened because a kid dropped out. I think this will be better, because I can pick him up whenever they need me to, so sil won't have to stress about running late with the baby. Also, after the baby comes, they are less likely to need me to take off work.

I hurt my ankle - I don't know how, it feels like tendinitis. And I brought a mess home from open house. Today is a Bean day, so I will deal with it tomorrow.

I'm going to post sone stuff in decluttering your waistline.

I'm not caught up on posts. Hope everyone is doing well. Glad to see you are a regular now Goodwin!

Friday night, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts. Yesterday I did grocery shopping for one of BF's elderly friends. Today a friend came into town and she drove me to goodwill, then we walked around the city, after having lunch. I'm trying. It's hard. It's hard because I thought I had pared things down really well then my mother died and I have her things to cope with (Goodwin, I took very few things of hers but it's still a lot) and then of course the stuff from my car I'm working on it. I got some accomplished.

My food intake is improving as I have stopped binge eating so that's good. I had regained that habit after BFleft and mom died, so it's been long enough. Already feeling better about myself.

I have to feed the cats, do the dishes, and call it a night. Sorry that I didn't read your posts yet

Error in that last post.

I have caught up with the messes since we got home. As in - everything I have used, created, or acquired since we got back from our trip has been cleaned as needed and put away/in the recycling/in the trash as appropriate (the mess on my desk does not count. The mess on my desk is functional, evolving, and semi-permanent) exception being laundry - which is basically caught up - there are clothes in the hamper from after our trip, but not a full load of anything.

Also, I left the brio train out for tomorrow.

This has been a surprisingly tiring and energy intensive change. I'm hoping it will become more natural. I'm finding I can really only commit to one big task a day. My fridge is my new "hot spot" but today is open house, and tomorrow I have Bean, so I will have to focus on the fridge on Tuesday.

Dd has sent me a list of infant CPR classes available in the area and informed me that per the pediatric surgery team, I will need to take one in order to be left alone with the new grandson, so scheduling that has gone on my list.

My life is feeling very very one day at a time right now.

CM, I forgot to refresh the page and didn't see your posts! I hope you had fun at the water park.

Your Brothers are so upbeat and cheerful. A kinder, gentler "Sufficient unto each day is the evil thereof".

I am working it today. By bedtime I hope to have cleaned up all the messes from before we left and taken care of most of the new tasks. Some of the new tasks are longer term or need to be on other days. I have also taken care of a few small things from before we left - poco-a-poco ;)

The chairs. For months I worked on taking piles off of chairs, sorting through them, and finding places for the things to go. Sometimes those places were stuffed in actual storage areas, or on tables or even the floor. Literally, the entire goal was just to clear off all the chairs. Every time I started to put something down on a chair, I said out loud "a chair is not a shelf." Every time I picked something up off a chair, I said "a chair is not a shelf". I would walk by piles that I needed to get to and remind myself "a chair is not a shelf." sometimes still I will have to remind myself. Right now there are two shelf chairs - a pile of scrap paper on one and a box to go back to school on the other - both on the dining porch near my desk.

Good afternoon!

Goodwin, I'm glad your doctor wasn't worried.

They first thing you have to ask is "why is my fridge getting so full?" I have two issues - a steady flow from the barn and garden, and Dh buying things at the grocery store and not cooking/eating them. I can do very little about the second one, but for the first, I have been trying to make good use of the things available, and also tell myself that it is ok to not pick things, or to take them straight to the chickens to keep feed costs down when my garden is producing too much. I don't have to use or preserve every single bit. My time is worth something and natures wastes nothing, she just feeds her creatures and composts what is left for next year.

I actually do have a strategy for the second problem - Dh will usually only be compelled to the grocery store if he runs out of chips, cereal, frozen burritos, dessert, or beer. So by keeping those items in stock I push him toward using the food from the garden and barn rather than buying some other perishable items.

I finally got my fall beets planted - it is too late for actual beets, I am planting them in the hope of beet greens before frost.

Me again, with the Poco a Poco video link.

It got me through some difficult times and I watch it again now and then. It is just so simple yet profound. Actually now that I think of it, it applies well to the decluttering journey because we can't do it all at once, as much as we'd love to. Hope you find it helpful in some way. Enjoy ?

https://youtu.be/VYEpff6QP4c?si=ps5TZJboikrw39CM

Hi all :)

Looking forward to going to the water park this afternoon, a sort of "last blast of summer" thing. Didn't get there near enough this year, hope next year will be better. It's a great destresser. Just goof around on big inflatable tubes like a kid. And get the benefits of exercise without the sweat.

The other seasons are coming instead of my favorites spring and summer (well, fall is fun and pretty and would be fine... if only it wasn't followed by winter, meh). I'm going to make an effort to be a good sport about winter though. Planning to work indoors then, on more projects that will reduce the physical volume of stuff, for example digitizing materials, and more busting through fabric stash and donating quilt parts.

The weather is somewhat moderating - hot today but that is perfect for the water park expedition. We've had some rain, and gradually the city's water supply is getting replenished; they say the restrictions have helped. Maybe another month on them I think. My gardening roommate has been relieved about the rain when it has come. And as temperatures and seasons change, plants and grass will begin to go dormant and need less. Just enough not to continue the drought stress of course. At least we haven't had tornadoes or damaging winds. My relatives in another part of the state had big sections of trees come down on the roof recently; thank God no one was injured. Praying the insurance folks do right by them and repairs go well.

SubC, I am interested in the HOW of your successes with maintaining cleared surfaces. Share your Life Pro Tips! It's one thing to clear them as we know, another to keep them clear. I wish I had more orderly places to put things away, which is hard to come by in a small house that isn't mine (even before I came my roommate struggled too, being also a creative type). I've found a few solutions lately and am casting about and brainstorming for more.

I hope everybody's health levels out and stress lessens, and the anticipated grandbaby and mom do really well as the big day approaches. Poco a Poco with everything. Goodwin, Poco a Poco refers to a favorite YouTube video of mine by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, it's just 6 minutes or so of the simple reminder that progress in the spiritual life (and by extension day to day life in many areas) is made poco a poco, in English, little by little. I can post the link to it in a separate post - I need to copy this post before submitting because once in awhile I've had a post eaten by the electronic gremlins. If I go out and copy the link I might lose this. Okay. Have a great day.

Hello everyone. Happy Saturday!

SubC: Thank you! Yes, I think my body will take a while to catch up to increased activity. I got ahold of my MS doctor last night to ask if my symptoms were concerning. He wrote back that they weren't concerning, but he knew they weren't fun, and to please update him on Monday. I felt awful yesterday with the body aches/fatigue. I did very little. This morning I feel a good bit better today, but not 100%. I'm going to walk on the treadmill in a little while to see how I feel. If I don't feel like I can, then I won't. I think making cheese is a great accomplishment. Try not to feel discouraged, I know we all have days that we can't accomplish all that we want to. For me, I know I have weeks like that. At least you could give the soured milk to the chickens. I struggle to keep my fridge empty too. I actually have 2 fridges. I have the main one that I use daily and an older one that we use to store less frequently used items.



I plan on trying to get some cleaning done today if at all possible. If DH is too tired from fishing to help with my big stack of clothing in the bedroom, I'll work on something else. I would like to get the area around the couch cleared up soon. I think that would help me feel good to get something done in this living room. I'm in here most of the time, and it's all just making me insane. If I can at least sort through the things that are next to me on the couch to determine what actually needs to be there, it would be good.

Good morning.

Goodwin, I'm sure it's going to take a while for your body to adjust to your new activity level. You're making a lot of changes at once.

I definitely think progress anywhere is a good thing. The "best" place to focus is going to vary from person to person and day to day. Sometimes you only have the energy for something small and you need an easy win to give yourself a sense of progress. Sometimes it helps to clear that one spot that has been nagging at you day by day, or you need to start with clearing one room or one work space. One of the biggest changes for me has been that i (usually) don't store things in piles on chairs anymore.

When I started seriously clearing out, Dh and I made an agreement about "zones" - so I would clear out a zone that was most important to him (like the kitchen table and chairs) and then I would work on maintaining that zone until it became habit and I stopped seeing it as a place I could put stuff. AT ALL. now it's ok if I leave the book I'm reading or the list I was making or napkins I'm folding, or such on the table because Dh knows I will come back soon and remove the thing(s) rather than showing up with a bunch more.

I had still been struggling with the couch, because it had become the space where I did most of my schoolwork and projects, but now I have my little office set up and it is working really well. (The office space is super messy, but out of the way and it works for me.)

I made some cheese yesterday, but didn't really accomplish much else. I got discouraged because I haven't been keeping up with the milk (partly because of our trip) and two gallons had gone sour and had to be given to the chickens. I still have milk in the fridge that is a month old today, so i need to make more progress there!

I definitely lost the "keeping up with everything new" momentum I had going from our return from our trip - so apparently I can keep up with my life for about three days. Hopefully I will catch back up today.

SubC: You're so right, progress, not perfection.

I'm still totally wiped out from my infusion. The body aches and fatigue are intense. I'm not sure why it's been worse this time than last. The only different thing I've been doing lately is using more energy to exercise that I wasn't really using before. I suppose that could be the cause, but I'm not sure.

I'm not sure if I'll feel up to doing any cleaning today or not. Tomorrow DH will fish in a tournament, so I'll have some time to focus on throwing some things away. When he gets home, I may have him help me sort through some more clothes in the bedroom.

Do you all find that it's most helpful to clear away spots with the most visual impact first or do you think as long as I'm making some kind of progress anywhere that it is fine? I mean, I would like to see less visual impact in the living room, but I have trouble with feeling overwhelmed when I'm in here. I do spend the most time in the living room. Either way, I'll get to work on something tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday, and hope to hear from you all soon.

Goodwin - progress, not perfection! You are doing well.

I kept up today. Aside from the fact that my living room is a brio railway. We worked so hard on it I don't want to clean it up.

Hey there,

SubC: I wish I could say I accomplished more, but after walking 1.75 miles on the treadmill yesterday, I didn't really get anything accomplished. I did wash something to donate to the thrift store. I also went through some magazines and threw them away. I was so tired last night that I went to bed early. I hope you enjoy your time with Bean. It sounds like you did a lot yesterday, so you should still be proud.

Today was my MS med infusion #6. I will be getting most likely for the rest of my life. I really, really hope that the side effects lessen over time. I'm totally wiped out right now—flu-like body aches and fatigue. I'm just going to try to be kind to myself today and realize that I am not going to get much, if anything, accomplished today.

I hope everyone has a good day!

Good morning!

Goodwin, how did your day go yesterday?

I hope you have a good visit with your father and don't feel too badly after your treatment.

I went up and down a ladder 44 times yesterday to glue all the tiles my kids made to the wall. I also didn't realize how tired I was at the end of last year until I started opening cabinets. I pretty much stuffed everything. It is going to take a while to get my room in order. I was at school until 7 pm, brought home three boxes of stuff to sort through, and still have one six foot tall, three foot wide, 18 inch deep cupboard to go. I did put some stuff in the trash.

I also took our recycling and a bag of trash to appropriate drops while I was out.

I don't think I stayed hydrated well enough yesterday, and I got home too late and didn't sleep enough. I have a headache this morning. Need to take something for it because I've got to get my chores done and pick up Bean. I have him today, Monday, next Thursday, and then only on Mondays once school starts. Not sure if his parents will keep him on Labor Day or hand him off since Dd has the day off.

Good morning, everyone! I hope you are all doing well today.

I'm doing ok this morning. I didn't manage to get as much as I wanted to do done yesterday. I did manage to fill some shopping bags full of old vitamins and medicines that are expired. I'm going to try to take them to the pharmacy where there is a safe medicine disposal box. I walked on the treadmill and I cleaned the couch some. I have been trying to do too much at once, and my fatigue from the MS is starting to catch up with me. This morning I have to go to the chiropractor. My dad will be coming to visit for a few days. He will take me to my monthly medicine infusion tomorrow morning. He's the only family member I feel comfortable with coming to the house. I do hope that in the future I can feel more comfortable with others coming to my house.

Also today I plan on getting some items ready to donate to the thrift store and maybe get some more cleaning done.

SubC: I'm glad to hear you got to spend some time with Bean. It sounds like you got a lot accomplished. You're doing great! I'm like you, I can only make a very small list of people I'd be comfortable with cleaning me up and an even smaller list of those I'd want cleaning up my house. Maybe that list will grow over time.

Tatoulia: I'm so sorry to hear about your black eye. How in the world did the doctor manage to do that? I really hope that your eye issues improve soon. I hope you are ok from falling. It is good that the other medical condition cleared up. It is so cool that you have cleaners in once a week. I wish I was at that point, but I'm not sure I will ever make that much progress.

Have a great day, everyone and take care!

Oh dear Tatoulia! I can't imagine what your doctor did that gave you a black eye. I'm glad you have one thing resolved at least, and I hope the eye issue improves.

I'm worrying about Lila too.

Moving slowly this morning. I actually slept until my alarm went off and was in the middle of having a huge fight with my in-laws during a meal at what was my house in the dream - but it wasn't any house I have lived in. Very strange. I'm not sure what caused that.

Mil is working on paring down her kitchen/dining area. She sends the whole family pictures of every single thing she is getting rid of in case someone wants it. I understand not wanting to get rid of something that might be sentimental of useful to someone, but she is driving Dh (and most of the family) nuts.

I also feel sad for her because no one wants the things she thinks are important - like fancy juice glasses that belonged to her grandmother - but her kids never met her grandmother, and she never used the glasses when they were around, and her kids are in their 50s, so if they wanted fancy juice glasses, they would have bought them by now.

Today I have a staff meeting/work day, so it is back to gearing up for the school year.

Hello everyone! Good work!

The cleaners come once a week. They used to come every other week but once a week is so nice. They change my sheets, too. I am so used to them that even if I'm working from home when they are here, I don't really notice them. It's just so nice to have it cleaned top to bottom.

I have a lot going on with two very frustrating and upsetting medical issues and now I have a black eye from the eye doctor yesterday. And I fell, hard, today. And it looks like the other medical problem has finally been resolved. But it's been a frustrating six weeks. The eye issue is not resolved.

So I'm frustrated BUT I came home to a very clean house and I'm going to climb into bed now. I'm showered and my hair is clean.

Good evening !

Goodwin, how did your day go?

I can't imagine having people clean my house. After careful reflection I can say that if I had to make a list of people who I would be ok having wipe my bottom if I was incapacitated and a list of people who I would be comfortable having clean my house, the second list would be shorter and all the people on it would be on the first list as well.

I did not finish everything I hoped to do today, and I am up later than I would like, but I had a very good day with Bean and I accomplished a lot.

Dishes and laundry are both better, I did yoga, i picked beans (Bean did some weeding) my suitcase is unpacked and put away, the house is a little bit tidier than it was when we left, and I did my bookmark project! I found all the tools and materials I needed in the various places I had stashed them, and I cleaned up when I was done, and the finished piece is hanging on the wall in my scullery next to where I filter the milk every morning so I can enjoy it!

Good morning, Everyone! It's a new day and I have plans to do things. I have already gotten a birthday package ready to mail to a friend. I have been saving some things to send to her, so that removes some things. I plan to go through a bag and sort out all the expired meds to take to the pharmacy's drop-off box. I'm planning on cleaning off my couch some since my dad will be coming to visit me tomorrow morning. I am hoping to also clean some in the living room. I want to add to my donation box and try to fill up a garbage bag to trash. I still need to save some energy to walk on the treadmill.

Tatoulia: I totally agree that getting rid of things can be a good feeling. I don't know if I'd ever get to a place where I could have cleaners come in. I have a problem with getting very anxious when people touch things of mine. Does anyone else have that trouble? I have had that problem for decades. I don't really even like DH moving my stuff. How often do cleaners come to your house?

Welcome Home, SubC! Goodwin, you had a big day even though you didn't do any cleaning!

For me, I love getting things out of the house. Or putting things in the dishwasher. Getting garbage out, getting bag to goodwill, etc, I feel like I've going in the right direction. I just unloaded and reloaded my dishwasher (overnight cat dishes and my coffee cup this AM) and it felt wonderful.

Cleaners coming today so I'll have clean bedsheets tonight!

Off to work now. TTYL!

Good morning!

The sky is clear and I'm enjoying the super moon.

Goodwin, you had a full day. Any day you don't make things worse is a success.h

Good evening! I hope everyone is doing well tonight.
I'm doing ok, but feeling very fatigued and frustrated that I accomplished nothing to clean the house today. I had two appointments today. I had time to come home, eat lunch, and take my dog out in between my appointments. When I got home I got straight on the treadmill. I walked for 30 minutes. I have had absolutely no energy since I got done walking. I am very hopeful that tomorrow I can get some things done since I don't have any appointments.

SubC: I'm glad you made it home safely and had a good visit with Birdy.

I hope to have more to report tomorrow.

Good evening!

We are home safe and sound. We had a great visit with Birdy, who was kind enough to go down for his morning nap right before we had to leave and so make parting easier on me. The new farm sitter did a great job - since she apprenticed with the old farm sitter (her ten years older sister) I was feeling pretty confident.

It's nice to see people have made progress while I was gone. Me, not so much. I have acquired a framed photo of Birdy, a new renfest dress, and six cool bookmarks. The bookmarks are intended to be incorporated into one or more framed art projects, so I am not going to count them as items - since I already have frames (and other papers), so they will get combined with existing objects and not take up more space. but as I'm not sure what i will do with the old renfest dress, I will count both of the other two.

I discovered that if you rinse your dishes "really well" and then leave them in the dishwasher, you may come home to a dishwasher full of ants - so that's running. (It was actually two ants) and I've started the post vacation laundry.

Chores to do and planning on an early night because I leave here to pick up Bean at 7. We'll see if I can fall back into rhythm easily enough to get back to yoga or not.

Good evening, Everyone!

Tatoulia: It sounds like you're doing really good with your progress. I wish it were cool here. It is hot and humid here. Like a sauna.

I've kept busy today. I went to lunch with DH. I came home and took some pictures of some of my rooms to try to motivate and encourage myself as I progress. I had made an Instagram account, but I was afraid it wouldn't be private enough, so I got nervous and deleted it.

I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes which got in about 1.3 miles. I'm trying to build up a little each day. I used to walk a little over 3 miles a day, but that was before I ended up having foot surgery and two back surgeries (including a 3-level spinal fusion). I'm just trying to get back into it.

DH decided that he wanted to get all the stuff off the top of the washer and dryer. I always seem to let stuff pile up there. I sorted through my sock and undergarments drawers. I now realize I honestly never need to buy another pair of socks. I had a bunch of underwear that is way too big for me now. I threw those all away. The bras that never fit right went into a donation bag. There is also underwear that is a little too small for me right now but in my quest to lose more weight, I know I'll be able to wear them again pretty soon. I put them in another drawer. I didn't get quite as much accomplished as I'd hoped today, but with the fatigue levels I have, I'm just glad that I was able to get some things done after I walked.

I hope everyone has a good night!

Got a short walk in. Wow it's humid. Cool and humid.

I haven't done nearly what I need to be doing, so I'm going to put some music on and report back.

On my 4th load of laundry. Is isn't even 7PM yet and the skies are getting darker. Also, the wildfire smoke has made things hazy all day.

Heading out for a walk. My thin white quilt is in the wash. All other laundry folded and put away. I cannot leave it out, it is something that I promised myself back in the early days when I was here.

Doing a very good job on my goodwill bag. Very pleased.

Running out. Will check back later.

Hi Goodwin—I took some of my mother's things to consignment, some artwork and art glass. The textiles were also part of the zero waste day in Boston. I generally take my old towels and bedding to the animal shelter but these were old washcloths and cotton napkins, likely not of use to the shelters. Since our zero waste day recycles textiles, I took the small bag there.

Today I am taking it easy. I just started a load of wash. I had my seltzer and other things delivered. I recently started having the seltzer and other heavy stuff delivered because my BF moved overseas last year and it's been a struggle to get the heavy stuff. The delivery offered by the grocery store is excellent and fast. And the suggested tip is a very reasonable $2 so that fits in, too.

I am now making a bag for goodwill. The owner of the consignment shop told me to bring in one box at a time with no need for an appointment, which is good because appts are booking now for December.

I made myself a to do list today so I best get moving. Yes it's 330PM and I am talking about getting moving!

Good morning and coffee clinks to everyone!

SubC: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're getting to visit with Birdy. Enjoy!! I look forward to hearing how it all went later when you have time.

Tatoulia: Oh yeah, I have a ton of expired meds. That's great that you took the electronics to the hazard turn-in day and the textiles to consignment. I have terrible luck selling things too, but my husband is a master at it. He could sell ice cubes to polar bears. I sometimes say I couldn't sell water in the desert. I am trying to sell a few things on eBay that are worth money. Maybe I'll have some luck with them soon. I wish you great luck in your consignment sales.

Today I'm going to try to work on some more things in my bedroom or maybe my living room since I spend the most time in my living room.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

Hi everyone!

Goodwin you are helping m! I love the feeling of getting rid of stuff! If you have any expired medications l see if your pharmacy can take.

I took my bag of old cords, old phone, broken work headset, and remote controls to hazardous waste day. Also had a small bag of textiles. I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch but she worked closely with someone on Friday who now has covid, so she allowed me to opt out. I had reserved the car for six hours and was too late to change so I took a bag to a consignment shop. Not a lot of stuff, just some things that had been my mother's. I hadn't been to the shop in a long time and so it was good to see everyone. We shall see if anything sells. I'm not good at selling stuff as I prefer to donate but I will see what comes of this.

Tmr there's not a lot on the schedule. I'll need to get some things to goodwill which means I could take the bus or wait til the next time I have a car. A lot more I want to accomplish here inside the house. I also think that I'll end up being in the office four days next week, which I don't like the idea of but will do so if I have to.

Hi Goodwin! Just a quick post to cheer you on! It's great that you are making steady and significant progress!

We're having a great time with Birdy. Very busy.

I hope everyone's weekend is going well. I thought I'd do a post to update my progress for the day. I feel like it's helping me be accountable.

DH and I took two huge bags full of clothes and a big box full of things to the thrift store. They really make the donation process easy at the store we take things to, because they come out to help you unload everything from the back of your car.

I managed to do some PT exercises and walk on the treadmill. This evening I tackled a shelving unit that had old, expired supplements and medical supplies. Then I went through a couple of boxes and got a few more things thrown away. I did find some things I had been looking for.

I hope everyone has a good night!