How did today go for you, Roxie?

Did you get any good kitty love to encourage you on?
(The way I figure it -- If you fed the cats & put the food away back where it belongs, you took a step forward in your daily maintenance!)

I hope you are feeling even the tiniest bit better by this afternoon/eveing =)

Please know that your posts here are of BIG Benefit to me -- I thank you & just hope you are hanging in there today...

Thank you all for your ongoing encouragement (see my note under June Challenge;)
Today was all early morning work just to get it over with!!! 30 min. in kitchen plus another 60 min working in bits around other parts of house. Tillie -- I did the vinegar+b.soda w/ boiled water chaser (plus a few plunger pumps;) & cleared an old stopped up drain in the downstairs bathroom sink -- I've only been here 2 years, but I don't think drain had been tended to in over 20 years! (There was some rank stuff that started bubbling up -- but NOT any more :) LoL -- Plus I love watching the bubbling reaction -- reminds me of making the model volcano eruption as a kid!

Just a bit of appreciation here:
Tillie -- you continue to be a "Blazing Light" of inspiration for me. When I am hesitant to discard an item -- I now think "Amnesty!" thanks to you :D
And, if that still doesn't get me closer to a toss, I remind myself of how you continually work to maintain your tidy & organized spaces :)

And if I'm still struggling, I remind myself of all of the people on here who have improved their lives through deliberate small shifts in thinking & behavior:

MayMay -- your enthusiasm & humorous exploits ;) keep me groovin' -- need I say more!?!

Roxie -- your insightfulness, heartfelt feedback, & attentiveness to the multitude of message board threads & each of us here -along with your consistent thoughtfulness lets me know you genuinely care & you'll be lookin' out & won't let me just "slip through the cracks" on this journey :)

Diane -- your ongoing Herculian efforts (8+ Hrs/Day!!!) at reclaiming your home & yard, you steadfast perserverence, & your posts sharing your newfound enjoyment of the areas you've successfully cleared give me hope that I may get there if I'm willing to keep hard at work.

Dianne -- Your ability to take charge of the papers in your life while continuing to get rid of things AND while juggling time with adult children, grandchildren, pets with special needs, etc. amazes me.

Kara -- Your ability to reach out, to ask for what you need, to engage with people even when you don't feel 100% lets me know you are on the right road. Be gentle with yourself -- you are going to get there.

Janice -- so happy when I see you post... Glad the new med is such a help ...& I'm still thinking about your Iris Garden ;)

Lynn S -- You have such a depth of inner strength. I continue to watch you strive for your job despite set-backs and I have no doubt you will succeed! (As the daughter of a life-long hoarder, I can also really relate to the energy ties in the struggle with your mother. It sounds like you are working hard to take good care of yourself -- Keep it Up :)

I know there are others I haven't mentioned by name -- but I am truly impressed by all of you -- should I say all of us? -- & I've been delighted to see folks are finding success by enlisting assistance from partners, friends, etc.

Grateful for this forum -- it's making a HUGE positive difference!

Hi Kara,

Yes sadly there are not a lot of "In-Person" hoarders support groups out there. :(

Which is one of the reasons why I want to start an "In-Person" hoarders support group once I become a successful extreme cleaner. :)

Hi Kara :)
Yes one filled trash can does count! :)

Would yu please do just one long neglected task?
Please take care of the gerbil right away today.
Been too long sitting there as a sad reminder of your loss.

Right now decide how you are going to handle this.
Gather up whatever you may need to do this task.
Then please, please, please take care of it.

Afterward have a quiet time to remember the gerbil and all the pleasure it brought you.

It is not healthy for you physically, mentally or emotionally to keep it around any longer.

(((hugs))), Tillie

Does filling up 1 garbage bag count. 1 other in the hall. It is rubbish night but can't mentally throw them on to the street for the truck. Encouragement from others might help.

Still need to lay gerbil to rest! Still not done.
I can list all the things I still have to do but have not done. Maybe I should set up another thread for that?

Yeah Health issues:- Yes erm.... Depression leading me to feel numb and forgetful. I go to local support groups to get me out but there is none for hoarders.

I would love a kitten but there is no safety point here for one. They loved to investigate. If my home was tidy and clean I might consider a pet.

Painted my nails instead!!

Thanks for supporting. K

I'm not sure I can respond to everyone individually, but please know I'm reading everything and I care very much, okay?

Tillie, you are doing excellent work!

Diane, if you were my neighbor I'd hire you to do MY yard, which is in dire need of TLC.

Kara, I'm concerned. Are you having health issues?

Dianne, you did massive amounts of things yesterday. Just massive. The fact that you have garbage bags full of stuff to dump IS making progress, especially in light of all your errands and demands on your time. Steady on.

Today I plan on doing something, anything to kick start back into daily maintenance. I promise.

never tried to sew with kitty although I kind of know what you are saying, my dog still follows me everywhere, no biting though, duct tape on kitty might help----
yes, shade is nice
haven't had watermelon yet this year, good idea though, will get one tomorrow, no ice cream lately either
I blend frozen berries, soy milk, and protein powder in blender and it tastes like ice cream without the sugar and chemicals, so today I really missed having my drink, since I am out of soy milk and strawberries..
So good to have this support group.

Hi MayMay :)

Diane,
Have you ever tried to sew with a baby cat helping you every step of the way?
Oh Well.....

Nice that you have that shady spot to sit in. :D
Good plan on making a run to donate then to grocery shop.
Some ice cream sounds really good. How are the watermelons there? The 3 I have bought here have been crisp, juicy and sweet. ;D

Way too much Christmas stuff seems to be a very common thread in almost every home. Ornaments, paper, ribbon, doodads, etc.
So happy that I don't have any of that stuff.
Never decorate and don't do gifts. :)

WTG! on all you have done and keeping up with maintenance! :D



Dianne,BIG WAY TO GO! for eating healthy! :D
With your very busy schedule you have to take care of yourself since so many depend on you.
(((HUGS)))


Hi Kara :)
WAY TO GO! with keeping up with leads for help and all that other paperwork! :D

Hi everybody! :)

I'm glad everyone is doing well. :)

Today I got a really weird picture message from my ex-boyfriend. He looks so CREEPY in the photo. I don't know if he was trying to be sexy, but the photo turned out really CREEPY looking.

So right after I saw the picture message I immediately showed it to my boss and then sent the picture message to my boyfriend. After my boyfriend saw it, he came to the bar and we tried to come up with a message to send back to him. So we decided to send him a picture message of my boyfriend and my boss without their shirts on. Lol. :)

Tillie, Tillie, Tillie-----did you have fun today? Was it easy to alter dress? Sounds like
fun to me, visualizing your clean space to sew in!!
I woke up at 4:30am, saw it was light, so got up thinking it was 6 or 7. I worked on finishing the yard where the big aspen tree is, had to move a bunch of boards and metal things to make a flat area to put my chair. Was able to sit under the tree in the shade, looked up and enjoyed the leaves moving in the wind. It is 85 degrees, thus wanted a shady spot for this afternoon. It is a private area that is so sweet now without all the garbage stored there. Went out in the garage and put the 2 bags and one box of christmas stuff in loft, for fall giveaway. Not kidding, it filled almost the whole space, christmas stuff, that I never use, will be so nice to get rid of it, at least it is off the floor now, plenty more on floor. Today I hauled all the framed art out, that I forgot I had, too hot now but plan to dust cobwebs and dust off and donate tomorrow. Haven't been grocery shopping for 3 weeks, I think, so not much food here, so thought I would fill car tonight with donations and go before it gets hot tomorrow, donate stuff, and buy gallons of ice cream, kidding, sounds good on a hot day.
Got dishes caught up, cleaned inside of microwave.

Good morning :)

After a stressful begining to this week my plan for today was to sleep in, take things slower, do some fun stuff.

Well, wasn't allowed to sleep in, had to jump up and get moving right away.
Now that that is all over with I am going back to my plan of doing something fun today.
Want to alter a pretty summer dress that I want to wear but it's too big for me.
Have another dress that fits but is about 6 inches too long.

Hoping that that darned phone doesn't ring any more and that nobody else shows up in my driveway to annoy me with annoyances.

May you all have a pleasant and uncomplicated day too :D

Diane Diane Diane

This week you are to have lots of fun & rest.
Enjoy the outdoors.
Play in the dirt, outside.
Eat picnic lunches.

(((hugs)))

So happy to see all of the things you wrote, nice to have such a great group.
I did have some fun in the yard. Moved some rocks to make a trail and put bark mulch between them, put some holographic garden ribbon up around raspberries, which prevents birds from eating them before I get to them. Pulled some weeds and tree shoots. Repainted part of bathroom, then thought I would use the rest of paint in garage, was able to finish off the can, although it was a bit warm in garage. Moved some junk to get to the wall to paint, and found 2 more large bags of christmas docorations, they will go up with others to be donated in fall. Garbage can doesn't have much more room, pickup early Friday.
Kept thinking of what Tillie said, you can't organize a hoard. There is so much stuff in that garage, which will mostly have to go to garbage, no way to organize a hoard.
I did talk on the phone 3 times today, which made me feel great. Didn't get much done today, but did enjoy the day, hope you all have a great day tomorrow. Tomorrow I hope to focus on finding things to give away then do fun stuff outside.

Dianne,
I usually do my bathroom sink, kitchen sink and tub about every 4 months.
The bath tub drain has a metal cover that can be unscrewed to expose the area.
Using a pair of long tweezers I remove any hair that has gotten down in there.
My tub drain can hold 4 or 5 large soup spoons of baking soda. So that is what I do, just keep spooning baking soda down into the hole till it's all full.
With this task, either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar work.
Pour vinegar into the tub/sink and watch as it flows into the baking soda filled drain.
It foams & fizzes for a long time. When it slows down, several times I pour in some more vinegar & it gets fizzy again. Use as much vinegar as you want. Doesn't really take very much.
Leave it fizzing away in the drain for at least half an hour.
Either turn on the tap and run very hot water down the drain or boil a big pot on the stove and pour that down.

This cleans out the sticky soap scum that tends to build up and block the drains and also works on kitchen sinks that have had too much grease/oil down them.

With long neglected slow or blocked drains you may need to repeat the process before you get the best results.

I have never met a drain yet that I could not clear using this method. ;D

Doing this about 3 times a year keeps drains clear & fast draining.

Yesterday was pretty hectic -- I was trying to multi-task four or five ways, and ended up accidentally deleting two messages instead of sending them. I got a couple of 15-minute cleaning sessions done before taking the the evening off for fun.

I also got one phone call from a friend who's going to be in town and wants to meet up on Wednesday. We'll probably just go out to eat, but we might also spend time socializing at home... Fortunately, he's seen the mess before, so I won't feel obliged to keep him out.

It's time for the Tuesday online chat support, so I'll save the rest for a separate message.

HI :)

Happy to see you all.
Diane, Dianne, Roxie, Ann, Kara & those of you who read here but haven't replied today. :D

Been one of "those" days. :(
Rather not write out all the drama, just want to put it all behind me.
Anyways I still got a lot of what I wanted to accomplish accomplished.

Hot here today & will be hotter rest of the week.
Watered everything.
Did 4 loads of laundry. Stuff like table cloths & quilt other stuff I cover things with to keep the cat hair off.
Bath tub drain has been draining slow so removed the drain cover, dumped in baking soda and vinegar. Drains fast now.
Cleaned the bathroom.
My lavender tea rose bloomed today. Such a lovely color and wonderful scent.
Made a fried egg sandwich.
Creepy kitten is biting! Attacks me all the time & has my arms all sore & raw. :(
Tomorrow is trash pick up day. Planning to fill that wheelie bin full!.

Hoping that no matter what the world throws at you you just keep on keeping on. :D

The heat is getting to me. 104 YESTERDAY and similar all week.(WHINING)

I've made some progress... researching... for next Thursday's Book Discussion: THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB by Will Schwalbe. (PATTING SELF ON BACK)

I've consolidated and filed the stuff from one of the five manilla bags which I sorted last week... I intend to tackle another of them today... so that the bags themselves don't clutter the relatively clear office counter much longer. (FEELING GOOD ABOUT THIS)

Jim and I have written a LIST of projects to remember to do during the next couple of weeks. Days go by without our thinking of them. 9TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THEM AFTER PUTTING THEM OFF TOO LONG.)

Enjoying everyone's posts on the BOARD. Thanks.

All I got done yesterday was putting away the clean dishes that were piled up to dry in my other sink.

Janice, way to go! You sound so enthusiastic and positive, which is wonderful.

Diane, thud, I'm napping after all that work I did reading what you've accomplished. :D

Dianne, how's things by you, gal? And Tillie?

Sorry if I left anyone out...mind of a sieve lately.

Hugs
Roxie

Here to report on all the fun I had today--------------there you have it. Total failure on taking the day to have fun. Got up at 6 and took coffee out to yard, then thought I should put something out in garage, then I realized the little loft had 15 years of dirt and clutter and thought I should go up there and analyze the situation. At 4pm I was done for the day, took all the junk down, swept up the big piles of dirt and debris and then vacuumed area, then put linoleum now, then put all the Christmas decorations up there. I donated some to thrift store last week and they said, no more until fall. My 95 gallon garbage can is almost full so bagged up all Christmas stuff to get out of way, and that was the perfect spot to put it after I cleaned, and can get to it easily in the fall to donate. I only took one short break to make a smoothie, then back to work. at 4 I sat on deck and enjoyed my view and yard, and called a close friend and had some belly laughs. Then I moved some stuff in yard, watered flowers, got out all the stuff to plant tomorrow. After that dirty filthy job today, will take tomorrow for a day in the yard, planting and just having a great time loving my life here on my own little slice of heaven, that I bought for myself, and is paid for. I feel so lucky to have found this group so that I can have the support to change the way I have been living. I am excited to have tomorrow off to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, and the yard.
I have become very aware of my thinking, when I say, I will move that later or do that later, I change it and do it now. Such a simple concept, but never have thought this way, thus all the piles of "do it later stuff". Yeah, thanks to you all.

Janice! :D
What a wonderful post all so full of positive things! :D
Happy dancing here just to read it!!!D

Looking forward to you sipping lemonade out on your patio this summer.;)

You did fantastic! (((hugs)))

Hi Janice,

OMG! You don't know who Matt Paxton is?...

WOW! I'm in total shock! :o

Most people that know who Cory is, also know who Matt Paxton is too.

They're like the George Clooney and Brad Pitt of extreme cleaners. LOL. ;)

Hey Cory,
Kyle talks way to much in the support chat group.

JK ;)

Hi :)

Been running since my feet hit the ground at 6:00am.
Got caught up on a lot.

Roxie,
I use Murphy's oil soap on wood and have never had any problems.

Karl,
Keep up with the sorting and wishing you great success Friday with the organizing lady. :)

Lynn,
with this economy as it is now many people have that long of a commute. :( Sorry.
But I hope you get on there. :)

HI MayMay :D

Today I went for a long hour and a half drive to Integrity Trade company.

Wow, what a drive. After I got there I was stiff from sitting for so long.

I filled out an ap and explained why I was dismissed from working with Aztec.
Truthfully not knowing the reason why.

It was just a meet and greet type of meeting after filling out the application.

She said that there is a lot of work and not enough workers.
I hope that I can score an interview stating that I can start anytime, and on the app.

3hours driving on a highway is a long time round trip.

Hope everyone is ok and having a productive day.

Hi Roxie,

Woohoo! Another Anthony Bourdain fan. :)

I became a fan of his last week after watching the episode of his new show "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" on CNN, where he went to Libya. And now I am totally hooked on both of his tv shows: the one on the travel channel and the one on CNN. :)

Yesterday was pretty much a "day off" for me, which included watching one of the DVD movies I had not seen (Side Effects). That was a treat for me. And I think MayMay mentioned Anthony Bourdain. I got hooked watching that for awhile, too.

Karl, your group effort sounds great. Are you still planning another on Friday? You "thought aloud" about a better way to approach the situation. Perhaps if you share your thoughts we can input and help you along? Does the place look better in general or is that the problem still? I am proud of you for your many 15 minute efforts so far!

AnneL, you mentioned you kept five glasses cases and could justify two. Hmmmm. Proud of you for your many donation bags and all that is going out of the house!

Tillie, take a small break today and enjoy some nature if that helps? Today it is sunny and about 73 degrees and waking up to breezes blowing through the house was pure delight for me.

I aim to get the cat boxes switched out and the area in which they reside cleaned well. It'll be a big effort. I also need to put away clean dishes from the other day that are still in the sink.

I need to tackle wood furniture that is fly specked, really dirty. Any suggestions on cleaning good wood? I mean scrubbing well without harming it?

Sunday cleaning event worked out OK, with three of us opening / discarding / filing / sorting items from a box of old mail dating back to 2006. My helpers had already eaten lunch before they came over, but when it was time for a break, I served some dessert. We were working for about 2 hours, so we'll call it 6 person-hours of effort. I also did some further sorting while watching the Sunday chat session here, and then another 15-minute session after dinner. It seems like there should be a more efficient path to the goal, though.

Today has pretty much just been a down day for me. :)

Earlier today I took Matt and Cory for a walk. And then when we got back from the walk, I ended up getting hooked on an "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" marathon on the travel channel. And now I am watching Anthony Bourdain's new show on CNN called, "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" while sucking on a tootsie pop. :)

Thanks SusanL. :)
Welcome to the board! :)

Good morning :)

Karl, hoping you had fun on your outings and wishing you a great success with your helpers.
P.S. I still have that record album ;)

MayMay, I too find Cory to be very entertaining ;)

SusanL, BIG WAY TO GO! on those bags of donations!.
You should enter that total in the June Challenge thread. :D

Hi Dianne :D

My To-Dos for today...
cat stuff
clean the kitchen
clear off coffee table
sort & think about stuff I want to sew this week

ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP at 5:00pm PST.

Have a pleasant Sunday. Get out of the house, get away from your worries for a little while.

Hi MayMay, welcome back! I'm a newbie.

Good: got 8 bags out for the veterans group pickup yesterday. Also sorted my old glasses and found a dozen pairs to donate to the Lions Club, both the library and the eye doctor have dropoff boxes for those. Guess it's been a few years since I donated glasses :)

Bad: I gave away some glasses cases but kept 5 spares. Two are for spare glasses which I can justify. One is so pretty I decided to use it to hold jewelry. I am one of those container hoarders, boxes and containers of all kinds are like glittery gold. So the other two are for . . . I have no idea. 'They don't make them anymore'. I like the color. Sheepish grin :)

Baby steps, that's all I got.

Cory's not considered entertainment?...

Since he's on a tv show I would consider him entertainment. I would consider both him and Matt entertainment. They're the main reason I started watching "HOARDERS" almost 2 years ago in the first place. i remember I was just flipping through the channels on the tv and saw Cory and Matt on "HOARDERS" and was like "who are those 2 STUD MUFFINS?" And I've been watching "HOARDERS" ever since. :)

I love them so much I named my dogs after them. Lol. :)

In case anybody didn't get the reference, my lyrics were a parody of "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", a 1973 song recorded by Dr Hook & the Medicine Show; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux3-a9RE1Q -- I skipped the chorus, though. Since Cory is neither entertainment nor politics, I don't think it's likely he'd be featured for real.

Friday night, after my "call for help" posting had gone four days without anyone committing, I decided I'd better cancel it and reschedule for a later day; I chose next Friday evening. On Saturday, I was out all day -- I left the house at 9:40 to go to an event at the library, then at 6pm I went from there to a friend's home for a pot luck; when I finally got home, it was just after midnight. No cleaning done. But a couple of friends at the pot luck asked if they could still come over and help on Sunday, so I'll be having both the unofficial Sunday event and the official Friday event.

Hi Ann,

I LOVE YOUR POEM! :D

Both you and Karl should send your poems to "Rolling Stone" magazine. :)

It might make them want to finally put Cory on the cover. :)

Yes! I really like the new song lyrics. Nice having talented poets in our midst. :D

Lynn,
After we have tried and tried and still our hoarders refuse to listen to us we must now just accept this. :(
We have to move on with our own lives and do whatever it takes to get for us what we need.
I have my "no clutter zones" and you will some day have your very own home.
(((hugs))) :)




OK, after 1:00pm here.
He left early this morning, said to get a hair cut. He is still gone. Probably shopping at thrift shops and yard sales. :(
I have done all the cat/kitten related daily tasks.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Swept floors & porches.
Done an assortment of other little things around here.
Had a fried egg sandwich for brunch.

Hope everybody else here is having a productive day. :)

Hello All and nice poem Ann

Today I plan on still reading that book though it's a useless cause for my mother, I can help encourage all that are succeding on this site.

I asked her the question : "Do you love me more or your stuf more? " Her response was "Don't push it." "Like YOUR car, this is MY HOUSE!"

As I said before on the chat board she's ultimately terrified of this site.

She thinks that the "Hoarding police" are going to get her. I guess. I don't know.

Just looking may also terrifiy her. "?"

Don't know what else to do besides just read on with the book and help you all that are here.

I'm glad that I can help.

I just have to stay really really positive on Monday when I meet with a future employer and hopefully land an interview to a big Yes!

The waiting game sucks!
It's been 3 months since employment. If I don't get a response within a week or two then I will go to Michigan City for that job. I wonder how much longer do I have to wait for a response?

Hope all is doing well and keep up the great work!

In all humility I present a proposed fourth stanze
for Karl's poem...


My public face doesn't tell it all.
In fact (at home) I simply stall.
I might look as though I'm in control
But really what bugs me
Is what most folks can't see:
The mess is taking its toll.

What I want I can't find.
I'm left in a bind.
Neglect is hardly the word.
I wish I could do it...
Somehow make it all fit.
Good advice is there... I've heard.

I really don't have to face it alone.
We have a hero in this story...
We want a portrait of CORY...
On the cover of The Rolling Stone.

SusanL: It sounds like you and husband are a good team at this cleaning out. I am happy to hear your progress!

Diane: Hope you get some outside time today, but don't "dis" what you've accomplished inside. Good job!

Tillie: I probably won't ever make an online group but I am glad they are available. You are making great progress, too.

Very heavy rain here again today. That makes me want to nap. I'm sure I'll get some steam up before long and accomplish something. Just need to check my list, or, as my brother once said about his own place: "just point in any direction and there is a job to be done."

Roxie,
Please stay safe.
Big WAY TO GO! for all you have gotten done there! :D

SusanL,
WOW! :D
You did a GREAT job finding stuff to donate!
Really impressed!

diane,
I know it's hard for you to work inside when it's nice outside.
WAY TO GO! on filling those 2 bags! :D
Little by little it will get done. Some days it takes longer than others to complete a task but still any/every bit of progress is something to congratulate yourself for. :)

Today I went to the online support group at 12:00 noon PST.
Wonderful little group of chatters. Got to know the people there better. We were cracking a lot of jokes. ;D
Then did some chores here to get ready for the weekend. Like to have my time free in case my hoarder ever decides to declutter & then I won't be in his way.
Then went out and watered around the garden. Supposed to be hot here tomorrow.
Everybody have some fun this weekend. Sing silly songs, dance with the cat, play in the dirt. :D

Worked in dining room and craft room this morning then out to the garage for the rest of the day. I was able to fill a bag for give away, and one for garbage. Took lots of years to get this bad, just wish it was quicker to deal with the hoard, so much more. It was a beautiful day and wasn't outside enough, tomorrow will make more time for outside. Nice others are making good progress.