Cory, if we don't meet her tonight, see if you can find out what time of day is convenient for her, and translate that to PDT -- I keep such oddball hours that there's a decent chance that I could chat with her some time during the week.

Just checked the online group & they are there :D

From what I have heard in last Sunday chat
several people have said that they will be on chat tonight. :)

Will anyone be on the support group tonight? I have someone from another country that really wants to talk. Hoping if she can stay awake, some people will be there. Hope you all had a great holiday!

Yes, I did get the third session in. My original plan was to do that before showering, and consider a 4th session after, in keeping with the "alternate tasks" idea. But it was already way late, and I didn't want to do both, so I opted to shower/shampoo first, which would allow my hair to dry while I did some sorting.

billie, I've noticed that when I post a message here, it doesn't show up immediately. If you count to ten and then refresh the page, I bet you'll see it.

Tillie, this isn't a serious suggestion, but I had a mental image of hooking up a Rube Goldberg contraption that would drop a weight onto the kitten if your hoarder doesn't get a task completed.

I guess I'll see some of you at the chat session tonight.

This is my first time posting on here...
Well Team....I did it!...I got boxes filled with 68 books!...out on the porch ready for donation pick up today! YaY! And a box of cat toys that my cat, Velvet does not play with. Oh yeah got almost all the dishes done.
You have been an inspiration to me diane. I know how difficult it is for us to deal with our over abundance of "stuff" and to get things cleaned up. On our last Sunday night group..you really got to me. I have seen all the great progress that you have made through the weeks. Then I said to self....self, if diane can do it... you have got to do it and ..self..you can do it. Thank you for being you diane :)
And Tillie, thank you for the reminder of alternating between my "need to's" and my "want to's" :)
And Karl...your striving along to " gitter done" :)
I am realizing what a great team all of us in this group are and how much we need each other.

Thanks to all....

This is my first time posting on here...
Well Team....I did it!...I got boxes filled with 68 books!...out on the porch ready for donation pick up today! YaY! And a box of cat toys that my cat, Velvet does not play with. Oh yeah got almost all the dishes done.
You have been an inspiration to me diane. I know how difficult it is for us to deal with our over abundance of "stuff" and to get things cleaned up. On our last Sunday night group..you really got to me. I have seen all the great progress that you have made through the weeks. Then I said to self....self, if diane can do it... you have got to do it and ..self..you can do it. Thank you for being you diane :)
And Tillie, thank you for the reminder of alternating between my "need to's" and my "want to's" :)
And Karl...your striving along to " gitter done" :)
I am realizing what a great team all of us in this group are and how much we need each other.

Thanks to all....

Roxie -- Thanks for your reply ;) Sounds like your home is in good shape & you are keeping it that way :D ...Are you in "maintenance" phase?
If so, would you help me by sharing what you found most helpful?

Billie-- Your test post worked...
How's the donation thing going/gone today?

Ok- Time for me to "conquer" my 15min in Kitchen!

This is a test. I have been trying to post but it wouldn't go through....so just trying this

This is a test. I have been trying to post but it wouldn't go through....so just trying this

Hi Everybody -- It is super exciting to see how everyone is working so hard & achieving goals!!!

Billie -- Wanted to check in -- How did the donation pick-up go today(Tues)?

Tillie -- Soooo glad you are taking good care of yourself (& then you can heal that much sooner :) Also good to hear that your partner is allowing you the rest you so dearly need right now! Rest is the Best!!! :)
I had a kidney infection a number of years ago, but I still remember how painful it was & how much it zapped my energy.
Hope the shower/shampoo comes through today :)

Dianne -- Sounds like you are doing good work! It's funny you mentioned the thing about repair folks coming to our space. Today, I had the man come who annual checks the roof & twice a year cleans the gutters. I realized a few things... #1. My anxiety level is different depending upon if it's a returning vs. one time visit repair-person.
#2. Today, I realized I do have choices -- which helped me feel more "in control."
2a.The man had a leaf blower & I don't have an outdoor outlet so I just took a deep breath & hauled up the garage door right in front of him. It actually felt kind of liberating! There before us stood the chaotic garage contents(which contains 1/2 my mess & 1/2 my father's hoard). I was surprised to find I only felt a moment of discomfort.
2b. However, the outlet is inside in the basement of the house. There's a door connecting the garage to the basement -- which also shares 1/2 my mess (within labeled rubbermaid tubs) & 1/2 my father's (scattered piles & objects) -- I decided to ask the roof man to hand me his power cord & plug it in myself.
That helped me feel more "in control" of how much I "exposed" of my struggle to someone else in one shot.

Gosh, this is getting really long-- Sorry! -- Let me (try) to wrap up quickly!

Diane-- Great to hear you are actively maintaining your cleared & now clean Spaces -- It sounds LOVELY :)

As does JANICE's Space! I love the idea of the iris "memorial/celebration" garden outside your KraftyKorner. I hope to do something similar once I get the inside of my home under control.

Karl -- So So Psyched to hear you got in AT LEAST another 30 minutes Done Monday!!!
(Did you manage to fit in the 3rd 15 min session after your last post?) Also, glad to hear you're rewarding yourself for your accomplishments!!!

I find that the rewards keep me focused on task & motivated to finish :)

...which leads me to ME...
Yesterday(Mon), I cleaned my grimy stovetop -- YaaaaY! It actually took me 35 minutes (vs. 15), but I had set my rewards as 1st quickly dropping by for neighborhood sooreie(sp?) & then a friend's cookout -- so I wasn't going to stop before I completed my goal!!! --The 1 instance my "stubbornness" proves advantageous;)

Today's Goal: 15min clearing Kitchen Counter

I'm so happy to read everyone's posts.

Janice, welcome and I'll be glad to keep reading of your progress.

Karl, the 15 minute intervals seems to be working for you. That is great! Let us know how it goes with your "cleaning party" coming up. Reward them with pizza or something?

Anne, perhaps adding the W would be a good idea. If I ran into another Roxie I'd add an initial, too.

Dianne, perhaps you would at this point in time be most comfortable with getting a handyman who can start working outdoors? I'm looking out my window at a jungle of a side yard and I think I'll start there. I have a huge list of projects but first have to pay off some things and accumulate more money. I'm living on disability.

Just FYI, my son (only child) married his sweetheart while both were in the Army. They got married on base in desert camo, then "honeymooned" on deployment in Baghdad. Thanks be they are home safe, and she's now out of the Army. He's career at this point and doing well.

Yesterday I swept most of the kitchen floor and around my computer desk. I rounded up and took out garbage bags from around the house. I unloaded the sink and dishwasher and put some more things in their "proper" places (so unlike me). I transferred things from my disgusting, poor old purse to a new-to-me one I got to replace it. I meanwhile cleared out the accumulated "stuff" from the purse and transferred all the loose change to one of my two loose change jars. They add up after awhile.

I have large bags of cat food on my kitchen floor, which is fine, but the cats go "shopping" in individual bags sometimes. It's funny but also messy. I have the more expensive stuff for my indoor cats and less expensive for the feral cat colony I have. Sometimes my personal cats seem to want "junk food." :D

WOW!
Such positive posts from Ya'll :D
Everybody has made some GREAT progress!
Reading here has really lifted my spirits. :D

I am still bedridden.
Yesterday he finally "got it" that I have been ill.
Took responsibility for his kitten all day and left me to sleep undisturbed.

My plan for today is to try to get up enough energy to shower & shampoo.
That always makes me feel more positive. :D

Keep up all the great work you all have been doing, cleaning, decluttering and self exploration.

(((hugs)))

Today's picnic was awesome, despite the threat of rain; I got in an hour of bicycling exercise to get there and another hour getting back, played croquet, and managed to avoid overeating despite the abundance of food. Perhaps the day was even a net weight loss, which would be unusual for a pot luck event.

When I got home, I immediately dished up a helping of ice cream -- and then set a 15m timer to do some cleaning/sorting while it softened. After that "reward", I dealt with the day's email. (It really seems to help when I alternate between cleanup tasks and other tasks.) Then a second 15-minute session, followed by some more internet activity, and composing what turned out to be a difficult message to a mailing list I'm on, asking for friends to come over and help next weekend. Now I'm going to take a shower, then do a third 15-minute session before going to bed.

Yes, this is a great community. Good you got some rest.
I had a good day, much more relaxed than past week. I cleaned the kitchen, did dishes, then was motivated to finally make soup with surviving vegetables, black eyed peas, and all kids of other things, took a long time to make but will last for days and it is so delicious. I havent been eating well, so was great to make something that tastes wonderful and is good for me. I did lots of odds and ends, did some paperwork that is due this week, didn't go anywhere as usual, just enjoyed the rain and clouds, which motivated me to work inside.

So wonderful to read all the posts here! :D

Today turned out to be windy, cloudy with a good chance for rain.
Made him take care of the kitten so that I could get the rest/sleep I need.
And I really needed it. :D

Thank you all for posting. What a lovely little community we have here. :)

Karl -- AWESOME!!!!
I was looking for your post today & got so excited when I saw it & read about your PROGRESS :) 30 minutes is great! (Better than the day before, right?)

Roxie -- Loved reading about all the things you accomplished today :) You did ALOT -- Definitely Rockin' the Progress!!!

I am in my kitchen today too. My goal is scrubbing clean my grimy stovetop -- I'm doing it right after this post & will update you all later.

Dianne -- I can really relate to what you posted today... I, also, isolate when my thought patterns bring me down into a dark place; when I get overwhelmed by anxiety & the onslaught of "Past Mistakes"[my interpretation] that often surface --flooding me with unpleasant memories & emotions-- when I start going through older piles.

I say this because I want you to know (or remind you;) that you are not alone. And, you are wonderful just for being you -- honestly :) Your post today alone is evidence that you are working on things & moving forward.

Please be gentle on yourself and know that we are all here rootin' for ya!

Also, I just realized there's an AnneL, & maybe another Ann or Anne -- all here before I came along a couple of weeks ago...

Should I add an initial to the end of my name, ie: "AnneW"-?- so as not to confuse folks?

MayMay, what's with the fire truck? LOL

Diane, you are inspirational.

Karl, keep on!

Yesterday I ran the dishwasher, broke down more cardboard boxes to recycle, hand did a sink of other dishes, put away the cat food into the cabinets (new concept for me), wiped down the countertops. Not much but it is forward motion.

I was thinking of mowing the lawn when out of nowhere a storm started. Hmmm

I did one 15-minute session before dinner, and another after; I was hoping to get a third in, but that didn't work out this time. Let's see what I can get done Monday evening after I'm back from the picnic event.

Thanks for all the kind posts about what I got done this week. Today I only did a few things, tired after all the hours working this week. I did 3 loads of laundry, most is put away. I hung up clothes line over deck, it had fallen down months ago. was able to hang out blankets after a quick spin in dryer after wash. Changed everything on daybed. Took time to think of things I am grateful for. Joined in group tonight, was helpful. Tomorrow I plan to tidy up living room and kitchen and work on dining room, supposed to rain, so hopefully will be a good day to work inside, again. Thank goodness for bad weather for indoor cleaning. First nice day, I will be out in yard doing fun stuff, I have missed it with all that I have been doing. This week I am going to strive for a little more fun.

YEA Karl!!!
Thank you for posting! :D
We are all looking forward to your next posts! :D
You CAN do this! :D

Not much progress here lately. Let's change that.

I'm currently in the Sunday chat support, and when it's over and I've eaten dinner, I'll make a point of setting that 15-minute timer for cleanup work, multiple times. (A single 15-minute session per day just isn't going to cut it, especially if I keep missing days when I'm too busy.)

Expect my next post here to report on my success.

OMG!!!!! THIS IS SO CRAZY!!!!! :D

Right now I'm in a FIRE TRUCK with a bunch of firefighters on my way to see what my new clean bedroom and closet looks like. :D

Thanks Dianne and Roxie. :)

Yes Roxie, Cory and Matt are my 2 dogs. They are named after Cory Chalmers and Matt Paxton. :)

Welcome back, MayMay! When you mentioned Cory and Matt, I about flipped... now I realize they must be your pets, not the Cory and Matt we all know about. hehehe

Diane, I am beyond impressed with what you are able to do. Your ingenuity and tenaciousness are wonderful to see.

Dianne, I've missed you. Are you okay? Good to have you back.

Everyone else, good to see you, too.

If anyone hears from KindredSpirit, please ask her to post so I can stop being concerned.

I ran a number of errands yesterday, including dropping donations off at the cat rescue thrift store, visiting the cat rescue, the library, picked up speakers for my computer, cat supplies, and replacement cookie sheets and cooling racks. I still can't figure out where to plug the speakers into the danged computer. So frustrating to lose my mind. :D

I'm having a lot of trouble with lifting weights like boxes of cat litter. I'd like them under ten pounds, but only found one brand that lightweight. I'll have to cruise the internet to see what I can find. This is aggravating because in my 40s I was weightlifting, running, bicycling and doing aerobics. Now I can hardly walk half a block. grr

YAY! I'm finally back from Hawaii and away from my mom's crazy side of the family! :)

Right now it is 1:30am where I live; and I just got back from Hawaii. :)

I am so glad to be back!!!!! :)

When I arrived at my boyfriend's house, to pick up Matt and Cory, I literally jumped on my boyfriend when I first saw him; and then when Matt and Cory saw me, they immediately started jumping all over me. Lol. :)

I missed all of them so much while I was gone.

I'm so EXCITED for tomorrow night!!!!! :)

Because tomorrow night I will finally get to see what my new bedroom looks like. :)

How wonderful Diane!!! :D

You have accomplished some very hard areas in your home! :D

WAY TO GO!!! :D

When your home is decluttered you can go back to the smaller trash service.
For now, enjoy all the freedom and amnesty the big can allows you. :D

Have a nice bath/shower. Rest well tonight and tomorrow enjoy yourself. :)

A long day working in walkway. I took the door off where hotwater heater is and reached all over until I found the dryer hose, and was able to pull it out far enough to attach it to the vent in door. That water heater was not easy to balance while attaching the hose. I am so impressed that I was able to complete it. When I had new floor put in kitchen a few years ago, the guy said there was no path out to walkway, no hole had ever been done. I knew there had to be away to attach it, I figured it out. I had to move so much stuff just to get to water heater door. I then got up on a tall ladder and washed wall and the small bathroom window, which had never been cleaned since I lived here over 15 years, it was caked with dirt, it is so small just thought that is why bathroom is dark, surprise, daylight comes in now. Still dark, but really much better. I had to use a metal BBQ brush on cement floor to loosen up the dirt pack then swept, then vacuumed. I got about 1/2 done in 10 hours today, until I decided enough already. Put a tarp over the stuff that I still have to go through. My 95 gallon cart is now 3/4 ths full. I was second guessing myself about the big cart, what if I don't fill it, well now know it was a stroke of genius, since I got it yesterday and already 3/4 full. I am so pleased with myself and know that I need to take it easy tomorrow. I also did dishes, cleaned counters, washed hair brushes, first time in years, papers out to recycle, Now need to go take a shower in my clean bathroom, you can probably smell me from your house!!

Tillie and everyone,
I hope to get better soon, but bruising the bone does take quite some time to heal as it affects the muscles and range of motion too.

As annoying as it is I at least can go outside and breathe in some spring air. It's been cool at nite at low 40's and during day been in 50's. By Tues planning on temps to reach back into the 80's.

Today I plan on resting and icing also taking potassium and vitamin C to help heal better.

I also applied at a couple of hospitals to hopefully work as a houskeeper (janitor/cleaner).

Now just resting and icing knee which hurts due to bone brusing.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying weather.

Saturday. Start of a three day weekend.

The weather here has been cool for over a week and the forecast is for highs in the 70s.
Great for doing things around the yard.

Want to get outside and do some weeding and other pleasant relaxing gardening activities.

He is finally getting slightly annoyed by my not enabling him so I will continue not doing stuff.

Off to feed the cats now.
Want to go to the grocery store and buy a watermelon or two today. :D

Everybody plan to have some fun outside this weekend! :D

Thank you Tillie, and happy you are feeling better. Happy Dance, great idea, I have been so serious with the cleaning, I will do the happy dance first thing in the morning.

Thank you Diane :)

Been sleeping most of today and am feeling a lot better now. :)

Diane

FANTASTIC!
WAY TO GO!!!
WOO HOO!!!
HAPPY DANCE!!!

:D

Tillie so sorry to hear about your infection. Hope you are drinking lots of water, did you get antibiotic? Glad you are resting and taking good care of yourself. Hugs to you.

Tillie so sorry to hear about your infection. Hope you are drinking lots of water, did you get antibiotic? Glad you are resting and taking good care of yourself. Hugs to you.

THE BATHROOM IS CLEAN AND REPAIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you believe it? It several hours today, but it is finished, walls clean, cabinets cleaned and organized, mirrors cleaned, sink, toilet and tub cleaned, door cleaned, floor cleaned, took all week but it is done. The wall had separated where the tub wall and other wall meet. The dryer is on the other side, so the hot damp air buckled the wall. The dryer vent to the walkway is not cleared out so has been blowing into bathroom. I realized today, the lent and moisture have been the cause of alot of the packed filth I had to clean that took so long in the bathroom. I cut the bowed out wall, so I could force it to lie flat. I used a metal brace then nailed it down. It was awkward and doesn't look great, but it is done and the lent won't blow in now. I painted the area that I fixed. Tomorrow I will be back out in the walkway working on the hoard so I can get to dryer vent and fix that. My 95 gallon garbage can was delivered today and is already 1/2 full, and 2 bags of give aways. I cancelled my friends visit when I realized it would take all day to finish cleaning bathroom and repairing wall. tillie, you are right, it is like a puzzle that I cannot figure out, the odds and ends. After having so much anxiety yesterday, I was amazed how much easier it was to keep going today. I really think alot of the anxiety of having my friend over. I am giving myself permission to keep working on my own until I am more comfortable with So grateful I have you gals to go through this with.

Good morning,
Not yet noon here. :)
Still down with a kidney infection.
Got the cat stuff all taken care of.
Need to take a nap now.

Try to find your motivation Karl.
Great that you got some trash out!
You need to force yourself to do more 15 minute sessions daily to get some results there.

Diane :)
It is hard to start tackling those long neglected areas all on your own. You have been living with the piles for so long your brain sees them as a puzzle that is impossible to sort out.
Hoping your friend can help make some sense out of them for you. :D

HI Anne :D

Hi Lynn :) Keep healing and find something to smile about today. :D

Hi Roxie :)
I need lots of rest and sleep in order to feel better.
But....
living with a hoarder who has no consideration for me is extremely tiring.
He has dumped the kitten care all on my shoulders. He makes nasty messes and expects me to clean them up. He makes a lot of noise at night rattling around and keeps waking me up.
Then he gets annoyed with me for not wanting to do anything but sit here and cry.

Thanks Roxie.
The leg brace is kind of a bother but does help with a little support.
I'm just upset that I missed a job opp due to injury and recovery time. :[
At least I still have one other contact that hopefully can get me a job. I still am going to call the animal shelter again and ask again when the volunteering class is so that I can volunteer as a cleaner over there. I'd now rather do something than do nothing.

I see doc in a couple of weeks yet for a follow-up to see how I'm doing.

Hope all is keeping up with your cleaning efforts and achieving your goals

You can beat this!

Karl, what can we do to support your efforts? I know I want to encourage you to make yourself do 15 minute sessions daily, at least.

Diane, let us know how it goes with your cleanie friend. I always read your posts with interest.

LynnS, here is hoping the leg brace helps.

Tillie, I too am feeling sluggish and tired. What can we do to kick our own bottoms? :)

Wednesday I was out all day, so no cleaning done -- but I did manage to do one timed session and take stuff out to the curb for the morning pickup, before going to bed.

Thursday I had plenty of time at home, but kept finding other things that I'd rather do. Not good. Again, one 15-minute session before going to bed, but at this rate I'm not going to be done when the hard deadline arrives. :-(

Great job today, Diane!!!

It sounds like you worked diligently & accomplished ALOT :)

...And not only that -- you acknowledged your anxiety & took action to address it by calling your friend to talk about it :) You were very brave today and you have made a plan to continue moving forward tomorrow with the support of a trusted friend -- I loved your term "cleanie friend" ;) Good for You for being willing to accept that support!

I can relate to the so much of what you shared --finding it more challenging to go through things inside vs. out, the mouse & said droppings, the intense anxiety, the discomfort of sharing feelings about the situation & the physical condition of the space with others.

I could also really relate to & loved the part where you said you realized it was taking too long/slowing down your progress to clean off the stuff for give-away so you invoked Amnesty & Into the Bin with it!!! (Tillie, I'm gonna remember that tip for myself, too;)

Diane - You completed many physical tasks of clearing space today -- yet I heard you accomplish even more in the ways you "coached" yourself through some really difficult parts of your day.

So, Diane, I say: Congratulations, Big Pats on the Back, & YaY You! :)

Worked on bathroom today, amazing how difficult it is for me to work inside, even on cold windy day I would rather be outside working, anything to avoid finishing bathroom. I worked several hours, almost done. When I couldn't do anymore, went out and watered plants, did 2 loads of laundry, worked on walkway, filled another bag of garbage, only one dead mouse, but lots of droppings and filth, really sad. Then went up on roof and cleaned chimney, then pulled cheat grass in back yard. Put garbage can out and one huge black garbage bag on top of can. Tomorrow I will get the bigger cart, and already have two bags full to put in it. Tomorrow my cleanie friend is coming over to help me with the stuff in each room I just can't seem to finish. I went though alot of anxiety over it, then called her and discussed my concerns. she was very understanding and really wants to come and help for 2 hours. I will let her in bathroom, last time she visited she had to pee in the RV, wouldn't let her in past the entryway because it was so bad. I could cancel, but know I must let people back into my life, the good and bad of it. I am amazed at all the help I get on this site, loved the amnesty to throw anything away, it worked again today. started to wash give aways, then realized that why it was going so slow, so started to throw things in garbage with amnesty. Thanks Tillie.