Today I got another call for an interview. Yahooo! After I go to doc appt I go home and then get ready for interview a little latter.
Today I got my clothes ready for tomorrow for doc and then for the interview. Will take another shower tonight to be ready for big day for tomorrow. It's been in the 80s now and sunny.
I've been doing more research job hunting and still sending resumes in. Having things organized in my area really helps.
Lucky Bamboo plants really do bring luck. They are a die-hard plant that does well in indirect sunlight. I have two and love them because they are small and not too tall(yet).

Do hope all is doing well, with smiles; later

Sun-Wed: 4 days of no actual cleanup. :-(

Tuesday I attended the online chat support. When the discussion turned to gardening, I mentioned that I have a blue aloe (impulse purchase three years ago; bought with the idea that it can probably survive some amount of neglect). It's been looking rather crowded in its tiny 4 fl oz original container, so while we were chatting I cut open the original container and moved the plant to a larger plastic tub after cutting some holes along the bottom edge. I moved it from the inside window sill to outside, but the angle of the house and garage might be blocking most direct sunlight during the day.

Restless last night, and interrupted by two early morning phone calls (which I didn't accept). I'm about to go out to meet friends for pizza buffet. This evening I have a board games social meet. I'm not sure what I'll be able to get done during the afternoon.

Thanks Tillie,

Tillie about when did you get your book? I haven't recieved mine yet. He said that he'd send it out last week Fri and was hoping in a few days it would show up or so but not sure when it would come.

Been reading everyone's post and sounds like goals are being met. Awesome job everyone!
Keep up the good work.

Take care everyone

Good morning :)
Cool & cloudy here. Good day for me to get out and do some weeding.
First, do cat stuff.
TTYL :)

Something in the fridge was smelling really nasty.
When he came home from work I told him he had to do something about it.
As he was removing everything from his shelf stinky brown stuff started dripping all over the place.
He took it all out on the porch and started sorting through it.
Said that it had been fresh mushrooms once upon a time.
He had his shelf stuffed so full of food that the door had to be shoved hard to get it to shut.
He managed to part with a LOT of that spooky old food.
I washed & disinfected the fridge and the floor.

:D yea?

Lynn
Take care and let it heal well for you. :)

Diane! :D
Absolutely LOVED reading your post!
So many positive things happened in your day. :D
Everything you accomplished, especially having your friend in! :D

Make sure to keep that doctor appointment. She needs to see you to make sure that you are healing properly.

WTG! YEA! (((HUGS))) :D

Thanks for the well wishes. I woke up feeling so much better started in the craft room, and worked over an hour, and enjoyed it,I vacuumed in living room, did 4 days of dishes, finally. Feeling hopeful that burns will not be infected. So nice to have energy back to work on hoard and maintenance today. My friend came over and we talked in her car, then I said, OK you can come in for awhile, we took a tour of my accomplishments in the yard, she saw all that I did and how wonderful my yard is becoming, felt so good to see her appreciate my creativity. She was amazed at entryway, how clean and artsy it is, I was so proud of what I have accomplished and that I was able to let her see a little of my life. I then sat on deck and sorted screws and enjoyed my view and yard.
I want to cancel doctor appt. but think I should go since she was so insistent. Things are better and so grateful I have you gals to help me accomplish my goals.

When I was waiting to see doc I got a phone call for a job offer. I had to wait until I got home to reply to the call after I found out the news with my knee. The doc said that he wanted more X-Rays and from the results from the MRI he could see brusing on bone and from the new X-Rays he could see that I have a small stress-fracture like break on my knee bone. He just said to stay off of it for 3wks and see him again. But in 3wks I have to go to recertify for my Pro CPR that same week. I should be getting a knee brace to help.
I told the employer that had called me that I can't work for a few weeks due to my injury but I could call her back then for an interview later. Off my knee is the way to be now to heal faster.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Moving a bit slow this morning.
Late afternoon, early evening here the clouds rolled in and a beautiful cool breeze came up.
Decided to do some garden work. The cat mint (catnip) had grown 3 feet tall and was taking over the garden, smothering out other plants.
Even with 5 cats all screaming "NOOOOO!!!" I managed to pull out tons of the stuff.
Now my Day lilies can be seen again. :D
Need to do some more work out there, maybe later on today.
Off now to do some daily TO-DOs.
Like cat stuff.
Should get dressed & brush my hair too. lol

Talk to Ya'll later. :)

Good morning Roxie :)
WAY TO GO! on all you got done already and good luck with the rest of your plans today.
Sorry you are feeling punk. Try to find some little happiness today. :D

Good morning everybody :)

Diane,
keep putting on that silvadene cream ;)
WAY TO GO! for working even though I know it constantly really hurts.
Happy you are having a visitor over today, have fun. :D

Dianne,
Thank you.
So sorry you were sick from the stress. :(
But so happy that you got that big task over with and now have your A/C. :D
WAY TO GO! for making the doctor appointments!

Just checking in, and letting you know I am reading your updates. For me, having people over used to keep me accountable. For years no one has come over, so....Ms. Pigpen.

I got the plants out of the box, but still have to put them into the ground. Litterboxes are done. Today I need to pay bills and load the car with recyle/donation ite;ms.
Feeling punk.

Roxie

Happy to hear your bite healed so quickly Tillie. Love the idea of making list of to do things or you forget. I have burned soup, that I forgot I was cooking until I smelled smoke!! Today I enjoyed the day inspite of burn pain. I have been putting medicine on it, skin is peeling back and does hurt, not as bad as past two days. I am so thankful I saw doctor, I felt I had to because I couldn't report to you that I didn't go. Amazing how being accountable changes things. I plan to do dishes and cook something, just still not feeling great. Took storm window off and plan to clean it tonight. A non hoarder is coming over tomorrow for a short visit. My life is so much better because of this board and all of you. I have continued to talk to at least one person a day, a friend or neighbor, not the clerk at a store. Even though I have slowed down because of the burns, I have not stopped throwing things out, and appreciate so much that I don't go shopping to avoid the burn pain.

Was out enjoying my garden while doing some watering.
Roses, iris, daisys, honeysuckle, some pretty lacy purple things I don't know the name of and blue flax. :)

Then I was stung on my right wrist by a wasp. :(

Ran inside and treated the site with non sudsing ammonia.
Took the pain away immediately.
The site was swollen and red for an hour longer and then all that went away too. :D
Happy dance!

Hi SusanL :)
WAY TO GO! on the photos and birthday list! :)

GOOD LUCK with your long list. :D

Hi Roxie :)

I have to always keep a note too to remind myself of what I think needs doing or I will totally forget.
Then I have to use a timer to remind me that I am doing something because I tend to just wander off and forget and end up with water over flowing or something simmering too long on the stove. ;p lol

Diane hope your burn is healing ok. I'm SusanL because looks like there is an earlier Susan M.

For Mothers Day I was able to show my younger daughter a photo album with some pictures of ancestors because of a photo album sorting and purging project last month. Then instead of putting photos into "THE PILE" I could actually put them into an album for sharing.

Same daughter asked me for a list of family birthdays, the kind of task I would put off until the fabled Later. Instead I got right to it this morning. It's not the perfect list I would prefer, but that wasn't going to happen anyway. Good to have the updated list and not only for her.

I started a list of all the things I still have to sort. No cheating :) It's kind of a long list :)

Good luck everyone on your challenges and tasks today!

Today I have to change out the cat litterboxes and unload the dishwasher, and plant to poor plants I ordered and haven't gotten to yet.

Diane, I am thankful you are getting medical attention you need.

Dianne, is your heating/ac now working? I am grateful you had the courage to go ahead and get the worman in to do the work for you. Yeah!

Karl, keep posting.

Tillie, always glad to read your posts.

I have to resort to a written list by my computer or I "forget" things. I really am good at neglecting chores. :(

Roxie

Good morning :)

I am doing my laundry right now.
Have one load on the line & the other in the machine.
Then I will water the long flower bed full of wild yellow roses & rhubard and then the lilac hedge.
Last evening was so lovely outside that I went out and watered everything else. :D

There are about 50 iris blooms now. :)

This afternoon I plan to cook some food, divide it up and freeze it for fast & easy meals for me.

Then clean the kitchen.

What are ya'll up to today? :)

Diane I am so glad you went to the doctor.
Serious burns need extra careful care.
Heal well and fast now. :)
WTG! on buying food!
Take care and take it easy on yourself till you are better.

Got very little done today, did plant peas I bought a month ago, that are barely alive, we will see if they lift their little heads. I watered all the plants I have been neglecting. Winds pretty strong, roof still on deck. Duct tape works wonders. At 3pm I finally decided I have to call doctor to make an appt. tomorrow, when I described my burn, they told me to drive in immediately. 25 minutes later I was at doctors, then went to costco bought food, then to store to get prescription for cream. Doctor worried it will become infected so have to return to see her Thursday. I am exhausted and still in pain. Thank you for telling me to go to doctor, or I would have waited until it was infected. I am so grateful for this board and the encouragement. Dianne, I am amazed that you allowed a repairman in for all day. I have fixed everything myself because I am so ashamed, example: roof on deck. Tillie you have helped me so much, thanks. Sorry to hear you felt depressed today, and happy you enjoyed your flowers. Hugs

Dorothy Breininger has a new book just out. :)

http://www.dorothytheorganizer.com/

Diane,

WAY TO GO!!!!!!

I am so happy you got that done! :D

BIG BIG (((HUG)))

Now it is time to unwind and reward yourself for being strong.

A nice bath? Perhaps a foot soak? Some tea and cookie?
Do something nice for yourself. :D

YEA! Karl :D

I ended up being too busy with other things to do any of the cleanup I'd planned yesterday.

Today's somewhat busy, too, but I've got a few hours free so I'll find something I can get done in that time slot.

Tillie, I admire your courage and endurance in trying to truck on while living with a hoarder. It takes so much in guts and determination to do that. Hugs to you.

Dianne, dear, I truly hope you truck on and let the helpers who are there help you. If you are stressing, do something good for yourself. Sit outside for a few minutes. Take a nap if you need it. Remember that your body is telling you a lie if it is telling you that you cannot stand it. That's the old defenses trying to derail you. You are an enormously strong woman, so you can handle it. Hugs to you.

Kindredspirit, have you actually met with someone from the company who could check your place and give you an overview of their services and what they see needing to be done? I declined the first service because, frankly, he was illiterate in his emails. Now, I know he might have been fine but that bugged me. The second company was literate and I met with him. Yes, it took guts but he was very nice and easy to tolerate.

It took me YEARS to come to the point where I reached out. I kept telling myself I could do it. But reality finally kicked in that, no matter how much I wanted to handle it myself, I simply could not do it. And I kept reminding myself that cleanup folks do this for a living so they are USED TO seeing the hoards and dirt. In my personal experience they were nonjudgmental and simply got on with it. Of course, I helped by not being obstructive yet still standing my ground on a couple of items (my very small purse collection for one). Get out of your own way and let others help if you can. Get references if you feel you need it. Reach out to Cory for reassurance. That helped me a lot because my crew does not do deep cleaning and I was unsure if that was normal or abnormal. Reassurances from Cory let me proceed. I am SO GLAD that I did.

Keep us posted, okay?

Good morning,

Just sitting here drinking tea thinking about everything.
He was extremely nasty, mean and negative this whole weekend and I am now depressed.

Fortunately though, I was able to get him to help me with the parts that I can't do in getting the cooler up and running.
Now it won't get too hot in here.

My To-Dos for today...
try not to do anything that may be considered enabling him.
Take care of the cats. Food, water, etc. Planning to wash/sanitize litter boxes today.

Going to spend time outside enjoying all the flowers that are blooming. :D

Welcome Kindrid Spirit :)

Roxie posted in "Success Stories"
http://hoardingcleanup.com/message_board/?msgbrd=7&topic=2922
Hoping you read that post. :)

Glad you managed to get the sewer gas flushed out. We are on a septic too and had to have major repair work done not long ago.

Looking forward to reading more from you. :)

Dianne

BIG (((HUGS)))

This is a huge step in the right direction!
Getting the A/C repaired is going to help you so much.

I know this is stressful but when it is all over with you will have a much better environment to live and work in.

(((HUGS)))

Dianne, thank you for your reflections and I will continue to read the boards to help in the decision making. It is awfully hard to have strangers come in and I hear you having made the decision to improve your situation today though it brings stress. It is the honesty that you and the participants share that have supported me for months and encouraged me to do some clearing and unshopping.

I was able to get the awful sewer gas out ...thank goodness and pray for the clarity to make a decision about canceling or continuing with hiring help. I did get an estimate and am checking with Cory's company if it seems in the ballpark.

Roxie I was able to see some of your posts and not sure how to access the recovery stories.

Either way I go I will share my path.

I am struggling with sewer gas because of being on septic so am doing laundry to get some water flushing the system. I am seeking some help from this board participants ....like a sounding board! I have found someone on the list of national resources who does serve my community. I am finding my self flipping between trusting them to clear my space and feeling like I need to get healthier and do as much of my own work with help from friends. The service works for 8 hrs for three days.....I can barely tolerate 2 hrs with friends. How long do we give ourselves to do the work? When is it better to let go and ask for help from professionals? Your thoughts and experiences will be appreciated.

Dianne,
I want you to have a working A/C so please just do it. :)
(((hugs))) to help you stay strong and not cancel.

It is so much easier to work in a cool house.
Plus you sleep better at night.
You don't get heat exhaustion and sick and miserable.
More hugs (((hugs)))

Hooray Tillie, so happy he did his part so you can relax in the cool. It has been hot here too, not that hot, 89 yesterday, and I was too hot, tomorrow it will be in 60's they say, hope so. see you at 5

Diane :(
What a horrible way to start your day.
Please heal fast! :(

I understand how dizzying trying to read so many posts posted so fast is.
Then while trying to read and catch up, the page keeps jumping up, or is it jumping down? ;)

Anyways...
He returned a while ago with the cooler pads and I am now sitting here with my evaporative cooler running! :D
94 degrees outside. Inside a pleasant 76 degrees.

Fun reading all the posts on here, great to see so many people involved. I started my day pouring boiling water and coffee filter full of coffee and hot water on my arm and belly. Took over an hour of cold towels for the burn to settle down, then aloe vera. I have done little else today. Yesterday I did get some things done,I am looking forward to group tonight.

I have a request. Last Sunday when it was my turn with Cory, it was very distracting when so many people were trying to help. When it is my turn, I would appreciate just hearing from Tillie and a professional, if there is one online. I know I have spoken when it is anothers turn, and will hopefully not do that tonight, after finding it so disruptive with all the comments last week.

Dianne's story about the dog bed has motivated me.

Several months ago, I took several piles of stuff from the living room and moved them onto my bed for "temporary" storage, in anticipation of making enough space in the living room to have visitors. Since then I've been sleeping on a pad on the closet floor -- tolerable but a bit less comfortable.

Last night I moved the piles back to the living room, and finally reclaimed my bed. Progress in one room at the expense of another...

I still haven't put away the clean laundry; I think that'll be today's primary goal. If I can also go through at least one of those piles now in the living room, so much the better.

I won't be at tonight's online chat due to another commitment, but I'll probably be around on Tuesday.

I'm sorry, too, Karl. I don't recall your circumstances but I know that I never could have decluttered let alone cleaned without a lot of help, Do you have any money to hire help, or do you have people you could ask for help? And are you able to let others help?

One of my biggest area of clutter is that I recycle. However, I wasn't going to the recycling centers nearly enough. I had the helpers load my car up with all the bags I had ready to go. And I did recycle. Once they are in the car, I know I'll follow through. Is that sort of idea helpful?

Books and magazines can be donated to both our local library and to a thrift store. I load those into my car, too, so they are ready to go.

Today my own goal is to clear off my kitchen counters since the turmoil of getting new appliances in, plus do dishes/load the dishwasher. I haven't had a working dishwasher in 4-5 years so it takes some getting used to, the idea that I actually now have a working one!

Happy Mothers' Day to all.

Good morning :)

Sunday. Extremely quiet here. Even the cats are being quiet too. A few birds cheeping in the garden.

After spending over a week asking him to please remove the panels from the evaporative cooler for me so I could clean them and get the cooler up and running, he did remove them around 7:20pm last night.
It was still light out so I got busy scrubbing panels and washed out the inside of the unit.

Yearly the cooler pads need to be replaced. He said he would buy them today.
He has been gone over an hour and I probably won't see him again till late this afternoon.

Avoidance.

He goes to a lot of trouble to not have to deal with or think about his hoard.

Anyways...
Today I will tend to the cats. Think about menu ideas.
5:00pm PST is ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP
At 8:00pm PST I must watch the SURVIVOR finale. :D

Everybody have a GREAT day today even if you are not a Mother. :)

I'm sorry Karl. :(

Doing the clean up all by yourself, using the 15 minute plan to keep from burning out and getting discouraged is for people who can take the time because they don't have any authorities breathing down their necks threatening them.

The TV program "HOARDERS" would always feature people who had a set deadline to get decluttered.
That is why they had a whole crew come in to do most all the physical labor.

Decluttering your own home all by yourself takes a very long time. Is physically, emotionally and mentally extremely hard work.
Looking at every item then having to make the decision to keep it or not, and if keeping it, where does it go?

Having even just one other trusted person there helping you stay focused gets the task done quicker.
They could help you declutter the average size hoarded livingroom in one week if they worked every day for 8 hours a day, taking regular breaks.

Is there anybody or any way you could hire a professional to help you do this?

Good luck and best wishes dealing with your landlords.

Inspection Day. The landlords came over, and of course my place was still cluttered. They weren't happy.

How long would it take a single person to clean up a living room, in 15-minute increments?