Hello, All!

SubC sorry you have a cold. I keep feeling like I'm coming down with something. Be sure to check with good will about textile recycling. My goodwill definitely does not want things with rips. I think I told you that at our hazardous waste day, there is a station for textile recycling.

Lila, here are my furniture suggestions, in no particular order.
1. Who, if anyone, uses the stereo? Is it time to let that go? I have a very nice wireless speaker and use that for music with my iPad. What does the stereo consist of?
2. Who, if anyone, watches the tv? Do you need it? If no one uses it, it might be time to let it go.
3.. Move the coffee table so it's not in the middle of the room. Put it closer to the sofa.
4. If the end tables' purpose in life is to hold junk, get rid of them. I would ask myself if I'm keeping them for a dream that will never happen (what if I have fifteen people over and they need a place for their beverage) when deep down I know that I'm not having 15 people over, ever. If they are junk holders, get rid of them. If you want end tables, try to find nesting tables. It will have the footprint of one table and yet can pull out a few extras when company comes over.
5. I'd get rid of one of the recliners. Much like the end table analysis, if your current needs don't include that many seating spaces, let a recliner go. Or the chair with the ottoman. OR even just the ottoman. You have a lot of pieces that allow people to put their feet up. Do you want that many people putting their feet up in your home? (You can laugh. I do not want people to be comfortable in my home. They can feel welcome and fed but not comfortable. They need to remember they have somewhere to be comfortable, namely, their home).

Your thoughts? Just shaking things up on a Saturday!

It's the Lonely Lila show today, but I am trying to be accountable and believing someone will read this at some point.

- did the cursory mop of the entryway and threw away the old dirty mop head
- mowed a patch of grass in the yard. It was overgrown and the bag got full and I am too tired to empty it. Will get son's help.
- made that phone call I was dreading, and they are going to call me later to discuss.

TIRED. But still plugging away because when I get a burst of motivation, I can't waste it.

REQUEST FOR SUGGESTIONS.

I have too much stuff in my living room and it has become a problem. Can some of you give me insights/suggestions? My brain is frozen on this.

When I got new (used/donated) furniture for my living room it seemed perfect. But now a recliner is shoved into the dining room because the baby swing got brought out for new grandTot. I don't feel like I can get rid of this nice, like-new recliner because 1) the baby swing will be back in the garage in a couple months, and 2) I want enough seating in the living room for when people or family come.

Living room is about 25 by 12, weird long rectangle with stupid built in bookshelves at one end and a fireplace at the other end.

In the room:
couch, loveseat, chair/ottoman, rocking recliner - All are staying!
Coffee table in the middle, hate it but need it.
3 end tables piled with junk. One has a printer on it or I would get rid of that end table. The others are too small for the printer.
Dog crate which takes up a lot of space but he needs to be in it when I'm gone or at night, and there is no where else for it.
TV on stand.
Tall lamp, and a smaller lamp on the end table. (opposite ends of room)
Tot's toybox
baby swing
File cabinet in the corner with a stereo on it
A couple toys, and containers of toys.

Plus that recliner in the dininer room that should be in here.

I would rip out the built in bookshelves if I could. Maybe someday. Help?

Serial post for accountability -

I got out the mop and bucket. The bucket was so dirty I had to wash it first. The mop is pretty bad as well, so I rinsed it out. Flled bucket with disinfecting floor cleaner and did a "cursory" mopping of the itchen/dining area. The bucket of water was dark brown.

I did not get under the table very far or move anything. I just mopped what I could see without worrying about edges etc. My son said he will vacuum when it is dry, and take the furniture out of the room.

Then I will throw away the old, dirty mop head (has not been changed in years, just washed a few times, so is gross). I found a brand new mop head I will put on it and use to mop the WHOLE floor with fresh water and cleaner.

Then entry also needs to be done the same way... cursory mop first, then clear things and vacuum, then a good mopping.

Honestly though I may wear out and do some of it tomorrow if I have to. I hope to get it done though.

omg!!! I have to share! I found the secret!!

I scrubbed the toilet 4x with various products - comet, Lysol bowl cleaner, Kaboom cleaner. Still the brown stains persisted, no matter how hard I scrubbed.

Then I cut a strip from a Scrub Daddy (smiley face round) sponge, sprinkled it with Bar Keeper's Friend, and it literally scrubbed the stains right off with almost no work!! The inside of the toilet bowl looks BRAND NEW! Wow! I am going to do this on the other toilets which have some minor stains.

I feel very accomplished now! I'm going to clean the outside of the bowl next, which should probably be fine with regular spray cleaner.

SubC, I'm happy the Daddy sheep is such a great little help!

The police sent me a letter, which said I had 7 days to comply, and to call them. I called and told them the appliance had been picked up a week ago, and the weeds are not on my property. I would go pull the weeds for neighbor, but it is beyond what I can handle. So I will go over today and let her know what's coming, to warn her, as she is a nice neighbor.

I LOVE your mom's way! omg, bringing her some gloves so she can come help me pull the weeds for the neighbor, hahaha, what would be great. I have to admit my first thought was like your dad, and in fact, I looked up all the codes thinking the second she has a code violation we could all start reporting her! How that would fix her wagon! But, that's not a very kind thing to do, so I probably won't, unless I see something blatant on an exceptionally grouchy day.

Now I have:
- went outside to try and mow the lawn but it was wet
- picked up all the dog poo in their area, which was a lot, because I have not done it. Took it all to the trash.
- fetched with my boydog. He liked that.
- got my clothes out of the dryer and folded, laid them out to hang up and will put them away soon.
- send son a text telling him I need his help with a few things when he is off work.
- scrubbed the toilet again but there are some kind of hard water? streaks. My tank is leaking slowly into the bowl and I don't know how to fix it, so that's probably why. I will look for a tough cleaner and scrub it again.

I think I will feed the dogs next, get myself a bite to eat, think about what to do next.

I meant this to be a 100% day off, but there is one stressful and unpleasant type call I have to make. I am dreading it but HAVE to do it today, before it's dinnertime.

What are you all doing today to make your situation better?

Thanks Lila,

So far the cold is not too bad.

The big Daddy sheep has been on several adventures today. Bean's Daddy is at a workshop, so the Big daddy sheep is helping him process that separation.

I really think I would invest in some locks for my kitchen cabinets. But you have to do what works best for you.

How did the police handle the weed complaint?

I think whatever I did would probably be the wrong thing, but I definitely would attempt to avoid her because I have no fake nice in me.

My mom would probably decide she is lonely and needs companionship and something to make her feel useful and productive, and then my mom would go over with brownies and invite her out to lunch and invite her to clubs and activities and service projects and drop by until the woman either got too busy to bother anybody or started avoiding my mom. (Including not reporting people because that would just bring my mom back.." Hey! The smiths had a complain about their bushes. Let's go over and trim them for them! I bought you gardening gloves! I hope they fit!")

My dad would start researching all of the regulations pertaining to the neighborhood at length, with the goal of reporting this woman every time she stepped out of line. He would also contact all of the neighbors that had been cited so that she would get six complaints called in ever time her trash can fell over or the bumper of her car overhung the sidewalk, or whatever. He would also try to learn all of the really annoying unsightly things that were legal so he could add one every time he got reported.

But then my mom would stop him and take the brownies.

I am more like my dad.

I wish I could come help you. It sounds like just sweeping, wiping, and vacuuming the spots you can reach would help a lot. The toilet is a good start! Just some clean spaces to rest your eyes on.

SubC, I hope your cold is mild and quick. The overalls for Bean sound sooo adorable! And I am happy he got the big sheep.

When I have clothing with holes, I take it to Goodwill, because it is said they actually use these for something. I can't remember what. I take good stuff to the small local thrift stores, as it feels like donating to a good cause.

We got a new neighbor down the street, a lady in her 60s, and she has been walking around the neighborhood reporting everyone for code violations. Small things, like someone's landscape bush died last month and they have not cut it down yet. Or someone has a weed in their yard over 6 inches high. Or if their trash can tipped over, she reports it for trash on the ground the same day, before they even have a chance to clean it all up. She reported me for having an appliance in my driveway for one week. I was waiting for the recycle guy to come and get it. Then reported me for some small, but spreading weeds that are actually on my neighbor's property, not mine. Our neighborhood is pretty well kept but not an hoa or anything. She needs to chill out. Maybe offer to help? Or give it a LITTLE time before reporting it to the police? Not sure how I am going to handle it but I met her the other day before I knew about this or who was reporting everything and she acted all innocent and nice. Do I stay the nice neighbor pretending I don't know? Tell her that's not how neighbors act? Tell her what a jerk she is? Probably not the latter because I bet she would look for even more ways to cause me grief.

hi Tatoulia and CM! Screened in porch sounds wonderful!

So far I:
- put my clothes in the washer
- took some trash out
- gave the master bathroom toilet a starting scrub, then doused it in Lysol toilet cleaner and let it sit. I will go scrub it again.
- Unloaded some of the dishwasher and put most of them in my bedroom. I hate doing this.
- washed a few pans and cookie sheets, washed out the sink

Then instead of making a fast food run, which is always a temptation, I cooked myself a nice, tasty breakfast of an egg, toast, homemade hash browns and coffee. I feel a little better.

Going to scrub that toilet.

hello friends. How has a week gone by again already? I don't like this pattern. I want to be stopping to think and act on my environment daily, not just on my day(s) off. I find it helps me to re-center if I come here, read, share.

It was a very busy work week, with lots of emotional drama that ran me into the dirt. I am past it now for the most part. I am taking today to be home and drink coffee and do things to make my life better. I even turned off my phone.

My home is in shambles. I don't know how it becomes so cluttered and dirty when I try hard. I have had a couple of bids on air conditioner repair this week, and as I had several men into my home to give the bids, I was very embarrassed and hyperaware of my home's condition.

Little piles of dog hair everywhere.
Every surface cluttered and covered in dust.
Walls have the grime of hands touching certain high touch areas.
Tile floors, entryway, kitchen laminate all have many dirty spots, spills, probably the worst it has been in over 2 decades.
Bathrooms terrible, master bathroom toilet embarrassing.
No clean dishes, broken stuff on the floors downstairs from Teen rages, windows dirty.
Fridge packed with food, probably 1/4 is no good anymore.

I need help. I would pay anyone, if I had enough money, to come in and help me. I would pay large sums to have it be someone who understands, won't judge me. I don't think there is anyone in my circle I could ask, and I don't trust professionals. I have almost begged my son to help me and he does some minimal things but is always working or sleeping. Teen does nothing but make huge messes and will not clean any of it up no matter the consequences. I stopped buying the foods they were making a huge mess with and they just moved on to some other thing to spill, leave out, waste...

Okay. My goal for today is to get something done and feel better about my situation by the end of the day.

Good morning!

Bean gave Dh a cold last week.

Dh gave me the cold.

Bah.

Late slow morning, but Bean and family are coming out to "do big works" on the farm.

Update later.

Dh and I went shopping.

He needed some fittings for a line on the tractor.

I got a new barn coat! (The old one is 13 years old and has rips through both the outer layer and padding and I noticed that it was definitely less warm this last spring.)

We also bought a pair of sturdy work overalls for Bean (they will need to be cuffed because we bought them sized up for two years of wear) and ...the big daddy sheep.

The guy running the register ran his hand over the overalls and said "Man. Nobody ever bought me carhartts when I was little." If they last as well as my coat did they should make it through half a dozen grandchildren. Wonder if I will have that many.

Now I have to figure out how to get rid of the old barn coat.

The screened in porch sounds so lovely! I'm sure you are looking forward to having that finished.

I have another day off. I haven't done a thing. Just the usual of getting the kitty box cleaned and the recycling out. On my third load of laundry. Just hanging out. Last night was nice and cool and I slept with the windows open and ceiling fan on, so that was really nice.

Nothing else to show for my day and I am in favor of this.

Hi CM,

My digestive system is functioning fine, it's just that all the musculature associated is sore.

Hopefully the doggies will respect the screens.

Good day at school.

Lots of positive interactions at the clay studio when I went to get glaze for my classes. I also bought a bag of dry glaze for myself (think cake mix) it was a fantastic bargain and I like the color and will use it.

SubC, do you have a good probiotic? Or maybe you get plenty from your homemade yogurt. I know that before my surgeries I went and got a bottle of the pricey kind with oodles of different types of probiotics in each capsule, and took them before and after. Because of what unspeakable things they required me to do to my poor innocent digestive system in preparation, need I say more. I wanted to give my system a head start rebuilding the GI biome.

I'm sitting in the living room with the computer listening to the sweet music of power tools on the porch. There has been painting going on, or will be soon. Doors are up on both ends, no screen yet. Roommate got both doors with doggie flaps, but the bewildered dog looked at it like ??? and just went out the front of the porch like "You humans be crazy." The animals are used to our shenanigans by now.

The cats are so opposite. Boy kitty is under the bed and that's that. Girl kitty likes to watch what's going on, and if we were to let her she'd be right out there with the guys and into everything.

I will get to my clothes soon, I promise. This morning I dressed summery and then went outside and decided I needed a hoodie! In between weather that changes over the course of a day is always a challenge. Right now, though, there are the guys coming inside to use the restroom and this and that, and my bedroom is right next to the tiny hallway, so I feel like if I tried to start a decluttering project in there (especially since I haven't solved the problem of where things are going to fit or what) I'd feel quite distracted and self conscious and probably end up making a bigger mess. We don't have too much longer to go on this project, I don't think.

My poor roommate went out earlier to walk her dog and got ANOTHER fraud alert text and has had to cancel, I think it was, the 5th credit card that she just barely got a chance to activate! This is getting ridiculous. They keep making charges on "a job search website" which when she called the credit card hotline they said it was Indeed. I don't know if Indeed is in on some scam or not. The lady also told her that somewhere there are lists of newly issued credit card numbers. We think maybe hackers are getting ahold of this list, since it just keeps happening repeatedly to her newly issued cards? I don't know if the FBI or who would be able or interested in pursuing this. Don't know if it's small time operators, or part of some bigger thing. Check your electronic banking frequently, ladies.

Once again, never a dull moment around this joint!

Good morning!

Coffee clinks!

Yay for a day off Tatoulia! Do you have any plans?

It's usually me. If someone lets students do things they apparently aren't supposed to do, but there wasn't a rule, and then we get a rule, it's usually me. Sometimes the kids ask if they can do something and I give them an answer like "I don't have the power to make that decision, but I can tell you that if you ask (director) she'll say no."

CM, it sounds like your house is coming together! I'm pleased by the idea of you having a nice screened porch to sit on. I know the new computer is shiny and exciting, but don't forget that you still have to live in the physical world. Find your clothes!

I ate normally yesterday and this morning my digestive system feels battered.

I had 5 kids out yesterday with the stomach bug and it's astonishing how unconcerned I feel about that. No big deal, they're just at home feeling horrible. They'll be back in a few days.. Pre-Covid I would have been preaching health and hygiene in every class. Now I'm just like - if they don't have the health and hygiene down by now, there's no point in bothering.

Hi Lila! I hope the work/life balance is improving!

Hi road! We miss you!

Well, at long last we have the bones of an enclosed porch on my roommate's house! The existing support beams I guess you call them - vertical wood pieces, will be the front, and the existing porch roof the roof, which now has a finished ceiling inside with a fan. Electrical outlets are in place. At either end is now the framing and doors of the ends. Each end has a door. Screen may get attached by tomorrow, making it officially enclosed.

There were some glitches as usual; our guy had two flat tires Monday and that day was a wash. But he and his sons have made good progress yesterday and today.

I've been working with my laptop some more, just at home. The library would be more ideal but I've made do. Discovered a thing or two about Windows 11 and Microsoft's insistence on trying to get you to login with a Microsoft account in order to do anything. I prefer the privacy and self containedness of a local user account. So what I'm doing is, I created a throwaway Outlook email just for this computer, and it doesn't even have my name on it.

But then I made a further discovery. I made the new account the administrator, and demoted the original account, and was going to just delete that one - but as it turns out, the file directories and the software weren't accessible to the new admin account! I mean, okay, I guess I can sort of see it re the files - but the installed software? 🤨 This is just new to me.

However, I was able to fix it with not too much trouble. Luckily I was still able to log back into the old account, copy the directories to my external hard drive, and then log into the new account and copy them there. Then go back and delete them from the old account. Also did these steps for my music, and my downloads (software).

It's a good thing I hadn't done more the other day at the library - not that it would've been an insurmountable problem, but it would've taken longer to redo. As it was, I had made my streamlining and reorganizing changes to the directory, and deleted many junk files. If I hadn't been able to copy the new version, I might've had to go through the process over, which would've been an aggravation.

Soon, though, this stage will be behind me, and I'll have such a slick, efficient computer that will be an absolute joy to work on. 💫💻💫

Yesterday I did a deep cleaning of the bunnies' cages, tiring but satisfying. The weather here looks to be steady in the 80s for awhile, unless the hurricane in Florida affects us. I hope my relatives and friends there, and everybody else, will be okay. In any case, so far the weather here is still what I consider plenty warm enough to keep wearing shorts, but I do need to start planning ahead to the time when I'm going to need easy access to my jeans and cooler weather clothes. Given the state of my room, that will pose certain challenges. 😬 At least I'm thinking of it ahead of the need. Too bad my new laptop doesn't have an app for that!

That's a sweet story, SubC. And I got a chuckle about the "this time it wasn't me."

I have tmr off. I'm pretty excited.

Good job tatoulia!

I agree those would be hard to resist!

Such a small amount of shredding, you could probably just toss it in with kitty's bag..

I keep making plans for my evening and not having the energy to follow through. I had a good day at school though.

And then I forgot to take the bags in to the grocery store to recycle and I forgot to buy Mayo.

Three things on my list:
Diet soda
Mayo
Almonds.

Diet soda was out of stock, I forgot the Mayo, and I impulse bought a more expensive bag of mixed nuts instead of the almonds because I was hungry. Managed to pick up several other items bringing me to $35.

Arg.

My director sent out a note to all the teachers asking them to contact the front desk if a student shows up to their class who is not on their roster. "Students should not be attending your classes if they are not on your roster." That wasn't even me this time!

I am still laughing about the former student I talked with this past summer. He is doing well in college. I told his "partner" (I'm old fashioned enough to want to say girl friend) about how he used to come to my room and play the guitar for my class when he didn't have anywhere else he needed to be - he was old enough for unaccompanied release and I just assumed he had a space in his schedule where he could leave for a long lunch or something if he wanted. I did ask him the first time "are you supposed to be somewhere?" And he said "no."

So I finish telling her this, and he blushes and says "actually, I was supposed to be in math." I said "(name)! you lied to me?!" And he said "sometimes I just needed a break."

I'm home from work and showered. Nearly 9PM. Stopped by for just a minute to see mom and drop off a turkey dinner for her.

House is so clean.

I'm trying not to be stressed at work.

I'm going to relax a bit. I resisted my downfall tonight. Brownies ala mode. I was at my favorite store (where I got mom's dinner) and I looked at their tasty brownies and I looked at the ice creams and I resisted.

Ps the amount of shredding is less than a shoe box so I don't know why I am carrying on so. I think I'm feeling overwhelmed with not having my own shredder. This is easily rectified.

Good thought process, SubC, although I am sorry you were upset. It's important to step back and remind yourself that you were dealing with an adult. Good angry work with canceling the subscription.

The papers come from a bag of papers that I don't know how it was gathered. And I tackled it. It's almost done. I have the pile with my taxes to go in my filing cabinet and some things of mom's. Not a big pile in the grand scheme of things, yet big for where I am now in my hoarding.

Have to get ready for work. Have a good day, everyone!

Good morning!

Tatoulia, what is the source of all this shredding?

I had a conflict with a classmate last night that upset me and made me come home a little early. I felt badly about whatever I had done to contribute to the situation. I talked to a friend on the way home who said that my words and behavior were not out of line. But I still wished I had kept my thoughts to myself. Then this morning I woke up with clarity - He is a grown man. His response was completely inappropriate. Full stop. I spend too much time with children.

I did not clean anything up yesterday unless you count taking some things off my shelf at the studio that I am unlikely to finish glazing (at least there, at least soon). Since they are currently in my car headed for my home studio, that seems unlikely to count.

I also remembered to get my pickle jar out of the staff fridge at the studio. And to cancel a subscription that I have not been using lately. Unfortunately all of those things are more a reflection of me being upset than of me being competent.

I did drop off the recycling.

My new sidewalk looks very nice.

I am almost ready for school today.

Hello, all.

I logged off my computer at 530 today. I had dinner at a friend's new place and he walked me home afterward. Really nice meal. Love his apartment. He used to live downstairs from me, many years ago.

Well I did some of what I'd hoped to accomplish with my coffee table. I'm shocked at how much shredding I have to do. Next shred day is November but I think I can go to the shred day at mom's bank. I do have some stuff to take to the office tmr.

I dont think the office shredder is as good as my old one. I think it does strips and not cross cuts and certainly not the microbursts I am used to. I'll take another look at it tmr. We have a shredding company for the work stuff but I'm not sure I should be using the bins for personal things. I'll make an assessment tmr.

I didn't see mom tonight. I'll take her the new phone tomorrow. I hope this one works. The last one didn't, and she's currently without a phone that works.

Time will tell.

Quick check in. I am home today, then in office tomorrow. Cleaners come tomorrow. I have a lot of papers on my coffee table. I need to find them homes or get them ready for shredding.

Sounds like you had some fun times with your grandson. I'm sorry your husband is working so much. Before BF sold one of his businesses, he worked 7 days a week til 11 PM. Just this AM he asked me if I could remember when all he wanted was one day off.

Very quiet here yesterday.

Bean and I did not clean up our toys.

I go back to school today, and find that I do not care. Nor am I currently prepared. I wish that I could just stay home and have Bean here again to see the concrete. He had such a good day yesterday. When I put him in his car seat to take him back to Dd, he said "no, no, no." And then he wrapped his little arms around me and wailed "Grammie wants to keep (Bean)!"

I told him Grammie always wants to keep Bean, but mommy and daddy miss him and want him to come back to daddy's house. (He says he and Dd live "at daddy's house"). He was fine once he actually saw his mama.

I didn't sleep well last night. Dh and I are on very different schedules at the moment. Also his current work schedule is awful. He worked from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. yesterday with just a few short breaks. He ate his meals at his desk while he worked.

His whole week will apparently be like this. He does get overtime pay currently (that comes and goes at his job) so he says this will help pay for the tractor/sidewalk, but it is not sustainable!

I am going to try to remember to drop the recycling off today.

Serial posting.

Sidewalk is laid out and ready for concrete tomorrow.

Unfortunately Bean will miss that part.

I did work a tiny bit in the basement. I put a handful of bits and pieces in the trash can. I also found some really old canned food (jam we didn't like) that got hidden in the pantry cabinets- like 11 years ago. Actually, I think I've found that before but forgot it before I finished feeding it to the chickens. I'll try to do better this time. It still has to go a little at a time to keep their diet balanced. Anyway, 4 jars in the dishwasher.

Good morning!

Bean woke up before six crying because he thought papa was driving the big orange tractor (without him).

I convinced him that papa and the tractor were both sleeping, but he wanted to get up and play with the train. We have Irish tea bread in the oven. He will take an early nap!

I did my ten things last night - there are hundreds of little bits, but for now it is a start.

I might work in the basement while Bean naps today.

Oh, I forgot to say - Tatoulia, you made me so happy that you are giving your mother's beautiful wool clothes another chance instead of popping them in the recycling. Vintage styles can be really popular. You might try something like poshmark if Etsy doesn't work out for you. I don't know that they give you much, but like half price books, it's a good way to pass resources on.

The kids went out to dinner at a friend's house in this direction, so they are going to bring Bean and tuck him in here - which means I don't have to rush out in the morning.

I have 24 quarts of applesauce, 5 pints of frozen custard, one pint of dried beans, one pint of dried tomatoes, and four quarts of weak apple juice to show for my weekend. The apple juice needs to be cooked down more for jelly.

Fruit is soaking to make tea bread in the morning and I have only one dirty pot and one dirty mug.

I put the plastic tray from the cookies I used in the custard in the trash bag even though I could possibly wash it and set it aside and save it until I found a place to recycle it (the old place stopped.) this is the only place I can say things like that, because I know they sound insane, but it is so HARD!

I need to go take care of ten pieces of the moop that I stashed when I cleaned off the counter. That is my goal, ten a day.

I'm so happy for your date night, SubC! The donut didn't bother me at all! The kindness in your words touched me.

My BF is finally showing some momentum on his house. It's good to see him taking advantage of the hazardous waste days. I also noticed that in October, my mother's bank is doing a shred day and we can bring two boxes. He already has one ready to go.

I gave BF my grandfather's beautiful, nearly pristine 1940's leather suitcase. As I sorted through the clothes, I pulled out a few of my mother's dresses that I think I can wear after losing weight. All the Pendleton wools I put into the textile recycling bag for yesterday. But then i thought, why not have everything dry cleaned and look into selling a few pieces on Etsy? So we put the bag in the trunk of my car. I've never sold on Etsy but it would be worth it to me to see what's possible. These dresses are so beautiful. There's a floor length skirt that is wool and pleated and I remember my mother wearing it at Christmas parties. So I'll spend some time seeing what is possible in that front.

Hello CM! I'm glad that some things are getting done around the house! Good work!

Good morning!

Slept late because we were out late last night. Also just seem to still need more sleep. I'll need to be up early for Bean tomorrow.

CM and Tatoulia, it seems like we were all posting at the same time last night. I didn't see yours until mine was up.

Tatoulia, I'm sorry I was bragging about my donut when you are trying to cut back on your treat. You story reminded me of a time when my parents ran into a "girl" they went to high school with. Afterwards my dad said "wow, she got old and fat!" My dad is old and fat, so I said "whose talking?" And he said "yeah, but she used to be really good looking."

CM, I'm glad your roof is fixed! The financial stress of things like that is why we are trying to do a lot of big projects now. There is a two year window between when he wants to retire and some other income starting, so he will work into that gap if he needs to to make sure we can pay everything off. Then when he retires we'll be in a really good place.

Good job managing your purchases at the doll show and half price books! I love half price books. Books and Dolls! I used to go to doll shows with my grandmother. We had the best time. One year she took me and my cousin. My cousin wasn't as much into dolls, but she bought us each one doll from the show. My cousin had no trouble deciding on a Sasha doll (which I think she sold not too long ago at a good profit!) but I was torn three ways. I finally decided. Then unknown to me, my grandmother went back and bought the other two - one that was basically the same as my doll with very different clothes to keep at her house, and one for my Christmas. I have all three now.

Applesauce today and trying to keep moving forward.

Oh dear,

But I care! I am counting on you to make a nice home for my friend Lila!

Also wonderful memories for tot and acorn!

Somewhere near you there is probably a young person who would love to learn to can who has no one to teach them.

My date ended with a donut! There is another one for breakfast too!

We talked a little about retirement. Dh current goal is 25 months, but he doesn't know if we'll be able to hit our financial goals to do that. The economy is so volatile right now!

And we have a lot of big expenses scheduled or planned. Monday we are finally getting the wooden boards and steps in front of our house replaced with a front walk and concrete! I will not miss the slippery boards this winter!

Good to hear from you again, Lila 🙂

Finished a crazy first full week of my roommate's retirement. More going on than she or I had envisioned.

Had the guys coming to do work on the porch and then other things came up, so it was a good chance for my roommate to get them done while the guys were here. Like putting a pump that takes water condensation from the air conditioner so it doesn't accumulate where it shouldn't and potentially ruin the entire AC.

The roofing company also came and patched the worrisome leak which I don't know if I had mentioned was located above my bedroom. If it had gone unchecked whenever we actually got much rain (and though mostly we've been in a tree killing drought there have been a couple of rain spells), I would've had some of my books and other stuff ruined and a horrible upset of trying to clean up a mess in that already too messy room.

It's meant some added expenditures for my roommate and that's a rather nerve wracking way to begin retirement. I hope things will settle down for her. We each have our reasons for wanting to rebuild our personal finances.

I have been shopping less, though today I spent a little on fun stuff. Roommate came with me to the annual doll show I go to, so she could look at handcrafted doll clothes as we get ideas for collaborating on making and selling some. I didn't buy any dolls though, just a couple of vintage Barbie patterns.

After that we went to Half Price Books, which was more dangerous. I've really been steering away from buying books as I said, but today I bought one, a science book (college textbook) on Developmental Biology that caught my eye. I like learning that stuff, both as background for my sci-fi writing and just because it's fascinating. The price was very reasonable, albeit it's a 2010 edition but the basics are still valid for someone like me who hasn't read tons on the subject.

Also bought a DVD. But I resisted making any purchases from the sci-fi section and it had some cool books. Library, CM, library. And my roommate was wanting to leave though we'd only been through about a third of the store. So I agreed because that was wise, in a rare display of maturity, lol.

I do want to be good, though, because I will be enjoying my new computer - it runs like a dream - and I'll enjoy it all the more if I feel like I have been able to work it into the budget without breaking the budget.

Oh, one last thing before I post - Lila, I have thought about people reading this section of the website and I sometimes worry that I have overshared. I know nobody knows who I am, but I hope not too many people are reading what I write. But whoever does read it, well, I guess I just hope it helps them or if it amuses them I hope they are laughing with me not at me! 😉

Hi everyone. Although I don't eat fast food, my weakness is ice cream. And for the past week, I have successfully avoided it. That's big for me. I tend to visit my mother at night and then I stop to buy ice cream and cookies on my way home. Last week a minimally housed person I've known for years shouted, hey, you got really fat. I took it well and told her I'm afraid the weight she's lost found it's way to me. Then some drunk guy tried to get in on the action so I had to walk the long way home so I wouldn't pass them.

The point of the story? Not sure there is one but for the last week, as I've gone to mom's, I have not bought any ice cream. So I will share in your struggle to avoid going places to get ice cream while you try not to stop in the fast food places, Lila. I'll think of you for when I start to feel weak.

I'm back and dreaming of fresh applesauce.

I chilled out more today. I baked some cookies (had frozen dough in the freezer), deleted a bunch of emails to make space in my account, and transferred a lot of info from my old planner to my new one. Watched some videos. Now I feel a bit better. But nothing really got decluttered.

That all sounds so good SubC. I used to have a 1/2 acre garden plus wild blackberries around the bark years ago when my kids were little. It was a joy doing all that prepping and canning, trading produce with neighbors, preserving for winter. I miss it. Now part of me feels like my life is a waste. I used to have purpose with little kids who needed me and a husband. Now I look around and no one cares what I do at home. My only real purpose is volunteer work, which is probably why I throw myself into it. It brings me happiness. Being home struggling against the clutter, dirt, brokenness in my house, and my own weight and pain, it is not fun. I want this to change so I am trying to change my health/weight and the condition of my home.

I am trying to get things done but not having much luck. Feeling uneasy and slightly pressured about tomorrow.

So far I:
- took the dog out to play fetch
- cleaned up part of the dog yard
- made teen a sandwich that they then ate 3 bites of, complained, and threw in the trash
- got to 2 items cleared from the bar/counter

I think baked potatoes in the fridge are a good idea. I have sweet potatoes and a recipe for the instant pot that claims to make them really creamy and good, so maybe I will try it.

Applesauce is Jonathan, Cartland, and McIntosh.

They just started picking melrose and I'd love to go back for some of those snd some law Rome later.

I bought gala and grimes Golden for eating.

I've got 9 quarts canned - peels and cores in the fridge for possible jelly later. I might try some jalapeño jelly this year - my peppers are doing well.

I also got two batches of custard cooked and cooling in the fridge to go in the ice cream maker tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a much bigger applesauce day - I did between 1/4 and 1/3 of the apples today.

Lila, can you make yourself a batch of healthier baked goods and freeze them? It's much cheaper.

I slice up the cucumbers right away and put them in a container in the fridge with vinegar and pepper so that Dh will just eat them for a snack. Same thing with apples sprinkled with lemon.

Bake a couple of potatoes and leave them in the fridge? They reheat in the microwave in minutes and are just as good as French fries.

Gotta go get ready for my date!

SubC, you're right, I have been trying to eat better for my health. I will talk about it here because maybe bringing it into the light will help.

I find myself, after a busy or stressful meeting or day, immediately thinking on the drive home, "what do I want? what am I craving? what sounds good?" I have to drive past many fast food chains on the way home, and a drive thru is so quick. I have stuck to being vegetarian, but there are many vegetarian junk foods. French fries from McD are vegetarian. Iced coffee with soy milk is, too. And on and on. I was trying to avoid dairy but sometimes I crave cheese, or fried food, or sugary things. It is hard when you can get a bakery item easily at a drive thru. So I make excuses. "Well I am not eating burgers or sausage anymore." But that is not enough.

And then the home produce gets old and not as appetizing. I sorted the fridge this morning and had to toss some things that went bad. I could have been eating fresh cucumbers, cabbages, tomatoes and squash instead. But that is more work and I don't really crave it.

So, for my health, AND for my budget, I am already starting today at eating what we have on hand. There is enough stuff here for a week without having to buy anything else (but the kids do not agree). If I do need to get anything, like bread for their sandwiches or milk for them, I will only use a gift card. I have a couple of grocery store gift cards. I have a coffee gift card and a pizza gift card someone gave me. I will use those if I need a quick dinner when my kids are coming over for pizza. I will use the coffee card sparingly and when it is gone it is gone.I'll try to save it for when a friend wants to go to coffee together.

Well, here is what I did this morning:

- washed a couple dishes
- wiped the counters and table again to make sure they stay clean
- took Teen's trash out for them and left a new empty bag in their room
- sorted the fridge a bit
- took a few things downstairs

I think I will attempt 100 things again today, focusing on the bar/counter which is very bad.

But mainly, I have to prepare for a conference tomorrow which includes a long drive. Today I need to sort the piles of (clean) clothes in my room to find something to wear tomorrow, and write up what I am saying in my speaking engagement.

What kind of apples for your sauce, SubC?

Ps hazardous waste day was terrific! Bf gave them his first computer to recycle! I forgot my electronics (mainly cords and an old mouse). He also brought the battery for his alarm system. All in all a very successful time together. Such a solid program. One more time this year, in November.

Wow! Lila! You are doing so well! I'm glad you feel peaceful about having a day off and having a clean area for family to come over.

I did no spend sept and I'm doing no spend October. I honestly cannot remember if august was no spend. It may have been. What that means to me: no purchases of stuff because it's cute, on sale, etc. I can get groceries. Planned into my budget is meals from the deli on the days I go into the office. That comes to about 15 each time with tip. I get the same salad with the same protein and the same seltzer each time. My house cleaners are also budgeted items. I refuse to fall victim to buying something to buy it. I unsubscribe from all emails from Eileen fisher and Talbots and other shops. The daily emails about this sale or that sale are not helpful. I stay off of Etsy. If there's something I do every year, such as a lecture or a concert or sending flowers for a birthday, I can still do that. It's the useless stuff I avoid. My pocketbook is much healthier now because of my no spend. How do you envision it? Once a week takeout maybe? Let me know and I'll join with SubC to support you!

I will probably allow some spending in November for my mother's Christmas gifts. I have no idea what to get bf this year as we've put all our effort into transitioning out of the business.


SubC I am excited about your concert tonight! Will be nice to get dressed!

Yay for hazardous waste and shredding day!

Lila, I'm glad you got to have a nice dinner with your family! That is scary about your bank account though.

I know you were already trying to avoid the fast food for your health - what can we do to help make the process easier?

Today is applesauce day and Dh and I have our first concert of the season tonight. I am looking forward to dressing up for something that isn't a funeral.

Apparently deer season has started. Dh friend is out in the woods this morning.

Good job with the shredding outside the home, Tatoulia! Very good way to handle it.

I need to do a No spend October. I have been so busy and I got a notice that I had under $100 in my bank account!!!!! Looked and was a bit horrified at line after line of fast food, coffee shops, pizzas being delivered, wow. It adds up and I am ashamed of it. So wasteful. I am not doing it anymore! Plus I can't afford it.

So my family came over and we had a very nice dinner together at a CLEAN table in a vaccumed home with clean counters. It was very good. They stayed a couple hours. After they left, I wiped down the counters and loaded the dishwasher. I forgot to wipe the table off but I will do that before I go to bed.

I am quite pleased with myself. I am surprized how rested and happy I am from just being home for a day and not doing ANY work related anything! I am going to be sure to take my days off more seriously!

Ladies! You are fantastic! Wow! Great team work and great individual work!

SubC I am glad you found a substitute and that you stayed home today. Lila! Great fun having you back! Look at you!

I'm tired. I'm working a bit then going to bed. Tmr is hazardous waste and shredding day.

Btw I am thrilled with no longer having a shredder. I can get it all done between work and the city days. And if I can't, I'll get a new shredder.

Nice job Lila!

Bean and family called to see how I was doing and I got to show off my clean counter.

All the clean laundry is put away except what is in the dryer.

Dh made dinner and the dishes are in the scullery sink, but I will empty the dishwasher and load them in the morning.

I am still very tired.

Dh appreciated all the work I did today.

Final update before dinner:

I hit 100 items! Whew! Then the last few things on the kitchen table got moved onto the bar counter for now.

A few items I forgot need to go to my car or downstairs so when I get up again I will do that. Then I will wipe off the table. Then will vacuum. Then will probably use a swiffer to spot clean the floor.

Then will wipe down the kitchen counters so there is a clean place to prepare the food.

Wow, a good day, I am tired but got a lot done and now I get to enjoy my family including my little Tots.

A basket, hmmm. That might work. I will look around and see what I have. Thanks.

I like to imagine sometimes, that there are invisible people who never speak, who come and read our posts every day. Maybe there is even someone researching hoarding behaviors, or writing a book about it, and they come and study us, reading and re-reading our every post. I don't know why that appeals to me. Maybe just to have our hidden faults known and not disdained. To make sense out of our chaos.

I am at 82 items now. The kitchen table is much better, but still couldnt eat on it quite yet. I keep sitting down to rest because it is getting a bit draining to keep looking at things and trying to find a place for them.

My trip was delayed, so that gives me more time to get things done before dinner. I have about 2 hours left before people arrive. I asked son to vacuum for the past week and he has been 'too busy' or whatever so there is dog hair everywhere. I guess I will get out the stick vac and get going on it. It is light enough for me, but the bin is tiny and has to be emptied several times when no one has vacuumed for awhile. I kind of hate vacuuming, but I need to do it so hair is not floating around when we are trying to eat.

Okay. I am pushing myself now. I am going to bag up the items going into my car and take them out (I already counted them) and put a box in the trash and then get those last 18 items done.

Lila, do you have a basket? You could put the brushes in a basket next to the fireplace or near the door to the deck. Or under the end table.

I have three trays of tomatoes plus two trays of beans and a tray with a few extra beans in the dehydrator.

My second load of laundry is ready to go in the dryer.

The sub did not send me cute pictures and videos of my afternoon classes. She sent me a note after school that she was very thankfully able to get an aide to help with them and that I have my hands full.

I am drinking a chocolate milk. Then I will wipe off the empty kitchen counter, put my glass in the dishwasher and start it, and switch over the laundry.

It turns out I am a very competent person. I am just letting a bunch of little kids suck the life out of me.

another update post, for accountability -

I am up to 75 items put away or tossed. Now it's down to the hard stuff.

For example, I have several dog brushes. Some work better for one dog over the other. Some work better for the longer parts of the coat, some for the shorter. I already got rid of any duplicates and such that I wasn't using. I think I have 4 brushes on the kitchen table. But I don't have a "home" for them. I used to keep them on the shelf of the living room end table, but they look like clutter there. Then I put them on the fireplace mantle, but again they are clutter. We brush the dogs in the living room or on the deck off the dining room so I need to keep them where son and I can get to them easily. Not sure what I am going to do with them.

I am having lunch and then will go try and get to my goal of 100 items.

update - it took me 15 minutes to clear 40 things! That's not bad. What a good challenge, SubC.

Admittedly, it was all the'easy' things (almost all from the kitchen table). Putting things that have a home into their home, and throwing things out.

What's left has me stumped, so I took a break to clear my head. There are some things to be put in my car, some things to go in Teen's room (they are asleep), and many homeless items that are not for donate.

I forgot to note that this morning I also worked on decluttering my inbox, which had about 650 emails in it, and now has 480. I will do more with that later as well.

Thanks SubC. Our dialogue is so helpful!

I saw an empty box on the table and walked around picking up random trash on desks etc, mail packaging etc and then found another box, went down to the back patio and found a couple things to add. Got a bag and went in the garage and got a few small things. It was not enough to fill the bin but it was something.

The neighbor next door, new 2 years ago, used to keep the "in between" strip between our driveways nice. Or rather, the grandma did. It is their property. I paid to have my side paved over because I could not keep up with the weeds. I suggested they also pave their side but no luck. Anyway their grandma moved out and now that strip is a trash patch. I hate it. I do pick up some trash and put it in my bin but I can't keep up with it. Their kids throw water bottles, wrappers etc on the ground. Now their weeds are growing like giant octopusses (octopi?) with arms all over my driveway. I waited quite awhile to see if this couple would take care of it or send their three kids (old enough to help, ages approx 8 through 14). But no. I cannot pull these weeds, it is too much. So today I took my big sweep broom out and swept all the weed arms, bits of trash, etc back into the strip of weeds and off my driveway. I know that sounds crappy. Not a very neighborly thing. But it is their trash and weeds, I have picked up all I can, the guy who lives there looks in good shape and I really think they should do it. I hesitate to say anything because the mom is emotionally the freaking out type. So enough rant - now my driveway looks nice and neat, even if that strip is there. I am considering putting a little landscaping wall at the edge of my driveway so it is clear that is not my trash patch, and to keep my area neat.

I also:
- unloaded and loaded the dishwasher again
- took out my bathroom trash

I am going to try the 100 things, SubC. Surely there are enough things on the kitchen table alone! I will report back. Hope to see more posts what everyone is doing!