I am in such despair right now, just feel like such a failure. Got letter back from dentist and he said he did not pull wrong tooth or break other tooth and I will no longer be able to get care from him. I ripped out a bunch of dead vines as I processed it. It was so clear to me why I isolate, failing in relationships over and over and the pain and hopelessness after every failed attempt. I felt like why even try anymore, so sad. Then I read your posts, LR so nice you spoke of isolation, made me feel less alone and a little less hopeless. I never learned people skills, and may never learn them well enough to communicate without blowing it. I can see why the hoard gave me a reason not to be out with people, shame of hoard, and they might find out. truth is the shame of saying things harshly made me choose stuff over people, I have been beat up and hurt so much over my life, that is what I know. Even though I think I have improved and wrote carefully to the dentist, the response was a clear indication of my failure once again. I feel really sad and not sure what to do to feel better. The rest of the story, I thought I could dog sit 2 dogs from different homes, well they hate each other and I have to keep them separate at all times, which has taken hours to figure out ways that they can't get at each other, the bigger one has knocked down fencing and barriers to get at the smaller one, smaller one is more vicious.
so of course I think it is my fault, if I was a better person they would get along, no way, I have really done everything right to make them both feel loved and at home. I have so far succeeded but will never do this again, one dog at a time. Also poor sleep last night due to 2 dogs and tooth pain. and to think, I was on top of the world a few days ago and today I feel like life is too hard to go on

Hullo! Yesterday I was so glad to read about all your doing and this morning too. Diane and Roxie, I'm so glad you guys are focusing on harmful spiders and know which are the ones to look out for. Spiders freak me out as do bees but I've made it a point to know my enemy. I find it admirable that many of you have a no kill policy when it comes to these fascinating but fearsome little beasties.
One thing many of you may not know is that the Giant House Spider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider is often confused with Brown Recluse and can actually be a benificial spider to find around your home as they compete with and often deter Brown Recluse from their territory.
Tillie, please be careful near those wasps. Depending on the species you may be in trouble dealing with them. paper and mud wasps are fairly easily dealt with just by removing the nests, but if it's a yellow jacket (ground wasp)you should be aware they will swarm and bite/sting en masse. Bald faced Hornets are also scary to deal with if you have them there as well.

Yesterday I didn't do much, but i did get the bathroom cleaned out and planned my attack on the house for today, unfortunately it's much stow n go, but it's only for the weekend. Good luck to all of you and I hope to see you Sunday night :)

Good morning :)

WAY TO GO!!! everybody for making plans and getting so much accomplished!!! :D

Even just thinking about things is accomplishing.
Everything first starts in our selves, our thoughts & emotions.
Then we can start to make them happen in our lives.
Until we first imagine them, they cannot happen.

Sometimes people come here and refuse to accept any of our help. They spend a lot of time and energy coming up with excuses as to why they cannot even attempt to try any of our suggestions.
They just want us to validate all their excuses.
It becomes very tiring and frustrating.
They leave us with only one option, "tough love".
We tell them the unvarnished truth about their constant denial and refusal to help themselves.
So very sorry if this offends anybody here, but they really do need to hear it.
Maybe someday they will accept it. (((hugs)))

Taking today very slow.
The muscles in my legs are very sore and tight and I walk funny now.
The wasp sting has half my arm swollen, red & itchy even though I am loaded with Benadryl.
Finally decided it will not get cold enough any more to need my down comforter so I washed it and have it out drying on the line.
Need to do kitty related stuff.
Going to write up a grocery list so I will be ready if I get to the store tomorrow.
Have a book to read today.
My plan for this weekend is to force him to raise the hoods on all his vehicles so that I can kill all the wasps that are nesting in there.
You can see them all going in and out of those locations.
Last weekend he refused to do this but I am very serious now.

Keep up all the Great Work :)

Good morning, everyone.

Following up from yesterday: I didn't work in my BIT book as planned, nor did I get my laundry dried. I will move both of those plans to today. I did run dishwasher, washed more clothes, made my doc appointment, got prescriptions filled, and I did a lot of reflecting on some things my doc and I discussed. (My "isolating" came into the discussion.) Because my doc is truly a family doctor and has been my doc off and on for over twenty-five years, he has seen me in life periods when I was much less of an isolated person. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what contributes to my isolation (it isn't all just my "stuff," although my "stuff" contributes to it) and what I am and am not doing to move back out of isolation. Maybe I'll write some later on that topic in the "spirituality" thread.

Tillie, one of my fond childhood memories is being at my grandparents' house out in the country and being around their evaporative cooler. I get "warm" feelings thinking about your "cooler."

Plans for today: Pay some bills, get laundry dried and put away, meet with some people at noon today, work in my BIT book for at least 15 minutes, spend at least ten minutes on organizing my paperwork, add to my gratitude list, and review my "plans for the week" that I wrote out several days ago. As with certain other days this week, I may have to adjust my plans, depending on how I am feeling physically. (That's OK.)

I'm glad that you share your days and your wonderful self with us, Roxie. Lots of hugs. As a small side note, I'm glad you're going to look into those masks. I think that wearing masks more often has helped me with all kinds of physical things lately (headaches and allergies, especially). I need to keep that in mind today.

Hugs to all.

HI :D

After all those hours spent yesterday doing yardwork my body hurts.
lol
Anyways, got up early again today, took aspirin with my tea, dressed, put on sunscreen, hat and long sleeve shirt over my dress and went back out there.
Pruned low hanging branches from trees, trimmed the mountain laurels, fertilizer & compost to everything, watered everything.
My body still hurts, but only when I move.
Came back inside about noon and did stuff in here then took a shower and washed my hair.
Then did three loads of laundry, dried it on the clothes line, folded & put it all away.
It got hot here today.
Late afternoon we got the evaporative cooler up and running. Nice :D
Had my dinner all made up already and in the fridge.
Rice seasoned with curry, sausages and mixed vegetables.
Lounging here in my bed all made up with freshly washed, sun dried linens. :)
I am exhausted.
Oh Yeah, made a point of finding out what channel & time Dr Phil is on here.
Watched it. Wanted to educate that woman's children and wanted to punch that husband.
Taking tomorrow off. Would do a pedicure if I could bend over without pain. lol
Almost falling asleep at the keyboard.
I am happy, I got to go outside finally. :)

Ok..trying this again....
Hello to....my helpful, enouraging caring and fun friends.

Well I am finally back on the boards again.
Tuesday night I made a start at packing up my Easter Village decoration that were on my dining room table. Wednesday I also spent sometime on them.
Today I finished packing them and took them to their place in the basement. Now my brass and glass dining room table is all cleared and clean :)
Today I cleared and cleaned the brass and glass coffee table that is in the living room. Then from under the table I took 4 pair of shoes and 1 pair of boots and put them upstairs in the closet. Also washed 2 loads of laundry.

Yesterday I completed the finishing touches on the fish aquarium(it is located in a corner of the dining room)and I am enjoying it very much now:) I am hoping that this will keep me motivated to reclaim more and more of my dining room, but of course a little bit at a time and reclaim more of my living room a little bit at a time.
Today(it's 9:30-Central right now) I would like to get my dishes washed, that have been setting for a week. My plan is to wash them during the commercials...I have done them that way many times.
Live..Laugh..Love..I'll be back tomorrow...?

Bummer billie.T
I called and made dental appt. First available was 8am June 2nd.
It is hot today so been just hanging out. Turned on Dr. Phil and saw the last 1/2 of hoarder woman, with her family who tried to "help" then went to Dr. Phil.com and read the transcript of first 1/2 of show. Startling how much I could relate to her thinking. She likes to "fix" things so has lots of stuff to make into other things, sees herself as creative. Has trouble throwing anything away. Looking at her house, I could clearly see that it was mostly junk, hope it will help me see my junk as junk. A hoarder can rationalize lots of reasons to keep stuff, all the possibilities----. She is a dentist and works at home, in a 9,000 square ft house. I have a 900 sq ft home, but much of her thinking was so familiar. It was emotional seeing how sick our thinking is about the potential creativity.

Well Crap! I had just spent a good part of an hour composing a quite lenthy post on here and OOPS!...it did not go through. So I am going to write it down on paper first before I try again....

Bad tooth ache again today, have I called to make an appt? No of course not, my goal today is to make appt. Have not heard back from first dentist, was trying to wait until he responded, but must just go to 2nd dentist.
weird morning, I am so used to having to pick stuff up before people come over, but did that yesterday. Feel a little lost with time to relax before friend comes over at 2pm. Did go into a bedroom, did very little, felt overwhelmed, shut door. Next time in will have to take timer, no way can I face that mound without knowing 15 minutes and I can leave it.
Finally took shower and washed hair, way overdo.
2 loads laundry today, one is spinning now, then will hang out.
I really dislike making appts, but I will when I sign off.
Nice hearing from you this morning, health problems can really interfere as stated by others. Cant imagine not being able to breathe, so sorry you have to deal with it.

Good morning, everyone! Following up on last night: I did get a bit more work done on my BIT book tasks, and I got the dishwasher almost ready to run (ran it this morning). Hit the sack early to make sure I could make morning doc appointment today (routine appointment).

Part of my plans for today are to find a particular paper I want to take with me to my morning doc appointment (it's within a foot or two of a certain area, so I don't have too much searching to do to find it), add to my gratitude list, get some more clothes dried and put away, and work a little more in the BIT book. I may alter the schedule later on once I see how things go (and how long things go) at my doc appointment.

Roxie, I relate to the thing about having people in and out. In the past, one sure-fired way to fire up my cluttering behaviors has been to get isolated. On the other hand, the more people I have in and out, the more I clean. That being said, though, I realize that in the past, one thing that led to things getting disorganized was trying to rush and "hide" my piles of clutter before company would come. Since I didn't pull the clutter back out of its new "hiding spot" right away after the company left, I might later forget where I'd stashed it. That contributed to things getting lost/misplaced/disorganized. So I think it's more fair in my case to say that things got cleaner when more people were in and out, but having people in didn't necessarily in and of itself reduce my actual clutter level . . . for me. Hmmmm . . .

Hugs to all.

I had a very sweet gift from the man this morning. He had been up all night as usual, cooked food and all as usual, but this time he did all the dishes and put them away. I hope he keeps doing that. It's nice to wake up to not dishes. Does this mean I have to face my table now? Noooooooooooooooo But really yes it does and Tillie has spurred me on to do it and it must be done anyway. I do have some errands today so it might not happen yet because I need a good block of free time(what is that) to work. Coffee time and good morning to all:)

Apparently I haven't posted in days. Hullo All, I'm sorry I missed last night's chat and hope to be back Sunday Night. things have suddenly gotten a lot more crazy. I made all that progress but then stalled hard these last few days. I have lots of excuses but the truth is I just feel like crap sometimes.
today I got a call from the real estate agent who's selling the house and she has to hold an open house this weekend. it seems like everytime i think no one else is going to be in here someone else shows up who's involved with the selling.
there are boxes of stuff everywhere and I'm just bloody tired. Last weekend we went to look at an apartment and decided against it. everytime we look at apartments we get frustrated by policies that are just aweful. Mostly pertaining to Cats which we have two of that are absolutely not parting with us :/ My mother is also in Denial of my problems and that's fun trying to explain to her that it really is a problem and not some minor quirk.... gah. on the upside i finally got a new pair of shoes. cute too.
Yesterday I started paring down my yarn collection.... i threw out some stuff and today i've determined not to keep anything too small for a project, too worn or old to make a saleable project from or anything I just don't like. wish me luck. Goodnight folks, may you all have a good day tomorrow

Hi, everyone. Wow . . . lots of posts! I have so much I'd like to comment on, but for time's sake, I won't for now (except to say that I did have a LOL moment reading your list, Candy). Here's my personal LOL moment. I was scrolling down to refresh my memory about the goals I posted for today (to see which ones I still needed to finish). I couldn't find them! Then I remembered that something came up after I wrote them out, and I never did post them! Here goes:

Yesterday didn't go quite as planned. (That's turning out to be a theme for me lately.) I did get a fair amount done yesterday morning: a little work on my BIT book exercises, a decent amount of paperwork, and another thing or two. While I was out and about midday, I started feeling kind of under the weather. Came home, took a late afternoon nap and woke up just in time for the chat. (Yea!) Felt better by then. Decided some of my planned goals would have to be shifted to today or tomorrow.

If I'm feeling well enough today, I plan to work on my kitchen (clean some countertops, unload dishwasher, etc.). I'll also see which of yesterday's undone goals I can work on today. I am getting together later today with friends, so my time frame for working on things is a little more uncertain than on other days. I'll hold my plans kind of loosely today.

When it comes to spiders, I found an interesting technique a few years ago. Yes, I do sometimes do the glass with cardboard thing. Let me say up front that I don't always rescue spiders, but sometimes I do. Either way, it scares me when they run fast, and I definitely don't like to step on them (on them or on any kind of bug, really). I learned years ago that if a spider is in the sink or bathroom or something and I want to immobilize it, I can spray shaving cream on it. That often keeps the spider in place until I can relocate it to wherever.

Hugs to all.

Already Wednesday, and my dog friend is here with me. When his owner took a tour of all the work I have done in yard and deck and inside she was very amazed, helped me see how much progress I really have made. She noticed many artsy touches I forgot I did recently, since her last visit. It was very nice to have her appreciate how much better everything is, except off limits rooms. She kept saying, there is so much more room now.
From 7am-1pm I cleaned kitchen, bathroom, dusted everything, hung up all clothes and put most away. Did dishes, washed dog dishes and filled. swept deck and dogs special area outside. I was so focused, nothing like the pressure of a persons visit to get me moving and finishing lots of details that I never got around to. Looks so peaceful now. She asked if I ever just sit and enjoy what I have accomplished. She also reminded me that I can stop and enjoy what is finished, even before everything is finished. She said lots of people die before finishing everything. She said there is lots to love about me and my talents even if 2 rooms and garage have unfinished work. I feel so much better and am enjoying my living space so much more right now.
When there is conflict, I like to disappear but forced myself to sign on today, without this group, there is no way I could keep moving ahead with progress. Tillie, sounds fun and so nice with sun and no wind. Thanks for the patio info,, love the simplicity of many. Sorry about bite, ouch. I feel like your mother telling you to not overdo today in the heat, and plenty of fluids.

Since the hand I hurt the other week is finally not so painful
today I got up and got out early and did a LOT of weeding & thinning out in my flower/herb garden.
Still have a small section to do but it got hot out there.
Came inside, washed up my hands and face, ate some lunch and am planning to rest up till about 3:00pm and go back out to finish that small section.
Scooter helped me a lot by periodically leaping out and attacking my hands as I worked.
A wasp stung me on the wrist. :(
Thinking that tomorrow morning might be a good time to do some pruning on the trees & bushes.
Also planning to spread some compost & steer manure around and water.
I love warm sunny days with no wind, only a gentle breeze. :D

Hello beloved friends. I thought it would be neat to give you an example of a basic to do list. This is not a list I usually write down but it is what ends up happening.

feed kids- about once an hour and sometimes FOR an hour.
change diapers- about every hour to two. This also includes soaking and washing poopy ones which takes altogether an hour and a half to two hours out of the day.
kids play- outside, inside, at the park, at a friends. This must happen to make naps happen. And naps must happen.
quiet time- when all children are leaving you alone via naps or otherwise and I get to sit and stare into the distance absorbing peace and take a deep breathe for the next round.

You can laugh it's meant to be funny but based on reality for a mom with little ones :)

Dianne, I was referring to a comment in Sunday night chat about my harshness. I do remember all the details you discussed in your post. I thought you handled the situation very well, my finality was after spending hours trying to figure out ways to help her succeed and then got angry when I realized it was futile, no way did she want to change. I know I have to watch out for reacting the same way when I hear similar stories now, not even knowing if current situation is different, just hear the same excuses and jump to conclusion.
Ok about my day. I did get all weeds sprayed, bugs sprayed, a few bugs relocated.
I lounged on deck and had some ice water and peanuts. One slipped over to the left side of my mouth. I had a tooth pulled there last year. The dentist either pulled the wrong tooth or broke the tooth in front of pulled tooth while yanking. I have not been able to eat since then without pain. I have lived on smoothies and soup basically. I did get a second opinion, that dentist said 2nd tooth must be pulled. Today with extreme pain I am motivated to write to first dentist and ask him to look at before and after xray and see if he pulled wrong tooth or broke 2nd tooth. I want to write just the facts and not appear harsh, and ask for a refund in either case. then will go to 2nd dentist to have second tooth pulled. I feel bad asking him to take time to look at my problem. Being reminded of my harshness 5 months ago, really was bad timing, but a good reminder to tone down my comments.

I run a spider relocation program in my home.
When I find a spider I use a clear/see through glass and a stiff piece of paper.
Placing the glass over the said spider I then slip the paper gently under the rim of the glass capturing the spider inside the glass.
Holding the paper in place I then turn the glass upright and carry it to the door where I return the spider to the wild while singing "Born Free" to it.

patio gardens

Looking at pictures just to get some ideas.

Dianne, yes dave and you were people I was referring to who spent lots of time helping others with thoughtful comments, then disappeared. It is just too much to comment on everyones posts when we have so much to do ourselves. Perhaps that part of us finds it easier to focus on others and try to help them than deal with the difficult job of making our own life better since it is so unfamiliar to us.
This morning I tied up the raspberries, pulled more grass and flowers that take over, did same last night. Realized I don't have to transplant or give these things to others, just dump them, this is a first, I was ruthless. Wicked and it felt good. Drew up how I want upper yard to be, would like to bring rose and burning bush and one other small cute shrub up to upper yard to complete the circle, and one colorful plant from garden to edge. Not that much to do, have to get some good soil too. Decided to let 2 long areas of vines go this year and just keep the third. I had recently planted wild flower seed at the edge of my property, we are talking yards of flowerseed to water, that will no longer be watered, I just have too much to care for, and my decision was clear after chat and drawing up plan and looking honestly at upper yard and lower yard, it is a hoarders dream, too much of everything. Plan to remove some bunch grass from middle upper yard, may or may not survive at edge of upper, I do not care now, just want more garden area. My raspberries are what I love so excess clutter has to make room for my berries. When I tied them up this morning, saw some are blooming already, so happy. tied lilac bush branches over toward my spot so can smell them better.
Today plan to pound t-post into ground at end of wood pile fence so can stack more wood closer to where I bring it in to use.
Finish removing grass from raised area for flowers, upper yard.
ant spray under rocks upper yard, just discovered them and on an ant pile in back yard.
hang all sleeveless tshirts and dresses for summer I found in bottom of closet, very cute stuff
Try to talk myself into getting rid of clothes in closet that I rarely wear so there is room for cute stuff that was missing in action for 3 years, then won't have to dress like a homeless person
and todays big job is to spray weeds in back yard, driveway and back upper area, we are talking alot of weed spraying, no wind yet and almost warm enough so plan to do that soon before wind picks up.
Then shower and wash my hair, hooray, wash all that dirt and weed spray off, and maybe even curl my hair, to get ready for my handsome dog that will arrive tomorrow. I have alot to do today plus need to cook some good food, helps to have clean living area to refresh in!! So happy I am willing to do what it takes to change shameful ways. Oh, went to do dishes last night, was repelled, then said remember, once you start it will be ok, against all my instincts started doing dishes and it was ok, almost enjoyable, knowing I am actually learning new behaviors, thanks so much for the support I get on here. Lr loved your story about soccer ball, helped so much when I was tossing grass and plants last night, saying probably nobody would want this soccer ball anyway

Good morning, everyone!

Here are some of my goals for today: Work at least 15 minutes in my BIT book, add to my gratitude list, spend a minimum of 20 minutes on paperwork, pick up some groceries, get some needed photocopies made, and work on my written-out plans for the week. I usually would have done that already (the written-out plans), but I spent so much time on my outside work yesterday that I didn't even start on it. I expect to be at the chat tonight if possible.

Happy cleaning and decluttering, enjoying life, and whatever else your plans for today include. Hugs.

Well, my day did not go as expected/planned. The weather was so windy and otherwise non-agreeable by the time I was ready to start my original outdoor plan that I decided it would have to wait for another day. I hadn't used that insect treatment before, and I wasn't too sure I could use it safely with such strong winds. Sometimes, even though plans don't go as planned, maybe they are actually working out just the way they are "supposed to." As a result of the change in schedule, I just happened to run into some old family friends at a store, friends that I probably wouldn't have run into had things gone as I'd originally planned.

I did get my laundry dried (yes, Tillie, there was an empty dryer just for me), got some other outdoor work done at that rural area I mention so much, met a neighbor I hadn't met before, and bought some TSP to use for a project later in the week. Before this evening is over, I plan to finish folding and putting away the laundry I dried earlier.

You all were ever-present with me as I did that outdoor work today. For the sake of speed and time (wanted to get my outdoor work done and then get back indoors before storms hit), I was tempted to drive on out to my work spot without taking a good drink supply with me. But no! I heard your voices from last night . . . "stay well-hydrated, LR." So I stopped off and bought a big sports drink to take with me. (Thanks for that.)

Diane, I like that idea of "practicing having fun." FYI, I decided I didn't need to set up a reward for the outdoor work I did today (since I changed the location of it). I enjoy the work at that particular place so much that for me, it brings with it a built-in reward. It's great to be able to work and have fun at the same time! (Whew, am I tired, though! But it's a good kind of tired.)


Have a good evening, everyone.

Hi Diane :)
Loved reading your post, so much truth and honesty expressed. (((hugs)))

Played hookey today.
The kitchen is a big mess, the bathroom needs cleaning, floors need sweeping/vacuuming.
Cats have been taken care of.
Just too tired so figured I better listen to my body and rest.
Beautiful day though, a good day for just enjoying :)

Good morning. Roxie chat is 15 minutes per person to focus on their issues, so the timed sessions help keep us focused on just that person, not our stuff or what we did in past, unless it is meant to help that person.
I was so happy to read the posts that said it is ok to just say what we are thinking about unless we really want to reply to something someone else has said in a post. Example: Dianne I think it is wonderful you have the money and willingness to hire help, and thank you for the kindness you have extended to me. I still fear hiring someone and having them judge me for clutter, how my previous repairs suck, how difficult it is to repair this old place because it is so old. I will get there, I know, just good to read your willingness to trust others.
So this morning I went out to my coffee spot,, trying to figure out how to simplify yard work. I saw lots of dead stuff in bush by my spot. Last year I cut, cleared 20 years of dead stuff out and got rid of all the spiders so I could sit there without getting bit It took over an hour but got it all cleared out, do not want to have spiders again. Coffee got branches and dirt in it, so came in to make fresh coffee, I make one cup drip each morning. Thought what the heck, check the board. Thought about the comment about me making harsh comments. I do make them to myself and others when I see self defeating behaviors and excuses. Kindness is more acceptable, but there is something about the shock value of blurting things out that makes me think, it has its purpose to make us look at what we are doing to hold us in the old behaviors. LR said she is staying out of other peoples business, and that is something that is important for me to learn. I do not have to endorse others excuses, nor do I need to wake them up. I think part of it is I have seen people on here that want to stay just the way they are, then after we invest time and energy in their recovery, they just leave. Others spend lots of time helping others, we learn to love them, then they leave. So I think it is a balancing act to not look for sympathy, state the facts, learn from others and take actions to improve our life. So today I am working on the fun of life. When I was trimming, it was work, I reminded myself to find fun in everything as tillie said. I then was grateful that I have the time to do the trimming, grateful there are no spiders in bush this year, loved the fact lilacs are next bush over. When it was fun, noticed that this bush is about to bloom, it has white flowers that bloom after lilacs are done. Noticed I was tired, came in sat down, read past two days on board, that was fun.
It is sunny and a good day to practice having fun. It might be a 2 smoothie day, since will be warm. Dog will be here Wednesday, hooray, so will clean up the area of yard that has all the comforts a dog could want. Do the few dishes that are dirty. Take at least 1/2 hour to visualize and draw how my ideal upper yard will be, and lounge on lounger while I drink a smoothie and focus on how blessed I am to have this group. Thanks to all

Good morning :)

Hi Roxie :)
Sorry I missed you last night.
We tend to be an outspoken chat group and would have no problem asking you to slow down a bit.
Please come to chat and share your wisdom with us. :)

Hi LR2014 :)
Rewards are important to help keep us motivated and not fall into a slump or depression, you know, all work & no play type mood.
Hope the laundromat is empty and all the machines are available for you. :D

About hiring help...
Most times hiring someone to do work for us is money very well spent.
Just because we could do the work ourselves does not mean that we should.
Hiring help to declutter, clean, organize, bi monthly maid service, garden/yard work, home repairs, you name it
is well worth it because it frees up our time to do other things and does not harm our bodies from trying to do too much ourselves.
Also, we are not all experts in everything and sometimes professional help is what's needed to get the job done correctly.
Also, asking friends or family for help can be good too, depends on the relationship.
When we hire help we are paying ourselves with time and freedom and less wear & tear on our bodies.

My plans for today are simple....
a general tidy up and animal care
need to clean the kitchen since I took yesterday off :P
The weather forecast is for a lovely warm day and I think I will get out & enjoy it.

Have a great Monday everybody. :)

Good morning, everyone. Sorry I missed you at the chat last night, Roxie!

I did my goals yesterday except for the laundry. I figured the Laundromat would be packed yesterday, so I decided to wait until today for that task.

My morning goals are what I mentioned last night at chat: to go do some outdoor bug treatment before heavy rains hit. Diane, you have reminded me that I should think in terms of rewarding myself when I get outdoor work done. Funny that I do think to reward myself (and it really helps) for indoor stuff, but for some reason my brain hasn't thought to do the same for my outdoor goals. Thanks!

Hugs!

Hi to all. My plans for the rest of today are light. I've done a load of laundry that I plan to dry and put away. I plan to get at least a 20 or 30 minute walk (maybe I can walk while clothes are drying at the Laundromat), to eat a decent and early supper, and likely to be at the chat. The challenge will be to get myself to sign off early enough to get to bed at a decent time, since you guys are so much fun to chat with! Hugs.

Good morning :)

So nice to read all your postings as I drink my tea. :)
I have no plans for today.
Will do the usual daily maintenance and perhaps a wash load or two of laundry.
The wind has been raging here day after day, night after night and it really makes me tired and messes up my brain.
This morning is bitterly cold but the wind is not blowing, yet.
Still need to do the Spring cleaning and window washing and my garden really needs a lot of thinning out & weeding and there is a lot of pruning & trimming to do.
But I am exhausted and having a lot of arthritis pain.
Oh well...
I will do what I can, when I can and that will have to be good enough. :)

Wishing you all a great day and some happiness to all you mothers out there too.
"See" you all later in the Sunday night online support group. :)

Hi to all. Hope you have all had a good Saturday.
I did do my goals for yesterday. I on purpose didn't set any specific cleaning/decluttering goals for today, because I planned to be out of town most of the day. (Went to visit a beloved older relative.) I did manage to run the dishwasher before I left.

Sorry, Tillie, that you wrote all that on Thursday and that it "disappeared." That would be so frustrating! I know you were sending loving thoughts our way, even if those thoughts didn't get specifically printed out!

Karl: Hope the game demos go/went well. Your comment about things looking more cluttered than the "before" picture reminded me of something: I think that the BIT book specifically points out that sometimes things will in fact look worse before they look better as we are working on our stuff. In your case, it sounds like you weren't expecting it to look "worse" for long. Regardless, I think it's something important to keep in mind as we work on our organizing and decluttering efforts. I think that we're less likely to get discouraged if we realize that that temporary "worse" state is often just part of the improvement process.

Dianne: I like that idea of having an area carved out, "even if it's only in my brain," to breathe quietly. Helpful image. Also, you bring up an interesting question of when to try to do something myself and when to ask for or hire help. One of my problems in getting certain things done sometimes is thinking I have to do it all myself. There are times I like to do something myself just for the satisfaction of finding out I can do it. Sometimes I do it myself because I'm too afraid or shy or whatever to ask someone to help me. There are a lot of times when it just makes sense to pay someone else, if I can afford it. Take yard work the other day. I had a big yard that needed to be dealt with. To mow and weed eat and do the cleanup would have taken me all day, and I would have probably been covered with mosquito and chigger bites that would have interrupted my concentration for a good two weeks (because of all the itching). On the other hand, the lawn guys I paid to do it have equipment ready to go. They can get in and out, get it done, and move on to the next customer in less time than it would have taken me to get more gas picked up for my lawnmower! I would have been so exhausted doing it all myself that I would have gotten little else done. Sometimes, it just pays to pay someone else.

Roxie: I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has problems with those plastic gas can spouts!

Vi: Wow! You really sound like you're getting a lot done! Looking forward to hearing how things go with the 8 year old.

Diane: I love your posts! As for replying to everyone's posts . . . while I have been, for the most part, trying to do that, I am realizing that as much as I want to keep doing it, it's going to be pretty impossible for me to keep that up. One of the biggest reasons is also one of the best reasons: our numbers keep growing! I would eventually be spending all my day replying to posts instead of getting my organizing/cleaning/decluttering/living-life done.

Hugs to all.