Yoo-hoo!!!

No idea where I've been or what I've been doing!!

Okay: so I think I told you that my lovely cleaning fairies cleaned the BF's house on Christmas Eve morning. He had them do the kitchen, bathroom and living/dining. No bedrooms. And when we walked in, it was magical. Not a lot of clutter, they had decorated with Christmas things (including my mom's candlesticks from 50+ years ago). Well last night he was home for a bit and he called me to say how peaceful it is being home and without any clutter. I'm glad he felt that peace. He's been buying a lot of stuff for our next business adventure and it's started to wear on him. So I think I have him agreeing to have them once a month. He knows it will be good for him mentally and emotionally. Although he's very even-tempered and well-grounded (opposites attract!), I'm thrilled to see that something small like this gave him a sense of relief and peace. I need him to feel what I feel.

I'm not caught up on posts. We are expecting a big rain/freezing rainstorm tmr. I'm going in to office and I'm good with it. Right now my house is a little messy but I'm equal to the task. I am getting things in order for the new year. Mentally in order.

Went to the Museum of Fine Arts with two girlfriends today. We had brunch and enjoyed the exhibits. CM I think you would particularly enjoy the Kay Nielsen Exhibit. I'll post a picture or two on Instagram.

The food made me sick and I had to come home and lay down. I think the quiche was a little undercooked.

I'm sorry I'm not up to date on your posts. But I am grateful for you.

I cleaned off my scullery counter and started my teaching proposal.

G'night

Good Afternoon Everyone

WOOHOO Tatoulia...

Hi Subclinical
That sounds like a perfect way to spend a dark overcast rainy day.

Yes, so true, things fluff up so much and take up more space than before.

Such a happy way for you to revisit your memories of having little ones and another little tyke now in your future. :)


Weather forecast was not exactly correct for today.
Much cloudier than anticipated.
That's the problem with living next to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, storms can come up with little to no advance notice.
So far no rain or snow and the sheets are getting dry, slowly but surely.

I have finished sorting the baby clothes!

I have a whole bin worth of unisex <12m for Dd to look through, but due to the expansion of fabric that has been folded and binned for a long time, I do not have an empty bin. That is ok.

I have 4 bins that are girl only clothes (mostly dresses) from birth to a few special items as large as size 8. And I have two bins that are unisex larger than 12m and a few boy only items.

Dd may send some of my "unisex" items back to gendered bins, but that is ok. I was just trying to limit how much she has to sort through at once. My larger "unisex" bin includes the 3t hot pink snow coat that all three of my children wore and a 4t black sweatshirt with a bulldozer on the front (Dd wears a lot of black and works in construction)

It was really fun to see some of these things again. And I did find a couple more items to let go of.

It is raining here today. Dark and overcast, but too warm for a fire. Fortunately dh is home (he is hanging his speaker on the wall over the corner table, then we will take a picture and send it to my mom.) so he is trying to help me not fall down the rabbit hole.

Good Morning Everybody

WAY TO GO! Subclinical's SIL!!!
That's a really BIG move on his part.

YEA! Subclinical for sorting out the baby clothes!
That must be a trip down memory lane looking at those tiny outfits. :)

WTG! for stopping the snacking at 8pm!
Great start on building that new habit.

That's so nice to have the music corner all upgraded with better looking furnishings.
The old stuff was "good enough" but now that area is pleasant to see. :D


At 9am I will get outside and hang some sheets and stuff on the clothesline.
Should be just above 32 degrees by then.
Only other plan for today is to wash my hair but I will also get back into puttering around here doing more of this & that.

Dd sent out a picture to the family last night of a turntable and four huge speakers. She was asking if anyone wanted it. She and sil are "making room for the nugget" I am really proud of him. He is doing hard work.

Great job CM!

I would so love to see you not have a "box of sad" in your life! I hope that can happen for you this year.

I hope Mass was lovely and fed your spirit.

Progress on my goals today included sorting two and a half bins of baby clothes. I found a couple of things to get rid of and have a big crate of 0-12m unisex for Dd to look through. I have two bins of girl clothes, a partial bin of unisex over 12m, and three more bins to sort (although I put the boy clothes back into one of the three "unsorted" bins because I didn't have another empty bin.)

I also mulched a strawberry bed to kill the weeds.

And I was eating a snack when I realized it was 8:00, so I wrapped the rest up and put it away.

Other progress not related to my goals - dh took me to a local shop this afternoon and we used Christmas money from my parents to buy a little corner table. He arranged his stereo equipment on/under it and gave me back my crummy two drawer chest to return to the basement. Dd gave him a beautiful wooden music stand for Christmas to replace the metal high school discard, and with that and the table, the "music corner" looks so much better!

Plus, I have an empty two drawer chest for my basement stuff.

Good Late Afternoon/Early Evening Everyone

CriticalMass
I would so love for you to purge all those painful sad unneeded papers from your life.
((((HUGS))))

WAY TO GO! for lightening your paper burden! :D
You have been doing great.

My fingers are crossed that you get that tooth taken care of soon, very soon.

Hope all the kitties and bunnies did their job of comforting you. ;)


Hi Subclinical
That's the good kind of stiff and sore. Honestly earned from work outdoors. ;)

Very good goals and they are achievable.

Guess you have a few months before you have to see the dentist.

No, I did not know that about melons and squash.
Good thing I never had them close enough together.


Spent the day puttering around doing a lot of this & that.
Tying up loose ends and creating order out of chaos.

Another 3" or so stack of papers into recycling except for personal bits that got cut off and shredded. Filled the shredder, started a new bag, and that is half full!

As for emotional burdens, it feels like 50 pounds off my back. These were papers from the food stamp years of the late 00s to 2015-16 when it was reduced to $16 a month and I quit bothering. Copies of yearly applications, in which I had to detail my mental issues, the foreclosure - fun times. Not!

I probably would've gotten rid of them a year or two ago, I just was sidetracked and now I've just decided to start with this particular clutter cache. It is such a spiritual unburdening. Those years were SO stressful and uncertain. Things may be far from perfect now, but some of those chapters are feeling blessedly more and more remote.

But the BEST thing -

I think this is going to segue into dealing with some papers in the storage too - one in particular I labeled the Box of Sad. The legal papers about the foreclosure. A veritable cookbook of recipes for depression and shame. Well. I am not bound to carry it around, literally or figuratively, any longer. God's got my back, and maybe there's hope in the offing, I can't know. I sense there might be. But what I do know, no matter what, is that I need to be free of those old ugly memories to move forward.

I'm tearing up a little here. But I'll be okay. I have cats and bunnies to talk to and hug, Christmas music streaming on YouTube, and soon I'll eat a late lunch, and get ready for Mass at 5:30. It has rained generously here yesterday and today, and been grey. We have needed rain. And according to the radar the edge of it is just passing through town, so we will see some sun before nightfall.

Iced tea clinks!

Good morning!

I am stiff and sore today but I feel good about it.

Yay Tillie!
I'm glad you got your birthday burger. And fries! I love fries!

I have had some pretty interesting things volunteer from the squash family.

Did you know you have to separate squashes and melons? or the melons get fertilized by the squashes and taste squashy.

CM,
Papers are hard. Anytime you feel like doing papers, you should dig in! They may not take up much physical space, but they are a big mental drain.

I hope things go smoothly with your dental journey.

Dd told me I can't see the baby until I go to the dentist for a checkup. She says "I have power now."

I no longer make New Years resolutions. Years are too long. I have been setting my goals by the quarters and cross quarters. The cross quarter after solstice is February 4th.

My goals (including things I have to do) are:
Turn in my teaching proposal for next year
Do my evaluations
Plan my garden and order seeds
Sort out the baby clothes
Pack away all the Christmas stuff

I will also be returning to swimming, starting a pottery class on Monday afternoons, and trying to establish some habits that will stop my runaway weight gain - the first one is going to be not eating after 8pm unless dinner is that late.

Plus, I want to continue having the counter in the scullery clear at some point every weekend.

My guiding themes will be "order" and "preparation".

Howdy

Today I had less time for my sorting project because I went to sit with my nonagenarian friend. :) We had a nice afternoon.

Haven't had earthquakes here recently except when the cats go jumping and tearing around.

Tillie, how crazy wild is that, your teenage mutant hybrid gourds/ squash/ whatever? I guess those are genetically not far apart. I grew gourds a couple summers as a teenager. My plan was to dry them for decorative purposes and maybe sell some. The crop was 200-some gourds, but few dried out properly. Most rotted.

Today's about over, so I will sort some more papers tomorrow. I know this task reclaims minimal space, yet it is so satisfying and doesn't overtax my decision making skills.

Those prior paper items I got rid of this year seem to have set something good in motion, so I'm just running with it. It's likely the space in the boxes can hold things like my writing files, thus freeing up shelf space to get things off the floor. That would be a happy thing.

Is anyone setting a specific New Year's goal? Or, to make it sound less formidable, have a New Year's WISH that just might evolve into a goal? My wish would be to have this spring see true progress getting my storage unit not a disaster.

Oh, one more thing, a small one yet hopefully a victory soon: Last night I noticed something has changed in the gums around my tooth that had formerly been 3/4 then cracked further and became a 1/2 tooth this fall. The gums aren't infected or anything, thankfully, but I am feeling that things could get messier (I'm being vague to spare squeamish details). So, I'm ready to have it out. This is a turning point, a calm decision that feels right. Looking forward to healing and closure.

And I found online that one of the low-incone dental clinics here has one day a week they do sedation dentistry! So if I can get my psychiatrist to write a referral because of my dental PTSD issue, maybe they'll take me. I need to call.

Plan B, I'll have to raise the $$ to self pay. But even if it comes to that, it's time to put a plan in motion. If this all goes less scary as I'm hoping, maybe I could ask them about having some of the small fillings at later dates. One step at a time, though. I haven't had dentistry other than extractions for nearly 40 years, since I told my parents I wasn't going back to the one associated with pain, fear, and humiliation.

Wish me luck!

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi Subclinical
YEA! for getting outside and getting a good start on planning out your garden.
So much easier working outdoors when it's not hot out or all muddy from your Spring/Summer rains.

Hope the water fixes that headache.

One year all my pumpkins, squash and gourds interbred and I had the most fantastic looking crop of (???). ;D

Sorry the bugs killed your trees, but WTG! for more firewood.


Well, I got my hamburger. :D
From a small greasy spoon diner.
The fries were really good ones too.

This morning while I was sitting quietly in my bed reading the interwebs
I noticed we were having a most teeny tiny itty bitty earthquake.
Could not feel it but could clearly see the hanging things very gently and slowly swaying.
YEA! :D

Tillie, I am not at all caught up, I just made some progress.

Apparently it is spring here today. I have spent most of the day clearing out the blackberries that took over part of the garden I let go fallow. I am thinking it will be sweet corn, squash, and pumpkins in 2020.

We will need lots of winter squash for the nugget (this is what we are calling dd's future baby)

I also plan to reclaim and replant the strawberry beds.

Dh took down some dead trees (the emerald ash borer is horrible here) and cut them up for firewood.

Now I have a headache, but I think it is just dehydration, so I am drinking water. I didn't get hot working, so I didn't stop to drink. But winter air is dryer than real spring air.

CM, How is the sorting going?

Good Morning Everybody
"CLINK!"

Hi CriticalMass
Sorry the post got eaten. :(

WAY TO GO! for chipping away at the paper and making great progress!

Have a wonderful time there spreading things out and working at your own pace and schedule.


Hi Subclinical
YEA! WTG! for reading a whole book! :D

You've done fantastic getting the excess laundry and dishes all caught up.

Enjoy the weekend (((hug)))


Already fed cats.
Soon I will shower.
No rush, no chores today. :)

Dangit, I had a post going and I killed it. Bleah!

Watching The Nutcracker on YouTube. Was going through medical records but that gets kind of bleah so I'm going to take a break. I got lots of paper gone and will get rid of lots more.

My roommate is out of town so I can spread out my sorting (but not too much - must be able to get it put away by Sunday - though I certainly hope there will be less to carry back).

I'll check in again tomorrow, and try not to ruin any more posts and get irritated and not want to attempt to reconstruct them, so then do a terse one such as this. Sorry...

Rotten cat!

I caught mr. kitty helping himself to dh egg one morning after I set out breakfast, so now I have to wait or cover it with a bowl.

Tatoulia, your shambles is probably my clean.

Did the vacuuming and have the last blanket from the bed the dogs shared with ds and ddil in the washer. I wash all the bedding including the waterproof mattress pad because I love the dogs, but I don't want bedding that smells like them.

I used to imagine my guest beds all done up with my quilts, but they are not machine washable, so that isn't going to happen. I only put them out for me when people aren't visiting. Or for my parents who don't bring dogs or want them in their room.

Still have two beds worth of sheets and a lot of towels to wash.

I also ran a load of dishes, but there is at least one more already dirty.

We did clean out the fridge somewhat, but it us still full of leftovers.

And I read one of my new books - the whole thing.

HI :D

Cupcakes are made, 12 are frosted and on a plate that I put in the microwave for safe keeping.

Had the cupcakes cooling on the counter and was washing dishes.
Looked over and Scooter was on the counter and licking a cupcake!!! >:/
Jerk...

Anyways, all things are done, no work for me tomorrow.
Except the always cat related tasks
Plan to give myself a pedicure and generally just spend the day doing whatever strikes my fancy. :D

Hi Tatoulia

I have played that online shopping game before too.
Put things in the cart as I scan through the pages of merchandise, never buy them.
As a child I used to play that same game with the catalogs (Montgomery Ward, Sears, Penney's).

WTG! for using up the tissue and almost all the wrapping paper!!!

Good luck with all your running around errands.

I'm sure that you can have your home back in order with just a little bit of time working on it.
At least the most obvious bits of shambles. ;)

Take your time and I'm sure you will find the perfect new homes for those items.
And if anybody asks later, tell them a visitor to your home fell in love with it and you just had to let them keep it.


1:30pm and I feel like I am just dragging my heels today.
But there is no hurry to bake my cupcakes or wash up dishes.
All caught up on all other tasks so I can take it slow. :)

1/2 day of work for me and I didn't go in. I'm not sure anyone will notice. I'm tired. But I have to go in tmr so I best look alive!

I feel like my house is in a shambles. I did get my bed changed yesterday and all the dishes done. I used up all but a 1/2 roll of Christmas paper. All the tissue paper is done with. I have lots of cards etc and tags for next year. Never ending supply.

I need to run errands at 5. Some returns and going to bank. I also need to pay my Talbots account. BF will be heading to Macy's to pay his. I feel zero compunction to shop. Today I played a game where I pretended to buy stuff I don't need and I put it in my shopping cart. Then I deleted it.

I received some gifts from neighbors that I don't want. Now I'm in a quandary. I'll give it a week before deciding their fate. They won't be staying; I just need to decide where they will be going.

Good Morning Everybody

Tatoulia, hope those sugar plums aren't dancing too hard in your head. ;)

Hope you are well CriticalMass, no nasty congestion (((hug)))

Hi Subclinical
So WONDERFUL to hear about all your family goings ons. (((HUG)))

Sounds like you did very well on the getting of presents, all useful and will get used.
I agree with dd1 that you need to protect your feet at the pool.
All too easy to pick up plantar warts.

Two plastic bags of trash is GREAT! Most families generate two whole trash cans worth.

OK, FINE! You get all the joy of being Santa for the little one! :D
Bet they get jealous of all the fun you will be having and get on board with it eventually. :D

Thank you. Having my clean pretty nest makes such a big difference in my whole outlook on life. :D



My plans for today...
Bake a cake. Since I have no one to share it with I decided to go with cupcakes because that will help with portion control.
I think/hope.(?)
Clean the kitchen.

Thinking about what all I would like to accomplish this new year.
Want to keep on doing my Swedish cleaning.
Want to finish up doing some projects that got put on hold.
Need to clean up my diet, still too much sugar.


Looking forward to hearing about everybody's plans and goals. ;)

Tillie, it sounds like the cats had a lovely Christmas!

I am happy thinking of you starting out the year in a clean, pretty "nest" keep taking it slowly so you don't wear yourself down.

Goid that the smoke detector is working, and a goid reminder for all of us.

CM, I am impressed with your ability to embrace new technology. Your Christmas sounds nice too. And like Tatoulia, I am pulling for you to be back in your room full time. I think I would gave had a hard tome not buying a lot of fabric at the closing store for our friend Justin.

Tatoulia, congratulations on your win! And good for you being smart enough to quit! It's nice that you will have that extra bump in your account.

I enjoyed picturing the sparkly clean work if your cleaning fairies. So glad you gave them in your life!

Oh, one thing I forgot on the other post - Dd announced already that next year she will be here on Christmas Day with the baby, and that Dh and I are in charge of Santa Claus, because she and sil don't want to do it. :)

good morning!

Happy Boxing Day!

I know we all celebrate our holidays differently, but I feel like we can all get behind the spirit of this one!

I traditionally had my kids go through their rooms and find old toys that they were ready to donate to make space for the new, exciting things they got (much easier than trying to clear out ahead of time.)

Dd2 went home last night because she had to work today, and dd1 and sil also went home (late ) last night because they have plans today and had to pick up their dog this morning.

I will get ds and dil to help clean out the fridge this morning (sending excess goodies on to her family) and then I will dig into cleaning. Dil travels with two medium sized dogs who shed a lot, so there is much vacuuming to be done, plus extra washing of floors and the general post visit laundry and dishes.

My kids were pretty wonderful about helping me keep up with dishes though. And they did a ton of cooking.

My "in" count for this year is a new Christmas ornament, a cozy pair of socks, two puzzles (that will be donated now that dil and I put them together) four Sesame Street Martian Christmas stockings dd2 crocheted for everyone and everyone voted to keep here as a set for future years, four fancy molds for my studio, four books, a pair of barn clogs, a pair of shower shoes (dd1 objects to my going barefoot on the pool deck/shower/locker room floor) a new fuzzy bathrobe (dh has been lobbying to throw out my old one) and a new dog bed to sit on in front of the woodstove that I don't have to share with the dogs (I shared my old one with the dogs and washed the cover after they left and they have chewed the edge a little. I'm keeping that one just for dog visits)

Overall very manageable I think.

We generated two plastic grocery bags of trash, which I think is pretty good considering that I couldn't stop fil from putting recycling in the trash can, plus there was some packaging.

Going to post this and then post again about what you all had to say since this is very long.

Good Evening Everybody!

Hi CriticalMass
Hope you are both feeling all better (((HUG)))
Sometimes it's just being all closed up inside the house with heaters on that stir up allergens too.

YEA! for new phones being up & running!

YUM! BBQ and yummy goodies too. :D

Sounds like you have had a lovely holiday.


Hi Tatoulia
I just love the image of your Mom laughing at Christmas Vacation!!!! ;D

WOW! you both won big!
Happy to hear you will be banking your winnings.
I haven't gambled in years, most Nevada residents don't gamble except when they have visitors from out of state because the relatives want to go to casinos.

Sounds like you all had a lovely holiday (((HUG)))

Flannel has to be done just right to be comfortable and not always trying to twist you up tight & strangle you. ;p


The hall walls, ceiling and shelf are all washed down and the edges all vacuumed.
Took down and wiped off the smoke detector and tested it, it's working.
Twinkles, Scooter, Jack, Cowgirl and Butter Bean all convinced me to feed them 2 whole cans of food today.
The birds are still working on all the treats I put out for Solstice.
Peter cottontail played out front for many hours since it was cloudy/overcast today.
Made myself a pot of spaghetti and have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.
Ate a chocolate covered marshmallow snowman. ;D

Merry Christmas everyone!

I read your posts earlier in the day and I'm just now finding the quiet time I need.

Tillie I am proud of all of your hard work-both the past few day's and the past year. I still feel so strongly that I need to get rid of things. I do notice that I only see things I love now, and that is a strong and enduring accomplishment. I have more to reduce, and I will.

Cm congratulations on the new phones! You've upgraded quite a bit if your technology lately! I do want you to be sleeping full-time in your bedroom. I want your room to be peaceful.

SubC I am glad that things went well. That is aggravating about the laundry and the sheets. Last night, after hosting a delicious meal at BF's, he said, don't touch the dishes, and do I didn't. I know the feeling of not wanting "help". And so I respect it.

I decided today that a pair of lovely pjs I was given a year ago really should be passed along. I find flannel to be a difficult fabric. So I'll start making a bag for my cleaner.

Speaking of whom, my main cleaner (she runs the company yet rarely comes to my house anymore) stoped by with a lovely Christmas gift for me. A small silver metal box with my name engraved on it. Very sweet and very thoughtful. I had a gift for her as well as an envelope. She didn't clean, she just stopped by.

My cleaners, on the other hand, spent three hours yesterday on BF's kitchen, living room and bathroom. The place was fully decorated and cleaned. It was sparkly and sparkling and all Christmas-y. We walked in together last night and he was floored. It looked beautiful. I think I've convinced him to do a once a month cleaning with them.

Christmas Eve was lovely. Mom was in a great mood, our neighbors came over, and it was lovely. We got home around 1:AM. BF drove us, then I helped mom get settled in, then we went home.

Today I slept til noon. Bf and I did our usual where we go to a hotel bar and have a burger. Afterward we were enjoying a coffee in the lobby when I said, let's go to the new casino. You have to understand, I hate casinos and have sworn I'll never go in one after a terrible experience I had 30 years ago. So we went, I immediately won 220 and so I stopped playing. When he won 200, I made him cash out. He had put the $20 in the slots for me so I tried to give him $120 of my winnings, figuring I'd pay him back the $20 and we'd split the remainder but he wouldn't have it. I eventually convinced him to take 100 and so he did. We left and then went to visit a woman who's about to love to Florida. We brought her snacks and beverages and other things.

So the 100 will go straight in the bank tmr.
Whoever mentioned Christmas Vacation-mom has watched it no fewer than six times this Christmastime. One night I sat outside of her room and could hear her howling.

Okay I'm babbling. Sorry about that.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We have had things go smoothly here. I experienced a touch of the crud yesterday too. My roommate is making good progress recovering from hers. Supposedly pollen is not around this time of year. Leaf mold gets her, but I don't think it bugs me much, which is why I deal with the leaves and gutters to spare her. There was a little smoke - fireplaces? Grass fire somewhere?

Or it could all be a mild virus. We're stumped. But on the mend. I did get some results from an allergy pill taken at bedtime last night. I'm sleeping well in my bedroom, even not noticing weird dreams. I wish the clutter wasn't there, of course - but soon I will have it taken care of! And kitty boy knew where to find me.

Our smartphones are up and running. I like mine more than I thought I would. We need to get screen ptotectors and cases, which we'll have to order online. The iPhone and top of the line Samsung Galaxy protectors and cases are easy to find, but we went for basic affordable phones.

We opened our gifts this morning after church. No cooking this time; takeout BBQ - Yum! I think I'll take a nap later, after our friends from the bunny club visit and bring goodies (homemade cookies, bark coated pretzels, stollen, it's always delicious). And watch Charlie Brown Christmas.

Then tomorrow I'll do some more decluttering. Tillie, I'm really happy you got the tile scraps gone and are ready go just enjoy your room. That's got to feel really great.

SubC, glad you survived visitors with sanity intact and enjoyed the holiday sorting baby things.

Hi Tatoulia!

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!"

Sounds like you all had a wonderful time Subclinical! :D

Relax, eat drink and be merry (((HUG)))

YEA! that the key was located!!!

That is fantastic about all the baby things.
You did good ;)


Already fed all cats some canned food breakfast.
My plan for today is to wash down the hallway.
Easy peasy, only things there are a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, wall phone and the shelf unit where I store my bedding in the daytime.

Was wonderful to walk into my room this morning and not see any remnants of the ceiling on the floor or dressers.
Now to remove any ceiling that was tracked out into the hall. ;)

Good morning and merry Christmas!

I am the only person awake in my house.

The mornings my inlaws were here I slept very late. I don't know if I was exhausted or if I slept badly because I was stressed or if my mind was just trying to protect me by keeping me unconscious for as long as possible, but I didn't wake up and when I did, I was in no hurry to get up.

Yesterday was just fun. My house is a mess, because I felt no pressure to keep it clean and had better things to do yesterday. We opened most of the gifts when dh parents were here (gift opening being an activity they deeply enjoy.) but this morning we will have stockings (mostly candy and nuts) and some small gifts from my parents. Then we will visit with my parents over the Internet, eat snack food and leftovers all day and play games and music.

I will give an accounting of my "in" later.

However, yesterday we looked through baby things and I didn't do too bad of a job saving. Dd took five bins of bedding, towels, toys and a few clothes (quote "[dh] our baby already has too many toys.") and only a small (lunch bag sized) collection of items was rejected by all - to be donated.

I realized I need to sort the clothes by size and gender before I ask her to look at them again. She can start with 0-12 unisex and then look at the gender specific ones when she knows, and the ones larger than 12 months when the child is close to that size. There are six bins of clothes - mostly 0-2t, with some larger special items added.

Dh found the key.

(((((HUGS)))))
So happy you survived!!! :D

Now enjoy your holiday festivities.
Hope that key is not too hard to locate.




Good Afternoon Everyone
Well, my tiny room is all CLEAN, finally.
Still have some stuff to put back in place, no biggie.

My inlaws are gone.

Once again, in spite of being asked very nicely - I said please twice - to leave the sheets and towels where they were, my fil carried them back to the house and piled them (wet) on top of my washing machine. When (in a fit of annoyance - because my laundry room is tiny, I need to do other laundry and don't want to deal with those sheets and towels right now, and I can't use the washer unless I get them out of the room) I scooped them up and piled them on top of the box of things to carry out to the studio (that had been stashed in my way for three days because I ran out of time to clean up for them) I discovered that they have also locked me out of my studio.

We also asked them not to lock the door. They insisted that they had to lock the door while they were in there because they did not feel safe (fair enough, I locked my house at night while they were here to keep them from coming in before I woke up) but that they would leave it unlocked when they left - which they did, right up until they left for good. There is a key somewhere and now I will have to find it.

But they are gone. We can now all relax.

Good Morning Everyone

Hope you are all ready to enjoy the holiday :)
All your decorations displayed.
All your gifts bought and wrapped.
All your feast goodies ready to feast on.

No snow falling here, roads are clear.

My plan for today is to finish with the one dresser and chest of drawers.
Remove & empty the drawers, wash them inside & out, put the stuff back in them.
If my back is willing I will empty out and wash down the minuscule cubby hole closet too.
All that ceiling crap & dust falling down for so long got everywhere.
Will be so nice to finally have it ALL cleaned up. :D

You're killing it, Tillie -

just don't overdo.

Love,

Badger

Good rainy Afternoon Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
Good Luck and Best Wishes getting all your sorting projects relocated.
Maybe instead of any loose piles you could gather them up into plastic grocery bags to keep them sorted and categorized?

Have "fun" setting up your new phone. ;)


Got all the walls in my tiny room washed.
Great Granma's dresser completely washed inside & out.
Every inch of carpet vacuumed, even the edges.
Vacuumed my 4 straw hats and rehung them on their washed rack.
Next (maybe tomorrow?) I will empty the drawers of the other dresser and chest of drawers and the minute cubby hole of a closet and get them totally cleaned too.

Well, we got our smartphones and are in the process of charging them up and transferring data over, etc. And my roommate is sick with another cold or allergy crud. She gets so much more than her fair share of that.

I had so many texts on my old phone that I hadn't deleted, many because they were about the sort of things that I needed to remember for a few days around the time they happened, then later I'd forget to delete them.

Plus a few that were about things I wanted to remember, like this past spring when my friend was in the hospital, fighting for her life, then began to rally - things like that. I have jotted a few very short notes in my paper calendar of when those events were. But it's not taking too long, and pretty soon I'm going to be able to switch to the new phone.

Because of roommate's illness, I MUST get the bedroom in enough order that I can clear the bed and return there tonight. She is going to need the sofa so she can sleep propped up to breathe. It is hard when we both need a certain resource (the bathroom is another) and there is only one of said resource!

And I hope my moving some items I've been sorting through out here in the living room back in the bedroom doesn't undo my progress there, and make me feel like I'm back to square one. Or create precarious piles which will fall over and make a horrible mess. That would be SOOOO discouraging.

I'm going to do my best to not let that happen... pray for me... and if I can just keep going on the "processing" of stuff on out of here, it may work out fine. It's just that this all is a bit nerve wracking today, so I had a mini-meltdown and cried a bit.

Seems like just like in "Christmas Vacation," one can't totally escape angst during the holiday season. It makes you appreciate the good parts, though.

Good rainy Morning Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
HAPPY WINTER to you (((hug)))

So sad you are losing another nice shop.
When WallyWorld moved into this area we lost so many nice (Mom & Pop) stores.

WAY O GO! continuing to sort through your space!!!

Sorry you are being forced to get a new phone because the one you have is being made obsolete.
I am the biggest hold out since I never have had a phone at all and plan to never have one. ;D

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is soooooo funny!
Poor kitty wrapped up in a box then electrocuted from chewing on the tree light wires.


Now that the ceiling in my room is no longer falling down and constantly making a big mess in there I have started to thoroughly clean in there.
My back still hurts from having to move his hoard to get vehicles out of the property and push derelict vehicles around the yard.
So I am taking it very slowly.
Yesterday I emptied contents off my shelf, washed the wall & light fixture, vacuumed, washed the shelf, moved it back into place, washed all shelf contents and put them back.
Today my plan is to do the same with the wall where my Great Grandma's dresser is.
Plan to empty the three small drawers and wash them inside & out, wash the wall & vacuum.
That ceiling crap & dust that kept falling went everywhere, no place was safe from it.
I CAN do this cleaning as long as I keep it simple. ;)

Happy Belated Solstice! Yay for longer days!

I've been scattered like we all sort of are this time of year. Friday I got my hair colored. It's so easy to do it at home now that I'm more grey because I don't have to worry if the brunette is going to go orange, LOL. And it's a heckuva lot cheaper and I don't have to make chitchat with a hairdresser, something I've long been awkward and self-conscious doing.

Yesterday my roommate and I went to a locally-owned fabric store nearby that I only recently learned is closing. New Year's is their last day. It was a cool place with a huge variety, and nothing was discontinued until it was all sold, unlike in corporate chain stores. So you could find unique things there.

We are sad. I bought this one fabric I already was planning to buy for my next quilt top, and at 40% off. My roommate bought fabric she liked. There aren't going to be any stores left anymore besides Walmart and Target for most merchandise, and for crafts Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Joann - there used to be about twice that many, and they didn't all have basically the same stuff.

It bugs me, since even though I'm trying not to buy extra stuff, the anxiety about reduced options throws me into scarcity mentality. I'm just going to have to tune it out. And yes, shop from my stash and focus on productivity. I just never envisioned what technology would do to brick and mortar stores. Plus they move (Hobby Lobby recently did) way out to the burbs close to the rich people who can better afford gasoline. The irony... oh well.

Its been foggy here in the mornings but nice. Weather pattern supposed to change to cold rain next weekend. I pray no road hazards for my roommate who plans to return from her family visit a week from today. She leaves the 26th.

Im going through the strata in my room some more. Uncovering some caches that I can eliminate quickly and completely, and others which will take longer. But it is coming along. Feeling more sure which step to take, and which next, which after that, etc.

Every year I think I've planned ahead and can sit out the last days before Christmas frenzy. Alas, I'm often wrong. Tomorrow my roommate and I are going to look at cell phone options. My 3G is not going to be supported by the carrier after the 31st!

I'll probably get a smartphone, but not a fancy one, and will still use it mostly for talk and text to save money, and because I prefer the larger screen of my 8" tablet for productivity on the go, games, etc. My roommate may be getting a smartphone too. We have been holdouts!

Or maybe I'll get a 4G flip phone, LOL! Not ruling it out. I just have to see what I can afford that's reliable. With agoraphobia, I look for dependability, coverage area, good battery life, durability, and similar practical features in a cell phone.

Tonight we watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and laughed our butts off. A great stress reliever.

I hope to check in before Christmas or at least the day of.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia
Some people love the thrill of rushing around in the frenzy of holiday shopping. :D

Frozen and raw!!!
No way was that fine. That person was just lazy and uncaring.

My kitchen counter is basically in the center of the kitchen/livingroom/diningroom area which makes it a perfect place to burn candles or kerosene lamps and keep them always in sight.
Plus kittens soon lose any curiosity about them once they discover they are hot.


Was reviewing the last year.
Doing that "The Gentle Art Of Swedish * Cleaning"
has made such a huge wonderful difference.
Especially reducing the amount of gardening work I need to do.
Using this mindset really helped me to think about what I used to do but no longer do and helped me easily get rid of some things I no longer needed.
It made my life easier to maintain even with failing health and stamina.
It has been extremely freeing relaxing into this new phase of life.
No more unreasonable expectations of what I would/should/could do.
What I have around me now is what I want, need and use and can use.
It's more time and less pressure to do more.
More time to enjoy the days. :D

Unfortunately, there is still the ugly massive hoard in the yard, carport, garage and his bedroom.
Some day I may be the one who must deal with that.
But for now, MY life is in order. ;p

Tillie, I am one of the donors! I don't light candles in my home for lots of reasons but mainly the giant furry four-legged creature. With my house now clean and clear, I feel comfortable putting it on my stove top and burning it for the scent. It is delightful.

I am showered. Need to dry my hair and put on a spot of makeup. Also have a few gifts to wrap. BF was just teasing me, saying wait and see-this is nothing compared to what you have to do today and tomorrow. I reminded him that I've been done since September.

I realized early on that this is chaos he enjoys. The last minute stuff is a challenge. Preplanning doesn't work did him. And so I stay kind and nice and refuse to engage.

Monday night I have to pick up my meal. Everything was ordered from Whole Foods but I do not want to be picking up on Tuesday. Last year our pre-cooked turkey breasts were raw and frozen solid. Luckily someone cane to our rescue and was able to provide us with a whole turkey pre-cooked. The original person at Whole Foods kept saying it was fine.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
Hi Subclinical
Hi Badger

Hi Tatoulia
That's such a wonderful story about your Mom and her traveling companion!

Yea! for buying a candle!
I love candles and consider them to be consumables.
Something lovely to enjoy for as long as they last.
It always baffles me when I find new never lit quality candles in the thrift shop.
But I get excited and always buy them, lucky me! :D
I could never have afforded to buy them otherwise.
Once I bought a massive Yankee candle for 3 dollars that I discovered originally cost almost 100 dollars.
Thoroughly enjoyed burning that, smelled like vanilla custard with a hint of nutmeg. ;D
Just this week I bought a large jar Salt City candle heavily scented of orange and vanilla.
Last week I burned a Claire Burke candle that cost me a quarter.
So happy donors get lovely candles and never light them.

I napped then actually mom called me to wake me up. She had a lovely Christmas card from a man with whom she traveled the world. They once did something crazy like a 13 opera tour that took them all over Eastern Europe, then a different trip to France that included a side-trip to Monaco where mom had a friend. They also went to Ireland once. Do they had a lot of travels and happy times. So he had written to her to talk about their enduring friendship and how much it meant to him.

So I got up and went to Crate and Barrel to get BF's gifts for mom. He got her four plastic drinking glasses as she is down to three, and they are in terrible shape, and two placemats. She actually agreed to ditch her placemats today. So that worked out. I bought myself a lovely candle in a ceramic container and I couldn't be happier with it. Yesterday while shopping I kept picking up things and putting them away. I don't normally burn candles but this has such a seeet scent and I love the jar it is in. Then I went to Lord & Taylor and bought a few more boxes of Godivas to give as neighbor gifts. They are 50% off. He always needs more gifts. So this was all shopping for him, with the exception of the candle I bought myself.

I've selected three boxes of Christmas cards to donate. I need to reduce.

I've showered and I'm doing a quick load of laundry. I really want to do two but it's 11PM. and I need to stop the madness, somehow.

I didn't mind running around tonight nearly as much as I minded it last night. Last night I got a bit frazzled. Not tonight!

See you all tmr. Will go to bed after my laundry is dry.

You can join us anytime! :D
Then we can head over to Subclinical's place to see her wildlife.

With all that running around you are doing don't fret over enjoying a few special treats.
They won't register on the scale or make your clothes too tight. ;)


Lots of sunshine here today but the wind is too brisk to light a bon fire.
Some high gray clouds are starting to blow in now.

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

My mother keeps saying I'll feel better upon and solstice and I do believe she's right! I did two loads of laundry this AM, starting wrapping the Levi's sweatshirts we bought for the neighborhood children, went to post office to mail two cards for BF, went to visit BF to bring him a laptop case I received as a gift, went to mom's to write out Christmas cards, went back to Post office, then To grocery store. I'm home for a bit to eat and nap, then will go out again to run more errands for BF. he is working all day and all night. I don't mind running myself ragged for him. He does it for me 363 days a year. I can do two for him.

He also, on the way in, picked up a gift for one of my girlfriends to give her husband. So he's definitely doing what he can.

Tillie can I join you and the little ones to watch the wildlife?

HAPPY SOLSTICE Everyone!

Have a most wonderful time Subclinical(((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia
You sure have changed!!! (((HUG)))
Wonderful you no longer feel that need to possess half a dozen of things to bring back happy memories.
Good luck reducing your plastic containers and gaining all that priceless space.


Have treats outside for all the visiting wildlife.
They all love pears.
I spread the food out under the evergreen that grows right outside my dining area window where we can watch them.
Have my candles ready to light soon as I get up. :)

SubC you sound happy and prepared! I have found not using all of my Christmas decorations is actually more joyful for me. So I hope you find it the same! It's (now) fun for me to decide who will be making an appearance this year.

I'll post pictures of what I did this year. Modest but making me happy.

Thanking you for your friendship, SubC.

Tatoulia, I'm glad things are going so well for you.
today the insanity begins.

Cleaning and wrapping! Dh is going shopping for food. My tree is decorated and my classes wrapped up for now (much to do over break, but there will be time after all the company leaves also.) I did not put all the decorations out this year, but I am happy with what there is. I have a small handful of ornaments to ask the kids about and then pass on.

Tonight is my new year. No time for quiet contemplation this year, but my boy will be home and I will have a fire, light my candles, and enjoy that. And my house will be as clean as it is going to get this month!

If you don't hear from me, know am thinking of you and hoping your holidays (including your birthday Tillie) are lovely!

Hello everyone!

A heavy day at work today but did meet a friend for lunch. Had salmon on a salad and it was delicious. She ordered a glass of wine and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. At the end of the lunch, she had decided to skip the rest of the day at work! So much fun! If I weren't up against a deadline, I would've joined her!

I got a lot of work pushed through today. What a relief.

I then did BF's shopping for him tonight. Just a few things but man the stores were busy and it was really really warm. I also met him at Lord and Taylor last night as he did his shopping. I didn't get home til after 10 last night and tonight.

Going to go lay down. I'm in my jammies and kitty is fed. I've called mom and she and her little one are well.

I did buy a box of Christmas cards tonight but I'm okay with it. I don't have any that are happy holidays vs Merry Christmas. I do have Happy Hanukkah cards but no just plain Happy Holidays. So I'll use this box tmr when mom and I do our cards. We will also continue to use up my plastic containers. I want to empty them and get rid of them. I take the time each day to marvel at my space and livability.

Cm I am proud of you. You are taking care of things and progressing forward. SubC your party sounds nice and how lovely to get homemade cards and sweets. I love hearing about your tea towel and the crèche. Our family crèche is long lost. But I remember it, and that's all I need. Today. Ten years ago I would have had to replace it seven times over.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
WAY TO GO!!! with all your sorting out, decluttering and organizing what remains!!! :D

Good luck with the book sorting out.
Please do store them in smaller batches so they are not too heavy to move. ;)

Hi Subclinical
Happy you had a good day and a fun party!
Have an other wonderful time this weekend.
Enjoy your fudge making, the fantastic smells that makes.

Really quick, thought I posted this morning!

CM, I'm really gaping for you about the file box! Way to go!

I am glad you gave your new treasure Tatoulia. like pretty tea towels too. Have an anchor embroidered one from my ggmother that I use as a dresser scarf.

I put out the nativity set with grampie's little cow/sheep.

Good day with the kids. Good progress with some of them, and a fun teacher party. Was gifted several baggies of cookies, some candy, and a few heartfelt handmade cards. ❤️

Our very important party with our friends is scheduled for Monday night. I finished up stocking shopping today, so wrapping to do saturday and I can make fudge on Sunday.

Quick check in again, longer post soon.

Glad Tatoulia found the keys and Tillie something to pretty up the kitchen. SubC's bunny baby sounds adorable.

I had 3 latching transparent file boxes, and one of them didn't have much in it anyway. Now with the papers I've gotten rid of, it can hold the family memorabilia and genealogy research stuff.

Some of that will be digitized anyway. There's more stuff, photos and physical items like Dad's Air Force insignia, etc. In the storage unit. But in time, those things will be better organized. Right now the tubs I'd put it in years ago, I realized during my moves, are too large and cumbersome. That can be fixed.

Much much more to go but there is a momentum now, and one area or container cleared can make room for the GOOD stuff whivh is now in piles, though don't worry, there will be stuff from the piles that will simply go away during this process. Roommate and I will make a donation run this weekend.

Today I took some Harry Potter books to the bookstore for trade credit. I'm converting from ratty paperbacks to hardcover for the Potter series which I re-read. Other book series I sometimes go the opposite way with, from a mix of types to mass market paperback to save space.

All deemed worth keeping will be in neat, not too heavy tubs. Some books that don't earn their keep will be donated. This will take time. I hope this spring nothing will keep me from finally getting this accomplished. And with non-book items as well.

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi Tatoulia

My kitchen sink faces the wall. So boring standing there washing dishes.
I found a pretty cast iron towel bar that has scrolly decorative ends.
It matches the soap dish I found at another time.
Anyways...
I hang the pretty little tea towels I pick up at the thrift shop for a pittance on the towel bar.
I enjoy having them to look at.
Right now I have a very pretty Winter scene hanging there.

BDay is right after XMas.

Laundry is drying nicely on the clothesline today.
Woke up with a killer headache and it just won't go away.
Depressing because I had other plans for today instead of feeling crappy.