My old introductory thread dated May 30, 2015 - curious as to whether copy pasting the link will work...

https://hoardingcleanup.com/message-board/?msgbrd=1&topic=12435

I don't know if I was writing this today if I would say I actually have depression, I believe I was just on stress overload. PTSD likewise I doubt if I would say; not that I never had a few unhappy or scary things happen, but I don't know if it's full blown like a diagnosis. Maybe I'm just wrestling with the whole labeling thing. Meh. I go through times of reconsidering the narrative; probably lots of us do as life perspectives shift and change. We do the best we can generally, and try to find what might work better than what came before.

That's deep enough for now!

The last few days have still been harder to get going on much, but it will pick up again. Yesterday I did do a huge cleanup of the bunny cages and litterboxes. Roommate has been sick; thank God it's not covid. Could be severe allergies or just a bad cold. I'm fine so far. The cleanup of the bunny area should help both of us - and the bunnies.

Tomorrow I need to go to the bunny rescue house again and do more bunny care and computer stuff; then I should be able to do most of the computer part from home (or perhaps the library - it has been forever since I've had a productive library session).

Now that the weather doldrums have lifted, I do intend to get back on track with other projects that I had been doing 3-4 weeks ago.

I'm behind on everyone's posts too, hope to catch up soon. I prefer to post in response to what you all say, not just my isolated monologue, but better that than no post at all.

It is dark (overcast)
It is cold
It is wet outside.

Somebody come talk t9 me!

I can't find the Manila folders. Did I get rid of the Manila folders?

I did find the piano book I've wanted for Bean for two weeks that I finally told Bean I probably gave away.

I did add a couple of books to the out pile.

I did recycle four old fairbooks that I found in a file drawer while I was search8ng for Manila folders.

Full disclaimer, I tore a page out of three of them, because my kid was on fairboard those years. I did not tear out the grainy, basically unrecognizable picture of my other kid who was the reason I was keeping the 4th book. Also, I recycled the feedback page from his poultry project when he was ten. I'm giving myself half credit on the "things out" list.

I have a fire going in the wood stove, but it's not enough.

Good morning!

How is everyone?

Tatoulia, did Emiko help you last night?

Lila, what is the news on totfam?

Hi CM, hi Hope!

Bean and I went to library story time yesterday because his momma left for work from my house and I picked him up from his daddy a bit later than usual. It was ok. (His fever went away on Sunday)

Bean was not interested in the fingerplays and insisted on watching the playing with silk scarves activity from the doorway, but he was polite and attentive during the stories. A lot of the children were wandering around talking.

I had a little trouble telling if some of the women were moms or grandmothers (sometimes people think I am Bean's mom) But the three younger ones who each brought a child in, dropped all their stuff on the floor next to their chair, and immediately got on their phones never to look up again were definitely moms. They just wanted a break.

I signed up for the March/April session of classes at the downtown studio yesterday. I'm taking a sculpture class from an incredibly talented instructor. I'm a bit nervous, but I'm trying to push myself. It will be Monday nights, so I will take Bean all the way home (he lives seven minutes from the studio) his parents will like that.

It is still raining too much here and my pasture is flooded. The ducks are incredibly happy but the rest of the livestock are just annoyed.

I'm hoping to make some kind of progress in the house today, as well as working in my studio.

It is snraining here too.

Dh and I cleaned up the kitchen and he made a huge batch of heavy winter vegetable stew. I brought in wood and he made a fire. All I've done so far this afternoon is sit in front of the fire with a belly full of stew.

Sorry for the poor reading comprehension, SubC! Yes keep your daughter safe. You are lucky to be near each other.

Lila, I'm not surprised that you burned out. You've been doing a lot

I had a miserable night's sleep. I was clenching my teeth and had a terrible headache. No good. At one point, I thought I had a fever because I was freezing. I may be on the cusp of coming down with something.

It's either raining or snowing out. Hard to tell. I am going to try to get to grocery store. My friend Emiko is coming for dinner tmr night and she'll get things organized here.

Good morning!

Dh and I had a nice time at the concert last night.

It is not my Dd who is sick, Bean was sick (his fever is gone this morning) and my Dd has been staying with us so she didn't get his fever because she is newly pregnant and has had two miscarriages in just over a year. They are trying to be super careful this time.

They don't have tv at her house, so she will probably go home tonight after the ravens game (we don't have tv either, but we have a projector and can stream the game onto a big screen.)

Lila, you got a lot done yesterday - slow and steady. It's hard when other people set you back.

CM, it makes me happy that you have your cousin now.

Tatoulia, I'm glad you are making progress on your bags. CM's link is missing a ":" if you open it in a new window you can edit it.

I apparently never introduced myself in welcome and I have no idea when I showed up. Nony and Joan were still active back then. I think of Tillie every full moon. (And other times)

I miss road. And I hope Hope did not leave.

We have an event at school today for the kids to show off projects. I told people I was coming, but none of my kids asked me about it, or told me about what they were going to do, the weather is really grey, and my daughter is here, so I think I will stay home.

Dh is in a cleaning up mood, so I guess I will go help him.

heyyyy people! Nice to read your posts! I am jealous of having sun but not of the struggle. Isn't that how it always is?

I burned right out. The last few things I got done were:

- get second load out of dryer and put everything away
- heat up a potato and put broccoli soup over it for dinner
- pick up a couple more things

I am too done, and the table and chair are still piled with 80% of the junk. I did not work on my bedroom except for putting away the washed clothes. But the kitchen is quite a bit better.

I work tomorrow. I need to call TotsDad and find out why they have not moved in yet.

Okay I'm making decisions. Going well.

Hi everyone! Great work today, Lila! Wow! SubC I'm sorry your daughter is sick!

Cm I could not open the link. Upon reflection, I believe I started her in 2014, because I got rid of my storage space as of Nov 28, 2014. That summer, I had set a goal of Dec 31 so imagine my joy when I did it!

I'm going to out on some music and do some stuff around here. I need to get through these bags! I picked up my rug and then stopped by a shop to say hello to a friend of my Swiss friend. Then I stopped at grocery store and bought seltzer. I had probably just enough time to drop off at goodwill but I became nervous about getting the zip car back and decided I didn't have enough (a half bag) to justify chancing it on the traffic. So I'm going to force myself to go through my stuff now. Mom's stuff.

I did stop by mom's on my way back from dropping off the car. Old habits. Nice to see some people! Then I made lunch and fell asleep.

The Sun came out above Wichita this afternoon! And right now it is still somewhat light outside. It's kind of cute, my cousin who moved here is like me in that she hates winter too, and we text back and forth our grumbling about it. So we shared the joy of the moment when the clouds started to dissipate.

This past week has not been everything I would have wished. Times of great annoyance, like when I struggled to do that mail merge. Or the morning - grossness alert - I was in a chipper mood then stepped barefooted in cat vomit. (We have an ongoing problem with frequency of cat vomit, and the vet can't find anything definitive; most likely it's nerves because each of them would've done better as an only cat, but here we are.)

So I'm hoping and praying next week will be less aggravating.

Lila, I'm intrigued by your hour idea. Might be I could adapt it to my schedule somehow. Even if just as a check in with myself.

SubC, I couldn't remember until I looked back whether you had been with us as long as Tatoulia and I have. Glad you're here though.

Everybody keep plugging along, Poco a Poco!

more of the Lila show...

- dried and put away my clothes
- put my towels and jeans in the dryer
- baked the leftover cookie dough from the fridge
- brushed the dog who never stops shedding

I am tired of doing stuff and want to be lazy.

... and another couple hours:

- ate one artichoke and saved the other for tomorrow
- washed another 2 rounds of dishes, cookie sheets etc (I am telling you, every dish was dirty)
- went through the fridge and froze some things that needed to be saved

I still feel like I am not getting enough done, as each hour I have mainly worked on the kitchen.

But not the kitchen table, or my bedroom.

another hour...

- prepped artichokes and they are in the steamer pot right now for lunch
- put my laundry in the washing machine
- put a few things away from the kitchen table

poco a poco, right?

lol, SubC, purple alpacas on it would be fun...

I did not get much done around the house yesterday. Went out and ran errands. Read emails. Read books. Cleaned up a little. Cooked soup with Teen and then made dessert.

Today I had an idea. I made a list of things I need to get done. I decided I have to do one thing per hour (I may not finish the thing 100%, but give a good effort). So every hour I look at the lust and choose a thing.

I admit I spend a lot of time sitting, reading, watching tv when I am home.

So far today I:
- Unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher
- Washed a couple of pots, let them air dry, put them away
- then washed some cookie sheets and a glass dish, which are air drying
- carried my laundry from my bedroom to the top of the stairs
- put a few things away
- deposited a check

Some of the things on my list include clearing the kitchen table and the recliner, which are both piled with stuff from downstairs.

I need more hours in a day.

Good morn8ng.

Doing well. Been busy.

Poor little grandma cat. I hope she is feeling rested today.

Good job doing errands a driving CM! I hope you enjoyed swimming. And that your quilting works out. I'm going to go read your introduction in a bit.

Lila, I understand about the empty! I always find newly empty or cleared spaces a bit unsettling. Hopefully in a few days it will be full of your loves!

The kitchen sounds overwhelming. Perhaps having more family there to help will stop it from getting so bad again. One can hope.

I'm sorry about poor doggy.

Dd1 spend the night here last night because Bean developed a high fever after she left for work. She might be pregnant, and after the last two miscarriages, they don't want to take ANY chances. Bean is doing ok and his Daddy is taking good care of him. We got a picture of him last night curled up in a nest that looked like it might have been made from every pillow and blanket in the house with his baby and his book.

We didn't see much of her last night because while I was at work Dh made plans for us to go out to dinner with our best couple friends. So I went there right from work. I was early and the upscale consignment next door was still open, so I went in to shop. I discovered that I have little to no interest in most of what is considered stylish at the moment. But, I did treat myself to a sweater. It is just a tiny bit big on me, which makes me feel good considering how tight all my clothes are right now, and it is a style and cut that can be worn "oversized" if I do lose the weight.

I told Dh I bought a "purple alpaca sweater" and he asked "is it made from alpaca, or does it have purple alpacas on it?" Dd said "fair question." But it's the first. And they both liked it.

Today I'm going to get out in the studio and Dh and I have a date tonight. I don't know what else.

Hello hello!

I made it through a week of long hours and intense work, and now I get today and tomorrow off! REALLY off, not doing any work work. I missed you guys, so nice to read about what's going on with you three who have been posting! SubC, Bean sounds like a delight! He likes you people, ha! When dil first left To with me, I texted her a picture of Tot being happy, here and there. Made her feel better.

SubC, what was hard about TotsDad finishing those 2 rooms is seeing them almost completely empty. When they were packed full before. All my STUFF gone. I have not seen the huge room this empty in over 15 years. Which is about when we had the addition built.

Totsfam has not moved in yet, not sure why as I was too busy to talk to them for a few days but they have keys. I would guess he will move their furniture in today. We had snow and ice so maybe that's the delay.

So my kitchen by last night was an abomination! I worked, and Teen made huge messes you would not believe. It's no use setting boundaries, they just get plowed through. That is why I had so many of my dishes locked in my room. I will try and talk to them about it again today.

My kitchen was clean (you're welcome) less than a week ago. Last night every dish was dirty (crusted with dried food) and Teen had started eating out of mixing bowls and storage containers and Tot's plates, leaving actual food on them and leaving them in the sink, on the stove counter, etc. So every surface had spills, crumbs, dirty dishes, actual trash and wrappers... omg. WE HAVE A DISHWASHER.

Last night I loaded, ran, unloaded the dishwasher twice. I loaded it again at bedtime and unloaded it this morning.

I washed some larger bowls and pots last night. put them away this morning, washed some more this morning.

Loaded the dishwasher again this morning. Sprayed down the stove and scraped the food off.

Threw away trash and food bits.

Washed out one side of the sink. Took out the trash.

Put spices and things away.

Also the very elderly dog had a number 1 and number 2 potty accident in the night, which I woke up to. It only happens 2 or 3 times a year, she is just old. I had to clean up all that, use disinfectant, then use the carpet cleaner.

I would like to get the table cleared off today so we can eat - good suggestion (was it SubC?)

I ate oatmeal and am drinking coffee.

Will be back to share progress and hope you guys will too!

Tatoulia, you got me curious so I went looking and found my original introductory post (it mentions that I posted on other small threads too but the timeframe would've been close enough for whatever the date was of my very first post).

Introducing... CriticalMass! :D

There were several people whom we no longer hear from, the most memorable of course being Tillie. I've long wished this message board had more features, so that we could search by username, and go back and edit our posts, have avatars and emojis and other bells and whistles. Though I do like forums that at least aren't the "endless scroll" type such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Yesterday was mostly eaten up by doing the mail merge for tax letters that the bunny rescue sends out to past year donors. I was overall proud of myself for diving in and figuring out how to do it, to set up the fields in Word and have it pull the data from the Excel spreadsheet. But there were many fiddly things and frustrations at times, and I may or may not have done some screaming and at one point had to make myself lay my phone down because I wanted to throw it out the window (because of a friend texting me non emergency messages right when I was having the worst struggle).

But I think I got the letters all done, and emailed them to HQ for printing. I'm going to call and check. Roommate has been doing the spreadsheets and reports over the last few months. The ladies who are trying to keep up with the boots on the ground bunny care tasks day in and day out barely have time for the clerical aspects, and they are also dyslexic, so roommate and I being data and computer savvy helps. I will get better at things like mail merge; it's just that I hadn't done much of it since the 90s and software is more complex now. I suppose in the near future we will have AI doing it all anyway, for better or worse.

Today roommate and I go swimming. I can use a good physical exercise time to work out frustrations and pass the time for part of today while it's still dreary outdoors. Tomorrow will be too, but we have an outing planned with another friend to stores across town (I'm not buying anything I don't need, which is easier to stick to given the way my mind looks ahead to decluttering projects I intend to tackle soon at home, and in spring at the storage place).

Learned the other day that my church quilting guild has some ladies out of commission due to illness or other things going on. Tuesday mornings had been my time to go quilt, but there have been some security issues with the church building, street person got in and spent the night in the basement which is where our quilting room is, so I don't feel comfortable going by myself. It's just in limbo for now. The other time is Thursday evenings but I don't want to do the night driving at this time. Roommate has expressed interest in going, though, in which case I might.

I do hope this situation is only temporary. My Lenten group will start up in a few weeks and maybe I can ask around and see if anyone there might like to learn to quilt... can't hurt to ask.

How all this ties in with decluttering is that if it becomes clear that my parish really won't be able to sustain the quilting, I will need to either find another outlet for using up the fabric I have, or bite the bullet and start getting rid of it. I'm ready to be more decisive about such things.

Wow CM I did not know you were here back then! Wow. We've known each other a long time!

I'm feeling sluggish too with no real reason. I had yesterday off for a big dental appt (getting there!) and afterward I had a number of plans but instead I came here and slept. Til after 8 PM

this AM I took my little grandma cat to the vet. She was an angel during the walk there despite the cold drizzle, an absolute monster the entire time at the vet, and sweet as sugar on the walk home. She has been asleep ever since. She had two vaccinations, had her blood drawn, and had a catheter for a urine sample. She's worn out.

My cleaners came today. I can tell that they see I've made no progress on mom's stuff. In other news, I've been focused and non-stressed at work.

How are you SubC, Lila, Hope?

This will be a hit and miss, piecemeal post.

Tatoulia, I remember 2015 was when I landed here, right after moving from my previous roommate's to the current one. The move was utterly chaotic and I declared I would become a minimalist thereafter. Well... progress has been very slow on that goal. I hope it is still a viable goal. I remember you were finishing up the storage unit.

I haven't gotten much done on household projects, but yesterday I went out and did errands, which was actually a thing I felt pretty good about. You see, the weather here has improved from bitter cold, but it has settled into a grey, dreary, cold, damp, mizzly drizzly phase that has lasted approximately 53 days. At least that's how long it has felt. It's the sort of weather that tempts me to cocoon. And I was growing increasingly concerned that I might get more and more rusty (read: anxious) about getting out and driving places.

But I did, and it was a success, and today I drove to the other side of town to a bookstore to get a replacement Harry Potter book for a damaged one, then to the bunny rescue house where I am helping with clerical stuff and bunny care. So now it feels like I'm back in the swing of things after the time of covid and really bad cold weather.

They are still not showing any sunshine forecast until Sunday. I'm not depressed, but I am somewhat sluggish. The dampness makes the cold feel colder. Just not enjoyable weather to be out in a whole lot. And diminished energy and purpose re indoor tasks, though hoping I can get going on something.

Good morning!

I'm not sure there is anything wrong with hibernating. And if you are hibernating with your stuff you might be more likely to deal with it.

Bean is still asleep. Dh is going to the gym. I might stick an earphone in and do yoga. I don't want to wake Bean up. He always has to get up early on Mondays so he can go to work with Dd and get picked up.

Don't expect any progress today - just hanging with my boy.

Hope and Lila, I hope to hear from you soon.

That is really cute! What a sweetpea.

Thanks for the perspective on my stuff, SubC. I used to have stuff in BF's basement and stuff in car. Soon it will all be here or donated. Not bad! I will feel better to be sure.

When I first came here in 2015 maybe? I had a large storage space. It was filled too to bottom, front to back, and I got rid of everything. Now look where I'm headed. It will be challenging and I'll need your help, but we will get it done.

I wish it weren't winter because I'm a bit of a hibernator.

Good evening!

CM, I hope you can fix your fan.

Tatoulia, good job on getting back to the healthy eating.

When the car and garage are gone, you will own only the things that are in your house! I know you feel like that is too many things right now, but I find that idea really impressive. I know you will keep making progress on sorting out your mom's stuff and either making space for it or letting it go.

My Bean is spending the night! His mama is finally feeling ok with the idea again (and he begged). She is staying until he is asleep. But it is a start. (The problem is her anxiety - objectively she trusts us, but it is hard for her to know she can't check on him at night.)

She told him that he would sleep here and then tomorrow at the end of the day he will go home. He said "no, I want to stay here. You can come back." And she asked if he wanted them to live here now, and he said "yes. I like these people." It was so funny and cute - like we were something he had just tried for the first time and decided he likes.

I'll have to do a catch up again with reading posts as well as posting more thoroughly, but just wanted to wish everyone a happy Sunday afternoon. Our weather here is still windy with a bite, not as bitter cold but not nice either. I was going to go someplace but now I'm thinking more of a nap, after I make lunch.

Yesterday I went to fix my little fan (I like to have air circulating year round in my room so it doesn't get stale and stuffy). It hopefully just needs stuff cleared away that is keeping the motor from turning the blade properly. The 4 screws that hold on the cage part were impossible to get loose by myself. So I took it to the hardware store, and the nice young man got them off in a jiffy with his drill and screwdriver bit. I bought some bolts that are a slightly smaller size so that I won't have to put the super tight ones back on. But I still need to clean it, because I got busy with this and that. I will. I hope it still works, because I haven't had it that long. Don't get me started on planned obsolescence!

Okay, off to cook and perchance to rest. Later!

I am giving up the garage. A monthly expense I don't need. I'm not storing anything in the garage other than my car, which I use as a giant storage bin. So I have to clear it out. It has leftover stuff from BF's house and some old Christmas stuff of mine that I can probably just donate. So it will take a full day next weekend to decide and get things to goodwill. But I can do it. And then I'll have the car off of my mind. The trunk is full but again, I will deal with it. It helps the idea that I need to deal with mom's stuff here even more pressing.

Reducing these things is very useful. Getting rid of the car is very useful. I'm also back to eating appropriately in terms of amounts and cutting out sweets, which means my clothes will fit me again. I have nothing that fits but that beautiful closet full of clothes is calling me

This is all a good thing to clean out and clear out. I'm really happy with what I am accomplishing. I know I will feel less stress. Fewer things: less stress.

Tatoulia, as my dad always quotes Dizzy Dean "it ain't bragging if you can do it."

Very nice!

Are you going to give up the garage? I remember that you were storing some things besides the car there? Is that right?

I support counting laundry. Also, I know you meant "hooks" but I can totally see myself going to the hardware store and coming home with books. - lol!

Lila, why is it hard for you to see your son doing the final prep of the room?

I too would have thrown out the mattress.

I think your desk will be a good thing - try to respect the surface.

I believe you will get your surfaces cleared off again. Poco a poco. Your son is there to help. Maybe the dining table first so you can all eat together? ("Do I want this thing, or do I want family dinners with my grands?") and if you have to keep the thing, maybe you can find a different thing somewhere else to get rid of to make space for it?

I have started to think about rearranging some rooms and maybe changing out some furniture. Just thinking for now, but the disruption from the rearranged audio system has been sort of a poke.

Also, I am still picking at the books, but I won't report those until they go.

I'm bragging. It took me under five minutes to find my car title.

I'm here! Thanks for missing me! That means a lot. Also someone said earlier in the week (SubC) that you'll afraid I'll leave. Never! You are my friends and I need you.

I am not caught up on posts. I read some earlier this week and I just read Lila's recent post. I can totally relate to feeling overwhelmed, most recently having people help me with mom's stuff and me having to go into ostrich mode and just let people make the decisions without me. I couldn't have done it otherwise. I cannot believe what a good person you are with respect to exH mattress but I understand since he is paying you. I would've trashed it for sure. Clarification to SubC: I never feel like someone would be better off without me, I was looking at the broader sense and I was definitely struggling with whether the world is too much for me! All is well as I settle into things.

Okay the neighbor taking my car asked to see it. His daughter has her license straightened out. This means I need to deal with the stuff in the car. Some is mine and some is boyfriend's. I will swap with the trunk. I have to. I have to get this stuff out of my life ASAP. Also I need to find the title to the car so I can sign it over to her.

I made a to do list today and I had to count laundry as a thing. I went to the hardware store and bought books since I need to hang a large etching of my mother's. I had to count taking the recycling out as a win, too. Tonight I just write more thank you notes. If I could do 10 that would be great.

That's the news. Oh and I'm fat. Haha

hi SubC and CM. I have caught up on about half the posts but will read the rest shortly. I have a bit of a headache. Tatoulia, we miss you!

I worked and worked. I took today off and TotsDad is here doing the final touches on the two big rooms they will move into. It is hard for me to see this!! I went in and took a shelf and stuck it in the shower and sprayed it with cleaner, scrubbed it and rinsed it so we can use it in the bathroom. TotsDad cleaned off another shelf unit and put it by the front door for all the shoes we will be seeing.

Then he was asking me questions and I got a bit overwhelmed... are you keeping this bookshelf? what about this cabinet? where do you want these things? and I was not ready, but was able to donate 2 items and have him move the rest into the garage til I decide. Only a few items. Then asked me what to do with ex's gross old mattress. I emailed ex to see if he wants it kept. For now, we moved it to the garage.

Now he is down there vacuuming the big room, wiping off all the built in shelves in the wall and closet, and then will mop. He already brought some totes today from his house and put them in the garage. I assume he is going to start bringing over furniture and stuff to move in. I assume the last thing will be their beds, because once those are here, so are they! Probably tomorrow or the next day!

I am very excited to have all the littles here and to have my son here and my dil as well. She is very sweet and I love her, very easygoing. It will be fun having them here. But I also am a bit nervous because I am such an introverted loner. Is it going to be overwhelming to have FIVE more people here, three of them very loud little people?? I do have that desk in my bedroom now in case I need to work in quiet. I wonder what this is going to be like! A blessing, I surely hope.

My dining room table and counter/bar are so piled you cannot see an inch of surface. So are my couches, chairs, coffee tables etc. Argh!

Good afternoon. Dh and I stayed up very late last night and I slept until after 8 a.m.!

The livestock didn't complain as it was still only 4F and they were not eager to go outside. The heat lamps had kept the water thawed, and I've been over feeding them to help them stay warm.

I definitely needed the sleep.

It's supposed to be sunny and mid 20's tomorrow, so Bean is coming out to sled. Dh has plowed the driveway and gone off to pick up another stereo bit (have I told you that his project this winter is upgrading all the music systems in the house?) He keeps rearranging my furniture and borrowing bits and bobs from people to try out. So far he has purchased one set of speakers - display models, half price, and a couple of ikea cubes to adjust the height of his existing speakers. He's been doing sound tests and taking samples and graphing things - all very techy. Sometimes it is fun because he plays dance music with lots of base or rhythm, and sometimes it is annoying because he plays one pitch at a time over and over.

Anyway, he is going to stop at the grocery store while he is out, which is good because I have gotten out of my overstocking habit so well that we were down to one partial roll of TP in each bathroom.

I have ordered most of my garden seeds, but still need to get about 6 packets plus my various potatoes and some strawberries.

I've been struggling with the strawberries year after year, but I am going to try something new this year. I might also order some raspberry canes.

I've gotten a load of laundry done and need to go out and work in the pottery studio. Dh has turned the heat up because he has to roast coffee when he gets home.

We have a concert tonight.

Good evening all.

Hope, are you still here?!

Tatoulia, are you doing ok?

I did not get to the pottery - the thought of trying to warm up the studio was too overwhelming. And I didn't really clean up the basement - put a few things on a shelf.

But I did plan my seed order list (I have to choose where to order them from and do that tomorrow) and I cleaned out the fridge a little and made biscuits (using the already cooked squash and then using up the last spoonful of jam in three different jars when we ate some of them.)

And of course the evaluations are turned in.

And I recycled a lot of old notes and order slips and catalogs when I was planning my seed order. I'm just not ever going to get that stuff in any kind of order that is going to be useful to me. Better to just start with keeping track neatly this year and move on.

Dh and I are going to watch a movie again. Carry on.

Hi SubC,

It's hovering around unprintable degrees here too, with a rather unprintable wind chill.

And of course it would be the day that roommate and I said we'd go do computer work at the bunny rescue.

Good morning.

I did ok yesterday. Mostly treading water, but things did not get worse. Christmas is put away except for two strands of outside lights Dh says he will take care of when it is not (unprintable) degrees outside.

We are going to have a snow day today. This is a problem for me because I was counting on today to finish off project assessments and conferences for evaluations, but I will do the best I can. There are going to be some creative generalizations and a lot more active verbs than past tense on some of these. ("Shows good applications technique" for glazing rather than anything about results for example) lots of "good" and "well" and "is doing" and "good start". Otoh, attendance is done now, so I can finish them by 9.

Then I think I'm going to work on my garden planning and do some pottery. Maybe clean up the basement a little. It is getting out of control again.

Good morning CM.

I enjoyed your post. It's nice to see someone posting in the morning. Sometimes I get lonely because you guys are in different time zones or are night owls.

I'm a big fan of splurges. I think if you are going to have a treat you should really go for it so you feel like you had a treat and can move on. Not for me are the moderate, sensible "one cookie as a reward" systems! I would rather wait longer and be like "this is the day that I eat all the cookies!"

There are a couple of restaurants I like to go to with Dh. One has a giant loaded black bean burger with fatty sauce and fries, and the other has a deep fried spicy bite appetizer (I get the 16 piece as a meal) when I go, I'm sure I eat a lot more calories, but overall I think it is a small net, because I eat really healthy early in the day knowing I'm going to splurge, and then the next day all I want is salad - lol. And I feel like I really had a treat.

Good luck on laundry and getting your stuff out.

I am struggling today because it is one of those days where the seams on my clothes are driving me insane. I have stripped three times and changed once down to the skin trying to find whatever is crawling around in my clothes, even though I know it is the seams. Sadly it is too cold to run around naked and Dh is expecting a delivery and I have to go get feed. I need to find something to work on that I can really get absorbed in so this stops.

Hi,

Just waiting for the day to start. Lunch Tuesday was yummy, a bit of a splurge (smashburger, fries, and a bit of root beer) but not a big amount. I may tend go for the meat and potatoes options more than you all, but I don't like huge portions of food that leave me uncomfortably stuffed. Like at this place on the menu it starts with double burgers, but way back when they opened I asked, and singles are available so that's what I got. Some places I get the kid's meal, lol.

While we were sitting there, the fire alarm goes off and two fire trucks come, but nothing seems obviously amiss in the restaurant. Turned out it was the vacant space next door. Looked like maybe a frozen pipe burst because there was no smoke but a bunch of water pouring out the door. Ever since I've been dealing with clutter and hassle in my own life, I feel bad for anyone like that property owner who is now going to have a mess to deal with.

We went swimming yesterday, and that was good. Hopefully a reboot for my energy and focus and motivation. Roommate's laptop didn't want to boot either but we got it going; wonder if the power outage did something to it but it seems okay now. I held my wrist against the hot tub jets and that seems to have helped.

Need to do laundry today, I realized. And hoping to get my box of small donations and the large craft tote gone asap. I will post on Daily Tally when I have done that.

I know this post is kind of boring and rambly but I'm not completely awake and with it yet, haha.

Good morning.

Lila, you have done so very well! It is ok that you have a storage room right now. Your progress has been phenomenal! And you will have your lovely littles right there in your home, and their Dad on hand to keep helping you!

I'm sorry about the bed people though. That is a big object.

CM, how was lunch? How is your wrist? I'm sorry you felt discouraged, but I think you are doing well. Your posts sound much more upbeat lately. It is good to hear you are sewing and playing music and getting out to exercise.

I had a good day yesterday. I did yoga and brushed my teeth and showered before school. I got there in time to unload the kiln and write all the lesson plans on the board before the kids arrived. All my classes went well and I picked up the information I needed, and I only stayed after for two hours straightening up my room, editing evaluations, and turning all the Wednesday class ones in. (Plus a couple of trips up and down the stairs to fortify myself with tea and 100 calories nut packs from the office - bless the parents who keep the snack station stocked!)

Tomorrow I have less editing to do, but I need to load the kiln, so two hours is probably a reasonable guess for that.

When I got home I took the kettle out to thaw water for the animals and actually cooked dinner. - I used up the last of a package of open bulgar that had been languishing, and the broccoli. My fridge still needs work. Dh was happy that there was dinner when he got home. I even ran a load of laundry after chores, but I didn't clean up the dishes.

Today it is supposed to get up into the 20s. I need to make a run to the feed store. The only prep I have for school tomorrow is some fun stuff. I'm going to try to put away the last few Christmas decorations, get out to my studio, and otherwise just putter about making a little progress on the house. I'll check back later.

Hello friends, been back to work but today is a snow day/work at home. TotsDad came over and is still here. We sorted some of the last boxes and bins, moved things, swept and mopped, he nailed some cords up along the wall so they are not all over the floor.

I have been weighing and making attempts at weight loss/better eating. I have been donating and trashing things. I am tired and the last parts are exhausting. Stuff I have no place for. Several bins of my childhood things or my Dad's things got tossed into one of the kids rooms which is a storage unit right now. I will deal with that later. Right now we are behind on getting them moved in, and are trying to finish up those 2 rooms. We are 90% done at least.

I will update the Daily Tally and the Decluttering the Pounds threads and hope to hear from some of you over there.

I did read your posts and I am glad to hear you got your evaluations done, SubC, and I hope we all can get through this icky winter.

Also someone said they were coming today to buy the queen bed and then they just didn't bother to show up at all. Rude.

We get to go out for lunch today! Finally the temperature isn't just absolutely brutal.

My cabin fever took over early on and kicked my executive functioning's butt. It just felt like coping with the cold weather was all my mind had the bandwidth for. Our power went out last night; it had flickered on Friday and Saturday and I can't remember, maybe Sunday as well - just out for like a minute or less then back on. But last night was out for about 15-20 minutes. The entire neighborhood.

I know it will be a short week, too. Poco a Poco will definitely apply to getting back into the swing of things. Tomorrow roommate and I plan to go for a swim, which should get the blood pumping. And I'll have a chance to stick my wrist on the hot whirlpool tub's jets. I guess when I played my keyboard on Sunday morning, reaching for 2 notes above an octave when I wasn't used to it strained the tendons. I iced it last night, which helped some. Friday we have a brainstorming session with the bunny shelter, for which I have not done much to prepare as I had intended.

My cousin's school had no classes yesterday of course because of the holiday, and cancelled today because of the cold. Hers is a tiny district adjacent to Wichita. Wichita cancelled as well. So cousin and I got to text last night awhile. She's decluttering too. It's cool that we can encourage each other.

And this morning I decided to try again to phone a friend who's been hard to catch, and had a nice chat with her. She's seriously considering moving to the little town where her daughter and grandchildren live, about 26 miles away. She needs to be closer to them, because of her health, but I will miss her. We've been friends since our 20s. Haven't gotten to get together in person since before Covid. I wish highway driving/longer distances from home didn't bother me so, I'd be able to go see her. But this friend does have siblings still in town, so perhaps when she comes in to visit them we would be able to get together. Or maybe by some miracle I will be able to make the drive someday. Who knows. Never say never.

I was a bit discouraged on Sunday as I was preparing to sit down at the keyboard, at how much stuff I had to shift and pile still to get to it. It's by the sewing machine table, and most of the stuff in question is sewing related, or crafts. I know I've made some dent in it, but y'know how it is when you're just halfway through and there's not yet a good fit between amount of stuff and available space. Piling things in sloppy ways is the bane of my existence, yet here we are. I know it will get better, must try to stay positive.

My evaluations are done*, my lesson plans for tomorrow are done, and I did yoga today.

I have put away two loads of laundry and now I am eating lunch.

Dh worked out not having to drive in to work this afternoon, so maybe he will quit at a reasonable hour and we will have an evening again.

I read an article where a woman talked about struggling with housekeeping with executive function and all the "stuff". She said it helped to see it as there only being 5 things in any room: dishes, laundry, trash, things with a place, and things without a place. I think our problem is that we have too many of that last category. For me, that means I don't get to the others. Also I'd say at my house it needs to be seven. I would add recycling (because like laundry it has a place but needs to be clean first and like trash it needs to leave regularly) and dirt. Because if I don't focus on it, I don't see it. "Things with a place" is my easy category.

Good morning.

Tatoulia, I'm sorry to hear that you were struggling! We only see glimpses of your life through your eyes, but it seems like you are important to a lot of people. I am 100% sure that you are important here. Sometimes I worry that you will get totally organized and stop showing up. We need you and we care about you.

I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep this morning. Then when I got up I have just been reading online. Dh apparently forgot to set his alarm, and by the time I realized how late it was and woke him up, he does not have time to drive to work before a meeting, so he will be working from home this morning.

He has to drive in later though.

It is still 9 degrees here. Mr. Kitty refuses to go outside. I don't blame him.

I am trying to find the energy to finish off my evaluations this morning. I know I will feel better when they are done. "Done" I have attendance to add to each of them and probably a note or two on about half. There are six of them I really can't turn in as is. I will have to at least look over the kids' shelves and hopefully meet with them and talk about their work - about another hour outside of class on those. I'm hoping to finish The ones that just need attendance and possible tweaks during classes. I am worried because there is snow predicted overnight Thursday and on Friday. If we have a snow day I won't be able to meet with my Friday kids. I think I better check out their shelves on my own after school on Wednesday just in case. - look at me planning ahead!

I will check back later.

I finished my performance evals at 1045. Not proud of that. One of them, I couldn't get my rhythm on it. On the other one, the person was inconsistent and but luckily ended on a good note. I tried not to read their self evals because they both think they are tops and they are not. One could be but I don't trust the person. At all. The other just phones it in and wants to be praised all the time. So I had to avoid being aggravated. We will see what the person above me says and whether she sends any of them back to me for revision. I think the ones I did on Friday should be okay.

I did get out. Went to the grocery store and walked around some of the other stores for a while. Got the garbage out which was good. Now I need to go to bed. Due back in office tomorrow.

SubC I just needed to check in with you. Didn't mean to be so dramatic. I was having trouble last year. I will say that now that my mother has passed, I feel better. I was under terrible stress.

I also need to lose weight, ladies. I'd lost 40 lbs then BF left and the mom situation so I'm ready to lose weight again. Plus I plan to go overseas in Sept to see BF so I better be back to where I was! I miss wearing my clothes most of all. My pretty blue clothes. Blue and white.

Hi Tatoulia!

Did you go out?

Hi everybody!

I'm realizing how that could have sounded. I'm not saying Dh would be better off without me (although a case could possibly be made that he had better options.) I'm just saying his life would be easier. Sometimes I feel bad about that and wish I was less trouble.

My life would be easier if I didn't teach. Not better. Just easier.

Good luck on your performance reviews. I empathize.

I am doing pretty well today. Yoga, shower, brushed teeth, clean clothes, washed and dried a load of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, healthy lunch, and even had a dance party with Bean. And Bean and I cleaned up our toys and dishes before he went home.

Dh is making dinner. I will probably just relax tonight after I finish chores.

Hi everyone. This is a tough time of year. Not enough light, too cold, etc. I'm glad you watched a movie with your husband. He would never, ever be better off without you. You are his glue and his anchor.

Had a good time with friend yesterday. Today I slept in way too late and now it's 215 and I'm in my pjs, just had breakfast, and there's a cat in my lap, purring away.

I do need to get out today. I cannot wait for the sun to go down and use that as my sorry excuse. I cannot forget it's trash night, either, and I'll have to clean everyone's litter boxes.

I have two performance evaluations to do. I did two on Friday and have two more due. I do not want to do them in the office because we've consolidated from three floors into two and I no longer have a management space. So I just need to start and finish those today. No excuses. One will be easier to write than the other.

Okay everyone I am grateful you are here. I'll get dressed, go out, and report back.

The dark and cold are definitely issues. Mostly the dark. The sun did come out yesterday.

I got through three sections of evaluations yesterday. Total of 8 left to go - I'll do those tomorrow then polish them up on wed and Fri.. Dh invited me to watch a movie last night (we have a projector that hooks to our computer and a big screen we made from a sheet during the pandemic.) so I stayed up too late.

I eat dairy and eggs. (I have goats and chickens remember) my weight problem is too many carbs, not enough exercise. Sitting for hours doing evaluations doesn't help. And I use up all my willpower making myself do it.

I didn't snack during the movie.

I don't really sub anything for meat, I just don't eat it. I eat a lot of vegetarian Indian food and pasta and soup dishes. Also "ingredients". Dinner last night was rice, steamed broccoli and walnuts. Not together. Only the rice and broccoli made it to a plate. I actually don't eat much cheese right now because I have an allergy to A1 cow milk and the goats are dried off. I've recently learned it's only the A1 and been buying A2 at the store for my cereal instead of almond milk - which is probably a bad choice.

5 degrees out this morning and I need to go do chores and pick up Bean. Brrr. You'd think I'd lose weight keeping warm...

Hang in there, ladies...

Other than going to vigil Mass Saturday evening, I have done nothing but veg during this bitter cold spell. Didn't even change out of jammies today. And I'm not even going to feel guilty about it. One more day, and then the temperature will moderate. I played the keyboard this morning and I've been reading the final Harry Potter book. I don't like cabin fever at all, but it is too cold to go out.

This has been a special report from the Boredom News Network.

oh SubC, you sound pretty low. You sure have a lot on your plate right now, and do you think the long dark cold winter gets you down?

Maybe we could start posting on the Declutter Your Waistline thread again. I too have regained weight, probably 10 pounds. I am quite disappointed in myself but continue cramming food in my face as an avoidance of doing other things.

I also want to cut more animal products out. SubC, you are vegetarian too, right? Do you eat dairy and/or eggs? I myself just a year and a half ago cut out meat at my doctor's urging, but I have continued to eat dairy and eggs. I switched to almond milk for cereal and cooking, and Silk half and half for my coffee, but I eat cheese, sour cream, yogurt. I also eat fish once in awhile, maybe twice a month.

I would love to hear how you and possibly others sub out healthier options for eggs and cheese, sour cream, etc.

Cutting out "junk" would go a long way too... sugary things, processed things, fried things.

I did not decluttering today. I needed a break.

I did do 2 loads of laundry though, and got Son to vacuum and take out trash, so that is something.

Good afternoon.

I have "finished" two sections of evaluations. (Actually I'm a little stressed about the extent of the additional information I need from the kids on Friday). My lesson plans are "conferences and independent work on finishing projects or free sculpt" as in "don't expect me to help you with anything today because I'm going to be meeting with you individually to try to finish your evaluations."

I'm making notes to try to build in more of this as I go next year.

Right now I need to take a break and do something different.

All I really want to do is eat sugar and carbs. I am so fat. I have never been this fat before in my life. Even when I was pregnant I weighed less that this when I got home after giving birth. My joints hurt. I'm keeping Dh awake snoring. I hate it. I don't seem to have the energy to make healthy choices and still keep up with everything else. Except I'm not even keeping up with everything else.

And like, the stove - I'm just like "I don't know. Dh cleans the stove." Sometimes I think about how easy his life would be if he didn't have me to take care of.

SubC, I'm sorry you woke up sad. The cold air surely does make up snap out of it a bit, in some way, even if still struggling.

Hope, this hoard has been massive. My house is probably 3000 square feet and most of it was full of stuff. Every closet and spare room crammed to the brim and spilling out. Ex's den was full to the top with a teeny pathway from door to bed. I went back last night and scrolled through the topics and in 2016 I used to post as "wife." You can see them by looking at who started the thread. And 3000 square feet does not include the shed and the two car garage that was stuffed full of junk.

Three yard sales, countless trips to the donation place, giving away big things online, I mean it has to be like 1500 square feet of junk that has come out of here already.

Totsfam is moving in with us this week, and there are 5 of them (3 kids) and although I am clearing, I still have my furniture and functional stuff and have no idea where they are going to put everything like pots and pans. One of us will probably pack up or stay packed... we'll see. I plan to buy a smaller home and move out in a year or so. They are definitely displacing the hoard. I have two small kids bedrooms still pretty hoarded up with toys and random junk that I will keep working on.

Hope, when the mail comes in, ALL the junk and ads go into the trash, and never get set down. The rest, if I have time, get opened... envelopes in trash, bills and action items in my action tote, the rest in a box to be filed if I am keeping it. However I admit I often don't have time, and after I throw out the junk I toss the rest on the bar/counter in the kitchen. It piles up. I am working on the habit.

Stove grease: Dawn Powerwash spray is great for the outside/top!! Just spray it (soak) and let sit 10 minutes, then wipe off with paper towels and scrub with a scrubber. I really like Scrub Daddy sponges for this but use what you have that has a scrubby side. Then, wipe it with paper towels and spray with Dawn Powerwash again and let sit 10 min, repeat.

Somewhere in there if needed you can use Bartender's Friend powder to scrub more. I also bought a razor blade scraper which gets all the burned on stuff off a glass cooktop.

I hope this helps... for inside the stove I use the self cleaner when I am home. I don't like the chemical stuff but if needed you can use that.

Having coffee, will start on the hoard again soon.

Thanks for letting me vent and for support guys. Still catching up on posts replying to what I read so far.

SubC - glad to see that your day is beginning to look up and that you got out to get some air and love the advise that you gave on the categories. Also, great job on pressing through the evaluations. Living life while dealing with the hoard is a job itself.

Lila - seems that you are making wonderful progress. Your consistent purge is an inspiration. When are totsfam coming again? Also, what impact if any will they have on the hoard?

Tat - great job on dishwasher and laundry. I count it all because it matters. Today, I had to tidy the front porch (again) and I packed up books I got stuck on yesterday morning but I counted it progress because i got something done. I'm also glad that your friend is coming. Everyone has something that they are not proud of/great at. I understand the anxiety of your friend coming. The main thing is that you remain proud of the progess that you are making because only you know all the details about what you are going through and what it takes to dig out.

In addition to the above, I told a close family member about my situation. They want to help. I was close to saying yes but realized how cold it is in here at times. I'm having trouble focusing on this post. Really struggling through all of this. I will post again later or tomorrow.

I also appreciate any tips on how you handle mail and for cleaning a stove with grease build up.

Good morning.

I woke up sad and miserable today.

But now the sun is out and I have ventured into the crisp (7F) air to do chores and am feeling a bit better. Feeling hopeful about cranking through these evaluations, although the ones today will unfortunately be more incomplete than yesterdays - upside, I have been making lesson plans for each class that will allow me to finish off their evaluations as I go so my Wednesday is completely prepped.

Lila, I know this is easier said than done, but try not to keep things that make you sad.