Good morning :)
Have lots of things planned for today.
All last night I had very vivid dreams where I did all the things I have planned for today.
Now to actually do them in real life. lol
Getting very nervous about my eye exam appointment tomorrow. Worry that I won't get there on time. Worry about talking to strangers. Worry that they may touch me. Worry that my new glasses won't work right for me.
Enough with the worrying. I CAN do this. I MUST do this. :)
Dreamed last night that I polished my silverware.
I use the good stuff every day because it's mine, I like it and I am not saving it for any special occasions or to pass it down to someone when I die. :D
I need to polish it about twice a year and today I will do that as I sit and watch something on Netflix.
Need to water the house plants over at the big house.
Doing some laundry today too since the weather is still nice.
Will probably go outside this afternoon and play with the cats.
Then I need to shampoo my hair and pick out what clothes I will wear tomorrow.

What are you all up to on this Friday?
Whatever it is make sure to include some fun. :D

Another beautiful day here. I was outside most of the day, cleaned up more of the yard, worked on pathways, filled garbage can with yard junk. I was so happy to get on the computer and read all of your posts.

HI :D

BIG WAY TO GO!!!
for all your accomplishments!!! :D
I have been keeping up with the maintenance but not getting anything done on my sewing projects these last two days.
The afternoons have been cool but absolutely beautiful so the cats have been going out to play and I have been going with them.
We just hang out and explore and do stuff together. :D

Hi all,
Roxie thank you for your sage advice. The financial consultant I am using is not a broker. He is part of the free service I get at my bank in just looking at my overall financial health. He helped me set priorities in taking a good hard look at my financial assets, income, and expenses. I have gotten rather lax in that over the last few years and have just spent whatever I liked without paying much attention to budget. Now that I am retired, all that needs to change.
I am also a Suze Orman fan and have been glad to see her advice to the common working person change as times have changed.
My husband was a financial analyst and I am well aware that there are a lot of financial institutions who will do whatever it takes to make money for themselves. He stopped working for a major house and worked out of our home because he became so frustrated with a system that did not put the consumer first. His company, which shall remain unnamed, was playing fast and loose with other people's money. He saw the writing on the wall and got out before all hell broke loose. In today's economy of greed and i'll get my piece first, things haven't changed very much.
It's been a rough couple of days. Winter is back with a vengeance. It snowed all day and the temperature is dropping.
But the trash men did pick up five contractor bags this morning and that is five bags of trash that are not in my house!

Diane
how long did it say a person would have to undergo that treatment to be able to do the quick discard thing?

What a great day today, sunny all day, up to 57 degrees. I cleaned the ashes out of the stove, Got up on roof and cleaned the chimney. Worked on my entryway for hours, still have a little more to do. Cleaned a section of the yard. Brought in firewood.
I sat and had tea in the area I cleaned yesterday, very nice. It is taking a long time to make progress but I am seeing progress.
In the Hoarding book it said CBT can make changes in a short time and you can get rid of hoard quickly. Said it is not true that since it took a long time to accumulate all this stuff, it will take a long time to get rid of it. I was offended or annoyed when I read that, since it took over 20 years to get all my junk and it will take at least a year to get all of it gone/organized/cleaned. And I am working on it for hours weekly. For the book to say if I had a deadline of one month, I could get it done in a month, seemed a bit odd.

The bannister is cleaned down to some outbound books.
The dining room table is about half cleaned.
I have removed a few items from living room pile.
I have been able to continue keeping dishes clean each day.

I'll see what tomorrow brings.

I appreciate both the prodding and the encouragement of you folks on the site. You have helped and are helping me through some rough times in my head. I think I may be able to return to the garage now and deal with some space wasters like lumber, plastic buckets, grass seed and fertilizer. Today I also chose to let go of some books that really suprised me. I am encouraged to think that my thinking is changing enough that some more significant progress may be possible.


Thanks.

Karl, happy you are finally getting to the bottom or the locker and good you see the need to move, sounds like it is difficult to live with a hoarder.
I got up and was so happy my living area is neat. I really see the value of having a home for everything and putting stuff where it belongs. (I still have two rooms semi full of junk, and garage) Just happy to have living room, dining room kitchen and bathroom tidy for the first time in years.
I have been reading in the hoarding book how high the return to hoarding is, scares me, but with this group I have hope. It is so peaceful in here without excess junk to trip over. I got glue gun and fixed upholstry on desk chair and backing on two wool throw rugs this morning. I am looking at things I am ashamed of and fixing them. It is amazing how long these have bothered me and how little time it took to fix them. Living in the moment is so new to me. I still have dark thoughts about mean things I did to men, have to stop myself, forgive myself, and get back in the moment. It is still below freezing and windy so am waiting to hit the yard. Excited I can work in yard all day today. I am ashamed of some of the debris that is still there, so hope to get it fixed today along with finishing entry way stone path. Thank goodness we have this site to stay motivated.
Dave what are you working on today? Hope it goes well for you.
Dianne was happy you are tackling work. Hi Tillie

Karl,

If you had a way to get temporary access to a car again, and if there is some working room in the locker, maybe you could get some smaller boxes to the locker and then carefully cut into a side of the two large boxes and excavate and repack them?

Won't say I'm happy about it, but microwave and the main power unit of gar door opener are in the trash dumpster.

Weather man said it will be 60 and sunny tomorrow!!!! Such a treat after all the cold weather, hooray. tomorrow I will finish the entryway , so nice to have sun and warmer weather, I started on it this morning, but was too frozen so moved to warmer part of yard.

SUNNY TODAY!!!!!! I did dishes this morning then worked in yard aalllllllllll day. I enjoyed being outside so much. I cleared an area outside and moved the rocks to make it useable. Felt like I found a new place to hang out. It is so much more enjoyable now without the junk. I usually jump from project to project so today I told myself to stick with it until I felt like it was done, so nice to complete it. It is supposed to be nice all week. So happy it is comfortable inside so I can enjoy outside now that it is warmer this week.
Nice to hear how you are doing.

Diane, The craft projects sound fun. Having a creative outlet is renewing for the spirit. I think we are forced to use that logical side of the brain when we declutter. Creative outlets give the other side of the brain a chance to let loose and run free.
Tillie, You are so right. If I am disciplined enough to remove i bag a day it really makes a difference. Every time I leave the house I try to take a bag with me out to the toter. I cannot leave a partially filled bag on the floor. Curious Frank will play with the bag. He uses it as an ambush to attack the dogs as they unwittingly pass by. He pretends it is the enemy and tries to kick it to death, making holes. And he also finds treasures to take back out to play with. Cats are a joy, but do add to the clutter! If I start a bag of trash I have to stay with filling it and then remove it immediately.
Today's emphasis has been getting my financial mess in order. Since I retired rather abruptly in December I need to know exactly what I have on hand, what is coming in, and how much I am spending. I am on a fixed income now and need to keep on budget.
Two tasks I have done are 1) meet with a financial consultant to see if I can get a better return on my monthly annuity from work 2) getting another bank to take over my car loan so I have a lower monthly payment.
Daily chores are keeping the kitchen clean, doing another load of laundry, and getting that "bag for the day" filled and out of the house.
I enjoy hearing from all of you as you have time to post. Keep up the good work!

Good morning :)

Hi Barb :)
WAY TO GO!!!
Getting the cable guy in there to fix stuff!!! :D
Seems like you could make a lot of progress if you just planned to daily gather up and get out at least one bag of trash. :)

Hi Diane :)
You sound so happy :D
Your craft project sounds lovely too.
I baby sit dogs, but at their own houses. It is very rewarding to care for and play with them. :D

Hi Karl :)
I love that you are now the stuff of romantic rumors. ;D
Good luck with sorting at the storage unit, hope you finally locate those cables.

Hi Roxie :)
Good luck with your plans for today! :D
I hate that shipping out too. :( (((HUGS)))(((HUGS)))

Hi Dianne :)
Happy to hear about all you did with the kids. :D
Take care to time and pace yourself.

Hi Trust :)
WAY TO GO!!! for all you got accomplished! :D
Keep doing some every day and you will start to see great improvements.

My plans for today are to get back to doing my sewing projects and also need to tie up some loose ends of other projects I have going on.
Staying off the computer gives me so much more time a day to get a lot done. :D

Good morning/afternoon everyone. In contrast, I slept so great last night, got up did 2 loads of laundry. Took all the stuff off couches, shook and cleaned stuff. Vacuumed, cleaned all dog stuff, washed dog dishes, put all away, no evidence of dog clutter now. Max was crazy happy to see his parents last night. His mom emailed me a picture of him playing with one of his toys I made him, he looked so happy. I planned to do it for a gift since she has given me so many bonuses and gift cards in appreciation of my work during shot season, plus pay. She being the generous person she is, gave me green stuff in a thankyou card. I realized I can continue to do dog care for the money I need to make ends meet. One dog at a time, she thinks that is a great idea, and will let her friends know.
After I got cleaning done this morning I set up a table and cutting board and cut a white felted wool shrunken thick blanket and cut two scarfs out of it, so cool, edges are ruffled from shrinking. I set aside now to decide if I want to felt design on it or just put some big beautiful buttons on end, it is to be worn as a neck wrap, sort of like a big thick floppy collar, so cool, I am impressed. I am surprised how happy I feel today. I think knowing I did the very best I could with maintenance, eating better, and taking loving care of Max, makes me feel proud of following through, I have been known as a quitter, not this time around!!! With the support on here, a new life is opening up.

Good morning, Tillie and everyone,
My day started very early, too, as I was not close to being ready for the cable guy. I meant to start yesterday but just could not get going. So I was up at 5:30 today. I was determined not to cancel him again.
I did get a trail blazed from the front door to the TV and dusted around the TV. I also made sure there was a clear path through the garage to the cable lines.
Four contractor bags of trash are now out for pickup. And that astounds me. It is only 24 feet from the front door to the back of the TV. That is a heck of a lot of trash!
Now that I have started on the living room (my hardest room), I know I can keep going. Not at the frantic pace I spent this morning, but steadily until it is manageable again.
The cable man was very nice and did not seem shocked by the mess. He left a few minutes ago and I have TV again. I have to catch up on Downtown Abbey.
Time for a lunch break. I'll finish filling this last bag and put it out. Clean up the kitchen. Do a load of laundry. Then take a shower. (This cleaning and decluttering is dirty business.) I have literacy training at 5:30.
Have a pleasant day.

Good morning everybody! :D

Was awake at 5:00am so decided to get up.
House was dirty so decided to clean it.
Had some laundry so I washed it.
Now the rest of the day is mine, all mine! :D
Have so many fun things to choose from.
Wishing everybody a productive and enjoyable Monday. :D

Update- found missing coats & daughter's clothes in bedroom. Took care of stuff & put things away. 5 minutes was good.
Lots of other things going on in house with family but I did get 2 sink bathroom vanity cleaned organized & purged some too. Probably an hour & 1/2. Cleaned outside windows on porch since I had to clean wall mirror behind vanity. Did dishes & leftovers I'm between. Laundry is talking to me now.
I wanted to quit & give up on the bathroom since it was taking longer & do many other distractions but knowing I needed to be able to say I did it to people who understand & get it. So many of my friends are what Flylady calls born organized, just naturally cleaning & organized since birth or raised that way. I'm a third generation pack rat that is determined to change my ways & with God's Help My Children's Future too. Thank you for being here!

Thanks Tillie, happy you are enjoying your creative side, and so happy you will be in chat tonight. For some reason it seems longer than a week since last chat. Helped hearing you have to sweep porch regularly. I keep thinking I am doing something wrong to have to clean entry daily with max running in and out, just the way it is.

Good morning :)

Hi Diane :)
WAY TO GO!!! for all you accomplished! :D
Hoping your weather is better today.
Mine is sunny and only a slight breeze today.
Great plans you've made for this week.

Hi Barb :)
Happy you have better weather! :D
We still have lots of wet sand and mud and I have to sweep the back door area all the time.
GOOD LUCK! with the cable guy. Hoping you let him in to fix all your problems. :D

Hi Dianne :)
YEA!!!! for sunshine :D
Writing up a schedule of things that you need to/have to do and forcing your self to stick to it is a great way to get things rolling. :D

Stayed up late last night watching a monster movie on tv thinking that I would sleep in a little today....
But, heavy sigh...
the phone rang early so I didn't get to sleep in. :(
Doing a bunch of little stuff today, nothing much really but all sort of fun stuff I wanted to do.
Yesterday at the thrift shop I found the rest of the items I needed to finish some sewing projects I'm working on.
Thin quilt batting and two nice new twin sheets for the backing.

Hope to see you all in chat tonight! :D

another cloudy day here, snow on ground, Max still able to find plenty of mud to bring in. Max goes home at 10:30-11:00pm tonight. I am thinking tomorrow will be good day to start major clean up, pet free. Yesterday I washed all cabinet doors. washed dishes and one load of laundry. It seems pointless to do any cleaning of floor and areas he has slept, will wash blankets etc tomorrow. I am over due for a shower and hair wash, must do that today. Plan to pull meat off chicken I boiled yesterday to make soup today. Not much on list today, clouds make me feel like you Dianne, why am I so weak that can't keep spirits up in grey weather. I feel good about the excellent care of Max I have given, really love the boy. I will miss him. Not having a pet allows more time for decluttering and cleaning. I would love to make some real progress this coming week.
Barb, I can relate to the mess that prevents repairmen in. This is the first time in years I could let any one in here. It is worth it to do the work and maintenance. We can do this with the support of this group. Old habits take plenty of effort to change I am finding.

Good morning, all! I know most of you on the west coast are not up yet, but here in the east it has warmed up above freezing and it has put us all in a better attitude.
Yesterday I did not get much done. I attended a workshop in the morning and found it very hard to start in when I came home in the afternoon. I do better if I get things accomplished at home in the morning and then reward myself with an outing in the afternoon.
It is very muddy with the thaw and the dogs have tracked in everywhere. I need to keep a bin of towels by the back door with a snap lid on. I had a basket, but Frank the cat thinks baskets,boxes and bins are fair game for emptying to see what may be at the bottom. He has undone my organizing tasks too many times to count.
The cable guy is coming in the morning to see why my TV no longer receives the signal and my internet keeps going on and off. I have cancelled him 3 times since early December.
There must be a clear uncluttered path from the front door through the living room to the TV and also one through the garage to the outside cable connection. I also need to make sure the area around the TV is dust free and has room for him to work.
The living room is the hardest for me. I start and then I get sidetracked and quit.
Today is a new day. I WILL get ready for the cable guy.
Best to you all.

Goodmorning, it is another cloudy WINDY day, gusts up to 60mph. Not so sure about walking Max today, we played fetch in here this morning then he went out and ran in the rain by himself. He is sleeping next to me on the couch, I will miss him when he goes home. I got more flat rocks for my entry way yesterday, maybe called flagstone, look really great. Hope to work on it today when not raining.
I also would like to put more insulation up today before I shower. I have done pretty good on maintenance this week, dishes, laundry and garbage out. I have eaten healthier this week. Last of soup today so plan to make some more, makes eating healthy so much easier to have it premade. One goal for the week is to fill donation bag, still need to do that. Today I want to hang more hooks in garage to put tools on, and label a few cabinets and put stuff away. I really have no motivation with this string of cloudy windy days. From experience on here, I need to just do things and not wait until motivated, which might not come unless I get active.

Good morning :)

Hi Dianne :)
Hope your weather is a bit more sunny today.
Gloomy days make me feel sluggish too.

Hi Dave :)
How's it going?
Have you been able to resist salvaging stuff from the outbound pile?

Hi Karl :)
Hope things get sorted out as to the rules
of who can eat what.
Here, I am not allowed to eat any of his food even though he often sneaks and takes my food.

Today's forecast is for "DUST" because the winds will be blowing.
Have my grocery shopping list all ready and will be going to the store soon.
Slept badly last night and have a stiff neck & headache today. Took some aspirin.
Noticed that Mr. Hoarder has brought a paper shredder in to his bedroom and he has been shredding some papers.
This is great!
He has been keeping every scrap of paper "just in case" he might need it some day, "might be important".
He still has not been able to locate the title to that Dodge truck.

How is everybody today?
When you don't post I worry and hope you are just off having a lot of fun somewhere. :D (((hugs)))

Yesterday went to recycle center for magazines, brought home 50-60.

Took out vhs tape player (Diane that was my choice for the other day) 36 books, 1 pr shoes, 2 water bottles, 1 corelle cup and 1 medical sales tool calculator clipboard. ( I salvaged a box of the clipboards from a storage unit dumpster many years ago. :) ). Mrs Dave and I are going to get the rest of the outbound pile cleaned up in a bit.

Good morning! :D

Been busy busy busy making a big pot of yummy soup.
And juicing oranges & brewing some herbal tea and making some nice orangeade.
Soon, I will clean up the kitchen.
Almost all the snow has melted but the ground is still frozen solid.
Made the appointment for the eye exam. :D
January 18th.
My plans are coming along very nicely. ;D
When I am finished here I will be going over to the big house and plan to hang out there for a while, maybe even watch a movie.

What are you all up to today? :D

Hi Diane :)
YEA! so happy there was no flooding.
You did a GREAT job fixing that problem. WTG! :D
It is hard not to always put pets first since they are always right there in front of you demanding all your attention. :D

Hi Roxie :)
Hoping you get your water fixed real fast. Fingers crossed!

Hi Barb :)
Rule number one when dealing with a hoarder is to not give away or toss any of their stuff.
So I can't pass on those mushrooms. :(
Some of the vehicles have both our names on them and some have only his name on them.
So far he has always refused to allow me to sell any of them except a Datsun years ago.
But he has complained bitterly ever since I sold it, regretting that it's gone.
It didn't run & he wasn't going to fix it so I sold it to some kid for 200.00.
He won't even let me sell my '72 VW Beetle that he trashed and doesn't work any more.
But this year my only plan is to get rid of all these vehicles and camper shell & trailer.
I will use psychology and peer pressure to help him let go of these useless things.
That would really help clean up the property and reduce the rodent and insect populations and give me some cash to put down on a working vehicle for me. :D

Good morning everyone. Slow day yesterday, just played with dog and took him for a long walk. I worked on a stone path in entryway, looks so good. It rained all night, no flooding. Did see some areas to fix so doesn't get water. Did a load of laundry this morning. Partially dried in dryer then hung up. Dishes didn't get done yesterday so will have plenty to do today. Max goes home Sunday and then I can do lots of laundry and cleaning, he brings plenty of dirt in. So good having him here and just like a grandkid, love him while here and glad when goes home. I get much less done when focused on dog. Before I get another dog, need to figure out to keep priorities straight, always put pets first and house and self care suffer.

Hi Tillie,
Just danced in the living room with the pups to "The Puppy Song". They love it when I dance with them. Thanks for sharing.
When the husband is at work tomorrow, perhaps you could call your local soup kitchen to come pick up the mushrooms. I'm sure they would like to make some lovely mushroom soup. That is a LOT of mushrooms and they don't keep very long unless you have a dark place to store them.
I'm glad you are going to have new glasses to drive.
After my husband died, I spent a year taking the bus while two non-working vehicles sat in my drive. I finally bit the bullet and had a car salesman friend come out, give me an estimate on what they were worth, arrange to transport them back to his place of business, and get them sold. He got one running and sold it and sent the other to auction. He also helped me purchase a reliable vehicle with the downpayment from what I got for the two.
All this to say, I know and understand your predicament. And i will be thinking of you as you figure out how best to deal with your vehicles.

HI :D

I have really been enjoying my alone time this week.
He was home underfoot since sometime in November.
He likes to create drama and also creates lots of dirt.
Been so nice quiet and peaceful here this week.
I have been able to set out my projects without having him run through and destroy everything.
Sure, he still comes home every evening but that's ok. I can deal with that. ;)

The rehab center received too much food for them to store or use. The guy who manages the facility brought a truck load of excess food over to the community center to give away for free.
My hoarder loves to hoard food and free food is even better. :(
Last evening he came home with a flat of 8 one pound packages of fresh mushrooms, 2 five pound bags of tangerines and a large frozen leg of lamb. :(
Heavy sigh, head held down, slowly shaking side to side.

Anyways, I give up on him right now and am back to doing whatever I can to improve my self and my situation.
Today I am making the appointment for an eye test and I will get new glasses. :D
Since I have to wear glasses to drive, my license says so, this is all part of my big plan to parlay some derelict vehicles into one running vehicle for me so I can escape. lol ;)

So, what are your big plans?
We all need dreams. Dreams are nothing more than wishes and a wish is just a dream we wish to come true.




the puppy song

Oh, Roxie,
We are all thinking of you today I am sure and hoping you get your water situation fixed permanently. How discouraging to spend so much money on repairs and still not have hot water. Hang in there. We are sending good thoughts your way.
Today it is 20 degrees out and snow is gently falling. This is a winter day that I can cope with.
Yesterday I got working in the house and did not get out. Today I do need to go to the post office, bank and grocery store. And I will drop off that box of mismatched glassware for them to sell at the thrift store. I dare not stay to shop. I am really doing well in disciplining myself not to bring more stuff home.
The rules of making sure there is a place for something before I bring it home and purging at least one thing from the house in exchange for the new item is helping.
I know most of us hold our breaths at Christmas. Well meaning relatives try to give us more tchatchkes that we don't need.
This year I told my brother's and sister's families that all I wanted was new updated pictures of them for my family picture wall. Not professional pictures---just candid ones. Did they listen? No. I got more "stuff". No pictures.
I can download some of their pictures for my wall from their Facebook pages. But I do wish they would hear me.
The best to you all--Tillie,Diane, Dianne, Dave, Mrs. Dave,Roxie, Karl, and anyone else I may have forgotten. Checking in here has kept me sane during the bad weather.