~♡~Tillie, im so sorry you are in such a bad situation. You are approaching it in a beautiful way, as an opportunity to be closer to nature & have time to embrace the spiritual side of life. I know what you mean about just giving up & walking into the desert...having someone there is certainly a double edged sword.....☆
Im afraid of these monster sized rat traps! Just trying to set them is scary enough, but wanting it to fully kill them is also a concern....the wildlife here is a blessing & a curse....♡...♡...♡

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Well, the monsoons always drive the wildlife out of their homes and into ours.
In Tucson we would get javalina and rattle snakes come into the carports to escape the water. LOL ;P
I really could move out of here. No place to go, no money, but I could just walk out into the desert, never to be seen again.


I woke up at 4:00am and couldn't fall back asleep so I went outside and puttered around.
Was the perfect weather for it.
No blaring sun and 75 degrees and just light enough to see pretty well.
Did some watering, did some battling with bugs and did some tidying up.
Soon I will wash dishes, again.
Don't know what to do today, will go look for a drawer to tidy up to keep up with the challenge.
Going to be HOT later today. ;P

Tillie, i keep trying to imagine having to share a home with either of the murderers of my cats, from years ago. I went through that twice, but ive only had brushes in town with those people, never had to live with them after doing that. One was over jealousy, from helping her boyfriend, the other was an extreme bully/terrorist...but both have traumatized me more than anything in my life. I do wish you could just leave? I know its not that simple... ~♡~
Ive been preparing the porch & cabnets for the skunk-rats to be trapped. Yesterday my trash pick up got rained out, but just before the downpour, a huge cenntipede(sp?) came through! My place is in full jungle mode right now!
Tatoulia, im glad youre getting your cabnet cleaned out!
SubC, im so glad she got that job! YEA!!!
Porter, it is so amazing how you have changed your life! :D
~☆~♡~☆~LOVE TO ALL OF YOU!!!~☆~♡~☆~

Thank you Porter
((((((HUGS))))))
You truly are a treasure and have brought so much wisdom, comfort and comradery into my life.
You deserve to go forward into your fresh clean uncluttered life with a light heart and a free spirit.

Things were what they were and you learned and changed from your experiences.
Isn't that what life is all about? ;D

((((HUGS))))

Tillie,

That's absolutely toxic relationship looking from the outside.

I don't mean to pull the conversation to me, but as way of honestly relating.
I was dominated by my wife's clutter for two decades, to ashamed of my dirty house to even let family in.
How I avoided cps. I just dunno.

You're not married?

I'd get the hell out of that place.
I remember your health concerns being the only reason.
I'm glad you fought back , I'm glad you realized it's him not you.
I'm sorry I haven't been around as much. You made such a difference in our lives just by listening and giving the great advice just when I needed to hear it.

Ibegan to believe it would never end.
The harsh extreme criticism . The indecision and passive aggressive behaviors. Getting snapped on , for clearing filth from where we slept. Totally engulfed in her clutter , living in a home totally owned by her.
She could threaten to kick me out and scream " child support" at the top of her lungs. I hated seeing her suffer though the illness. And I feel awkward being free of all her emotional fluctuations. Even as she passed, the last words were negatives, last gesture as in disgust with me.
I was so convinced it was me. , She had me so convinced it was me.
But after a few months after we parted , I had it all sorted, and slowly like a swimming pool draining of water all her belonging were purged, week by week through trash days.
There came a day when not one thing of hers was in my possession . Just pictures on hard drives .

My rooms looked like hotel rooms. Like a maid just came and cleaned it like brand new sheets, and fresh laid carpets.
At some point. I knew her influence was gone. I hate talking out loud about her like that. But I really am glad I don't live in her hoard any longer or in her emotional hell either.

I'm in disbelief , the grief is is difficult , because she made it so easy to hate her. It wasn't all hell.

So in my improved life. I've eliminated all those things I hated about myself , those things I hated about her. I don't like to talk about it, because I dont like who I was either.

I thought I was done looking back, but Tillie , reading about you stuck there in the same hell , and I apologize if things changed for you, and I've not kept up on it. And am assuming he's still there and in control of the mood of your home.

One room at a time until it's cleared.
One room at time!

Great that you had a nap! ;D

So fortunate that you have the dishwasher to help out.
40% is such fantastic progress.
Rest up, sleep well and feel real good about what you've done (((hug)))

Thank you so much, everyone! I will resume at next chance! You are right, Tillie about finding new places for things. I'm ok with putting the things back as I really feel too raw, meaning that I don't trust myself if I leave it out til I'm finished. I'm too worried it'd just become stuff I don't see very fast.

So I napped and now I'm going to finish unloading dishwasher and reload with the sink stuff.

Thank you again. We are probably 40%! The worst will be wiping it out but let's not think about that right now.

Tatoulia, you ROCKED that cupboard! That is so much! And good for you to get the trash right out!

It will be a whole new world cooking for yourself in your remade kitchen!

WOOHOO!!!!!!

You have done FANTASTIC!!!!
We are ALL so very, very proud of you! ;D

We cross posted ;)

Fantastic! job you have been doing Tatoulia! :D

The kitchen things you are keeping will need to just be put aside, out of the way for right now.
You will need to arrange/rearrange where kitchen things are stored as to how you will be using the kitchen using your new nutritionally sound eating/cooking menu preparations.
Right now you just need to concentrate on clearing out long neglected spaces.
Once you have gone through all these spaces then will come the time to put the keepers all away logically according to your needs.
Hang in there! Soon, so very soon you will "be there"!
(((HUGS)))

Hi Subclinical :)
YEA! for a bread pan! :D
Great plan to read the books then pass them along.

Hi Anonymoniker :)


In honor of Tatoulia working on that cupboard
today I went through the drawer where I keep my dish cloths, dish towels/tea towels.
Straightened them all out and decided to let go of a sweet little ancient hand embroidered towel that is looking very sad.

Ok I went back in. We're getting closer to some gross stuff. I've found some papers and receipts which I have now shredded. I've made a decision on a platter that I didn't think I'd be able to make, Ive cleared space on an upper cabinet for my bowls and I've put back in the other stuff that are keepers. I've filled a bag for goodwill and I've chosen one piece to consign. I have a sink full of things that need to be washed.

I've showered and would like a nap. I'm grateful for the fact that there is no humidity today. I will tie up my garbage so it will be ready for tomorrow. And maybe I'll head back into the cabinet tomorrow night.

Hello everyone! I took a break and went to the pharmacy and post office. It is in the 70s and dry. Tillie you really have fought for your life. There has been more than one time that I've plotted my own demise when dealing with sibling became too much for me. Anony I am sorry you are having trouble keeping the depression at bay and I'm proud of your accomplishments! SubC you do a very good job of being accountable! I like your idea of treating the books as library books!

I took a bunch of stuff to the recycling bin and I've filled a bag with donations items. I'm likely not going to finish today and I'm wondering what to do with the keepers. I truly should move other things to put my bowls and baking dishes in a handier spot but I may just clear out so there's a 3x3 area to neatly stack my things back in. I think the lack of finding anything gross has made this fairly easy.

I think I'll clear a spot to put the keepers back in. I do not want them cluttering my clean kitchen.

Tatoulia, that sounds like amazing progress!

And Anony, it sounds like you are doing really well too! May you vanquish the skunks!

Tillie, I wish I could send you rain. Our weather usually comes up from the SW and keeps moving east.

I went to check on the store where I am consigning pottery. No sales yet, which doesn't surprise me. They have a lot of disruption going on because they are moving next door into a bigger space, and June/July is not a big shopping time.

I spent a little time helping move things, and one of the owners gave me a stack of 20 books that she was using as part of display. I think they are going to be mostly "library" books - read and get rid of, so it is not so bad that I have 20.

I also popped into the thrift shop down the block. For $1.50 I got a stainless steel meat fork that dh likes, ( It replaces an old one I got rid of that couldn't go in the dishwasher) some type of nut or seafood pick that will make a good pottery tool, AND a bread pan for my spices! The tool is in the workshop, the pan is in the cupboard, and the fork is waiting to have the sticker cleaned off of it and go through the dishwasher.

WOOHOO Tatoulia! :D
WAY TO GO!
Sounds wonderful finding all your treasures in there.
How fantastic to have lovely things that you can now put to good use as you begin your new life plan with the nutritionist.
So proud of you (((HUGS)))

Subclinical
Please send some of your excess rain to the West ;D

WAY TO GO! Anonymoniker
Keep doing all the little things you can (((HUGS)))

The reason why I declared war and reclaimed the home as a "NO CLUTTER ZONE" was because there was just "stuff" heaped everywhere so much so that I could not clean house or even have a space for me to sleep, eat or keep my clothing any more.
He refused to remove anything and became extremely nasty & violent if I tried to fix this problem.
I was so deeply depressed that I thought the only way out was to commit suicide. I had the means all figured out and ready at hand.
Then I got angry and decided to fight back, fight for my life.
He killed my cat when I moved his hoard from the livingroom area.
So then it was all out war as far as I was concerned.
Nothing was going to stop me from clearing out all that hoard from the inside of the house and the small area I had started as my garden/yard.
I didn't throw anything of his away, just put it all in his bedroom or the garage area where it all remains to this day.
I am still experiencing suicidal thoughts but am able to get past them by concentrating on the small pleasures I find in this world.

~♡~Love & coffee clinks to all!~♡~
SubC, how wonderful to have a cousin that you are close to! I cant imagine having someone im related to that i was close to...especially that wouldnt berate me for not going to church! I agree that them splitting the house up, like Tillie & Steven do, would likely bring them both more peace. I watched my parents argue over that sort of thing for years.
All the panels are in piles according to size, ready for me to paint. I cleaned up a lot of the area to make room & it does look nice!
Today im going to set up the skunk-rat traps & clear the table for the cat food bowls. Also, i want to walk around with a trash bag & pick up the weird pieces of stuff that the rain has brought to the surface....im really having a hard time keeping depression at bay....the rain has been so nice, tho.....☆

Have three things in donation pile and am running dishwasher with my beautiful mixing bowls and other things I never use because too hard to find. Not too bad yet. Nothing really to throw out. I found a little card I'd made for BF back when we were first dating and he was taking care of my cat (who was a birthday gift from him to me). I'll put that to one side.

I think I can better organize my casserole pans and only keep the ones I'll use. I haven't cooked in a few years and would love to get back to cooking, especially with my new knowledge and outlook since working with nutritionist.

I'm moving forward.

Thank you SubC with the encouragement. Thank you all for helps by me. Again, I'll be better able to catch up with everyone after I've gotten myself through a bit more.

GO TATOULIA, GO TATOULIA!

Tillie, I can't imagine that weather. Stay safe and cool!

It rained here last night. The entire yard is mud. But dh finally finished burying the drain lines from the downspouts, so I can start thinking about landscaping.

Haven't read your posts. I'm working on cabinet. So far so good.

These hot dry days create thunder clouds.
The prediction for the rest of this week is for winds up to 50 mph and lightning with no accompanying rain, sparking wildfires.
Today's temp was only 101 because of the smoke from other far away wildfires.
The cats and I were very comfortable inside at 74 degrees, lots of water & watermelon & ice cream and we all took nice long naps. ;)
So glad that I don't have to go anywhere for at least the next ten days.
Plenty of things to do here that aren't work.
So many movies on the ROKU too.

Anony, yay for the panels being lighter! I believe this will happen!

People are hard and i'm Glad you get to live in a magical forest!

Tatoulia, are you getting ready? Whatever you do tomorrow will be enough. Just face that cupboard.

I sanded the wall and put another layer of mud on. At least one more layer to go, but not three more I think.

My cousin called which was wonderful. She is one of my best friends in the world and we don't get much chance to talk. She is so busy. She just had a difficult visit with her parents, and she mentioned that she has stopped going to church, which is a source of conflict with them, and I said "hey! You know I don't go to church - we can talk on Sunday mornings!" And she laughed. She said it would be like church with just the love part.

We also talked some about her dad, who is the worst hoarder in our family. The stress is taking a toll on her mom's health, and she doesn't know how to help. I wish her mom could just let go like Tillie and be happy keeping her spaces nice. They have a huge, beautiful house, and my aunt tries to keep it all clean, but there is so much in the way! If she would just say "powder room, kitchen, dining room, living room, stairs, hall, master bedroom and bath are mine" and keep them up, she could actually be able to isolate the rest of the house - there is a whole other half that could be blocked off with screens/furniture and closed doors - with it's own entrance and stairs even! but maybe that only works if you don't care about the other person? my aunt loves my uncle very much and he is very good to her, but he can't let go of the stuff. I don't think he can understand how much it hurts her.

Wow, I meant this to be a positive post. That is a problem I can't solve. But I did gave a great phone visit with my cousin, and I think it makes her feel better to know someone understands. So there is that.

Did I tell you my Dd got the job that she will be moving? She's excited.

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Do not blame yourself.
You were judging people from your heart and believed them to be kind good and honest, just as you are. (((HUGS)))

.......i just started unloading the metal panels & i am very relieved they arent as heavy as it seemed they might be...i had what might seem to be 'paranoid' possibilities going in my head, just from knowing that 'friend' and his user ways. Im glad i was wrong about that theory...it kept me awake last night. The extreme dilapidation of my home is nowhere near as awful as the process of letting go of the people in my life that have just been takers, regardless of how much id given to them & been there for them, have not been there for me. 2 of my most recent big lessons are; Being good to others in no way insures they will be good to you. And, when people continually show you who they are, believe them! I can only blame myself when i was given clues long ago, but i chose to ignore it.....its cloudy & cool so far, so i can get everything id planned done soon! ~♡~I love you all!~♡~

Good Morning Everyone :)
"Clink!"

Hi Subclinical :)
Hope your day goes pleasantly and smoothly ;)

Hi Anonymoniker :)
Hope nobody throws up in your new moccasins HaHa
Yes, cats are weird.

OK Tatoulia :)
Great plan to scope out that territory and pick the easy targets.
Yes, best to plan a whole day for this.
Just keep thinking how good you will feel when this is all over & done.
You CAN do this! ;D
If we don't hear from you we will send in the rescue team. ;D


Have no plans for today.
I'm all caught up but will do the cat related stuff.
It will be another 106/110 degrees in the shade day.
Think I might spend the day standing in the shower drinking ice tea. LOL ;P

~Good morning!~
Tatoulia, i am also somewhat phobic of creating new clutter monster piles, so, many times ill look through it & make the decisions first(toss, keep, move) before pulling everything out, to ensure it wont be there for long?!
Tillie, i laughed so hard at the 'cat spew in your new shoe'....ha ha...im sorry...i also recently got a new pair of Minnetonka moccasins....id love to understand cats better~♡~The thing with the drawer that sticks, is the whole thing is cheap & old, like my entire place, its falling apart & itd take all my time, effort & money to repair everything, but i just dont want to spend my life doing that. As i fix a few things, twice as many break. Its really overwhelming. I know life is that way in general, but here, i really need to choose my battles & balance it with enjoying & appreciating the real fantasy land that is my magical forest~☆~
Im kinda nervous about my handyman being able to figure out the panels & materials that were purchased already....at least i know he doesn't have anything devious up his sleeve....

Good morning!

Tatoulia, can you do the "open the cabinet, grab one thing and shut it" trick just to get started today?

I don't know how my day is going to shape up, but I have to clean stalls for a bit this morning.

If it's not too much energy, I need the cajoling. I opened the cabinet this morning. There is A LOT in there but there's also a lot of room and we can do this!!

I appreciate the effort it takes to make me do this and if you are able to, Tillie, let's kerp it up. I am working from home Wednesday, which will make it the perfect time to attack. Meanwhile I can see what's in the from portion and there is no reason that I can't start.

Many thanks! I was being accountable by admitting that I didn't do a thing. But I'm the closest I've been in 23 YEARS.

Alright!

Being mentally prepared and thinking out the best way to attack is a great plan. ;D

You requested that I nag, push & cajole
But I will back off and passively just observe if that would work better. ;)

Safe haven! Haven't gone in there yet. Thank you all for the encouragement. Hopefully I'll live up to the brave picture you all have painted of me!

I did get a bag to the car today for donations. And I scrubbed kitty box and took garbage out.

I just didn't have what it took to go into the cabinet. But I have to do it. I didn't get home from nutritionist until 630 as it was a later appt today.

I can picture how to deal with the easier bits. I just need to do it.

Ok. Let's revisit this tomorrow.

Love you all!!!

Happy that my plan could work for you too ! ;D

Oh Tillie! Bread pans would be perfect! Dh just gave me the green light to buy two at the thrift store since I use mine pretty regularly for bread. I can tape a list to the end and write down which ones are in each pan.

Hi Subclinical :)

WAY TO GO!!!
Great job doing the spices! ;D
YEA!!! for all that laundry!
In Winter there are times I have to hang the wash out two consecutive days to get it dry.
At night I usually bring it in and put it on the racks but then I don't get that nice outdoor scent and I miss that.

There have been times when I have had a lot of spices to try to store sanely.
I ended up using 2 of my aluminum bread pans.
Sorted the spices as to savory or sweets.
This way I was able to just grab whichever bread pan I needed and the spices all stayed organized and contained.
Plus I still had 2 other bread pans available for banana bread while I was putting the other 2 to good use.

Got the floors swept and carpet vacuumed and things tidied up.
Hardest part about vacuuming is crawling around picking up cat toys.

Woke up this morning and went to step into my slippers.
New black suede with crepe soles Minnetonka moccasins.
Discovered that someone had vomited into the right one.
Anyways, managed to clean & salvage my pretty new slipper. ;P

Tatoulia, that is a very brave plan for tackling that cupboard! I'm proud of you!

Anony, good job on the broken window!

I would love to be able to dry laundry so fast. I don't have my line back up yet, but here, sometimes I had to take it in at night and put it back out after the dew.


I did do two loads of laundry today and I put them away plus the two that had been sitting around in baskets.

I also cleaned off a big piece of kitchen counter and gathered up all the spices in the house. I got rid of 21 old containers. a couple are empty and waiting to be washed because I have spices in plastic bags that I want in screwtop containers, but I made use of the compost pail,the recycling and the trash can. I put some of the spices like cinnamon in the breakfast/baking cabinet and the rest fit in the spice cabinet. It is still overcrowded and difficult to use - it is narrow and deep, so I think I need some removabletrays that I can put labels on the ends of, but it's much better. I told dh what I did and that I was done for now because I have no trays and because I want his feedback on what to keep near the front. He said I made a good start.

YEA! Tatoulia!
GO! GO! GO!!!

Good plan you have there.

Unfortunately, when we declutter one area it will almost always cause a clutter pile.
To properly declutter an area it is best to pull out everything in the way,
make decisions keep/toss/donate/sell
and make that new clutter pile shrink until it's all gone.
We have to break a few eggs in order to make an omelet. ;P

You CAN do this!!!
Those spooky clutter monsters don't stand a chance!
Once this is conquered just think of all the pleasant peaceful space you will have created in your home. (((hugs)))

Hi Anonymoniker :)
YEA!!! for a new A/C!
It will keep you comfortable and probably cost less to operate than the old unit! ;D
Yea, wait till it's cooler before tackling those panels. (((hugs)))

About your sticky drawer...
I have had good success rubbing bar soap or a paraffin stick or just a candle along the bottom drawer runners.
If it is a structural problem some part may have become loose/fallen out and needs to be put back on.
Or sometimes something has fallen out of the drawer and gotten wedged underneath.

Watered lilacs. Soon I will vacuum and sweep.
Have the vacuum sitting out and ready to go.
But first I really need to eat, almost 11:00am and I haven't eaten yet.

No question mark-I absolutely enjoyed the laundry story. Imagine that, drying so quickly. Oh to hang clothes outside.

Great work, Anony! I enjoyed the laundry story?

Tillie and Anony, many thanks for exactly the help I need. Sometimes I feel like I'm asking too much but boy, Tillie the step by step is perfect. Tillie it is a cabinet that is extremely deep and wide. It is jammed with stuff. There is a half shelf running the width of it. The door makes it seem like the cabinet is only as wide as the door but noooooo it continues on like a terrible place filled with monsters. Plural.

Ok taking your suggestions and modifying them a bit, I will take out five objects at a time and make the decisions regarding the five. Unfortunately I have to put everything back in as I don't want a clutter pile. Wait...I KNOW, I will take out objects until there are five LEAVING. Then take a break.

Plan made. I still need trickery and cajoling, etc.

Take care, dear friends. I have nutritionist appt in a bit.

~☆♡☆~CONGRATULATIONS PORTER!!!~☆♡☆~WOW!!!~☆♡☆~Your new life sounds Fabulous!!!~I love the way you did the wedding!!!~♡~
Tatoulia, just starting one shelf or drawer is the perfect way to gather momentum & create excitement! You are doing so wonderfully with everything now, this will roll right into yet another great feeling for you!!! :D
Yesterday i cleared the broken window & peroxided all of it. Before putting that silver stuff up, im think i may need to replace the A/C. It barely keeps the tiny bedroom cool. Its so old it has actual knobs, which i prefer, but that seems to be a thing of the past now. My handyman has agreed to install a new one. He is getting older too & not always feeling well. I really need a new handyman that is trustworthy! I have a spot for panels to be stacked & an outfit to wear thatll protect me, but that wont be so hot ill pass out in...ha ha
Tillie, your drawer sounds so nice! My main kitchen drawer is a mess right now cuz it sticks, so everything slides all over each time i open & close it...maybe i can improve it...hmmm...?
I remember in Tucson when id wash sheets & anything but jeans, after id hang the last item up to dry, the first item would already be dry, so to avoid it fading in extended sunlight, id just start folding it all back up without even going inside to wait!
~☆~♡~☆~

Alright Tatoulia!

We WILL start on that cabinet...

Lets break it down into smaller bite size pieces.
I suppose this cabinet has shelves so we will only look at one shelf at a time.

Lets start with a shelf at an easy level where you don't need a step stool or have to sit on the floor.

Pull out one item
Keep/toss/donate/sell?
Put it in the appropriate bag.

OK, we have begun

You can come back later and do it again.
Or you can find another thing to make decisions on.

Your kitchen needs to be free of all those spooky areas.
You need these spaces for things you need and want and use.

Evict the clutter monster from this cabinet!

(((hugs))) ;D

Congratulations Porter. Wishing you and Marcie much happiness.

Tillie I love it that the things dried so quickly! And that you are continually editing and assessing your drawers. I have a big gross cabinet in the kitchen that could use some TLC. Anyone have enough strength to encourage me to deal with it?

I made it through yesterday. I appreciate everyone's support. . I'm not sure if mom heard from sibling, she called me at 11 o'clock last night. I was asleep in bed. Mom said, oh did I wake you? And I said, mom it's 11. And she said, I wanted to tell you what I had for dinner. She's adorable. I bet she'd been calling all night but we'd gone to our friends for dinner.


Encouragement, cajoling, trickery, etc will be very much needed if I'm to do the kitchen cabinet. I'm sure there are mountains of things I can donate from there. I'm afraid of it.

Good evening everyone

Hi Porter :)
Wishing you all the happiness in the world. :)

Well, I cleaned the kitchen.
Sorted out & straightened the drawer where I keep my knives, rolling pin, tea infuser, nutmeg grater, nut cracker & picks, cookie press, measuring spoons, pastry blender & cheese grater.
Nothing in there that I don't use/need at least once a year.
Decided to finish laundry this evening since the sun is off the clothes line and it's now only 95 degrees out there.
By the time the second load was ready to hang, the first load was dry all but the very edges.

Congratulations porter! I'm glad you guys have found a way of life that makes you happy!

Anony, you will get the panels up when you are ready. You did the sand! Trash cans sound like a great idea.

Tatoulia, i'm Sorry thisisa hard family time for you.

Hey Y'all!

Marcie and I got married .

We were planning a bigger wedding in September.
We invited all our relatives to our house on the 4th

Last week we went and got our marriage license.
All our relatives showed up on the 4th including our reverend.
So I asked Marcie in private . We both cried a lot .
We told everyone we're going to the lake right now, they all followed. We went down to waters edge exchanged rings and vows.

And about 10 minutes later fireworks . We had swam off into the lake together . It was nearly as beautiful as when I proposed. Out of sight we skinny dipped out of sight, there was no stopping us. Most had left by the time we got back.

We don't regret the spur of the monument vows.


I'm married again !

I've hired a permanent cleaning services signs of hoarding started accumulating as we've started to slack.
We both agreed we would rather pay than argue about the house. I purposed we hire a decorator to redo everything every 5 years. Not nearly as expensive as thought it would be.

Total cost in receipts this year.
16,111.56
Next year x5 16,200
$300 a month to live clutter free without doing the cleaning either.

Yes! Anony! Working on a project takes time to mull it over and think about it!

Btw I know you thanked me on my offer but I want you to know, I offered to help out of selfishness as I enjoy your friendship, support and advice!

I swept up, and now I need to put down fresh placemat, water and food for the tiny kitty. I have showered and feel very peaceful.

~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~
Tillie, i agree, sometimes we need to just be & not be busy. With everything ive been going through lately, just really being present in what is all around me & soaking that up, has been very comforting!
Tatoulia, it is fantastic the way youve handled the sibling! BRAVO!
...im kinda scared to start unloading those panels. I think im gonna wear a thick coat & my welding gloves...edges that sharp just made the the project even more difficult...im gonna do the window first...sometimes procrastination gives me more time to work out better ways of doing hard stuff....its true! :D

Anony! I love hearing your plans for your house! I am envious of your creativity. Keep up the good work and take very good care of yourself.

I am struggling a bit today because it is sibling's birthday. I left an envelope for him at mom's and extra money for mom to buy him dinner. I don't think she's heard from him in weeks. BF sent him a card with $$.

Tillie I was able to hang my tea towels on my rack and it is so dry here, they have dried. So nice.

I'm going to hop in shower. Brownies frosted.

Hi Anonymoniker :)
I like your re-do/decorating plans :D
That's the way, take control of the things you can control (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
The brownies and ice cream sound delicious! ;P

Sometimes being bored even though there are things we could be doing I believe is our mind/body/spirit telling us to just stop.
Always keeping busy is tiring and we need time to "just be".
WTG! for resisting licking the brownie bowl.
I make my icings same as you, just wing it.


I washed my sheets and they are on the line now.
Thinking I will wash the rest of the laundry tomorrow morning, cause I don't wanna do it now.
Everything outside is up to date on watering so no need to water anything today.
I do have to clean the kitchen, yes, I really have to do that, again...
98 degrees by 10:30am, going to be a scorcher today.
The sheets are probably all dry by now so I will go fetch them in. ;)

~Iced coffee clinks!~
Tatoulia, thank you for your very generous offer, but i will be fine. The choices for income in my area are limited, but there are still choices. Once i decided id find a way around working near my ex, i felt a huge relief! I have fasted a lot throughout my life & studied it, and the way i do it it works well for me! Its kinda funny how these delicious & nutritious 'weeds' are growing everywhere in my yard right now, while my garden is being invaded by birds & needing lots of water & attention, etc., for such small rewards.
Im having far too hard of a time with any things relating to my family or my past being changed or discarded right now, to even read about or think about. Im in a difficult head space with all that right now...I can see my efforts need to be only towards fixing & improving what is broken. I have a plan for painting the panels. The 'friend' who i 'fired' that was gearing up to milk me for more money, had saw horses we were gonna use, but im gonna try trash cans upside down! And i got some of that silver insulation to redo the bedroom window where everything has fallen off of the broken glass, etc. I also got a bin for my hot tub ozonator that im going to line with the silver insulation & decorate with colored glass blobs, like the panels! Im excited! Ive got some ideas of how to do this for cheap!
~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

Tillie! I'm so glad you got groceries and love hearing about what you and the cats enjoy! I baked brownies and right now I am softening some butter to make frosting. They will be served with vanilla ice cream and rainbow sprinkles. Since I have been working so intently on my physical health, I decided to forgo licking the bowl. It was tough and I'm pretty sure I should get a medal. Frosting will be a bit tougher as I will have to taste it to make sure it tastes right as I don't use a recipe and I don't measure and just wing it. The brownies are cooling now.

I did two loads of laundry this AM and I've changed my sheets. I'll need to launder my sheets tomorrow.

I'm bored, which isn't like me. There are multitudes of things I could be doing, including sweeping, reading, etc. I am doing none of these things.

Good Morning Everybody :)
Iced chai masala "Clink!"

Hi Subclinical :)
How wonderful of your Dh.
It is overwhelming when there are too many things to do.
And personal R&R time is very important to have without any nagging guilt that we should be doing something else. (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
Warms my heart that you will now be treating yourself with all the respect that you deserve. (((HUGS)))
Yes! I too have been following the news of the boys in the cave.
So, what are you baking for the dessert? ;D

Last evening I went to the grocery store.
Stocked up on things so I will not be forced to leave the house again.
The extended weather forecast is terrifying and it's all "RED FLAG" warnings as fire weather.
I had kitty litter but bought another one for Justin Case.
I had kitty cereal but bought another bag too.
Bought some more cat snax.
Also got a watermelon to share with scooter.
Was bad and bought a carton of chocolate ice cream but otherwise I have been being very good about reducing my sugar intake.
I thought that it was alright to have ice cream during the spooky hot weather.
My big orange boy kitty will be disappointed that I didn't get coffee ice cream, his favorite. ;P

I am glued to Sky News watching the rescue operations in Thailand. I'm also doing laundry and realizing I need to bake for tonight's dinner party at a friend's house. BF is bringing appetizers, I am bring dessert and they will make main course. We love them and love their kids.

Wishing everyone a stress-free day.