Motown, I fully support buying nothing for kids who have so much stuff they can't take care of it.

I also support telling them that is going to happen. "There will be no presents because there is no space in this room for presents. If you guys want to grab trash bags and donation bags and help me make a nice clean room with space under the tree, i'm willing to rethink that."

Tatoulia, I think what you did for your cleaners was nice.

❤️Gs has amused me with his challenge "make a home cooked meal this weekend." His mom will be feeding him Friday and Sunday and I will be feeding him Saturday. I'm tempted to tease him that she is going to do dinner on Saturday and I am going to do dinner on Sunday. He likes to cook. His dad feeds him standard fast food and his mom often takes him to inexpensive ethnic restaurants or food trucks.

I haven't started working on my porch yet. Supervising dh took longer than I expected.

Motown don't worry about remembering who said what. Just keep posting and we can provide you with some strength. Would it be possible to clear away from under the tree? Even if you just bag up the junk? And then you could make it your task to keep it clear. A little bit of non-cluttered space can go a long way!!

Tillie I tried Feliway when I had mom's cat here. I was allergic so I gave it to a coworker who uses it to prepare her cat for a visit. I couldn't breathe! I am allergic to cats but naturally Ive gotten used to my cat seeing that we are 13-14 years in at this point.

I love the challenge with the gs and d, SubC. Great idea!

My cleaners were here today so my apt is lovely. I had gotten together some Christmas ornaments last night, including some new ones, and I bagged them up for them. I also gave away a book of gift tags. Also two bows I bought for my wreaths and then never used. Wasted money but they were thrilled. I had envelopes for them, this was just stuff I was going to donate and asked if they wanted. It's a bit awkward but probably okay.

I'm going to do a little more work then take a break and help an elderly neighbor renew his license. He needs it to get his prescriptions. My BF has found out that a different neighbor had "offered" to do it for $50. So naturally we shut that down. I'll see if we can do it on line and if not, I'll take Wednesday off and take him.

Tillie, I'm so sorry for everything that is going on with you regarding your personal life, finances and health. Prayers going up for you. Don't know how to help otherwise except to advise you to look into your state's version of Medicaid or check the insurance marketplace for insurance through the exchange program (AKA Obama-care) as it is based on income. Really helped us out when both hubby and I were unemployed. Also, having Medicare is better than having no insurance at all and you may qualify for Medicaid/exchange that acts as a supplement at little or no cost to you. If you turn 65 this month you could already have Medicare coverage just for the asking as it can begin the first of the month in which you turn 65. Please check it out so that you will not put off much needed healthcare for yourself.
Also, I bought some of the OUT! enzyme stuff at Wal-Mart because that one cat keeps peeing on MY TABLE! Hasn't worked. He has peed on the table for about 6 nights in a row. YUK! I got a different brand too but haven't tried it yet. May double up on the two to see if it makes a difference. Tired of that nastiness.


SubC, glad the GS's room is in good shape and DD is "maintaining". That in itself is progress because I cannot seem to maintain. I had mentioned a few weeks ago about having cleared and cleaned a good portion of counter space in my kitchen. Well, it is all gone again and the stack is higher that has replaced it. :(

I can't seem to keep footing and slip back down every time I think I have gained ground. My tree is not complete and the kids have piled up junk around it so that I am not even inspired to wrap pretty packages to go under it. Uninspired to do much shopping and don't know what to buy if I did. Kids are unappreciative and greedy. Unsure how to teach them otherwise. I wasn't raised like that and neither was their mother.

Oh well. There are worse things.

Gotta get back to work. I find it difficult to remember what I have read and by whom it was posted so I am not good at replying. No way to see it once I begin a post and relying on my own memory is futile.

Hi Tillie, glad you have more peace in your kitty family.

I am up early today because I have to drive Dh a ways for a medical test (expecting it to be ok) that will use at least half of my day.

The other half I have some pottery things to do and I am planning to finish cleaning up the dining porch. I started decorating it yesterday, and realized that I had stopped seeing how bad it was. There are items on the floor and there were also stacks on two chairs! Half the table is still covered.

Yesterday I puttered around cleaning up and decorating. I also did a lot of laundry and put it away. My main living areas are better, but the basement is getting bad again. I'm not too worried because it seems to always get bad at Christmas time.

I sent d❤️Gs and d❤️Dd a challenge last night to get everything off their bedroom floors before bed (I did my bedroom floor first) d❤️Dd said her floor is "maintained" (nothing new on it since we partly cleaned it up) but no progress. However, the boy's room is spotless, so he gets to pick the next challenge.

Good Afternoon

Dark, gray, cold and sunless day.
It's 3:30pm and the sun has not shined at all today.

The other day I bought some Feliway spray from Amazon.
I ordered it Wednesday and it arrived Friday, a day earlier than expected.

Anyways...
It's a cat pheromone type thing that is supposed to relax nervous, scared or aggressive cats.
I noticed that the Veterinarian was using it.
It works very well on Scooter.
I can pet him more often without him going into attack mode.
He is not being mean or vicious, attack mode is just his way of relating to others.
He grabs your hand and holds on with his claws and puts his teeth on you but doesn't bite down.
When he was a tiny baby he would dig in with his claws and bite down hard as he could, but not in a mean or vicious way.

My big orange boy is naturally jumpy, nervous about imagined things.
He is calmer now and being more sociable.

Twinkles, I can't notice any difference there.
He has always been friendly, talkative, sociable, relaxed and calm.

Hi Subclinical

I am so happy for you that you have this big beautiful tree to enjoy this year.

Donating some costume jewelry will be a fantastic way to rehome it.
Think of how happy the child will be when they can give their Mom a beautiful present. :D

Now I am very worried, but I don't know what to do.

When my grandfather was drinking and smoking himself to death, he reached a point where he needed help with everything and he went from verbal abuse to throwing things and hitting my step grandmother. A couple of times she called my dad for help.

After the second time my dad told him. "M is not going to buy you any more alcohol. No one us going to bring alcohol into this house. And if you hit her again, I will come get her and take care of her and leave you to die here alone."

But there is no one to come get you.

You have to promise us that if things get really bad you will call Tatoulia. Maybe a lawyer could help you find a way to get intervention and stay safe? I don't know. We do not want social services moving you because of his hoard, and we do not want a big involuntary cleanout that makes him dangerous....


I finished putting up my tree yesterday. For the first time in years, I got all the ornaments on! Even the big glass balls my cousin brought me from Venice that usually look too big. It is amazing! It looks so much like the trees from my childhood.

I have a small task to work on today - the pottery studio is collecting items so that kids in shelter and transitional or section 8 housing can "shop" for gifts for their moms (and dad's I guess, but it's run by an organization that serves women). Mostly people are donating coffee cups and vases, but Ben said we can bring in anything that is appropriate. I'm going to sort through my costume jewelry. I know I have too much, and I think this will help me part with some. I'm also going to try to look around with intention as I decorate the rest of the house. I'm pretty sure I have some scented candles from student gifts too.

Hello Friends :)

When we got the deed for the house we also signed the papers for the "homesteading act"
so they can NOT touch our home, it's safe.

Medicare is crap, pays for nothing much really
that's why people must buy Medicare supplemental insurance and still pay a LOT out of pocket too.
I can not afford to buy supplemental insurance so I have not bothered to apply for Medicare.
I will be 65 at XMas this year.


I have been very angry too that I could not get surgery.
Spent decades in extreme pain and unable to hold down a job due to the sickness.
I even asked my parents to loan me the money for insurance or the surgery and promised to pay them back soon as I started working again and they refused.
They had millions.

Him being home all the time is a big worry.
I never mentioned before but he drinks heavily now.
Soon as he gets home from work he goes into the garage because he is drinking hard liquor and smoking cigarettes.
He thinks he is hiding his drinking and smoking from me.
I am not stupid.
He is not supposed to because of his health issues but he has become a mean nasty alcoholic.
Now he will probably spend his whole days smoking and drinking out there.
I have no hope that he will do any cleaning or work on the hoard or do any home maintenance.

Being home all the time is not the concern - it's seven days a week of junk hauling that is a concern. If he just stayed home in his garage, he would be ok.

I think if you have a homestead on your house you will be okay. It varies by state but a homestead will keep you from having the debts go against the house. Not sure of laws in NV.

I'm frankly more worried about him being home all the time.

Tillie I will never let you starve. But then again, you'd never let yourself starve. You are too resourceful for that. But if you need me I'm here. Not an issue. No strings.

So, it is not as bad as it could be.

You will not lose your stash (add to it if you can)
You will not lose your house
You may eventually be able to get medical help through Medicare? I don't know how old you are, but you should ask someone about that. It makes me very angry that you can't have your surgery.
The food bank will give you food.
So we just have to worry about your electric, water?, gas?, car expenses, and a few other basic needs.

Also we have to hope that if Steven can't get the medical care he needs he dies before he runs up debt against the house. It would be good if you could get him to sell you his half for $1 to avoid losing it to medical bills. It would protect him too.

Hi Tat

Hi SubC

The house is 100% mine and also 100% his.
Doesn't matter who dies first the house is free and clear still the survivor's.

I have absolutely no medical care.
Back in the late 1980s I became too sick to hold a job because of cysts and tumors around my reproductive organs.
I could not get any medical help because I was not disabled because with surgery I could be cured.
So I was basically told to F off and die B.

Steven and I are both on a bank account.
We both have access to all the funds even if the other dies.
He has put me as beneficiary on his pension.

Plus I have a secret little stash tucked away in a wall safe hidden in the pantry and I have all the keys.

Correct, I am not married and Steven is not married.
If we were married I would be responsible for paying for his medical bills.
I am only responsible for any bills I make. :D

Until the end of this month he is officially on vacation leave because he had the time saved up.

Your post did not sound cold to me at all.
I appreciate plain talk and have a hard time understanding when people are "pussy footing" around.

Tillie this is a terrible shock. This is so awful.

This is going to sound very cold because I am only looking at the practical aspects of the situation.

Is it set up legally so that you inherit the house if he dies?
How do you (Tillie) get medical care now?
When you say "we" have savings, is that in both names, his, or yours?
You are not legally married if I recall correctly?

Hello SubC

I own one half of the property, Steven owns one half, no mortgage or liens.

He is "looking into" things
concerning services/benefits.
His pension would only pay one quarter of what he made per paycheck.

The biggest thing is the health insurance he received from his state job.
It is necessary.
He takes a million pills and needs regular Dr. appts.


He is not talking to me or answering any of my questions.
He seems to be oblivious of the situation.
He actually went thrift shop shopping this morning!
He doesn't seem to understand that he needs to strictly budget now.

I told him to go to the food bank and get some food but he refuses.
The food bank gives food to anybody, you don't need to even be needy.

We have some savings but they will not last long especially buying health insurance and prescription meds.

Oh Tillie.

I don't know what to say or how to help.

Can you reach out to the people around you? Look into social services? Who owns your house?

Hello

My life has been turned completely upside down.
An actual S.H.T.F. scenario.
An unending unrelenting panic attack compounded with severe depression.

Too hard to explain since my brain is in a whirl with worry.

Steven quit his job...

My heart is melting.

D❤️Gs got home from his dad's today and his mom showed him what I did with his room. He said "wow! She must love me a lot!" I told her to tell him he is correct.

Motown, i'm not planning a dumpster - just regular trash service. I cancelled it almost two years ago. He kept a garbage can in the shop though, which is now full because he won't listen to me about what to throw away or not, and he puts things in it that make it difficult (dirty, unsafe) for me to sort it out. A few things are just too big.

We have stuff in the yard like a small stack of pipe sections and broken plastic flowerpots. We don't have anywhere near 72 cans of trash! Just some broken stuff that won't recycle or fit in a grocery bag.

I'm sorry you feel that way about your grandchildren. I wish that it would be fun for you to spend time with them - for all of you. But if you only have one day of vacation, I think you should spend it on something you will enjoy.

It is good to be back able to check in with y'all occasionally to stay inspired. I, too, think the dumpster service is a great idea--and, pun-intended, a truly CLUTTER FREE gift! Hubby and I are not exchanging gifts this year. He never has gotten me anything and I usually go overboard to get him everything I think he might like and he really doesn't care. So I'm saving money this year by just skipping him altogether. Best case scenario is that he will be expecting something and not get it so he can be a little disappointed (some of his own medicine as the saying goes).

Anyway, I am contemplating taking a day off work between now and the end of the year (have vacation hours to use or lose) but not sure when to do it--before or after Christmas. I could do before and we could visit with his brother or I could do it after and clean some in the house (but the kids will be home so I won't really want to be around them--they are always in the way).

Guess I will throw a dart at a calendar!

Hi Subclinical

I believe the trash service would be a great way to make a really huge difference in the shortest amount of time.
Then after your property is all tidied up
you can go back to your usual ways of disposing of trash.

About the quality socks...
you have scrimped & saved & sacrificed all these years because you wanted to have money to spend on all of your children's needs.
Now it's good for you to have the nice quality socks and shoes for your own needs.
ENJOY them.

I would love to have six inches of snow!

Mostly what we get here is rain.

There is some snow on the ground now, but it is melting. We get overnight lows in the high twenties, and then it gets just above freezing and rains all day. The goat paddock has six inches of bootsucking mud with strategically placed rocks. I just know that one morning i'm going to go out, slip on a thin coating of ice on a rock, and land in the muck.

I ordered myself some very fancy warm socks. A lot of my everyday socks are getting holes in them and dh told me to go ahead and get three pairs of the really good ones. I'm kind of in sticker shock because I don't spend much money on myself, and for socks?! And I already got brand new shoes this year.

But I need to get more into the mindset of having a few really nice things. If opportunities to get a deal show up, that's great (and I did really well on my thrift store discount day work jeans!) but I need to not go overboard. One pair of $20 natural fiber socks that is warm and comfortable and will last two or three years worn often is better than 10 pairs of basically plastic $2 socks that are less warm and will also last two or three years - worn far less often and layered and still not warm enough.

Dh and I are not doing Christmas presents for each other, so I can think of them as my Christmas present :).

Actually, I am thinking about getting him a Christmas present - i'm thinking about signing up for three months (minimum requirement) of trash service for some post construction/deep cleaning clear out. It's a hard choice for me, but after working at d❤️Dd's House, I think I may be ready to accept some additional contributions to the landfill in return for order and time. It's six can a week service, so it would be up to 72 cans of garbage! 😳

So far only have six inches of snow.
But it's the kind that's wet and heavy and makes the best snowperson.


The rule to prevent having an overabundance of items, AKA clutter,
is for every one thing you bring in new to your home
you must then get rid of one thing you already have.

When starting from a point where there is too much stuff already in the home
the rule then becomes to release 2-3-5 or more items for every one new item brought in.

SubC, Good idea on the donate in order to go purchase. I am planning to keep the mattress just for throwing down as an extra sleeping place for kiddos or something. There is that bag of cookbooks in my car still so I will take that next time. Plus I am still keeping a box in my bedroom that things can be thrown into when I run across them. So far there is a shirt, a small saucepan, a hat and one other thing (can't remember right now). So when it is full I will drop it off. Maybe I should get a bigger box and make it a goal to fill it to "earn" a trip to shop!

Hi Motown!

That is a lot to change all at once. Be prepared to forgive yourself and just start again if you drop the ball on some of it. Maybe pick the one most important part to focus on doing it every day.

Also - there is a really cool craft themed store here that takes donations. I had to make a rule that I can only go there when I have something to donate. You could try a rule like that for goodwill - you could take the folding frame mattress on your next trip.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Motown
Keep working with "Buried In Treasures" and it will help you achieve your goals.

Hi Tatoulia
Anybody willing to help find "the right Jeans" is a saint.

Hi Subclinical
Wonderful questions and advice.

Gently snowed all day yesterday and plans to continue doing so today.
Had over a dozen Robins frolicking in my garden.

SubC, glad to hear your support. How is your issue working out with the daughter and grandson and the great purge? I know you were exhausted but that kind of results had to have been exhilarating at the same time. I hope that she can maintain for the boy's sake at least.

SubC and everyone else,
I have decided to go to Goodwill Sunday dollar day only once a month beginning in January (unless my mom wants to go which is usually the reason we go--she's 90 and I try to do what she wants). I have great ambitions for the coming year and lots of changes I hope to implement. Sunday afternoons (that I don't shop Goodwill) will be used for meal planning, food prepping ahead for the week's meals, getting everyone's schedules together so we are all on the same page for which kid needs to be where and when and with what, and to have the week's wardrobe chosen and ready to don in the mornings complete with having it steamed/dewrinkled and with accessories chosen. My daughter will help me with putting together different outfits that I probably wouldn't think of. I've been doing better about getting it out of the closet if it doesn't fit or isn't something I can be comfortable in at work all day.

Lofty ambitions, huh? I also plan to use a planner which I have never done. AND, get this, BUDGET!!! Also, which I have never done successfully. I am taking money out of savings and putting in my checking account today so that I can start the year with all the bills caught up and maybe stay on an even keel in the coming year.

Anyone have thoughts on my plans or advice? I am definitely open to suggestions or things to keep in mind. I know that it will take dedication but what I have been doing hasn't worked so I'm willing to give it good effort at least. All the whil still decluttering slowly and letting go of things. I just took apart a fold-away bed that we had bought for granddaughter to sleep on but it kept folding up with her in it! LOL! So she has been sleeping on a futon instead. So I rolled up the mattress and put it in a bag in the shed and sent the frame/springs to the scrap metal place with hubby. Just got about 4 square feet of space in my house!!!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I hope to sit down to a movie or at least a television program for 2 hours a month. That's my goal anyway.

Tatoulia, good luck with the jeans shopping.

Motown, enjoy the book!

I am also very anti-waste. I cancelled my trash service 22 months ago because it was a hassle and I produce so little trash that it was a waste of money (now I throw my little plastic grocery bag away at the gas station or grocery cart return)

But here is the thing - buying stuff you don't need is also wasteful. It wastes your time shopping, and your money, and it keeps the widget away from someone who does need it so that more widgets have to be created to fill their needs.

If you obtain only the clothes you need (or want and will wear) and wear them until they are not wearable anymore, you reduce your costs and your storage needs, and there are no big bags to donate (except to goodwill which recycles unwearable clothing for use in other products such as paper or stuffing)

How many days in a row do you think you can stay out of goodwill? Can you skip dollar day? What would you like to do with that time instead of shopping and waiting in line?

Motown! Great to hear from you! We count every success here!

I loved all the talk about my jeans falling down. I asked a woman at work today to take me Jean shopping in January and she will. I would rather go bathing suit shopping than jean shopping. There are too many styles and sizes and too much to cope with. This one co worker of mine has take. Me jean shopping twice before so she's been through it when I've gotten frustrated and upset. And she's great. I must try and and show her so then she can adjust what she is looking for in a jean for me. She didn't believe me the first time we went that I get really upset but she believes it now.

I'm tired. Back in office again tmr AM. Two days in a row. Plus I have a meeting at 9 and I'm really not a 9:00 person. Isn't this pathetic? I'm a professional yet cannot find my way in to the office.

Also, I just discovered that I can download and read the book Buried in Treasures! I have started the first chapter and I can already tell that it is going to hit home with me. My mom and dad grew up during the depression and those learned behaviors have stuck on me as well. Hubby and I are both recyclers and frugal with resources. If I were able to have a yard sale it would help my house as well as my (especially Christmastime) budget. However, no one comes to my sales and I just end up disappointed. So that's why I tried donating several garbage bags of clothing to a nearby church clothes closet only to find that the bags were left outside (probably still there) because the caretaker broke her arm and can't process them through. I have mentioned how disheartening this information was to hear.

So, I at least packed away two boxes of pants and jeans that are just slightly too small for me. (like one size or 10-20 pounds). Unfortunately they are still in those boxes in my bathroom but at least they are out of the closet!


And I mentioned going to goodwill several times lately. I didn't buy any clothes for myself! This is huge for me.

YES,

You can definitely celebrate it as a success! It's not just one strand of lights, it's thinking about your behavior and making a good decision instead of just following your usual habits without examining them. It's a big step!

Thank you so much SubC. I do find lots of encouragement here. And by buying all replacement lights I didn't necessarily replacing 100 strands of lights. Just going to let everything ride for awhile and not be afraid to open new packages when I need lights rather than feeling like I had to have a replacement set of new lights before I open the new lights I already have. Yes, I do sometimes feel like that. In order to use something or open it I have to already have to have it's replacement. Plus, if I "use up" some lights and throw away the bad ones maybe I can consolidate some of the boxes of Christmas things and have one fewer box in the shed! Win/win and hubby will be glad. It's a huge chore for him when I send him to the shed to look for something although I can typically describe the exact box and contents and what is on the label etc.
This is kind of like the one thing at a time that y'all talk about isn't it. Just not going out and buying a bunch of lights because one strand failed is one small thing but I guess I can celebrate it as a success?

Motown, Christmas lights are not "used up" if they still work. Get them out, figure out what you need, get rid of any that don't work or are dangerous, and then only buy more if you need them.

Realizing that you don't need all those back ups comes later in the journey.

Trying to stay out of goodwill comes first. But Good job cutting down!

We don't so much do forgiveness as understanding. We understand where you are coming from and where you are, and we try to help you understand the impact of your decisions on YOU.

we celebrate your successes too!

Someone mentioned me doing a drive-by. Well this is going to be a high-speed drive-by. Just read the posts since I have been on here. Too much to process. Still can't keep up with who's who. I used to be a blonde! LOL!

Anyway, I do have the "need" to have spares of everything and a spare spare if I can. I have the one functioning coffeepot on the counter used daily (multiple times) and then only one in the laundry area in a spot just waiting to be needed, you know. in the event....


So my son asked to get a few Christmas lights to put on his tree (prelit but they aren't working this year) and I have sent hubby to look for some today in the shed. Figuring that I will just give them to him. It's about time to buy all new anyway. We probably have well over 100 strands of lights out there, probably half of them new in the box. So, going to try to use them all up and then get replacements for them all on the day after Christmas!

I went to Goodwill only 3 times last week. Most I spent was about $25.00. That's a good total for me since I was spending upwards of $75 a week in there. BUT THINGS ARE ONLY A DOLLAR ON SUNDAY!!!!!

So gotta run. I may be posting several short snippets today as I get a few minutes here and there. Asking forgiveness in advance. Maybe I will read and post directly to y'all's posts and not just so randomly. Nah, who am I kidding. I will never be anything but random! LOL!

Motown

Predawn? Astronomically, it's still twilight.

We take a deep breath and we do what we can.

D❤️Dd was so proud of herself yesterday - she's been making her bed every morning and she found the rest of the pillow cases.

Her laundry room is still messy, but she finished off 80% of the laundry so far.

She gave me another big bag for goodwill, and I finished off most of d❤️Gs room (there is one very big box of unsorted toys/toy parts in his closet)

I also took a banker's box of recycling with me (we are now sorting out the recycling because she has one can trash collection and one can recycling. I have no trash and community dumpster recycling.)

D❤️Gs has been told he can have a friend come spend the night if he wants (never happened before).

Today I ordered his Christmas present and made plans for him to spend the day with me in a couple of weeks.

I was figuring if Tatoulias jeans are actually falling off, they are already two sizes too small.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical

WTG! for not keeping old light strands around for Justin Case.
Good Idea storing replacement bulbs on the wire to keep them easy to find.
So sorry things don't look promising. (((hug)))


Woke up this morning to a sparkly white Wonder wonderland.
The snow is still gently falling.
The sun has not come up yet, what do you call the
twilight of the morning"?
There are some little kitty foot prints in the snow and some other tiny prints too.

I was thinking that since Tatoulia is losing weight quickly that she should wait to get new clothes until her current clothes are two or three or more sizes too large.
Or else she will be having to buy new clothes every other week. ;)

WTG, Tatoulia!

Maybe you need to treat yourself to a new pair of jeans?

Tillie, I have one old strand of lights that is my "replacement bulbs" when a bulb burns out on another strand, I pull a bulb out of the partly empty strand and replace it. I was going to just pull the bulbs out last year, but it is easier to find them still in the strand. When it is empty, I will throw it away.

I am tired. Things are not looking hopeful on the family front, and I hate that there is nothing I can do.

Hope Miss Kitty doesn't do what Scooter did and pull out the steel wool to allow her friends in. :D

Very happy you saw the doctor today.
A pound a week!!! WTG!!! :D
And you have been doing this in a healthy way.
You should have no problem tasting your cake creations and not worrying about calories.

To keep your jeans up
try wearing a belt or suspenders.
Hate thinking of you flashing your underwear.
LOL ;D

Glad you got the steel wool in that hole.
That is such an easy fix to keep mice out.

There is a mouse? in Steven's bedroom.
Scooter says so and so do the other two boys.
The access to the bathtub plumbing is in his closet.
Scooter has been spending hours staring into the closet.

I moved a heap of Steven's clothing out of there and an autoharp and a bunch of other stuff to clear the way for Scooter to really get in there.
Plus I refreshed the cotton balls that I keep in there with peppermint oil.
Last time, Scooter told me it was in the chest of drawers and he said sometimes it is behind Twinkle's litter box.

Scooter is not a very good mouser but I give him an E for effort. ;)

The plumbing access cover could be fixed to prevent this but that would involve Steven being motivated to fix it.
He is still not motivated to do anything about the carport roof that's collapsing.
Oh well...

Well it sounds like you and your cat did a lot of laundry today!!

I did go to dr and he was great. First he said that he didn't recognize me because of all the weight I'd lost. So charming. He was very supportive on stomach issue and a few others and all around it was great. He was great. We made a quick adjustment on meds and he wants me to stay the course. He's thrilled that I'm losing a pound a week.

I got some steel wool and stuffed it in the wall. I'll need help moving my desk so I can get it done a little better. I walked home from dr and then met up with BF, who was at the bank. I went to the pharmacy to get my meds then we hung out for a while.

Fingers crossed that your laptop is fixed. Oh kitty cat is fascinated by the steel wool, which isn't stuffed completely into the hole.

Will write more tmr. Did a few quick loads of laundry today. My only two pairs of jeans are falling off of me. Literally. I even put in dryer with no real change in the fit. I wore a dress to dr but changed into jeans. Actually I changed into pjs while I cooked dinner then BF and I ran a few errands so I had to get dressed again. There were washed this AM and are falling off. THIS IS SO GREAT FOR ME!

Hey Motown and CM, we would love a quick drive- by!!

Good late afternoon early evening
4:00pm here.

Hi Subclinical
Bet your home smells wonderful!

Lights on the tree are necessary.
Just as long as you don't keep any stray strands of lights that have seen better days around.
Steven has an obsession about buying lights at the thrift shop, must have hundreds of strands by now.
We don't decorate... ;P

Hi Tatoulia
So, did you go to the doctor today?
If so, did you mention your recent complaint?

Working in a surgical office I was always amazed by how many delicious treats patients would give us this time of year.
The other people working there were always having me give them lessons in "chocolate reading"
because I knew the codes/differences in what would be inside each bonbon. ;)


Spent the whole day working on fixing my laptop computer.
Took hours to do this. :(
Think I have fixed it but we shall see...

Last evening I washed all the laundry and hung it out this morning.
The stuff immediately froze solid soon as I got it hung at 8:15am.
But by 3:00pm it had thawed and dried even though the high today was 37 degrees.
The rest of the week there is rain/snow possible.

The hardest part about hanging out laundry is Jack (you're not my cat) rubbing around on my ankles and flopping down right where I might accidently step on him.

Oh I bet the tree looks beautiful! Congratulations on a nice big tree!

I have dr today. Stomach a bit better. I already had the appt scheduled. I couldn't get the blood work done in advance. The two days I could go, the orders weren't in. Such is life. It was becoming terribly inconvenient for me with have to make so many calls for the blood work. M
Doing a load of laundry. All Christmas shopping done (just boxes of nice chocolates for service people like dry cleaner and help desk at work, etc.). Good to have this done.

Good morning!

My tree is in the stand with the lights on. It is a very big tree. The biggest one they had at our cut your own place - 11'! It reaches into the vaulted ceiling of the addition. My parents have a two story living room with a balcony, and we always had a very tall tree (the cut your own farm sold them to dad for $5 because nobody wanted them. One year we cut one right next to the owner's house because it was blocking the windows and annoying his wife. Dad insisted on speaking to the wife before we cut.) so, the big tree is a really big deal for me.

And there is plenty of room for it!

Any ornaments I don't get on the tree this year should probably go, but i'm Not sure I can do that. We'll see how it turns out. I may keep hanging different ornaments different years.

Anyway, I started this story to report that we bought three more strings of lights.

And Tatoulia, I hope you feel better.

Take it easy.
Just rest and get better (((HUG)))

So to answer your question right now I'm happy with what I'm getting rid of. I should switch to concentrate on being happy with what I've kept.

Feeling very sick. Just had juice.

Ooh we are busy today! Tillie I am still nauseated today but I need more than juice and toast. I'll see what I can try to eat. Maybe plain pasta.

I am fine with saying goodbye to the things. Fine. If I didn't have such a headache and a queasy stomach I'd do some more today.

SubC that is great news about your weight I probably have 30 to go. No rush on my end. I look fantastic now. And most of my rings fit and my watches fit. If in 20 pounds I decide I'm done then I'll be done. I'll just see how it goes.

I'm afraid I have to go lay down. I'll have a sip of juice first. Not feeling well.

Hi Subclinical

YEA! for the tree!
WAY TO GO! on the weight loss!

I need to do another "no added sugar" challenge myself.
I felt so much better when I did that before.
But with severe depression about my kitty I resorted to self medicating with sweets.

Tatoulia
You posted while I was composing.
I start writing then have to keep getting up to answer the cat's demands or adjust the heat, etc. and also today to stop the toilet from running, will fix that issue later.
So anyways... it takes a while before I'm finished with my posts. ;P

I am all for people taking medication as long as the doctor is responsibly prescribing and the patient is responsibly following directions and the medication is working as it should, no side effects.

How are you feeling about the tchotchke/knickknack decluttering?
Hope when you look at what you are keeping you have a good very happy content feeling. (((hug)))

Today the sun is shining, the sky is bright blue and cloudless.
But it's very cold. High today will be 37 degrees.
The snow was washed away by some rain last evening. :(
Planning to wash my hair today to get the smoke smell from the burn barrel out of it.
But not yet, still too cold in the house 62 degrees.

I have plenty of weight to spare. I could happily lose another 12 lbs. I have been dropping very slowly and intentionally, and am now finally to wanting to lose less than ten percent of my weight, so that is a good thing I guess.

Yay for your new mixer!

My tree is in the stand and waiting to be decorated.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Anonymoniker
Hi CriticalMass
Hi Motown

Hi Tatoulia
Well, I guess that settles that about the hand mixer.
Hope you own a good solid spoon. ;D
Wishing you all better by now. (((HUG)))


Subclinical
We are all so very proud of you for everything you have been doing.
How wonderful that you had the needed items and were able to put them to such good use all because you decluttered in your own home.
What really impressed me is you had the right frame of mind to do all that hard work clearing out their home knowing that you could not rescue everything.
Relax and enjoy getting the tree today and hopefully a nice lunch out.
You have really earned a day off. (((HUG)))

Hello and good morning!

I loved your description of the snow, Tillie. You painted a beautiful picture.

I am feeling better, SubC, thank you. I too have been losing weight. I can't remember if you have any weight to spare so I hope the 2 lb loss is good and not bad!

I'm now down 24 since I started with the nutritionist. I feel great. I cannot believe that in six months I've done this without much notice. Naturally I had hoped to have lost more by now but not really. I don't look forward on the weight, I just think of food as nourishment.

MOTOWN you had previously asked regarding medications. I haven't spoken much about it but I do take antidepressant and have for a number of years. They help me sleep and make my life in general easier. We've made some adjustments over the years. I wobble between two medications; sometimes taking one, sometimes taking the other, sometimes taking both. I am perfectly satisfied taking them and yet, I do not disagree with people who are against medications of this sort. I am doing what works for me. I've tried it both ways and this is preferable for me. I generally don't tell people (not out of shame), because if someone is struggling with depression I want them to work with their doctor to find a comfortable, workable solution. I will share that I too suffer from depression and offer them hope for a brighter day.

Rainy day here. I got mom's groceries done last night. I'd like to do some laundry but think that most people will want to use the machines today. I'd like to do some decorating here today.

I put a big bag of preciousness in my car yesterday so I can take it to good will.

I have decided on which new mixer I will be getting. It is a kitchenaide with a number of attachments but still a handheld. IT HAS DOUGH HOOKS meaning I'll have to track down my friend who was with me 30 years ago when we bought the old one. I think she's in China but I'll find her. When she's in US she generally pops into my life. Last time she was here I was in an airport flying to St Louis so I didn't get to see her.

What are you doing today?