Tuesday greetings, everyone... well, early Wednesday I guess now...

My updates for today are: caught up a bit with my calendar... things are approaching a more semi normal schedule at school and since I'm gaining some steam on the train of functionality at the moment, I am creating more items that have to be scheduled... it's all good. Visiting a friend tomorrow who's having surgery this week - she wants to try English paper piecing so I'm going to bring her some things. I implored her not to buy any supplies but she did... I still don't have my standing desk usable again but I did sort some stuff over there today and got some electronics stuff consolidated from all over the room into one bin. This task gets repeated every time I making a cleaning Push so I know I will have to do this multiple times before I get to the bottom of it all but that's ok. I did kind of force myself to go into the garage to get a box that had four genealogy binders in it and I looked around for a Halloween box I am missing. I was overwhelmed with what I saw but I did feel an impulse to dive in and organize something. I cleared out a big drawer of old leap pad stuff from my room, binned it up and pointed it in the direction of the garage. I probably won't try to streamline (purge) the educational stuff until I get it ALL in one place but I know it won't go in my room anymore. I made that decision. All school supplies For my son will have to fit in the cabinet downstairs. I'm going to try to limit stuff up in my room to clothes, some collectibles and books, a severely edited amt of creative/craft supplies, and my genealogy paperwork. So even though things are progressing at a very slow pace, they are progressing. And I know at the point where I really give it time and prioritize it, it will start moving faster.

Well, I'm nodding off so I will stop rambling on...see you tomorrow,

SubC, you WILL make it through the week and whatever you do will be FINE. So there.

I am having one of those evenings when I am tired and overwhelmed and feeling inadequate.

Accepting reminders that I will make it through the week and whatever I do will be fine.

Heart daughter gets married on Monday!
My son and dil are coming Friday night, my girls and Bean and his daddy are staying over here. Dh has jury duty. I told Dd I will provide beds with clean sheets and she is in charge of food and cleaning up after making the food - I will help, but there cannot be 7 bowls and three cutting boards and half the knives left at bedtime like last time.

Wow! Great progress, Ladies!

Cm I'm so sorry about all that churning, etc. the good thing is that you recognize that you don't want to handle things this way any more. I do hope your situation improves soon. Is your bathroom situation sorted?

It felt good to let the summer watch go. I bought them eight years ago. White leather straps, one with an aqua face and one with an orange face. At work I should be wearing better watches, anyway. I will look for my other everyday good one. I wore it a lot in the past few years and I enjoy wearing it. But, I have one up and running and it'll work. I also have a nice dress watch he bought me many, many years ago. I should have a battery put in that one, too, even though we aren't going out anywhere these days.

I got my mother only the grocery basics, moved her bedspread into the dryer, and one of the aides said she'd take it to mom afterward. So I came home and showered.

I've looked at my to do list and it's looking pretty good. I took care of stuff today.

I will get up early to get a jump on my work day. I do not want to work tonight after all.

It's getting dark out earlier but still not as cool as I'd like it to be. It'll get there I am sure.

Oh roadster, I am pulling for you and your brother!

CM, I am so sorry about the random bags and boxes.

Tatoulia, my hair is actually barely past my bra strap. Hair has a genetically predetermined length. Once each strand of hair reaches that length, it falls out and the follicle starts over. Roadster, I don't know about everyone, but I can feel my hair moving against my scalp when someone cuts it, and it makes my skin crawl.

Tatoulia, I'm sorry about your summer watch, but good job tossing. I'm glad you have a nice one you can wear.

I finished my first jar cozy and did my five (actually nine) minutes on the counter. I also ordered more reusable canning jar lids. And when I put my shorts away, I dumped out the whole drawer and chose two pairs that I just don't really like to give away. I got by without them all summer.

Off to grab the last load of laundry off the line and put some more away!

Hi all,

Tatoulia, I feel the same about wrists (and necks). I don't work so I usually just wear shorts or jeans and tee shirts and no jewelry at all but when. I wear some, it's a silver ring and earrings. Occasionally, I'll wear a loose charm bracelet but I think the jangles would bother me right now. Talk about sensory issues. Just when I noticed there was a trend in commercials to amp up annoying background sounds (like water lapping and dogs slurping, etc) I got my dna thing about misophonia (which I already knew I had but this was confirmation!) and ever since then it's been worse! SubC I always wondered if people who are sensitive to haircuts have that aversion because they can kind of feel it or if this more of a sound sensitivity thing? I have to admit I am just too cheap and dysfunctional to keep up with haircuts. If money was no object I'd definitely get it cut and colored and do all the spa things on a regular basis. Especially now. I used to have pretty luxurious hair... but I've lost a lot of it, and it's gotten super frizzy and a lot more gray - and oh my gawd. What a mess most of the time. My son is an alopecian though so I shouldn't complain, his comes and goes as it pleases. Last fall he had the fullest head of hair he's had since he was a baby. Now he's totally bald with salt and pepper fuzzies growing back in. It's always an adventure here in the hair department.

So I had a busy cleaning day yesterday and today. Since my parents moved out of their house I've been meaning to start hosting family things every week or two. This ended up being the first one and my sister, niece, and her boyfriend actually came which was nice. They are always a wildcard so I can never tell my son they're coming until they're actually here. But anyway, I got all the kitchen cleaned up. Groceries put away, dishes done with only a few items hidden in the oven. I swept the entire first floor which was disgusting. Lit a candle to improve dank/musty/puppy smells... I made cookies, I made extra ice, I had clean dishes and forks ready for the pies my sister brought over... I washed out another drawer of the fridge yesterday, tossed a bunch more rotten fruit and vedge... And took the garbage out again, anyway, The whole first floor was completely picked up except for my son's tv room thing. So that was very good. If we can keep having these get togethers it will certainly help me to keep it going. It's kind of stressful for me to be honest... a few years ago it would have been nothing, but now I admit I kind of dread it and am glad when it's over. Covid didn't help probably. But it's important to try to keep connected - especially for my Ps and my son.

So today yet I want to just put some clean laundry away and I think that will be it. Oh, and my bro actually suggested he'd like to get his place to the point where he could also host. I was stunned! Great development.

Well, the rocket launch analogy re the BIGBUT project was somewhat premature. I think tectonic plates move more swiftly than this.

I've been all over the charts moodwise, right now I'm holding steady and very neutral. So that's pretty much it until further notice. I'll do what I can to deal with little things.

Had to shove a whole bunch of stuff into random bags/boxes/my van because of another sudden need to clear a space for my roommate to sleep on the couch since she couldn't sleep in her room because she in turn had had to shove a bunch of crap from a closet to her bed so workmen could get underneath the house.

I just hope the stashing won't mean worse losing of things and delays on my own decluttering; alas, some delay seems unavoidable.

I'm looking to see if there are any options for free or very low cost studio space in my town. It would be cheaper than therapy, methinks.

18 years! Wow! How long is your hair?

I got some things done today so I'm feeling better. 8 jus5 stopped here to eat something before moving on.

I wrote out three checks and went to the post office to mail them. I took one of my watches to the watch guy and had a few links put in and changed the battery. BF has bought me several nice Swiss watches over the years. The one I wore most frequently is misplaced. I haven't worn it since March 2020 and I don't know where it is. But when my friend was here and organizing, I found the extra links to a different one. I haven't been able to wear this watch in years due to weight gain. I like my watch looser and even though he put in two links, I wish he had done three. He initially put in one but I asked for a second. I should've held out for a third link. I like it looser. Oh well. Let's see how I feel as the week goes on. I just hate the feeling that my wrist is being strangled.

One of my cheap summer watches broke the other day. It was the white one with the aqua face. The crystal fell out and when I looked at it, part of the face was ruined so I tossed it right then and there.

I have been to mom's twice. I am on my third laundry load for her but I needed to get away. I got a bag of her donations out to my car. I brought her muffins. I brought her waters. I ran errands for boyfriend and I bought paint brushes for my project. I've ordered the paint. Now I need to do mom's groceries and head back there and finish up the laundry.

I also need to do at least an hour of work. I'd love to do some of my own laundry. I'll go check on the downstairs situation.

Tatoulia, I didn't see your last post when I posted. The last time anybody cut my hair was when my friend Dawn leveled out the ends 18 years ago this past August.

I have sensory issues with haircuts and have decided that they are unnecessary.

I did dye it blue temporarily for graduation this past May, but that washed right out.

I made frozen custard and unloaded the dishwasher and hung the third load of wash and taught myself how to crochet a circle. I'm going to use a bunch of the random yarn in my basement to make little bags for my half pint jars so that I can freeze pesto in them and put them in the deep freeze without having them get broken.

Congratulations on your pound Tatoulia! You are moving in the right direction.

I got a spam email telling me I can loose 90lbs in 90 days. Now, I could probably lose 90lbs of stuff in 90 days, but if I lost 90 lbs of body, I would probably die.

But it made me play with the math. If I lose one ounce every day, that is almost two pounds a month. So by the start of next school year, I would be in really good shape! It seems like you could loose an ounce a day just by making slightly better choices. So I am going to remind myself that I just need to keep an eye out for opportunities to make slightly better choices.

The dish robot is almost done with it's second round. I broke a glass while trying to figure out how to optimize the new racks. It was 25 cents at a yard sale.

The washer is going and there is a load on the clothes line.

I made biscuits for breakfast, and I have a batch of custard cooling to go in the ice cream maker later.

So i'm pretty sure I've forgotten something important.

Ds and ddil are coming in to spend the night on Friday, but they won't stay long because they are traveling through.

Well it's 10 AM so I'm doing a bit better with respect to waking up. So much to do. Unfortunately the washer is already in use so no laundry for me this AM. It is a bright sunny day.

I need to switch from my summer tote to something more fall appropriate. I also need to find my main watch when I go to work. I am a bit nervous because my friend cleaned out all of my drawers and didn't come across it. I really should concentrate on this during the AM before I head to mom's and once again need to look for her wallet.

Did I mention I got my hair cut this week and now there is no color left? It's all my color and of course the grey. It looks really good. I can tell my hairdresser resents the fact I'm not coloring it. He always makes sure that when he styles it that the maximum amount of grey is showing and mentions that I should color it. He also told me it would take me five years to grow out my color but it took 18 months. I last had it colored in March 2020. So I think he's hating on me a bit.

Hello everyone!

That's a shame re your new skirt, SUbC. I loved your description of a teacher's skirt! Wonderful. Tell the new dish robot that I say "hey."

I was overslept today, then around 2:30 went with BF to his house. I finished a book I was reading then worked for a while (I had brought my computer with me). He had another funeral to go to. Then we ran errands and I made a nice spaghetti sauce. Really tasty.

I'll see mom tmr and work on her place. I think that the lighter of the two paint samples will work. Just need a sunny day to confirm before buying the paint and primer. The farrow and ball paints look different in every light so just waiting for some sunshine. We had some this afternoon but I didn't have enough time to move the headboard around my bedroom. The color I am considering is Skimming Stone.

Road, I've always been a cat person so I have no experience with dogs. I know I'd never be able to train a dog. I'm just not disciplined enough.

I lost another pound. I am grateful for that. I need to keep at it.

Well, the almost nine hours followed a night when I got less than six hours, so things balance out..

Dh installed the new dish robot today and it has done its first round of dishes. It took most of the day to put it in and I had to stand by to assist, so I got nothing done on my fantasy list during the process. However, the dish robot lives in the room with THE counter, so I picked at the counter all day.. it is now half shorter pile of random mess, half distinct piles of sorted out mess. It actually looks better enough that Dh said I did a good job. It was tedious though. It is basically a thousand one to three minute jobs. I am going to try to spend five minutes on it every day. Please check up on me.

After I got the robot put to work I did get to make three half pints of ground cherry jam.

My skirt did come, but unfortunately it is too small - I think I got confused by US and UK sizing because I was between two sizes and ordered down (because I'm loosing weight) but when I looked at the size chart again for the exchange, I should have ordered down and still gotten a size larger than I got. So anyway, it zipped, but barely and it was too tight, so I'm exchanging for a size larger. And I can't wear it on Tuesday.

Saturday morning greetings,

SubC, that 9 hours sounds amazing! Good explanation of the teacher skirt. Got it. Glad you're not going to have to wait forever.

This am I started some laundry, brought up some clean laundry that I forgot about... and started working on the kitchen again. It had really built up over the week and I started beating it back yesterday but didn't get it done (which in the eyes of the H means I didn't do anything.) grrrr. It's one of those dynamics that's so incredibly frustrating I can't even express... but I'm sure in his head he's just frustrated when he sees a mess. Anyhoo, he is taking the boy in to see his uncle today so l will certainly have time to work on the kitchen some more... maybe do a little more fridge deep cleaning, or cabinet washing. I was in the habit of doing a cabinet a day for a bit until I got most done. I don't know how long ago that was but they are all grungy again. The floor in there is constantly being cleaned right now due to puppy incontinence. We had a 2 or 3 day stretch with no accidents but had one today.

Well, people, I hope every one has a good day. I will check back in later especially if I have productivity to report, heheh

Good morning!

I am being ever so lazy today. Slept almost 9 hours, but still have that dull hint of a headache that tells me I need more sleep and more water.

I got an email this morning that my teacher skirt will be delivered today. It is black with a bright rainbow of stripes that should match several of my new school tees.

Tatoulia, what did you decide about the paint?

Roadster, I am VERY impressed with your fridge washing!

I too would social distance from a robot.

I understand your mom's experience. I do try very hard to eat a good solid breakfast so that I will have energy to get through the day, but I get so busy and focused at school that I don't miss lunch at all. There is always something more important to me than eating to do when I get a break. At the end of the day I am very thirsty, so I fill my mug from the water cooler repeatedly while I clean and prep my classroom and my stomach gets full, so it's not until I get home for dinner that I notice I am really hungry. And my wonderful Dh has been doing a great job providing me with healthy food. (Also I am tired enough that if I sit down on the couch first thing, it's just too much effort to get back up for nuts or bread or whatever hand to mouth food is around.)

So I have this lovely open unscheduled weekend ahead of me and as I sit on the couch finishing my coffee hours after my chores should be done, I'm thinking of the dozens of things I could do. In a few minutes I'll dress and get going and run head on into the reality that at best I can probably hope to do four of them.

CM, still crossing my fingers!

Quick pop in.

It was cheating because he didn't want me to eat before dinner and I used the garden instead of the kitchen.

A teacher skirt is a skirt that fits at the waist and is full enough not to cling to anything else. Long enough to squat down or sit on the floor or a table modestly, short enough to not trip you on the stairs when you go up in a hurry, easy to wash and ideally with pockets. Often patterned in ways you might not normally wear (I have one printed all over with books and another with shiny silver pin stripes)

Greetings!

Dropped son off at school and instead of waiting for grocery delivery tomorrow ( that's another story) decided to hit the store and shop for groceries. Bad choice. I was in a fog and felt like I couldn't see with my mask and reading glasses situation and took 15 minutes to make every decision and in the end I think I left with half of everything I needed for each recipe and a half gallon of melted ice cream. Then I went to pick up some rx and they had a new whiz bang jetsons delivery system and I couldn't reach it being vertically challenged. Also I pulled up too far from it even though it's a robot and can't breathe on me. I social distanced from a robot! Then when I walked in the house it appeared as though a tornado had swept through the room... puppy prison break! Stuffing and foam and feathers from the old sofa had been distributed, as had shredded cardboard and assorted toys... and naturally, a nice big ole puddle on the hearth. So I just finished cleaning most of that up and dealing with groceries and feeding the older dog, etc. and ** washed out the bottom drawer of the fridge and the bottom of the fridge.** Whoohooo me.

SubC, my mom (Teacher) stayed normal sized despite her genetics by being on her feet 10+ hours a day. Coffee for breakfast, apple for lunch, and Then regular dinner. Pretty sure she avoided the lounge snacks too. I call that 30 years of deprivation but she's in her 80s and in better shape than me so there you go. What exactly *is* a teacher skirt?

SubC! Silly rabbit, eating cherry tomatoes is not a cheat! Chocolate covered cherries are a cheat, despite my protestations that they are fruit.

I like the idea of bartering tasks, Road! Great idea. I also like the quote at the bottom of your post.

SubC you did mention a skirt recently and quite frankly, you need it so no guilt!

I need to sample the paints today to make a decision in which one will work in the new-to-me headboard.

I'm in management training at work. It takes you time but is extremely useful and I'm enjoying it.

Good morning everyone!
Coffee clinks!

Tatoulia, I will look forward to/hope for good news from the organizing mom project. I hope you get a good resolution on your bed.

Roadster, I'm sorry things are so stressful with your Dh. I have that same experience with looking at mine and wondering how he gets so much done. I think it's because he focuses really well and tunes out everything not tied to the job at hand, and because he also is happy with 80-90% of what I would do.

Good luck with the pet hair. Wear a mask?

I forgot to confess to ordering another school skirt last week. I don't know when it will arrive though, maybe in time for spring - lol! I have to toss in a load this morning or I won't have a skirt for Friday.

The new robot was delivered and is sitting in it's crate in the garage.

I've been working on using up the clay I have stockpiled in my studio for my class instead of buying more. Yesterday I started rehydrating another batch.

I also signed up for the second fall session - I bit the bullet and became a studio member, so I get a class every session. I'll be doing alternative firing, so I'll have to get some work done ahead. Seems like I'm always operating around 50% no matter how much pressure I put on myself, so I guess more is good?

One nice thing about the membership is that you don't have to meet the deadlines on the class projects. Also, they give you extra storage space..

Good news on the decluttering my body front - I have hit another weight milestone. :) turns out what I needed was to be on my feet all day walking around a classroom, climbing up and down stairs, and never having time for snacks or lunch.

Yesterday I took a snack for after school (knowing I wouldn't get lunch) and I was so frazzled at the end of the day I left it in the fridge. I got home almost an hour later, and Dh told me the (very healthy) dinner he was making would be ready in 15 minutes, so no spoiling it with snacking. (I did cheat and pop a few cherry tomatoes into my mouth when he sent me out to the garden for fresh basil.)

CM, fingers crossed for,the big but. I am going to visualize the desired outcome . I get you on the anti-jinx code word tactics... "So much for ... rational prefrontal cortex..." agh, that was hilarious. I love this group.

Tatoulia and SubC, the H took a r@re day off today for dr. Appt and running errands. I had forgotten so this ended up coming as unpleasant news to me which wasn't very nice. But we had a good day together and were able to cross quite a few things off the list. It was pretty Feckin' annoying that he was so productive - mainly because it seemed so easy for him and it also always feels like he's trying to stick it to me. Aware that sounds paranoid but things are actually that toxic around these part.s. But important point is a lot of stuff got done.

Hit my brother up on another thing... asked if he'd be willing to barter some cleaning or organizing services in exchange for doing so,e paperwork I've been avoiding for 14 years... he was up for it. We've done this a few times in the past with some success (I don't have any issue with cleaning and organizing OTHER people's stuff...) It I'll admit I've been avoiding offering this time because the pet hair in his house is epic. I'm. Breaking out in dermatitis right now just thinking about it.

A lot of 9-11 viewing for me the last few weeks. I had started researching an info graphic project I have been kicking around for years - a way to depict how many people escaped twin towers and how they did it. So I've been watching a lot of survivor stories. I'm in the Midwest but we have a handful of connections to people who were involved in one way or another. My Ps attended a memorial service for a woman who was a former student of his, then the next night, coincidentally, they were seated for dinner with a couple whose son had died in that event. And then one of the guys on #93 was from our town also.

Tatoulia,what ar you in training for? Running? Marathon? Or something work related?

Saw this in a friends FB tonight and it seemed like the perfect inspiration for me right now...

"Don't worry about what's ahead. Just go as far as you can go ? from there you can see farther."

Hello Road! Has the buddy cleaning started yet? I hope so!

Cm I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed. Forgive me; I thought yin confided in us that the Big But was due to not having working plumbing? Please correct me if I'm wrong and also let me know if the plumbing has been fixed. I can't remember if it was just a bathroom issue or all household plumbing.

Good to hear that your heart grandson tested negative, SubC. Big relief, I am sure.

I'm in training these days, which takes up a lot of my time. I took Monday off to get my new chair and run other errands. Was pretty stressed at work yesterday but doing very well tonight.

When my cleaners were here, I asked them if they wanted my bed. There was a lot of talk and they will get back to me. I hope they decide yes.

I received the two paint samples I'd ordered and I'll test them out tmr on the back of the headboard. I bought brushes tonight.

My friend said she'll help me clear mom's place, which is pretty exciting news for me. And mom.

Fingers crossed CM,

Roadster, that is cool about your brother, and supercool about under the dresser! You are gaining ground!

❤️Gs negative, so he will be back in school tomorrow. Dd2's friend is positive.

Made it through the first day of another school week - forgot I have a meeting at lunch on Thursday and will have to go in early.

Dropped off the recycling today. Just keep cranking along..

Dh is getting home late tonight so I emptied some containers of this and that and called it dinner.

Okay, ladies, I need you all to cross your fingers and toes for me and my roommate. Mission Control here is prepping for the possible launch of Project BIGBUT as early as tomorrow. There are still some unknowns. But we are running down the preflight checklists.

I will only be giving these little cryptic updates if and until it truly looks like All Systems Go.

Our emotions are intense beneath the surface as you might imagine, with something that has dragged out as long as this has, and with one false start after another. It feels like saying too much could jinx it (so much for millions of years of evolution and a rational prefrontal cortex, this is all about the feels at this point).

So that's all I'm gonna say. If ever it is truly done and behind us, you'll get the whole long story, or as much of it as I can stand to rehash.

Over and out.

Hi all,

Haven't caught up on posts yet but will return...

Yesterday *my brother* texted ME and asked if we could do some buddy cleaning. (I call it speed rounds - you know where your set a timer for 15 and report back what you did). I couldn't believe it. He joked we might need to make this a daily habit til we're 82 and I don't disagree. He lives alone and is currently unemployed so he can do with some more contact and he's even worse than me with cleaning so it's a win win.

I swept out the bedroom half of my room and swiffered the floor. Really cleared off the nightstand more so it was totally clean on top and only put back decorative stuff. Cleared out the drawer again. GUARDING my ground. Hehe. Swept under the dresser and to my surprise that was cleared out already. Did a bunch of misc. stuff including some laundry. This time I had stuff that had come out of the washer clean come out of the dryer moldy... maybe it sat Damp in the dryer? So I had to rewash that.

Oh, and from the "hoarders be blind to it" files, I gazed upon my mantle and found that there it was still the season of Easter and I said "it is now the season of fall and Easter needs to go away" and I made it go away.

And joking aside, I found my brother in law's ashes up there and realized we really need to find a better place and container for these. The H wants to create a little memorial for him in the house so I'm going to get that on my master list and see if I can't get that done for him since I'm sure it's not as hard on me emotionally. We have one of his signature (ex punk) combat boots to display and the ashes and I need to figure out a couple other things...

I have kept up pretty well with using my daily worksheet things and just printed a calendar to plot out some landmarks for the next few months of "clearing" activities... so although I wish this room was emptied out and almost done, I am still feeling accomplished for what I've gotten done, the connection I have going with my brother on this, and the *maintenance!*

Back in a bit after I catch up with posts.

Tatoulia,

I'm not feeling like I'm doing a lot. So much on my list I didn't get to. And my ac went out in the car on the way to return Bean. After an hour and a half driving a hot car in traffic, I don't have much energy for anything.

That was really nice of your friend to help you out that way!

How is your chair?

I ordered another teacher skirt because it is still hot here, but if probably won't arrive until after things cool off.

Heart grandson (vaccinated) is awaiting covid test results and will miss school at least tomorrow.

Dd2's best friend is also waiting for post exposure results, but as she is unvaccinated and has a fever of 103, I think we know the answer. She left her husband and has three kids under 4.

Sub c you are getting a lot done!

I have done much less, I'm afraid. On Saturday I ended up spending time with BF. We ran errands and then he had a funeral so I hung out at his house and watched and napped. I'm not going to church or other group activities right now. Afterward we did more errands. None of mind got done but all of his did, so it still felt pretty good. Then yesterday my friend came over, the one who was living with me. She did her laundry and we made lunch then we went to mom's and ran some errands. I had forgotten my phone, which also has my credit cards. I was willing to skip my errands but she gave me her credit card and I was able to finish the shopping errands. Afterwards I drove her home because she is taking up my great grandmother's chair. I pick up my "new" chair from the auction house this afternoon.

I slept a lot this weekend which was good. I still have a lot to do today. I have the day off but I have done nothing so far and need to go get ready to drive out to the auction house. BF is coming with me.

Whew!

I ran the dishwasher twice and have the last few dirty dishes loaded.

I washed six loads of laundry and dried half of them on the line and the other half in the dryer. I put away some of that.

I finally remade the second guest bed.

I made a batch of rice pudding big enough to feed me breakfast all week.

I picked the tomatoes and put six and a half quarts of tomato purée in the freezer.

I made two and a half pints of chocolate frozen custard.

I spent an hour and a half on school things left over from last week.

I fixed the rabbit play yard where the corner was broken.

I set up the coffee maker for tomorrow, took the compost out, and refilled the water softener.

Just need to do chores, shower, and put out some mouse traps if I can find them - I think I have a mouse under the scullery sink.

Everything else that was on my list got pushed to another day.

Good morning all!

I slept a little over 8 hours last night, so while I am not "caught up" I am less tired.

It's about 8:30 here. I made Dh breakfast and sent him off to play golf, and I've got the washing robot and the dish robot put to work, a batch of chocolate custard cooling on the stove to go in the ice cream maker later, and enough rice pudding cooking to provide me with breakfast all week. (I make it with milk, spices, and just raisins for sweetener.

Did I tell you the new dish robot didn't get delivered last week? They showed up and knocked, but Dh was working upstairs with headphones on. Then they tried to call, but they had the number down wrong. They are going to try again this Wednesday.

I had a good day with Bean yesterday, although I would have enjoyed it more if I had been less tired.

Today I have a huge list to crank through, including dishes, laundry, garden, and lesson plans. (Gee, when I group all the tasks that way - it looks short!)

Carry on!

tatoulia, I am tired.

Today is the semi-annual free mulch pick up and I will have Bean for part of the day and I am already running behind. But tomorrow I plan to sleep late.

The school year gets easier as it goes along (I think). I've been staying after until at least 5:30 to get things done (my last class ends at 4:30) - the traffic is better when I leave, but the days are long. Dh called me at 5:15 last night and said "leave. Now."

Roadster,
Your poor doggie. :( - lol!

I've had that experience of looking at pictures and thinking "oh no! Is it that bad?" You will get there.

CM, I'm glad this van is better. Still wishing you peace and speedy improvement on the house.

I'm getting some things done but it just seems to take so much longer and come with so much more aggravation than it used to. Computers and other things, and daily routines (routines? What r routines?) are more complicated. Technology only works for those who are willing to race to keep up with it, instead of those like myself who were in a groove 10 years ago but then the young twerps in tech started CHANGING everything. 😒

The van repair is done, and I had to get 2 tires also. The others were more worn and dangerous than I realized. It's okay, this is nothing like the awful old clunker van used to be. My mechanic happens to like this kind of van and he and his family have owned several of them. He's the one who advised me they were good. So he knows the ins and outs.

The house projects may start up this coming week again at warp speed. The chaos that came earlier in the summer was just the opening round. But as always, I don't take it for granted that things will happen until they do. Stay tuned.

Hi all,

Re: your sleigh bed, I don't know if this is the case near where you live - but some of our thrift stores have furniture pick up. They show up with a truck at your place and the guys carry the stuff down to your truck and take it to the shop.

I've been relying on YouTube videos lately as prep for DIY projects. You get an. Idea of the scope of the project, materials you need, the time and $ required and helps figure out if it's worth it (or better to have someone else do it), etc.

Had a low day yesterday so I'm in kind of a holding pattern. But I just knocked some stuff over and now there's a huge mess to clean up tomorrow so I will definitely need to deal with that. My dog is not liking the hardwood floor in my room, she used to have such a thick bed of miscellaneous crap all over the room to curl up in. I've got this sari fabric hanging up as a curtain in my closet doorway and yesterday I saw her ducking under the curtain and curling up on the pile of laundry in my closet. Something I noticed the other day is that with the floor situation dealt with I am seeing other issues more clearly. I saw some photos/videos taken in my room with the bookshelf and glass door cabinet (where I have my dolls and antique "smalls") in the background and I was operating under the illusion that they looked ok but in the video it just looked like a crazy person's house. You just get to where you are not "seeing" what's actually there. it's kind of funny because the stitching I do is extremely precise - silk on high count linen. And the quilting I do - or did - tends to be miniature blocks using paper piecing (also very precise). And actually the work I did as a graphic designer, same thing. But yet in my personal space I'm in a sea of chaos and clutter. I guess I have photographic memory or something close to it so I can usually find things in the mess, but it's weird that the work I do is so controlled but everything else is kind of out of control. Anyway, just some thoughts,,,

You sound tired, SubC. Not drinking water is a bad thing, but I hear you.

I am doing laundry to soothe myself today. Isn't that funny? I just want to shower and go to bed, but must wait for the final load.

I've decided to get rid of my bed. It is beautiful but I'm done with it. Very nice quality Cherry sleigh bed. I bought a headboard (used) from Etsy and it was delivered tonight. I'll have to paint it as the color is cream and I want it more of a linen color. I just spent a bunch of time with my Farrow and Ball color card trying to figure it out. I'm pretty sure I can paint it myself. I just have to focus and not try to rush it. Or I'll pay someone. I'll have to think about whether I have the patience. The wood is fairly detailed and there's caning, too. Might be easier to have my meticulous painter do it. He could do over two days. Would need a primer coat and two regular coats. I'll think about this.

Now I need clarity on what to do with my bed. I cannot donate it as I don't have access to a truck or suv. I'd love it if my cleaners took it. Would make me so happy. These cleaners do not want my things the way the first set did. I wonder if anyone at my mother's place would want it.

I hate trying to get rid of stuff. So frustrating.

So tired.

So buried in things that need to be done.

Passed out all the clay, so no more heavy boxes this week.

Maybe on Friday I will eat lunch.

Can't drink with my mask on, so at least it doesn't matter that I get no breaks to pee.

Great kids mostly.

Thank you, Road!

My cleaners came today, so that was great. It's that odd weird sunny, breezy, humid weather today. I don't trust it.

I slept well last night. I need to make something to eat. I should have weighed myself today but I'm waiting until tomorrow. My stomach felt weird last night and my head feels a bit weird too. I can't explain it. Some type of frustration or tension. This type of sunny, breezy, humid weather doesn't work for me. When I was a kid there was a type of day that I knew meant tornadoes (I grew up in the Midwest) and I'd get a sick stomach. I'm not exactly at that feeling but pretty close.

So clean sheets tonight so of course I'll be happy. I ended up using the ac last night because I love a cold room.

I do need to eat and I have plenty of choices but honestly I don't feel like it.

I also would love to do some laundry but thinking I'll skip. Maybe a glass of juice or some grapes would help.

Tatoulia, hugs to you! You all have helped me so much in a short amount of time. I appreciate YOU! Hope your sleep was better last night.

SubC, I hope your 2nd day is going swimmingly. Do you get really tired the first few weeks when you return?

Hi all,

Managed to finally figure out a plan for the meningitis vaccine for the boy, made the appt, and then H took pity on me and actually took him to get it. Sounded like he didn't even flinch so that was a relief.

Had a very productive day yesterday and so far today. I'm using my worksheet forms to plan and journal what I'm doing and that always helps productivity. Also rewrote and expanded my master list. This practice has pros and cons for me... but I was motivated to make one and Now it's updated and hanging on a board right by the door to my room.

Got my laundry changed this am before things turned ugly. Haha. Chatted with neighbors and brother, emailed school, gave dogs a bath, and made a batch of taco fixings... once again I had intended to "stitch all day" and so far haven't done anything.

On my master list I started breaking down the big projects a little - just a rough draft - but it gets the wheels rolling and helps with visualizing, etc.

Wow that is so frustrating regarding the vaccine, Roadster. You've held up pretty well! Your humor really touches me. You are great. SubC congratulations on first day of school!

I couldn't get to sleep last night. Read too late then was still up at 2:30. I had a pretty good day at the office, however.

Popping back -
Actually - having no attachment to the folks you don't want to keep us an accomplishment. Many of us still feel responsible for such things and try to optimize their departure.

The things on the lawn - I try not to see such things. It just makes me really sad. - for the person, for the waste, for the general stupidity of humans in general.

Summary: first day of school went well (I spun that out for 45 minutes talking to my mom on the way home)

Staying after for an hour definitely improves the traffic situation, but I still didn't finish everything. Much work to do tonight. Hopefully it's because it's the first week.

I made some progress on the house before I left and left the kitchen totally clean for Dh. Unlikely to pull that off again.

Roadster, I'm sorry for the vaccine frustration. One of my kids went to school with no vaccine records for almost 5 months. It should be ok.

Good job on the speed cleaning and the floor.

Dinner's ready!

Sorry for so. Much venting and complaining, I am composed again. I had a good talk with my brother and we motivated each other to do a few rounds of 15 minute speed cleaning. I put away most of the groceries and picked up random garbage, cleaned up puppy messes (which I would have had to do anyway) , started some laundry and am now reclaiming my floor space. I noticed the dust bunnies under the sofas and entertainment unit which is novel. I have had a few moments of imagining deep cleaning the house in cubic yard segments... so that's very new. Interesting that I'm having these thoughts anyway,,, over and out.

Okey dokey, deep cleansing breaths.

Show up for our appt and pharmacist advises she was "going to call." but there's no vaccine available. They ran out on Friday. That was 3 days ago but ok. She just got here at 7:30 and doesn't ever know when it's too early to call people. Well, for an 8am appt, 7:30 is too late maybe. It's all irrelevant anyway because Turns out the H made the appt with the Walgreens vaccine clinic (?) and not the advocate clinic within the Walgreens clinic (same location) which is evidently a whole separate ball of wax. 😫I'm sure no one else ever gets confused by that. 🤨 they really need to invent a wide eyed sarcastic emoji for me and all the other smart asses out there. So now I've called the exact number on the plaquard she directed me to and still trying to get through. What are the odds the next one works? Taking him to school now and hoping they won't eject him. 😒.

The epitome of first world problems eh? Speaking of perspective, saw a clip on the news this am of a storm damaged /destroyed house and this woman had all her possessions strewn across her yard several feet deep. I'm sure she was going to try to go through it and see if anything was salvageable. The visual reminded me of what we've all probably seen on shows or in our own spaces. She was desperate and crying - "where do I even start?" And I know we feel like that too. But of course hers was entirely an external event she had no control over and she's literally lost all of her possessions, including her home.

When you guys see that stuff what do you think about it? Curious.

Doesn't seem like I'm getting my call back so the odyssey continues!! 🧐😡🤬🤢🤮😃

SubC, hope first day goes well and without a hitch! And thanks again for your wise words of encouragement. I love hearing your bean updates. He sounds like an angel and it's so nice to hear about seeing everything new through his eyes. Also impressed on the yoga launch/relaunch. That's one of those things that's just 100% good. Everyone wins. We've had a loose plan to do yoga and or tai chi together for quite awhile. I think I had better get that on my immediate radar again.

Tatoulia, nice about your old friend. Did you mean that you feel free because you don't have to worry about the state of your place anymore? That sounds pretty powerful. And encouraging. And your clothes not harming you is always a good thing. Lol. "My fat clothes have stopped hurting" could definitely be featured on a vision board. Ah, too perfect.

Glad the shopping trip went well with mom. Mobility issues really make running errands a major deal. My dad uses this upright walker (newish invention) and its given him a new lease on life. He had a serious leg injury a few years ago and chronic back stuff. This style of walker really lets you take the pressure off your back and he's been doing a few miles a day with it. He gets stopped several times a day by the residents asking about it.

CM, glad to hear about your room. I have a doll collection, too. Smallish - have them all on one shelf. It's all the other collections that have gotten me here. I collect folk costume dolls. Or did. I'm partial to hand painted cloth faces and costumes with a lot of fine detail. I would sometimes get a bag of them for a given amount and turn around and re-donate the stuff I didn't want. When ye olde hoarde started reaching critical mass (see what I did there) I would try to throw back the small fish on the spot before I left the store but employees did not appreciate that. I have gotten rid of some along the way because for whatever reason I have no attachment to the ones I don't want (that's a genius sentence) but I think I might still have a bag in here somewhere. That could be something I move to the garage tomorrow potentially... or today I guess.

High anxiety levels here this am as I have to take son to get a meningitis booster or whatever thingy. I got this notice from school saying he was out of compliance and I either didn't see it at first or totally blocked it out like I do sometimes especially with medical stuff. I guess they changed the age range and so it bumped him out of compliance. At any rate "all the sudden" it was dumped in my lap last week and I must have spent 3 hours on the phone between school, insurance, drs offices and pharmacies getting spun in circles and probably spinning others in circles, and at least 16 hours wigging out about it not actually doing anything about it... Then somehow over the weekend I completely blocked it out during all the hours I could actually do something about it and every night I was like crap I blocked it out again! So here We have arrived at the deadline and rather than send him in with the chance of them calling and sending him home and putting him through all that confusion I'm taking him in first thing this am and just taking him late to school. I am Aware that I'm totally projecting my childhood medical trauma onto him. Logically I know this as it's a minor thing - not even a blood draw, it's something that's meant to keep him safe, it's required for his attendance at school, and at this point he's totally unaware that he has to get this done today, so he's not in a state of anxiety, and there will really only be 15 minutes max of stress from the time I tell him He's getting a shot til the time we're pulling through a drive through getting him a smoothie as his payoff for the privilege of living in the modern western world where we can prevent horrible diseases with a mere shot to the bicep. So there. But I feel anxious anyway. Should I have posted some kind of anxiety trigger warning up there? I don't think describing all that was very helpful was it.

Have a good day everyone. I will probably be back in a couple hours to report that taking my 17 yo to get a shot did not actually kill me.

Good morning!

Roadster, some days holding your ground is enough.

And that stuff hanging over your head? - it is not new. Your awareness is new. And yes, that is a good sign.

First week of school, day 1.
Going to try to not lose ground and make some tiny progress today - anything really.

Also to go to bed at a reasonable hour with lesson plans done for both tomorrow and next Tuesday.

Ten minutes to yoga - gotta get out the mats.

Hullo all,

No "Net" progress over here - I guess I held my ground a little tidying up the nightstand and floor. I'm ok with it especially since we had a very active social weekend. But i know if I don't start pressing forward more I'll never get to the garage. I have to get my standard up a little higher without feeling bad about myself because I really do need to keep making progress. I think tomorrow is already kind of shot because I have some time sensitive stuff I need to do for my son (medical) and a meeting with someone from his school. Stuff feels like it's piling up. Anyway, I'll feel better tomorrow I'm sure. Just a little overwhelmed with getting glimpses of all the stuff that's hanging over my head. Maybe it's part of surfacing into being more functional again?

So this weekend was good. Today we spent the afternoon with next door neighbors and then my brother came over. Saturday and Sunday we spent part of the day at a dog frisbee event with my brother. The mom of one of my sons friends came and met us. Saw my parents there for a bit, too. My son got some time with his other uncle. I attempted to make grape jam with my grapes... didn't quite cross the finish line on that. I got a bit of stitching done... so good weekend. Kind of like the old days.

Nice reading everyone's updates... I hope I'll have some progress to report later tomorrow or the next day. Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow,

Oh Tatoulia,

I am glad you got your laundry done and could invite your friend for dinner!

Had a lovely day with Bean - he helped me mulch the big blueberry bush and he now says "pet" as in "Cat! Pet." And then I help him pet the cat and he is so happy!

I think I am ready for school tomorrow. Another big box is going with me from my home studio.

Dh did so much cleaning the last two days and I am starting the school year with a clean bathroom and a nearly clean kitchen.

We're trying to get back into structure and routine. We're going to do yoga again tomorrow and he's planning to go to the office to work. He already knows what he's making for dinner.

Worked this afternoon then went up to see mom. Changed out the cat box and have my trash out. Just showered.


That's it. I did gather up the recycling but did not get it out. If I leave home early enough tomorrow, I'll be able to take it with me.

I heard from an older friend today. Probably haven't spoken to him in maybe 10 years. He sent me a text. So I invited him for dinner.

Do you know how nice it is to just be able to invite someone over for dinner, saying, choose what night works for you? So he'll be here a week from Wednesday. It feels so right to me.

No stress, no upset, only have to decide what to serve (lemon pasta) and go grocery shopping. Pretty nice. Hopefully cleaners will come that Wednesday but even if they come the following day, my house will still be clean. I am so grateful for this board.

Got up early today and washed two loads of sheets. Feeling better now!!

I've been working the past hour and it feels really good. Very peaceful day here. I will need to get done walking and exercise in today. I haven't done much walking lately. It will help my weight loss, to be sure.

Okay I washed jeans then I did a load of delicates. Hoping to get my sheets washed tomorrow. I have three sets and two are dirty. Since I'm going to work on Tuesday, I'll need to get my sheets laundered before the cleaners are here on Tuesday.

Just ate some fruit and I have a cat sitting next to me on the couch.

Hip hip hooray for the great day, SubC! I don't know where to start! I'm so happy about the jeans fitting! Wow! Now that's a very good feeling!

All of your food and canning sounds so wonderful. Great work! And then your little sweetheart came for the night!

Shopping with mom was pain free. I found two skirts for her. One is a very pretty wool skirt and one is more of a kettle cloth/denim-colored three season skirt. I was really happy about that. Didn't find any tops but we did what we could.

I came home and showered and slept. And now it's 10 PM and I just started a load of jeans. I don't dry them so I feel okay with starting laundry this late.

My fat clothes have stopped hurting, I noticed, but I'm only four pounds down at this point. My mini-goal is 20 lbs. that's the mini-goal with my friend. We are in a challenge to the death. Of course, my regular clothes are at least 20 lbs away if not 30 pounds away, but since I don't think we are going back to work anytime soon, I'll keep wearing my fat clothes. And be thrilled that at least they don't hurt.

Hi Tatoulia,

I hope the shopping trip went well.

I made a last push to squirrel away food today. Six half pints of ground cherry jam, two and a half quarts of frozen custard, three trays of cherry tomatoes in the dehydrator, two gallons of whole tomatoes in the chest freezer to turn into sauce in the cool months, and a loaf of Irish tea bread.

Bean is bringing his parents over any minute. Dsil is cooking us all dinner again and then the ?rents are leaving and Bean is spending the night!

Dd is bringing two bins of toys she thinks he's outgrown for the "toy library"

Today I put on a pair of shorts I couldn't wear in august!