Good morning! Where is everybody?

This is the 1000 post on this thread. I feel like it should be momentous, but it won't be.

I brought home ten pots last night from class. Some are good, some are ok, some I don't particularly like. I need to get a special blade for Dh dremel tool to fix some of them where there was dripping and sticking. One fell over.

My bp is still "let's keep an eye on it." My weight is 4 lbs higher at the doctor's office. I got a flu shot. I'm shrinking. I glazed my piece for the gas kiln. My classes are still fun and I am still tired.

Yesterday half of one class was absent. The other half is my beloved seniors. We were having a conversation that is not necessarily school appropriate - while they were working on projects (these kids ask me all kinds of things!) when one of them went out in the hall to get a drink and came back to report that a tour group was approaching. I said "right. So who wants to learn to use the angle cutter?" Because I was about to use it on something I was prepping for a demo in another class. They actually came up and gathered round and the tour group (and the admin staff leading them) got to see me doing a demo for a group of very intent teenagers. We were all very proud of ourselves and then one of them actually used the angle cutter on his project!

My two big tasks still remaining this week are to dig the rest of the sweet potatoes and finish disconnecting the fence line. It is supposed to rain all evening today. Maybe I will make pots or go to the studio after school and glaze. I signed up for the fall sale. I need to make a LOT of Christmas ornaments - they are my best seller and I think I am out. The sale is fast approaching!

Good morning. Obviously didn't proofread the last!

Finished the online thing last night.

School stuff together and ready to go in the car.

7 hours of sleep.

I need to put my new barn coat on, venture out in the cold, and get my chores done.

Then off to the doctor and school. Let's take a vote - will all the coffee I'm drinking to wake up and the worry about getting to school on time after my appointment help with my blood pressure?

After school I have the last session of my Tuesday class - kiln to unload and hopefully one thing to glaze for the gas kiln.

Home, chores, crash, another full school day tomorrow.

Tatoulua,

Of course it's ok. I would have laughed if he hadn't been so clearly distressed by it.

Good job on the laundry! I hope you gave a goid visit with your mom!

I ran a load of dishes, put half the laundry away, order some bulks nuts I need, and took care of part of a thing I need to do online.

Made Dh food - he's working overtime again, and dug sweet potatoes until it got too dark to tell the potatoes from the rocks.

Chores to do. Have to leave by 7:10 tomorrow with chores done, showered, and packed and ready for my whole day.

Ack! No time!

Yes I'm back this quickly. I did my sheets, towels, pjs, one light delicates and one load of dark delicates. The delegates are all hung up to dry. I'll have to fold my laundry and put it away.

One of the first things I learned here is the power of putting away the laundry. Life-changing.

I've emptied the dishwasher.

I will find the strength to go to mom's. I have to change the cat box and take my recycling out. So there's plenty of reason to do early. I also have to run up to BF's former business and maybe I'll stop by my car to put in the stuff for hazardous waste day (my old modem router thing that my internet company just replaced with a newer version. So far using the shredder at work is working out for me. I'm glad that at least for now, I have one fewer thing here. I feel sturdier but knowing I can use the city shredding every other month and use the shredder at work. One fewer appliance that is made cheaply and designed to break.

Im hoping to hear from my dr soon so I can start the injections.

The nurse at mom's facility just called. She said her place was broken into twice last night, and the person left a confession. She brought the confession with her and it was a note from my friend dated Febr 2021 and talking about the weather. Poor mom.

Okay I hope it's okay that I chuckled at your grandson not liking the tablecloth!

Road, I'm so grateful for the update! Good work!

Today I am working. I'm trying to find the strength to go visit mom after work. I really just want to lie down.

It's a little dark today. I have the fireplace on for kitty. I brought her bed out a week or so ago and she didn't like it. Last night she started cuddling in it and so I've moved the chair by the fireplace up give her a cozy place to nap. She breaks my heart.

My chicken pot pie is in the oven. I know I have to see mom. I just get so worn out but truly for no reason.

Fifth load of laundry is bring done as we speak. Fifth. I'm feeling strong.

Road, thanks for the lovely long update!

I'm so glad things are going well for your son! And wow! What a lot of progress!

When Dh is mad at me, everything is wrong. And we just couldn't seem to communicate to fix it. Today he is sorry. (I was sorry yesterday, but it doesn't do me any good to be sorry by myself.) I am also exhausted today. Bean is sleeping and there are a million things I should be doing, but I really just want to rest.

Bean and I did chores and went to the feed store, where the manager let him "drive" the forklift again. And we picked the big green pumpkin (the vine was killed by frost)and did some digging and a lot of reading. But he also threw a 30 minute tantrum because he doesn't like my new tablecloth.

Sigh. Something. Anything. One thing. Here I go..

Hi all, we are doing pretty well. The main updates are my son is living his best life with lots of extra curriculars & Rec activities. He starts his day at the high school for an acting class, then goes to the other school where they have a short daily community Outing which he loves. He went to the homecoming game and dance and got a kiss from his sweetheart. So cute. Health care for him is a mixed bag. I'm on top of some things, working on others, and totally dropping the ball on others. Same with my health. I have stayed on the kidney safe way of eating (with a few exceptions over vacay) but continuing to lose a little weight. But I have dropped the ball On follow ups with drs. As that triggers a lot of anxiety and avoidance.

Cleaning wise, there are some major shifts. I joined a couple Facebook hoarding clean up groups and started taking a lot of process photos which helps me a lot with motivation and accountability. Also one day I started stripping my sheets and the next thing I knew I wAs upending my room Moving the bed out, and the broken standing desk from the"back 40" to the front and just generally creating 86 more instant projects for myself... but no regrets! Sometimes I think the energy (and dust) gets so stale you just have to whip it up and get a fresh start. The H had to help then and we got my bed into my sons, threw his terrible mattress out, and I am still trying to figure out what to replace mine with - maybe a twin. As I sit now, on my right is my closet and dresser full of clean clothes, some folded, some hanging (what?!) and ok some in a pile on a little table. There's even a laundry basket (?!) with dirty clothes in it. On. My left is the repaired standing desk (just a 6' folding table on bed risers). It is fully functioning as an office and organizing space. Working printer, office supplies, Wall space I have to walk by 18x a day to tape things up I can't forget, and everything I need for my brain to have its best chance at working. I have my stitching stuff in one place, and all my genealogy stuff is in one place (my two hobbies)... the rest of the room would appear trashed to a normal person but it's actually a vast improvement... and there's a clear path to the door. That's where I started. I can still hear in my head "DEFEND the cleared spaces! HOLD THE LINE!!" Which of you geniuses said that? So key. Lastly, in the land of shared living spaces, I am making a lot of progress working on some adulting habits of daily cleaning tasks and mini projects. This is my focus right now rather than reducing the stored hoard. I am taking before and after pictures almost every day of the kitchen and working on dishes, or the fridge, or washing things down, or whatever... that's going really really well. And it's having some other beneficial effects I hadn't anticipated which is nice. I have had a little slide on over buying (needlework supplies & some unnecessary "deals" on school supplies) but as a result of sorting out my desk, I'm now back to tracking spending so I think that will help to check that. Oh, we also started using Truebill (my initiative to get the H off my back - haha) and within a few months discovered to my horror that I've been paying for two ink subscriptions as well as several subscriptions to things I had no idea I had. Hundreds of $$$ down the drain. Ugh. But so happy I caught it now. Could have gone on years!

So that's me in (as usual) a long winded tome.

Lila, sorry about your poor knee. Hope it gets better quickly. So discouraging when you're on a roll and you get side lined. Cm, I read back far enough to see there were exciting projects afoot at your house. Yeah! Subc, glad things are resolving with your mate. You guys are close I know and I'm sure that's even more upsetting when there's a rift. Tatoulia, you are so good with your mom. And glad to hear a little update on your day to day goings on.

Hope everyone here has a wonderful day!

Ella! Something you can try - I know it helps both Lila & myself - is to do something and then post what you did here. Doesn't matter, big or small. When I do that for some reason I am motivated to be able to say I did something and so I do it. I don't even think it's for positive reinforcement, it just helps to externalize the process a little - makes it more concrete for me? Touch base and let us know what you're thinking about today.

ROAD!!! Good to see you! How are you? How is your son?

I bet the flowers are pretty, SubC! What a nice thing. I'm glad your husband has stopped fighting.

Lila! NOOOOO! I am so sorry about your leg!

I didn't do a thing today in terms of housework. BF and I got together and went for a nice walk out of the city. Really nice day. We stopped at a farm stand and got apples and chicken pot pies. Then we went to his house and he made us sandwiches. I'll have my pot pie tmr. We also stopped to get mom a few supplies and went up to see her. She's now lost her purse in addition to losing her keys. I can't tell if she's lost it or if she's squirreled it away. Her place is so small, I don't know where it would be. I told her not to worry and she seemed okay.

Ok I'm truly going to try to go to bed early. We do not have tmr off. We now get Juneteenth off instead of Indigenous Peoples Day and I'm good with it.

Oh Lila,

I hope you heal quickly! My high functioning autistic kids are capable of understanding and doing the socially appropriate thing when told. I feel like someone needs to explain to your teen the very practical and honestly self serving reasons to help you.

Dh and I had several fights today, but he finally decided he didn't want to be mad at me anymore around dinner time.

In spite of fighting, we managed to get most of the fence work done, and I washed but didn't put away four loads of laundry, and washed and put away a load of dishes and washed another, and cleaned up the kitchen, but buried the scullery counter.

Some of my students gave me a pretty fall flower arrangement on Friday, and I have put the fall tablecloth on the table and it looks very nice.

Bean and I have a lot of baking and garden work to do tomorrow.

Okay. That was my update post. Now here is my productivity and accountability post.

Needs to be done but I cannot with the injury:
- mow lawn
- do laundry (stairs)

Needs to be done and I can do it pretty easily:
- paperwork
- emails, calls
- finish processing that produce so it doesn;t go bad after all that work I did! I made a spinach smoothie already. I will cook the greens so they don't get icky.
- put the rest of the cilantro and parsley away in a way they will stay fresh (need to pick out anything not great looking)

Needs to be done and maybe Son can help me:
- clip dog's nails, at least the front. I can't get down on the floor to do back paws
-brush dog

Also will ask Son to vacuum and fold towels.

I really hope I am not hurt for a long time.

hi Ella, and welcome! It is a complicated process, but for me, I always, always start with overt trash. I find it easiest to start with an empty kitchen trash bag or even grocery bag and just wander around each room putting trash in there. I am talking about stuff I have no emotional ties to and that is basically useless: wrappers, used tissues, empty cans or bottles, boxes. Just trash. Note, I do not recycle because you have to pay to recycle here (I do take large boxes and cardboard to the drop off site which is free) AND more importantly because I think it would cause me to save more things. I cannot add anything to my "reasons to save something" plate, so it all goes to trash. After that I glance around for things that feel easiest to donate and put them in a box and move it to my car. Sometimes I don't find anything. I also think it is good to start in the most impactful area, which might be kitchen, living room, bathroom or bedroom, depending on what you need and what is the worst. I hope you find this board helpful!

Road hi!! I hope you will fill us in on how you and your son are doing. We missed you!

Hello to Tatoulia and SubC! Glad to be back catching up with you. SubC, I hope DH has a heart softening and stops being mad at you. That's so draining.

I fell on Friday and am in a leg brace and in pain. It made me so sad. I was on a roll getting things done and had 2 days off to keep working. Now I lost those days, being at the ER and in pain and just exhausted, and now I am sorting what I can do and what I can't, and trying to get kids to help.

I had a grocery list made and Tot's dad went and got a few things for me. He also is picking up the pet food today and bringing it over.

Son 2 works evenings so sleeps a lot in the day and it is sooo hard for me because I need help and he is asleep. Teen also is asleep in the day a lot. This morning Teen was up but about to go to bed. I asked them to help me with a few things: ice for my leg, bring up laundry, get me a few things. They did it, but with the most exasperated, annoyed, inconvenienced stomping eye rolling attitude that when they went down to go to bed, I sat here and cried. It feels so terribly lonely to have two kids living here and yet I am dragging my leg around trying to feed dogs and let them out, and Teen can't be the slightest bit compassionate and is so irritated to have to do anything for me. I know it's the autism I guess but I feel so alone. For someone whose life revolves around helping everyone else in need and taking care of others, it is a crushing sadness to be alone and in pain and need a glass of water and no one is here to get it for me.

Okay, enough of the whining, I will be fine and when my son wakes up I know he will help me.

Road!

Don't worry about catching up, just tell us what us up with you!

A couple of sentences is fine if you don't have time!

Tatoulia, yay on the medication approval!

It's a gorgeous day, but I am miserable because Dh is mad at me.

It was a nice surprise to come here and see road.

Hey guys, just checking in. I miss you all. I am making pretty good progress.life is lifey! Welcome to Ella. 💕 I haven't been around for a few months so no clue what's going on with everyone. Hugs all around.

Lila, congratulations on the successful stove situation! Wow! I know that was stressful and I'm so pleased with the outcome!

What a kind thing for you to say, SubC. I do tend to out my mind to things and get them done. I cannot believe that I went from a lot of credit card debt (I'm afraid to say the number but huge, HUGE) to no credit card debt, no mortgage, and a healthy savings account. From a disgustingly cluttered and dirty apartment to a lovely home. Although my hoarding tendencies go back a really long time, my apartment was hellish for about six years, I think. Maybe seven. Cluttered before that but not hellish. Glad that is back behind me where it belongs.

I will put my mind to losing the weight. I received a call and an email from my health plan saying that a medication had been approved. That must be the shots right? My doctor hasn't called me yet so I do not know where any of this stands. But it will come together next week, I have confidence.

I slept most of the day. I don't know why. I was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, which I attributed to the flu shot. So I had a hard time getting up even when BF tried at 1130. I did get up but even coffee and juice didn't help So I fed the kitty and slept the rest of the day. I got up around 7 to go get some things for mom and had her meet me downstairs so I could stay away. Now I'm showered and ready for bed.

Good morning!

Crispy fall day and I really just want to build a fire and curl up inside and rest a while, but I need to head back to the wood kiln in an hour. And at least start the laundry before I go.

Meeting with the fence guy went well - he might not start until next week, which will be fine. I'm pretty excited about the fence.

Lila, I really hope your teen stays inspired by the new clean space. I'm sure there will be some backsliding, but it would be wonderful if the two of you could work together toward keeping things up. It would free up so much of your energy! And how nice tgat you got positive feedback and quality time!

Produce always takes longer than you think, and I'm impressed that you cleaned up as you went!

I am not excited by garbage trucks. Garbage is still the biggest stumbling block for me - garbage = failure in my mind, I either allowed myself to acquire a thing that was wasteful or I failed to care for a thing that could have been kept in use or recycled. In an ideal world, everything that I was done with would be composted, recycled, or passed on to someone else who could use it.


Tatoulia, I believe you will reconquer the weight. You always impress me when you set your mind to something.

Welcome, Ella. Listen, I'm on Hoarding Maintenance. It is definitely possible. I have cleaning ladies every week. I do no cleaning. My only job is to make sure that more stuff goes out than comes in. Over 4 years of maintenance. It's possible.

Dear Lila and SubC, I'll catch up with you soon.

Lila, you did great!

I just have a minute, so I want to greet Ella!


Ella, start anywhere! Maybe you need to stop or slow the inflow, maybe you need one small clean space, maybe you just need to get rid of one item, or clean out a drawer, or make a path.

Wherever you are, whatever seems manageable or rewarding, start there. Just start! No job is too small! Come back and tell us about it and we will cheer you on!

Hi,please help! this is my first time here. Just found this site and chat room today.
So. wouldn't it be nice to just know where to start, cleaning up, purging, and managing?
Wouldn't it be nice to just briefly, finitely, acknowledge there's been some crap going on, then _shift_? As in shift to a balanced, productive perspective that helps get the cleanup done?
I'm so impressed by what you all are doing and saying! I need to re-start my cleanup of my apartment, after backsliding. Well really it's been 2 backslides. Just wish I could prevail over whatever is in my head or heart that results in these full-house messes! After reading some of the pages on the main part of hoardingcleanup.com, it's easy to agree about the triggers and risk factors. which definitely describe me. But then, what will work.
I started down the slippery slope of filling up my condo too much. That was over fifteen years ago, and started after a divorce, deaths in the family, illness, custody suits, and more. After working with some pros, during a couple of different phases, I backslid. I wish this was like Weightwatchers where you reach your goal and then you get to switch to their maintenance program and it mostly works (free or almost free!).
These past five weeks I've been healing from some intense recent things: falling-related injuries, a vicious dog attack (miraculously I didn't get bitten), a fibro-/chronic fatigue flare-up and finding ways to win out over a constant fainting issue. Well, really just halfway fainting, which is slightly less menacing but halfway blacking out constantly is something I've made progress with lately. Big, big gratitude here. This recent one-month backslide is just after working with a pro organizer off-and-on, which was maybe just a 15-20-25% cleanout. Oh boy I do I not like admitting this stuff. Ugh.
So. wouldn't it be nice to just know where to start, with cleaning up, purging, and managing?
Wouldn't it be nice to just briefly, finitely, acknowledge there's been some crap - triggers - going on, then _shift_? As in shift to a balanced, productive perspective that helps get the cleanup done? We all or almost all have setbacks in life yet some of us seem to have a slow learning curve with this stuff.
Would anyone have anything to say as to where to start? Or how to win out over whatever's in one's head or heart that is related to the hoarding?

Progess update:

Here's what I've done since the last post:

- Got ALL the produce out of the fridge and boxes
- sadly, tossed a few things too far gone
- pulled bad leaves off lettuce, cabbage, greens, herbs
- took all bad stuff out of fridge. Filled the trash can and asked son to take it out
- wiped out the fridge shelves and organized it
-made a grocery list
- posted some of the extra produce for free online and a lady is coming to pick it up. I am about to box it for her
- trimmed collards and they are soaking in the sink
- sorted cabbages and found a cabbage soup recipe
- cut ends of wilted herbs and put them in a glass of water to refresh them
- kept the kitchen clean as I did all this

Hey that's a lot of progress!

Does anyone else get excited and run to the window when they hear the garbage truck coming? Every week I run over and feel almost gleeful as the full bins get dumped. It feels like I am losing weight! And now there are fresh empty bins waiting to be filled!

Today's progress:

This morning I:
- took out the kitchen trash, bathroom trash, and a box and put the bins by the road for pickup

-went outside and trimmed the roses and other plants, picked up a few branches and stuff and filled the other bin with them

- unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher
- did a swipe of the counters to keep them nice
- decided to run the Self Clean option on the stove to see if it gets the terrible inside clean. It takes hours so it is still running.

I am struggling with focus and goals, so I am going to have some breakfast and coffee and then:

- find recipes for the extra produce I have and make some soup and stuff, probably using the crockpots

- get my separation paperwork started. I have been putting this off and ex says it has to be done now.

- calls, emails, etc that need to be done before the weekend

What are you all doing today?

Your birthday sounds lovely, SubC. I'm glad your family took good care of you!

I too have had SAD in the winter. When I moved north (here) it was very bad. I started taking D3 every fall (and a bit in summer to keep it up), and got a Day Light I used to eat breakfast in front of, and that helped. Now I don't need the Day Light, but I got a Sunrise Clock that I can set to gradually light up my room over 30 or 60 minutes until it is bright like the sun. It is GREAT in the winter and wakes me up much earlier than I would otherwise. I start using it usually around November.

So sorry about the health stuff Tatoulia. I too need to lose weight. You know SubC and I were posting on the other thread, Decluttering your waistline. Maybe we all 3 could start posting there again for support.

I threw everything into boxes and put them in the guest room, washed down all the counters, wiped appliances, burned a candle... it was a mad stash and dash but I was done approx 1 minute before the stove guy knocked on the door! And he did bring his wife so THANK GOODNESS I cleaned. It still looks like I've let things go. Cabinets need cleaned, walls, etc, but it was presentable.

After they left, Teen came upstairs and walked into the dining/kitchen and said "This is amazing!"

Now I have informed both Teen and Son that they will HAVE to keep it like this, that there are NO dishes allowed overnight in bedrooms, and that they MUST put all their dirty dishes in the dishwasher every day so I can run it at night and unload it in the morning. I told Teen that if this rule is not followed, all the dishes will go back into my bedroom and they will get one plate one bowl one cup. I brought out most of the dishes from my room (only the plastic ones... still not ready for breakables) and they were so happy we made brownies together. AND cleaned up the mess together.

I hope we can keep it this way. They totally clean kitchen table and bar/counter are so so nice.

We shall see what happens, SubC. I'm nervous about all of it and yet excited to get my life back.

Just cleaned kitty's box and will leave for work. See you all later! Keep up the good work!

And no, I won't have any clothes to wear to work this winter. But I'll go slowly with this.

Oh dear Tatoulia!

I am worried that your doctor was that concerned and at the cost. I hope your insurance will pay for it.

I go for my physical next week. Technically it should be my "annual" physical, but it is actually my first visit since the original covid quarantine. I'm a bit nervous about how my bp is going to look.

My house is a bit of a mess from my "party" last night. Dishes and toys. But I need to get ready for school.

Straight from school to my woodfiring for class and home late. Tomorrow is fence guy and another woodfiring shift, and Sunday we've got to get the rest of the fence down, so things show no hope of slowing..

I'm just going all in on people and things that won't come back around this year.

Yesterday I was driving home and thought that I could make a small detour and visit goodwill for a 1/2 off birthday shopping trip. Then I thought that I could also use the daylight to work on fence tear down. I asked myself what the odds were that there would be something at goodwill that I wanted more than I want that fence done. And I kept driving.

This is week 5 of school. I only have 31 more weeks with my seniors! It is flying.

Happy birthday, SubC! Sounds like you had a great day!

I took the afternoon off and went for annual physical. My weight is atrocious. So much more than I imagined and the hugest ever. Truly frightening. Doctor us suggesting I take weekly injections, that's how bad my weight is. She's seeing if my insurance will pay. If not, they are $900 (not sure of the increment, is that one week or one month) and money I am nit prepared to spend. I already have one med that I pay 165 a month for. We shall see.

I got my flu shot, had my pelvic exam, and my blood drawn. They didn't have the latest covid booster. I'll have to try to get that soon. She told me I can skip the mammogram if I like.

At least I walked to and from dr, which gave me 4 miles. I met boyfriend afterward and then we visited mom. She was downstairs, having someone give her my phone number because she forgot it. She'd also lost her keys, so while she and BF talked, I went up to her apartment. No luck on the keys but I changed the cat box and took out her garbage.

I feel so sorry for her. I'll try to stop by tmr night and watch a show. Her apt was boiling hot. She didn't realize she had the heat on. She did have a window open and the fan on. I don't know where she hid her keys. BF and I put some money in her purse so she can go to the cafe next door and get bagels with lox.

Lila, praying the stove situation goes well for you. I feel your pain.

Oh, on the days - are you familiar with seasonal effective disorder? It's something I struggle with and might be worth talking to your gp about.

In my case b vitamins, diet, and lights help somewhat - getting outside as much as possible too.

Thanks Lila,

I hope you got sone rest.

I had a very good day.

Talked to the fence guy this morning and he will be coming Saturday morning to finalize plans and starting some time next week.

My mom sent a lovely card and a check to take myself shopping (technically from my dad too, but he had more to do with the check than the card. He's not a birthday guy.)

Classes went well, staff appreciated the cake, afternoon classes enjoyed the cake, a former student came by and hung out for a bit.

Dh gave Dd a "blank check" and she picked up and assembled dinner and dessert at several lovely little local shops after work and then the boys (dh, dsil, bean) all joined us here for dinner. (Not excessive, but very nice - Dd knows how to shop. We even had a discount bottle of Champaign.) She said "I saw this and it was on clearance and has bubbles in it and I thought - perfect for Mom's birthday!" Besides dinner I was gifted three baby holly trees dsil potted up for me from volunteers.

Fed Bean way too much sugar, played with him for a couple of hours, and then kissed him and sent him home.

Ds and ❤️Dd called, and my best friend sent the traditional long birthday email. (His bday is exactly six months from mine, so we keep up with each other with long updates back and forth in the month after our birthdays, post Christmas greetings, and the occasional summer contact.)

Now I am tired and not prepared for tomorrow, but as always I'm sure I'll figure it out and it will be fine.

Happy birthday SubC!! I hope you have a good day. I get very tired in the late fall and winter as the light gets less. Do you think that's part of it? I have to take vitamin D3 or I get pretty depressed.

The stove guy is not an actual stove guy or I wouldn't care. He is a friend, and his wife is a friend, and whether she comes with him or not, I would be appalled to have him know how bad I let me house get. He is the kind of guy who might even go put together a 'work party' of my OTHER friends and tell them I need help cleaning my house - without asking me. So I have to make it decent.

I worked for hours already, he will be here in 45 minutes. I am so tired. It is a lot better but still well below what I would call "standard" clean for most people. The stove itself is at about 90% on the outside. The inside is terrible. I wiped the door but don't have time to actually clean it. I have the table 75% cleared off but not the counter/bar. I sat down to take a 5 minute break, but I am getting boxes and throwing everything from the bar/counter in them and shoving them all in the guest room (which was my son's room but he switched so now it is about to become a storage room). Here goes a massive stash n dash! All I want to do is have an empty surface that I can wash off. Ugh I need to burn candles in here or something, too.

Good evening.

Lila, I have enough to go in my freezer without 99 cent hit dog buns. I'll never remember they are there. Truly, once I stop seeing the buns I will forget about the veggie dogs.

Good day at school today. Made it through parent back to school night. Actually have all my lesson plans (but not all my prep work) done for both tomorrow and next Wednesday.

You don't really have to clean the kitchen for the work guy. He just has to have room to work.

I am tired. I say that a lot.

Dh is out late tonight. I have a staff meeting at lunch tomorrow - we are meeting in my room because I volunteered it. It is my birthday tomorrow, but I don't think anyone knows that except my 1:00 class. I was going to buy a cake at the grocery store to take to the meeting, but grocery store cakes are ridiculously expensive! So I bought two box cakes and plan to take them both - for the staff meeting and for my kids. I just have to make them...

Chores to do. Dark comes earlier these days.

Hello friends,

Tatoulia, it is hot in the day here and cold at night right now. I have no heat or a/c the last 2 months but getting it fixed soon. I'm sorry about your mom. You are handling it better than I could.
I hate being cold, so years ago I got a heated mattress cover. It is the best thing ever!! Much better than a heated blanket, imo.

SubC, I feel you on the junk food. Even being vegetarian I sometimes crave junk. You can freeze the buns! I do freeze meals sometimes, but this time it was a pan of vegetarian meatloaf I bought a long time ago that I wanted to use up. My son was not impressed. We ate it though. I need to cook him some meat to make up for it, lol. Oh, maybe take some benedryl, and/or rub some benedryl cream around your eye area. I hope it gets better.

I am exhausted. I literally worked 12 hours yesterday except for one hour at home mid day and a half hour running my Teen places. I do not get paid for all the hours but most of it. I took this morning off and have sat here drinking coffee and doing calls and paperwork. I am about to get up and try to do a few things. I also have a couple hours of work I need to do from home. Then late this afternoon I have to go in and work an hour and probably go to a class I don't want to miss.

Urgent: the guy is coming to look at my stove tomorrow!!! Yes it is cleaned under and behind it, but the kitchen is in a dismaying state. And the table/counters!! AHHH. I am overwhelmed thinking about it. I need to just get a large box and stash n dash the table and counter, throwing out anything I can along the way, donating anything I can, and leaving the sorting for later. That way, I can wipe down the counter and table and at least it will look nice. I need to wash drips off the cabinets and clean the appliances and stuff also. I don't know how much I can get done today but I will try, after I get my actual work work done.

What are you all doing today?

I did have a nice meal with my family. I could not get the table cleared in time so we ate in the living room and that was fine.

Good evening.

Tatoulia, I hope you like the new pants.

I stayed after school an extra hour for open house. I had one parent come by my room. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I almost got my counter cleaned off before I left this morning. Probably won't finish it tomorrow, but maybe Thursday.

I am almost ready for school tomorrow - one small thing to prepare - in the morning when I am feeling more creative.

I brought home my free teacher copy of last years yearbook. (In the interest of disclosing all the things that I add to the house)

Hi SubC. No it's not realistic that I'll be able to wear my clothes into the fall and winter. I have two pairs of jeans and one pair of pants. I do have some cardigans. It is already freezing cold here. I ordered another pair of pants although I'm not sure how they will look on me. Those will be enough in the short term. I may wish to buy corduroys but honestly I buy a pair every year and end up hating them and donating them. I don't know when my clothes will fit me but for the first time, I have hope.

I was so cold that I slept with a long sleeved t shirt last night. I cannot remember the last time I was that cold. I've been cold all day, too. I wanted to go up to BF's former business because I have some packages there but it's rainy and cold right now. And so dark.

SubC I am dismayed to hear about your friend. What a terrible, terrible thing to lose his father in that way. Really awful.

Good morning all!

I seem to have some sort of bug bite on my eyelid and the lid is puffed up and swelling shut. And so of course we have back to school nights this week and I will be meeting the parents of my students. Also, it itches horribly

Tatoulia, I am sorry about your mom. I'm wish her illusions were limited to singing cats.

Is it realistic that you will lose the weight in time? Maybe invest in a warm neutral toned sweater so you can wear it over your more summery stuff for a bit? I find being cold and miserable a bad influence on my eating choices - not a motivator, but ymmv.

Lila, I hope you were able to relax and have a nice time with dinner with your family.

Do you put meals up in the freezer, or are you buying frozen meals in a quantity that feed many people?

If it is the second one, maybe examine the why and how in relation to your budget? (I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying if it's a habit decide if it's a good one.)

We found out last night that a dear friend lost his father in the hurricane. (Changed my mind about posting someone else's personal details on an open board)

I feel so sorry for him. On top of his loss he has difficult family relationships, multiple insurance issues, and the clearing out of a family home complicated by flooding.

Back to school today and I am not ready. But it is the fourth day of the month and so far I have only added food (and food related packaging) to my house!

Oh - food - Lila, I really just want a junk food hot dog. Dd2 left behind mustard and buns when she moved and the buns won't be good much longer. I will make a bread pudding maybe.

Somehow I feel like my house got worse yesterday although I don't think that can be true.I think it is because I added to the counter again. That is definitely a hotspot for me. Indecision and unfinished tasks.

Off I go..

Hello everyone! You've all been extremely busy! Well done!

Definitely colder here and I do not have any clothes to see me through fall and winter. Hopefully I'll be able to lose some weight just so I can make it through the fall.

My no spend continues to help me. I'm so happy to have more money to work with. Also, I'll see a big jump in my paycheck in March because three years ago I took a loan from my 401k and the payments come out of each paycheck. I may decide in January to pay it off completely. The plan does not allow for me to add extra each month but I can pay off in full whenever I want.

Mom had another upsetting incident today but I'm working with her. We are trying to do it together. I told her she's safe and secure and that the two of us will be fine. She thought a man came into her apt last night. Stole the cookies. It took me a while but I found where she'd hidden the cookies. She hides everything these days because she thinks men come in at night to take her food. I checked with the woman at the desk and there were no men at the place overnight, as an added way to assure her.

So here we sit.
So cold. As a New England resident, I try not to put my heat on til November. Not sure I can do this but we shall see. I'll use the fireplace while I get another hour or two of work in.

My house is absolutely too big. Bad market to buy a smaller house, though. Such a big house yet so cluttered.

SubC good job on the laundry :) Oh and google vegan carrot hot dogs. It sounds weird but they are so good my family will even eat them. On a bun with usual condiments they are great!

I mopped under the table (son vacuumed), the dog bed covers are in the dryer, I picked out a meal from the freezer and will put it in soon. I got the dog pen moved. I need to vacuum the dust bunnies in my room. The table is covered in junk. I will clear it when I put the food in the oven in a minute, but it's going to just be a stash and dash into a box. No time to sort. AND did not get my work done today, UGH.

Lila,

That is much more sensible.

I am glad you moved the dog pen away from your closet.

Bean's family has a three bedroom house - but the bedrooms are not large. One is very small - twin bed, dresser and bookshelf will fill it. That is their upstairs - three beds and a bath. 1st floor is living room, dining room, kitchen, plus screened porch. Underneath is basement "bonus" room, utility room, and one car garage. They are very diligent about only keeping things they need. Also they store stuff here.

I got all but two baskets of laundry put away today. Part during Bean's nap, part with Bean's help.

Stopped at the grocery store when I returned Bean. Miracle whip is ridiculous! Need to reduce that in my diet - scrambled egg sandwich instead of egg salad! Better for me too I'm sure.

The store also wants me to stop drinking soda since the store brand diet was gone - again! and I'm too cheap to buy name brand. Also I apparently don't need veggie dogs or salted almonds.

Did manage to get flour, yeast, raisins, and tortellini.

Dropped off the trash and the plastic bag recycling.

I keep getting distracted. I have no priorities so I start a task and don't finish anything. Coming here to try and prioritize.

Must get done today:
3 hours of work from home
prep dinner for family coming over
Get table cleared off so we can eat on it
Mop under the table after son vacuums
Wash dog beds and put them back for dogs
Brush dogs so they don't make the beds all hairy immediately
Try the 'fixed' computer
Move the dog pen

Wow that is a lot, and in between I was trying to do yardwork, clean my room, clean the kitchen, work on other things. No wonder I was scattered. Now I can see there is NO way to do all of this plus 3 hours of work since family is coming over. But now I have a list to focus on.

update:

I picked up son.

Took the covers off the 3 dog beds and put them in a basket to wash as soon as I can get back up.

Took everything off the dog pen in my bedroom, which is big and in the way of the closet. It has to be in there for now because my boydogpuppy is not calm enough to be out when there is company. I decided to make a spot for the pen under the far window in my room, so it is not in front of anything and he can get a cool breeze. That means I had to move a bunch of things and vacuumed in that area. I am going to scoot that pen over there and then I will have room to work on putting my clothes in the closet. I will try to find something to donate, too.

I have WAY too much stuff but why is every item, when I look at it, something I need??

I wonder how people survive in normal houses. Surely they don't have all the stuff I have.

LOL SubC, I figured out the bread one, but was imagining you and Bean playing with Pirates on the floor... :)

I think that will be this board's new slogan: the dog ain't gonna stop shedding!

I took my son to an appointment and went to a drive thru and got an iced energy drink. I KNOW I was not going to buy anything. I have done better. I really wanted a cookie too, and a sub I had a coupon for, but I stopped at the drink. I don't drink them often, not healthy, but thought maybe it would help me power through some more cleaning.

I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the dog's ears.

I get to work from home today so I need to set aside about 3 hours to work. I like the flexible schedule.

I haf sipped about half my energy drink and I think I will have to go pick my son back up soon. I think I will walk around the house and try to gather 10 items to put in the donate box, plus grab a trash bag and start tossing things in there as I go.

Will report back - hope to hear what you all are doing to make your circumstances better!

Oh man, I need to proof read!

We dug potatoes, not Pirates.

Also we did not fake the bread. We baked it.

Lol Lila,

That seems like one of those down home sayings.

"Good lord willin an the crick don't rise."

"That dog don't hunt."

"Slow as molasses in January.

"The dog ain't gonna stop shedding."

That list is too long!

As for the sweet potatoes, I mostly just bake them and eat them with some butter. Sweet potato biscuits are good too. And you can slice them super thin and make chips in your oven (I dehydrate mine)

Bean is sleeping. We vacuumed the main room this morning and dug some Pirates. Picked a lot if peppers too. And faked two loaves of wheat bread.

I've got the dishwasher and the washing machine going - stripped the sheets.

Now I need to put some laundry away! The dog ain't gonna stop shedding. Lol!

It never ends, SubC. I think that's what is frustrating to me. I put in all this work and then turn around and there is new mess. Fact of life, I guess, but the dog ain't gonna stop shedding!

Do you have any recipes for sweet potatoes? I have lots myself, and no cool place to store them long term.

Tatoulia, sorry about your mom.

I had a nice but late visit with friends at their house last night that was refreshing. My boss got sick and took this whole week off! Which takes at least 2 or 3 meetings off my schedule for this week and gives me more time at home and flexibility. I am sorry he isn't feeling well but happy to have more time to get my house in order.

Goals for today, and/or by Thursday:
- finish cleaning the stove (mainly the front)
- get the kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom clean enough for the guy to come over to fix the stove
- get rid of enough stuff to fill the large-ish box in my room to donate
- finish the front yardwork
- try to get some to finish mowing and vacuuming today so I can mop
- brush dogs, clean ears, trim nails
- figure out where to put the clean clothes piled and strewn all over every surface in my bedroom
- try to have some positive time with Teen
- make appointments
- make a nice dinner and have the grandTots over

It's a lot but has to be done

Good morning!

Tatoulia, good job on the sweets!

I am sorry about your mom, but maybe it is better for her if she doesn't notice?

Good luck with your new hire.

Lila, excellent job on the stove! That was a big job! I hope you are able to get enough cleaning done to feel ok about tge repairman. It sounds like you are really making progress!

The thing about working outside all day is that I wake up in my house which has somehow gotten messier. MORE baskets of clean laundry to put away (I guess that is technically less messy, but it feels messier) more dishes, more dirt on the floor, more items on the counter..

There is a possible frost on Saturday, so Bean and I need to get sweet potatoes out. (It's Bean day today)

Sweet potatoes, baking, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, food to eat and toys to play with... we have so much to do!

SubC. Sorry to hear your husband wasn't feeling well. You got a lot done! Hard work!

Lila, another hard worker today! Wow! Thanks for considering my furniture suggestions. You'll feel a lot better with the end table out and moving the coffee table. Don't keep the recliner just because it's newer. Keep it if it is used and useful. Can you move the printer and the filing cabinet to the guest room or just the printer?

The nurse called me from mom's today to say that my mother had a lot of disturbing reports. I guess he hasn't seen her in a while because he was very shocked. I was not. She does have a neurological workout end of the month.

I didn't mention that the nurse called me but I asked her if she notices cognitive changes and she does not. She is not open to the possibility. She was in the past but not today. We watched tv together. I got her groceries today.

Still not eating desserts and sweets. It's like a lightbulb switched in my brain.

I did a lot of laundry today. Back to work tmr. It was good to have four days off in a row. Oh! I just hired a new professional after several months of a search. I hope he works out for us. I am having a harder time hiring an intern. Two people I've made offers to and neither accepted. Hopefully the third one's the charm.

SubC, hopefully the fence guy will be available soon. Sounds like a break until then is a good idea.

Son and I ran out of steam and took a long break and then I asked him to pull the stove out and help me clean. The stove guy is coming to fix it and I did NOT want HIM to be the one pulling it out... yikes! It was bad back there. And if food spills on the counter it falls down between the stove and counter. There were all kinds of drips and grease and junk down both sides of the stove and the walls. I used my kitchen scrub daddy and Dawn power spray or whatever it's called and scrubbed the top and one side of the stove while son swept the foor where the stove was and cleaned it with dawn spray and paper towels and did the walls. I sprayed the other side of the stove and then burned out and son is in there finishing it. We need to wipe down the back, but it's just dusty. Also need to clean the vent fan but ugh I am too tired, and going to a friend's for a little meeting/social thing. I often skip it but need to go tonight.

Then thankfully I can send the stove info to the stove guy so he can order the part. I will have to do some major cleaning of the kitchen/dining room before he comes to do the repair, because he is a friend and I can't deal with him seeing my grimy home.

Lila, you are making good progress!

Outside work needs to be done too.

Good thoughts on rearranging and getting rid of some unneeded large pieces!

I am about a third done with the fence removal. But, I am as far as I can go without moving the goats to the new field - which currently has no direct run in. Dh thinks we should leave them for another week since we have not heard from the fence guy yet.

Still haven't vacuumed or put away laundry.

update -

Went outside with Son and we trimmed more branches, picked them all up, cut them to fit in the 'green bin'. I mowed a little bit more and cleaned up some dog poop. Son and I worked on cutting down a small volunteer tree in a bad place. He is out there sawing off the base. He also sawed off 3 thicker branches I could not get. Now the green bin is about full and he is going to finish the mowing. I am sooo tired!!

I'm not so sure I can also mop today, but I'll ask son to vacuum if he is not too tired.

hello! Yay, people!

SubC, good work! The Scrub Daddy is a round smiley face sponge and it is some kind of foam sponge material, but has no chemicals on it. Just plain. But, when it is wet and cold, it is firm, but when it is wet and warm, it gets soft. It is a great cleaning tool! I think I got them on amazon. They work great for scrubbing pans and the stove too. I got the 3-color ones and have a separate one for kitchen and bathroom, plus one extra.

Tatoulia, those are thought provoking suggestions. I notice how uncomfortable I get when considering giving anything in the living room up. I feel so uneasy about it. BUT, my thoughts:
I bought the stereo a few years ago. It has a record player so I can play my grandparent's old records. It has a dubber so I can make copies of some cassette tapes of my dad singing (he passed away). The tv, everyone watches, that stays.

I hate the coffee table being in the middle of the room. The way my sofas are now, it can't go closer (narrow room) but I am going to think about a rearranging so it is not in the middle of the room. Good idea. would make space.

With your prompting, I've decided I can get rid of one end table. It is big and heavy, but just decorative metal legs and a glass top so really very little function, gets dusty, very heavy to move. I will put it online and see if I can get any money for it, and if it doesn't sell in 3 days I will give it away.

I also thought, hey... maybe I can move the printer into the guest bedroom. I only print a couple times a month and I could just take the laptop in there when I need to print. I will do that. Then the lamp can go on that end table (it is on the one I will get rid of now).

I looove the chair with the ottoman but I don't really care about the recliner in the dining room, even though it is like new. I am considering giving it away. Maybe. Will decide once I rearrange, get the coffee table out of the middle, and get rid of that big end table and move the printer out of here. (It's too big for the bookshelf).

I just came home and don't feel great, but son is up and willing to help me shortly so I am going to try and get some things done.

No concert, but making good progress on deconstructing the fence, and Dh has moved all the dirt tgat was left in piles from the sidewalk project to low spots.

He's going to help me move posts next.

Progress washing laundry and dishes, but not putting things away.

How is everyone else's day going?

Goid morning.

I am barely noticing the cold this morning, but Dh was up coughing horribly at 3 a.m. we have a matinee concert today and I am hoping he will feel up to attending.

There is stuff on my scullery counter and I have not bern keeping up with the ten items. One of my housekeeping goals for today is to have it completely cleared off again at some point.

Also to vacuum and put away the laundry.

Yesterday I added a small kitchen storage container to my donate pile.

Oh dear Lila, I don't want you to be lonely!

I was very busy with Bean and my crew!

Fantastic job on the mopping!

Also good job taking care of the unpleasant phone call.

I'm afraid I can't help you on the living room. I love built in bookshelves. Would the printer go on the bookshelves?

Is a "scrub daddy" treated with anything or was it just the scrubbing and the barkeeper's friend? I would love an easy way to get the toilets really clean!

I did some laundry but didn't put it away, and a load of dishes. Played with Bean. Took down some of the old fence that needs to be replaced.

Bean's daddy came out after his workshop and the kids got half a new (permanent) roof on the shelter out by the pond. Dh got some work done with the tractor. Bean got to ride along on some of it. He loves the tractor so much! (That was when I did the fence)

we all had dinner and the kitchen isn't too bad. I've got a fresh loaf of tea bread in the oven.