post 2 -

I got my laundry in. I was looking for a recipe to use my beets in a salad and it called for feta. I have a vague memory of freezing some cheese awhile ago so I decided to look.

The top shelf has been sorted before, but the bottom has been a year. I pulled everything out and found a LOT of leftovers that are still good that I forgot about: homemade tomato soup, a few slices of cranberry bread, half a bag of rhodes rolls. I did throw out a few things that were too old.

I have the rolls thawing so I can bake them tonight.
I reheated the corn fritters in the toaster oven, ate two, and decided they were too freezer burned to enjoy. Tossed them.
I put the soup in the fridge to thaw for lunches.

Then I found a raw beef bone in a baggie way in the back. With my dogs, I used to buy them, give them one frozen, and then it starts to get smaller I would re-freeze them in the bag to give another time. There were two, partially chewed bones in the back. There was soe hair stuck to them. It from from the beloved dog who passed away this spring.

It really hurt my heart. I started looking at the leftovers and thinking, the freezer is a time capsule. I remember cooking this, and that. I remember buying this. I have memories of processing the fruit last summer. All of that.

So, I am feeling a bit melancholy. When I put those bones in there, I never could have imagined that when I got them back out, he would be dead. He was only 4.

Hello!

messi, how scary about the fire!!! That would shake me too. How are you doing today?

SubC, your excavating is a good idea! I may try that on some areas, like the medicine cabinet. The mini trampoline will be good! The kids will enjoy it, and rebounding is very good for your health. Even a few minutes a day.

hi Tatoulia!

I worked a few ten hour days this week and got really wiped out! But today I have off, and am well rested, sleeping better, getting stuff done around the house. I have to work tomorrow.

So far I:
- took out the kitchen and bathroom trash
- sorted out one cucumber that was molding and some junk mail and took those out
- got out the leaf lettuce and soaked/washed it.
- washed the beets and they are in a pot boiling
- loaded the dishwasher
- went outside in the nice sunshine and picked up branches in the front yard and put them in the green bin

I also read for awhile and am relaxing. I am slightly annoyed that I took my laundry down to start it and Totsfam has loads started in the washer and dryer. They know my days to do wash are ALWAYS Friday and then if needed Saturday. I have asked them to do their wash on any other day of the week, or after I do my two loads Friday morning. Well, I need to give them grace because they have a new baby and they are trying to clean up downstairs. I am about to go down and see if I can get my wash started.

I will be enjoying a beet, pomegranate, leaf lettuce salad and probably adding some nuts and maybe half an orange.

I also plan to work on my bedroom and my supplements/meds today.

See ya later!

Good morning!

Messi, that is very scary. I'm glad the people were ok. Was the home badly damaged? It sounds like it. I hope they have somewhere to go.

Good job taking things to goodwill! And it sounds like you are making progress on fixing up your home.

I took the loom and yarn yesterday. Full day teaching, loaded the kiln, prepped some pots for today's class, and had dinner with dd1, heartdaughter, and her wife. It was fun, but it was a long day!

Today I have my class, then I am going swimming and doing the big grocery shop. No thrifting for me today. I still have not finished the ornaments I need to make for my sale in just over two weeks, and anything not drying by Sunday will not be ready. Sunday is pushing it. So hopefully I will find some motivation when I get home with the groceries!

Ay yi yi yi yi! It is late again.

Hello everyone. I was going to message last night, late again, let the dog out, went to let the dog back in and found the house across my small street was on fire. Very frightening. 7 fire trucks and numerous other safety vehicles. The woman and her two small children who live in the upstairs of the burning house made it out, the lower tenant was not home. He came back home from work at 2:30 am to find his home burned. Fire and safety personnel did not leave til after 3:00 am. I didn't go to bed til 4:00 am. This event has really shaken me today. I managed to go to work, walked dogs and got to the store but nothing else. I am whupped.

Monday I did manage to get glass in the window, mowed the lawn, worked on a downspout, did some laundry, took a bag and box to goodwill and dropped a humidifier off to a friend. Yay for a beautiful off-work day!

I decided to delay the big grocery shop until Thursday because the regular specials switch on Wednesdays and I don't need any more of those. The stock up deals are good until the 11th.

I dropped off a package, dropped my trash, went to my doctors appointment, finally finished the last steps in my sign up at the fitness center, and swam half a mile. Then I decided I deserved a reward and went to the giant thrift store near the fitness center.

I am now the happy owner of a mini trampoline, three smock shirts for school (three in, one out) a door hook and a shelf divider (I know exactly where both are going) and a gift for Buddy I think he will love. It's a quacking push duck. All told $21.28 after tax. One of the shirts was $3.79, but I really liked it. The trampoline was 7.50.

Voted on the way home and have now had a nice long break and need to get off my bum.

Good morning!

Messi, I'm sorry about your friend's husband.

Lila, I hate it when my neighbors burn garbage. It ruins the whole day. I hope you are getting more sleep.

Tatoulia, that was sweet about the coffee cake.

I have been working on pulling the things I am NOT moving out to the surface. If I have cupboards and closets and shelves with things piled in front of them, and I am not moving the things around to get at what is behind them, I need to excavate the behind thing and either be happy to have found it and give it a more accessible place, or realize that it's only function was to make my house smaller and get rid of it.

I had a very good thrifting trip! I found 5 nearly full jars of pottery glaze someone had donated. They were marked $1 each. It was senior day, so they cost me 75 cents each. They are good basic colors and would have cost me $15 a jar new! Since they are consumable, that is not an in. I also found a great lampshade to take apart and use to make my mushroom shade for my lamp ($1, also not calling a separate item) and a small, sturdy, attractive cedar and metal shelf. I am going to call the shelf in for now, but one of the little pressboard shelves will be leaving as soon as I move some stuff around, so there will be an out to balance it.

Dd1's friend joined us and we had a great time. The girls got a bunch of stuff and I was able to use my discount for them. Dd found a nice shelf for her bedroom (she's trying to replace her first apartment ikea furniture with grownup stuff) a ton of cards (which she actually uses) clothes for her and her Dh, Christmas gifts, and some camping chairs. Her friend got clothes and toys for her toddler.

Today I have a doctor appointment and voting. I also want to do a big grocery shop (my store has a bunch of discounts on nonperishable we use regularly) some clay work, and prep for tomorrow.

I better get moving!

Lila - I hope you got some rest. Trouble sleeping is so miserable and makes everything else so difficult.

Tatoulia - Thank you for voting!

SubC - hope you had a good brunch visit and fun and successful thrifting.

Yesterday was spent attending and helping out with a memorial for my good friend's husband. Bittersweet. I've distributed the leftover food and flowers.

Today I hope to get to the mowing and window-fixing I didn't get to last week. Also decluttering the fridge and dropping off composting. Also non-visiting phone calls...

aww, Tatoulia, you are so sweet with the coffee cake for the vet. How nice of you. Their jobs can be hard sometimes, and you are such a compassionate person. Prayers for peace for you. I am sorry for your loss.

SubC, I love the volunteer/food share thing! What a cool idea. I used to go to the food bank often. You don't have to do anything to get the food, just wait in line. But I got so much "junk" food there that I stopped going. If I get desperate enough I would go and ask if I can just have fresh produce.

I barely slept the last 2 nights and cannot figure out why. Last night I might have slept 2 hours total, split up. I felt like I had had caffeine in the evening but I did not. So the result is today I am really dragging.

I put in a load of laundry while TotsFam is out doing stuff. I did a few dishes and made myself lunch.

I am kinda mad that the air outside is super smokey smelling. Irritatingly so. Why it is making me mad is that it is GORGEOUS out, sunny, fall colors, really a beautiful day. We are on the edge of the weather turning cold and grey for months. I was hoping to go out, walk the dog or work in the yard etc but the smokey air is so bad, I can't even crack the windows. Bah. I wonder who is burning stuff, because the sky is clear and blue.

I want to work on my bedroom but am SO tired, and I want to take a nap but I think my brain is racing too much! So I am watching tv and thinking about what to cook for dinner.

I took my ballot to the library, I took a coffee cake to the emergency vet center, I did some grocery shopping, I made myself lunch. I'm now going to go to BF's former business to pick up packages. New owners still let me get my things delivered there.

Messi, thank you for your comforting words. Means a lot to me. SubC, your support lifts me up. Thank you.

SubC, the loom reminds me a little bit about something that Tillie taught me and that has stayed with me. If you have to move something to access the things you want you need to get rid of that thing you keep moving. So if I have to move a coffee cup to reach something else in the cupboard, then that means I need to get rid of that thing. Its sole purpose, no matter how purposeful it was in the past, is to be moved around by me. I've found that helps me when I'm trying to figure out what to get rid of.

I have to go run a few errands. I might cry during them but that's okay. I cried in the laundromat last night and came home with kitty's blankets nice and clean. Will see how many I actually need now that I have one cat. I might wait until the washer is replaced before making any decisions so that I have a better feel as to how many I need. My people towel count is holding steady at four for me and one for any guest who sleeps over.

Keep up the good work. I'll be back to report on my progress today.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, I'm glad you found someone compassionate and kind to walk you and your kitty through the end of her journey.

Yes, the loom is a difficult decision. But it was not exactly the right loom, and it takes up a lot of space. I emptied the closet it was in into a work space where I have to weave around all of the things several days a week. As I have been working on the playroom I have told myself that anything that does not have a place has to go in the part of the basement where I have my actual desk (which I use as storage/temporary work surface, not as a desk, but it is currently completely buried) some large bookshelves, my storage racks (which are full) and a bunch of other things.

As I try to move around in there to reach things I need, I encounter these "homeless" items over and over. It is slowly creating patterns of emotional response. I look at the thing and tell myself either "I really should get rid of this because." or "I really need to find a place for this because.."

My dd1 is helping me because she and her Dh are currently undertaking a thorough purge of their home to reflect "the life we have now, not the imaginary life we think we want to live someday" the loom was part of the imaginary life I think I want to live some day. Realistically, I did not see myself making time and space to learn to weave before Buddy starts kindergarten. Buddy starts kindergarten in fall of 2030.

Lila, your vegetable adventures remind me of when I was a young mom. We had a program where if you worked as a volunteer in an approved role in your community ten hours a week, you could buy a "share" of groceries at a deeply discounted price. One "share" was supposed to be enough to feed an adult for a month, but as we all know, most fresh fruits and veggies don't keep for a month, and donated/cheaply purchased food is rarely at peak freshness.

So every month I would get my hours validated and order my share of groceries. There was always meat - usually a big package of less desirable cuts, or a big fatty roast of something. other times it might be a small ham or a whole chicken. And there were frequently multiple packages a bread and pastries, sugared cereal, desserts and bags of snack food. Plus fresh and canned fruit and vegetables, pasta, rice or legumes, cheese, and soups. It was generally three full paper bags and a big plastic bag.

I tried really hard to make use of everything, but often ended up giving things away. Then one day I discovered that there was an unofficial barter zone in the parking lot next door! I could pick up my bags, take them over to the lot, and trade with other customers. And most people wanted the things I didn't want and were looking to trade away the things I wanted! Sometimes I felt guilty about the effect I was having on other people's nutrition, but not enough to keep me from happily swapping my processed food and the meat I was unlikely to use for their fruit, vegetables, lentils, rice, and uncut whole grain breads. Like the meat I didn't want, it wasn't going to do them any good if they weren't going to cook and eat it.

Then I would come home with 4-6 paper bags and half a big plastic bag and spend the rest of the day turning my loot into food that would keep in the fridge or freezer until the next month.

Hi Messi!

This morning I have brunch at the pottery studio and then thrifting with dd1. We are looking for Christmas gifts and a big flannel shirt for me. (I have one I need to replace)

Besides that I am going to try to do my list of things not being worse tomorrow plus a couple of "better"s

Tatoulia - I have been catching up just now this evening. My thoughts are with you. Thank you for the time you've spent with your cat these years and your compassion in finding her rest. I'm sorry for the struggle and separation you're dealing with right now. Holy cow, hand surgery and throwing up and losing a cat friend. Glad you could talk to your BF. Wishing you healing and comfort.

Wonderful choice on the loom and yarn. I can only,y imagine how hard that was, SubC. Well done.

I ended up leaving the unliked vet's office and taking the kitty to a nicer place. I'd forgotten how loathesome that vet is so I left with the kitty. We ended up at a place with great compassion.
Thank you all

The bag of produce sounds lovely, dear Lila.

Tatoulia, I am sorry you are struggling. And am praying for you as you lose your dear kitty. I hope she is at peace now.

SubC, I sure hope you don't get sick, and that the littles are well soon.

hi Messi, wherever you are, and the anonymous new person, did they come back?

I have today off. I was given 2 bags of produce yesterday! So today so far I

- sorted the wax beans and they are soaking in salt water in the sink - will cook for lunch
- sorted and cut up the broccoli, tossed it with avocado oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and put it in the oven to roast
- cut up an orange pepper which is roasting with the broccoli, plus one bulb of garlic

I also will sort some of the lettuce and make myself a salad.

I talked with a friend on the phone for awhile, did some reading, and washed a few dishes, but not much else yet today. I am tired!!

Tatoulia, I've been thinking of you today.

Dh was working on the electric train in the basement this morning, so I ended up down there sorting through yarn. I am taking a loom I have accepted I will never use and some bags of yarn to the new art teacher at school. She agreed to drive them to a charity arts thrift shop we both like because she lives in the city and it is too much for me to make a donation appointment, find and pay for parking, carry everything to the shop, and be on time. Plus, it would cost me at least 2 hours of my day, plus $10 gas and parking, and I might shop. She has some of her own things to take.

I did just eat lunch and turn on the heat in my studio (should have done that in the other order) so I will go out to make things soon.

Good morning, all!

Thank you, SubC! I have an appointment at 10 and I'll leave here around 930. I think the walk is under a mile.

Sorry to hear about the dreaded stomach bug and I'm sorry little Bean has it! Poor little fella.

Glad to hear your costume was a hit! There's someone in my office who is the happiest person I know. I adore him. If I had to guess he's in his 20s. He's a good worker and is a positive force. Yesterday he came to work in a very happy costume and wore it all day. He could have easily taken it off but he didn't think twice. He was the only one in costume. He made me so happy.

I will take all cat blankets to the laundromat today and then I'll see how many I need and which ones can go to the shelter. I'll tackle the donations tomorrow.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying a cup of coffee with my little baby cat. BF and I spent some time on the phone last night and then again this AM. We told some good stories about my dear little grandma cat.

I couldn't get the vet I wanted and in fact got the vet I don't want but I cannit have the cat suffer over the weekend.

A little scattered. Going to go pack some Kleenex in my purse.

Good morning!

Happy all souls day CM, wherever you are.

Tatoulia, I am so sorry about your cat. You know I understand. You gave her such a gift, taking her at the end when you knew her time would be short and making it a good life.

The throwing up is going around my school. I have dodged it so far, but poor little Bean woke up sick yesterday and didn't get to go trick or treating. They didn't take Buddy out either. Dh has also banned the boys from coming over today.

I'm sorry that you are feeling so poorly. It makes everything else harder. And I know you miss your BF.

Lila, it's funny, cooking for me is harder than cleaning up. Not that cleaning up is easy...

I did not clear the counter of doom yesterday. I also did not finish the "tomorrow not being worse/harder than today" list, but I did email the parent I needed to contact before I left school yesterday, so that is not hanging over my head. I hate having to contact parents.

This morning I have an unexpected "free" day, so I should be able to catch up and hopefully make some progress. I'm going to try focusing on creative work/pottery first. I have tendonitis in my thumb, so I don't know how much I can do. I also slept late and woke up with a migraine. On one hand I guess it's good the boys aren't coming, but otoh, I am sad about that, and I know I would rally and find the energy to enjoy them if they did.

My Druid costume was a hit at school yesterday.

I'm struggling these days. With everything.

Messi, as indicated by Subc, I live in Boston. Right in the city. And we have textile recycling. I agree with Subc that we need to reduce what we buy. I'm not a fan of new things and can tell you that other than couches and mattresses, everything else in my apartment was owned by someone else first. Well, my dresser is from my childhood but I think that counts. The sneakers I couldn't in good conscience donate since they were too slippery. And the company, upon refunding my money, asked me to recycle and not donate. I think they know they have a problem in their hands with those particular sneakers. I got some very good ones at LLBean that should be able to serve me well for many years. So you know, the pair that I couldn't wear is by Vessi. Never again but I do applaud their customer service.

I am struggling. My hand surgery and I have been throwing up and I'm being overly sensitive about stuff and I realized tonight that I need to put my 19 yo cat to sleep. I'm praying her vet is available tomorrow. We've had a good almost three years together. I adopted her at age 16. The shelter said she was an old looking 12 but I found her past medical and adoption records and she was 16. We've had a really good time together but it's time. She's still feisty and affectionate but her kidney failure is getting worse and now her pooping issues have escalated in the last three days. It's time. I'm very sad. But praying that they can help her tmr.

Everyone I am struggling in a lot of ways. Thank you for letting me stop by even though I'm not my usual engaged self. I miss my sweetheart (Messi, long story short: my sweetheart of two decades moved overseas for work in 2023. It was a joint decision but still painful. ). I will see him in a month's time when we meet overseas. But I wish he were here to help me with the kittycat. Thank you for being here for me

SubC, you are creating new and better habits for sure! My counter of doom has not been cleared in months. My bedroom is more of a priority right now but sheesh.

Today I made soup for the fam, plus a smaller pot for myself with Impossible meatballs in it instead of ground beef.

I also washed dishes, paid bills, did some good reading and am trying to decide what to do next. There is a lot to do and it gets overwhelming. But, I have a couple phone calls to make and then maybe I can work on something in the house.

With the food it is easier. You can see what foods need to be used, look up recipes, use them. Done.

With the bedroom and other spaces, it feels like it is never done. There is no completion point (well, maybe months/years in the future). I mean look, remember I JUST cleared off my desk a month or two ago, and now it is literally piled with stuff, unfindable things, plus stuff piled all around it on the floor so I can't find it. And I just this summer cleaned my master bathroom, but now it is a wreck again.

This is frustrating to me and I am not sure what to do with it although, maybe the answer is to just stop overthinking it and do what makes my life/space more liveable.

Good morning!

Happy Halloween!

Lila, nice job in the kitchen. And good for you keeping up with your clothes!

I have been very protective of my closet because it is so nice to have that one space that is orderly and not overwhelming!

Yesterday I did all the things I needed to do to keep today from being worse than yesterday, plus a few extra things.

The counter of doom has been completely clear at some point during the day everyday since Tuesday! And not just because I left it clear at night and then it was clear when I woke up but got cluttered. I have been actually decluttering it every 24 hours. I want to start working my way through Pugh the backlog in the bin.

Today is wear your Halloween costume to school day. I was still thinking about what to do, and the tech guy, who also runs a D&D group, told me he is going to be a Druid and I should also be a Druid. So I put my costume together last night. I am actually excited about it. I also realized that this is the first time this school year that I have been excited about the next school day, which is not so good. But it is a start.

Bean and Buddy are going trick or treating with friends tonight, but I will make an effort to see them at school.

wow, progress AND struggle. I think it is a good thing that all of us are still trying and working and making progress here and there IN the struggle and hard things.

Today is my day off because I have an event tomorrow. So far I:
- put in a load of laundry
- unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher
- hand washed some things

I also am proud of myself for fixing a cluttery space in my kitchen. I have a shelf in a cabinet that was a jumble or who knows what, hard to find anything, stuff always falling out on you, some of it remaining on the counter below it. This morning I took everything out of that shelf, threw away probably 8 -10 old expired things, consolidated a couple things, wiped out the shelf and put everything back neatly PLUS the stuff that was on the counter. It is so much better and I know what is there and can find things!

I also folded or hung and put away the few clean clothes that I had habitually tossed on a couple of chairs in my bedroom. Now it is all put away again. Trying to keep the new habit of having my clothing put away. It is much easier now with actual space and hangers ready!

I want to work on my bedroom today as well. It is pretty cluttered.

Good morning. Yes, rain, rain, rain. So no lawn mowing, lol, and probably no window. But laundry, dishes...
SubC, sorry your event got cancelled. After work I have another concert to attend this evening, so looking forward to seeing friends.
For now, on to walking dogs...

Good morning!

Messi, it is good to live your life as well. And driving around to see lights adds no things to your home.

It is raining here. Raining and raining and raining, and I feel like hibernating, but I have too many things on my schedule. I am really not feeling like going to my class today. But I am demonstrating, so..

I really need to work on not spending time on the internet. Last night I read "news" stories (mostly arts and events) for an hour. This is not good for me. (Also not good for me - real news!)

I had plans for this evening I was looking forward to, but they got cancelled.

Just going to try to make one better decision at a time today.

Well, fixing the window and mowing the lawn went by the wayside this evening. I did not get them done because I took my friend's boys driving around to see Halloween lights and displays. Their dad was not able to take them, their mom was working. O my gosh, so many skeletons! One display had over 100 skeletons attending a baseball game. Not quite as many lights and displays as Christmas, but maybe more interesting. My consolation prize was I fixed one of the leaks I created the other day.

Good morning!

Messi, I like waking up to you late night notes. Good luck with your window!

Tatoulia and I both have really good recycling options. She lives in Boston and I live "near" a big city. (Everything in the city is roughly an hour or so from me - including my job, which is technically in a town that became a suburb, but inside the beltway). Being able to recycle definitely helps with the hoarding tendencies.

Recycling is not the answer though. The answer really lies in the not acquiring - where I am still struggling. This morning I am sitting at my "desk" under my Halloween lights. I really like them and wish I had gotten more. Even though I went over budget on Halloween decorations this year.

I also struggled yesterday. I did not make any pots. I also did not get all of my lesson plans ready- I need to prep for one more class (which is before lunch) this morning.

I DID check the mousetraps, keep up with dishes, put away the laundry (except for an additional load I did that was not on the list) and go to bed with a clean counter of doom and an empty sink.

I also did little bits of cleaning up and cleaning off here and there.

I feel like on any given day I can tap into the energy I need to clean and organize, or my creative energy, but not both. Maybe it's a left brain/right brain thing. I struggle with transitions.

I do know that it is easier to switch from the creative side to the cleaning up side, but I've been prioritizing the clean up and organization tasks on the theory that they would make things easier. I don't know, I think beyond a certain level, they make things easier for other people (mostly Dh) but keep me from doing the things I'm cleaning up for at all. Maybe I need to shift to prioritizing my creative tasks and just try to clean up after myself in the evening.

Anyway, today is:
Chores
Lesson plans
Trash and recycling
Teach
Load and start kiln
Dishes
More chores
Set up coffee maker
And go to bed with a clear counter of doom.

Maybe laundry.

I'll try to check back later.

Hello. Another later evening message, catching up to you all. I had a full weekend with work and dog walking, a friend's birthday celebration and two music concerts I attended that were absolutely fabulous! But now I am feeling behind.

Lila - it sounds like you had some cook-a-licious things going on at your place. Good job on cleaning things out in the fridge!

SubC - the tribe vibe! for many years my table/desk was a low table (less than a foot?) and I sat on the floor. It was a challenge for the 6'2" BF. With the dogs I have now in the room with me, a low table that they can reach is not a good option.
You had quite a Friday. Hope everyone is doing ok. Hope you have heat in your building. Great that you got boxes off the floor with the cabinet for candle and soap stuff.

Tatoulia - I'm glad you're doing well. How is your hand feeling? I'm so sorry about your shoes. How disappointing. I have trouble finding shoes that fit, as I need flats and wide toe. Found some tennies that fit but not waterproof so I gooped them up and put water repellent on them but it is not super satisfactory. good for wet grass when walking dogs...
If I could ask, you have textile recycling? Do you know what company? I have not found anything where I am...

I am hoping to get SOMETHING done tomorrow (or today). On the list are fixing a broken window and mowing the lawn

Good morning!

Tatoulia, that's disappointing about your shoes. I'm sorry you are feeling overwhelmed.

I am still not getting my pottery done. Part of this is because I have tendinitis in my left thumb, but part of it is because I am just having trouble motivating myself.

Besides getting my blood work done yesterday, I did clean up most of the mess from Buddy's visit, catch up on dishes and take care of most of the laundry (I have one load to wash and three to put away). I also moved the rooster pen.

Hopefully I will do better today. I do feel better rested - I got almost 8 hours of sleep last night! Also, for once I have two days off in a row.

Things I NEED to get done to not be more stressed tomorrow:
lesson plans for tomorrow
4 pots
Today's dishes
Put away laundry
Check mouse traps
Clear off the counter of doom (the stuff I scooped up for company is still in a box, so everything on the counter is less than 2 weeks old)

I can do that.

Also, my blood work came back and my cholesterol says I eat too much bread and there are a couple of issues that could be anything from temporary side effects of my badly bruised knees and recent vaccines to cancer, so now I'm stressed about that. (Dh says "ignore it - knowing things doesn't change them. You felt fine yesterday and your doctor will let you know if she is concerned.") well, he didn't say the ignore the too much bread part.

And the fitness center called and they got my form, so I need to work swimming back into my life (that should also help the too much bread numbers)

I'm doing well. Overwhelmed. But doing well.

Will read and catch up.

Took some towels to the shelter this weekend (old stained dish towels) and took not suitable for donation items to the textile recycling. I had bought a pair of expensive (to me) waterproof sneakers and they were waterproof and comfortable but the soles were slick. Even on sidewalks they were very slippery. And forget about trying to go in a grocery store. The company refunded my money and told me to recycle them. I thought about donating but honestly they are too slippery so I put them in the recycling textile box.

Need to go to bed. Love you all.

Good morning!

Hi Lila, did you finish your soup?

I had a really nice day with Buddy, but I definitely need to clean up today. And do laundry!

And work on pots.

This morning I have to go get fasting blood work. I don't mind the fasting part too much, but I hate the stick. Needles make me wheezy and they can never find my veins and they roll.

I'm drinking warm water in an attempt to smooth my coffee habit and be well hydrated.

Dh also needs to go get blood work, so we are going together and then going out for breakfast. On the way home.

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday I did finish my plans and made the jar of fermented garlic honey. So that's done. The soup turned out ok, needs some kidney beans and more seasoning so will do that tonight and freeze some for later.

This morning I worked from home and then made a coffee cake. It is baking now. The inspiration for t was the small container of cooked-down fresh rhubarb in my fridge that needed to be used. So half the coffee cake is rhubarb swirl and half is cinnamon swirl. It should be yummy!

I had some toast from freezer bread with a plum this morning. I am pretty sure there is not a lot left in the fridge in danger of spoiling this week, but I will check. Oh, I do need to roast the broccoli - or it won't be fresh enough in a week. Might add the beets to that pan and roast those at the same time.

To be honest I feel like not doing all of that today and want to sit around and eat junk, but I don't have much junk, so, that's good.

Tired and lazy here too, SubC, and wishing for bread! I have a few rolls in the freezer to go with the soup.

I got everything into the crock pot so the soup just needs to cook.

I got a quart of refrigerator pickles made, which used up 3 cucumbers, 4 cloves of garlic, the last bit of dill that did not go bad, and a shallot that looked like it needed to be used. I still have 2 smaller shallots which I will add to my eggs when I make eggs. So the jar of pickles in in the fridge pickling.

I feel good about the progress I made today on the produce, so it did not sit and go bad while I eat junk instead.

I have a half jar of refrigerator pickles from a few weeks ago, so I will probably slice up some cheese and have it with pickles and crackers for a snack later. I ate some cucumber while I was slicing for the new pickles, too.

I want (need) to do laundry but TotsFam is doing a TON of kids laundry. Like 6 big loads so far. So I am waiting until they are done. If it's late afternoon I will ask to sneak in a load in between, so I have something to wear tomorrow.

I still need to make the fermented garlic honey but am sort of dreading all the garlic peeling.

Nice job on the soup!

It was 61 in the building - it's an old, stone building, so it holds heat. With all the kids in it and the sun shining on it, it got up to 63 even though the outdoor high was 56. The kids just kept jackets and sweaters on, but it was too cold for wet hands.

I don't know what is going to happen on Tuesday if there is still no heat. Lows are freezing this weekend and highs only briefly touching 60, so it will be colder by then. 55 is the cutoff for having kids in the building.

I have been tired and lazy today and eating too much bread and not enough veggies or fruit. Dh has been working on the vintage electric train (how old does something have to be to be an antique?) and I have been puttering in the basement instead of making pots. He secured a cabinet to the wall for me and I mostly filled it with candle and soap making supplies. They were in boxes stacked on the floor.

The playroom area has nearly come together, and I found two hats I want to part with, so that's something.

Wow Subc, I am surprised they didn't cancel school with no heat. They cancel it here. I hope it wasn't TOO cold.

Messi, I too am impressed that you tackled plumbing!! I would probably cry until one of my sons or friends came and fixed it for me! Nice work.

This morning I started on the soup. I got a gallon bag of whole tomatoes from my friend's garden last year out of the freezer and put them in the crock pot on warm to thaw. I was not thrilled when I saw they still had skins on them. I thought I had skinned them before I froze them, but this batch was just cored. Anyway as they thawed I skinned them in the crock pot and squeezed the juices into a sieve over the crock pot so all the good juices went in but 80% of the seeds got taken out. I don't like a ton of seeds in my soup. Then I squished the tomatoes with my hands to break them up and they are cooking. I added a small baggie of frozen tomatoes that WAS seeded and skinned, from the freezer as well.

I will add from the fridge, a half onion, two bell peppers, and a cabbage, and some vegetable broth concentrate. I will add from the freezer some thyme, rosemary and sage. Probably some spice cabinet oregano and basil, salt and pepper. Soup for tonight.

I will be making a jar of pickles from the cukes in the fridge so they don't go to waste. I'll also be making a jar of fermented garlic honey for health.

Baby is doing great, things are peaceful and they are staying downstairs a lot even though I offered to watch kids, so I guess they are getting in their rhythm. Which is why I can do all this produce prep.

Good morning!

Lila, enjoy your new little angel!

I empathize with your food situation. I did very badly at utilizing my garden this summer and I am eating far too much store bread.

My weight has crept back up and soon I will go again to see the doctor who told me to lose weight. But the doctor I saw Thursday didn't find anything new wrong (my BP was high, we discussed it. She said to keep monitoring, I told her that if she signed my permission form they would take it at the pool for me, and she said she would, so hopefully I can start swimming in November.) I do have to get bloodwork.

Messi - I knew about the dog beds because we are a tribe. I have two dog beds and no dogs. One of them is my desk chair (I use a Japanese folding table for a desk and sit on the floor) and the other is for sitting in front of the woodstove. I share both of them with my granddogs when they visit.

I am impressed with your plumbing! I would be afraid to try that. I do have a very handy Dh though. I'm sorry your brother gave you attitude.

Yesterday was challenging. We had no heat at school, so I had to come up with last minute lesson plans for all of my classes that didn't require wet hands. I also got a new student. I also still can't access my kiln because of the work on the heat, so lesson plans for next week are postponed. There was a stuck truck and trailer on my drive to work, and the detour almost made me late, so i had very little time to deal with any of that before classes started. Dd1 and Bean flew to visit dd2. There was a medical emergency in the row in front of them on the plane, and shortly after dd2 picked them up, someone rear ended dd2's car and drove off. Everyone was fine but the car is undriveable and Bean needed a new car seat.

Hopefully today will be better all around.

I did get feed on Thursday. My plan for today is to catch up a little around the house, do pottery, and go out with Dh tonight. Tomorrow Buddy is coming over for the day and it will be just the two of us. I'm hoping it will be warm enough to spend a lot of time outside, because Buddy loves outside much more than Bean does.

I hope everybody is having a good Saturday.

Lila - Congratulations on your new family member!! <3

I just posted and had put text emojis in, but went back to try to use a window to put picture emojis in and it turns out they all turned into question marks when the message posted. i apologize.

Anon - Welcome! (-:

Lila - NICE WORK !! (-:

It's later again, which is when I am free to check in, but often am too tired to write or be coherent - or go to bed, even.
I really need to try wind things down earlier to get to sleep earlier.

Welcome, Anon! ?

SubC, lol, how did you know I have a secret stash of repairable(!?) dog beds? (on one or the the other hand, though, I do have three dogs and they have beds upstairs and downstairs and in the car, so plural dogbeds happen...) I have a rule that for now, no more purchasing of dogbeds, but I struggle to pass them in the store, lol.

I also have stashes of pants that need repair or adjusting, and jackets, and sweaters, and tops, and dresses, all waiting for attention in order for them to make my life so stylish and cool, maybe. Maybe, or maybe mayhem. Maybe I acquire something else in the meantime til I can fix something and now my bedroom is mayhem. TOO MUCH STUFF!!
Lila, your description of your room and closet was so familiar, as was the description of feeling overwhelmed. I was so impressed to follow your progress with the closet. NICE WORK!! ?? I hope to work in that direction. More later on that.

I did work on the plumbing on Monday, my day off. I wanted to have a whole day. I have an old house and the rule with plumbing is - fix one thing and you'll break at least three others, lol. Especially if you're not sure of what you are doing. Which is me. Thank heavens for the internet! One aspect of having such a mess in the house is not having service people come in. This is not too good. Not having money is another reason for not having service people come in. This is not too good.

BUT - SO - with a lot of luck, I successfully replaced the water shut-off valve to the whole house. It took most of the day because I was nervous, went slowly, called my brother for info (came with attitude) and also pulled a muscle in my leg. There were no leaks with the new valve, but turning the water to the house back on, I created a few new leaks, haha! Went to Home Depot, got parts, fixed the most inconvenient leak, the others have to wait. But with my new shut-off valve, I'll be better able to work on plumbing problems. Which was the point. YAY!!

hi guys!!

Good job on the dog bed, messi! I know allll about torn dog beds, lol. Hi subC, I wish we could see your pots! Hi new anon person and welcome! and hi Tatoulia too!

I did not do anything more with clothes but I DID get the crib cleared out and things ready, and the new little guy is here! I was watching all the others for the past couple of days. I am pretty tired out! But I got a few things done this morning while the kids were with their parents.

I emptied out the vegetable and fruit drawers in the fridge, sorted it all, and washed out the bins. I made baked squash and onions, and ate some with an apple for lunch.

I had to throw out a lot of good produce. This is one of the things I really dislike about my habits - my wastefulness. I am angry at having to throw away about half of what was in there because instead of eating it, I was eating frozen dinners, pizza, and junk. I am so done with this. I am making a change right now.

My new goal is to eat only what I already have, what I am given, or what I can get for free. Kind of a "no spend on food" thing. I wasted so much money last month buying processed food and let this good stuff go bad. As of right now I will do better. Ask me about it in a week if you think about it!

I plan to make a soup tonight or tomorrow because I have a cabbage, canned and frozen tomatoes, onions, and peppers and lots of herbs.

I have a bunch of lemons not in the freshest condition but still ok, so I will juice the ones that need to be used, and make some tea, and add the lemons and tea to a jar I have with just a little honey left in it. That can go in the fridge to drink later.

I have apples for snacks, some beets to cook, and a bunch of cucumbers I need to make into pickles or salad. I also have broccoli I need to cook. When I run out of fresh produce, I have a couple coupons for free produce that I can use, I have frozen stuff and canned stuff, and I will trust in my God to provide anything I need.

I hope this will turn my wastefulness and my spending to a better direction.

Good morning!

Hello new person! We are happy to have you here and offer whatever support you may need. "Anonymous for now" is very long. You might want to choose a pseudonym that is shorter before we start calling you "Afn" we are like that. You can change it! What can we do to help? Where do you want to start? What is driving you to want to make change?

Lila, welcome to the working closet club! I'm looking forward to the tank top and sweater update. But, yes, you must clear the crib! I am wishing the new baby a smooth arrival.

Messi, ouch indeed! Hope the appointment goes smoothly today. Good job repairing the dog bed! It is all too easy to keep the dog bed thinking you will repair it, and then end up buying a new dog bed and not repairing the old one, but still keeping it as back up because you might repair it... so good for you!

I did get the pots thrown. Sort of. They are not as dry as they need to be, so I will take them out and put them under the fan in my studio shortly. I stayed after at school yesterday to throw them because I knew if I drove home it would take an hour and I would arrive hungry and tired and want to eat first and then have trouble getting out to my studio... I left them on a drying board all night, but I was afraid to put them under the fan because I didn't want them to over-dry while I was sleeping.

I did all five of the things on my list. Unfortunately, the clay needs to be soaked and rewedged, but at least I found it. I have also set mouse traps, but I have not caught any mice yet.

Today I have my class and then in the afternoon I have a doctor's appointment. I have not been to a gp in a long time. Hopefully it won't be like when I take my car in because something is broken and they give me a long list of other things that need attention. I just want clearance so that I can rejoin the $15/month pool and swim this winter. Wish me luck that the new gp in the new office won't make my blood pressure rise. (The old gp dropped me for not showing up and wasn't taking"new patients" when I called. I only saw her twice.)

I also need to get lesson plans together for tomorrow. I might stop for feed if I have time on the way home from the Dr. I am low and it will be an emergency if I wait until Saturday. (The chickens might have to have cracked corn and weeds for dinner tomorrow)

If I find time to accomplish anything else I will update.

Hi all, I'm new here. Overwhelmed and looking for support. I might have found it here. Hoping.

An end-of-evening hello. I have an early appointment tomorrow to have the stitches removed from my mouth, so more later.

One thing at a time, one thing at a time, one thing at a time. One by one, things will get done. this message. Cleaning things out of the refrigerator and getting them to compost drop-off. Finding a jacket. repairing a dog bed.

Lila, it's so exciting about your closet!
SubC - it's nice to hear about family time and hope you got to throwing pots
Tatoulia - how are your hands? were you able to go back to work?

Fly-by checkin! It's my busy days (Mon - Thurs) so the closet is on pause, but I am so enjoying it! It is strange and nice to open it up and have choices all hanging there neatly. I am so happy I did this!

On my next days off I will try on those few cardigans in the closet on one end, as well as the ones in my dresser drawers (which will probably get hung). Anything not fitting will be donated or in the bin, which still has room for a few things. I also realized I have one drawer of colorful tank tops to go through. They are the nicer thicker kind and while I will NOT wear tank tops in general, because of my very flabby arms, I will wear them under a cardigan sometimes. I think I will see what cardigan matches those tank tops, and any without a nice looking match will get donated.

I actually have like 3 empty drawers now! I will think about what I want to put in them. Mainly sweaters that I don't want to hang. I guess I need to try on all the sweaters in the drawers and put the ones that fit in the dresser I use the most, and the ones that are a bit snug can stay in the ones I keep sheets and stuff in. I might even donate something, we'll see!

It is so nice to have things sorted and able to wear them!

New grandbaby coming any day as well, and I need to sort the back bedroom. The crib is full of stuff. Yikes. Since I will be watching kids when the baby is born, I need to empty it.

Wish us luck!

Good morning again!

It's nice to see people checking in more. Tatoulia, I hope you are fully back in action quickly.

Hi Messi, any update on the not-a-swimming-pool project?

Lila, still waiting to hear how you are feeling about the "new" closet.

I got the handprints done with Bean yesterday. I need to cut them out and finish them for drying. He wants to be the one to put the faces on.

Dd and I have agreed that she won't buy me any more jeans. Apparently even if the label is the same, the year and country of manufacture are significant and only one of the three pairs actually fit. Very disappointing.

Yesterday I checked once, better, and cup filling off my list, but I did not finish my actual todo list, so the counter of doom is slightly worse and the mouse (mice?) got another day to cause trouble.

We definitely have a mouse problem and more traps must be set! I may have to go to the store.

I also have significant tasks for tomorrow and Thursday:
School emails to answer
Lesson plans
Find a specific clay in my studio
Throw pots for a demo I agreed to do in class
Preregistration for my Dr. visit.

Bean was very needy yesterday - I think reclaiming his place after his cousin's visit, and full of energy. Then Dd picked them up and stayed late because it was Dh bday and I made her dinner (he had plans with a good friend) and we had sundaes when he got home - with extra clean up. So I am very tired and starting slowly this morning.

Hi Tatoulia. Glad you had your surgery. Hope you are not too uncomfortable. Rest well and heal.

Congratulations Lila! Doing the hard work!

Had my surgery. Need to figure out doing the dishes then back to bed.

Good morning!

Lila, how is your closet?

I had kind of a slow, quiet day yesterday. I felt very sad in the morning. It was hard to see Birdy go. But we will visit him again at thanksgiving.

I worked in the basement a bit and finished the first shelf section in the alcove. This allowed me to move books and clear off a free standing shelf. That shelf and the new shelf are now setup in my studio loft and filled with inventory, which makes the loft somewhat more orderly. Only somewhat, but it felt good to get things sorted out a little more.

Last year ddil, Birdy, and I made hand print ghosts with clay. They turned out so well we made more while she was here. I plan to actually fire and finish these and not lose them for months! I have a row of little nails all around my dining porch that I hang Christmas ornaments on. My plan is to get Bean and Buddy to also make handprint ghosts and have a bunch of them to hang around the porch at Halloween (this year I will only have one, next year 4, the following year 7?.. There are 12 nails. I don't know how long Bean's hands will be small enough to work.) I'm going to ask Bean to make his today - plus one for my mom and one for his Mimi (other grandmother) and do Buddy's next weekend. Bean is taking a trip with Dd and I will have just Buddy for the day.

I am mostly caught up with dishes and starting a load of laundry in a minute.

I won the todo list yesterday, and I am optimistic that I can do it again today.

Yay for the Lila's closet show!
Thoroughly enjoyed! Ten out of ten, binge watched all three episodes.

Ddil and I went to the arts market this morning and I gave three cat items to the rescue shelter that has a display there. And we got to pet kittens.

Birdy is in bed and the kids are getting some of their stuff together to leave in the morning.

It's been a really nice visit.

Tomorrow I go back to trying to get my life sorted out.

third update in the Lila & Closet show...

I got through trying on everything left in my closet except the cardigans. There are only a few in there (the rest are in drawers).

I put the almost, barely, 5 pounds lost and it would fit hanging shirts on the far side of the closet, not very many. Everything else that is not wearable right now went into the bin and it is 80% full. I needed a break so will try on the cardigans and any shirts in the dresser drawers, finish the bin and get it downstairs.

Then I have to hang up everything that fits (which is all draped on the rocking chair as I sorted).

Part of me was like "wow I have some nice things that fit" and the other part was like "omg I thought I had more that fits!! Where did everything go??"

It is what it is and I am not buying anything else unless and until I lose a lot of weight and NEED clothes for work. I have enough to last me losing 20 pounds I'm sure.

It will be nice when this is finished and I can SEE what I have to actually wear.

second update -

got through another third of the clothes (trying them on and sorting) and now I have a second shirt in the donate box. Proud of myself.

It is a lot, trying all these clothes on. But I got through the whole big pile on my office chair and desk. I have about 1/3 of the closet left to do and then will hang back up the things that I decided to keep that actually fit.

This is actually making me kind of happy.