Quick check in. I am overwhelmed with taking care of my mother. She had a big, terrible fall on Thursday and I am overwhelmed. And tired. And tired of it. I'm tired of all of it. I'm so tired. Mentally exhausted from taking care of another human being. I'm tired of the noise of her clutter. I'm tired and overwhelmed and truly am sick of being in charge.

Hi :)

We discovered that once there are a lot of posts in one thread that that thread is very slow to load and other frustrating things.
So, now we make a fresh new thread once the previous one gets a lot of posts to prevent that frustration.
That's why we now have phase three. :D

Thanks for your encouragement. Glad you have better water situation now. I will be going over to phase 3 of What are you doing today, from now on.

Hi cj :)

Thanks for the link. Right now the well is working much better since the plumber pulled out a large mass of roots from it, but this is only a temporary fix.

WAY TO GO!!! for working in your kitchen! :D

Welcome to the message board. :)

Tillie, you might find a solution to your water pressure problem here: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120527123010AAX4oh4

BTW, I read an older post from you yesterday and used your gameplan to work in my kitchen until late in the evening. Here is what I commandeered and printed from that post:

Unclutter by Tillie

Where to begin...

Here we begin by getting a trash bag and going around for 5, 10 or 15 minutes bagging up all and any trash we see.
Food wrappers, junk mail, broken things, litter, etc. Then take the bag out to the trash can.
Congratulate yourself for a job well done. :D

Another timed round could be to gather up all dirty dishes and get them to the kitchen.
Then go again to gather up all dirty laundry and get that to the hamper.

Once the litter, dishes and laundry have been gathered up and out of the way it makes it easier to move around and see
where the actual clutter is.

Often we say to start with the bathroom because it is usually a small room and can be completed in a shorter amount of time.
First, put all loose items in boxes or containers.
Clean the sink, tub, toilet and floor.
Then reevaluate the items when you put them back in the room.
Do they belong in the bathroom? Do we use/need this item or can I toss/donate it? Is it worn out/broken/all used up?

Try very hard not to shuffle items from room to room.
As you pick up items try right then to make the decision to keep/toss/donate it or does it belong in another location
in the house.


After you have cleared and cleaned an area defend it daily by routinely tidying it up. This takes just a few minutes and
helps to keep things from getting too overwhelming.

Other rooms are usually done area by area rather than emptying it out completely.

A good book to read is "Buried In Treasures".

`````````````
Well, thanks to you all for your caring attitudes and willingness to embrace this community. I'll be around with maybe and idea or a kind word.

cj

Good morning :)

Hi LR2014 :)
Thank you. :)
Hope you got your vehicle back from the shop and it is running perfectly and safe for you for many months to come. :)
Also hoping that today you are all rested up now. Happy you are taking care of yourself and resting when you need to. (((hugs)))

Hi Roxie :)
Making advanced directives is so very important.
Everybody should make them no matter what their age or health.
Having them written down avoids so many complications, should the need arise.
It is unpleasant to think about these things but I find that once it is done we can have peace of mind that we don't have to worry about ending up in a situation that we honestly would never want for ourselves. (((hugs)))

Yesterday we had a severe weather system move through.
A near by community was hit with a tornado that damaged 6 homes and 5 businesses.
Fortunately no people were injured.
Here the huge black cloud just constantly rumbled with thunder. For 45 minutes it was rumble, growl and crack without ever letting up. It was very interesting and amazing to listen to. :D
I was feeling sick all day and kept getting sicker & sicker as the day went on.
Fell asleep before 8:00pm and woke up today at 10:30am.
Really needed the rest and feel so much better today. :D
My plans for this weekend are to continue to rest.
I believe the stress of these past three months has finally all caught up to me.
But now that he is no longer taking pain medication I have given him back his driving privileges and I am no longer needed to drive him around or go fetch his medications from the pharmacy.
I am free!, free at last! :D

Everybody take care and try real hard to schedule in some fun this weekend. :)

Tatoulia, great to hear even a little bit about what's going on with you. "Beautiful, serene" home. How wonderful!

Tillie, the well situation does sound quite frustrating. Sorry about your thumb; hope it feels much better soon. By the way, thanks for posting that link to the Hoarders show; saw the first episode.

Got my vehicle (mess and all) put into the shop this morning for some repairs; looking forward to getting it back later today. I plan this afternoon to do a little laundry, to work a little on paperwork, and to try to work on making my bedroom look somewhat better. Taking lots of breaks to do sit-down work at the computer, because I'm extra tired today. If I get extra ambitious, I'll probably vacuum a little bit.

Hugs to all.

Hi :)

Reading the board this morning was as exciting as when I was a kid, being the first one up on Sunday morning and having the "funny pages" all to myself. :D

Got as much done as I could yesterday. Still have lots more to do today. Kitchen still with dishes piled up high.
One thing slowing me down is an injury to my right hand.
Cats were out in the yard Saturday, large dog entered the yard, Marty (the cat) ran to me for help, I picked him up to put him in the house, on the way to the door he freaked out and bit me, straight through the ball of my thumb, hurts!
Water pressure from the well starts out strong but within five minutes it is reduced to a very slow flow, even with the pump working hard overtime.
So, I can water plants for five minutes, turn off the water for five minutes then back on again for another five, and so on and so on and so on...
Extremely exhausting and frustration plus I have other things to do rather than baby the well all day long.
Looking forward to the day he goes back to work because him here 24/7 makes so much more work for me. He makes a lot of messes and never cleans up after himself. Once the last surgical would heals and closes the doctor will release him to return to work. He is physically healthier now than before the blood clot incident. :)

Everybody keep up all the FANTASTIC! progress, WTG!!!
Love reading all your updates and knowing you are all alright. :)

Glad to read everyone's posts. Am not up to posting these days but wanted you to know I so enjoy catching up on things. Everyone is doing a great job!

The one brief thing I'll say about myself is that yesterday someone asked to stop by and I said yes and the person thought my home is so beautiful and serene. I have come a long way! Thank you for your help in getting me to this place. I am working hard daily to keep it up. Thank you. I am a work in progress.

Oooh . . . lots of posts to read this morning. Great!

Yes, Roxie, I was referring to using the online support button to do live "buddy system" work. (And yes, I did make the 2000th post. Do I get an extra coffee clink for that?) Thanks for all your encouragement here. Made lots of iced tea this week, by the way . . . iced tea clinks!

Thanks for the supportive words about my job search :) Sending out more resumes is on the list for today as I have not received any calls or emails yet. On the bright side, it's getting easier to send them, I'm getting better at it and it's making me less anxious.

Karl, Oodles, Lex, LR - Great job taking steps to get stuff done! Love love love seeing progress!

How did I not know you could post pictures here?!

I had a really productive day yesterday so that felt wonderful. This morning my puppy ripped up my tray of seedlings that was on the deck and I'm still trying to move on from that. I salvaged what I could and moved them as high up as possible. My mind just wont shut up. They were marked with little toothpick flags and I can't stop imagining that he ate one and it's going to seriously hurt him. But I've counted them several times and he couldn't have eaten any. I'm trying to stop myself from counting them again so I decided to post. Sigh. My perfect rows of carefully planted and marked seedlings are in disarray. Sigh. I yelled at him and feel bad about it. Sigh again.

Mustering all my energy to stop counting, get dressed, and take him for a hike. It'll do us both good and maybe I'll feel like we've "made up" haha If any of you have OCD and want some exposure therapy I suggest getting a dog! They will give you exposure therapy alright!

Hi again,
Things have been a little on hold (i.e. procrastination and mental fog). With the move, there are many different areas I could choose to tackle. The storage unit is the biggest and most daunting - though I've had some successes here and there. I'm waiting on someone to come get large items, and that person keeps getting tied up with other stuff because he's a mechanic and jack of all trades. So that has been super frustrating.

At the new place I'm living, I could work on putting stuff away neatly. That may be the best project for when my mind is indecisive and lethargic and distractible (thanks, ADD). Just do one section of a shelf at a time or something.

The moving took the months of April and May and put them into a blender of frenzied activity and stress; mentally it feels as if I've lost an entire season, been in a time warp. We had a lot of rainy weather in May, and some nice cool days. Suddenly the calendar has rolled over to June and it's summer and stinking hot and I'm disoriented by it. And not a fan of hot weather anyway. So that is demotivating. I'm going to have to find some workarounds - sort and shred papers in the air conditioning, maybe, rather than spend a lot of time in the metal storage unit that's like a bake oven!

Hi Tatoulia, Karl, lex, CM, Oodles, Tillie, Roxie, Jess, Diane, bitsy, Dave, and others who may be reading!

Great to get so much work done on the refrigerator, lex!

I spent quite a bit of time the past few days doing "buddy system" work. Worked some on my bedroom and on my "vehicle project."

Looks like this post will be the 2000th post on this thread. Do I win a prize for that? (Ha.)

Happy day to all.

Congratulations! You are my hero!

Hello all! Just got done cleaning the fridge, well most of it! I tried to put a picture up above but I don't think it worked lol.
This was hard because there was A LOT of food in there that had gone bad :\ I feel bad for wasting food like that but glad that it's done :D

Good morning

WAY TO GO!!! everybody for all your accomplishments, big and small.
They all make a positive difference in your lives. :D

Yesterday was another wasted day for me getting things done around here.
Drove all the way to Reno and back again.
When I got home I was too worn out to do anything.
Kitchen is piled high with dirty dishes, laundry is piling up, place is really needing attention.
I keep falling farther and farther behind. :(
Even though I want to have a "pity party" I will just start doing things to improve the situation.
I will work at one task at a time, eventually it should get better. :)

Take care and keep posting! :D

I cleaned & dusted a shelf this morning. I think I am going to focus something in the morning. I went to work. I got home dealt with family drama and feel anxious and numb so will take another baby step tomorrow morning.

Tillie, I wish you well with your well situation. I wish we could send you some of our excess water!

Hi Everybody :)

Hi Roxie "clink!" :)

Hi CM :)
WAY TO GO!!!
For getting some stuff put away and making some visible floor! :D

Hi LR2014 :)
Yes, unfortunately you are a water leak pro. ;)
Your last apartment was ridiculously leaky.
Happy you posted and that you are safe where you live.

Yesterday I just sorta slowly puttered around here doing odd jobs here & there.
Surprisingly, I actually accomplished a lot.
Then I played. Took time out from everything.
It's Monday already!!???!! :(
Another busy week here dealing with his surgical incision that has an area that is slow to heal and all the other things in life that need attention.
Main issue here is the water well. We just have to have water to function.
Right now we have enough for inside the house but my garden, trees, hedge and bushes are all going to die.
The well is very, very old. Sediment blocks the holes that allow water to flow into the well.
This can be fixed, we have done it before about fifteen years ago, but I need to find someone to help me do this.

Happy June! :)

Just a quick check-in. (Hi, CM! Welcome!)

I was very confused a few minutes ago because I didn't see the post I'd written a day or two or three ago. I searched on my computer to see if I'd saved a copy of it. I found it; and then I discovered that the reason the post didn't show up here is that I never actually posted it! Oh, well. Here are a few excerpts, many of which are now outdated.

******

"Hi to Cory, Jess, Tatoulia, Roxie, Tillie, Diane, and anyone else that might be reading posts.

Tatoulia: I, too, am sorry to hear about the passing of your friend. Hugs!

Tillie: I hope you do get the chance to get more rest. Since "water leaks" are something I'm quite familiar with, I'm glad to know that things are drying nicely at that house you're watching. I like your comments about job hunting. And unfortunately, yes . . . there has been quite a bit of severe weather in my general area recently. So far, I myself have not had anything damaged, though.that I know about, anyway.

Jess: Hope all goes well with the job search!

Roxie: I hope the consultation with the cardiac surgeon went well. Iced tea clinks!"

******

Me: I'll post some "me" updates separately . . . but not tonight, because I'm getting ready to try to snooze. Hugs to all.

Hi again!

Call me CM for short, that'd probably work! ;)

I was still grumpy and tired last night at the clutter in my room - but it was because it was out in the way more temporarily, while shelves were put in. I was just tired and confused at the task of putting stuff (keepers, not junk) on the shelves. Been sleep deprived for a few days, that didn't help.

Today I got several items put away and am seeing floor. Tomorrow I'll do the rest and see more floor - that'll be a happy thing! The reason I say tomorrow is that today my roommate will be home and the stuff and commotion will get in the way, whereas tomorrow I'll be able to pull it out to sort and put back neatly. You all will hold me accountable for that, right? :D

Hi CriticalMass :)
It does help to post what you plan to do or post what you have accomplished, so we can give you a big WAY TO GO!
Putting our plans down in writing helps keep us accountable to try to follow through.
A good way to get past the procrastinating is to pick one small task.
Something easy to do that will not take more than a few minutes.
Then congratulate your self, appreciate the feeling of a job well done.
Very often motivation follows action.
You feel better having made that one improvement so that may help motivate you to do another small, quick task. :)

Hi, I'm a newbie but would like to stay active here. I posted my intro on the introductions forum - warning, it's long! I do tend to ramble.

I like the idea of saying what we did today. I'm moved into a friend's to stay and I've been dealing with some stuff I brought with me that still needs to be put away neatly. I got that "hit the wall" feeling midafternoon so I admit right now I'm procrastinating. I hope I won't feel so discouraged as I recover from the stress of the move. It really took it out of me, though I do feel much better now than a couple of weeks ago when I first arrived here.

Good Morning :)

Hi Roxie :)
(((hugs))) and prayers that this new procedure works miracles for your overall health.
How wonderful to see that fawn!!! :D
I spend lots of time watching all the different kinds of birds and cotton tail bunnies that visit my yard too.

Was finally able to finish my To-Do list yesterday.
Had so many interruptions, phone calls and him always needing me to "find" something he needed right this minute.
Thought I'd never finish. WHEW! ;)
Today and tomorrow should be slow paced with lots of free time.
Going to be hot so good time to be inside sewing and watching movies. :)

TTYL :D

HI! :)

Hello Jess :)
WAY TO GO!
And GREAT that you are submitting some resumes.
Try to look at finding and getting new employment as an adventure rather than something scary.
This is what I have been doing to over come and master my tendency to be agoraphobic.
You CAN do this! (((hugs))) ;D

Hello Tatoulia :)
Sincere condolences (((HUGS)))
Take care and rest whenever you can.
Be extra kind to yourself at this time. (((hugs)))

Going to be hot here today and all through the summer now.
Have a splitting headache that will not go away.
Anyways, today I need to go to the grocery store, pharmacy and the place where I refill my water bottles.
Tomorrow I have to drive to Reno for his doctor appointment.
Water leak at the house I am watching is under control and the areas have dried very nicely with no visible damage. :D
Hoping that by Friday I will be up to doing a bit of house cleaning because Saturday I will have visitors here. :)
Looking forward to someday maybe not having anything planned or scheduled for weeks on end. I need the rest. LOL :D

TTYL :)

I'm here--just dealing with the loss of a good friend and after funeral tomorrow am heading out West for a conference. Thinking of you all and so happy to read your posts. I was so exhausted last week but still managed to check in on everyone, even if I wasn't posting. Glad to hear from so many of you and thank you for all of your posts. Very helpful to see your progress and read your thought processes and hear you cheer us all on. We are a good group.

Hello there

LR, great job with the vehicle project stuff. Glad to see that this place has helped you. I feel the same way :)

Tillie, so glad to hear that Mr. H is up and at em and helping you with things around the house/yard. What a change for your daily life!

Today I've cleaned up after myself when I made breakfast and thrown in 2 loads of laundry. I've spent the majority of my time applying for jobs online. I haven't worked in a year and my last job was before I even knew I had OCD and before all my issues really came to a boiling point. I feel ready to take on the responsibility but of course I am a bit nervous. Glad I submitted some resumes.

Fallen off of my workout/eat right thing in the last few days. Making myself go to the gym tonight so I can get myself back on track. Kind of a blah day in the weather department. Puppy is snoring away at my feet <3

Have a good day everybody!

Good morning :)

Hi LR2014 :D
Hoping the severe weather systems are not in your area.
Stay safe (((HUGS)))

So far today I have no plans except the usual daily things.
Guess I should get dressed since it is 20 to 11:00am.
Looking forward to all the fresh, more locally grown produce that is about to be available here.
Best time of year for eating! :D

HEY!!!! Where are you all???

Oh well... :(

Glad you got to get a little rest, Tillie. Great to hear that Mr. H is doing better and has even been cleaning the carport! Wow! And thanks for the link to the Matt Paxton article.

Funny.it took me until this morning to notice that I'd signed in as LR2015 a few days ago instead of LR2014. For now, I'm sticking with LR2014, because that's the year I joined this group. Joining the group has been one of the most helpful things I've ever done, so 2014 remains for me a year to be celebrated.

Hugs from LR2014. :)

article

Matt Paxton talking about the new "HOARDERS, Family Secrets".

Thanks, Tillie. I hope you got the chance to rest and relax yesterday. Jess, I have the passivity issues in more than a few areas of my life; ditto to what Tillie said.WTG!

Although rain was a bit of a barrier at times, I did in fact make some progress on my vehicle project yesterday and today. Yea! I also cleaned up some things that were on the walls at that family home and then got them boxed up. Still need to get a few of them packed more securely once I get a little more packing paper.

Happy Sunday!

Hey everyone :) I had a pretty productive day. Best part was that I took charge of something myself instead of waiting for my husband to decide what to do. I am working on not being so passive, which is most often the result of me being so afraid of doing things wrong.

We needed some more soil/compost for the garden and I found the place and called to arrange the pick up myself. Found out if our truck could handle the amount we needed. Decided to take the dog with us.

Everything worked out perfectly and the couple that ran the business just loved seeing the dog. They asked us if we wouldn't mind letting him out to romp around the farm - of course not! The little guy was living it up!

Not everything has to be a big scary deal. I am capable of handling things myself. Good outcomes can and will happen. I'll need to remember this in the future I am sure... hoping the more I push myself to try things the more confidence I will build.

Good morning everyone :)

Hi Roxie :)
"clink"
Making your bedroom more peaceful is a wonderful thing you can do for yourself and your sleep. ;)

Hi LR2015 :)
Good Luck with the vehicle plan today. :)

Yesterday was another one of those days where I was pulled in different directions all day long without any free time.
Days like that wind me up so much that even though I am exhausted I can't get to sleep.
So far, looks like today there will be few, if any, demands on my time. :)
Planning to kick back and just coast through the day.
Tomorrow I can think about maybe doing something all grown up and adult. ;P

TTYL (((hugs)))

Thanks, Tillie. Iced tea clinks, Roxie.

I'm extra tired this morning for some reason. I have a special window of opportunity today to work on my "vehicle project," though, so I'm going to plan to push through and do that work for at least an hour and a half this afternoon.

Hi and hugs to all.

preview

Sorry, I shouldn't post so late at night.
The 28th is when it will be on.

:)

The first episode was on life time tv channel on May 18th.
"Hoarders, Family Secrets"
Haven't been able to find it online. :(

Well, I did finally get caught up reading posts here from the past week. It's getting late here, so I'll save commments for another time.

Filming is going on for the new Hoarder episodes, right? When will those episodes be showing up on TV (or are some of them on TV already)? Anybody know?

Hi and hugs to all.