Got all my supplies for waterproofing the bathroom.

I've been timing how long it takes to get all the messes cleaned up. On days I'm home, not home , when daughter is here and when friends are over .

so far it takes longer when daughter is home.
Then friends, just me, and out.

Still I am enthusiastic about getting everything clean and in order. I have a catchphrase in my mind "first positions. Like in the movie the truman show where actors start their day in first positions as truman hits his alarm clock.
An idiosyncrasies im sure. I don't let a sssingle piece be out of place. Didnt know I had it in me to keep on top like this. I start in as soon as my day begins. I eat and clean all dishes the start on the porch. Livingroom, dinning room, kitchen. I gather laundry, start laundry tinker in the basement . When clothes are done i take them to their destination. When in those destinations clear and sweep.
then finnish in the bathroom .
Trash day is little more geared for outside and kitchen.
but I'm averaging 2 hrs a day no matter how bad it is. But less than 30 min by myself

I'm happy with this set up.
Lonely house during the week, but I will keep on keepin on with the card games wether poker , euchre, or uno.
Its a very nice feature to have wifi enable music videos when i have guests.

there's a big opening between living room and dinning room.
and I set the tv up on a swivel finagled the cables to allow the tv to swivel from living room to dinning room.
I don't let food or dishes get in the living room.
I mean like breakfast lunch or dinners or desserts
But candy and popcorn while watching TV .
Chips are so unhealthy I won't buy them.
and I'm spending time outside as the guys spent alot of time around outside and by the fire.

Well they are not all friends. More like poker guys.
Bryan is a friend. Basically I consider them friends if I see them out of work during the week. Otherwise they want to get poker money out of me.

We thats the way it used to be. If they don't like music videos i have an Xbox and car chase and shooter games.

on a personal note . I'm going to start fasting at the advanced level. Geared to lose fat near the 2lb a week rate.
3 fasting days . 2 fish days , steaks on friday and saturdays.

I've been collecting gamblers on Facebook since I started facebook. In 2006. If I still had my sailboat I would be doing that instead...

Good morning! I see the gang's all here!

Joan I hope you are doing okay. I know your health is precarious but your determination is strong and unending, sending you warm and healing thoughts.

SubC! Great that the dress will work for your mom--I can't remember if you've found a dress for you yet--how is that going?

Anony--I am working through my kitchen right now, puttering works best for me, CM I need to work on papers papers papers to get to where I need to be

Porter--you certainly have a lot of friends! Glad you are enjoying time with them

Dear Tillie--how goes it? It's hot hot hot here. My day with brother went very well. He started in on some stuff and then self-corrected and said, oh forget it, I feel great lets just have a great day. Then I came home, showered me and relaxed.

I'm doing mom's laundry now and will take to her very soon. I'm going to change my sheets while I wait for her quandary to cycle through. I always rinse the clothes twice to get the soap out.

I don't even have one scrap of bread in the house. But I'm drinking iced tea!

So, what are you doing today?

The design layout didn't work below.
just ignore.

today I'm going to find from one of the players whose wife can make biscuits and gravy.
This has been a fun Weekend for me.

Bryans parents showed and we all had good laugh
we played euchre til 1030 when other guys started showing up. It was nice. They have given me some very nice furniture in the past. It was nice to have them over if everyone was like them the world would be a better place.

at 11 we had six players.

so I let them start a game with five.

I cleaned up the kitchen and prepped for pizzas.
My point is I didn't just lunge towards the excitement.
I know I have a cleaning problem mentally. Like mood disorder that i don't clean like a normal person does.

so if I stay on top it my reward is all this social attention.

At 1230 3 more guys showed up .
so bryan and I sat out.
each hand the house gets $2 for five player games and $3 for 7 player games. Right now I just let them play the way want. Because im just collecting contact information about them and whom their friends are. No one brought dates it was all guys.
It was very mild last night out side 67 degrees .
as players quit we all went outside around a campfire I pieced together to burn my wood scraps. I had weiner and marshmallows for daughter but we ate them. No one got drunk only one guy drank whisky . He lost $45 overall.

i try to track big wins and big loses.
both bryan and the whisky drinker are crashed in the living room. The house smells like a beer Hall they drank three 24 packs. And the bathroom smells like they thought the toilet was a suggestion.

Over all the food and cleansers .
I have $224 dollars to put in the lock box.
I can't live with the bathroom such a mess .
so im off to the hardware store to buy water proof paneling
and some things so add to a homemade fire pit. Plus I'll buy a very long shower extention hose so if completely cover the floors and walls with water proofing I can hose out and the duck it up with a wet vac. Towel dry and be done in five minutes no matter what they do to it. I have have only one bath.

Later I will call on my high school and technical school friends from face book. I have three Facebook . I keep nieghbors separate from co workers. And family and friends separate from them. I dont like everyone knowing everything all the time.

bryan went in basement and saw my work on the affordable housing project. He said in Afghanistan the women would pack artillery shells with mud and leave in the sun . Its what they use for making bricks out earth. So he gets what im aiming at for clay wall building . Its cheap and I'm trying to make it less labor intensive. It felt good to have someone actually see one of my model homes. And his reaction was encouragement. He said it would definately be bullet proof.
lol I didn't even think of that.
Of eight model homes he liked the one with a 4 foot high wall on the inside and 3 foot more of glass block . Then wood above with wood roof. It the model that starts with using a storage container as the initial dwelling. When walls built all the way around it. I estimated if it could be started on March 1st it could be completed by November 1st.

The storage container is fitted as the bath on one end and the kitchen on the other. With major wall and roof bearing support in the middle. So 1 bath, 1 kitchen, and four rooms surrounding. With 8 foot porches overhang surrounding .

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! ! ! !
! !--------------------------------------------! !
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! !_______________^_____________ !
! _______________________________!

It's 5pm

I drove the car over to my friend that lost money and was drunk and started yelling. We talked and he was apologetic
And was still sore about losing $80 more like 60. I gave him $40 back . I told him he's only welcome if he doesn't drink anything harder than beer. He wasn't thrilled but he stopped being mad. I had him take me to the sail club.
I didn't see anyone I recognize as poker players but some knew my wife and we talked about her for awhile.
bryan my marine friend

I went to the one of gyms I used to train at.
I did see an old friend and exchanged contacts.
he said he might come.

I talked to a cousin of mine. He's coming with his friend.
so tonite will definately have 5 players. I often use my cousin as unknown plater for security in the past. He is the son of the uncle that is a martial arts master.
When i felt like we had a cheater in the mix. I would invite him and others to play . Basically not stacking the deck. But increasing the odds that me, my brother, my cousin, and another trusted friend would watch carefully. He won again then I wouldn't invite the suspected cheater again.

so I felt good to call on him and he sounded eager to be apart of something like this again.
.
And I've put out a mass email to others .

if I make $100 I'll be off to a good start.
Next week I'll call on alumni and class mates.
I keep some of my close friends away. If they are substance abusers or recovering then I donr need their money. And I need to put time with them in other venues.
I can't get bryan to stop talking.

Unknown to him I invited his parents over at 8 pm
they agreed to come over. It'll be a gas. I hope.
Steak and cheesy potatoes with salad.

I did go in my wife's room and secure the opiods. No need for that to somehow become an issue. So it's locked up too.
. Wish me luck

P.S.
I like those wall mounted miniature
hmm
shadow box minatures.

Especially the ones that are shaped like a house

What I found creepy were the talking and laughing clown heads that you pull the string. My grandpa gave a cousin one that had his voice on it saying her name calling to her. 35 years later she heard him calling to her from closet that couldn't be opened due to hoarding.
that still is CREE PEE cause battery is so low he sounds so ghostly.
Hairs on the back of my neck creepy!

Ok so basically I'm making a log book for the house.
like a captains log.

my decades ive been navigating todo lists to get to a point of 100% organized . Only 6 times in my life.
and this has been the longest if I exclude the moving days.

I'm making this week one.

basically log entries on what I did this week in the house starting and stopping on trash days.

So im writing the rough draft here.

After the trash truck I wheeled the bin to my car and emptied the car completely of trash and bagged up all belongings in another see through bag.

then I gathered and organized all things in the yard , and porches. I cut the grass.

friday after work i called my daughter at 12 noon .
we talk everyday at 12 noon. No later than 2pm

we talk about expectations , food , errands and friends she wants to have stop overs . Then we talk about " how was your day?"

she had no plans for a stay over with friends,, and plans to stay with her cousins. This weekend.

I then called 9 buddies invited to poker.
$20 games
4 showed up by 11pm a 2 more 1230 I was suprised I had seven players on my first poker party.

we played until 4 am . There was alot drinking.
and one guy brought his wife and they were a nasty couple.
I was appalled , but tried to still be a good host.

My house made $210 and put into the basement where I hide the most valuable things. A lock box from my childhood
has a 4 combination with a key.
I no longer have neighbors so im no longer at issue with disturbing the peace. I mean a noise ordnance next to a rail junction??? .
so it's was fun to have a rough bunch of guys over.
my best friend at work is a retired marine. We often play wrestlers in take down matches. He could kill me in 3 seconds but I'm trying my best to convince him he's not a marine anymore. He a war hero. If there is a such a thing as war hero then he fits that. I donr repeat his stories.
my mental health training and cbt help to get him to open up. I don't judge but he talks a little and I thinks that better than keeping a Carrers worth inside. .

he was recently diagnosed with pancreatic us .
acute. So im showing him we can still do everything we like to have fun with but consuming alcohol doesn't need to be the thing to b e doing in order to have fun.

he's still here . Everyone else has left.
I'm cleaning the entire house.

Starting with the front porch moving clockwise then the living room clockwise dinning room , kitchen, bathroom, dressing room.
then the upstairs.
My wife and daughters room have pad locks on then when they are gone.

only one guy got upset and to be put in a cab.
In past if a guy had to asked to leave. I the host woyld pay for his ride home and I keep his car key. Not his other keys.
it cost me $30. I'll give another chance to play poker if he doesn't drink the whole night.
My friend is basically my security officer.
And when we've wrestled infront of people their shock at us both. I had an uncle that was a martial arts instructor.
and I learned alot from him in the take down techniques.
He's the only one I allow to carry a pistol in the house. As long as he doesn't drink.

I gave my daughter a new subject for our next issue.
the girl in the story has unusual freckles on her face.
and so i came up with a symbol that is one of the freckles

A heart shape. But its tet shaped with a zero inside.
and two other zeros on top of the tet. Making it very close to a heart shape. The issues. Moving away from the crows .
is a race not unlike an international race like on the indianapolis race grounds . Where it is legal for civilians to fly the crafts in a race. The younger brother is introduced into the 4th issue in the race. At the end of the race the family is approached by the underground. Leading c to the 5th issue where a video of the girl is launched. And goes viral. Her birthmark of the freckled heart becomes a symbol to some. I outlined 182 frames in the storyboard to make the issue.

I may not hear back on issue 5 for a long time.
I'm ring not to make it about armed resistance but about the freedom the older brother inspired in his sister. Flying like the birds in flock of people. As she takes up his message she is less like a katniss character. And more of a flying teenage girl just being beautiful as she can be.

I'm trying to my daughter go from there or its won't be her story too.

Its 11 11 am
I have the common areas clean and made my friend an omelet. Eggs , cheese, bacon, onion tomato and red pepper. With toast and jelly. With an orange water sweetened with stevia. I'll wash up the kitchen and go find some poker players from my past about 22 years ago.

but before I leave I will have everthing done. Including sheets and towels
....

Sorry for not editing this rough draft

Hi everybody! Thought I had a quick update yesterday, but it didn't appear?

Cm, good for you for doing the boring stuff!

I do have a bunny.

Tillie, I still believe I will fix the dollhouse, but there is so much on myself list that it is not a high priority. Later, not sooner.

My cousin hates scarey clowns - by which she means all clowns. We teased her about saving the few clown dolls/figurines in my grandmother's collection just for her.

Hi Tatoulia. I will avoid your wispery subject. 🙂

Anony, that is great about your kitchen.

I have the best mom ever!

Hi Joan! I hope your neck feels better!

The dress I brought momi S going to work great for the wedding. She was pleased. I recycled the 5 magazines brought, but the helping her clean out is not going as well as I hoped.

Yesterday we filled one trash can with papers, found a stuffed bear to get rid of, and brought one bin down from the attic. I really want to help her empty the attic. She has to stop using that ladder.

I am also taking home a little rocking chair, a box of letters and pictures, a box of magnets (to hang cookie cutters in the studio), a Tupperware sandwich box, and a puppet to donate to a group I work with.

I recycled the 5 magazines I brought.

Anony, I was just about to post about stuffed animals, but you beat me to the punch❗️❗️❗️❗️

I take stuffed animals VERY seriously. To me they are my family, and they have literally saved my life. They are alive, who says otherwise⁉️ Once a child told me "They aren't real," and I replied, "How fo you know?" or "Of course they are‼️" That was a long time ago now. When I was leaving from my visit, she was dancing in the kitchen with one of my stuffed animals, and put up quite a fuss that he was coming home with me.

On other fronts, my neck, etc. has been hurting pretty bad, so I have been avoiding hanging it over my iPad. It has been scary sometimes. We are working with old trauma in that area that causes the biting, and expecting it will clear.

Hi Tillie! Regards from a "silent partner". Hi Tat! Hi Porter! CM, would enjoy hearing if you get to go see Corey. Everyone take care of yourselves.

~☆♡☆~Hello, Happy-Home-Homies?!~☆♡☆~
A lot has been happening. Im trying to make missing that event to get my place better, worthwhile. I have pushed through a certain threshold, i think?! I now have the kitchen table clean & clear. I can see it & the nice clean cupboard both at once! It is very encouraging! Next im cleaning the corner for my painted shelf, then keeping my natural medicines on it! Most of the decisions are made for each step!
The other day my friend jokingly commented in an email about putting me on a hoarder tv show...well, i know that is what this site is connected to, so no offense, BUT I WENT INTO A PANIC MODE!!! I explained briefly to her that there is no way anyone would be entertained by my place. It is boring. Everything i said was in confidence, etc. She understood & was just trying to lighten my seriousness.
As far as dolls, im currently trying to make a cute display of my 2 Superwoman(Superwomen?) & an antique asian doll of my Grandmother's. I like to make arrangements with humor, and id had the 2 Superwomen fighting each other, but i want to update it with the asian doll & them all being a team...hmmm? Its funny how creepy dolls can be, and clowns, so yeah, clown dolls?! YIKES! ha ha
CM, my doll problem is with stuffed animals. Once one is in my house, i cant throw it away. I feel like im abandoning a real animal. It is pathetic & ive asked people to please not give me stuffed animals. I have 1 now that giggles & my cats are scared of it, so...i won it in a silly baby shower game...i should have not tried, ...now, a child would have to fall in love with it & want it, for me to feel ok about it leaving. Stupid me, it is ridiculous!
After yall talking about changing sheets, i did that & it is soooo nice! I often feel guilty that my cat sits on my mail & notebooks, etc., on my bed, but when i got my notebook out to make notes for this post, i put it on my huge, clean, fresh, empty of stuff bed, and my cat went right onto the notebook! HA HA I even took pictures & laughed!
Porter, your story idea with your daughter, changing as she grows, is one of the most brilliant, heartwarming things ive ever heard of a parent doing for a child!
SubC, i can not imagine having my Mom see me that way! WOW!
Tatoula, i hope your tummy feels better? I think Tillie might be right? You do so much for others!
Tillie, I love your 'vision' of clean windows! Im going to do that, too! YEA!
HI, JOAN!!!

Correction: The TV show was "Clean Sweep" and the book connected with it was "Conquer the Clutter."

Add me to the list of folks who think clowns are creepy. One time when I was refurbishing thrift store dolls I bought a Chucky and attempted to repaint its face to look less evil. It didn't work. I chucked Chucky. LOL.

I had one dollhouse for my Liddle Kiddles as a kid, and one for my Wishnik Trolls. I also made a Barbie-sized one out of cardboard boxes. It was cool using giftwrap for wallpaper, fabric for rugs, etc. When I was into Victoriana more, I thought about getting one of those wooden kits and making it a bunny themed dollhouse with rabbit dolls! But space was already getting tight, the dollhouses were pricey, and my real rabbits would've loved to chew on it so I didn't.

Can't recall if I mentioned this - The other day in the library used bookstore I saw a book called "Conquer the Clutter" which was a TV show that predated Hoarders. I had never heard of it, not being a big TV watcher. I decided against buying it because it had a few things I liked but not a lot I don't already know. It was the Pinteresty-type ideas for organized storage that I liked the most. Those will be more relevant to my life when I move to a place of my own.

One book I do have and like is "Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff" by a different author. It deals with some of the stages I'm currently in.

Hey guess what - on my Facebook feed I learned that Cory is coming to Wichita next Thursday to open a local Steri-Clean! I'm hoping to go to the event. I called and left a message about it with my clutter club social worker too, in case she wants to go or tell colleagues and group members about it.

It really does feel good to have the bunnies' boxes all nice and I'm also caught up on the laundry - I mean really caught up! Not even those towels that you can't fit in so you save them for another load, etc. About to have lunch then I guess I'll hit the gym. Really should do machines because I've been putting that off. I'll take my swim things in case I want to finish off with a dip in the pool.

Roommate's vacation has officially begun, which relieves me of midday dog walking duty. I'll have to figure out where to set up with my computer. The kitchen table is where she is - and since I'm not tall, I think I wasn't in a good position there anyway; my neck got to aching. Probably the back room some of the time, and my bedroom if I'm careful not to do for too long, because that's how I got that lower back ache before. Don't want another one.

Have a great holiday kickoff weekend!

LOL ;D

Love you, Tillie. Please don't mention (whispers) marionettes.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
I know why you are having upper GI issues.
You are aggravated and frustrated.
It's not what you are eating, it's what's eating you. (((HUGS)))
Here's a secret but don't tell Subclinical or CriticalMass....
I have ALWAYS thought/felt that dolls are just too creepy.
Which was hard when I was a child and would often be given the evil things.
The other thing I feel this way about is clowns.
The absolute worst thing in this world is CLOWN DOLLS!!!
But I do love to look at miniature houses and all their trappings and imagine that I am the person in there. ;D
This is the first and only doll house I have ever owned.
WAY TO GO! for doing those things to keep up the house and YEA! for iced tea. 😉

One clean kitchen counter, iced tea made, clean kitty feeding area, a little sweeping, about to change litter box, running dishwasher.

So I've gotten a little done tonight. Garbage ready to go out tomorrow. I'm still aggravated about everything but better.

I love hearing about everyone's doll houses! I am not a big fan of dolls--but oh how I loved my (uninhabited) dollhouse my grandfather made. I still have some of the furniture. in my mind's eye I can picture the way it was set up at Christmas when Santa brought it to my sister and me.

Great work CM on bunny boxes and for working through the boring stuff. Good to read how much you and Tillie have done. For me, it's after 7:40 and I'm writing an article for work. I'm frustrated. I was fasting today but it was too hard to research and write so finally I made dinner.

If I'm still making no progress after my next stab at it, I'm going to have to switch gears and do some housework.

Hi Everybody 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
YEA!!! WTG!!!! for clean bunny boxes! 😀
Great work tackling those boring items.
I too hope you don't have adverse weather & power outages while you are home alone, except for the menagerie.

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Your old quaint doll house sounds lovely and even more so because it's been well loved all these years.
My dollhouse was a refurbish, salvage job.
There was a LOT of things I had to do for it.
First I had to clean all the dirt/dried mud out of it.
Paint inside & out. Make/install window frames and doors.
Build a stair case and reattach the roof, etc.
It's very tiny, 14 by 14 by 7 inches.
Anyways... what I am getting at is it is possible to fix your doll house if you are motivated to see it restored. 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hope it's nothing too hard to get under control and you are soon all better. (((HUGS)))

Early this morning I went out and watered some garden stuff then I removed window screens, washed windows & screens, swept & hosed the porch and walkway, had a conversation with a neighbor, lit the burn barrel and emptied scrubbed scoured & sanitized all 3 litter boxes, came back inside and washed this side of the windows & window sills, repaired some screens where the cats have leaned on them making them loose, made an important phone call & remained on "hold" half an hour, sorta cleaned back porch, good enough...
It's now 1:35, lunch time.
Soon I intend to shower and wash my hair, during the heat of the day it feels so good to be all wet. 😀

Hi everybody

I'm proud of myself because I've been tackling "boring stuff." You know, the paperwork and things we tend to procrastinate on. It feels good to get it done, and playing music while I work helps. There are three distinct batches right now; I'm on the first of them. When all three are gone that will reclaim about a cubic foot of space, but in prime areas like desktop or sewing machine real estate. So a very motivating goal! Eyes on the prize! Will report in as I complete each set of papers.

And . . . drum roll . . . I cleaned the bunnies' litterboxes this morning! Go me! *fist pump*

Porter, glad your daughter's keeping in touch. There's a bond there, for sure. Creativity is such a great way to bond, too. I'd always pictured myself doing art and things with the children that I never ended up having. Well, that ship has sailed and it's okay. I think sometimes of volunteering with kids, like at our parish school. Too much on my plate right now but maybe someday. I like your idea of making a storage space for large items. I have paintings and paper pads, canvases, etc. to store and it makes sense to not just have to cram stuff like that in anywhere.

Subclinical, I like dolls too. Mainly play dolls like I had as a kid, Barbies, American Girl (and counterparts by other companies). I can't afford many, and I have really been a lot stricter with myself in recent years. I have three large dolls - a My Size Barbie, and a Patty Playpal type (off-brand) that's the size of a 3- or 4-year-old child. And another off-brand Playpal type that's like a year-old or so baby. Plus the well-loved baby dolls I had growing up. I sold most all my childhood Barbies (wish I hadn't!) but I still have a few. This is my "sentimental" collection.

I also have a family of Tammy even though I didn't know about Tammy until I was a grownup. Guess they didn't have them in my area. Back in the 90s I had a craft/vintage booth and I'd "flip" thrift store dolls. After that fizzled, I sold or donated most of those except the Tammy Family. (If you ever see the little brother Pete/Salty for a cheap price (<$25) let me know!!! He's the rarest and the only one I lack.) I like the vintage and innocent look of the Tammys. I also have a couple of Penny Brites, a similar doll to Tammy's sister Pepper.

The American Girl 18" size I bought as an adult so I could sew and sell clothes for them. I also bought more Barbies and Kens, Skipper, Stacie, etc. for the same purpose. I like to have several "model" dolls of different ethnicities. And now Mattel has started making the Tall, Curvy, and Petite Barbies so I got one each of those and took measurements for sewing. Then in July the Kens are coming - Broad and Slim. I already have a recent Original Ken but I'll pick up a Broad and a Slim for pattern drafting.

My temptation is variety and diversity, and right now Mattel is dangling temptation in front of me! If I keep them in neat boxes and don't buy more than my sewing and picture taking really require, okay. And I must market the clothes to support the financial outlay for my habit. Otherwise game's up. Oh, and, I saw Monster High dolls for $5.00 each at Walmart and was a bit tempted to get a couple of them for sewing - but then they were gone. Tabling that decision for now - get the Kens and focus on the Barbie universe first.
Between dolls and alcohol inks and beading, I've been bit by the acquisition bug these last couple of months. I guess it's the spring/summer energy making me want to be more creative and it fuels the desire to purchase some new supplies. Must make sure I USE what I have and not keep "hunting."

Oh, and, subject change - did you say you have a pet bunny too?

My roommate starts her vacation tomorrow through next week. I'll have less private time but I do intend to be firm about carving out time to work on my own projects. I'm on a roll and I don't want to lose the momentum. If I have to go to the library some of the week that's easy enough. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with her, and she's not clingy or wanting to go go go, but I'm getting really protective of my time.

She goes out of town this weekend, and the dog to the kennel, so it'll just be me, the cats, bunnies, frog and toad. Some possible severe weather is forecasted. Two years ago when she went out of town for the 4th of July weekend there was a bad storm with power outage. I hope there will NOT be a repeat! What a mess that was. I have more of a storm kit now, and I'm charging my backup power devices etc. I'm not going to buy any food that needs refrigeration; I can get by on what I have rather than lose the $$$ if power fails. Really hoping it won't!!

Good morning!

Tillie I'm happy you got to the store! Good feeling! SubC I love that your mom has you Camp letters! So much fun! Enjoy your week away! I know that feeling with eBay--I went through a heavy & active eBay situation many years ago with Christmas stamps and First Day Covers. Luckily the collection fits in two shoe boxes. Definitely try to find a way to display and figure out what you own. I bet there'll be some surprises! I'm amazed that as you replaced dolls you were able to get rid of the worn versions--good work!!!-I tend to keep the original and the replacement of whatever *it* is. But now I'm in reduce, recycle, donate mode so I've broken that cycle.

I am home today--having some heartburn--new development--will need to see dr.

Have a lot of work to do today plus I have a great deal of mom's laundry to do. Hopefully will find some time for housework--humidity comes back tonight.

Hope all is well, Porter, Anony, CM & others!!!

P.s. I love dollhouses. I have a sturdy little basic one that my great grandfather built my grandmother from scrap boards when she was little and has been played with a lot by many children, it has very basic block like furnishings and the cast of residents has changed often. When my dad was little it was a garage for cars and sometimes a barn or dog house. I used to have a fancy one, but it got smashed in a move, so now I have the pieces in the workshop studio (hoarder thinks she will fix it) and some furniture in a box.

Good morning!

Tillie, your post made me feel really good. I think that is the first time somebody besides my mom has said something nice about my doll collection. And my mom is an incredibly supportive person. She would say something like "you know I don't agree with robbing stores, but you looked really good on the news last night and I was proud of the way you surrendered right away when the police showed up." (Slight exaggeration)

Telling people that you collect dolls as an adult woman tends to get the same kind of response as telling them you have 27 cats. (I have one cat)

Anyway, I have NOT thinned out the doll collection. I know that I need to, but I have been discouraged from working on it by my lack of a display area. I feel like if I could get them all out and set up, it would be easier to make decisions.

This is another reason I should not be shopping. The odds of "buying multiples due to forgetting what you have" syndrome being high. And there are a few that are more common that I look at and think "did I buy that, or just bid on it so many times I feel like I bought it?" Particularly with dolls from the end when the shopping was getting out if hand.

As soon as I get my farm squared away I am heading off to see my mom! I went over everything with the farm sitter last night and she will come back tonight.

It is a 13 hour drive. Mom is a mid level hoarder with a big, beautiful house full of shelves and closets, so she is just a person with a LOT of stuff. I am going to help her do some cleaning out (she is very excited because she found every letter I ever wrote her from 12 summers at camp.) Starting with "hi I am not home sick. It is hot. I like my tent." And ending with the ones where I tell long rambling stories about the campers and explain that I will not be coming home because I am spending the weekend here because I am dating this guy on staff (now dh) and enumerate all of his virtues - those should be funny.

Then we are going to dh parents house on the way home. I am taking some of the magazines so that I can read them in the car and recycle them.

Helloooooo 😀

Hi Subclinical 🙂
WAY TO GO! for having an almost clear kitchen! 😀
Having a collection that you enjoy and will have a way to display is FANTASTIC!
Sounds like you are very careful to stay within a budget.
Hope you are passing along those dolls that don't measure up to the fine standards you are striving for.
I don't really have any collections but I do have a tiny beautiful doll house that I truly enjoy and how excited I get when I find something that's perfect for it. 😉

Hi Porter 🙂
The best way to be a great parent is by helping your child to do all the things they aspire to.
You are doing a fantastic job helping your daughter. (((HUGS)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
So happy you had such a good time out and about. 😀
Have the new lamps inspired you to evaluate the artwork for the living room?

Hi to all you "silent" partners 😉

Went grocery shopping this morning.
Bought enough to last a while.
Was very glad to get back home, the cats were happy to see me too. 😀
I really need to wash the windows.
There are only 3 I can get to inside & out and I can also wash the inside of the bathroom window.
Two windows I can't get to inside or out due to his hoard and the other one has the evaporative cooler in it.
There is also the glass of the storm door to wash.
I have the bucket with all the things needed to do this task sitting here on the floor and plan to attempt this tomorrow morning.
Clean windows always seem to improve my outlook on life. 😀

If she is sending you drawings, she is not just using you. She is working to maintain an important connection.

She is a teenager. They need to know we are there, but they would prefer to treat us like furniture. That is normal and ok, even though it can be hard for the parent.

Keep letting her adjust to the new space in her own way. You will both find your balance.

I did my hard thing. If was not nearly so hard as yours!

It was hard to let some of my possession  go when I moved.

 

To b e honest I would of just  crammed everthing in even if it were cramped if were not for my wife taking stands.

 

yes I'm in a state of normal.  Not minimal ism  just that there mostly  just furniture.  I could  have a dinner party in this House at the drop of hat. And very little clutter in the open.

 

the basement is at capacity.  But is well organized and we'll protected.  Its what took the longest to move as I sorted and reorganized 3 times before taking down to storage.

 

so after 6 months of real daily effort to change from a horder home to a normal home. It is done. And the wide and daughter aren't here to create dilemmas with clutter.

 

 

I spent more time in the art room adding bins and trays for taking art kits and groups of supplies and tools.

 

 

I have turned to a fantasy  for creative outlet.

.... back story

since my daughter was 3 in bathtub playing with bath toys.

I've always encouraged story telling and mapping out where characters in the story could be in reality.   Something I read s took to heart .

 

forward 11 years later.   The story my daughter and I are collaborating on is about  a hero on flying bike.

it's our way of letting my obsessions with things be turned into a fantasy story .

 

a family of five  mom dad, older brother, sister, and younger brother.  

The older brother was a free spirit. And created a flying bike  and t a liked to his sister about being set free in sky and to fly amongst the birds.

 

the setting is that drones have dominated the sky like big brother.  And older brother ventures out into the drone filled skies in defiance.  After a few months of celebrity  attention. He becomes famous, but is killed  by drone attack.

 

the story then turns to sister. Whom then leads a campaign against the establishment dominating the skies..

she forms unlikely alliances with artists and hackers.

 

videos of her are made every time she leads her network to a goal.   there's the struggle of the sister to keep the younger brother from going into all out war against the government.  because the sister knows the older brother was about freedom in the skies and not just being strong vs the those whom control the skies.

 

.....

I'm so very pleased  to be working on this in the art space.

after the last 3 years my daughter has become interested in storyboards. So the graphic novel app is helping me turn my earthen homes ideas and flying bike ideas into a channel .

 

the story about a society so in fear of terrorism that it  can't ascend into a society of flying peoples.  

Her campaign turns to a spirit guide of large  crow. That she flies with.  So one of the comic books were talking about is the crows society and their battles with the drones.

 

when the two meet in the sky  the girl champion  and the bird king .  I start to imagine music videos where the two do some epics things while flying though the air together.

....

I chose the black crows because my daughter is going through a rebellious dark black clothes phase.

 

she sent a me an evil looking scarecrow today.

she's in love with the evil look in her art.  

 

And that's right up my ally with using hand drawn black letter caligraphify. In the caption boxes.

 

we've collaborated on 18 stories over the years.

so i nearly was overcome with emotion when she sent me her work. Because i thought i lost her forever too.

 

So again I feel like a little o u t of place.  my lifesty l e isnt surrounded by clutter and emotional outburst between my wife and I . But this new place where artistry is emerging.

 

My idea long ago was train my daughter to play her own music and make art fofor her I own videos

But tuning  t o wards what she wants.  to be a comic book writer.  I feel that it's not all been wasted.

After all I rarely finnish where I thought i would when start on projects.

 

I know how this will go this weekend.

Shell show up with 3 or four friends around 10pm friday night.

They play some you tube music from their fafavorite bands.

I'll take them all out for midnight waffles.

They'll come back and the art girls will draw all night.

 

I will keep my mouth shut about how feel deeper inside about her leaving.

Shes just using me and her room to stay in close contact with her friends.

I can't be mad at that. I set it up  that way in February

 

Going to sleep nonow.

Goodnight

This is turning out to be a long day.

I had to go out.
I did not stop and save the red rocket swing or the tarp from the trash.
I stopped at the thrift store where I did not find a dress for my son's wedding, but I did find a display case that I thought would be great in my studio. Then I reminded myself that I spent all my spending money and left it.
I did not even climb up and look in the dumpster at the fairgrounds, which pretty obviously had all the left behinds from last weekend's auction in it. (I wanted to so badly!)
I did not rescue the screen doors from the trash to build a screen house around my blueberries (I told myself they probably have lead paint)
And I did not rescue the perfectly good chair from the trash.

And I haven't even done my hard thing for the day yet. I wanted to get it done this morning, but then dh called with a problem for me to solve and derailed my day. Now I am tired.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, I'm glad you have your lamps and they are making you happy. And that the old lamps are going out! I hope that the lamps to serve as a trigger to work on your art. 🙂

Porter, it's a good sign that your daughter is planning to come stay already. If you can leave the door open for her to move easily back and forth I think it will give you both space to grow and strengthen your relationship.

And I think it's awesome that you are creating a space that nurtures you! Having your own life that you can share with your daughter is much healthier for both of you than having your life be about trying to create a particular life for her. You are offering her a lot just by being a safe place she can always come to, and then college - wow. So many parents would like to do that for their kids and can't.

Also hurray for your stools and your washer and your art space! It makes me smile to picture your environment falling together for you!

I almost went to bed with a clean kitchen last night. Not clean:
Four little plants that need to be repotted on the counter
Papers on the kitchen table using one eating space
My "in box" (paper reem box full of stuff I need to handle) on the kitchen stool
Dh lunch box that he brought home from work at 9:30 pm and dropped on the counter.

Not bad I think.

My inbox is all the way full to the top again though. 🙁

Also, I have a new area I need to address. I'm sorry it is long.

I have a doll collection. My grandmother collected dolls and when I was young she also collected them for me and my cousin. She travelled all over the world and always brought us a doll, and also picked out special ones for birthdays, Christmas, sometimes other occasions (like an Easter basket).

After she died a four years ago, the family divided her doll collection. Many of them were sold, but we all had our pick first. There were five my cousin and I both wanted, and because she wanted fewer overall , we agreed that we would take turns picking and she could go first and have three.

Then I went on eBay to try to find the three I didn't get. Which led to me discovering new designers and buying dolls I had never seen before and also replacements in excellent condition for dolls I already had but "loved to death" as a child. At first it was ok because I kept my purchases under $20 and only bought one or two a month, discarding the worn out dolls when I replaced them.

Then I got additional hours at work and the addition was still in the phase we had presaved to pay for. It was a very good time to buy dolls because the prices were low, and I increased my budget and numbers. I discovered "lots" and ended up with dolls I didn't even want thrown in with the ones I did want, but then couldn't part with them. I still didn't spend more than my "discretionary money" but I was spending ALL of it on dolls. No classes, no books, no lunches out, no new clothes...

Then last October I realized that half the dolls I had bought in the last two months were dissapointing and I quit eBay cold turkey. At first it was really hard. I had gotten into a pattern of searching my list of designers every morning with my coffee and each evening before bed. I missed the thrill of the hunt. But eventually it got easy.

Currently the collection is mostly packed away because the majority of it was on a long shelf along one wall in the basement. When we built the addition, we replaced the hvac and the new unit divides the wall in a way that doesn't allow the shelf to go back. I look forward to one day having the dolls back on display, and meanwhile have a small shelf in each guest room.

In the last couple of weeks I started looking at dolls on eBay again. Generally the prices are much higher now and I have not been tempted and have been feeling that maybe that window when I was buying so many was just the right time for that. But this morning, I found a doll that I wanted when I was buying.

I do not have any dolls by this designer, because even when I was buying the prices were too high. But when I looked at her dolls, I had two thoughts "the one I would really want by her is this little boy, or maybe the girl version of the same doll" and "if I ever see one under x price, I'm buying it." The doll was actually listed without the designer's name, which I am guessing is why no one else had bought it - it showed up in "other listings" when I searched the seller from one of her listings. It was my boy doll, and with shipping, it was 30% under my x price. Less than half what they were selling for when prices were "low". So I bought it.

My budget has become more limited with the progress of the addition, and I am now completely out of spending money until fair week July 17 (I set aside $25 for fair and I will have premiums afterwards - the doll collection always wins me premiums 🙂 )

I am posting about this here because I need to be kept honest and accountable by people who won't simply say "you should never buy another doll. You already have far too many." (like my family because they don't understand why my collection makes me happy) but will also be honest and gently warn me if I start to have a problem again. I am hoping that is you guys.

I am still announcing everything I acquire here. So I hope you can see how I am doing. I will do a June summary for feedback in July if that is ok.

Hello everybody! Good to catch up! Full day--we picked up the lamps and they are beautiful. They look fantastic in the bedroom--large, which is fine because I have high ceilings. I'll have to rearrange the art that is above the tables they are on. Hopefully arranging the art in bedroom will motivate me SubC to do something with the art in the living room.

After getting the lamps from the auction house with BF Then I took mom to the museum and we had lunch and we went to a stunning exhibit. Afterward I did her groceriy shopping then we stopped by BF's work to say hello. Then I met a friend for dinner. Insanely busy and so much fun. Doing a quick laundry now.

Heading into work tomorrow--

Good to hear of your progress Porter and that you are in communication with your daughter. Very pleased to hear that. . Tillie, hard to believe that 99F is something to cheer about! SubC you are doing great! You'll get the completely clean kitchen! You will get there!

I have the new lamps in bedroom and have the two outgoing ines ready and waiting to leave. BF wants them-he will likely re-sell, so I won't be taking to consignment shop. I'll let him take them instead. He wants to pay me which is ridiculous and will be a fight. I just want them out.

I was in the upstairs art and music room.
I did some good work there making the wasted spaces useful.
I after a disagreement with wive about extra kitchen cabinets . Moved the cabinets upstairs. Includes 8 feet of counter with 12 drawers and 1 wide open cabinet. With upper cabinets that match. I moved the cabinets 1 foot from the wall and made an area for large objects behind it.
but at the counter level. I cut foamcore into shelving so all the paper is now organizes as well as some of the drawing manuals. This includes the air brush machine.

I realized something.
I was giving my daughter most of the things I always wanted for myself. . I guess that can be my self discovery for the day.
I called a friend of mines mother wanter to get rid of some dinning room chairs. I got them and bartered them for a pair of bar stools that fit my art craft counter. Perfectly.

Also I've been working on graphic novel app.
so that I can better communicate what im working on .
so anyone intrested can see images of what I'm talking about..

my daughr er just textedvme b if she could have a sleepover.
so of course I said ok.
today was laundry day. And I did it all without waiting around for it. Thanks to the previous tenant leaving a functional washer.

Hi Tillie!

I hope you get some food soon!

I did not go to bed with a clean kitchen last night, but I keep getting closer. Maybe tonight?

I started my next class session today, and I did two of my hard things. Neither one was as hard as it had become in my head. I will do a third hard thing tomorrow, and then hopefully everything else can wait a week while I bounce around family gatherings.

No ins or outs today, but my class seems likely to result in me creating a bunch of useful ins. I think that is ok. I just need to keep up with the studio.