OH Tatoulia
That is upsetting and frustrating.
Hope those evil numbers settled down and all lined up perfectly for you.

Well, he only took about one third of a truck load to the dump.
Then he was gone for hours, shopping.

Played with my dollhouse today.
It was enjoyable.
Washed some laundry this evening and have it ready to hang out in the morning.

Another hard day where my numbers aren't making sense. I am making such a mess of my spreadsheets. I'm upset.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
Your home sounds so lovely.
Good luck with your continued eating properly plans.
I'm sure the extra holiday weight will quickly melt away.

Hoping Steven will continue filling the truck with trash today.
Be nice if he has a full load before he takes it to the dump.

I'm running low on food, need fresh fruits & veggies.
But as usual, I don't want to go to the store.
Maybe tomorrow?
Have a bag with two things to donate and will drop that off when/if I go.

Have my doll house on the kitchen counter.
Want to play with it and do a little more decorating home improvement things.

Been monitoring the weather and tomorrow should be a nice day to hang out laundry.
So tonight I will get it all washed and ready to hang out when the sun is up.

Good morning! Just made a second pot of coffee and am running the dishwasher. I think the work has started downstairs.

Had a long day yesterday. But I walked to and from work so that was good. Having dinner with friends tonight. I need to plan carefully and before I get to restaurant in order to avoid overeating. I put on four pounds during the holidays and thankfully am heading back into the right direction.

Working from home. House is nice and clean and it appears to be beautiful and sunny.

After fifth grade ended, I put my school bag in the garage and a mouse made a nest in it! The mouse was there! Very cute.

I'm glad you were able to have a talk with Steven. I'm very impressed that you were able to get some answers. I do hope he gets to the dump.

SubC stay strong on the low table. It is helping you work and it is making your life easier.

Going to bed. Long day at office.

A little bit of positive news to tell...

Today Steven was removing some stuff from his truck
then he has been putting bags of trash from the garage into the truck.
He moves very slowly but something is so much better than nothing.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Starting with the bathroom is a really good place.
Bathrooms are small and you can get the most satisfaction quickly.

That low desk table sounds perfect for you.
Right size, a drawer, light enough for you to move it where you want it...
I totally understand your feelings about those stereo wires draped about and the other eyesores.

It is kinda cute all the tiny places mice will build their nests.

Another dark cloudy morning but the big storm is supposed to be over except for a few scattered snow/rain showers.
Having finally gotten him to talk about the financial issues and garbage disposal plan now I sit and wait for him to actaully do things.

Then when/if that gets done I want him to do something about him always having to park behind the car blocking me in because three of the derelict vehicles are taking up all the other parking spots out there.

The carport roof is still hanging on at the left and right sides where it's still attached to support posts but the center is now only five feet above the ground.
So, I used to want to have him clean out the carport hoard so I could park the car under there but I have changed my mind. ;p lol

Tillie, I am glad you got your answers. I'm sorry it's so hard.

We had another conversation about my "desk" this morning. He still does not like it.

I held firm that I deserve a functional place to work. I pointed out many functional aspects of this room that I do not find aesthetically pleasing (the giant orange guitar amp, the old heavy iron music stand with pealing spray paint salvaged from a high school, the stereo wires running out in the open...)

I restated that it does not have to be this table - it has to be the same height, with a hard, durable surface, it has to be at least close to the same size, I have to be able to tuck my knees under it, it has to be light enough for me to move to where I want to work - (currently with my back to the woodstove), and it would be nice if it had a drawer (this one does) for scissors, tape, notepaper, pens and pencils, and a few folders.

I will be moving the table back to it's previous despised location in the den before I go to work today. (Moving the table around also ensures that it will not collect clutter - it is light enough for me to move with a few things in the drawer, but I cannot carry it flat and balanced enough even to keep one book on it.)

The mouse didn't actually chew the wood - it collected grass and leaves from the tractor (the deck is always dirty) and made a nice little home. Unfortunately, it did not remember to go outside to potty - so easy decision there. I did salvage my bin - dumped it, rinsed it off, and filled it with soapy water and bleach to soak. BUT I clearly cannot put an open bin back in the studio, because it is too inviting for mouses.

Tatoulia, nice job on the laundry and continuing to clear out! I am glad your cleaning fairies have you all sparkly again.

I have 12 more weeks of trash service, and I am thinking about deep cleaning one room a week. The worst room, not counting the basement, is our bathroom. So I should do it first.

Subclinical
With this "NEW" desk system set up he will soon see how well this is working out for you and that the low desk is empty & tidy except when you are busy working at it.

Make sure it never becomes a clutter fixture
just to show him he's wrong 😉 LOL

Japanese people understand the value of a low table.

Happy the mouse didn't shred more than scrap wood.

Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!! for a clean home!
WTG! getting more laundry done!

I did finally get him to listen to what I was saying rather than just screaming out all his lame excuses for things that I was not even talking about.
It took quite a long time of me repeatedly saying "I'm not talking about that, listen to me."
Anyways, the car insurance payment is straightened out.
He had still been paying insurance on those derelict vehicles.
Now it's just my car & his truck.
He agreed that the truck should be emptied of his mobile hoard and filled with garbage and taken to the dump.
He said when he straightens out the online payment problems he's having with the bank's new system he will let me have all the info so I can monitor & handle the payments too.
He also answered my questions as to just what automatic payments are on the credit card.

These were my main questions and worries right now and he finally listened to me and answered my questions.

Hello, hello! SubC keep up the good work! You are doing a great job getting your paperwork done. You reminded me of something I had long forgotten. When I was in grad school, I used to sit on the floor and do all of my outlining on my then- coffee table. All of my outlining and I used the same mechanical pencil the entire four years. I never used my then-dining room table and I didn't have my mother's desk that I have now. And no one had personal computers.

Keep up the good work, SubC! You are doing a great job! (You need a pep talk, I'm here with the pep talk!)

Motown so glad to hear from you! I did check out that blog, now I've forgotten who suggested it, and I read the one about the soy sauce and boy that stopped me in my tracks. All I have to do is remember the terrible feeling of wasted money on excess stuff and I should be able to avoid buying stuff. Esp sale stuff.

Tillie I wish you could even have a conversation with him. This is a terrible time and I'm sending you strength.

Cleaning ladies did a great job. I gave them two pair of jeans and two tops, one still had the tags on it. I decided I wasn't going to wear it. So that's that.

Glad to have my house so clean. I got two loads of laundry done today. I am grateful to be on the right path and to have friends like you to keep me honest.

Oh my, I popped back and saw your other post and apparently stuck the mouse line in the middle of my thought.

Way to go Motown!

Three cheers for closet floors and bathroom countertops!

Do you clean while you watch cleaning shows? A lot of times I will put them on while i'm doing dishes or putting away laundry or sorting things out. Maybe they will help you get your bedroom all in order!

Tillie. I got dinner ready and I greated dh at the door with my argument for my desk. He is not convinced, but he is thinking about it.

I sorted through my basket and the extra pile on the shelf and the extra pile on the scullery counter and the box of stuff I just tossed into a box on the last day of school when I was sick, and my teacher bag and library/other books pile. I got a lot done with my new "desk" but there is still a pile of books and a big messy pile of grading to do on it, and he says his objection is that there will always be piles of things on it.

The mouse nest was in the studio barn in the bottom of a bin full of wood scraps "for crafts" now they are in the trash can.

But there won't. I pile things on my actual desk in the basement because I don't actually USE it for a desk. I just use it for a storing and stacking zone. My little table desk can't be used for storage, because I need to work on it. But I will have to show him.

Also, all these piles and more were on shelves and the couch in this room when he left for work this morning.

Also Subclinical
I meant to say
WAY TO GO!!!
for all that clearing you did out there.
Really hope the mice are not chewing up anything precious to make their nests.

Been dark out all day.
Haven't done anything even though I've been doing stuff all day.
Really want to discuss finances and car insurance and online banking and what we should do about the garbage with him but he is so mean and nasty even if I ask a simple question.

Hi Ya'll

Hi Subclinical
Since you prefer to use a low table for your "homework" STOP thinking it as a coffee table.
It is YOUR desk where you do all your desk type things.
I too prefer to sit at and work from the low "coffee table".
It works best for my back and the way I organize things around me to work with.

Set that low table where it is best for your work.
Best light, no cold drafts, the right atmosphere.

Tell your DH it is NOT a coffee table
it is YOUR desk.

Where is the mouse nest???
Good luck and best wishes exterminating.

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for tasty cakes!
Good luck with the laundry.
Happy cleaning Fairy day. 😉

Hi Motown
I love seeing before & after pictures too.
WAY TO GO! for every single thing you have gotten done! 😀

SubC I have read Dana White's blog for several years now and she is hilarious and SO relatable with her "slob-vision". I can't say that it has actually helped me in my efforts that much but it has certainly been entertaining and makes me feel like I am not the only one with similar issues.
I have missed you all and have only had time to read just the most recent few posts. Tillie I am so sorry all this is happening in your life. Uplifting thoughts and prayers directed your way.
This is a very short post just popping into say Hi and that I have missed you all.
I have done a little around in my house over the last couple weeks. Found out that my closet has a floor and my bathroom has a countertop! Also cleared and cleaned out one corner in my bedroom enough to access the television and hook up a dvd player and a Roku (to make it kinda like a smart tv) so I can get Netflix in there too. So now I am binge watching Tidying Up by Marie Kondo just as inspiration. I don't do it her way but just seeing befores and afters helps me.
Gotta run as my work day is coming to a close. Didn't accomplish near as much as I had hoped for this Monday but there's always tomorrow.

Take care y'all!

Tatoulia, I bet the little buddy cakes were yummy no matter how they looked.

I'm glad your cleaning fairies are coming today. Did you get your wash in?

Tillie, I am sorry for no pretty snow, but any moisture us good there, right? (Unlike my poor soggy yard)

I think your way and the blogger's way are much better for me.

Right now I need a pep talk. I need to do my grading, but I don't like working at desks or tables. I like to sit on the floor. What I really like is to sit at a coffee table and tuck my knees under it. Dh hates coffee tables, and ours was given to ds years ago. Then he moved to another street and it was returned to us and stored in the studio barn.

I have decided that I deserve to have a functional place to work even if it is not "normal". Dh and I can work out a compromise, but for now, it is going to be the coffee table.

So, I wasn't sure how long I could face the studio barn, and I decided I would just work until I dug out the coffee table (which I could see part of) and then wash it off, bring it into the house, and do my grading.

I have worked over two hours. The back of my car is full of recycling, and I filled two trash cans. I came back for a glass of water, a banana, and some nuts to keep my stamina up, but I could use some cheering.

I also got very discouraged because I found a mouse nest. So now I need to set some mouse traps.

"All" that is left to do to get the table is to clean off the 1/12 scale 3 story toy tree fort and bring it back to the basement, and to clear a single layer off the table and wash it.

Good morning everyone! So good that you are better, SubC. My goodness you had a productive morning!

We took the single layer cake to our neighbor last night. It came out really cute. I gave the less cute bundt cakes to BF, who ate one and gave the rest to his employees.

Cold here today. Waiting for my cleaning fairies. Would love to sneak in one more washing today.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
So happy you are feeling better!
WTG! all you did before 9:00am!!!

There are many different ways to declutter and tidy and get organized.
Nice thing is we can all pick and choose which methods work best for us.

I only use a bag for trash and one for donate and just put away "keepers" as soon as I decide it's a keeper.
Undecided as to where it goes I put it in/near the location where it should (?) go.
If I am going into town and only have one item to donate I take it and donate it.

I only pull everything out to sort & clean when it's a small area, like one drawer or one shelf at a time.
To pull out ALL clothing shoes & accessories like Marie Kondo method would drive me completely insane.
I much prefer to pull out all my socks then put them back before I pull out another category.
Honestly, I have personally seen when people have pulled everything out thinking they would get sorted and just get so overwhelmed they just walked away and never dealt with it, just re-stuffed it away out of sight later.

Anyways...
since we are all special and unique individuals
we need to evaluate all different methods and find the ones that best suit our needs and lifestyles. 🙂

By the time the storm reached here it was rain with a little snow mixed in so no snow covered landscape for me.

I am finally better. Still a trace of a cough, but I got up this morning, did yoga with dh, made his breakfast, packed his lunch, cleaned up the kitchen, did chores (including moving another wheelbarrow of wet cement mud and finding ten things that could either go in the trash or be otherwise removed from my barn), started a load of laundry, and realized it wasn't even 9:00.

Now I am making myself a nice cup of tea, after which I will go out to the studio barn and spend some time working on thing removal and organization.

I started reading a blog called "a slob comes clean" I like a lot of things about her approach. One thing she talks about is how the whole "pull everything out" method doesn't work for her - it just overwhelms her, and how the standard "sorting" and then cleaning up when you are done also doesn't work for her, because you are "done" but then you have all these piles.

I can identify with both of those things. The only "sorting" containers she uses are a trash can and a donate box. Everything else, she picks up once and puts exactly where it goes. This is a lot slower, because you are running all over your house, but when you are "done" you just put the donate box back in it's location - or in your car if it is full, put the trash can back where it goes (take the trash out if it is full) and you are actually done.

Also, at this point in my life i'm pretty sure spending 20 minutes wandering all over my house putting things away is better for me than spending twenty minutes sitting still sorting through a cupboard, box, or pile.

Although, there are still a lot of things that don't have a place to go, but I could just designate an area in my basement called "things that don't have a place to go" and then at a future date determine if they are important and if so make them a place.

She says that when deciding where to put something, she asks herself "if I were looking for one if these, where would I look?"

Hi Tatoulia
Sorry the bundt cakes didn't turn out.
I never made glaze before just butter cream or cream cheese icings.
My favorite is when something has a crumb topping.

Very happy the steel wool is working and the book is not needed.

Good luck squeezing in laundry loads before the construction begins.
Hope it doesn't go on longer than anticipated.

YEA!!! for cleaning fairies!!! 😀

SubC that's a great combination! And that poor dear pregnant goat. You are so wonderful. You've done a lot and stop feeling like a slug. I thought you did a lot, esp while battling the cold!

I just finished decorating the cakes. The big one is cute. The mini bundts are pathetic. I just called the neighbor to say we have a card for him and we'll be over about nine. He was pretty excited. I do love him so. I could listen to him all day. He moved to Boston from the South in the 50s and boston wasn't integrated by anyone's measure and he tells me about the buildings that were whites only and I find him so fascinating. He could talk all day and I don't get tired of him at all. When I called him we talked for about ten minutes before I got to the part where we have a card for him.

Tillie my love I don't mean to put you last. The steel wool seems to be doing its job. I don't have the book there anymore.

Cleaner says she's coming at 2 tmr. I do prefer being first but such is life. I may run errands after she gets here.

I don't know the start date for our construction and I'm hoping to do two quick laundry loads tmr. I'm running dishwasher now as I used so many pots and pans while trying (and failing) to make a chocolate glaze then making buttercream for the single layer cake.

Hi Subclinical

No snow yet but the afternoon got to looking like it will.

Great combining goat time with barn sorting out.
Nice thing too is it is only a 10 minute challenge so it will not be overwhelming.
It is amazing how much visible progress can be made in just a few minutes.

You have NOT been a slug all week.
You have taken care of necessary things along with recovering from that nasty lingering virus.
So there ;p

Got my cookies all baked, wrapped & stowed away.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Made some dinner then cleaned the kitchen again.
That's it.
All I did today.
It was a good day.

Any snow yet Tillie?

Dd really didn't have that much to do. I identified a small amount of stuff that could be tossed out, and let her know that I do want the buckets of glaze she decides not to keep. Took about ten minutes. Then we hung out for another two hours while the guys worked.

Now dh is cooking dinner.

I feel like I have been such a slug the whole break.

I did have a "adding task to existing task" I meant to tell you guys about and forgot.

One of the goats is dried off because she's too far along in her pregnancy. But, because she's pregnant, she still gets extra grain, so for about ten minutes each morning, she is taking up the milking stand while I wait. I could use that time to fill water buckets or feed the rabbit or whatever to shorten total chore time, but instead, I have been using it to clean up in the barn. I'm starting near the door where most of the stuff has gotten "stashed" and asking my questions. I have an empty feed bag for trash. The things I am keeping, I am also asking myself if there is anywhere they could go besides in the barn, because it seems like everything in the barn ends up dirty and damp at some point. The roof leaks in spots, and the floor is dirt, and sometimes water actually rises up and covers parts of the floor, and during the day the big doors on the ends are usually open for ventillation, and mice, and free range chickens.....

I'm not sure I can manage five cans this week - i'm not really going to get started until tomorrow, and I still have papers to grade and lesson plans to do, and I go back to work on Tuesday. I thought I would get to start Friday afternoon. But I will try.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
Let us know which cake/cakes turned out the cutest.
WTG! with the exercises! Nice that the down stair neighbor travels a lot.
How is the steel wool/heavy book mouse hole cover working?

Hi CriticalMass
If we ever get our hands on a Tardis I want us all to travel the Whoniverse together rather than declutter. ;D
I completely understand others not respecting our lifestyles, space and time.
So many times I have been told "well, you're not doing anything" and they think I should do whatever they want me to do when I'm actually very busy doing my own thing.
Happy the Barbie clothes turned out good and now you can enjoy making outfits to suit your own creative tastes.

Hi Subclinical
Yes, get that recycling bin and stuff it full every week! 😀
DD's Great Uncle is a wonderful and loving person taking care of those he loves. (((HUG)))

Pretty good snow storm in the mountains but it's not coming down this way, yet.
Yesterday I stirred up a batch of chocolate chip pecan cookies but did not bake them.
My plan today is to bake them.
Most will be wrapped up and put in the freezer for future needs.
When I want a cookie I really don't want to resort to store bought ones.

Hi again Tatoulia
Have a wonderful day out with Mom and the Bundt cakes sound lovely 🙂

CM! WTG on finishing the Barbie clothes! I know what you mean about time-when I first started working at home, people would see it as my being "off work" that day. It drove my brother so nuts that I told him I no longer worked from home.

SubC your uncle sounds like a wise, compassionate person. I can only pray that I have that sort of grace when needed.

I was up late last night and here it is, almost noon and I'm having my first cup of coffee.

I will take mom out in a little while. I'm about to make chocolate glaze for the little bundt cakes. They are adorable. I will decorate with sprinkles rather than making a full buttercream and practicing my piping.

Hoping to get more done around the house today. Clutter issues. Cleaners come tmr, thank goodness.

Hi CM!
So glad the Barbie clothes are out of the way! Now, no more commissions! I never work on commission except for family. They know they get what they get or sometimes it doesn't work.

Tatoulia, the cake is a very sweet idea. How did it come out?

Tillie, i'm Glad talking to us helps you. I just wish we could help more.

My trash did finally get picked up, very late. I think it was just the holiday schedule and people having lots of extra trash this time of year. But I still have to call them because they forgot to leave me a recycling bin. It's not a big deal because it isn't going to hold all my recycling anyway, but I'm required to rent it for $1 a month, so I might as well have it and use it.

We had a really good time last night, but I didn't get to bed until almost midnight. Now I have slept late and need to get busy soon because dh made plans for us to go to dd1's house this afternoon. He is going to help dsil with some wiring, and I am going to help dd sort through some pottery equipment and supplies her great uncle gave her. He is at the end of his life, which is breaking my heart, and he is working on distributing things where he wants them to go so that his wife and daughters won't have as much to deal with (actually dh is his executor, because uncle didn't want his death to cause strife between his daughters and wife who is not their mother and he knows that dh is sensible, puts people over things, and loves all three.)

Anyway, he was a fairly good amateur potter and dd and I are the only ones who do much and my equipment is better - so he handed his on to her so she can set up a space to work in her basement instead of paying studio fees or driving out here.

...short story long, I'll let you know what I get done today.

Hi all - and belated Happy New Year.

I had thought I would post on New Year's Eve or Day, but my time got fragmented by this and that. I finished the Barbie clothes and got them to the gal and she liked them.

Keep on getting over those colds, Tillie and SubC! Hate it when they drag out.

I like the idea of pairing a second task with an established task. Want to brainstorm what things I do that would make workable pairings.

My room is still pretty bad. I even showed it to a friend of mine who also struggles with clutter. She and I have had our moments where I don't think she gets it that my intellectual and creative life, along with my bunnies, are my way of expressing my maternal side and using the best gifts God has given me. People with children and grandchildren often see long term single people as being okay to interrupt with trivial phone calls, etc.

This is a generalization, and so contains an error factor. But I do need to retrain a few people whom I've been more available to in the past; I still love them and we will have our chances to get together and whatnot, but when I have told someone repeatedly how much I've got going on and they forget by the next day, I get a little frustrated. I'm working on being tactful in how I communicate this when it happens, but I won't hesitate to take stronger measures such as voicemail!

Tillie, I wish the Doctor could get us all in the Tardis and bring us to help you. Maybe also drop off some of the hoard into a black hole on the return trip!

I have repetitive dreams about places full of "stuff" as I've probably mentioned in other posts. I get so sick of them. I can only imagine how much more intense and anxiety ridden your dreams must be.

I understand your worries, Tillie. I am sorry they keep you up at night. I'm pretty experienced in worrying too. I do hope that voicing them helps you. I know it helps me.

SubC what a disappointment regarding your trash service. I'm sure it is as Tillie described. I'll worry a bit bit I know that they will get someone out there.

I ran errands for my overseas friend today. It was pouring rain but I did okay driving; probably because I was alone and not having to worry about my mother.

I am baking a cake for my 85 year old neighbor?the one whose state ID we renewed in December. We will take to him tomorrow. I am making a single layer round cake and six mini-bundt cakes. Whichever comes out cutest will be for him. BF did not want me making him a full two layer cake in case he eats it all by himself. He has already arranged for someone to bring him a cake to bingo on Tuesday. I will bake tonight and frost tomorrow.

Got no walking in whatsoever so I did an exercise walking class on the television. It was surprisingly vigorous yet claims to be for the over 55 crowd. I think because it incorporates a lot of arm movements. Anyway I enjoyed it. My downstairs neighbor travels a lot so I'll be able to do this activity maybe on the days I work from home.

Hi Subclinical
Yeah, that was a hard autocorrect to figure out
But I thought it was supposed to be exhausting.
LOL 😀

Oh My! that drainage project sounds perfectly awful.

I'm worrying that since this is your first scheduled trash pick up, the driver has forgotten to include you.
Make a call to the office and let them know and most always they will send a truck out right away to rectify the problem.

Having the right firing stilts is important.
Sure, others would work but the results might not be what you're after.
Sounds like a great compromise with DH buying them and you decluttering a few things out there.

Nathan would want to help me declutter but he is now living far away and also has his own life to take care of.
Nate is my "adopted" son who would do anything for me but I never want to take advantage of him in any way.
The main reason why I would want this place totally decluttered is because I will be giving him everything when I die.
He doesn't need or want to inherit a hoard especially since he himself is the child of a hoarder mother who he has not talked to since he turned 18 and got out of her house.

"Talking" writing about these worries on my mind is helping to calm my inner chaos.
Sometimes just getting it out there is good therapy.

Hi tilllie!

I don't know how "exhausting" became "e gay sting"

I'm sorry you couldn't sleep.

We will find a way to help you. Maybe we will enlist Cory and all come to meet you and be on tv.

My trash STILL isn't picked up. I am very annoyed.

I filled one wheelbarrow working on drainage. It was only a tiny improvement, but it was enough for now. The "dirt" is very wet and heavy - almost like cake batter. Or wet cement. I pushed the wheelbarrow aside in the barn so it can dry a little before I have to push it any further.

I went out to my studio and filled and labeled just a few drawers. I found the container for my favorite low fire firing stilts, and it turns out I can order a pack of 72 for $45 (including shipping). That is a little expensive, but I am extremely fond of them, and they take up so little storage space. Maybe I can get dh to buy them for me if I agree to give up some other things I have out there that I use less.

Dh and I have semi-separate finances - he makes a lot more money than I do and pays for all my day to day necessities - food, electric, water, gas etc. along with the property tax bill, my car insurance, medical, and usually essential clothing (if I have to buy it new, in a regular store for work or a special event). I contribute to the mortgage, cover all the farm related expenses except property taxes, and bought my own car (almost paid off). My "disposable income" - for shopping, classes, and non-date activities (he bought the tickets for tonight) is whatever is left of my income after my expenses.