I woke up later than usual and tired. The cats had already bombarded me for quite awhile and must have given up. Now I'm up and I see it is raining. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Good Morning,

My room currently looks a bit more cluttered than in my "before" picture, since I've been going through boxes, but I'd like to think that it's something I can put back to normal without too much effort. This is a busy weekend, but I'll try to make time for it.

I'm currently working out logistics for Friday. If I get up early, I can pick up some bread, retrieve the glasses that I left behind on Saturday, stop at the storage unit, and maybe get the unforwarded mail from my ex-housemate, before going to the event where I'll be demoing some games.

Hi 🙂

This morning I wrote a nice long post, saying all the things that I wanted to say.
Before I was finished and posted, my computer "blinked" and it all vanished.
Was so upset because I didn't have time to rewrite it all, was busy doing other stuff. 🙁

Anyways...
WAY TO GO!!!
everybody for all you have done and are planning to do.
Make sure to be kind and loving to yourselves. 🙂

Hi, all!

Barb: Glad you were able to get so much done yesterday and that you are treating yourself to a pedicure and manicure. (I've never had either one, myself.) I really hope you enjoy your upcoming trip. I read the post you were talking about. I have lots of comments (positive ones), but I'll save them for another time.

Dianne: It's so great that you and your daughter are able to work well together!

Me: I got my morning goals done. On-going bad weather in the area has caused a shift in my plans for the evening. Goals for the rest of the day: Add to my gratitude list, work at least ten more minutes in the BIT book, get my laundry ready to take to the Laundromat to dry (whether I dry it tonight or early tomorrow), and make sure the trash gets put out.

Have a good evening, everybody.

Hi everybody,

We both came home very relaxed and the plan is to keep activities more balanced. We're so grateful that there are two of us on the same page and that we work together so well. I couldn't have a more wonderful daughter. 🙂

Good morning, all!
Yesterday was a very productive day working outside. i did not stick to my 1 hour schedule but stayed with it until the back was done. I am not sorry that I rethought my plans. The vines were getting out of hand and would have been completely unmanageable if I had waited until I got back from vacation.
i was very tired and sore when I came in, however, and just did maintenance tasks that evening.
Today I need to take a shower and go down to the county courthouse. I got my property tax statement and there are some errors on it. Taxes will be due while I am on vacation, so i need to take care of this today.
i am also going to get a manicure and pedicure. I have never had a pedicure before and usually do my own nails. But i would like for them to look nice on my trip. I really did a number on my hands and finger nails pulling out those vines yesterday.
Have a great day, whatever you choose to do.

Good morning, all. The weather here is such that I will need to curtail outdoor work, at least for part of the day. I'm going to set my goals a few hours at a time. Here are goals for the morning:

Work on dishes, buy groceries, spend ten minutes on paperwork, spend five minutes working in the BIT book.

Hugs.

Roxie: Cool that you know some Urdu. Thanks for the info about the youtube video info on the saw. I tried finding videos that week when I'd disassembled the saw and couldn't get it reassembled; I think I just don't know how to do good youtube searches yet, because I was having trouble finding any video that would help me with it.

Barb: I relate to the mail-in-the-car issue. On the topic of making ourselves stop a task, I tried today to give myself a reward for stopping a task within a reasonable period of time. I think that may be a good technique to help me with that issue.

Tillie: Thanks for the Frost link. I looked at a couple of those videos today.

Vi: Glad you made so much progress!

Hugs to all.

Hi, again, all. I have read your posts and plan to comment later, but first I want to post a follow up on my plans for today.

I did everything on my list of goals I that posted this morning. I think I worked longer than an hour on that yard. (My saw was very helpful, Roxie. I had had problems getting it to work right the past few days and thought I needed to replace the chain, but I found out I was just using a weak battery. I'm really glad to have it up and running again.) One important thing I got done was to set up a routine doctor's appointment. I've been putting off setting that up, so I'm glad this morning that I got that done.

I've said before that I am at the point in the BIT book where you take "before" pictures of your stuff. I thought that that would be easy for me. I'd started taking pictures of some smaller, "easy" rooms (like my bathrooms, which aren't all that cluttered, relatively speaking). Today I started taking pictures of my living room. Five minutes into that, I was getting bummed out, because at the moment it is one of my most cluttered areas. I'm still not finished with the pictures of that room. I decided to go to some of the areas of my place that are less cluttered and do some of my picture taking there, to remind myself that not everything in my place is in shambles. Over the next day or so, I can pick up where I left off with the living room picture-taking.

When I get bummed, I need to remind myself that I am moving forward.

Have a great evening, everyone.

Yesterday I cleaned my bedroom from top to bottom in an effort to give my SO back part of the house. it took hours but i actually finished it. I realised the reason he can't see my progress is because if it isn't finished it doesn't look like anything to him. today I'm going to work on the den so he has a proper workspace. I'll be posting before and after pics once it's finished over on Candy's before and after thread.

Dr. Randy Frost on youtube

I posted a new entry on How to Help a Hoarder, How to talk with a counselor about hoarding. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Good morning, all!
What a great discussion we had last night! I wish I could have hung in a little longer but it was after midnight here, I had gotten up early, and I just couldn't stay awake any longer.
Today:
1. One hour of outside yardwork. One hour only! (I'll have to set the timer. It is really gorgeous out today and the temptation will be to keep finding more outdoor projects to finish.) I need to tear out some vines, finish trimming, and fix the fence on the south side.
2. Clean out the car. My mailbox is at the end of the driveway and I tend to just throw mail on the front seat when I go somewhere. The important stuff goes in the house when I return, but the junk mail has accumulated. I also have two Christmas presents in there that I don't want to keep.
3. Continue decluttering the entry and living room. Tomorrow is trash day and the toter will hold three more contractor bags.
4. Talk to my neighbor about picking up the mail and mowing for me while I am gone.
Have a great day all!

Urdu, not the other typo. lol

Morning all. I managed yesterday to remove my cast (I had to consult with youtube to figure out how), bathe, shampoo and get the cast back on.

Cheers to all.

Good morning, everybody!

Karl: Great on getting all that accomplished. By the way, I appreciate your commitment to the chats and the role you play in facilitating them. Super!

Me: I did get my goals done for yesterday. I realized after getting to my work spot that my weed issue is worse than I thought. I also spy poison ivy (or at least that is what I think it is) in that area, so I'm having to take extra precautions as I work there. I didn't get finished with the work, but I got a decent start.

Goals for today: Get laundry that I did last night dried and put away. Spend fifteen minutes (at least) working in the BIT book. Spend ten minutes on paperwork. Review my plan for the week I worked on Sunday. Make a business phone call related to insurance. Spend at least an hour working on weeds and/or yard debris, and do what I can to stay away from the poison ivy! Also, add to my gratitude list.

Hugs to all.

All four errands completed! Now I'll relax some before the chat session starts in an hour.

Karl: Way to go on the insurance forms! And cool idea for keeping the blank pieces of paper handy.

Roxie: Thanks for satisfying my curiosity about the saw. That's exactly what I have, and I love it. I have that, the weed whacker, and a hedge trimmer, and they all work really well for me. Yes, you might need to heal a bit more before you can use them as much as you want, but I'll bet you'll really like them when you're able to make full use of them. (No, B&D isn't paying me to say that. Ha.) By the way, when I posted a few weeks ago (April 11 or so) about getting a wire caught in a tool, that's what it was: it got caught up in that saw. (Glad to have it back up in running order again.) Hope your appointment goes/went well.

Dianne: Hope your "cat free" time goes well.

Tillie: Hope you have fun playing today!

Me: I did (eventually) get a decent amount of sleep last night. I'm pleased that even with all the outside work yesterday and with the high pollen count here, I'm still headache free at this point. (Yea!)

Goals for the rest of today: Add to my gratitude list, and (with sunscreen on) go attack some overgrown weeds and work on cleaning some yard debris. I also need to run the dishwasher. I will probably post more later.

Hugs to all.

Good morning 🙂

Hi Violet 🙂
So great you are getting support and understanding from Ax. 😀
WAY TO GO! for all you are doing!

Hi LR2014 🙂
Yes, Barb's list of rules is for everybody who wants to maintain the home and keep it from getting out of hand.
FANTASTIC work you have been doing working through BIT! 😀

Hi Karl 🙂
YEA! for working on those insurance papers! 😀
WTG! developing new systems for the scrap paper clutter.
Your plans for today are great! 😉
Last Saturday the grocery store here was all out of Esater candy, all gone. Good that I got mine when I did.

Hi Roxie 🙂
Ever since I first saw that alligator saw, I have wanted one.
But my hands and arms probably wouldn't be able to work it, too weak & wimpy.
This is "the spouse of a hoarder website".
The only place I have found that allows non clutterers to participate fully.
Good luck with that new doctor today. 🙂

Hi Dianne 🙂
You had me smiling and laughing with the tale of your day with the kittens. 😀
Pets do take up a lot of our time, but only if we are doing it right.
Those fur babies are so fortunate to have you loving them. (((HUGS)))

Dark, cold and rainy day here.
The cats are all fussy and keep telling me to bring back the sun beams, like I can control the weather.
I am all caught up with the laundry & dishes. The house was cleaned yesterday.
Except for the usual daily stuff, I have the whole day off. 🙂
Planning to play all day!
Hope you all have a fun day too 🙂

I'm headed back to the beach today to pick up Laura. Dogs are coming back on Thursday.

Morning, all. LR, the chain saw I got is a Black & Decker Alligator Lopper chain saw that is 18v cordless. I got more batteries, actually, with a couple other tools I bought before, including my new weed whacker. I have about an acre of property so it's too big for extension cords, and those get me all tangled up, anyway. I figure that I and the batteries will fade about the same time, so that is a win-win. hehe Don't know if I can use it yet since you have to have some strength and ability to grasp in both hands/arms. I'll see.

Today I biked to a different grocery store -- they had some Easter candy but no indication of price. I got a couple of caramel eggs anyway; they turned out to be $0.25 each. I picked up a couple of other food items that were cheaper than I'd seen elsewhere, too. The dollar store next door had reading glasses; I'll probably pick up a pair on a future visit -- I think my optometrist has been overcharging me for prescription lenses that I don't seriously need.

Plans for Tuesday: Go to the post office and mail the insurance forms. Deposit a check at the bank. Locate the bike shop and see about buying some lubricant for the chain. Restock ice cream on the return trip.

Barb: About your post on the other thread . . . even though I live alone these days, I think I should post that list of rules just for myself!

Vi: It's so good to hear your progress. I'm glad Ax is trying to understand.

Tillie: I'm sorry you hurt your hand!

Me: I did go do my outside work today at that rural area. I used my "protective gear," and especially the dust mask. (It was really a high-pollen day!) Did a lot of walking in the process. I got good and tired, so maybe I'll sleep well tonight. I also did some "in town" outside work, like bagging up some leaves and dealing with some weeds. Got lots of laundry done and took it to the Laundromat to dry. Have put away some of it but not all of it.

As for my work in the BIT book . . . the next stage was for me to start taking "before" pictures. The thought of doing that doesn't bother me, but I was tired and didn't want to start on it tonight. I started to write "Am moving my BIT work goal to tomorrow." But then I thought, "I can get at least one small room done tonight, and then I won't have to fess up on the message board that I didn't get any of it done today." That was just enough motivation for me to get up and start taking some pictures. They are loaded onto my computer now. I started with the two smallest and easiest rooms (the bathrooms). I even took pictures of what was inside the cabinets. I had been wondering where I put my bathroom scales. What do you know? They were in the bathroom! (They were inside one of the cabinets, and I hadn't thought to look there!)

Have a good evening, all.

Good Mourning, it is rainy and cold outside so again the garage has to wait, so instead my focus will be on the den. The Den, is by far the worst of the rooms and I'll be working at getting boxes sorted and items pared down to fewer and few things. mostly it's books, but I have thrown out all the old magazines that no one has read in forever, anything that was torn, and put the old how to baby books into the donation pile. I'd keep them, but the man and I have decided our two kids are enough 🙂
Speaking of the man, let's call him Ax, has been really supportive lately. Ever since I've found you guys he's been more willing to talk to me earnestly about the problem without getting angry or hurt. He's really been stressing the importance of keeping the new place in order and clean and though i fully agree with him and really do want that I still feel completely ashamed that he feels he HAS to tell me that. But the truth is he has just as much invested in our home as I do and he's relying on me to keep the house and kids in check. Sometimes it's easy for me to dismiss him mentally with thoughts like he just doesn't understand or, it's too hard, and a million other excuses, but it's not right. I should be able to handle this no problem. granted I didn't create this mess all by my lonesome, but I have been the one in control of it from the very beginning. Self control hasn't been my strong suit, but it has to be now. I can't have the things I want for myself or the kids if i can't let go of the BS and excuses and just get it done.
last night I was telling him about some of the good things you guys have taught me, and i can see he's a bit irritated, so I tell him I'm sorry that it's taken me so long. He actually listened to my explanations about why I haven't listened to him, but somehow i get it when you guys talk. He says that sometimes I have to hear it from someone outside for me to get it. he's right. he also understands that it's going to be hard for me to keep it in check. I'm really glad that he's trying so hard to be patient and that he's trusting me with the things that are so important to us both.
Thanks again you guys. I may not ever be able to stop saying thank you.
I'll check back in tonight with today's progress. Have a great day, all of you

Also, ceciliab, if you come back and read this I really hope you can come back on Tuesday to our meeting. We were really sad when we couldn't talk to you last night and hope you come back, particularly me since it seems our current problems are very similar 🙂

Good morning 🙂

Last night was another GREAT chat session! 😀

Hi Dianne 🙂
Glad you were able to get that leak fixed fast.
Yes, the hoarding and neglected repairs/maintenance here has made a lot of simple repairs into major and expensive projects too.
Hope you & the kitties had a pleasant and peaceful day together. 🙂

Hi Minnie 🙂
So wonderful meeting you in chat last night! 😀

Hi LR2014 🙂
Great thinking things through about what you brought in!
WAY TO GO! for that and all you have been doing! 😀

Hi Violet 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! 😀
Keep up all the wonderful progress you are making by tossing the things that don't fit in with your vision of your new life. 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
WAY TO GO! for keeping up with the little tasks.
They all add up and are important too.
Your delivery stuff sounds interesting, I like that kind of stuff too. 😉

Hi Diane 🙂
Hi Karl 🙂
Hi SusanL 🙂
Hi Susanl's friend 🙂

Hello, hello, hello to all who read here too. 🙂

My plan for today is to do the usual weekly cleaning...
bathroom, floors, wiping stuff, etc.
Hurt my right hand yeaterday, banged it hard.
Today it is sore and stiff.
Should feel better if I just "walk it off" and use it.
Dark & cloudy today with a chance of thunder storms. Good day to keep busy inside.

Happy Monday! 😀

Good morning, everybody.

Roxie: Yes, it is great to know that people care. As a matter of fact, I was just getting ready to post the things below, and I said to myself: Wait! Hit "refresh," because Roxie has probably posted something by now! And I was right. (See, I kind of even know your schedule by now!) A "tea" clink to you! By the way, the batteries I mentioned below fit that saw I talked about, and I plan to use it today.

Yes, vi, it was a good meeting last night! Glad you are able to get rid of so much stuff!

My BRB comment last night turned out to be a stretch. I'd been awake since 3am and since my brain was also on Benadryl by the time the chat started, let's just say I had a "little" (uh, yeah, right) nap after I left the computer. I did eventually come back. (I have witnesses.) Sorry about that . . . and I'm sorry for my own sake, because I almost certainly missed a lot of good stuff. I tried reading what I'd missed, but there was just too much to catch up on. I'll just have to live with my feelings of deprivation for what I missed. So glad to meet the new people who joined in.

As for my goals for yesterday . . . I thought I did them all, but I saw this morning that I didn't add to my gratitude list. Did that one this morning.

I discovered yesterday that a package I'd ordered had been delivered, and I went to the delivery place to go pick it up. I spent a lot of time thinking about that package as I brought it home. "Is this adding to my clutter?" There were three things in the package. Two were replacement 18v tool batteries. I already had taken the worn out ones to a recycling place earlier in the week, so no . . . those weren't adding to my clutter. Two in, two out. Plus, they were making my tools fully usable again. The third item I'd ordered was one that will be used up in the next few months. The empty box? I found a very good reason to (sacrilege of sacrileges) get rid of it, and I did so. (Shhh . . . don't tell my old self that I got rid of a brand new box!) Conclusion: I did OK.

Plans for today: I plan to mail off a finished project. (Found items needed to finish that project when I was working last week on that bedroom, and I was able to finish it pretty quickly after that.) Weather and allergies permitting, I plan to go do outside work at that rural area I've talked about. (Yes . . . with already-loaded gloves, dust mask, goggles, boots, etc. I will also try to get back inside before it gets too hot. Hydration, yes . . . heat strokes, no. Thanks, Tillie.) I need to check on things out there, and I think the exercise I get out there will help me a lot with my sleep (less likely to wake up at 3am). I will probably also work in the BIT book and finish laundry.

Happy Cinco de Mayo. And by the way, although May 5 is a significant day in Mexican history, it is not (contrary to popular belief) Mexican Independence Day. That is in mid-September. Regardless, it sounds to me like a good excuse to eat Mexican food today and celebrate.

Have a super day, all!

Good morning, all. Welcome, Minnie. I hope you could make it to group, but you are welcome here every day as you need and like. You can do this as we support one another. So glad you could find a therapist. Find a way to pay even if insurance doesn't cover it.

today i did not a whole lot, but did nearly finish the dishes 🙂 tomorrow I'll pack up the rest of the ones I can pack and will work on the den. and I'll toss some more stuff because I don't bloody want it anymore 🙂

good meeting tonight

Hey Minnie,