| Tatoulia | Posted: 23 August 2017 - 09:36 AM |
Hello! I've started phase 8 to make sure we all have access! So, what are you doing today??? | |
Replies (670)
| Tess | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 07:33 PM |
Hi all - It's Sunday night here and still no plumber. I've spent a lot of much needed time relaxing this weekend. I did some more cleaning Saturday morning and then took a 6 hour nap! It felt so good. If anybody came to my door, I didn't hear them! I woke up just in time to meet my girlfriends. Today I spent time with my new guy friend. Now I'm wiping down the kitchen counters, starting to clean filthy walls, and clearing slow drains. Little by little it's getting there. I plan to get another good meal and a good night of sleep before another stressful week begins. Did anyone else have a nice weekend? I'm a little behind on reading posts. I'm looking forward to catching up while having my morning coffee tomorrow. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 06:17 PM |
Hi Subclinical 🙂 | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 04:03 PM |
Tillie, my kids are really supportive. They are not angry at me, and I am luckier than I deserve. And I know that there are a lot of other things between you and Steven. But you don't believe he will finish cleaning up the cooler - for good reason. And if he gets rid of a few things, you don't believe he will clean up the yard - with good reason. So what I was wondering was how much progress would he have to make before he could pull in with say, half a truck load of scrap metal, tell you he was going to top it up and take it to the recycler tomorrow, and have you actually believe him. I understand why the kids see the frog and think "problem." The candles are still in my barn. My husband left for his work trip 5 hours ago and I haven't done any of the things I thought I was going to do today. I just want him to not be gone. He hasn't travelled for a long time and I forgot how scared I get when he goes. It is worse because all of my kids are gone now too. I am not afraid of being in the house alone, like a safety thing, I am afraid I can't manage my daily life on my own. Since I have spent the last 5 hours watching videos and eating snack food - it is a self fulfilling prophesy. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 03:37 PM |
Hi Tatoulia 🙂 Hi Subclinical 🙂 Subclinical, I would like it if your children would read | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 01:40 PM |
Hi Joan. I'm sorry about your yoga instructor. It sounds like she is a really important person in your life. I am someone who doesn't make very many deep connections, so the people I do connect with are that much more important. It sounds like that may be the case for you too. I'm glad you will still get to see her sometimes even if she won't have the same roll in your life. Tillie, I did that to them. They can't see that it is funny that I am using a stuffed frog as a cushion, because all they can see is that there is a stuffed frog in the kitchen. And they imagine that soon there will be a stuffed monkey and a stuffed rabbit and a bunch of other stuffed animals and they will get greasy from cooking and probably catch fire. Because that is what mom does. It makes me sad, but there is nothing I can do about it but hope time will change it. What if Steven put away the cooler and started cleaning up the yard, and then kept cleaning up the yard, but then sometimes he brought home another pick up load, and he said he was sorry, and the yard kept slowly getting better even though he backslid sometimes - how long would it take you to start thinking differently about him? Was there a time he wasn't hoarding? Because my hoarding was my kids whole childhood. Their whole lives. It's who I am to them, and it is not over. Tatoulia, I'm sorry about your car. Good job on the goodwill bag though! Tess, how did it go with the work at your house? | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 12:46 PM |
Hello everyone! That is sad having to say goodbye to your yoga instructor, Joan. Hopefully you will build a connection with the new instructor. I'm pleased you are able to go to yoga and that it is something that helps you! Tillie that is a surprise about putting away the evaporative cooler! Fingers crossed that he completes the task. Not too terrible with brother today. He seemed pretty good. I am running up to mom's now. I've already been there once but need to go back. Hoping BF will help me with some work stuff later. I bought a few cases of canned vegetables (corn, creamed corn, peas and greenbeans) to drop off for good drive st office. I also need to pick up my computer. My car is parked st mom's right now. I parked out back over the weekend in neighbor's spot(with permission) due to the fact I had to have a different car in my garage spot. Unfortunately I damaged my door pretty badly as I pulled out of the parking spot today. I'm going to try to leave car at mom's til we can get that other car out of my spot. Hopefully today. It is so hard living in the city. I took a bag to goodwill today--clothes and shoes! Everyone I'm a bit behind in your posts-but I'm cheering you on! | |
| Tillie | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 11:18 AM |
Good Morning Everybody 🙂 Hi Subclinical 🙂 Hi Joan 🙂 Hi Tatoulia 🙂 Yesterday I mentioned that we were done using the evaporative cooler until next Summer and that it needs to be drained and covered now. | |
| Joan | Posted: 01 October 2017 - 02:27 AM |
Hello, everyone. Thank you for remembering me, especially Tat and Tillie. CM, thank you for your prayers. There is a paradox that is at the center of my life. On the one hand, I have done great work keeping myself alive. It has frustrated almost all of those around me, most of whom had expected to have enjoyed my funeral long since. Those people were eager to take everything that belongs to me. They are not around me any more. On the other hand, it has been a long slog, and not much appreciated by anyone now on the planet. I am too unwell, at this point, to have any regular activities except those that I do to stabilize my health. So, I am very isolated. It can be tiring just living because you refuse to be killed off by the evil intentions of your original group. Perhaps some of you can relate to this. "Yesterday" (Saturday) my yoga teacher retired. It was harder than I thought it would be. She was there for me every week for over 4 years. I may still see her around the studio, but it is a huge loss for me. In the past the whole situation would have collapsed on me, but now this is no longer the case. The class will continue with another new teacher next Saturday. I need the class. I will continue the practice. I will be devastated for some time. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 04:54 PM |
Lol! I have a stuffed frog with magnetic hands and feet - it lives on my washing machine. When the kids were younger, it lived on the fridge. When dh was putting handles on the cabinets today he kept bumping his head on the vent hood, so I stuck the frog to the edge. I took a picture and posted it to the family instant message thread titled "safety frog is protecting dad's head from the vent hood." Two of my kids responded instantly. Ds said "fire hazard!" And dd1 said "clutter alert!" I promised them I would move the frog as soon as their father was done, and I did. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 03:57 PM |
WAY TO GO! Subclinical | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 03:16 PM |
Hi Tillie, I have done 27 days on the challenge. They say if you do something 30 days in a row it becomes a habit, but mine are not in a row. I'm not keeping up 100% with anything, but I am doing ok overall. Finding a few small things to get rid of as I move into the new kitchen. Nothing significant though. | |
| Tillie | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 02:10 PM |
Good Morning Everybody. Thank you Anonymoniker Hi CriticalMass Hi Tess Hi Subclinical Hi Tatoulia Shortly after I got up I heard the distressing cries of a quail outside. | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 01:52 PM |
Today is a new day and so far I've slept through most of it! Don't know how I managed to get up early, feed kitty and start dishwasher, then back to bed til phone rang at quarter to two! Stopping by to send Tess much strength today. Will write more later--I feel so much better after getting some sleep. I'd told brother a week ago that I'd see him Sunday instead of Saturday and still he's managed to be mad at me today. Don't care, I feel much less stressed and I'm going to go wash my face and visit BF. Just had my first cup of coffee. I do not recommend sleeping your life away but today was really nice. I don't feel the stress and pressure right now--very restorative. | |
| Anonymoniker | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 12:15 PM |
Tillie, i am so sorry that i came across as thinking you didnt ask politely for help, or anything like that?! I know how kind you are! My thinking was just that Steven was in a bit of a different frame of mind after that city drive & i figured since he felt guilty & had made offers to take you out to lunch, that maybe hed see helping with a project differently & that it could possibly be a good experience for him if it satisfied his guilt & went smoothly. Please know that i never meant anything bad about you? I know you are amazingly kind & generous & have a heart of gold!~♡~ | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 30 September 2017 - 07:06 AM |
CM, I forgot to tell you how great it is that you are getting your photos organized! I have so many I want to put in books. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 08:46 PM |
Tillie, I don't think Anony meant to hurt your feelings. No one who has read your posts for more than a few days could ever doubt that you are caring and kind. It blew me away when I first got here how warm and supportive you were to someone you had just "met" when all you really knew about me was that I had characteristics that in someone else had caused you suffering. I think maybe she was thinking of the sort of simple tasks that you would expect a child to do, a level you wouldn't normally praise an adult for and something you might not have tried because it might seem condescending. CM, Stay healthy! I am still rooting for the bunnies. I understand about time set aside to do things. Dh is about to leave for work for a week, and I have a lot of things I want to do. I can leave projects spread out all week because they won't bother anyone, and I won't have to make food. (Don't worry, I will eat, but I am happy with fresh fruit and raw vegetables and cheese and bread torn off in chunks and handfuls of nuts and such. Fast and almost no dishes.) Tess I will think of you tomorrow. I hope the work goes quickly and smoothly and the people are gone as fast as possible! | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 07:21 PM |
Tillie, Your gentle spirit and kind soul come through loudly and clearly. S's behaviour and petulance and nastiness and abuse have nothing to do with you at all. I know from dealin withqbusive and nasty brother that what I do has no bearing on his mood or behavior. He may blame me for his foul mood, nasty actions, harsh words, etc. but that's just his M.O. You and I learned a long time ago that no matter what we say, ask, etc., has no bearing on the other abusive person's response. I'm lucky as brother is going through a good patch righty now. I say Im lucky but really he's lucky, because by the grace of God, he's been coping better for a few months now. I now it's not forever, and soon he'll be splashing an iced coffee in my face and screaming about me about my driving, and saying, look what you made me do. So I understand and commiserate. We all pray and wish that there were a magic potion (or Magic words) to change your situation, but there is none. You have done a valiant job carving out your own life. Taking someone with mental illness or TBI or whatever may be at play, isn't the same as dealing with the general public. It is difficult and illogical and explosive. And I'm so sorry he was home today and I hope you got your baking in. I haven't read everyone's posts- wanted to sympathize with Tillie. Will write more later. Love to you all. | |
| Tess | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 07:08 PM |
Hi everybody - I'm sorry to see that so many people are under the weather this week. I hear there is a bad bug going around. Tatoulia, stress sickness is just as bad as viral sickness. I've been stress sick all week. I'm eating the most I've eaten in days...half an apple, cheese, and some pretzels. It's been awful. I hope you found some peace. I've restarted this post a million times this week. I've been in a real bad place for the last few days. The stress of work and emergency cleaning has had me on edge. Tomorrow is the day that I will likely have people in my apartment. I'm finally in a place where I don't think I'll end up on the evening news, but I'm still nowhere near where I'd like to be before inviting people in. Not even close. However, I can't stress myself out about it any more. I'll keep doing cleaning spurts, but at this point, I'm just going to apologize for the mess and keep moving. I'm tired. Before bed tonight, I'm going to finish scrubbing down the bathroom, scrub the kitchen floor, and maybe try to organize the stacks in the living room a little better. I plan to be in bed by 11 for a good nights sleep. Hope you're all having a good night! Even though I haven't been posting, I've been reading and your posts helped so much with my panic attacks. You guys are a Godsend <3 | |
| CriticalMass | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 05:51 PM |
Hi everyone, Hope those going through difficult times will soon see a turnaround, whether it's sickness, dealing with a difficult person, or just dealing with our stuff. Yesterday I felt well enough to rejoin civilization. Had a doctor's appointment anyway. Got my thyroid blood work and will also get cholesterol and general misc. info. I like to keep tabs on that stuff. Since I've had the weight loss over the last year, I hope the cholesterol numbers reflect it. They were never bad, but I like to keep well within tolerances. This week since I got sick, and had brought my project stuff back home after cat sitting, my bedroom was too much of a mess to be able to sleep in it, so I've been sleeping on the couch nights. It helped with my kooky dreams at first. Now less so, but still not too bad. But today, the first day of not having to go out anywhere AND being mostly well, I had big plans. First on the docket was to catch up the bunny boxes. Good feeling of accomplishment there. Next on the agenda - I'd purchased a few sweater and shoe box size plastic Sterilite tubs yesterday, and today I took this big open tub that had photos I want to scan in it, and "divided and conquered" the contents into the smaller enclosed boxes. Kind of like what Porter did only on a smaller scale. Threw away various junky things along the way from that big tub and from my room - a ratty old totebag, rabbit-chewed photo album cover, little envelopes that the photos came in, newspapers, etc. This project isn't finished, and there are several projects awaiting, but this is the time I've known was coming. I just pray it doesn't fill up with unexpecteds, because I really want to get a lot of these things behind me. My quilt got the rows sewn but they need to be joined, then the border etc. I wish I didn't have to take this pause in it, but the decluttering is what I need to do right now. The quilt will be resumed soon. My bunny girl is winning the Battle of the Feet - bottoms healed and growing fur. Just those heels, which are the hardest, but the infected yuck is getting gone and the salve (Bag Balm, great stuff) is doing its job. My grandbunny girl is doing somewhat better too. She seems to have put back on a little weight, and though her leg is gimpy, we've had painkillers for her and my roommate's been massaging her as our rescue leader instructed. I think she's able to use the leg a little more and hopefully that'll keep it limber and strengthen it. One bad discovery - just happened to see a bald spot on my boy bunny's neck - a few fleas got to him "under the radar"! I got rid of several and put Bag Balm on the bald spot. I think all bunnies can get flea meds now, even granddaughter seems strong enough. And we can put Diatomaceous Earth down in their play area. And even though I do feel much better than I did early in the week, I'm careful not to overdo - the stuff I dealt with today stirred up some dust and I can feel it in my nose and throat (took a nice spoonful of honey - mmmmm.... ). Want to stay well! And I wish all of you well and happy too. Hang in there, as it says on this website, WE CAN BEAT THIS!! Whatever the "This" is for each one of us! | |
| Tillie | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 02:57 PM |
Hello Anonymoniker | |
| Anonymoniker | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 01:37 PM |
~☆~Good Morning!~☆~ | |
| Tillie | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 10:48 AM |
Good Morning Everybody 🙂 Hi Subclinical 🙂 Noticed Steven didn't go to work this morning. | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 29 September 2017 - 04:48 AM |
Hi tillie! The banana bread should be kind to your stomach. Hopefully you feel well enough to enjoy making it. I have three small drawers full of candles. I don't light them very often, so it will probably be years before that becomes two. Kids give teachers candles as presents. All of these, even the pretty ones, are more than half burned.and the box is bigger than my three drawers together. I don't know where I would put them. I'm not sure I can make good decisions if I start sorting through the box. Right now, none of them are "mine" so I am just moving them from one place to another for the sake of the planet. If I start handling them and thinking about them.... I have been throwing my receipts for school into a box on my desk with a bunch of other papers. I need to sort the box out this weekend and turn in the receipts or I will not have money to go to the renfest with my Dd next weekend. (Well, I will, because I get paid today, but if I spend it without having turned in the receipts, I'll run out of money for something non optional like goat food before the month is over) | |
| Tillie | Posted: 28 September 2017 - 10:17 PM |
Good Evening Everybody 🙂 Hi Tatoulia 🙂 Hi CriticalMass 🙂 Hi Anonymoniker 🙂 Hi Subclinical 🙂 Yesterday my headache got better just before the GI issues began. 🙁 | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 28 September 2017 - 07:58 PM |
Tatoulia, I hope things work out ok for you. <<hugs>> Anony, hurrah for vacuuming and sunshine! Glad you have a plan for the tarplets. I had a REALLY good day at school today, but my weeks are still tiring me out. On the way to school though, I stopped to stop the recycling. And someone had put a whole bunch of votive and pillar candle holders - most with at least part of a candle still in them - into the drop bin. Those don't recycle. I pulled them out and threw the broken ones into the dumpster when I got to school, but I am not sure about the rest. I should just take them all to goodwill. I should have dropped them all at goodwill on the way home. Some of them are really pretty. I thought I would give myself the weekend to rest up and decide? | |
| Tatoulia | Posted: 28 September 2017 - 05:39 PM |
Everyone, I am here sharing your joys and accomplishments and commiserating should if be needed. I'm applauding a Tillie for standing up for herself and Joan for forging ahead. I'm psyched about SubC's new kitchen, Aniny's many accomplishments and CM for stopping by. You I've temporarily dealt with something that has been on my mind and will finish dealing with it next week. Thank you for hanging in with me. Although it's not a hoarding issue, it has been a procrastination issue. I'm learning, I'm learning. My headaches and nausea are stress-related. Don't worry, I'm staying hydrated and I'm doing some relaxation exercises. I love you all. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. | |
| Anonymoniker | Posted: 28 September 2017 - 12:14 PM |
~♡~Good morning & warm coffee clinks to all!~♡~ | |
| Anonymoniker | Posted: 27 September 2017 - 09:19 PM |
SubC, yes, thank you! Contractors bags are what i used! Id forgotten i had them! And i will need to rake up all the topsoil/mulch around this hideous trailer to get all the tarp plastic pieces up! Its ok! It needs to be raked up anyway! Thats what i did around the shop when it had tarp pieces all mixed in with the dirt around it...i just am shocked i didnt remember that, cuz it was such a mess having that stuff everywhere....its sooo gross to me...(sigh) ...rant over...i have a good plan...it will look much better when im done getting the whole area cleaned up cuz theres other gross stuff, too! ~♡~ | |
| Anonymoniker | Posted: 27 September 2017 - 09:18 PM |
SubC, yes, thank you! Contractors bags are what i used! Id forgotten i had them! And i will need to rake up all the topsoil/mulch around this hideous trailer to get all the tarp plastic pieces up! Its ok! It needs to be raked up anyway! Thats what i did around the shop when it had tarp pieces all mixed in with the dirt around it...i just am shocked i didnt remember that, cuz it was such a mess having that stuff everywhere....its sooo gross to me...(sigh) ...rant over...i have a good plan...it will look much better when im done getting the whole area cleaned up cuz theres other gross stuff, too! ~♡~ | |
| Subclinical | Posted: 27 September 2017 - 06:35 PM |
Wow, I hope everybody feels better soon! Many of my little darlings at school are sick, but I have managed to dodge the bullet so far. Tess, I am right there with you about the repair men, but I have no good ideas. I just hide and suffer. Sometimes I watch videos, but I am afraid the people will hear the videos and judge me for watching videos in my messy house and if I wear headphones I'm afraid they will yell for me for something and I won't hear them. I have now cooked dinner in the new kitchen twice. I am only bringing in things I need. I don't know for how long, but at some point I will have to make a decision about the stuff that hasn't moved. The first night dinner took a really long time because I had to go back and forth for every pan or plate or spice, but tonight some of what I needed was already here. Anony, I am sorry about your tarp, but your paths sound wonderful. We don't have soft dirt here - we have hard clay and rocks. I used to spend summers at the beach when I was a kid. Can you get some contractor trash bags? CM your book sounds interesting! I am still working on my 100 day challenge and throwing away feed bags. Not much else to report. | |