My storage rack has bins, not bibs.

I dropped off a bag of garbage and four bags of recycling.

I threw five worn out molds from my classroom into the dumpster.

I have more molds I want to get rid of because the kids don't use them, but they are still good and I don't know what to do with them.

One of my shelves apparently was glued to the floor with floor wax four years ago when they redid my floor. I tried to move it today. Now the shelf is broken and there is a piece of particle board shelving stuck to the floor. This is a problem. I sent a note to the building manager.

I am very tired. Just put Bean to bed. Tomorrow we will dig potatoes.

I finished all the potato salad related things.

Yes, that is the speed at which I am moving.

SubC it always takes sooo much more work than we think, or than other people expect! It is never JUST do xyz. It is always do qrstuvwxyz and then some. I am glad you got so much done! And I hope it was yummy.

And my day was rough,some good, some bad. I got pretty much nothing done on my prior list because after I was happily visiting friends and about to come home in the early afternoon, my car stopped working. I spent some miserable hours getting it to a shop, having them tell me it's the battery but blah blah we dont have it and blah blah they don't even make that one anymore and blah blah you will have to pay this amount ("but it's under warranty!") yada yada, some back in a few days when we can order a good one, or let us install this weaker, crappier battery for $80. NO.

After an hour of that I got them to jump my car and I drove to a different place, which was packed with people but had the battery. I stayed there and waited a loong time but they did replace it FOR FREE because of the warranty, so worth it.

But I got home after 7 and am hot and exhausted.

Good morning!

Lila, I'm sorry about your car! Sounds like you took the whole qtoz trip too.

Dh said the potato salad was good.

Today I am going in to my classroom. I will have sil call me when Bean gets up from his nap, and I will go pick him up and bring him home to spend the night.

I have a little time at home first - I will let you know what I get done.

Road - how are you? I hope you are just wrapped up in doing fun stuff with your son!

Hi May May, Becky if you are still here, CM, and Tatoulia!

Good work, Lila! You are making progress!

Off to the office today.

Hello SubC, Road, MayMay, CM and anyone that I have missed!

hi guys, hows it going today? Please post what you are doing, or what you want to be doing, or your goals.

Today is my day "off," sort of, meaning, no meetings. I am getting together with a couple of friends for lunch, and afterwards might go visit a couple of elderly friends as well. Aside from that, I am home, doing as I please, which may include a small amount of enjoyable 'work' stuff.

I will be working on the kitchen and bar area, getting 2 more clothing returns ready, and just puttering around doing small tasks. I have to call for appointments and such, too. I find this kind of day most enjoyable!

Will be back with an update on what I get done, and I hope some of you 'drive by' and share your day!

I made potato salad.

This required many steps:

Realizing something smelled bad in the kitchen
Finding the bag of potatoes Dh bought some time before vacation and never used.
Sorting the potatoes into compost, wash and use now and wash and store.

Searching for the potato salad recipe, which involved:
Moving/cleaning up the pile of stuff in front of the cookbook shelf
Sweeping around the cookbook shelf
Rummaging through cookbooks and finding a 16 y.o. School telephone directory and some printed out recipes to recycle and one cookbook to get rid of
Not finding the potato salad recipe

Peeling and cooking potatoes

Waiting for the rain to ease up enough to go pick carrots
Washing, peeling, and grating carrots.

Peeling and chopping hardboiled eggs (cooked yesterday)

Chopping up tiny garden onions that are too small to cure and store.

Mixing all the ingredients together with spices

Trying to find space in the fridge - moving things around and removing an adjustable shelf that needs to be washed.

Next steps are:
washing the adjustable shelf
Taking egg shells to the chickens
Taking carrot tops to the rabbit
Taking compost to the compost bin.

I also cleaned out one drawer of my desk today and found a few bits of paper to recycle and a pencil case to get rid of.

Hi CM!

Thanks.

I took a long time to come back. The day has been hot and overcast with some drizzle, so it is being sad with me and it makes it hard to get things done.

I am sweaty and dirty. I worked in the garden - mostly weeding, some things died while I was gone, but it's ok. I really needed that vacation.

I ran the dishwasher and I cleaned a moldy jar out of the fridge and I recycled a few pieces of paper and put an item in the trash can.

My youngest child is going to move to Colorado. 18 hours away! That is not the bad thing - it is a good thing for her, but it is hard to get my head around. She will go in less than a month.

She has started deep cleaning her apartment and purging her stuff. I told her that if she doesn't love it or need it, she shouldn't move it.

Why can't I apply that to my house?!?!

SubC, I am so sorry about the bad thing and how you found out. That's hard!! I hope you can get some rest and find peace about it at some point. And yes, its very hard when kids move away. I have one very far away and don't like it.

CM, I'm alway glad to see you post, so thank you for coming and updating. We are all stuck in some way...

Hi Tatoulia. Where is Road?

Tired. Yesterday I "worked on" the bar/counter which means I took things off it and put them on the dining room table. LOL. Why do I do that?? I have always done it. It helps a little... I put like with like. All the Keep papers are in a stack, and the "do now" papers are next to me in a bin. All the cleaners are on the table in one area, all the dog brushes in another area. Now the table is covered in (organized) stuff, and the counter still looks awful. I did throw a few things away and put a few things away. Tomorrow I will make shelf space for the cleaners and use up the 2 bottles that have very little in them - by cleaning windows and dusting with them until they are empty.

I did also put 2 bags of dog treats into the dog treat jar so that helped.

I also loaded and unloaded the dishwasher.

Ex is coming for more of his things in a week. I moved most of his stuff from around the house into his room and I hope he TAKES IT instead of being mad I did that. Before he comes I will double check the house and stick everything else of his in there. Hopefully he will take the hint to get it out of here, but I doubt it.

I also pulled some weeds today.

I posted about my bad thing on another thread.

I don't expect anybody to read it. Please don't if you are worried that it might pull up bad things for you. I'm not going to talk about it in this thread anymore.

Another overcast day with potential rain - more garden work to do and puttering in the house. Meeting youngest Dd for dinner

Will post any progress later.

Lila, good luck using up the cleaners! And good job on the dog treats - remember to not buy more until they all fit in the container and it is getting low.

I'm sorry, SubC. I'm so sorry.

Lila, I'm glad you got the load of towels done! That must've been hard work getting the new dryer installed. I'm proud of you.

I saw Mom and her beautiful cat tonight. Bf and his friend took the broken ac out today. I put a sign on it that the city is picking up. Sometimes people write whether or not something works. This is only good for scrap I think.

Good morning.

Lila, I think you have been doing a really great job.

Tatoulia, I am glad the ac is working for you and I hope a scrapper finds the old one if you have those where you live. Here it would be gone quickly!

I had hoped to apply my well rested self and my new perspective to my life today, but I am no longer well rested.

My plan is to take the tears and associated headache as background noise and "do it anyway." I'll report back in, even if I end up talking to myself.

SubC, my sympathies about the upsetting thing.

I'm going to pray for all you ladies. Unfortunately, I have once again gotten more behind in reading posts in detail. But I skim what I can, and glean that we're all going through a lot these days.

I'm waiting on a new development to see how it's going to go, and then there are other things, my roommate's that affect me and my own problems and/or plans. Things go in a direction for a bit, then stall out or take unexpected detours. It's a weird and unsettled waiting game.

There are obligations to deal with meanwhile, such as a bunny club newsletter and event, which I wouldn't mind except that my brain is trying to deal with all the big stuff. My computer purchase is still awaiting some financial information on other things; I don't want to just take the leap without knowing how it'll shake out.

I know when I post it's kind of all the same thing, that's the sort of holding pattern I'm in right now. Give it a couple weeks, some things may be more clear.

Hello. A bit of a good news bad news but ultimately good news.

I have portable AC units ? not window AC. The bedroom one has been funky lately and I cannot clean it enough. Had a slight odor and very dusty. So tonight I tried bringing the living room unit in the bedroom (living room unit is much newer-purchased in 2018) and gets less frequent use than the bedroom one. By just switching the hoses, I can use it in here. It's working fabulously! The other one is now leaking and I have someone coming to take it out for me tmr. The city will pick it up on Tuesday. It's really a win l around because I don't actually need two. Because of window sizes, I need to keep the hoses from both. The other one is truly shot, esp now that it's leaking.

I'm thrilled that I'll only have one, and I'm excited about how nice and cold it is in the bedroom. What a difference!

I did nothing all day. I did two loads of laundry and have the dishwasher running. Oh and I made raspberry syrup to flavor my seltzer. And a tiny bit of work. It still adds up to zero.

Those are interesting thoughts and perspectives, SubC. I am thinking it over.

Tatoullia, I need a do-nothing day. I really need it. I never get one anymore and there is not a possible day in the foreseeable future. Enjoy them while you get them!! The a/c sounds wonderful!

My son got the dryer hooked up and I did a load of towels. I really need to wash clothes but I am wiped out exhausted from the work stuff today in the heat. I am going to try to wash a load in the morning. I have a teaching gig in the afternoon and a birthday party in the evening (kid). I forgot, I have to make a cake in the morning too.

Tuesday is meetings and planning, Weds is free aside from a lunch date so maybe I can work on home stuff that day. Thursday meetings and all day Saturday meetings. I have off Friday. Working Sunday again. I am not cut out for this. I am going to block out some time in August to rest. This is not sustainable.

I am home.

My family is all fine, but a bad thing happened. And I found out about it in an email from someone who should not be allowed to send emails about bad things because there had to be a better way to do that. An hour before I got home.

So I just cried, and unloaded the car into a pile instead of unpacking or anything. And cried some more.

Now I am tired and my eyes hurt.

Thank you, Tatoulia. It does help knowing someone is listening, and cares.

I managed to get the cord on the dryer, probably correctly. I got the old vent and tube out and cleaned the area. But I tried and tried and could not get the new vent tube in. It is not a perfect circle so it snags. I tried over and over. I could not get it. I asked my son and he is busy and said he could come tomorrow afternoon. My other son woke up and left immediately to go fishing. I went in my room and cried. Then decided there is nothing I can do about it, so better find some clean clothes. Or clothes that are clean enough to air out and wear. I feel like a slob.

Well at least I got some things done. I also brushed my old dog again, got a ton of hair off. Teen says old dog stinks, so I washed her outside. I think she will smell better now. I should brush her old teeth, too.

I promised teen to watch a show with them tonight, so I think I will go take a quick shower now, and then will watch the show with them. That way, I won't have to drag myself out of bed at 7am to get a shower before my event tomorrow. I will be so glad when that is over.

I also ordered my new planner and am excited because I added some new sections to try and stay more organized. I put a weekly work tasks list, a weekly home tasks list, an appointments to make slot, a 'coming up soon' short list area, and spots for each day's schedule. Plus a sheet at the back of each month with areas to write goals and tasks for the month. I am a list person and would get nothing done without my planner. This one will be better than the one I've been using, which is running out in August, so I did need a new one.

Have any of you ever planned out months/a year ahead for what you want to accomplish? I want to write down things that need to be repaired in each home area so I can work on them in a methodical manner this year. It also gives me a solid reason to work on losing weight and getting stronger - so I can get my tasks done.

Hi all,

First let me apologize for just popping in and out. I am reading and keeping up and thinking of you, but I type slowly and have short windows.

Now the actual vacation part of the vacation is over and we are at my inlaw's - quick stop though - we came in last night and leave tomorrow. Trying to spend as much time as possible in the river.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the planning and reading some stuff - Lila I have a couple of thoughts for you - one is that one of the things I read about healthy habits really hit that "so I can get my tasks done" thing. The idea was that it's hard to establish new healthy habits and not fun, so if your goal is "so I can lose weight" or "to be healthier, or stronger, or look better in my clothes", or whatever it's not motivating enough, but if you tell yourself "I am going to walk a mile a day" (or whatever) "so that I can play tag with my grandchild" you visualize that specific enjoyable goal and it keeps you motivated.

Other thing I am mulling about planning - I am a list maker, and my list is always too long and I am always frustrated about not being able to finish stuff.

One of the books I was reading suggested looking at your spaces (environment) and schedule from a functional standpoint, not a static standpoint, and asking yourself what would this look like if I was crushing it, if I was doing well, if was doing ok, If I was in survival mode? Where am I now? And then, "Is this thing I'm doing right now moving me toward a higher level?" I find the idea interesting.

This house is like a game of sardines and all of my inlaws have found me sitting quietly in the corner of the porch, joined me and started a very loud bragging conversation about boats and houses.

SubC you know we love the drive bys!

I have done zero today. Less then zero. I'm finally doing a load of laundry. It is so very hot out. I didn't even make coffee today and here it is at 7 PM.

I'll see if I can get out later to see mom. Not entirely sure.

Good morning! Wow, you did a great job with the new washer, Lila. There's always a ton of gross stuff under an appliance, to be sure. Great work!

Are you able to consolidate any of the 20 laundry bottles? That's too many. If some are of a brand you don't like or won't use, see if they are still "good" and ask if a pet shelter or people shelter will take it. Multiples of stuff used to be my bane. Also keeping stuff that I don't like just in case. Justin Case no longer lives in my house. I evicted him a long time ago.

I recently bought a bath scrub in a commercial store. I rarely do this as I prefer either locally made, self made, or loofah sponges. I loved it. So lemony, did the trick, etc. but my shower was so slippery that I almost fell. Still slippery the next day; it was coated in oil. So I disposed of it. I can't use it. It will kill me. In the old days, I would have hung onto it (why?). I used baking soda in the tub and scrubbed with a towel. And I warned the cleaners when they came in case there are still slippery areas.

If you will use the laundry soap, then make a plan to not buy any for the next year. This is about teaching yourself what is enough and what isn't. It's learning a new habit. I had to unlearn multiples. So hard.

May! What an experience! Amazing!

Cm glad you are swimming!

Really hot here. I'm not really moving much.

Thanks Tatoulia, I will consolidate. I will use it all, with 2 dogs and 2 kids and the grands coming here it won't last that long really. I am a bit of a 'necessity hoarder' because WHAT IF I can't afford xyz? Now that ex is gone it is making me worse about this because detergent gets expensive and he was the one buying it. When this is all gone I may have a freakout.

Today the dryer came and they brought the wrong cord, but it was my fault because I approved it. So I had to take it back to the store and exchange it. And this also means that although installation was included, they couldn't do it, so now I have a cord I need to wire into the dryer, a vent hose to attach to the dryer and the wall, maybe cut it? and I also realized the vent tube and cover (outside) are the originals from the 70s and in bad shape and very, very clogged. I scrubbed but it is pretty bad so I bought a new one when I went to get the cord. Now I have to install that too. I am overwhelmed and nervous but my son who is very busy today said that IF I cannot get it done he will come do the parts I can't do. It is very hot out and I don't want to go outside and try to get the vent replaced and really the whole thing makes me want to cry. I don't want to. I just want a working dryer. It is 4pm and how am I supposed to get all this done AND do wash and dry clothes for tomorrow? Ugh.

I want to stay home tomorrow but I have important commitments I cannot blow off this time. I have to go work from about 8am to 2 or 3 pm. Then I am going to come home and be in a mental coma.

I have so many obligations now that I cannot get out of (taking teen to appointments, running 2 tranings I am in charge of for another 3 weeks, a speaking engagement, etc etc) and I am totally overwhelmed. I am sitting down looking at my planner and seeing if there is anything I can skip.

Sending you support, Lila. Sounds frustrating and stressful and upsetting. I wish there were a way to help you.

My boys and I just got back from the cleanup in Tennessee. It's good to be home! The cleanup went good. In total we got rid of 25 truck loads of junk and garbage.

Cute pic, SubC, you look relaxed.

I am doing decent at the moment, the computer dejunking is helping me feel capable and like I'm making some progress against the chaos. Really do feel like it'll spill over into other areas.

Swimming also very helpful.

I've been helping with the bunny shelter yesterday and today. Giving the rabbits their "pawdicures." Some of them have some pretty scary nails.

Temps here still supposed to be 100+ but then break between Wednesday and Thursday next week. But yesterday we had a cloud cover that kept it down some and even a miniscule amount of sprinkles of rain. So who knows, maybe the weatherman is not all knowing. Haha.

Update:

I cleared a path from the driveway to the laundry room. Picked up dirty clothes, moved about 20 detergent bottles, moved the litter box, and vacuumed with the shop vac.

My son emptied the litter box and I washed it out. Teen refilled it.

When they took out the old washer it was so dirty under there. I threw away a couple old socks and stuff, swept the lint up. The water leaked so them I mopped that up. I then mopped with cleaner but there was an area that needed a soak and scrub and the guys installing did not have time to wait. So I got it clean enough and they installed the washer. I have not used it yet but it looks SO NICE and clean! Dryer coming tomorrow so will repeat all of this.

Then I brushed my old dog for about 30 minutes with a furminator. I don't use that on my young dogs, it really is not good for the coat, but she is very old and her coat is already a wreck and I could not get all the undercoat out with the other brushes. Now she feels so much better! I will go over her one more time later, but she is way better. I do need to run the vacuum.

Tired but will try to work on the kitchen. What are you guys doing?

Quick pop in - if you want to see what I look like, search "hatteras harbor fishing report" go to Monday July 18, and click on the picture from the "Release" I'm the woman in the blue shirt - between my dad and my son in law. You have to click on tge photo to see our faces.

You are adorable!

Thank you for the birthday wishes, Tatoulia!

So cool putting a face with the name, SubC! You look like someone I'd be friends with irl! Thank you for sharing.

I got my list done the other day and have been super busy, but I have off today and tomorrow.

I have a new washing machine coming today and the laundry room is a mess. But it is small. I have about an hour before they could show up, so I am going downstairs now and clearing the path to the laundry room.

There is probably a revolting amount of filth under and behind it, but I don't think I am able to move it and clean until they arrive. So I will clean the floor around it and get the shop vac and a mop ready so when they pull it out, I can quickly clean before they install the new one.

Goal 2 for today is to clean the kitchen and bar/counter, the bane of my existence.

Happy birthday dear Lila!

Today is the last day of the cleanup! Yesterday went really well. We got rid of about 10 truck loads of junk. So hopefully today will go just as well.🙂