Tatoulia, thank you so much for your welcome! Good that you managed the mentally ill family member as you needed. Looks like a major victory worth repeating! I fall apart when I face such things and have been known to just avoid such family members. I guess I'm just not strong enough. Or is that an excuse?

I may have started an important hoarding decision today. Can I do it. I think I can, but time will tell.

I have a huge collection of rubber ducks. Yep -- you read that right: rubber ducks. I do not plan on getting rid of all of them -- just the ones that don't have high significance.

I started (I started to write "collecting" but I need to be honest). . . I started hoarding them when my daughter married, and she and my little grandson moved from our house. He accidentally left his rubber duck in our bathroom, and I started buying and hoarding every rubber duck I could. And people gave me rubber ducks! I now have about 300, maybe more, rubber ducks if I count all of them.

By the way, he was 2 then; now, he is 26 now.

Well, I think I can do this. I want to get rid of all other than his rubber duck I stole, those that are gifts, and those that have actual significance. That will leave me with a manageable collection.

Any advice? I am not willing to get rid of all of them.

Hello everyone! Great to read your posts! Welcome, Abi, great work! Speaking if great work, glad to hear from so many of you! Sorry to hear about your wrist, LR. I didn't issue a challenge this weekend because I'm busily writing an article for work and I had a 2;00 PM deadline. But I did makeup deadline and then enjoyed the rest of the day. This was the first Saturday in a long time where I set boundary with my mentally ill family member and I didn't see him til today. It felt great to take care of myself!

Today I did see him today but I didn't get upset when he started screaming at me. I just let it happen. Now I am shopping with mom.

This is a good month to start new. I will decide what to do and will issue mini weekend challenges and will see if I can get any company!

I have an idea for tonight--I inherited quite a bit of artwork recently. So I will challenge myself to hang three pieces tonight.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Wonderful to read your post. 😀
So happy that you put yourself and needs first.
Looking forward to participating in some mini challenges this month.

Together, we CAN do this! 😀

Thank you, Tillie, for your encouraging words!!

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

November 1st. already!

Hi AbiYah 🙂
You're welcome 🙂

Yesterday the cold breeze stopped and it warmed up into the 70s.
It was GEOUGEOUS outside!
My chrysanthemums and marigolds were completely covered with small yellow butterflies.
The cats had a great time out there. 😀
Nate came by with his dog and we had a really nice visit.
No Trick-or-Treaters here so I get to keep all my candy.
Spent the evening and night watching monster/horror movies.
AND, I got that pepperoni pizza I was craving! 😀
Today I have to get myself mentally prepared for that D.D.S. appointment I have tomorrow.

So, does anybody have any goals/plans for this fresh new month?
I plan to remove things from the kitchen cupboards/cabinets, clean the areas and neatly put the stuff back in them.
Also need to get up there and clean the ceiling fan.

TTYS 🙂

back up post

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 😀

Remember this is when we do the time thing.
Set your clocks back one hour.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! 😀
WAY TO GO!!!
You have been doing a FANTASTIC job creating your fresh new life.
(((hugs)))
Finding something rotted, broken and peed on makes it so much easier to decide to let it go. LOL 😀

Hi LR2014 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
WTG! for all that hard physical work you did! 😀
So sorry to hear about your wrist. 🙁
That's a good plan you have for it so just keep babying it.
There will be time at a future date to do some challenges.
Hang in there. 🙂

Hi AbiYah 🙂
Welcome to the message board. 😀
Your story is amazing at how much you have been doing.
WAY TO GO!!! 🙂
It will be a pleasure to follow your progress.
Keep up the GREAT motivation. 😀

Woke up today with a headache, took an ibuprofen.
Looking at my bed I think my headache is because Scooter (the cat) decided all his toys were cold so he tucked them all around in my bed during the night.
LOL 😀
The day is sunny with a brisk cold breeze.
Dishes and laundry were all caught up yesterday.
Since this is the only Holiday I celebrate I will just be playing all day today. 😀
But as always, I will do all the cat related tasks.
Scoop litter boxes, fresh water and fill kibble bowls.
Then take care of any of their little cat related issues throughout the day.

Remember the kids will be out running around the streets. Drive slowly.
Have a safe and frightenly great Halloween! 😀

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 😀

Remember this is when we do the time thing.
Set your clocks back one hour.

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! 😀
WAY TO GO!!!
You have been doing a FANTASTIC job creating your fresh new life.
(((hugs)))
Finding something rotted, broken and peed on makes it so much easier to decide to let it go. LOL 😀

Hi LR2014 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
WTG! for all that hard physical work you did! 😀
So sorry to hear about your wrist. 🙁
That's a good plan you have for it so just keep babying it.
There will be time at a future date to do some challenges.
Hang in there. 🙂

Hi AbiYah 🙂
Welcome to the message board. 😀
Your story is amazing at how much you have been doing.
WAY TO GO!!! 🙂
It will be a pleasure to follow your progress.
Keep up the GREAT motivation. 😀

Woke up today with a headache, took an ibuprofen.
Looking at my bed I think my headache is because Scooter (the cat) decided all his toys were cold so he tucked them all around in my bed during the night.
LOL 😀
The day is sunny with a brisk cold breeze.
Dishes and laundry were all caught up yesterday.
Since this is the only Holiday I celebrate I will just be playing all day today. 😀
But as always, I will do all the cat related tasks.
Scoop litter boxes, fresh water and fill kibble bowls.
Then take care of any of their little cat related issues throughout the day.

Remember the kids will be out running around the streets. Drive slowly.
Have a safe and frightenly great Halloween! 😀

Hi to all. (Happy Nevada Day, Tillie.)

I'd mentioned last week that I'd been under the weather. I tried to do a tiny bit of outdoor work on Wednesday, intentionally keeping it light in order to gradually get back into the swing of things physically. Well, Thursday I tried doing a lot of outdoor work before weekend rains hit. I enjoyed the work I did, but I realized soon afterwards that I really overdid it. Not only am I sore, but I also seem to have significantly overused my right wrist. Going to be alternately icing it and putting heat on it today and making only very limited use of it. Because of that, I suppose I won't be doing a big anti-clutter challenge with you this weekend, Tatoulia, but I'll be happy to cheer you on in case you decide to do one yourself.

My tentative plans for today are to take it easy physically, to do a little paperwork, and perhaps to read.

Karl, I hope you found your papers you were looking for! Anonymoniker, congrats on making such huge progress on getting rid of things! Whoo-hoo!!

Hugs to everyone!

I am strongly recovering from my hoarding, so since later-mid June, when I retired, I have been getting rid of stuff. Over this week, I have been cleaning out a large closet where stuff just kept being stored -- much of it paper -- some loose papers, much in notebooks, much organized, much disorganized. As of this afternoon, many of the notebooks were alphabetized and put in place in their cabinets in the closet. I need to work on this more, but I am well on my way. There is a soft, pillowed place there for me to sit and peruse the information in the notebooks or just read a book, or I can lie down there and read. The lighting is great. I also did a little extra, because my stepson and his family arrived tonight for a weekend stay. They loved the renovations in the two guest rooms, because all the hoarded stuff up there was sent to Goodwill over the last few months. Gone! Outa here! I can confidently write that I accomplished a lot. It's a good feeling. There is much more to do, but I am encouraged. 🙂

During the later years of the continued hoarding (meaning up to later-mid June this year), I started organizing my hoarded stuff. I bought plastic boxes I could see through but labeled them anyway. For example, I have a box of games, another of Chanukah stuff, another of Passover stuff, another of jigsaw puzzles, etc. These are all stored in the basement, brought upstairs then they are needed, and returned in their boxes to the basement when we are through with them. We've lived in this house since 2001, and we've had one water leak. These boxes are 18" tall, so they will withstand most leaks/floods we may have. We hope! 😀 Sheets and pillow cases: The sheets are matched and folded, then they are stored, with the other matching pillowcase, in the second pillowcase. These are in cabinets in the room where they will be needed. Makes it easy to make a bed! Much of the items needed in the guest rooms are also stored in those plastic bags I can use the vacuum cleaner to suck the air out of before they are placed in the cabinets. All the blankets are stored like this in both the guest rooms and the camper. The camper's dishes, flatware, and other items are washed and stored in this type of plastic bags, too, so that when they are needed, they are ready. Just be VERY, Very sure they are absolutely dry. After believing they are all dry, I still let them sit in the bags, in the house, open, for a few days, just to be sure. I keep them out of the sun so that no condensation has any chance to collect.

second post

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Karl 🙂
Hope your plans work out and you have a wonderfully good time Saturday. 😀

October 31st is "Nevada Day". The day the state joined the union.
Because it officially falls on the weekend, all state employees get today off work.
So, he is home for three full days.
I want to get a pepperoni "take&bake" pizza from Papa Murphy's.
Last time I had pizza was in March when he was in the hospital and I was staying at Nate's house in Reno to be nearby during his surgeries.
Good News to report! The owl has been sighted in the area. That gopher's days are now numbered! 😀
I should really go to the pumpkin patch today.
There is always a corn field maze there.
This weekend there will be hay rides and other old fashion country type festivities too.
They sell local produce and honey and other locally generated things. 😀

Please check in here when you all can.
I post all my posts twice just to be sure one gets here.

TTYS 🙂

Happy almost Hallowen to all!!!
Tillie, you are quite an aming woman, and a true inspiration!
My place has really been shifting in a good direction! The 'shop' trailer is now getting cleared out, and i carried so many loads out that i had to replace the steps cuz they got close to falling apart! I am so ready to toss all of it! While ive been clearing out junk for hauling away, my new sweetie-pie had been beautifying the yard and it has made such a huge difference!
I spent the day looking for my old Catwoman suit to wear for Halloween, but when i finally found all the parts of it, the elastic had dry rotted and itd been sprayed by cats(ironically! ha ha) and just isnt quite what it was. My boyfriend has a very flamboyant work costume, that i cant describe cuz of the anonymity thing, but he wants me to dress in one if his costumes as his character's wife! I think that might be fun!
Im amazed how much things are finally falling into place! Being happy with what my life now has happening in it has really helped me let go of old stuff...in more ways than one! Lots of Love to all of you on this fun holiday! ~☆♡☆~

I have tentative plans for Saturday, so if that works out, I won't be here when the kids come by. I don't know if my housemate will have anything for them. Last year I used the opportunity to get rid of some candy that I decided I didn't like after all. In years before that, it was very rare for me to get any Trick-or-Treaters at all, probably because my house was at the end of a cul-de-sac and set back a ways from the street.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Karl 🙂
Hope your plans work out and you have a wonderfully good time Saturday. 😀

October 31st is "Nevada Day". The day the state joined the union.
Because it officially falls on the weekend, all state employees get today off work.
So, he is home for three full days.
I want to get a pepperoni "take&bake" pizza from Papa Murphy's.
Last time I had pizza was in March when he was in the hospital and I was staying at Nate's house in Reno to be nearby during his surgeries.
Good News to report! The owl has been sighted in the area. That gopher's days are now numbered! 😀
I should really go to the pumpkin patch today.
There is always a corn field maze there.
This weekend there will be hay rides and other old fashion country type festivities too.
They sell local produce and honey and other locally generated things. 😀

Please check in here when you all can.
I post all my posts twice just to be sure one gets here.

TTYS 🙂

Hi 🙂
Good Morning, still morning here.
Another partially cloudy rainy day but there is a strong freezing wind blowing.
Since there is nowhere I need to go I will just stay inside all day.
Monday I have a D.D.S. appointment for a little preventative/restoration work.
I would like to go out to the pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin, they are free there. 🙂
We'll see....
Plan to do "pick up" tasks. That's where I go around and finish tasks that were done "good enough" for now but could use a little more attention.

Anybody doing anything fun for Halloween?
All the little kids around here grew up and moved away years ago so I don't get any trick-or-treaters any more.
Since I still buy candy, just in case, I get something that I like to eat. 😀

back up post

Hi 🙂
Good Morning, still morning here.
Another partially cloudy rainy day but there is a strong freezing wind blowing.
Since there is nowhere I need to go I will just stay inside all day.
Monday I have a D.D.S. appointment for a little preventative/restoration work.
I would like to go out to the pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin, they are free there. 🙂
We'll see....
Plan to do "pick up" tasks. That's where I go around and finish tasks that were done "good enough" for now but could use a little more attention.

Anybody doing anything fun for Halloween?
All the little kids around here grew up and moved away years ago so I don't get any trick-or-treaters any more.
Since I still buy candy, just in case, I get something that I like to eat. 😀

Good Morning! 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
You did a FANTASTIC! job with your challenge! 😀
WAY TO GO!!!

Lazy day here today.
Been reading stuff on the interwebs.
There is lots I could be doing but all work and no play makes me sad.
AS a kid growing up I had the kind of parents that always thought that you should be doing chores and never just playing or reading or doing homework.
As an adult they thought that as soon as I got home from working 10 hours all day standing on my feet doing surgeries that I should completely clean the house.
Well, as of today my father has been dead 15 years and he can no longer put me down for being lazy.
What is the point of living if we can not enjoy life.
Anyways, today is cloudy, windy and cool with a fifty percent chance of rain.
I have a can of peanuts that I am going to turn into toffee coated peanuts.
Other than washing my hair I have no other plans, will just play it by ear. 😀

Next week I would like to challenge myself to complete some things around here that were started but never completed.
With him being in the hospital and then home recuperating all Spring and Summer there is a lot I have just put off doing.

TTYS 🙂

back up post

Good Morning! 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
You did a FANTASTIC! job with your challenge! 😀
WAY TO GO!!!

Lazy day here today.
Been reading stuff on the interwebs.
There is lots I could be doing but all work and no play makes me sad.
AS a kid growing up I had the kind of parents that always thought that you should be doing chores and never just playing or reading or doing homework.
As an adult they thought that as soon as I got home from working 10 hours all day standing on my feet doing surgeries that I should completely clean the house.
Well, as of today my father has been dead 15 years and he can no longer put me down for being lazy.
What is the point of living if we can not enjoy life.
Anyways, today is cloudy, windy and cool with a fifty percent chance of rain.
I have a can of peanuts that I am going to turn into toffee coated peanuts.
Other than washing my hair I have no other plans, will just play it by ear. 😀

Next week I would like to challenge myself to complete some things around here that were started but never completed.
With him being in the hospital and then home recuperating all Spring and Summer there is a lot I have just put off doing.

TTYS 🙂

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!! 😀
Fantastic progress!
Your post is very motivational/inspirational.
Challenges can be a LOT of fun. 😀

Hi Karl 🙂
Wishing you luck finding those papers!
They were probably put in a safe place since they seem to be important.
I have faith they will turn up. 😉

Yesterday I got a lot of cleaning done in here and three loads of laundry.
Ate lunch, watched "The Walking Dead" episode I had downloaded to my Android then took a nap.
Woke up and brought in the laundry from the clothes line, folded & put it away.
Today I will try to rearrange some things in my room to try to keep my doll house safe from that wire eating cat.
AND......
there is a plague ridden varmint digging up my yard/garden!
Stupid gopher. 🙁
Hoping the Great Horned Owl returns to hunt here soon.
They love eating gophers. 😀

TTYS 🙂

Back up post

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!! 😀
Fantastic progress!
Your post is very motivational/inspirational.
Challenges can be a LOT of fun. 😀

Hi Karl 🙂
Wishing you luck finding those papers!
They were probably put in a safe place since they seem to be important.
I have faith they will turn up. 😉

Yesterday I got a lot of cleaning done in here and three loads of laundry.
Ate lunch, watched "The Walking Dead" episode I had downloaded to my Android then took a nap.
Woke up and brought in the laundry from the clothes line, folded & put it away.
Today I will try to rearrange some things in my room to try to keep my doll house safe from that wire eating cat.
AND......
there is a plague ridden varmint digging up my yard/garden!
Stupid gopher. 🙁
Hoping the Great Horned Owl returns to hunt here soon.
They love eating gophers. 😀

TTYS 🙂

Hello everyone!

My post from yesterday didn't appear, but that's okay, I know how hard Cory is working to keep us together!

Karl, I hope you find the papers. I spend my life hunting for stuff.

My missing post gave you the final tally, which was 29 out of a challenge of 60. I am pleased and felt very good about getting rid of 29 things. My counting method was far from accurate-- for example, all the papers I shredded counted as one item (one big trash bag) but the pill bottles in the kitchen were counted separately. The bottom line is I got rid of 29 items, I enjoyed doing it and I feel satisfied. Next weekend will issue another challenge to myself--maybe put away X number of items?

Let me know if anyone wants to join in! I do feel good with a challenge other than "clean house" or "get rid of stuff"

Much love to all. Good work, Tillie. Always love to read your progress!

Hello!

Sorry you are hunting for something Karl. I hope you find the paperwork. I spend half my life hunting for things, it seems. Be sure to keep us updated!

I know what you mean, Tillie. The cats are just too cute not to forgive instantly. It's getting colder here in the Northeast so naturally my little buddy is getting more and more cuddly!

The challenge went well--I disposed of 29 items total. Short of the goal, just shy of halfway, but that is 29 things I wouldn't have done anyway. So for that I am grateful. I didn't have a method to count--for example, I counted the shredded papers by the garbage bag, but counted the two empty pill bottles as two things. My challenge, my rules. So I am pleased even though my goal was 60 items. The point is, I did something. And tonight it has motivated me further. And next weekend I will issue that challenge or another one. I thought another goodie would be to put away X number of items per room.

In the meantime, I am thinking of you all. Many thanks to Cory for his tireless efforts to keep us together.

I've somehow managed to lose a stack of papers that would be hard to replace. I hope it's still somewhere here in my room, and that it'll turn up soon.

Back up post

Good Morning Everybody! 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
"Clink!"
Wishing I was nearby to fatten you up with lots of home cooking. (((HUGS)))
WTG! for all the hard work you have been doing trying to straighten out the bills!
Take care of yourself, hang in there, post when you can.
We all need you here. (((hugs)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
One little snuggle from a cat is all it takes for them all to be forgiven. 😉
WAY TO GO!
Even though it is proving to be challenging, you have kept with it.
Good luck on reaching your ten item per room goal! 😀

Hi LR2014 🙂
Feel better real soon. (((hugs)))
WTG!
For all that you have accomplished!
Anytime you are free to challenge just post about it here and we will join in with you. 😀

Yesterday I accomplished all I could without any help.
He won't be helping today either.
He is too busy. He dumpster dived a bunch of cardboard boxes this past week and he is now taking stuff from the wet/ruined boxes and reboxing it.
Then he is restacking the filled dry boxes right back under the carport where next rain will get them all wet. :/
Forecast says chance of rain here by Tuesday.
I give up.....
Anyways, today I will clean the kitchen and do a few more small tasks then rest up.
Planning to do general house cleaning tomorrow when he goes back to work.

Wonderful to read all your posts this morning! 😀

Good to see your post, LR! Glad you are making progress on the vehicle!

So far my challenge is going well. I'm so pleased with myself. I'm not done by any means but shredded a lot of papers, which equals one bag of trash. I will do more tonight. Some of the items are larger than others, but I am getting rid of ten per room. Haven't taken anything out of bedroom yet but so far: kitchen-7, hall-5, living room-9, bath-1. Pretty pleased. Remember I'm counting living room as two rooms do I need to rid myself of 20 items.

I am throwing out, giving away, shredding and recycling. It's not a matter if putting things away--in this challenge, it is disposal.

I'll write again with final results and would love another challenge next weekend. It can be the same or different-- throw out an idea and I'll join in!!!!

Hello everyone. Good to read your posts. Dear Tillie, you accomplish so much and you are such a support for me. I admire your strength and perseverance. Your dollhouse sounds lovely and on behalf of all cats who have eaten/chewed/played with your things, please accept ou r apologies. We're cats. Cannot help it.

Hello Roxie. Good progress on the bills. So sorry to hear about the weight loss--you certainly cannot afford to lose any weight and I hope you can get your weight going in the right direction.

As for me, I am accepting my own challenge and see that I have lots and lots to do. Difficult to find ten things in each room, even though there are lots of excesses everywhere. So far I can count about ten things in the entire place that I have disposed of. I counted all the paperwork and Mail on top of the washer/dryer as one thing, and I've shredded it and not just churned it. I started another bag to goodwill and I took out four bags of recyclables. I will continue on my quest tonight.

Hello to Anony, CM, LR, Diane, Bitsy, Karl, and all others--whether named or not, I read your posts and am standing by your side

Wow! This past week seemed like a long week to me. Not a bad week . . . just a long one. I made some good progress about a week ago on my vehicle cleanout project. (I still have a long way to go on that.) I have spent a lot of my time this past week working outdoors, and I haven't gotten much cleaning/decluttering done. I did get some paperwork organizing done yesterday.

I realized a few hours ago that I hadn't even checked the message board during most of the last week or so, and now I'm really behind on posts. Just in skimming what I've missed, I noticed your weekend challenge, Tatoulia. I came down sick Friday and probably won't get much of anything done this weekend besides paperwork. If you decide to do another one of these challenges on a future weekend, though, perhaps I will join you! Wishing you well as you continue to work on it!

Glad to hear that the spamming rate is going down. Yea! Thank you, Cory.

Good Morning Everybody! 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
"Clink!"
Wishing I was nearby to fatten you up with lots of home cooking. (((HUGS)))
WTG! for all the hard work you have been doing trying to straighten out the bills!
Take care of yourself, hang in there, post when you can.
We all need you here. (((hugs)))

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
One little snuggle from a cat is all it takes for them all to be forgiven. 😉
WAY TO GO!
Even though it is proving to be challenging, you have kept with it.
Good luck on reaching your ten item per room goal! 😀

Hi LR2014 🙂
Feel better real soon. (((hugs)))
WTG!
For all that you have accomplished!
Anytime you are free to challenge just post about it here and we will join in with you. 😀

Yesterday I accomplished all I could without any help.
He won't be helping today either.
He is too busy. He dumpster dived a bunch of cardboard boxes this past week and he is now taking stuff from the wet/ruined boxes and reboxing it.
Then he is restacking the filled dry boxes right back under the carport where next rain will get them all wet. :/
Forecast says chance of rain here by Tuesday.
I give up.....
Anyways, today I will clean the kitchen and do a few more small tasks then rest up.
Planning to do general house cleaning tomorrow when he goes back to work.

Wonderful to read all your posts this morning! 😀

secondary back up post

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Sorry that your friend has changed/moved on.
Have a FANTASTIC time milling your beans! 😀
Actually, even the small/tiny XMas lights are too big for the doll house.
It's the smallest scale 1/24 inch size.
Thanks anyways. 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
That's a WONDERFUL challenge you have set for yourself! 😀
Seems like it would make a nice difference and not be too overwhelming.
Good Luck! (((hugs)))

I have a list of things I want to accomplish outside today.
The weather is cold early in the morning. Later,cool and warming. And sometimes very nice and warm early afternoon.
But over night it is getting down to freezing and I need to water everything one last time then disconnect the hoses, insulate & cover the faucets.
There are a few windows that I need to cover with plastic.
The evaporative cooler needs to be drained and covered.
And I still need to replace the door insulation strips that Scooter removed.
I plan to wash and bleach the litter boxes outside.
The lawn needs one last mowing too.
I can't do some of these things because I am a puny old woman with weak hands.
So, wish me luck that he will help.

I have been posting and then copying my post and posting it again and it seems to be working getting through. 🙂