Hi everybody!

Anony, you are doing a lot of housework! Do you have the clutter out of the way? It sounds like you are really making your home nice!

Tillie, I am sorry about the nasty laundry pile. Too bad the clothes won't just dissolve in the wash and drain away!

8 loads is all my laundry for a week for three people on a farm!

I was a little dissapointed that the out list wasn't bigger compared to the in list, but it was still a pretty good six weeks. The average in was less than one thing a day even with 7 cookie cutters, and we did visit both our moms - who are both cleaning out. And I am keeping the out going.

I'm also keeping up with eggs, milk, and chicken bread. Not with the garden or housework, but the housework isn't getting too behind, and there are two other people living here who could help!

I've made progress painting the addition, and today I made time to work in my studio - on actual projects. (I'm still behind for my class though.)

I also tidied it up a little more and threw a few small bits and pieces in the trash. (I'm not tracking little stuff like that for the outs so that is bonus.)

Thanks for the support, everyone. Tat, I appreciate your saying that I have to take care of my health. I was always persecuted by my alleged family, and most other people I knew, for taking care of myself.

It is only recently that I realized not only did they want to take my resources to subsidize their own self-serving agendas, but they also were EXPECTING me to die so they could cash in on everything that belongs to me. They are actually angry that I am still alive. It is more complex and far more twisted than I can get into here, but every time I think of it, it sours me on the whole human race. I ask myself, "How could I be so stupid?", but it really had nothing to do with me. I survived supreme evil, and in the process, everyone around me wanted to sink my ship. It is the intentions of less than a handful of people in my life that have kept me on the planet.

It would be great if I could go and create a new life for myself, but the biting disorder keeps me sitting in the same spot, biting my cheeks bloody, unable to move or even think straight most of the time. There is almost nothing good to think about. People here always wanted me dead. It can be very discouraging.

Oh Joan, I wish a cure could be found for the biting! I will definitely keep you in my prayers! You are quite the survivor, it sounds, and you deserve to have the chance to enjoy life freely. Still, although coming here and connecting doesn't cure the physical, you are doing positive things for your mind and spirit, and in my book, that is the sort of living well that they say is the best revenge over those who would wish or do you ill.

I've been kind of burning the candle at both ends - several times this week sat with my elderly friend. Took my embroidery for my quilt top along to do while we sat and visited. I'm feeling so good about seeing this quilt coming together. It's proving to me that with perseverance, I CAN finish things!

My bedroom is sorely in need of attention; pileup happens quickly when I'm dashing in and out. I hope this coming week to have one or more daytime sessions where I set up the card table in the living room, bring things out from the bedroom to sort and deal with. Then I can put them back way more neatly, or perhaps some of them need to go elsewhere.

This process has helped before and I'm sure it will again. I seem to be stuck in the "80/20" rule - feels like I spend 80% of my life regrouping from whetever it is I'm doing in the other 20%.

I'm also sorely in need of resuming my gym and swim "routine" (i.e., attempting to build a routine of it - not quite there yet). And more immediately, I'm in need of a major NAP. I've been having my usual tormenting dreams toward morning. I think the waning moon, which rises in the wee hours, must be exacerbating that, along with fatigue and too much going on. Hopefully the nap will clear out my cache in my brain and defrag my hard drive! And then I can "reboot" and feel like a human being more or less.

Here I want to go back and catch up with y'all's doings; I know I've missed a lot.

My new Ken dolls arrived yesterday - now I can start that sewing project, like I need more projects, LOL, but it's harmless fun and maybe I can make a little pin money from it. I'm going to stay as focused as I can on finishing the quilt project first, though. But it was just fun to open the box and finally have the dolls. 😉

Joan, we are here for you! Keep up the fight! You've mentioned in the past that you have made progress over the years. I hope that your progress is helping you to continue the battle. You are brave and courageous and resourceful --and a good friend to us here.

Hi 🙂

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Great that you had a chance to paint in the addition and that you got to work on some studio projects. 😀

Hi Joan 🙂
Living well is the best revenge 😉
Keep up the good work finding your own solutions.

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
WTG! for working on your quilt!
It will feel so good when you tie that last knot and have it finished.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hoping you are having a great weekend,
Catching up on your sleep, having pleasant conversations and not too hot or humid. 🙂

Been up since early watering trees, bushes & everything.
It's all so dry and suffering no matter how much water I give it.
Had to wash out my washing machine after washing all that funky stuff before I could use it for mine and the cats stuff.
Then had to tighten the clothes line because all the weight of all those loads loosened up the rope.
Bought things to make potato salad but will do that tomorrow when I'm not so frazzled.
Have lots of plans for tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be an easier day 😀

Joan, I am so sorry that the people who were supposed to love you didn't! I wish there was some sort of easy answer for you. I think you're really brave.

CM, how was your nap?

I think it's nice that you have new "sewing friends". My baby doll arrived and I tucked him into the cradle my real babies slept in. It's an antique that my grandmother gifted to me - not a fancy antique, at one point it was used as an apple bin, but well restored and sturdy.

I'm taking a bunch of my dolls to the fair tomorrow, along with an assortment of other entries. A few of them are cooling in my kiln right now.

I'll start swimming again in the fall. Maybe you will have a routine by then and can encourage me.

Hi Tillie,

I'm sure your plants are grateful for the water. Potato salad sounds yummy! I think I will put it on my menu for this week. I can never think of things to cook.

I am very lucky. My dh is really good to me. He spent the day working on my new kitchen. Three of the cabinets are hung and a lot of it is set in place so I can see how it will look. I am so excited! It's going to be sunny and beautiful! This is the first time in my life I've had any choices about my kitchen besides a narrow choice of appliances when a replacement was essential and the color of the walls.

Then this evening he told me that if I will pack up my cuckoo clock, he will take it to the clock repair shop tomorrow and have it fixed for me. He is taking the family pocket watch his mother recently gave him because it is broken. (She gave it to him because it is broken). I inherited the clock from my grandparents - it stopped working when they were still alive and my kids were small and my grandparents never got around to getting it fixed. I adored it when I was little though, and it has been hanging silently on my wall for almost 3 years.

He chose a spot for it next to the new kitchen (the kitchen is a three walled bump out, not really a "room".)

9:00pm
I was sitting here watching a movie on Netflix when I started to hear a disturbance.
Scooter had discovered that a two foot long gopher snake was hiding underneath the little crib cat bed by the dining room table.
Scooter was trying to be brave and save us all from this intruder but it HISSED so he had to keep leaping backwards away from it.
All the other cats came to watch. They all thought/hoped the snake would win.

For a long time this morning I had the front door propped open so all the cats could come & go, in & out.
He must have come in then???
Anyways, the snake has been placed in the side yard, safe & sound. ;D

I'm glad the snake is ok, but I hope scooter hot some love for his valiant attempt to save his family from certain destruction!

I am noticing a shortage of shorts that fit. Given the choice between shopping and dieting, I think I'm going to have to lose 5 lbs.

Great to read all your posts--I merely skimmed them this weekend and now have read them all. Congratulations to all! It sounds like you are getting a good mix of fun and progress!

I did only fun this weekend if you can believe it. Went to the theatre with BF, saw brother (went fine) saw mom (always pleasant--took her for a ride then I did her grocery shopping) and BF and I went to museum. Pretty good weekend. And no napping-/although I did collapse in bed by 8 PM last night.

Tillie--yuck! that laundry. I hope you wore gloves. so disgusting. Special shout out to Scooter--haha that the other cats were rooting for the opponent. SubC, CM, Anony--you are all doing great.

I am home today, which means laundry. I also have trash night tonight. I did nothing other than changing sheets this weekend so I'll work on some actual progress today. Think I'll start a donation bag--that tends to set things in motion for me.

~Greetings, to all!~
Tillie, it took me a while to catch your triple hello to me...ha ha ;D
Last night i vacuumed the kitchen & cleared the spider/cobwebs in half the house. I also spot cleaned the bathroom & several other areas that i detested seeing that were filthy. Its not even so much that i did those chores, but it is my attitude about it that has shifted. It use to be id look at these awful areas in horror. I felt helpless & overpowered by them. Now i just wanna run grab a cloth & some windex or a rag, etc. ~☆~I have become Wonderwoman of the Woods!~☆~ ;D

Hello! 😀

Hi Subclinical 🙂
WAY TO GO! for all the decision making on getting unneeded stuff out! 😀

Hi Joan 🙂
Hope the new meds adjustment is working for you 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
WOOHOO!!! WAY TO GO!!!
What a marvelous change!
You are the Mistress of your domain! ;D

Decided that due to the heat, I will go grocery shopping this evening, sometime after 6pm.
This way putting the things into the car out in the parking lot and then schlepping them in once home won't be in the heat.

I generally leave his bedroom alone, don't change anything in there.
But there was a horrid stench that just would not stay in there and was making the whole house stink.
It was his dirty laundry.
He hoards clothes, so he can make a mountain of dirty clothes and still have lots of stuff to wear.
I washed just the stuff on the floor yesterday.
EIGHT full wash loads!
Today I washed the putrid blanket that was crumpled and on the floor.
There is still bedding needing washing but he would get P.O.ed if I moved all the things on the bed to get to the sheets.
Sprayed some Febreeze toward the bed.
The house is smelling much fresher now. 😀
Hoping this might inspire him to gather up and take out the huge pile of trash in there.
OK, but I am allowed to dream. ;P

Congratulations on a good puttering day! I'm a Pisces btw, so I guess I'm doing what comes naturally to me. I never would have put two and two together like that! Great to hear you happy.

Good morning!

Another putterer here.

Anony, I'm glad you are seeing good results from your approach.

Incidental update - I reduced the magazine pile to one magazine. It is the July issue and I have finished reading it (but dh has not and it is in the bathroom where he prefers to keep some sort of reading material.) when the August issue arrives, I will recycle and replace.

I attended a free workshop yesterday in which we got to try out a new line of pottery tools. They gave each of us one of the tools as a promotion so I added that to my in list. I also bought a variety of the tools for my classroom (out of the classroom budget) because we got 20% off the day of the workshop and I really liked them. I have several days of good lesson plans from the workshop. The tools are in a bag in my studio, but will leave in August when we do classroom set up.

I worked at the food bank last night, but we were low on bread and I did not bring any home. Jim got the small amount that was discarded. I still have lentils and pasta anyway.

Today I need to paint in the addition.

Happy Friday everyone! Leaving for office. Good work, SubC! Whittling the magazine pile, saving money for the classroom, etc!

I did nothing household wise yesterday but did get groceries for mom and I kept up with dishes & recyling. I also got brother's script ftom pharmacy. I got a walk in and listened to a relaxation/hypnosis tape. Went to bed early (for me) and read before going to sleep. Good day all around.

Now to finish getting ready for work and gathering up garbage to take outside.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG! for putting away the vacuum!
It really makes a big difference in the visual clutter when we put away things after using them, even though we plan to use them again real soon.
The real accomplishment is having a place to put things away.
A place easy enough to access and room enough to hold the things. (((HUG)))

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Hi Anonymoniker 🙂

Just kidding 😀
WAY TO GO!!! for great puttering and just doing whatever is bugging you the most!!!
That method is what I call "tidying up".
Once you get an area clear and clean that is the best way to keep it looking good and from falling back into disorder too. ;D

Hi Subclinical 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! with your magazines and wonderful plan for keeping future issues up to date!!!
It's good that you get this break from the bread so you can start feeding them the pasta & lentils and don't have them sitting around too long.
I have a feeling that more will be coming your way soon.
Great budgeting buying the classroom supplies while they were 20% off.
Sounds like it was a really worthwhile class for you over all. 😀

Hi Porter, CriticalMass and Joan 🙂

Was planning on going into town this morning but he never told me he had plans to take the car to the repair shop today.
The air conditioner needs a new compressor. I thought he would wait on this since the Freon recharging has been working well and the new compressor is very expensive.

Thought that I really should watch "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. There are so many references and "easter eggs" relating to it on so many other shows and even movies now.
Had to watch "Better Call Saul" first because it explains some major characters in "Breaking Bad".
Still have about half the episodes of season five to watch yet.
It's good, I give it a "thumbs up". ;D

Ah yes, that "places to put things" challenge. Preferably near their point of use. I just walked all the way back from the studio for scissors and a light bulb. (Then I realized I also needed some water.) - if you imagine my "yard" as a square of 9 three acre lots - the house is in the center of the center lot, and the studio is slightly to the inside of the center of the back left corner lot. Or, in my Dd's neighborhood - 6 houses over around the corner.

So I probably could use a pair of scissors out there.

Thanks for the shoutout, Tillie. You seemed in good spirits with that post.

I haven't been able to follow along with the thread as well as I usually do. I made a big change in my meds last weekend. It had to be done. I have to really pay even more attention than usual to adjust the remedies, meds, etc. that remain after stopping ome of them.

I would have been dead 30 years ago if I'd left things up to the doctors. They have no clue. The doctors I have now basically let me tell them how I want them to support me, and it is up to me to coordinate the treatments and pull it off.

Svaroopa (yoga) class early tomorrow morning, ahhhh. . .

Wishing everyone well.

Hi joan! Glad you could stop in. You definitely need to focus on your health first!

It is basically the middle of July, so here is my reckoning. If I acquired something but got rid of the same thing (i.e., a pair of shorts in, a pair of shorts out) I will not put it on the list. If it says (temporary) I got it to give away but didn't yet.

In Out
Divided tray Roll basket
7 cookie cutters 2 sets of playdo toys
Toddler rocking chair 2 doll strollers
Box of Magnets 2 geography card games
Antique Lap desk Empty K'nex case
Peg rack Coin silver spoon rack (no spoons)
Doll racetrack
Drywall scraps scrap wood (burned)
Box of papers At least 7 magazines
Class notes 10 decks of cards
Plastic spoon Keychain puzzle
Lunch container Small styrofoam cooler
Piece of fabric Scarf
4 ice packs 2 pairs of girls clogs
Christmas stocking Pair of jeans
Lamp 9 hangers
Pottery tool Candy mold
Flower pot Skirt
Pottery example Magic trick toy
Rolling underbed bin 2 pot holders
Puppet (temporary) Box of book plates
Paper bells (temporary) Christmas ornament
Rubber ball
2 slinkys
3 ring binder
Hard cover book

This includes only ins and outs that "belong" to me. If someone else in the house acquired or disposed of a thing, I didn't count it. If it used to belong to other people but i saved it (paper bells) or had saved it and now got rid of it (clogs from when my girls were little) I listed it.

My out list is longer, but because of the underbed bin, my in list takes up more space.

I am not sure where I stand on general papers and glass or plastic containers that arrived via groceries. I need to pay better attention. Also, not listed is the huge pile of feed bags that is accumulating in my barn. I started saving them for a project I haven't gotten to, but also, they are too big for me to throw away without trash service, so I'm going to have to figure something out.

The first post took out the space between the lists. Let me try again.

In-----------------------------------Out
Divided Tray ------------------- Roll basket
7 cookie cutters --------------- 2 sets of playdo toys
Toddler rocking chair -------- 2 doll strollers
Box of Magnets --------------- 2 geography card games
Antique Lap desk ------------ Empty K'nex case
Peg rack ----------------------- Coin silver spoon rack (no Doll ----Doll ------------------------------ racetrack
Drywall scraps ---------------- scrap wood (burned)
Box of papers ---------------- At least 7 magazines
Class notes -------------------10 decks of cards
Plastic spoon ----------------- Keychain puzzle
Lunch container --------------Small styrofoam cooler
Piece of fabric ---------------- Scarf
4 ice packs -------------------- 2 pairs of girls clogs
Christmas stocking ---------- Pair of jeans
Lamp ----------------------------9 hangers
Pottery tool ------------------- Candy mold
Flower pot -------------------- Skirt
Pottery example -------------Magic trick toy
Rolling underbed bin ------- 2 pot holders
Puppet (temporary) -------- Box of book plates
Paper bells (temporary) --- Christmas ornament
------------------------------------Rubber ball
------------------------------------2 slinkys
------------------------------------3 ring binder
----------------------------------- Hard cover book

Better.

Coin silver spoon rack, (no spoons) went out.
One doll came in
The racetrack went out.

Keep up the good work, Joan. I know it is hard on you and you are doing a great job of keeping it all in balance.

~Greetings, to all!~
Tillie, it took me a while to catch your triple hello to me...ha ha ;D
Last night i vacuumed the kitchen & cleared the spider/cobwebs in half the house. I also spot cleaned the bathroom & several other areas that i detested seeing that were filthy. Its not even so much that i did those chores, but it is my attitude about it that has shifted. It use to be id look at these awful areas in horror. I felt helpless & overpowered by them. Now i just wanna run grab a cloth & some windex or a rag, etc. ~☆~I have become Wonderwoman of the Woods!~☆~ ;D

Hello, all!
Yesterday was amazing! As my first 'experiment' i just kinda spontaneously cleaned what i saw that bugged me. And like youd said Tillie, rather than put a post-it note up, or add it to a list, or integrated it into a plan, i just walked over and dusted it, or wiped it, or tossed it, or whatever, right then! I did little patches all over my house AND outside! The funny thing is, ive always thought i had to be organized with it, and i think that is why id get overwhelmed, but what i think im going to try is just spontaneous-spot cleaning until it is not as overwhelming, overall, then maybe go back to project/plan type of cleaning? And Tatoulia, your mention of 'puttering' kinda inspired me, cuz thats what its like, but i did that all day long without tiring or getting freaked out or any of my usual problems! My astrological interpretation of this is, that my property purchase chart has the sun & moon, both intercepted in virgo, but this method is very piscean, so that could be why it feels so very flowing & easy?!!
~I hope you all are having things fall into place & work out today!~ ~♡~

Hello, all!
Yesterday was amazing! As my first 'experiment' i just kinda spontaneously cleaned what i saw that bugged me. And like youd said Tillie, rather than put a post-it note up, or add it to a list, or integrated it into a plan, i just walked over and dusted it, or wiped it, or tossed it, or whatever, right then! I did little patches all over my house AND outside! The funny thing is, ive always thought i had to be organized with it, and i think that is why id get overwhelmed, but what i think im going to try is just spontaneous-spot cleaning until it is not as overwhelming, overall, then maybe go back to project/plan type of cleaning? And Tatoulia, your mention of 'puttering' kinda inspired me, cuz thats what its like, but i did that all day long without tiring or getting freaked out or any of my usual problems! My astrological interpretation of this is, that my property purchase chart has the sun & moon, both intercepted in virgo, but this method is very piscean, so that could be why it feels so very flowing & easy?!!
~I hope you all are having things fall into place & work out today!~ ~♡~

Ooooops?!! Im so sorry for the overdose of my post?!! The dang button was stuck, so i kept pressing it...

~Good Morning!~
SubC, i really like your comparison of not losing weight cuz itd be like wasting that money from the food bought...wow?!! Good one!!! I hope your poison ivy heals up quickly? That sounds really miserable!
Tatoulia, i hope youre feeling better?
Tillie, that smoke & heat sounds aweful! We finally got our monsoons & it feels soooo glorious!!! I hope yours comes soon?
Well, i had a bit of a meltdown yesterday. This one brought some good ideas and realizations, at least, tho. Im thinking of keeping a log(i really like that idea!), and looking at this, for now, as an experiment. Maybe a daily hour of straight cleaning, no decisions. Then grading both its effort level, as well as its satisfying level. Also doing an hour a day of productive planning: decisions, ideas, envisioning, etc. Today im gonna just clean! All day! Im gonna see how much better i can feel from it. Yesterday i started this & i was surprised at the difference?! .....ill report my findings...ha ha
~Happy Productive Day To All!~ ~♡~

Sorry to hear about your meltdown, Anony--you are so good at turning those things into productive action! So proud of you!

Let us know how it goes today! I haven't done anything beyond dusting the bedroom. I might vacuum the back of the house right now. Kitty is on my bed so I can't vacuum in there. WELL I COULD but no, I really can't. 🙂

Hi all!

Anony, it sounds like you really turned your experience into motivation. Let us know how your plans work for you.

Tatoulia, I absolutely need you guys to question my buying decisions! One of the things that is so valuable to me here is that I feel like I can talk over decisions that seem really minor to most people and work on the process.

Tillie, I'm glad you are feeling better. That smoke sounded awful.

I ran out of laundry soap today and had to go into town.

I took the recycling and plastic bags and some trash, and also finally dropped off the goodwill pile, so I will do my " reckoning" soon. I got gas, groceries, and also a mold and a lamp for my pottery studio. I have wanted the lamp for a while - been keeping an eye out for one like this - and the mold fits with the class I am taking. I might get rid of it when lass is over. It was only $2.

I forgot my "camera" though and was sad because I saw more good ideas. Must remember to take the iPad when I go thrifting! I don't sketch well. I am very tactile/3D.

Btw, if you are wondering how I am shopping when I said my spending money was all gone - I sold a goat. This is a good thing. Every spring I have baby goats and every summer/fall I cut the numbers back down. I should sell 5-7 more by first snow. The goat went to a terrific home too. My dd jokingly (I think) offered to go with him.

I still haven't finished my homework for class. The itching makes me so tired!

Hi 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG! for laundry and dusting even though it's humid.
Hope you enjoy your new haircut ;D
I keep my hair long so I can put it up in a bun to keep it up off my neck.
No, we really can't vacuum and disturb the kitties. 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Scheduling a straight hour daily to do something with no disruptions can really help focus and productivity.
After I spend the day cleaning house I always schedule in a treat/reward for myself.
It's always something like a long shower with lots of pampering of myself.

Been enjoying today.
Doing nothing really.
But at least I feel good while I do nothing much 😀

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Hope you get some relief soon from that darned poison ivy.
I would give you a hug but don't want to get the rash as you did, from hugging that baby goat. ;D

(((.....hug.....)))