Good morning guys. I feel a bit better today but feel kind of wiped out like a ran a marathon. Emotionally drained. I went to church this morning but didn't stay after and ran home to decompress. I am drinking hot tea and catching up here. I appreciate this safe place more all the time.

I like the blanket idea too. I think I will give that a try!

Congrats on making a dent in the stuffed animals! That is great. Heck, ONE stuffed animal gone is great because they hold a lot of emotion for many of us. I have too many too but this summer I will get into the garage and start sorting them. For now I am working on the actual living space.

Do any of you guys waste a lot of time sitting around? I feel terrible about this habit. I mean, given the choice or a day with no obligations, I tend to want to sit on the couch with coffee and the tv on and be online, watching tv, etc. Which is fine but I can literally do this all day, every day if I am not careful. I often have to force myself to get up at all. I do have obligations and appointments that keep me moving some. And I do force myself to get up just to do one thing, or 15 min of work, or let dogs out etc. But I still seriously spend way too much time sitting here. Today I feel like I really need the rest and decompressing, but most days there is no reason for it. I guess my house would be clean if I didn't sit around so much.

Hello everyone! Nice to read your very social posts in spite of the scary events going on in your lives. Road, I am grateful to your BFF for giving you the support that allowed you to call the neurosurgeon. This is a very scary time of "what ifs" for you and I'm glad you have support! I do hope your son will be able to participate in the Special Olympics.

Lila, tell me more about getting rid of one large item. What are you considering? And what does it mean you might owe money on it? Do you use the rent to own model of getting furniture? Because selling it could declutter your physical space and your financial space if you are paying monthly on something. Congratulations on clean sheets and new blanket! That is terrific!

CM, what a spate of sad news. I am so sorry. I'm happy to hear from you and glad you are working through this.

SubC! That floral class sounds terrific! What a nice thing for the students and the teachers! Congratulations!

Lila, no strong Boston accent here as my Midwestern roots show up at odd times! But I'm sure I sound a bit Boston to others!

So I went to the Museum of Fine Arts today with a friend and her kids. We met at BF's office first then to the museum. I then stayed at the museum after they left. I went back to the gift shop and had a fairly large cache of things I was buying and nearly one by one, I put them back. I did keep two books. One I'll read and donate and one I'll read and send to a friend.

Tonight I started shopping on the Macy's website for a throw blanket and mercifully stopped, identified that I do have a winter throw blanket, and also id'd that I have several cat fleeces to keep my friend warm. I'd given a favorite and fairly new throw to my friend when she moved out and I gave her some cat fleeces. But I still think I'll have enough. If it turns out that I really need a winter throw, I'll purchase it. But not until I determine the need.

My cleaners came this AM just before I left for the museum. BF came down and set the alarm for me. Yes I'm a city mouse!

They'd never come in the AM before so it was a bit shocking for all of us. I bet they had cancellations due to Veterans Day. And something happened yesterday where they couldn't come. One nice thing about having them every week is my house is never dirty.

I too struggle with space, Road I have gotten rid of so much yet still think I have no room. I think part of it is a mind trick. I used to have stacks of stuff. Now I do not. You could vacuum or mop my place and not have to move anything beyond the furniture. I used to have unusable kitchen counters. But now I have one, clean space. It pays off to get rid of the stuff. It's peaceful now.

I am thinking about how t prioritize the decluttering right now. I get scattered and will do a little bit here and there in every room and never get one room in decent shape. I think writing out sort of a plan here will help me, and I welcome any observations and suggestions too.

For now, the garage and sheds are just going to wait until spring because they are not heated and it is cold... unless I need space in there then I will have to get rid of an item to move an item in there. So schedule garage for spring/summer.

Here are the areas of focus:

my bedroom is what I am mainly doing now. It's big. It has an attached bathroom that also needs decluttered but the bedroom is more important.

dining room - this is piled with mostly papers and things I have no place for but need to keep. I want to get the table and bar cleared off before Thanksgiving, which is coming right up... only TEN DAYS!! There is also a tall cabinet piled with all kinds of things on every shelf, on the stereo, on top, etc.

Living room - it's not bad. I have a few items on every surface that need to be put away. When you add up all the surface it turns into a lot. Sitting here now - one couch has blankets, sheets, a dog blanket, and toddler toys on it. Fireplace mantle has pet medical items, a couple toys, some little things like screws. I have a painting that needs to be hung before Thanksgiving sitting on a cabinet but it as no hangers on the back so I have to do that first. There are toddler toys on several other surfaces as well as books to put away, dog toys, dog nail clippers. Oh, I just noticed a laundry basket on top of a cabinet. It's been there for months (not laundry, just a dash and stash I think).

I have tubs and stuff in my daughter's room that really need to be dealt with, and the closet is full of toys and dance costumes and all kinds of random things. She wants it for her clothes so I need to get at least the closet dealt with.

Hall closets, laundry room, halls and bathrooms are kind of a mess but not a priority yet.

okay, so - the plan:

1) finish a few tasks in my bedroom (deal with the big medical equipment item, sell the other big item that I have listed, pick up a few more things and consolidate whats left to make space. Put tubs back under the bed. Box up and ship the stuff for my son. Return borrowed books. Then I will put the room on hold so I can get ready for company for Thanksgiving.

2) Dining room - clear off the table, bar, and tall cabinet without doing a total stash and dash. Put away or get rid of at least half of the stuff in there, and then if I have to stash and dash the rest so be it.

3) Living room - hang the picture, donate any toddler toys we don't really use, put the rest in the toybox. Put books on shelves. Sort the dog toys, put them away or donate. Put away all the other random stuff and get the room cleaned and dusted for Thanksgiving.

4) Daughter's closet. I may work on this in between the living/dining rooms even if I have to just throw most of it in boxes and donate some, to get the closet empty for her asap. I can go back and sort the boxes and tubs when I get the dining/living room ready for Thanksgiving

5) Finish daughter's room

6) Go back and finish my room and bathroom.

I know this will run into December so at that point I'll be decluttering the Christmas decorations. Then in January, I can work on the closets, kitchen, laundry room etc.

Does this sound like a good plan?

And I was gonna say sub c, that's so nice you got flowers. Teenagers are so funny. I mean, that is a *major award!*

Lila, that's one of the rare pluses of a hoarding problem... you can shop for brand new things in your house without spending any money! I was just looking at some kitchen accessories to try to finish-finish my kitchen and I found this one thing that is kind of a retro chicken wire little cubby shelving thingy... (say that 3x fast) and I was like " heeeey, I think I have one of those already.." 😫🧐🥴

Alright I guess I better call it a night.

Tomorrow we have plans to see the new Wes Anderson with my niece. Say good thoughts that she will hold it together and not flake out and disappoint my son tomorrow...

Good afternoon Lila - lol, are you a west coast girl, or did you lose track of the time?

I do tend to waste a lot of time sitting - usually online. I try not to, but I get tired. Then I try to tell myself if I'm tgat tired I should at least go to bed.

Right now I'm waiting for my apple pie filling to boil so I can can it. I got through about 1/3 of the apples. They are starting to go by.

It has been dark all day and I am very low.

I am praying for your son and you, Road! It is so hard not knowing what's going on so try not to think about scenarios. It could be a misread like you said, so try and let it go until the consult. My dd also missed so much of high school and now wants to quit online school and get a GED. I am sad about her not getting the experience, but will support her in this is it's really what she wants.

Tatoulia, wow. You sound like you've come such a long way! Putting things back etc. And having cleaners! That would be impossible, or at least very embarrassing, for me. I have done the dash n stash method before the pandemic - if company was coming, or when I had a car accident and needed help so friends were coming to help clean - I always threw everything from the dining/living room into boxes and laundry baskets and threw them all in my bedroom. That's a good part of why my room got like it did. I remember 3 years ago when 2 friends came to clean my kitchen and living room because of my injuries. I did my best to wipe it down before they came and had the clutter hidden. But one lady who is quite matter-of-fact said something to me as she was cleaning. It was something like 'you have to keep this up, and do it every week.' She was getting on chairs and dusting the freaking ceiling, washing light fixtures, wiping down every cabinet etc... things I generally might do once every 2 or 3 years. I felt bad.

Now since I got sick a couple months ago, my kitchen table and bar/counter are piled with stuff. For my son's birthday I managed to get everything off the table (onto the bar and my bedroom) but it is piled back up so we can't eat there. I hate it and want to take care of it but it is even more overwhelming than my bedroom, so I am doing one space at a time. I think I am close to the point where I will be stopping on my bedroom soon and the kitchen table/bar counter will come next. I dread it. But will talk about it here as I go... that helps.

Lila,

In my experience, everything takes longer than you expect.

I would start with clear off the table. Then, I would start every day with clear off the table. If you have company in ten days, I recommend you start with the living and dining rooms.

Also, I know you want to get the closet fixed for your Dd, but she's waited this long, she can wait two more weeks. Or, get her to help - for every fifteen minutes she helps you in the living/dining room, you help her in her closet.

I say this as a person who far too often tries to "finish this thing before I start that thing" and then discovers that there wasn't enough time for "that thing" which was more important.

Once you have your living/dining under control, focus on shipping, returns, and any space that is likely to result in donations - permanent removal! That will give you more space to work.

decluttering update -

Yesterday I managed to get those old sheets and blanket picked up for someone's dog bedding. Got my new sheets and blanket washed and put on my bed. They were very comfy last night but I was cold! So today I will do more "closet shopping" and find a second blanket to put on top. The bedspread I have makes me TOO hot. It is new so need to decide where to put that.

I also listed one medium sized thing for sale. It is not sold yet but I will drop the price as needed. In fact I have a friend who might be able to use it so will offer it to her if it isnt sold soon.

Tatoullia, the big item I might owe money on is a $3k medical device I bought in monthly installments last year. The company went through a terrible time so they stopped contacting me for payment, but I either paid it off or only owe one more payment. It's complicated because they added one accessory near the end so the original contract is not accurate. I need to find it, add up the payments and pay whatever I owe, and then I can sell it and have some real $$ which I need.

I did not move the dog stairs yet so that is probably the very next thing I will do when I get up from this couch.

I also will do a little 15 minutes of something in my room again to get it improved.

Here is an item I need help with:
I have very few things from my childhood. But I have kept this little rocking chair that I got when I was like 2. It is super cute and has nice memories with it, and when I was 9 my neighbor reupholstered it for me in actual leather, so it is a really nice little chair for a child under about 5 years old. I have a grandd who is 2. Giving it to them is not an option because sweet dil allows grandd to grab markers and color the walls, furniture, etc sometimes and I would be upset if it was ruined... and also they 'purge' items often and seem to have no connection to any item as special. So it stays here. I also have a grad on the way. It would be a nice chair to have in a playroom but now the playroom was taken over by my son (kids traded rooms etc) so it has to be in my bedroom or the living room. I have a puppy that still chews sometimes. Well maybe it's not as big of a dilemma as I thought, as I type this out I guess the answer is to set up a little reading area in my room for now, and next year when my pup is better behaved I could make that space in the living room. Or in a playroom if son changes rooms or moves out. Any other thoughts are welcome!!

I'm sorry you are down, SubC. I know the feeling.

I like both your idea, Lila, and SubC's idea. I'll add one of my own. Trash out. Go around and gather the trash. Trash out. You know it when you see it. And seeing it go is so satisfying. It is a real motivator. I bet your cluttered bathroom has a lot of products and other things that can go. If the product is wet, has been wet, and/or is covered in dust, declare it trash. Do the same in the fridge.

Then, follow what makes most sense to you. I do think that SubC has offered a very good order of things. We have done this and gone through it. We are still having to make decisions and prioritize. Sometimes I come on here just to have someone to tell me to let something go or to reassure me that letting it go is okay.

I went to the consignment shop today to drop off some jewelry. Just trying to get it out of my life. I spent a lot of time in the shop. It was filled to the brim with stuff. Did not buy a thing. Wasn't even tempted.

When I was pulling the jewelry out of my drawer (my friend organized my drawer for me) I saw a black velvet bag that said Tissot. And just like that, I found my missing watch. I knew it was here. It's been missing for a while, but I didn't start wearing a good watch til June 1st when I went back to work. Before that, I was wearing one of my two summer watches. (And one of those broke over the summer so I threw it out). So I'll have the battery replaced so I can wear it again.

I then did mom's grocery shopping and dropped it off for her. Now I'm home, after visiting with boyfriend.

I have an extremely painful eye. I don't know if I mentioned that. Not conjunctivitis, thankfully, but could be a stye. Incredibly painful.

Good morning.

I slept 10.5 hours.

It is overcast and dreary here.

Lila, Bean is almost 16 months and yes, he is the center of the universe.

My Dh is a keeper of nothing - not strictly true, he has a few sentimental items, but if he decided to leave me, he could probably move out of the house in one trip with our truck and then he would have to send people to fetch the piano. His tools would require a second truck trip. He tries to be patient with the hoarding, but sometimes he loses his temper. He has gotten better as I have gotten better.

Congratulations on your paths, your new bed, and your donations! I hope that the large items (both size and value) find a goid path out of your life quickly. That would be a good boost!

Your "helping" friend was inconsiderate and judgey. Helping someone does not give you a right to obstruct them. Also, there is no way I would do that every week. I'm pretty sure Tatoulia's cleaners don't do all that every week!

I understand the table/bar situation. Piles are my downfall. I keep trying to unbury the counter in my scullery room and it just keeps getting worse all fall. I know I would be more functional if I could use it and clean it off each day, but I just can't seem to get there.

I think you have a good plan for your rocking chair.

Did you move the dog stairs?

Back later to catch up with everyone else!

Thanks SubC, those are good words. It is most important the house be Thanksgiving ready, as we have company coming. When I am done here I will take 5 minutes (at least) and put things away in these areas. It is more straightforward than the bedrooms anyway... I mean, it's just "put the dog toys in the basket and if it gets full, donate, toss or put in the dogtoy bin." Not that hard. I found solice in taking some of the older stuffed dog toys that are worn but still have some life, and cutting out the squeakers and tossing the toy. I have some good quality toys whose squeakers died that I can stick those in, after Thanksgiving. Saving a squeaker is a lot less space than saving a whole toy!

Today I watched a tv show with my kid. That was sort of a way to reconnect after the argument last night, so I'm glad I took time for it. Then I unloaded the dishwasher and re-loaded it and will run it when my kid is out of the shower (hot water). I washed out the kitchen sink. Threw away stuff on the counters and some older stuff from the fridge. I had a stack of plasticware on the counter because the drawer is full, so I went in there and pulled out some old lids and tossed them, and put the lids to glassware in the glassware bin. Then I had space to put away the plasticware. I also put away all the clean measuring cups which for some reason were scattered around the counter.

Ok, taking 5 minutes now to put things away in the living/dining room!

*instruct them, not "obstruct them" in post below.

Tatoulia,

ouch! That sounds awful. Maybe try a warn compress? Hot water over a washcloth folded and squeezed out feels good on painful eyes. I hope it gets better soon.

Well, I did my 5 or 10 minutes and got so overwhelmed. I don't know why some days 5 turns into 30 and things go with ease, and others everything feels impossible. But I did pick up all the dog toys off the floor, found one new that no dogs play with and put it into a donate box. I looked in the toybox for toys to donate but found none. I stared and the books and other toys and got super frustrated so instead I cleaned my dog's ears which I'd been putting off. Now taking a rest.

The thing I am stuck on:
I have books for my grandkids and I already purged about half of them. I really want what is left and grandd will love them when she comes over (I can't gift to them - they toss everything!) I wanted the little kid books where she can reach them but my darned puppy keeps pulling them down and trying to chew them! Same with the nice wooden puzzles. I have 3 puzzles I kept for her. I'm not sure where to put this stuff where the dog won't ruin them. Hmmm.. I could put them in a plastic bin but, yeah... another bin of stuff. Maybe it could go under the coffee table. Or I could make space on a higher shelf and get them down for her when she wants them. Ugh I dunno.

Also, the bonded leather (cheap) on my couches is flaking off terribly. The areas are too big to patch or anything. Looks like crap and makes me feel bad about my home. Not sure what I am going to do about that... could get better couches on craigslist for cheap but who has time or a truck to do all that? UGH. A cover would cost too much... and a throw would not cover the big areas. If I sold the medical equipment I could buy some decent couches on CL for like 500 and hire a delivery truck to bring them and dump the old ones. But not in time for Thanksgiving.

Well, on to things I CAN do something about today...

hi Tatoulia! I just read through your posts and am hoping your mammogram and medical stuff all came back clear. I hate having to go back for a second look. It sounds like you are doing good. I like the idea of using something for an occasion and then donating it back. Why hadn't I thought of that??

I also think it is very cool you got rid of the stuffed animals etc. I need to do that too. I don't know why we hold onto all this stuff. My kids would just throw it all out if I saved it til I died!

The addicts in the garage situation sounds unnerving. Do you live in a big city? I have always lived in the country until I moved here (Washington state) and now live in a suburb. I would freak out if anyone was in my garage! Stay safe.

Going back to read others' posts.

Putting this here as a visual marker for myself

💙💙💙💙💙

I'll have quite a few of your posts to catch up on. That will let me know where to start.

Last week was rough. On Sunday we didn't notice till evening that my roommate's little bunny girl hadn't eaten and didn't want to move. So I started the hand feeding. She still hadn't made much progress the next morning so we got an appointment with a vet. That vet referred us to another vet who attempted surgery to remove the blockage of fur in the tummy. But poor little girl's heart gave out. 💔 😰

That same day I had called a friend from my church quilting group and her husband had died in his sleep in the night. A couple days later I got the news that another lady who led the quilting group for a long time, and who had been operated on for cancer in the summer, had passed away. This week I went to the one lady's husband's funeral Monday and tomorrow morning will attend the quilt leader's funeral.

So it's just been a rather heavy feeling time. Other things as well, and a couple of happier things. Also I don't like the time change but I'm trying not to let it get me down. Roommate will be out of town Thursday through Sunday so I have some intentions of tackling clutter here. I'm actually feeling positive and purposeful about that.

For those of you who deal with ADHD, by the way, I started taking L-Theanine supplements and I think they are helping me be more resilient and less prone to sudden temper flare-ups. Just thought I'd pass that along.

SubC, just read your posts and am caught up. I wonder where Road is, and has anyone heard from Tillie? I hope your inlaw visit it going well. I know the relief when people finally leave, even if we love them. I need to be alone sometimes.

Thank you for helping me think about the weight issue. Yes, it is important to me to lose it, because it is affecting my health. One issue also is there is a strong history of heart disease in my family. Dad, grandparents, uncles all died young of heart attacks. And now I have high cholesterol and some other issues. The doctor and the cardiologist told me I have to lose the weight if I want to be healthy. I also have autoimmune issues. So I have switched to a mostly plant based way of eating. But the junk food calls to me. I can hardly stand it. I crave fast food, candy, junky foods. I was raised on those foods because my mother was mentally ill and never cooked. Well, she cooked hot dogs. I love hot dogs but I am avoiding them now. I almost never ate vegetables or fruit as a child. It is a hard habit to break but I am trying. I feel like an addict sometimes.

What worked before was counting calories and exercise. I just don't have it in me to measure everything and count calories anymore, and I have arthritis that makes exercise painful. Excuses... I need to do something. My doctor gave me phentermine pills so I will start taking that tomorrow and see how it goes. He said it is safe as long as it is not combined with other drugs or caffeine. He said he will check my blood pressure etc to be sure I stay healthy on it. He said yes there are minor risks to any medication, but my weight is more likely to kill me than the med, so I am going to try it for short term. Wish me luck. I have about 60 pounds to lose.

Good Morning!
coffee clinks.

CM, I am sorry about your friends and the bunny.

Road, I know you are worried about your son. I hope that things turn out ok. Better safe than sorry on the X-ray.

Hop to that laundry!

No progress here, just keep writing checks my body can't cash. Looking forward to the thanksgiving break - we get a whole week.

And now for the update on my decluttering. I did go through the box of my son's special things from childhood. I threw away about 2/3 of it. I wondered why I kept some of that stuff! I saved 3 or 4 precious things... cards he made for me when he was small, etc. I have a short stack to mail to him, mostly things like the first time he wrote his name, a couple cute drawings and essays from when he was little, and his report cards and a few medical papers. I did not look through the report cards but am going to do that before I mail them, so he only gets a few and not 20! I also got out all the school class photos of his, school pics, family pics etc and put them together with the special papers. Of course I saved one from each grade for myself. He has not given me an address yet, so I will text him again today and if not I will send to his dad.

The rest of the week I did no decluttering. I was too busy. Today I went in my bedroom and was frustrated I still cannot walk to the windows or dressers, so a path is my next goal. I had 2 cardboard boxes on the floor with breakable things (you know, because of my kid). I took everything from one box and put it into a tub (threw out 2 items and donated 3 plates). I am going to add the things from the second box so it is all in one bin, and shove it into the corner for someday when my kid is not breaking things. Then can fill the empty boxes with donations. I also took one full bag of trash out, and I finally folded up the Queen comforter that I could not decide what to do with, and put it in an empty bin downstairs. If anyone needs it, it is there, out of my room. If no one uses it this winter I will probably donate it then.

I feel so paralyzed when I go into my room and try to continue making the path, but I am forcing myself to do SOMETHING every time I go in there, even if it is to put one thing away or sort one pile. So off I go to do that again.

What are you all up to today?

Lila, this is hard work. I have a bit of a tear in my eye. You are amazing. Glad to have you as a friend. Sending you much love. You are doing the tough stuff. And yes, send to his father if you must.

oh... still no replies today? I hope to hear from you guys!

Today has been rough but I got a bit more done, 5 minutes at a time. Every time I went in my bedroom I spent 5 minutes and did SOMETHING. I sorted a tiny pile, threw half of it away and found my dog's new tag I was looking for. I made a path to the dressers and looked through them for things to donate. I donated a couple of pillowcases and a tee shirt that is new but I don't like the logo (was free). I took out 2 empty boxes to the trash. I folded a few towels and donated one that has bleach stains (they repurpose these). I had a digital scale sitting on the floor that I don't like. I have a regular analog scale in the bathroom that I think is more accurate, so I donated the digital one. I also went through some plastic drawers and donated a new notebook, a little speaker and some earphones. A tablet cover, a few other little things. I had my son take the big box of donations to my car. I have a small box almost ready to be put in the car. Oh, I also donated a purse I liked but never use anymore.

I guess I did more than I thought. I think before that box goes out to my car I will look over my bookshelf one more time and see what needs to go. Then I can put the keep books onto the shelf.

Whew.

Good morning.

Lila, normally I would not focus on the weight, but the comment about your doctor makes me feel like maybe I should try in case I can be useful. I am assuming that losing the weight is important to YOU for your health.

So, to begin - what worked last time? And can you do it again? Can you become more mindful of your eating and moving habits? You have already identified fast food as a concern - what can you do to help yourself eat healthy food made at home? What are the stumbling blocks? Can we help you?

Now, the size 12s - the size 12s have to go. Sell them if you can, and put the money aside for future clothing needs, but they are just taking up space and probably making you feel bad. Forget them. You aren't supposed to be a size 12. You are probably a very attractive and healthy size 14.

You can ignore this, but I am curious - were you raised in a tradition that doesn't celebrate Halloween?

Also, Road made me wonder - would locks on cabinets be better than bins in your room?

Had a great day with Bean yesterday.

Today school. Must do lesson plans and some housework. Invasion of the inlaws on Friday. So tired.

Good job Lila!

Our company leaves in the morning - probably after I head out to get Bean. He was here most of the weekend so that was nice.

I do not love my inlaws. I wrote more, but this is a public forum and if I regret it I can't edit.

Fil and Dh did some fencing work this afternoon that I really appreciate. It helps me out a lot to have it done.

Last night I was so exhausted I went to bed at 7:35. Then I slept until new 7:30.

Road, how are you feeling today? I know the booster threw you for a loop and may have contributed to the overwhelming anxiety. I hope your son is feeling more like himself, too.

I can't remember if I posted yesterday. Having the disposal replaced brought no anxiety. Not before, not after. I like this company. They put on booties over their shoes and wear masks. They do their job and leave. It was a positive experience all around and just now I realize I had no stress leading up to the service visit. Very nice.

I took today off to Power Up The Polls but I wasn't called to volunteer. So I called the hospital yesterday and scheduled my mammogram for today at 3:30. I didn't get mine last year due to pandemic and there's a bit of a troublesome spot so let's see what happens. I am not nervous at all. I am also late for blood work. Pre pandemic I had blood work every two weeks. I had blood work March 2020 and once this year. So I'll have everything checked today.

I purchased new lampshades for the lamps I moved into the bedroom. I bought one set at Home Depot and one at Target. The target ones were the keepers so I'll go to Home Depot before hospital. I might also drop by Goodwill. Just to look around. Right now I'm doing a quick load of laundry. But I don't want my day to be mired in laundry.

I've been making lists recently and that has changed how much I get done. I use the notes app in my phone and iPad. And I check them off. I'm shocked at how much better I feel as a result.

Lila you are doing great! I love getting rid of stuff! Glad to see you pushing through! Hello SubC!

Lila I live in Boston Proper. Right in the city. I park in a public garage about six blocks from my house. I have a designated parking spot. I'm right by the stairs. It's public in the sense that you can rent monthly but not by the day. I think in winter storms they used to open it up but I do not use my car daily or even weekly so I can't remember how that worked. I used to drive my car several times a week for work. I now have zero travel for work. As soon as I took this job, I got rid of my expensive car and got a Toyota. In the last 12 years I've put only 30,000 miles on it. And I let my friends drive it so I'm not even responsible for all of those miles.

Someone keeps breaking the garage doors. I haven't seen any break ins to the cars. I think people break the doors so they can park for free.

I did more laundry tonight after doing mom's groceries. I have to go fold them and off to bed.

I'm tired too, SubC.

Lila, Tillie wasn't feeling well and stopped posting. I got in touch with Cory. He tried emailing her, with no luck. We miss her terribly.

HelloM

Mammogram and blood work done. Hopefully that's the end of it and no need for ultrasound. Walked there and back which made for good exercise. BF met me on my walk home and we ran to the Whole Foods. I just made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

I'm going to try to do some laundry now. I did a quick load this AM and still have piles to go. I didn't want to get too entrenched in laundry today. Cleaners come tomorrow.

So I returned the lampshades and I also went to good will to look around. I bought two things. One is a picture frame that is very nice and made of pewter. Lovely. I am not a picture person and have only one picture in my home. But I do have a some small pieces of art that I can put in it. I also bought a small glass tray. The thing about the small trays is that I use them and then when. I am done with them, I return them. This one will be very nice at Christmas time.

There is a bit of a victory here. I also had two plates and two bowls, and by the time I wound my way through the check out lines I was over the two plates and bowls and apologized to the cashier. So that worked out.

Big election in Boston today. Wish I had worked the polls but it didn't happen.

Good morning.

Tatoulia, I had envisioned your garage as something smaller. I'm surprised you could store bins in a large public garage.

You have been doing a good job looking after mom this weekend!

I have definitely saved too many stuffed animals, but I can't pare them down yet. Unfortunately Bean only likes a very few. He doesn't like stuffed animals in general. He lives real animals though. And animal books.

Lila, changing your diet is really hard. Like the hoarding, it's easiest to start at the point of getting the stuff, but tgat can be super hard with food if you live with other people. What are some fruits and vegetables you like?

Doing something every time you go into your room is great! Also, it is exercise. If you are working on your path, you are moving, you are bending, you are not sitting. Just keep reminding yourself to try to move more for a start.

Which reminds me - road, check the laundry

I need to clean up mil's sewing stuff. DD1 asked her to make a Santa suit for Bean while she was here, which was lovely, because it kept her busy at the sewing machine the whole time and she was able to feel like she was being helpful and useful without making my life (much) harder. (Also, DD is pretty happy about the Santa suit.) Her lack of concern about pins was a little stressful, but it went ok.

One issue is that the girls moved a table in here for her to work on, and I'm not sure Dh can help me pick it up to move it back.

I'm going to take Bean home and work at the pottery studio this evening. I have some things that have to be dropped off to be fired. As usual, got nothing to speak of done on lesson plans this weekend. I did rip out the entirety of a small knit and crochet project I had started. Which is not actually progress.

Meaning I use the trays, then donate back to goodwill. I don't return them in the sense of I get my dollar back.

Bean is sleeping.

I arranged to drop him off at home today so I can take sone pottery down for my class and spend my evening glazing.

Dh walked in a few minutes ago and said "don't panic ok?" I said "ok, why am I not panicking?"

My garage floor is getting done tomorrow.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, those of us who know you knew exactly what you meant, but I suppose it is good to clarify for the newer people just in case.

Good job resisting the plates and bowls. I'm glad the disposal replacement went well and I hope all your test results come back good.

I have nothing to report, but I am cheering everyone on.

Good morning!

Lately it seems we all have such different schedules we end up talking to ourselves. Ah well, someone will always be along..

I went to the studio last night.
Dh emptied the entire garage in two hours.
Some stuff is in my pottery studio, some stuff is in the animal barn, some stuff is on the front porch, some stuff is in the yard.. The back of the truck is completely full and the truck is parked in the studio/shop barn (as usual)

I think I have adrenal fatigue. I feel nothing about any of this.

I just want to make it to Friday so I can spend my weekend catching up.

Dh and I have a concert to go to on Saturday night - in person, masks and proof of vaccination required. I am still stressed about it. So I guess maybe I don't have adrenal fatigue, it's just that the stuff is too low on my list.

None of the stuff is sentimental, and Dh keeps hiring people to do big jobs around here (I think he wants to get all the major work taken care of as part of his retirement plan) so I'm just thinking "ok, I know how to use Amazon prime if he gets rid of/wrecks stuff I need." And "worst case - we generate five or six cans of garbage that could have been avoided."

I have become more willing to spend money these days. Possibly because I feel like I have less time and energy to throw at things, but it is carrying over into nonessentials. My definition of non-essentials is broad. There are holes in both my wheelbarrow and my barn coat. My most recent "nonessential" was a high quality shovel for transplanting trees. Almost a month ago, I bought three pottery tools on sale for a total of $18. Big splurge! I also ordered a book. Everything else I have bought recently is food or feed. We have been getting less take out and still not going out to eat.

Also, some of the stuff belongs to school, and I am about ready to take it back and throw it in the storage closet dirty. (It came home because school doesn't have a hose) I still love my job - as in, what I do in my classroom, but some stuff has happened the last few weeks that has changed my attitude toward my administration from grateful to cynical. And I'm honestly not sure it's fixable.

Anyway, don't make decisions at high points or low points..

The cross quarter was Saturday. We are now in the dark half of the year.