Hi Tillie--please take good care of yourself! Obviously I miss you greatly. I keep you and Diane i. Mind every time I accomplish something! Your wisdom is with me at all times!

Tess, you need to also take good care of yourself! Isn't it funny how getting the garbage up feels so good? I love that feeling of getting stuff out of the house! Glad you pampered yourself today! I know you've been looking forward to getting a haircut!

I put clean sheets on the bed and the. Met a girlfriend for lunch. My allergies are making me so sleepy. I am playing with the kitty and giving her some extra TLC. I can tell she's about to lose a tooth. If need be, I'll take her to get on Monday. She's still eating (even the crunchy cereal) and drinking her water. I can tell she'll feel better once the tooth is gone. There's no infection as far as I can tell. Poor kitty.

Take care everyone--thank you for stopping in!

Hi everybody! Not much happening here. I've spent a few days resting and now I'm pain free. I have been reading all of your posts and you've all been doing great. Lots of good things this week!

This morning I spent some time pampering myself. I got my hair done, treated myself to lunch and a little shopping at the mall. I managed to pick up wedding and shower gifts for half of what I budgeted. Thrilled about that!!! It's too humid to clean right now. So hopefully tonight I'll be able to do some general cleaning. Empty the kitchen and bathroom garbage, throw in a load of laundry, change the sheets, clean the cat bowls. Stuff like that. I need to play catch up.

I hope everybody has something fun planned for today. Feel better, Tillie

Hi Everybody 🙂
Sorry about being absent but I have been sick all week.
Still not better today.
Keep posting and cheering each other along.
I will post more when I am better.
(((hugs)))

Hello all! I am up early (for me) today. Perhaps it is all the sleeping I did last night!

Indoor Challenge:

I am doing laundry and have made sure all the dishes are in their proper place. I'm putting everything into recycle bags and I'm going to go strip my bed.

Hope everyone is well--Tess I trust you are following dr's orders? Tillie I hope you are holding up in the heat and Diane--perhaps you are on an excursion? Thinking of everyone and hoping for even a 'drive-by' message today!!!

The kitty is still laying in the same spot. Her paw is swollen, but she doesnt seem sick. Im a little more worried, but there are so many things that it could be. I did a little more weed clearing & it is amazing how easy it is to improve....im hoping to be able to one day soon, say, 'i cant believe how nice it is now! I wish id done it sooner!' ;D I will keep checking on her...tho, im not sure what i could do about it....that is the most awful feeling to not be able to help a cat you love & live with cuz it wont let you catch it....at least i do have total control to fix up my place...isnt that bizarre?

Thank you, Tatoulia....id had plans to continue to clear weeds today till the kitty thing, so ive just been trying not to throw up from hating myself & the mess that is my life, while trying to find the kitty, but not scare her, so i can monitor her. I think she is likely not been bit by anything venomous cuz she isnt looking sick & i couldnt see any blood or swelling from about 10 feet away...unless she gets too sick to run from me i dont know how id even get her help...im sorry if i already said that...i cant read while writing on this phone....it is soooo hot out..it is sooo miserable working out there.....im kind of wanting to just toss everything....maybe the silver lining to losing my precious soulmate is i may get this place cleaned up....what a price tag....i do need to just keep going with it. There is nothing else more important in my life....except of course my cats!

Hello, All

Back from spending a lovely day with my brother for his birthday. We were supposed to go for dinner but we were still full from our delicious lunch!

On way home I bought more rubber gloves and more paper towels. I think my bathroom sink is going to require twice weekly cleaning in order to stay nice. I'll have to work on making that as routine as putting the dishes away or folding the laundry.

Hope you are all well. I was thrilled to get the old dirty dusty ceiling fan out this AM!

Anony, please keep us posted on status of the kitty. We seem to be a group of animal lovers here! Don't be disgusted with yourself, please just make a list or choose an area to work on. I know the disgusted feeling and the only thing that helps it for me is to get moving! Try it for ten minutes and let me know how you are feeling!!!

.....im am so disgusted at what horrid condition i have allowed my home to stay in...i would definitely have a hard time respecting my ex-soulmate if he lived like this....as hypocritical as that is... my level of despair is dangerously high....i saw the kitty & she doesnt seem to be very sick, so hopefully its not a venomous bite....unless she gets so sick she cant run from me, shed be impossible to catch to take her to a vet....

One of my kitties is limping & didnt eat breakfast....my only concern is if its a rattlesnake bite...i dont know where shes hiding to check on her.....staying on the topic of focus, while looking for her, ive seen so much crap i want to throw out....it sickens me how this mustve looked to my ex-soulmate, and how much it likely was a factor in leaving me....

Indoor challenge:
Got old ceiling fan out before garbage pickup.

Have a great day!

Hello everyone. Great to read about your day!

I was simply exhausted at work today. Working on reports/tedious. Was so pleased that BF picked me up from work to drive me home. I went right to sleep and just got up. I've been absolutely exhausted Diane. I am taking tomorrow off to spend the day with my brother for his birthday. I hope he has a nice day.

Indoor challenge:
2 bags of garbage out
Running dishwasher
Have a load of laundry going

That's about all I have in me right now. It's after 10 and I probably only woke up about 30 minutes ago!!

Keep up the good work!!

Hello all!
I needed to take a break from the heat, but ive gotten a chunk done of dried weed clearing & its right out front where i see it! Im going to start with the goal of just making things look better, whatever that might be.
Diane, im so inspired hearing how you feel now! Im imagining that as well!
....i remembered more about that tumbler...when i got mine, i also got one for my friend's son's birthday. They had a dispute go on with their nieghbor behind them over the fence or trees or something, and my friend ran that tumbler in their poolhouse next to their house for several days as revenge! ha ha
Im really feeling clear about my decisions yesterday about what i want to do & it actually doesnt even seem overwhelming?!
~☆~Happy Creations to everyone!~☆~

Hello all!
I needed to take a break from the heat, but ive gotten a chunk done of dried weed clearing & its right out front where i see it! Im going to start with the goal of just making things look better, whatever that might be.
Diane, im so inspired hearing how you feel now! Im imagining that as well!
....i remembered more about that tumbler...when i got mine, i also got one for my friend's son's birthday. They had a dispute go on with their nieghbor behind them over the fence or trees or something, and my friend ran that tumbler in their poolhouse next to their house for several days as revenge! ha ha
Im really feeling clear about my decisions yesterday about what i want to do & it actually doesnt even seem overwhelming?!
~☆~Happy Creations to everyone!~☆~

Good morning friends. Rested up Tat? Anony I really think it is a great idea, treating it like a job, I have thought of it that way also, yeah on tiny house. Tillie, my friend, hope it is cooling down there, it will be cool/rainy here starting tomorrow, I am so relieved, really do not like heat. So decided to clean out pickup and fix bed to make it a foam bed etc. Did get it organized better, still need to vacuum it out and put foam in it. Made me so happy I am getting rid of hoard so have more freedom to live. So while cleaning pickup the neighbor man I am interested in rode his bike by and stopped and chatted, was obvious why I like him better than the other one. Nice getting to know myself with out the veil of hoard, so I can see what I enjoy and what is an energy drain. Nice to be on my own and not need a man, so I can just be focused on fixing my life. Even if no kisses are ever exchanged, it is a good time to learn to stay true to myself and start letting more people into my life. Cleaned kitchen a little more this am, folded laundry I hung out yesterday, and put away. Folding is actually becoming enjoyable, just like the book said, but I did not believe. I am so happy others are calling amnesty on out inside challenge, it helped me this morning. Silly but had to jars on counter I was going to wash and use again, then just for practice, called amnesty and tossed, as well as yogurt container. These little things are amazing, starting to enjoy the reckless tossing of reuseable things. Having your reports on amnesty, is so fun, encouraged me this morning to see what I could call amnesty on, thanks!!!!!!
Yesterday went to library, dvd of Orange is new Black, 3rd season, so excited to watch when it is raining this weekend. Speaking of rain, this weekend is the Bend Summer festival, love to go and see what artists are doing currently, think I skipped it last year, so hope to get myself to go this year.
The tumblers rotating tumblers are rubber, so not that noisy, and vibrating one is plastic so yes noisy, so out in garage. Noise bothers me a lot so I had to figure out how to do it so can't hear. Garage is hoard still so my poor tumblers have to fight for space, maybe when it is raining I can make some progress out there, give my tumblers a more comfortable space. Nice starting to see what I like and what is just stuff in the way, amnesty items every where out there, and donations. Thanks again for being so active on here, we can get so much more done working together.

~☆~Hello, happy hoarders!~☆~
I am very excited cuz im pretty sure i have a site picked out for the tiny house! I am really excited! I also made some other good decisions today! YEA!
Diane, rock hounding is fun, but does the sound of that tumbler bother you at all? I did everything i could to muffle that grinding sound, years ago! It was set up in an outbuilding with cushins over it, etc., and it still drove me nuts! ha ha
Tilly, i remember feeling that way about 'having no use for a man' & ive wondered if maybe stopping my hormone replacement therapy might help me back to that mind frame again! Seriously?
...and Tatoulia, you seem to be 'blessed' with that same attitude about men....(sigh)
Im gonna commit to working on my place at least 4 hours a day, to start! Ive got a notebook & im going to treat it like a job! 😀

Hello everyone!

Hard day at work then had to help brother then stopped off at mom's with cat litter and some nice cool drinks. I'm exhausted.

Glad to read everyone's progress. Anony, don't worry about responding to everyone. We are all in the same boat.

So happy to catch up with you all. Diane, I once told a very nice man (he had even sent me flowers after first date and NO, nothing happened) and when he asked me out a second time, I said, I think we are both looking for romance and I don't see us going down that path. He seemed really taken aback but appreciated the candor. I had no reason other than that--he was nice, pleasant, thoughtful, etc but it wasn't a great fit. So feel free to use or mold to fit your circumstance.

Love to all.

Tillie I don't know what a painted rock is but woe it sounds like you hit the jackpot.

Good Afternoon Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Happy you went out! 😀
Wonderful job you are doing keeping in maintenance!
WTG!!! (((hugs)))
Hope Kitty is getting over the intrusion into her territory. 😉

Hello Joan 🙂
Hello Anonymoniker 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
GREAT ! reading about your latest outing! 😀
I once sawed open a piece of "picture rock" and found a fat black cat sitting on a windowsill during a full moon. It was absolutely perfect.
WAY TO GO!!! peeling that onion. (((hugs)))
People keep telling me that I should "gussy" myself up a bit and go get a man.
I do NOT want a man. Have no use for one anyways.
Being celibate for over 20 years is what I have wanted to do.
I suppose they would tell a Nun to go "gussy" up too. LOL 😀

My contribution to the indoor challenge today is that I dusted and polished the kitchen cupboards.
I dust enough but very seldom polish because I dislike polishing.

In a minute I will be washing dishes and wiping up around the kitchen.
Just had lunch and resting up from doing the usual daily tasks and juggling cats all morning.
Will do some watering this evening and some other watering tomorrow morning.
A pretty peach colored gladiola is blooming today. 🙂

So nice to see all your smiling faces today! 😀

Fun yesterday!!!!!! Went on first outing with a gal from rock club. I drove to a town north of here, then we met and went to a rock place close to her house. It was so much fun, it was all new to me. Hounding with a gal, in a new place. We had to dig for seams of rock, never tried that before and did not have right equipment, but did the best with what I had. This morning I packed heavier tools, I really want to go again. Thought of you Tillie several times. You said to keep what I love, since I was overwhelmed with rocks at home. A few rocks took my breath away, and I understood what you meant. It was so clear to me what it feels like to have a rock that literally I gasped when I dug it out. I have rocks soaking now and am looking forward to tumbling them, should help me make my poo pile and motivate me to cut open some rocks with saw, to see which pile they go in, thanks. This applies to clothes I found in closet a few days ago. Looked at them today, picked the ones I love, and the onion is being peeled, have to look several more time to know which clothes are donations and which ones I know I will wear some I have to try on to see if I really want to keep them. Do they fit well, right colors? 'Are they scratchy or comfy, do I like them more than some in my closet. Only 3 dresses are for sure keepers. they are cute, comfy and I enjoy wearing them. The book I am rereading said no clothes are to be down graded to lounge clothes, so either love them or leave them.

Hello everyone, so happy to read your posts, was frustrated, now feel so much better.
Tillie, thanks for all of your comments. A reminder that craft and rock room could not be entered when we met, bedroom only had room to walk to bed, floor covered with clothes, living room had mounds of stuff, sheet over dining room piles, dishes and junk all over counters. countless loads of donations and trash bins full, have made so much progress. You have helped me so much by being by my side through all of it, and welcoming me back after I gave up.
Thanks Joan for comforting Anon
Tat, I am no longer wanting to be catnip, I am magically attractive, so get lost my neighbor tom cat!!! It was an energy drain listening to his victim stories, and he just popped over to see if I would come over for movie and pizza tonight. I said no, he pressured me and asked why, so I told him as nicely as I could, then I have been being mean to myself for hurting his feelings. Thanks for your friendship. You have been doing so much, love reading of clean kitchen clothes, being healthy, clean room for fan installation, etc. keeps me going, trying to keep up with you. Anon by all means hire someone, with my helper coming 2 hours a week and keeping me focused I accomplished things much sooner and more complete. When I had enough, I put her on leave, after 6 months. Hopefully she will come back after the rest I need. My progress is slower now, but more relaxed, more maintenance and outings. Thanks to all of you for your love and support

....im sorry about the double posts...

....i just found the explanation/definition of 'Amnesty'....id been wondering what that meant. I have not tried to donate stuff for those reasons listed! Ive figured itd just distract my momentum & none of it is of much value, anyway...im really feeling like having a lot of this stuff im stuck on put in my roomy storage building, will help me get rid of it later, and then in the meantime i can enjoy my immediate space much more.
One of the things that makes this so hard is that under all this dirt and stuff is a dilapidated trailer, not a nice home! If i could make this place nice, itd be very different! I really need to get another small, but nice cabin. Then i can move what i need/want into it.
Im really desperate now to get help!

Thank you, Joan. I should have focused on hiring someone to help me. If only....sad words...i need to do now, what i should have done then...the main obstacle now is where to put a tiny house. Theres a crack running all along the areas that would be best to put a new place. I dont want to live on unstable ground. I walk over there and try to find a better spot, but cant find a solution, so i give up & feel hopeless....the other thing that happens with this phone is i cant read y'all's post while writing mine, so end up not responding to things everyone has said because i cant remember each thing unless i write it down on paper first...maybe i should start doing that...everyone seems to be doing really well with projects! 😀

Anony, I am sorry to read from your posts that you are feeling low. It seems to me that your life has periodic collapses because of a lack of steady emotional support. This kind of support generally does NOT come from someone who relies on you as heavily as a life partner. It could be someone like a counselor, close friend, or other ally.

I rely on my very few friends, as well as my own practices of svaroopa yoga, etc. Practice takes discipline to schedule, but it is, for me, the center of my life.

Best wishes.

Well after I wrote about all I was going to do, I got a better offer and went out for the afternoon. Home around five, napped til 9. Wonderful sleep! How nice to wake up to a clean bathroom sink and vanity. Need to make this a daily occurrence!

Since I woke up I've swept the living room, dusted desk, end table, coffee table, desk chair and other little drop leaf table. I've put my coffee table back in its place.

I have not put lamp and other stuff back on my desk. I am tired and the desk items on the dining room table are not bothering me. Although my desk has been carefully curated, I will put things back on one at a time, to see what I think. Will do tomorrow or the next day.

Tess, do not overdo! We are all so proud of your progress and sometimes progress means knowing when to rest do that you are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to do more. YES it was a giant pleasure today to merely have to move my things away from my living room so they won't get broken, as opposed to having to clean and hide stuff and just be dying inside.

Goodnight everyone! I am loving the Amnesty! Project.

Ps kitty did not enjoy having the electrician here. The only thing she would have liked less would be my inviting a vacuum cleaner salesman over!!

Hi Tess 🙂

WOW! you did a lot there! WTG!!! 😀
He was here from March through August last year.
It was horrible waiting for his leg to heal enough for him to return to work.
I am still recuperating from having him at home all that time.
Don't worry about going overboard and obsessively cleaning all the time.
We are all here to help you know when things are "good enough" and it's time to get out and play. 😀

Played with the cats, ate the last of the watermelon and gave myself a mani-pedi.
Thought about other things to dust and polish, maybe tomorrow.
🙂

Diane - I thought about you in my kitchen. I tossed 2 Tiffany champagne flutes. I found them when I first cleaned off my counters. If I'm honest with myself, I'm never going to drink out of them again. I don't care how much I bleach them! So, I called amnesty 🙂 It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be.

Tillie - glad you have the house back to yourself again. Kick back and enjoy it! Like some of the others said, I need lots of alone time. Thankfully he's not off for the whole summer!

Tatoulia - yay for the clean bill of health. And I'm glad you got your ceiling fan. They are a godsend! I can't wait until I'm at a place where I just need a couple minutes to be ready for a repair guy. I'll get there eventually.

Today was a strange day for me. A month ago, if a doctor told me I had to take a break from being active, I would have been thrilled. She wouldn't have had to tell me twice. But now, I'm so restless. I couldn't lay here another day and look at this mess. That worries me. I know the urge to clean is a lot healthier than living in squalor, but I really hope this isn't going to end up being an obsession. Another never ending quest for perfection. I feel like that is part of the reason I gave up in the first place. I need to find a healthy balance. Instead of resting with my heating pad, I cleaned my kitchen counters and put some stuff away, hung a curtain to hide a cubby in the kitchen, started a load of laundry, put away clean laundry and gathered up a bag of stuff to toss. I also found 2 things to add to my donate pile and ordered a paper shredder. Now I'm a bit uncomfortable, but I feel so much better mentally. I still want to gather shoes and get some order in one corner of my bedroom. And then I'll be happy for the day. Somebody tell me not to hang the new curtains in my bedroom. Please!!

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
YEA!!! for new fan!!! 😀
You are doing AMNESTY perfectly.
Amnesty is tossing anything we want to toss whenever we want to toss it.
Easier to just toss something that is still useable rather than find the perfect new home for it?
AMNESTY!
Freedom from having to recycle perfectly.
When sorting out recyclables from the trash will slow down our progress?
AMNESTY!
Trying to repurpose everything or making do with a chipped, ripped, torn or stained item?
AMNESTY! to just toss it.
Amnesty to not store things for "Just In Case",
Let Justin go find it at the store himself.
Amnesty is doing whatever is the fastest or easiest for us to do to get it done.
🙂

New fan installed! Took 1-1/2 hours, getting old one down, new one up. I cleaned the bathroom sink while he was here and the back of the toilet! So pleased!

Going to go fully sweep living room and dust desk and end tables, before putting my stuff back.

Tillie and Diane, I so enjoyed your recent posts. I was enthralled with Diane's realization that some of her keep stuff is not turning out to be keepers--I loved reading about the thought process and reminding me of that feeling of letting go. The onion description perfectly brought it together for me. Thank you, ladies!

I called amnesty on two things, Diane. I use little vintage plates and saucers for soap dishes. I buy them at goodwill for under $1 each. I had one that I just didn't feel like cleaning, called amnesty and tossed it. Another one I noticed a chip. Amnesty and threw it out. Let me know if I'm playing amnesty right. It feels right.

I have to work on my indoor challenge.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Iced tea "clink!"
Thank you 🙂
YEA!!! WTG!!! for being healthy! (((HUGS)))
Sorry that dreaded humidity is back. 🙁
Good plan for making room for the fan installation.
Shouldn't be too hard for him to get that new fan up. 😀

Hi Diane 🙂
Decluttering is like peeling an onion layer by layer until you get down to just the right amount.
We go through everything once to start.
Then return and go through it again, and later again, finding more to let go of each time.
I believe that every time we declutter an area we change a little in the way we see things.
What seemed important to keep the first time around seems to lose it's importance/emotional ties with every additional pass through.
It took me two years to finally get Grandma's whole houseful of boxed up items sorted out.
But every time I tackled those boxes I finished up with one or two boxes less of stuff until finally I had only what I truly wanted to keep for myself.
Then those things were put away in my drawers and cupboards or out on display where I could then enjoy owning them.
You have been doing a wonderful job sorting through everything.
Just look at all you have accomplished since I first met you! 😀
(((((HUGS)))))

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
Lets all work together getting your home clear and clean so you can get out there and find "Mr. Right" and have him over. ;D

No real plans for today, just happy to have the house all to myself again.
Will do the usual daily tasks and see where it goes from there. 😉

Good morning! Just back from dr and clean bill of health!

The dreaded humidity is here. Walking back from hospital really did me in. Going to shower and think about how to structure my day off. Don't know yet if the guy is putting in my new ceiling fan today--depends what time he gets off of work. It'll take me about 15 minutes to move my coffee table and to take the things off my desk (just to be safe--in case anything falls) so I'll take it as it comes.

My number one priority is to hop in the shower. As mentioned before, Tillie, I "glisten heavily" in the humidity.

Cold water clinks to all! Thinking of LR, CM, Bitsy and of course, our dear Roxie. Hello to Carl and Dave!