Great work, LR! Digging down to find the motivation to begin AND complete that 3rd step is huge! You had the courage to face what is difficult and you triumphed. Hooray!

Roxie: I am enjoying your gratitude posts.

I worked steadily yesterday and can tell the difference, although I'm fairly sure no one else could.
The peonies on the south side of my house have popped up their little heads. That means I will need to be on the alert for ants in the house. It also means I need to keep the kitchen clean. No dirty dishes in the sink. No spilled or open food, including cat and dog food. Clean floor and surfaces.

Today I will use my new steam cleaner on the kitchen floor. I already have a load of laundry ready to move from the washer to the dryer. I will also fill and remove one contractor bag of trash. If it is not full, it goes in the garbage toter anyway.

I have decided that watching "Hoarders" before I go to sleep is not the healthiest choice for me. I woke in the wee hours in a panic. I felt hopeless and discouraged and afraid. I had to stop and give myself a good talking to. It is no good focusing on how bad I allowed my house to get and what might happen to me if I don't fix it. Fear is NOT a great motivator.

My house did not become this way overnight and it won't be neat and tidy again overnight. Step by step. Day by day. Chore by chore. I WILL have a clean and comfortable place to live. This WILL be a space I can share with my friends and family.

I am still planning to work steadily for the next few weeks, go on vacation, and come back to reevaluate my progress with new eyes. I will know whether I can keep going by myself or if I need to ask Scott and the folks at Stera-Clean Indiana for help.

Have a great day, everyone.

Following up on the Sunday night chat. I waited a long time Monday for the maintenance person to show up. After my pushing the issue just a bit (something that isn't always comfortable for me), the person eventually showed up and got the job done. I have a lot more repair work yet to be scheduled, but at least two items in my living place are once again usable.

I did add to my shred pile yesterday and I did spend time cleaning a bathroom (two of my goals for the day). But after all the prep for and cleanup from the maintenance work, I really didn't want to do the 20 minutes on my papers. I know I don't have to be a slave to my on-paper goals, but in this instance I felt it would be a good exercise for me to "make myself" do that third goal. Eventually, I did it. If I hadn't written it down as a goal, I almost definitely wouldn't have done it yesterday.

I plan to post more later today. Thanks for being here and "listening to me."

Today I scouted my new neighborhood for grocery stores, and did some price comparison so I'd know which one to use for various foods. The drugstore had the cheapest milk, so I bought some there, and also checked my blood pressure -- which was remarkably lower (91/63) than what I've seen in the past. Maybe my body has decided that if I'm not going to eat so much, it's time to consume some of that excess fat that I've been storing in my arteries.

I'll see if I can get organized enough to go through a bag of mixed papers tonight.

Good morning 🙂

Woke up before the sun but was able to go back to sleep and slept in real good. 😀
Moving slow today. Yesterday I really wore myself out in the yard.
Made up a list yesterday of things to do today and might even get around to doing some of the things listed there today, if not there is always tomorrow.
But I will do the usual...
scoop cat boxes, fill kibble bowls, fresh water
sweep floors & porches
vacuum the carpet
quick swish & swipe the bathroom
wash up any dishes at the end of the day

Planning to mix up a smaller batch of Barb's weed killer and put it in an old Frebreeze spray bottle. 😀

Guess I should get dressed and brush my hair. lol

Have a GREAT Monday! 😀

Hi, everybody!

Goals for today: Add to my gratitude list, spend 10 minutes looking for things in my filing cabinet that I can shred (won't be hard to find), spend 10 minutes cleaning in bathroom, and spend a minimum of 20 minutes on my paperwork.

Have a great day, everyone.

This is the second day I've woken with a song in my head. Go to youtube and search on My Immortal Renee Maurice and have a listen. I think it's a gorgeous song by her, better than the original.

Diane, FYI from last night's discussion

Dandelion Season ==>> NON-toxic Weed Killer Recipe ==>> Good to use in yards with Pets & Children roaming around

1/2 gallon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 c table salt
1/2 tsp Dawn liquid dish soap

Mix above ingredients in a spray bottle.
Spray weeds thoroughly.

1/2 gallon for around $6.40
Works better than Round Up - kills weeds on 1st application.

The Dawn dish soap strips the weed of its protective oils so the vinegar can work with deadly force. Safe to use a yard used by pets.

Hi 🙂
Got up this morning and got outside.
Burned stuff in the burn barrel.
Scrubbed & sanitized cat boxes, dried them in the sunshine, refilled and put them back.
Raked, shoveled, hoed and fixed the water wells around the trees, bushes & shrubs.
Watered everything that I ever water out there.
Sprayed "bug barrier" around the doors and windows. That stuff really helps keep the spiders outside the house.
Came inside and ate lunch at 1:30.
I am very tired, but in a good way. 😀
Hope you all have had a wonderful day today too.

Tillie: Best wishes on the "harm reduction" process. It's an idea I need to apply to my own place.

Roxie: I relate to the storm issues. Sorry about the electricity problems, but at least you had your flashlight! FYI, I was only halfway successful when it came to using my dust mask. As soon as I got to my location to do that outside work, a neighbor from that area showed up unexpectedly and visited with me for a bit. My thinking got thrown off by that (hadn't put my "wear your mask" sign in place yet), and once again I forgot (for a while) to put on the mask. I did eventually put it on, though. No headache the next day. Yea!

Diane: I liked that line of "so much easier to see progress now." It encourages me to keep on keeping on.

Following up on my goals for yesterday: I did add to my gratitude list and I did take my shredding to that Saturday shredding location. Good thing, too, because I found out yesterday that they're now only offering that Saturday service on the first Saturday of the month. If I hadn't taken it yesterday, I wouldn't have known that. I consulted my "plans for the week" list and added a few items to it.

Some of my original plans for the week got thrown off by problems caused by the Thursday night storms and resulting storm-cleanup needs, among other things. That's OK. Things happen that sometimes do throw off our original plans. I can carry over the "original" plans into this upcoming week.

Happy Sunday.

Sowonderful reading each one of your posts. I can relate to so much of what each of you said. It is grey and cold with wind so I am back inside. Nice to have Tanner (dog) visiting, he will go home tomorrow. Just having him outside with me makes me feel more content. I did quite a bit of yard work yesterday and today, thank goodness last spring I worked for hours getting rid of years of crap, so much easier to see progress now. I wasted a couple of hours making a tall thing to put the antenna on. Mostly was just practicing with the drill. Was really enjoying just figuring out things until I became too cold and too hungry, just ate a good lunch and starting to feel better, reading all the posts really made me feel better to see how each of you are doing, struggles, successes it is all part of the process. It will begin warming up tomorrow and it will be so nice to do things outside in the warmth.
I did do one load of laundry, hung out. Cleaned tar and dirt off bathroom and kitchen floor, after weeks of saying I would. Did dishes last night, now have a few to do. My treat today is to watch OPB tv, love their fixit shows on Saturday. This Old House, Hometime, and a few others. Love the shows that give the step by step of how to fix it, then I can learn from my past mistakes and do better next time.
I want to thank each of you for your posts, makes such a difference in my life to take this journey with each of you. I learn so much about you and myself reading your thoughts, thanks.

Wow, I get a day or two behind here and there are lots of posts. Good to see. Forgive me if I cannot address all.

I did get my big garbage bin down to the road and that got picked up. I went through a small pile of mail today. I'm feeling cold and tired at the moment, rain for the past few days and maybe more coming. A big storm came through last night and knocked down a chunk of the dead tree into my driveway. I'll burn that when weather is improved. Blessings to all.

Good morning 🙂

GREAT to see Cory posting on the message boards today. 😀
Karl, you should apply for that job listing and go to work for Steri-Clean. 😉

Hi LR2014 🙂
Thank you (((hugs)))
Keep up this WONDERFUL start you have been making here and we will continue to cheer you on and help lift you up when you feel like giving up. (((hugs)))

Hi Dianne 🙂
(((hugs))) Thank you 🙂
That mental process is very important, keep up that great work.
All change starts from within ourselves.

Hi Barb 🙂
You have been doing GREAT!
True, some days go smoothly and as we planned but other days "life" has other plans for us.
We must always make/take time to renew, refresh and recharge or we will just burn out completely. (((hugs)))

Well, after my little hissy fit yesterday I decided that this weekend I would push to get the back porch area cleared.
This is called "harm reduction".
It is one of the tactics taught to people who live with or have a family member who hoards.
All you do is try to make the situation as safe as they will allow you to.
All doorways, windows and paths to these areas are to be kept accessable so in case of emergency you can get out or rescue workers can get in.

He says he has nowhere else to put his stuff.
I say you need to reduce the amount of stuff.
He says it's all good stuff he could use someday, maybe.
He will just end up piling it up higher on top of some other pile.
Sad really to be such a slave to all his stuff.

Anyways....
I plan to have a great day. Going grocery shopping then plan to sew, read and paint some items for the doll house. 😀

Everybody, keep up all the great work you have been doing. Remember to take breaks for some "ME" time and give yourself some little rewards that don't involve shopping.
(((HUGS))) 😀

Dianne: In my opinion, the "mental process" progress counts! It can lay a strong foundation for later physical progress. I've spent a long time in that "mental process" when it comes to my clutter. It eventually has shown fruit.

Barb: I, too, struggle with perfectionism. Thoughts that help me be willing to make mistakes, to "risk failure," help me out a lot. One thought I like is that in order for me to be perfectly human, I have to make mistakes. I love your quote associating "failure" with "courage." Wow.

Goals for today: Add to my gratitude list and take my shredding to the local Saturday on-site shredding truck. Also, I want to review the plans I wrote up on Monday and select a thing or two or three to work on today.

Happy day to all.

Good morning, all.
Cleaning and decluttering is an up and down process. Some days go smoothly and progress is notable. Some days I start off well but get derailed by unexpected complications. And some days I just try not to slip backwards.

I stumbled on this quote this morning: FAILURE IS A BADGE OF COURAGE
(Comedian Sarah Silverman quoting Charlie Karufam)

Failure means I had the courage to take a risk. I tried, I failed, I learned from my mistakes, and I take that knowledge into the next risk.

I need that quote today. Sometimes the state of my house just makes me want to sit down in the middle of it all and cry. It is easy to see the days when very little got accomplished as personal failure. My perfectionism demands that I make progress every day. That is unrealistic and not helpful.

I need days when I can get away from the house and come back to it with fresh eyes. I need to see the forest tree by tree.

Today I tackle the kitchen again: catch up on dishes, clean out the refrigerator, wipe down the surfaces, vacuum the floor. As a reward I am going to invest in a steam cleaner for the floor. It is "monsoon season" in the midwest which means the dogs will constantly be tracking in mud for the next 2 months.

I am headed over to the gratitude page. Have a great day, everyone.

Hi everybody,

I'll get there. 🙂

Hugs to you, Tillie. I feel for you in your situation. And although it was probably not for the same reasons you have, I certainly remember times in the past when I woke up at night in a panic (repeatedly). I remember that time period as being a time of my life I don't want to repeat! Ugh!

As discouraging as my home clutter is, at least I can be encouraged by the fact that (since I live alone) it's all mine to deal with (well, for the most part). I have the power (in theory, at least) to get rid of what I choose to get rid of. I just have to be willing to do it, have a plan to do it, and carry that out. At least your difficult situation reminds me that my situation is mine alone.

Yes, I did stay safe today. Thanks.

Good morning 🙂

Hi LR2014 🙂
Take care and be careful. (((hugs)))

Hi Barb 🙂
YEA! 😀 for blooming Spring flowers!
Sure, at our age we could still do these hard tasks but it's good to know when it will be better for us to hire help.

Hi Karl 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!! 😀
You deserve to have this new home where you can have gallons of ice cream and easily cook great meals for yourself!!! 😀 (((hugs)))
Starting out in a clean new home with good habits and regular schedules will make it so easy for you to maintain.

Hi Diane 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for all you have done decluttering and repairing and finding areas that need immediate attention!!! 😀
I am happy that you have found these leaky spots now and can fix them before your whole house floats away.
I think the message here is that we all must regularly inspect every area of our homes to keep minor malfunctions from becoming major repairs. (((hugs)))

Hi Dave 🙂
How are you & the Mrs. doing? 🙂

Rant coming...
I am freaking out here. Not eating right, waking up all night long with panic attacks, fretting all the time, finding it hard to concentrate on anything.
With no trash pick up service things around here are not improving.
Bills he said he takes care of have not been getting paid.
Necessary repairs are not getting done on the house.
The hoard in the carport has swelled and the goat paths in the garage are much narrower.
His bedroom has an awful stench, towers of papers heaped every where, garbage and rotting food, dirty clothes everywhere.
The backyard area, I don't even want to describe it.
I need to concentrate/focus on plans for me.
Still haven't gotten all the vahicle pinks slips, he refuses to let me sell off any of them anyway. I want a working vehicle, I need a car.
The stuff he has piled up against the house on the carport side must be removed. Been telling him this for years. Rodents have dug big holes under the house foundation and are living under the house. Until this stuff is moved they have free access to their hiding holes.
There is stuff on the back porch, making it difficult to walk there, a danger in any emergency.
There is lots more wrong here.
Rant over.
My NO CLUTTER ZONES are clutter free and clean, without this I would cash in my chips. 🙂

Any ways.....
So happy to read all your posts and celebrate all your accomplishments! 😀
You all give me hope and the courage to keep on keeping on. (((HUGS)))

This is a day where I have to balance (A) taking care of myself and not "going" at too hectic of a pace with (B) taking care of responsibilities and being appropriately helpful to others. Remember my talking recently about spending time working outside in a certain rural area? Without going into specifics because of anonymity, let's just say that that area got hit last night with significant storms. I have a lot of friends in that area and my family has property there, so I need to go check on my part of things. Fortunately, I like working outside. (Yes, I'll use my dust mask again, Roxie, and I'll remember this time to take headache and allergy medicine with me.)

I will try to carry with me an attitude of gratitude. However bad things are or aren't, they could have been far worse. Keeping the attitude of gratitude and fully enjoying the outdoors is likely to make a potentially negative experience into something much more calming and positive.

I've already updated my gratitude list for today. I've included "storm cellars" on my list of things I'm thankful for.

Happy cleaning!

Wow. So many of you reporting on so much good stuff. (Way to go, Diane!)

Hi Dave! thanks for the note, was so great to see a post from you, yes I am exhausted. How are you doing?
I was going to do dishes, just may have to wait until the morning, unless I get a second wind.
Took garbage out to street, pickup tomorrow.
Tomorrow need to bring lots of wood up to deck, should really do it now, since it will rain all day tomorrow, just too tired and have enough for tonight.

(Karl, we were watching. It's nice to see that clean kitchen! 🙂 )

diane! What an amazing post! You must be terribly tired. I am speechless about how much stuff you've hauled to your car - I hope each day you will find pleasure in the extra space.

what a week I have had----rain, new leak, in the wall of add on bedroom. I could hear it, and finally cut a hole in wall and found where it was, put container it and hole to catch water. Have been drying carpet. Yesterday I spent all day cleaning every screw in the add on part of roof and putting patch on each screw. It will be raining all day tomorrow starting tonight, so I will find out if it worked. I pulled everything out of coat closet to see if that carpet and wall was wet, it connects to add on bedroom wall. After I pulled everything out, I was so amazed at how much I had stuffed in there. I was sick and tired of my messes. I filled my car trunk and back seat with give aways. I was able to hang my coats in order. The ones I use the most were on hooks outside closet since they would not fit in closet, now inside since got rid of a bunch of stuff. The shelf above was stuffed with crap, now only things I use are up there. Now only shoes I wear are on floor in a bin in there, all organized. It took hours and hours to do all of that, and now it is done. I made the rounds of bookcases and filled pillowcases with books that are now in car. I am really sick of my extra crap . Very grateful I am forced to deal with things due to all the roof leaks.
Then decided to go through candles to see what I could give away. They are under bathroom sink in add on bedroom.
well to my surprise, the pipes were leaking and everything was wet. So greatful I decided to go through candles. I tightened nuts, then realized the real problem is coming from faucet leak at base where meets sink, old and I mean old faucet, washers are cracked. I have some caulk sticks that go in a glue gun, used that for a temporary fix until I get a new faucet stuff and handiman comes next week. I am amazed how much stuff is falling apart in a short period of time. What is the message here? I am sure there is more than just a message to get rid of more stuff, but that is good enough for now.

I went grocery shopping today. Now that I'm not sharing an overpacked fridge, I can buy food! I can buy ice cream by the gallon! Whee!

(I cleaned up everything immediately after eating, too. I wouldn't want to leave a bad first impression.)

Good morning all.
Tillie: thanks for posting the link to the ABC clip. Maybe this will bring hope and encouragement to friends and families of hoarders.
Karl: I'm so glad you have a new place to live. You can make a fresh start there in a nice, clean, uncluttered environment.
LR: Great job! You are making real progress. Paperwork is one of my hardest tasks to begin.
It is pouring down rain here. That means another indoor workday. I am glad to see the rain. It has been very dry and windy and the volunteer fire departments in the county have been very busy trying to stay on top of brush fires. A good soaking rain will encourage the grass to green up and the flowers to bloom. My daffodils are blooming in the yard and the tulips and grape hyacinth are now up.
If it stops pouring, I will load up the push mower to take to the fix-it shop. Mowing season should start in the next two weeks.
At 60, I need to realize that I need to take a good hard look at what my health and stamina level allow me to accomplish and what I need to begin to pay someone else to do for me. Climbing on the roof to clean out the gutters twice a year is not as easy for me anymore.

Tillie: Thanks for that hoarding link. Great story.

Barb: I'm glad to hear about your yard!

Karl: I'm guessing that by now, you have the bike, too. I hope you love your new abode! And yes, you were missed at the Tuesday night chat. (I just figured you were busy with your move.)

Me: I was pretty pleased with my day on Wednesday. Got a small but necessary task completed that would have slipped my mind if it hadn't been on that "plan for the week" I'd written on Monday. Got still more progress made on my paperwork. Yea!

Hope everyone has a good day today.

HI! 😀
I've been busy today and forgot to post this morning. LOL

Hi LR2014 🙂
Keep up doing what you are doing! 😀

Hi Karl 🙂
Happy to hear you treated yourself to ice cream. 😀
I am glad you are no longer living in someone's hoarded apartment.
Wishing you all the best in your new location! 🙂

Hi Barb 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!!!
Great amount you have accomplished! 😀

We almost had Spring here but have gone back to Winter weather. Supposed to get back to warm in about a week.

YEA!!! WAY TO GO!!!! Karl 😀

Friend came back over today and we did the rest of the move -- nothing left at old-home except the bicycle, which I'll take with me as I leave today.

Some of the stuff that got moved will need to be sorted again from scratch. I guess that'll be my target cleanup task for a while.

see Cory! 😉