Weather man said it will be 60 and sunny tomorrow!!!! Such a treat after all the cold weather, hooray. tomorrow I will finish the entryway , so nice to have sun and warmer weather, I started on it this morning, but was too frozen so moved to warmer part of yard.

SUNNY TODAY!!!!!! I did dishes this morning then worked in yard aalllllllllll day. I enjoyed being outside so much. I cleared an area outside and moved the rocks to make it useable. Felt like I found a new place to hang out. It is so much more enjoyable now without the junk. I usually jump from project to project so today I told myself to stick with it until I felt like it was done, so nice to complete it. It is supposed to be nice all week. So happy it is comfortable inside so I can enjoy outside now that it is warmer this week.
Nice to hear how you are doing.

Diane, The craft projects sound fun. Having a creative outlet is renewing for the spirit. I think we are forced to use that logical side of the brain when we declutter. Creative outlets give the other side of the brain a chance to let loose and run free.
Tillie, You are so right. If I am disciplined enough to remove i bag a day it really makes a difference. Every time I leave the house I try to take a bag with me out to the toter. I cannot leave a partially filled bag on the floor. Curious Frank will play with the bag. He uses it as an ambush to attack the dogs as they unwittingly pass by. He pretends it is the enemy and tries to kick it to death, making holes. And he also finds treasures to take back out to play with. Cats are a joy, but do add to the clutter! If I start a bag of trash I have to stay with filling it and then remove it immediately.
Today's emphasis has been getting my financial mess in order. Since I retired rather abruptly in December I need to know exactly what I have on hand, what is coming in, and how much I am spending. I am on a fixed income now and need to keep on budget.
Two tasks I have done are 1) meet with a financial consultant to see if I can get a better return on my monthly annuity from work 2) getting another bank to take over my car loan so I have a lower monthly payment.
Daily chores are keeping the kitchen clean, doing another load of laundry, and getting that "bag for the day" filled and out of the house.
I enjoy hearing from all of you as you have time to post. Keep up the good work!

Good morning 🙂

Hi Barb 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!
Getting the cable guy in there to fix stuff!!! 😀
Seems like you could make a lot of progress if you just planned to daily gather up and get out at least one bag of trash. 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
You sound so happy 😀
Your craft project sounds lovely too.
I baby sit dogs, but at their own houses. It is very rewarding to care for and play with them. 😀

Hi Karl 🙂
I love that you are now the stuff of romantic rumors. ;D
Good luck with sorting at the storage unit, hope you finally locate those cables.

Hi Roxie 🙂
Good luck with your plans for today! 😀
I hate that shipping out too. 🙁 (((HUGS)))(((HUGS)))

Hi Dianne 🙂
Happy to hear about all you did with the kids. 😀
Take care to time and pace yourself.

Hi Trust 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for all you got accomplished! 😀
Keep doing some every day and you will start to see great improvements.

My plans for today are to get back to doing my sewing projects and also need to tie up some loose ends of other projects I have going on.
Staying off the computer gives me so much more time a day to get a lot done. 😀

Trust, Tillie, Barb, Diane, Karl congratulations on all the work you have all accomplished and the good feelings resulting! Karl, you must be in excellent shape with all that biking.

Have a good day everyone. 🙂

Oh, geez, Karl, way to start rumors. snicker.

I'm grateful he is in my life.

I didn't get up as early as I'd hoped to, but it still worked out; I bicycled 11 miles back to my previous home turf, picked up some free food at the Salvation Army distribution point, and found seven geocaches on the way home. Glad to see that I'm in good enough shape to deal with a 22-mile ride (at least, on flat terrain in good weather). Plan for tomorrow: Sorting at the storage unit.

Evidently "H" and myself showing up together at the games event on Saturday has started some rumors -- today my housemate asked me how long she and I have been together.

Good morning/afternoon everyone. In contrast, I slept so great last night, got up did 2 loads of laundry. Took all the stuff off couches, shook and cleaned stuff. Vacuumed, cleaned all dog stuff, washed dog dishes, put all away, no evidence of dog clutter now. Max was crazy happy to see his parents last night. His mom emailed me a picture of him playing with one of his toys I made him, he looked so happy. I planned to do it for a gift since she has given me so many bonuses and gift cards in appreciation of my work during shot season, plus pay. She being the generous person she is, gave me green stuff in a thankyou card. I realized I can continue to do dog care for the money I need to make ends meet. One dog at a time, she thinks that is a great idea, and will let her friends know.
After I got cleaning done this morning I set up a table and cutting board and cut a white felted wool shrunken thick blanket and cut two scarfs out of it, so cool, edges are ruffled from shrinking. I set aside now to decide if I want to felt design on it or just put some big beautiful buttons on end, it is to be worn as a neck wrap, sort of like a big thick floppy collar, so cool, I am impressed. I am surprised how happy I feel today. I think knowing I did the very best I could with maintenance, eating better, and taking loving care of Max, makes me feel proud of following through, I have been known as a quitter, not this time around!!! With the support on here, a new life is opening up.

Good morning, Tillie and everyone,
My day started very early, too, as I was not close to being ready for the cable guy. I meant to start yesterday but just could not get going. So I was up at 5:30 today. I was determined not to cancel him again.
I did get a trail blazed from the front door to the TV and dusted around the TV. I also made sure there was a clear path through the garage to the cable lines.
Four contractor bags of trash are now out for pickup. And that astounds me. It is only 24 feet from the front door to the back of the TV. That is a heck of a lot of trash!
Now that I have started on the living room (my hardest room), I know I can keep going. Not at the frantic pace I spent this morning, but steadily until it is manageable again.
The cable man was very nice and did not seem shocked by the mess. He left a few minutes ago and I have TV again. I have to catch up on Downtown Abbey.
Time for a lunch break. I'll finish filling this last bag and put it out. Clean up the kitchen. Do a load of laundry. Then take a shower. (This cleaning and decluttering is dirty business.) I have literacy training at 5:30.
Have a pleasant day.

Good morning everybody! 😀

Was awake at 5:00am so decided to get up.
House was dirty so decided to clean it.
Had some laundry so I washed it.
Now the rest of the day is mine, all mine! 😀
Have so many fun things to choose from.
Wishing everybody a productive and enjoyable Monday. 😀

Update- found missing coats & daughter's clothes in bedroom. Took care of stuff & put things away. 5 minutes was good.
Lots of other things going on in house with family but I did get 2 sink bathroom vanity cleaned organized & purged some too. Probably an hour & 1/2. Cleaned outside windows on porch since I had to clean wall mirror behind vanity. Did dishes & leftovers I'm between. Laundry is talking to me now.
I wanted to quit & give up on the bathroom since it was taking longer & do many other distractions but knowing I needed to be able to say I did it to people who understand & get it. So many of my friends are what Flylady calls born organized, just naturally cleaning & organized since birth or raised that way. I'm a third generation pack rat that is determined to change my ways & with God's Help My Children's Future too. Thank you for being here!

Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice & be glad in it! Sunshine too!
So much to do & where to start....I'm going to do flylady thing & set the timer. 5 minutes in bedroom, 10 in bath then rest.
I'm so glad to find this site where there are people I can relate to. 2014 is the year of change. My house can be reclaimed to become a home. One day at a time, one minute at a time & with a little help from my friends.
Thanks for being here so I can set goals & be accountable & rejoice in each others accomplishments! Ttyl. 😉

Today the sun is out and the weather is much warmer. Relief.

Karl, Tillie, hi. Hope the others check in.

Thanks Tillie, happy you are enjoying your creative side, and so happy you will be in chat tonight. For some reason it seems longer than a week since last chat. Helped hearing you have to sweep porch regularly. I keep thinking I am doing something wrong to have to clean entry daily with max running in and out, just the way it is.

Good morning 🙂

Hi Diane 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for all you accomplished! 😀
Hoping your weather is better today.
Mine is sunny and only a slight breeze today.
Great plans you've made for this week.

Hi Barb 🙂
Happy you have better weather! 😀
We still have lots of wet sand and mud and I have to sweep the back door area all the time.
GOOD LUCK! with the cable guy. Hoping you let him in to fix all your problems. 😀

Hi Dianne 🙂
YEA!!!! for sunshine 😀
Writing up a schedule of things that you need to/have to do and forcing your self to stick to it is a great way to get things rolling. 😀

Stayed up late last night watching a monster movie on tv thinking that I would sleep in a little today....
But, heavy sigh...
the phone rang early so I didn't get to sleep in. 🙁
Doing a bunch of little stuff today, nothing much really but all sort of fun stuff I wanted to do.
Yesterday at the thrift shop I found the rest of the items I needed to finish some sewing projects I'm working on.
Thin quilt batting and two nice new twin sheets for the backing.

Hope to see you all in chat tonight! 😀

another cloudy day here, snow on ground, Max still able to find plenty of mud to bring in. Max goes home at 10:30-11:00pm tonight. I am thinking tomorrow will be good day to start major clean up, pet free. Yesterday I washed all cabinet doors. washed dishes and one load of laundry. It seems pointless to do any cleaning of floor and areas he has slept, will wash blankets etc tomorrow. I am over due for a shower and hair wash, must do that today. Plan to pull meat off chicken I boiled yesterday to make soup today. Not much on list today, clouds make me feel like you Dianne, why am I so weak that can't keep spirits up in grey weather. I feel good about the excellent care of Max I have given, really love the boy. I will miss him. Not having a pet allows more time for decluttering and cleaning. I would love to make some real progress this coming week.
Barb, I can relate to the mess that prevents repairmen in. This is the first time in years I could let any one in here. It is worth it to do the work and maintenance. We can do this with the support of this group. Old habits take plenty of effort to change I am finding.

I loved your post Barb! I can relate to all of it!

But maybe a more enforced schedule will get me back on track. I'm with you, Barb. I WILL get this done! 🙂

Good morning, all! I know most of you on the west coast are not up yet, but here in the east it has warmed up above freezing and it has put us all in a better attitude.
Yesterday I did not get much done. I attended a workshop in the morning and found it very hard to start in when I came home in the afternoon. I do better if I get things accomplished at home in the morning and then reward myself with an outing in the afternoon.
It is very muddy with the thaw and the dogs have tracked in everywhere. I need to keep a bin of towels by the back door with a snap lid on. I had a basket, but Frank the cat thinks baskets,boxes and bins are fair game for emptying to see what may be at the bottom. He has undone my organizing tasks too many times to count.
The cable guy is coming in the morning to see why my TV no longer receives the signal and my internet keeps going on and off. I have cancelled him 3 times since early December.
There must be a clear uncluttered path from the front door through the living room to the TV and also one through the garage to the outside cable connection. I also need to make sure the area around the TV is dust free and has room for him to work.
The living room is the hardest for me. I start and then I get sidetracked and quit.
Today is a new day. I WILL get ready for the cable guy.
Best to you all.

Goodmorning, it is another cloudy WINDY day, gusts up to 60mph. Not so sure about walking Max today, we played fetch in here this morning then he went out and ran in the rain by himself. He is sleeping next to me on the couch, I will miss him when he goes home. I got more flat rocks for my entry way yesterday, maybe called flagstone, look really great. Hope to work on it today when not raining.
I also would like to put more insulation up today before I shower. I have done pretty good on maintenance this week, dishes, laundry and garbage out. I have eaten healthier this week. Last of soup today so plan to make some more, makes eating healthy so much easier to have it premade. One goal for the week is to fill donation bag, still need to do that. Today I want to hang more hooks in garage to put tools on, and label a few cabinets and put stuff away. I really have no motivation with this string of cloudy windy days. From experience on here, I need to just do things and not wait until motivated, which might not come unless I get active.

Good morning 🙂

Hi Dianne 🙂
Hope your weather is a bit more sunny today.
Gloomy days make me feel sluggish too.

Hi Dave 🙂
How's it going?
Have you been able to resist salvaging stuff from the outbound pile?

Hi Karl 🙂
Hope things get sorted out as to the rules
of who can eat what.
Here, I am not allowed to eat any of his food even though he often sneaks and takes my food.

Today's forecast is for "DUST" because the winds will be blowing.
Have my grocery shopping list all ready and will be going to the store soon.
Slept badly last night and have a stiff neck & headache today. Took some aspirin.
Noticed that Mr. Hoarder has brought a paper shredder in to his bedroom and he has been shredding some papers.
This is great!
He has been keeping every scrap of paper "just in case" he might need it some day, "might be important".
He still has not been able to locate the title to that Dodge truck.

How is everybody today?
When you don't post I worry and hope you are just off having a lot of fun somewhere. 😀 (((hugs)))

Housemate left me a note that I should not eat her food. Evidently we're still having miscommunication there. I've put up a new page for listing what food is fair game, and listed my recent purchases on it.

Yesterday went to recycle center for magazines, brought home 50-60.

Took out vhs tape player (Diane that was my choice for the other day) 36 books, 1 pr shoes, 2 water bottles, 1 corelle cup and 1 medical sales tool calculator clipboard. ( I salvaged a box of the clipboards from a storage unit dumpster many years ago. 🙂 ). Mrs Dave and I are going to get the rest of the outbound pile cleaned up in a bit.

Tillie, so happy that you have a nice place to hang out and enjoy yourself for awhile! You deserve it!!

I feel like a slug.

Good morning! 😀

Been busy busy busy making a big pot of yummy soup.
And juicing oranges & brewing some herbal tea and making some nice orangeade.
Soon, I will clean up the kitchen.
Almost all the snow has melted but the ground is still frozen solid.
Made the appointment for the eye exam. 😀
January 18th.
My plans are coming along very nicely. ;D
When I am finished here I will be going over to the big house and plan to hang out there for a while, maybe even watch a movie.

What are you all up to today? 😀

YEA!!!! For Roxie!!! 😀

I have water again! yeah

How is everyone? Hugs all around.

Hi Diane 🙂
YEA! so happy there was no flooding.
You did a GREAT job fixing that problem. WTG! 😀
It is hard not to always put pets first since they are always right there in front of you demanding all your attention. 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
Hoping you get your water fixed real fast. Fingers crossed!

Hi Barb 🙂
Rule number one when dealing with a hoarder is to not give away or toss any of their stuff.
So I can't pass on those mushrooms. 🙁
Some of the vehicles have both our names on them and some have only his name on them.
So far he has always refused to allow me to sell any of them except a Datsun years ago.
But he has complained bitterly ever since I sold it, regretting that it's gone.
It didn't run & he wasn't going to fix it so I sold it to some kid for 200.00.
He won't even let me sell my '72 VW Beetle that he trashed and doesn't work any more.
But this year my only plan is to get rid of all these vehicles and camper shell & trailer.
I will use psychology and peer pressure to help him let go of these useless things.
That would really help clean up the property and reduce the rodent and insect populations and give me some cash to put down on a working vehicle for me. 😀

Good morning everyone. Slow day yesterday, just played with dog and took him for a long walk. I worked on a stone path in entryway, looks so good. It rained all night, no flooding. Did see some areas to fix so doesn't get water. Did a load of laundry this morning. Partially dried in dryer then hung up. Dishes didn't get done yesterday so will have plenty to do today. Max goes home Sunday and then I can do lots of laundry and cleaning, he brings plenty of dirt in. So good having him here and just like a grandkid, love him while here and glad when goes home. I get much less done when focused on dog. Before I get another dog, need to figure out to keep priorities straight, always put pets first and house and self care suffer.

I'm becoming old friends with the ladies who do the plumbers' scheduling. I called to check that I'm at least on the list, and I am, so I'll be content with that. I know they are inundated and a couple of their technicians called in sick. Yea, lol. I remember doing just that when I got tired of it all.

Hey, everyone, check in?

Hi Tillie,
Just danced in the living room with the pups to "The Puppy Song". They love it when I dance with them. Thanks for sharing.
When the husband is at work tomorrow, perhaps you could call your local soup kitchen to come pick up the mushrooms. I'm sure they would like to make some lovely mushroom soup. That is a LOT of mushrooms and they don't keep very long unless you have a dark place to store them.
I'm glad you are going to have new glasses to drive.
After my husband died, I spent a year taking the bus while two non-working vehicles sat in my drive. I finally bit the bullet and had a car salesman friend come out, give me an estimate on what they were worth, arrange to transport them back to his place of business, and get them sold. He got one running and sold it and sent the other to auction. He also helped me purchase a reliable vehicle with the downpayment from what I got for the two.
All this to say, I know and understand your predicament. And i will be thinking of you as you figure out how best to deal with your vehicles.