I just got up, and saw a reminder about the semi-official Friday chat. I'm in there now, but will probably be multi-tasking while waiting to see if anyone else shows. I haven't been getting much cleaning done lately, though I did get the trash out to the curb on time.

Good morning 🙂

Hi 🙂
Diane, Barb, MayMay, Mare, Roxie and everybody else. 🙂

The cats decided that I needed to get up early and feed them breakfast.
I got up but made them wait till I was good & ready to feed them. ;P

Friday...
need to get ready for the weekend & "him" being here.
Can't paint with him here so will do that next week.
The washing machine is filling very slowly because the water lines need to be cleaned out.
Planning to have him fix that this weekend.
Unfiltered well water with tree roots in the well tends to do that.
I would fix it myself but don't have the strength in my hands to unscrew the parts.

My To-Dos for today...
Tidy up around here. That should take about half an hour.
Planning to put on my music and just sort of hang out around here and play. 😀

Last evening I was messing around outside in his clutter and discovered a Yellow Jacket nest with at least 60 wasps on it.
Sprayed it and ran away!
Will check to see how many are still there today. 😀

May your Friday be filled with fun too.

So in the wee hours as I lay reading, I started hearing this kind of chirping or purring sound. Then it got louder. I figured it was a raccoon in the attic. But as I tried to go to sleep it got louder. I got up to explore and there was a baby (about the size of a 4 week old kitten) raccoon on my kitchen floor!

I just went on my first ride along with the guys! It was SOOOOO AWESOME!!!!! I got to ride along with them to a 5 alarm fire. Getting to watch them in action was SOOOOO HOT!!!!! LOL. And it was so cool getting to see all of the fire trucks with their lights flashing at night; it was very pretty! 😀

We were all posting at the same time hahaha. It threw me into an emotional tizzy so am still processing and will answer later tonight or tomorrow

Hi Barb! 🙂
Sorry I forgot to say hi to you in my last post. You must have posted around the same time that I was posting; because I didn't even see your post until just now. 🙂

Hi everyone! 😀

Hi Cory,
I can't wait to watch the 20/20 episode. 🙂

Hi Dianne and Mare. 🙂
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is my second favorite "Real Housewives" show. I hate "Toddlers and Tiaras". I would never put my kid on that show. I do love its spin-off show "Here Comes Honey Booboo!" though. "Here Comes Honey Booboo!" gives me hope. If Honey Booboo and her family can get their own reality show, then hopefully I will be able to get my own reality show one day too. Lol. 🙂

Hi Tillie. 🙂

WAY TO GO diane!
It sounds like you're doing great! 🙂

Hi friends,
You are making real progress Diane. Woo-hoo!
Tillie and Diane: painting the room and hallway are great ideas. Fresh paint always makes a place seem fresh and new. And pale, pale blue is a great color to use in a space with no windows. It adds a light, airy feeling. My laundry room and unwindowed bathroom are pale pale blue.
I went back to work on Monday. I'll be working 6 to 6 1/2 hours a day five days a week. I have been very tired in the evenings. But my workmates have also said they have been very tires this week. I think once we get back into the routine and used to the daily schedule we will have more energy.
Progress on the clutter has stopped temporarily. I am just trying to maintain the status quo for the time being: dishes, laundry, sweeping, scooping the litter box, garbage taken out, etc. I just need to keep from neglecting the daily chores for the time being.
The 20/20 show should be very interesting.
Barb

Thanks Mare and Tillie. It felt so good to read your comments, I have missed this board this week. I think i will go out there and do a happy dance right now to christen the room, too serious to dance, I will fix that right now. Thanks.

Hi Diane 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! 😀
You have really been doing a fantastic job there!
Make sure to do a Happy Dance every chance you get in all your pretty and clear spaces! 😀

Wow diane that is all so amazing congratulations and I LOVE the idea of shopping in out own rooms for "new" treasures I am so going to start doing that!

Hi Everyone. Monday I went to see a friend who moved to a tiny tiny town north of here, it was great fun. Past 3 days I have worked many hours the walkway and little room that is insulated. It is almost useable now, and stays so much cooler than my trailer. I still have about 10 bins and bags and boxes to go through then will need to finish organizing some things, then will be able to use the room any way I want, craft, happy dance, relax, sort stuff from house or garage.
will be so great on hot days to have that room to go hang out it. It is starting to look really great, relatively speaking, considering it was thrown together with all kinds of wood etc., but now that it is all painted, it looks so much better.
I worked non stop many hours yesterday/ again last evening and this morning knowing she was coming over. I was not worried she would judge, just happy I could have someone over, this is amazing coming from the person who began 4 months ago saying I was afraid to clean cause then I would have to have people over!!!!!!!!!!! We had such a nice visit, my life is definitely getting better inspite of the hoard that is still here. Garage sale season is almost over, happy about that. Won't have to see those pesky signs on all the corners soon. They were my drug of choice for sure. As were thrift stores. Now I shop in my own garage and bedrooms. Keep plugging away I tell myself and anyone else who wants a better life.

Cory, the more the merrier.
Looking forward to this. 😀

Hi MayMay 🙂

Hi Dianne 🙂
I have always loved "spooky". Maybe because I have always been "spooky".
No kidding, my family nick named me Morticia Addams when I was just a tiny little thing. 😉

Hi Mare 🙂
(((hugs))) and thank you. 😀
Reality shows I watch are Survivor and Amazing race.

Hi Cory 🙂
Nice to see you today. 😀

Found a can of very very pale blue satin gloss enamel. Perfect for the hallway! 😀

Tillie,
That is great, after all it is for you guys, so you do what works. I can imagine if you get 20 people, that is still a very long night! We are moving both our house and one of our offices so my weekends have not been much fun lately. I am going on vacation in 2 weeks, so that will be a nice getaway from it all!

Thanks for agreeing to be on for the filming. I think it will be great exposure for the website, the support group and the message boards. You may see a lot more people joining your discussions so just be prepared 🙂

Count me in as well... it being a few weeks away will give us a chance for more input and support, although it is good now, it can always get better.

These days I would feel lost without all of you, thank you again, everyone.

Cory, count me in! 😀
Looking forward to getting the word out to more people. 😀

P.S. We all voted and changed the rule for chat.
Everybody gets 15 minutes to "talk" then we move on to the next in line.
After we have all had a turn then people can say or ask anything else that they want.

Hi All,
Just a heads up that 20/20 is doing a story on Hoarding. We have filmed a few days with them at different homes and now they want to do a quick filming of me on the Sunday night support group. It won't happen for a few more weeks and I will definitely let you know when they plan to do as soon as I know just in case you want to change your screen name that night. It will be great if you all will log in so this story will show once again that there is help and support available. The more we can educate, the more likely that change will be possible for so many out there. Keep up the great work and incredible support to one another!

Roxie I hope we get to feeling better soon, such a pain in the neck isn't it? Thank you for the encouragement it keeps me doing what I can despite it all.

Gosh Tillie I was sorry to hear about that bad day and hope today is going better... you can rant here anytime, you know! I liked Dianne's answer to that...

Dianne said... Since I have avoided dealing with people helping with things around here for so long it surprised me how debilitating the stress can be. The build-up of dread, the twisting gut when they're here and the......I don't know what to call it when they leave. I just want to eat, watch cop shows or Fearnet movies (those are my cable vices) and go to bed.

I can really relate to this and it was a relief to see it in writing and so well said. I avoid having anyone in especially repair or improvement people unless its my son-in-law who is a pack-rat (hoarder) himself so he doesn't mess with anything or move anything without letting me know first. So odd to have him understand anything really let alone something so very personal.

Really, getting the crap cleaned out of our houses is just one part of changing our lives.

This is SO TRUE!!!

Roxie we seem to be in sync with our nights and days... today I was up at 3 in the afternoon but still draggy... I'm trying to listen to my body but also trying to puch a little as that is always what it takes to get anything done or even thought about. Not sure why I am feeling so stressed ohwait... hahaha yes I am. Daughter still out of town, house not all the way moved into yet, a million boxes in storage to be dealt with this month (son-in-law came by today and told me not to pay for another month of storage and that he is moving everything into the warehouse he has... this is mind-bogglingly distressing) kids started school on Monday, laundry still to be done, no fridge or stove still...

Tillie be kind to yourself, no, you are not alone but I wish there was more I could say or do to help you get through... cats are always a plus if you ask me though! You are such a blessing to all of us and you take such a proactive role here, thank you for that. Your freak-outs are OUR freak-outs! I am glad that is behind you and you got a nap in afterwards. And phobias are by their very nature irrational.

MayMay I confess to being a TV addict... not much better than being a gamer (Tillie can relate, Dianne too...) I like reality shows, too but different ones (Big Brother what a waste of time haha, Survivor, Hoarders of course) and crime shows, suspense flicks... nothing spooky though. Its just another escape and I try to multi-task with little BUT SOME success haha.

Hugs, Roxie... I love reading your accomplishments everyday it really helps me to get or stay motivated especially with the relapse of recent days now going into a week I think. I am not fighting it now, sleeping and up as its dictated to me and feeling alright about it for the most part. This too shall pass!

I am glad to see you on track, Tillie and the Terrible Day past thank goodness!!! Your posts keep me going too I am so grateful for all of you ladies and Karl haha. Why don't we have more men?! STATISTICALLY WE SHOULD!

The summer flew by, we are having that same nip in the air which is seasonally unusual and early... and me with no heat source yet :\

Dianne I agree with so much you said about the shows... and the childhood memories and sparked interests. Very insightful, thank you.

It was nice to see Cory stop in and that was a good tip and now I know why my walls are a light brown in colour haha.

Hey MayMay,

I guess we all have our enjoyments that others frown upon. But at the end of the day if it makes us smile and be a better person or more understanding it's probably good. 🙂

Thanks for that great tip Cory. 😀

Hi everybody! 😀

I just had the weirdest dream! 😀

Cory,
You were in my dream. 🙂

And so was Matt Paxton, Kim Kardashian and her family, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Russell Brand, Justin Bieber, and of course me. 🙂

It was seriously the weirdest dream I've ever had! In my dream we were all trapped in a hoarded house together and we couldn't get out because of all the stuff that was blocking the windows and doors.

Hey Cory,
Do you know if Matt Paxton has a crush on Kim Kardashian? Because in my dream, he kept chasing her around and was trying to kiss her. And then you ended up locking Matt in a closet because he kept freaking Kim Kardashian out. LOL. 🙂

Hey Tillie,
Here is a fun fact for you in case you didn't know. If you mix several colors of paint together, they typically will mix to make a shade of light brown which will be perfect for your hallway. This is the same thing all the cities do with the household hazardous waste collection centers they run. They mix all the paints together they received to make a light brown paint for their graffiti removal programs. You would probably need to mix several colors for this to work though. Have a great day!

Good morning 🙂
I'm up early today.
Feeding the cats and have the sprinkler going on the lawn.
Going out to water the trees and bushes in a bit.
Accomplished nothing yesterday so today I am ready to get back to my real life.
Planning to look through all his paint and find something suitable for painting the hallway.
There is an Autumn like chill to the air this morning. Time to start thinking about the coming winter.
Where did the Summer go?
Where did all the posters go?

Anyways,
Happy Thursday 😀

My computer has already crashed twice this morning.

Hugs all around.

Hi everybody! 😀

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot. I've kind of been going through a funk lately. I don't really know why. It's kind of a weird time to be going through a funk though; considering the fact that in a week and a half I will be going to Los Angeles. You'd think that I would go through the funk after I get back from Los Angeles; not right before I go. :/

Hi Dianne,
I LOVE reality tv shows! My favorite reality shows are "HOARDERS" (obviously!) LOL, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on E! (Kim Kardashian is my idol!), "The Badgirls Club" on Oxygen (I actually thought about signing up to be on that show.), "The Real Housewives" on Bravo (I watch all of the different "Real Housewives" shows, but my favorite one is "The Real Housewives of Atlanta"). I also like watching "16 and Pregnant" and its spin-off show "Teen Mom" on MTV, and "Ink Master" on Spike (I've also thought about signing up to be on "Ink Master" too. Not as a competitor, but as a 'human canvas' aka, the person that the tattoo artists tattoo on.) 😀

WAY TO GO Roxie! 😀

Hi Tillie,
I'm glad things went okay for you today. 🙂

After a couple of hours the phone guy finally left.
He will return later (tomorrow?) to change out something outside that he has to get a better fitting part for.

I laid down on the couch and immediately fell asleep. All the cats came out of hiding and took a 3 hour nap with me.
I am still exhausted.

Thank you for being here and listening to my freak out. 🙂
It really helps to know I am not all alone even though my phobias are irrational.

Off to take a long shower and get to bed early. (((hugs)))

((((HUGS))))

(((Janie))) I didn't say so before, but I am so sorry to hear about your brother and what he and the family face soon. How did the party he threw go? How are you doing?

Hi to all.

{{{{Tillie}}}}

Really, getting the crap cleaned out of our houses is just one part of changing our lives. Keep fighting the good fight Tillie. Restore your sanity in your no clutter zones.