Thanks Roxie.
The leg brace is kind of a bother but does help with a little support.
I'm just upset that I missed a job opp due to injury and recovery time. :[
At least I still have one other contact that hopefully can get me a job. I still am going to call the animal shelter again and ask again when the volunteering class is so that I can volunteer as a cleaner over there. I'd now rather do something than do nothing.

I see doc in a couple of weeks yet for a follow-up to see how I'm doing.

Hope all is keeping up with your cleaning efforts and achieving your goals

You can beat this!

Karl, what can we do to support your efforts? I know I want to encourage you to make yourself do 15 minute sessions daily, at least.

Diane, let us know how it goes with your cleanie friend. I always read your posts with interest.

LynnS, here is hoping the leg brace helps.

Tillie, I too am feeling sluggish and tired. What can we do to kick our own bottoms? 🙂

Wednesday I was out all day, so no cleaning done -- but I did manage to do one timed session and take stuff out to the curb for the morning pickup, before going to bed.

Thursday I had plenty of time at home, but kept finding other things that I'd rather do. Not good. Again, one 15-minute session before going to bed, but at this rate I'm not going to be done when the hard deadline arrives. 🙁

Great job today, Diane!!!

It sounds like you worked diligently & accomplished ALOT 🙂

...And not only that -- you acknowledged your anxiety & took action to address it by calling your friend to talk about it 🙂 You were very brave today and you have made a plan to continue moving forward tomorrow with the support of a trusted friend -- I loved your term "cleanie friend" 😉 Good for You for being willing to accept that support!

I can relate to the so much of what you shared --finding it more challenging to go through things inside vs. out, the mouse & said droppings, the intense anxiety, the discomfort of sharing feelings about the situation & the physical condition of the space with others.

I could also really relate to & loved the part where you said you realized it was taking too long/slowing down your progress to clean off the stuff for give-away so you invoked Amnesty & Into the Bin with it!!! (Tillie, I'm gonna remember that tip for myself, too;)

Diane - You completed many physical tasks of clearing space today -- yet I heard you accomplish even more in the ways you "coached" yourself through some really difficult parts of your day.

So, Diane, I say: Congratulations, Big Pats on the Back, & YaY You! 🙂

Worked on bathroom today, amazing how difficult it is for me to work inside, even on cold windy day I would rather be outside working, anything to avoid finishing bathroom. I worked several hours, almost done. When I couldn't do anymore, went out and watered plants, did 2 loads of laundry, worked on walkway, filled another bag of garbage, only one dead mouse, but lots of droppings and filth, really sad. Then went up on roof and cleaned chimney, then pulled cheat grass in back yard. Put garbage can out and one huge black garbage bag on top of can. Tomorrow I will get the bigger cart, and already have two bags full to put in it. Tomorrow my cleanie friend is coming over to help me with the stuff in each room I just can't seem to finish. I went though alot of anxiety over it, then called her and discussed my concerns. she was very understanding and really wants to come and help for 2 hours. I will let her in bathroom, last time she visited she had to pee in the RV, wouldn't let her in past the entryway because it was so bad. I could cancel, but know I must let people back into my life, the good and bad of it. I am amazed at all the help I get on this site, loved the amnesty to throw anything away, it worked again today. started to wash give aways, then realized that why it was going so slow, so started to throw things in garbage with amnesty. Thanks Tillie.

Cory, I got the book yesterday and still find it very informative. Thank You So Much!

Today I had an appointment to get the leg brace to help me walk better so that my knee doesn't buckle inward for support. It's only for a short term use anyhow.

I'm feeling much better with my knee and am able to walk on it without any pain. 🙂

I'm also going to keep reading the book to help me help my mother.

I've got a lot of learning to do.

Hope all keep up the good work with all the success that you've made.

Good morning

Woke up exhausted.
Fed cats their breakfast.
Need to get dressed and go out and water.
Fortunately, the wind has quit blowing and hope it doesn't start up again.
Been cold here the last few days.

TTYL 😀

SusanL,
BIG WAY TO GO!!! 😀
You faced that verrrry spooky office supply closet and were victorious! 😀
So proud of you! 😀

Diane,
Wonderful that you super sized your trash service! 😀
We have the bigger service too. One big wheelie bin plus 7 additional cans, boxes, bags or tied bundles allowed every week.
You have done an amazing amount in that bathroom! WTG! 😀
A fresh bright color of paint must really look lovely.
Great you are stopping now and not pushing yourself.
Tomorrow you will be fresh and able to make better decisions.

When deciding what to keep or what to toss remember to ask the questions....
When was the last time I used/needed this?
What condition is it in? Has it expired or gone bad?
If I toss this and then a year or two from now decide I need it, how hard/expensive would it be to get another one?
How does keeping this item get me to my goal? Does it add quality to my life by keeping it or does it take away from my quality of life?

Do the best decluttering job you can at the time.
Then later revisit the area and things and it will surprise you that you can often find another item or two that you are ready to let go of now.

Sort of like
"you can't see the forest for all the trees"
Once you start pruning branches you will get a much better view. 😉

I do my best work when I first get up so I think I will quit for now, just not getting anything done, need to appreciate all that I did do today, even though the progress looks hidden by what is left to do. I know it is clean now and will be done tomorrow.

I am experiencing some fear about putting stuff in cabinet, afraid I will keep stuff don't need to keep. It is just so different to think of what I will use, instead of just keeping it to sort later or may use later. I am so tempted to just stuff it in, but then will feel like I failed, it is worth the pain of completing it correctly, so I don't feel the shame of having junk stashed behind doors. Letting go of the familiar dysfunction is difficult, what will life be without the shame and suffocation of junk.

Tillie, thanks for amnesty on tossing useable things, I needed that support today. Need to just toss and stop wasting time rationalizing, just get rid of it to make my life more liveable as soon as possible.

Susan that is so great you were able to get that done and stopped when you had done enough for the day.
I worked on the sink side of the bathroom all day and still not done. Took pictures off wall and washed them and wall, took sliding mirrors off small cabinet over sink, took everything out, cleaned it, and then painted it gloss sun yellow, two coats, looks good. Pulled all the stuff out of lower cabinets inbetween painting coats. There was so much stuff in there, I was throwing things out and got more and more anxious, realizing garbage was already full plus 2 bags, started slowing down, trying to decide how much I could put in bags to keep under 20 pounds, then brain storm---called garbage company anmd discussed moving up from 35 gallon to 65 or 95 gallon garbage cart. Decided on 95 gallon cart. Felt like a kid at Christmas, could throw anything away without worrying about weight or size. Friday they will swap out to larger cart. I figured it was worth the extra money to have the freedom to toss anything I want, and not worry about weight or dump runs.

Got brave and went into [scary music] my office supplies closet. Put together bags of stuff for charity pickup, threw away some stuff, put labels on the remaining plastic bins, and had many moments of "so THAT'S where that is".

I have a second storage area for yet more office supplies . . . a lifetime's worth of pencils, it seems. That will wait for another day. Need to rest.

This has been on my To Do list for, let's just say, a really long time. Appreciate all the mutual encouragement here.

Good morning 🙂

So sweet of you Diane. (((hugs)))

The winds blew all night long and are still going strong today.
60 degrees in here so had to put the heat on for the kitten.
I have weaned & litter box trained him. By the weekend he should be all better with the medicine I have been giving him. Have a possible good home for him. One other girl wants him but I said no because she does not properly take care of her pet rodent.

My ToDos for today...
clean kitchen
not even going to bother dusting with the wind blowing dirt around. Cough Cough! 😉

Need to get out sewing projects and play around with that today. Fun stuff. 😀

Keep up all the GREAT work everyone!

There is this idea called
"Amnesty" to throw away perfectly good things.

When there is so much to sort through and you want/need to get it done in the quickest way possible you have amnesty to simply throw away anything rather than spending one second longer dealing with it.
No need to clean it for donation, no need to bag it up and get it to a donation center, no need to sort it out for recycle.
When what you need is to do this decluttering in the best way for YOU is the fastest way, just toss it.
AMNESTY!

Also, many trash pick up services have sorting stations.
The trash is dumped out on a conveyor belt where workers remove anything that is recyclable.
Metal, paper/cardboard, plastic, etc.
Here the organic rubbish is also sold to a company that runs it's business by burning garbage to fuel it's factory.
They also have special "scrubbers" on their chimneys to remove pollution. Eco friendly.

Tillie, thanks for noticing the work I have been doing. to clarify, do flu shots at fall health fair, did blood pressure, height, weight today, just fun and encouraged more healthy habits, like I am the expert, if they only knew from where I came!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for saying that about cleaning stuff, easier to toss it than clean it off, and it takes up too much room for something I don't use. Makes so much sense now, all my excuses for keeping things are being challenged now, thank goodness for this website!! and especially your wisdom Tillie.

Diane,
I am so happy you can just toss unwanted/unneeded items rather than having all the worry and extra work trying to clean to donate or recycle. 😀
You are a woman on a mission! A mission to clear your home.

Hope you do toss those old chemical cleaning products. They degrade over time too.

BIG WAY TO GO! on all that cleaning work you did today.
And so happy you got out and gave friendly folks their jabs. 😀

Started work at 7:15 at a health fair for a few hours aget the electric company, they have a health fair in the spring and fall when I do flu shots for them, so it is a fun little job with fun people. felt good to get out of the hoard and work with great people, so good start to the day. Walmart across the street, so bought white duct tape and vegetables, felt good not overshopping, a pleasant feeling to look into the cart and see only a few things, I used to overbuy anything and everything. Got home and started on the bathroom. vinegar in toilet, cleaned floor and walls around toilet with diluted vinegar water and every inch of the exterior of the toilet, took over 1&1/2 hours, now resting. Will do the scrubbing in the interior toilet before too long. Not sure I will do the other 1/2 of bathroom tonight, maybe in morning. I am aware the hair rollers that I never use, have to go, they were next to the toilet as were lots of cleaning products, I forgot I had, heavy layer of dust on cleaning products. Realize, I can get rid of them and just use vinegar and water instead of all that stinky chemical stuff. It takes so long to clean when everything is stuffed with junk. I can see why my wealthy friends have houses that look Of course they have cleaners, but what I thought was lack of livability, is cleanliness, not rigidity. I am feeling frustrated because my garbage can is full and doesn't get picked up til friday and already have one extra large garbage bag full of crap, and so much more to throw, and it is raining. I am getting to the point where it just easier to throw it away than to try to make decisions. I took 4 large bags to thrift store yesterday and don't miss one item, yet it takes me days to decide what to give away. It has also helped to realize most people have more than they need so I don't need to wash things to give away, just throw away, it is in my best interest to just get rid of it ASAP.

Was planning to weed in the garden today but the winds are blowing pretty strong out there.
Was planning on doing some sewing but there is a tiny kitten here that I have to look after and laying out fabric is just impossible.
Was planning on doing lots of stuff today but other things keep getting in the way.

Did take care of the cat tasks.
Have dishes rinsed and stacked by the sink to wash.
Have gathered up a small load of laundry to wash but need to wait for the kitten to wake up from his nap so I can swap out his blankets and wash them too.
Got dressed, brushed my hair & teeth.
Did get a lot of little straightening & organizing tasks done all around here. Basically I've just been frittering about.
When the winds blow so violently like they are doing today I find it hard to relax or concentrate.

😀

Having survived a major flood there is something that I learned.

Terrified, holding tight to my son, cat and dog. Hurrying and fighting my way to safety. Having to make the decision that if it comes to it I will set my cat and dog free and hope they some how make it to safety on their own.
Finally, standing on high dry ground safe from the raging water.
I look at my son, cat and dog and know that I am the wealthiest woman in the entire world.

Then other wet survivors start coming ashore.
They are fretting about the possessions they had to leave behind.
I remind them that their most valuable possessions are themselves and their families/pets who are also safe now.

The next few weeks as the water begins to go down and people are able to get back into their homes to see what they can salvage are very difficult.
They want to try to save things that are saturated with filthy chemical, mold and disease carrying flood water.
I have to tell them that their clothes, books, quilts, rugs etc. will never be able to be cleaned properly and returned to their former condition. The broken pottery and glass can be cleaned but will always be a constant reminder of a terrible time because they are broken in ways that can't be glued.

I tell them to do what I have done.
"let it go"
You will always have your happy memories of these things as they were before the flood ruined them.
Don't hold onto them as they are now, all sad looking.
The future will bring you new pleasures to help fill the void you are feeling now.

Hope my story helps in some small way when you have to decide to finally let go of items you have that have been ruined by water, mold, bugs or rodents. 🙂

Thanks, LynnS for your words of encouragement.

Diane, I can relate to the sadness over ruined things and waste. When I went through the cleanup the greatest loss to me was treasured oriental carpets I have had for years, that were stored, and that were destroyed by some kind of moth. There was a lot of history in the rugs and I had planned to pass them along to my son. Too late. But there it is.

Today is heavy rain. So far this area has avoided the Oklahoma tornado or flash floods, though we are under flash flood watches. The rain tends to put me in a stall, which may be a fallout for me of my SAD. Still, I will find something to do today that is productive.

diane I am happy to read that you are getting stuff done. Hope those water stains will go away as well, wishing you luck with elbow grease. 🙂

I haven't heard anything about OK though but am glad to hear Tillie is alright with relatives.

Have a great day all!

Tillie, thanks for the info on toilet cleaning, I have the vinegar so am excited to try it, bought lots of vinegar, used on weeds last month and then for cleaning. Got 2 gallons at costco for less than $4, so happy it is so versatile, and cheap. thank you again for last night Tillie

Way to go Roxie on all that you did! Keep up the good work and get those boxes to recycling once all gathered or when ready.

Today I worked on flexing muscles and hope to heal faster and staying off my leg.

Karl I hope that you had fun. Sounds as though you were quite busy.

Hope everyone has a great day and takes their time cleaning with a little each day.

Welcome to all the newbies!
Celebrate a victory!

Oklahoma, so sad, happy all your relatives are OK Tillie. A mile wide tornado, 2 schools hit, so sad.
I worked on walkway where I filled the garbage can and have more to dump, may have to make a run to dump. It is supposed to rain the rest of the week so wanted to get rid of more of the crap the mice are living in. It really is disgusting, easy to throw stuff away when it is so bad. I did take 4 large garbage bags of stuff to thrift store.
I started in bathroom gave away lots of stuff for hair, lipsticks, lotion etc. Then went through rooms to find more stuff to give away, clothes, books, decorative, really had fun. It was a challenge to see how much I could give away. Then to walkway and that wasn't fun, so much stuff water stained, mouse eaten, a true hoarder, no doubt about it now. I have to go back out there and bag up more of the crap, although I am tired now. want to bag it before it rains, the dump charges by the pound so don't want to pay more for wet worthless crap. Working inside is becoming more tolerable now that I am working in the disgusting stuff outside. I took the dog back that I have been dog sitting and a book back to library that is overdue, of course. What a day. I have said on here, have dealt with the worst squalor, then find new area of filth. When the cable guy had to go to back yard through the walkway, and could barely get through, I decided it had to change, no idea of how much stuff was stashed in there, and the roof leaked on it, so it is lots of worthless stuff that could have been used by others, if I had done this years ago. Lots of beautiful leather purses with mold or mildew, sheets that are now waterdamaged and mouse holes. Lots of kitchen stuff. I moved to a nearby town for a couple of years and rented this place out. when I moved back I just stashed every thing out in walkway, temporarily, since the garage was already packed to rafters.
Just keep telling myself not to criticize myself for wasting all this stuff, just appreciate the fact that I have found this support group and am finally willing to deal with this. It is my full time job.

Karl hope you had fun! 🙂

Diane, Thank you 🙂

Roxie, WAY TO GO! getting groceries and all you got done! Hoping today was productive as well. 🙂

My heart is breaking for Oklahoma. 🙁

Good news though,
My BIL & SIL were down in their cellar and the tornado passed only 2 miles away from their home.
All other relatives are accounted for too. 🙂

Good morning 🙂

Busy day for me.
He will be too busy all day working to get the graduation ceremony stuff all set up & running to take proper care of the kitten.
So I will do that today. Already fed him his breakfast & soon must give him his medicine.
The kitten is already litter box trained 😀

Have a GREAT start to this new week everyone. 🙂

Bing search
how to remove hard water stains from toilet

http://www.bing.com/search?q=how+to+remove+hard+water+stains+from+toilet&form=MSNH14&pq=how+to+remove+hard+water+stains+fr&sc=8-34&sp=1&qs=AS&sk=

Empty the water from the toilet bowl. Turn off the water by turning the knob on the back of the toilet. Flush the toilet several times until the bowl is empty.

2

Pour ½ gallon distilled white vinegar into the toilet bowl. If ½ gallon is not enough to cover the hard water stains, soak paper towels with vinegar and lay them onto the stains. Let the vinegar sit in the bowl for at least one hour.

Scrub the toilet bowl with a nylon scrub brush to remove the stains. Turn the water back on and flush the toilet to rinse.

4

Mix together three parts borax powder and one part vinegar if the stains persist. Empty the toilet bowl of water and use a rag to scrub the paste onto the stains.

5

Let the paste sit on the stains for a few hours. Scrub the toilet stains with a nylon scrub brush. Turn on the water and flush the toilet to rinse.

Read more: How to Remove Hard Water Stains From a Toilet Bowl | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how_6560199_remove-water-stains-toilet-bowl.html#ixzz2TqkswSh9

HARD WATER STAINS...

http://www.bing.com/search?q=how+to+remove+hard+water+stains+from+tub&form=MSNH14&pq=how+to+remove+hard+water+stains+from&sc=8-36&sp=6&qs=AS&sk=AS5

Lots of different information there,
did a "Bing" search on
"how to remove hard water stains from tub"

?Mix one cup of white vinegar with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
?Use a terry cloth or other soft, absorbent material to apply the mixture to the hard water stain.
?Rub to remove.

You can also saturate a rag or paper towels with the solution and stick them to the area and let then sit and soak to help soften the hard water deposit.

Some suggest scrubbing the area with a salted lemon.
Others suggest making a paste of vinegar & baking soda to scrub with.

Then there are the chemical cleaners.
They are harsh, will burn your skin & eyes and have fumes so always follow the directions very carefully when using them.