Tat, what wonderful work you are doing in releasing your beautiful bookcase and glassware! Reaching thru the layers is what I call 1st dejunk, 2nd dejunk, 3rd dejunk. The first go round is easy, the second takes some thought and the last is the final clearing out. You're right it does get easier. I'm so glad you are finding that happiness!

Happy Saturday afternoon. Great to hear about the work you're getting done, diane and Tat. Sorry you're still having to deal with the air quality issues, Tillie, and that you're not feeling well. I'd already forgotten about the "s"-ins, Tat and diane. Got another big LOL moment out of that a few minutes ago. Laughter helps so many things!

I enjoyed the chance to get out to that rural area to do some work this afternoon and to check on things out there. Nice to be driving around areas where I see lots of open spaces as well as to see thriving animal and plant life. It was also nice to get back inside my home later and get a refreshing shower and to catch up on reading the last several posts. I don't have grand plans for working at home today other than to do several loads of laundry.

Hugs to everybody.

Such a pleasure to come in for a break and read your posts tat and tillie, t&t. Last year I made an opening in the fence in front where I park car, but then filled the area with tiles, wood, metal things. When I looked at it today, I said it is time. After moving all the firewood past few days, it was clear how bad it was, so I moved all the junk. Fortified the opening, tried to put a gate there, then just made the fencing double and put another t-post in and with loops so can just open and go to car, when bring food home wont have to go all the way around to front steps now. Raked all the leaves from 5 years, cleaned the area, put pavers in for a walkway, so much better now. I have hauled tons of tiles to habitat, and now have unburied all of these tiles, what was I thinking, buying hundreds of tiles, but such a good price, you know the story. A few will have rock sculptures on them, ones I don't use need to go for a ride. Same with the other things. The metal things are to pound in the ground and put 4x4's in to build a cover for fire wood. Now that wood is all in one location, might be a good thing to do. It really was fun cleaning out that area today. I felt pleasure in the simple act of reclaiming it Tillie. I brought garbage cart in and am filling it with some of the junk from that area, and broken tiles. Friday I got all the old tarps from top of firewood move in garbage. I am seeing I can have people come in this way when dropping off dogs or visiting in my yard, so do not have to have them come on deck. I got tired so will go back out and finish cleaning up out there.
Tat, you are helping me so much with your description of letting things go, please keep describing your decisions and how you decide when it has been loved enough. I used that when I was tossing things this morning, and one metal thing I put in garbage for practice. Also practicing saying, are you going to use this in the next few days, if not put it away, if no home, time to go.
Work was good this week but it is exhausting being around so many people day after day. Happy I am able to do it and zip my lip when I want to complain about something. I feel proud of the work I did this week with a cheerful kind attitude. Just takes practice to be the person I want to be, no matter how others act.
Nellie is snuggled up next to me as I write this, getting close to time to get my own pet again, just fearful of vet bills etc, if I get another one with medical problems, Molly had kidney disease.
Thanks Tat and Tillie for being my friends, makes life so much better.

Tillie, rest and take care of yourself. Bad air quality takes a big toll. A terrible toll.

Just checking in with everyone. Have taken the person grocery shopping, have changed bed linens and run two loads of laundry and am on third load now. Am making a late lunch and will treat myself to some tv/Netflix time.

OK, here's the big news for the day (so far). I've had a box of glassware in my place since I did the big clean out. It's a keep box. Find room to. keep. Well I took it to goodwill today. I went through it and didn't keep a thing.

Tillie my dear you are correct! The mental image of my muscles is helping me along, and is a good explanation as to how it is that the stuff I couldn't part with can move along!

This image will be very helpful as i go through storage area. Ooh-I hope I didn't give the impression that it's almost clear--not by a long shot--but I can see my way through to the end. I can see myself getting rid of it. All of it. With your help and encouragement. (For Diane --I'll let the storage things enjoy their little shit-in for a little while longer!)

Good morning

Hi LR2014 🙂
WTG! for making that one room a more serene peaceful place to sleep.
It is hard t0 schedule in fun when you have many other pressing obligations to attend to.
Try to incorporate some small personal pleasures into your day.
Little treats that you find relaxing.
Life's simple little pleasures really add up in creating more internal peace, rest and contentment. 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO! for all you are accomplishing!!! 😀
Working our way through making those easier keep/toss/donate decisions really does improve our decision making "muscles" when we get down to those harder items to decide on.
You have been making some wonderful decisions and making room in your life for the future.
Letting go of things you have "loved enough" but no longer need is fantastic! 😀

Hi Diane 🙂
Hi Nellie 🙂
WAY TO GO! for all your accomplishments and getting caught back up on the daily maintenance type stuff! 😀
Have a GREAT time panting, sculpting and hanging out with the dog.
Please, please do get the RV ready for a camp out and have one heck of a great time taking it out somewhere beautiful and relaxing. 😀

Air quality here is better but the sunlight is still tinted "forest fire yellow".
I am still suffering, oxygen deficient and sickly.
Spending a lot of time trying to nap/sleep but breathing issues still keeping me up.
Anyways...
Have no real plans for today other than the usual daily stuff.
So many things I want to do but must wait on them.
Wonderful reading about all your progress and plans.
Keep up the GREAT job! 😀

I've missed you Diane! It is hard to keep up with things when working so much. Glad you have Nellie with you! It's gotten significantly cooler here on the East Coast so my cat has been snuggling right up. Very comforting.

Keep up the good work and yes, you should find time for a weekend get away. Right now I'm doing laundry and just relaxing before heading out for the day.

hello everyone. So good to see your post Tillie. Tat, inspiring that decision making is getting easier. I have worked all week and have not kept up with maintenance. Got up early today so I have all day to get things done. Rinsed all dirty dishes and they are soaking. Have to toss a chicken I boiled for soup, that has been in frig for a week. Disappointed that I have to throw food away once again. Vegetables too. Buying fresh vegetables is still a waste so back to frozen.
Picked up Nellie after clinic on Thursday, so have a doggie companion this weekend.
I did get all firewood moved closer to house. Started a little roof over it. Nellie is curled up next to me, so nice and comforting. I went to RV yesterday to get some tape and found a pile of tshirts I forgot were in there, brought in and will wash today, my favorites. Checked all cabinets etc. and not too much stuff in there, would like to get it cleaned this weekend and take a little camping trip before winter hits.
Will do dishes, clean counters in here before sun comes up, then do lots on deck and yard. Laundry, take nellie for a walk, and find time to relax. Want to paint one board turquoise for a shelf in freezer room. For fun, also make rock sculptures. In an ideal scenario I will find some things to donate this weekend.
Nice to read your posts

Today I have to take someone grocery shopping. I also need groceries for myself but that needs to be done separately. The person I am taking needs my full attention. I need to make more progress, whether at home or at storage place.

The decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of are getting easier--even though I am now reaching stuff that was too tough to deal with first time around. This makes me very happy.

I kept my promise! Yay! After going to museum and lunch with mom, I went to my storage unit and was able to take three boxes to goodwill. I also took a bag of clothing out of my house today and a small bag of books. I am really excited and energized by this! I'm starting to see what it will take to get rid of my storage space. Original plan was to move to a smaller, and cheaper, place, but there's a little part of me that thinks I might be able to get rid of it completely. I just need my sister to take the remaining oriental rug and the desk. I have decided to part with my bookcase. It's solid cherry and went with my bedroom set as a child. I used it as a child, as a college student, into my 30s and beyond. It's been in storage for a while. I have loved it enough. I am prepared to take it to goodwill. I have loved it enough.

Thank you everyone for your support! I hope you are all well. Would love to hear from all of you!

Hello LR and Tillie and everyone else! I am always happy when I see a new post here and I must admit, my heart leapt a little when I saw that both of you had posted! I appreciate hearing about your days and appreciate the support and encouragement.

I am taking some time off to spend with mom tomorrow and will either go to storage afterward or work on The Dreaded Closet. I need to keep moving forward, even as I desperately try not to move backward.

Much love to everyone, with special love to Marty the Cat. Hang in there, little buddy.

Good morning. Sorry about the smoke, Tillie (and Marty! Lots of hugs.

One thing I did very recently is to get a lot of things rearranged in one certain room so that I have an alternate (much more quiet) place to sleep. That's been very nice the past few days.

On Tuesday night, I attended an event that I was supposed to "facilitate." I was also in charge of the after-event cleanup. (OK, go ahead and chuckle.) I had a lot of help with cleanup on that night, but I still had some work left to do to get things back in order there. Went to that location early this morning and finished that task. Nice to have that done!

Still haven't been very good about scheduling in playful fun, Tillie. (Just true confessions.) I still need to "work on" having more fun.

Although I admit that I'm very behind on reading posts, I did see Cory Chalmer's post about his proposal for Sunday nights. I'm chewing on the idea and will plan to give some feedback when I'm finished "chewing."

Hugs to everybody!

Good morning,

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for maintaining and keeping on guard against the creeping clutter. 😀
Take care to rest as much as you can whenever you get the chance.

Still extremely smoky here, causing a lot of problems with my allergic asthma.
I think Marty (the cat) might have asthma too because he has been having terrible coughing fits.

Anyways...
Today I have no chores to do except the usual daily tidying up kind of stuff.
Think I will just rest a lot and watch stuff on Netflix.

TTYL

Oh that's terrible about the air, Tillie. I'm also sorry about your pack rats. Just take it easy and don't do too much. I'm sure the kitties will be glad to have clean boxes.

I am maintaining these days and taking note of the clutter creep. Have a busy schedule with work obligations this week. I wake up in the AM wishing it were time for bed. That is no way to live. Also had something upsetting re mother earlier this week, still not ready to post.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Good Morning,

There are two big wildfires in California and all the smoke from them is blowing into Nevada.
For days now the air quality has been extremely bad.
Visibility is greatly reduced here. Health department has issued warnings to stay inside.
We are all miserable, including the bunnies and birds.
Oh Well, anyways...
Life goes on here.
Today I will water some things outside, tidy the bathroom, wash the litter boxes and wash some dishes from last night and this morning.
If my eyes ever quit burning I would like to read later this afternoon.

Desert Packrats are still safely living under the house and in the yard.
Met a couple of baby corn snakes living here that are keeping me safe from baby crickets by eating them.

TTYL

Tillie!!!! Thank you. For everything! I can't wait til Diane sees that you are here!

SusanL. Congratulations! You are an inspiration!

Love to all. And thank you, Cory. I love the idea And thank you for this site. You have helped me immeasurably by forming this community. Thank you for giving me a place where I am just me.

Tillie,
I have missed your daily dose of courage and grace. Please come back. Speaking for the many of us who mostly read but comment seldom.

(Not to be confused with various other Susan folks)

Good to see you back Tillie!!

You were missed!! 🙂

Cory,
I love it! 😀

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!

Cory Chalmers
HoardingCleanup.com

Frustrating. my computer running slow. I don't know how I could go back to snail mail for paying bills! I did finally get a couple important ones paid. Um.. After I closed "a few" windows I had open and "a few" documents I had been working on. Yes, even clutter in my computer.

I worked in the "patio door" room yesterday. My motivation was that I needed birthday presents for my great grandson and I knew there were some in there somewhere that didn't get to him last Christmas. Strained relations between my daughter and my grand-daughter, my hoarding situation, and my grand-daughter's very crowded living conditions pretty much made last Christmas a bust. Things are going better this year for daughter, grand-daughter and of course the great grand kids. Such a relief for me. I of course had to try to help everybody instead of focusing on my PROBLEM.

Anyway, I got to be with, talk with, and observe a group of 3 to 6 year old children. I so enjoy seeing their minds working and expanding. It was a very nice change to just enjoy myself and not worry or feel overwhelmed with everything.

tired sleepy almost midnight here. back to worrying tomorrow.

Hello, just got in from a lovely evening with a friend. Very nice time. It feels like autumn here on the Northeast and my cat is snuggled up next to me, purring loudly.

I made the turkey tetrazzini. I wasn't sure what it is, but I found a decent recipe and made it for my Shut-in (take note, Diane) and the report back is two thumbs up. It took about thirty minutes in prep time and it came out very nice. Again, not being sure what it was I just took a stab and searched the internet until I found what looked good and easy but not too easy. (I do not like recipes that call for a can of soup--this one had me making a white sauce and then adding cheese). It was a bit of a victory for me because I measured and laid out all the ingredients ahead of time and it went smoothly. I have counter space, a clean stove and oven, and all cooking pans and utensils within easy reach. I used to have to pile stuff on top of other stuff just to use the stove top. Immediately after, I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher. What a great feeling.

Even now, I find that when I'm done with a dish my natural inclination is to pile it in the sink. Since cleaning and clearing the kitchen, I now stop myself and put in dishwasher after rinsing.

Grace, you mentioned in your post today some of your struggles. I will tell you I started in on my kitchen one cabinet at a time, and then I became unstoppable. Just find a place to start. For me, I just had finally run out of excuses. I was out of reasons and excuses and justifications to live this way. And I am not being dramatic when I tell you that I was shocked, SHOCKED, to find out how much easier my life is. I'm not done, but I have made my life easier. So much easier.

Will tell the story re my mother some other time. I am savoring everyone's posts right now. Let's treat ourselves well.

Dianne your candor and bravery are admired and appreciated. Your progress is wonderful. I too feel sad. I will tell everyone about something that happened at my mother's house last night. I will post later on.

Good luck with the doggie today. And thank you. I think you are terrific.

Wow Sheryl you were very productive, great work! I have my list of daily, bi-weekly, weekly, monthly, every 2 months but frequently just end up doing what I feel like that day. Seems I love the planning more than the actual work. You have wonderful discipline!

Those were sad times. But they're also in the past. 🙂

Congratulations on your accomplishments, Sheryl! And in 100? heat! Wow! I am jealous that you perform weekly cleaning. Right now, I make sure that the kitchen is constantly kept clean and clear, I have always, even at my worst, had clean sheets on bed once a week, but I don't have a regular list in my mind of weekly maintenance. I need to build your habits into my own routines. Any advice/tips greatly needed!!! And appreciated!!!!

Karl, thanks for the update on colored envelopes.

Yesterday, was pretty productive for me. 1)30 min walk w/ dog; 2)weekly cleaning of bathroom 3)weekly cleaning of laundry room 4) 2 loads of laundry 5) Target, used list and spent $10.60 6)Costco, finished up aisles(OCD) spent $19.27, used list 7)100 degrees took a 45 min nap, before Sunday chat room 8)3 hours and 30 minutes on chat!! Thanks to chat Peeps for all the good ideas and support!! Keep on dehoarding, decluttering and organizing with baby steps!! Thanks for listening!!

Bitsy, that was nice of you to direct people to the Gratitude board to help Jeff. You are a competent person. Your children coming to you for help over the years proves that. This is a temporary slump. The competence is there, you just need your confidence back. 🙂

Karl, it's hard for me to admit that my torn, stained clothing really should be considered rags too. I keep some for dirty work. Why use the nicer clothes when they're just going to get torn and dirty. 🙂

Saturday accomplishment: I finished mending the torn shorts. (At some level I'm aware that they're "not worth fixing"; perhaps the next time they get ripped, I'll admit that they're rags now.)

Why the color change? No reason except that whoever wrote the forum software decided that it might be useful to distinguish "hot topics", which are arbitrarily defined as those that have had at least ten messages.

I don't normally read the gratitude topic, but I just checked over there to see what you were asking about. Jeff/Cody posted to ask for advice; probably not the best message thread to have used for that. He was in the chat room on Friday, and we did tell him about the Sunday meet, so maybe we'll see him there and can respond in real time.

Hi Bitsy. I read the post and will give it a shot. I'm glad to hear from you and hope your son is doing better. Please let me know how you are.

Thank you everyone for your support and hard work! Keep it up, I'll write more later! (WTG=Way to Go).