Good morning 🙂

Beautiful morning here. Cool with a morning breeze and will be hot before long.
Birds of all sorts are busy doing their bird things.
Wishing you all a wonderful Spring day! 😀

I am made to smile reading the posts here and catching up. First cup of coffee. But today I am so fatigued and weak that I doubt I will get much accomplished for awhile. Last night I ate something bad or somehow really upset my stomach, so I guess that's what is setting me back.

If I rally I plan to clear countertops, empty dishwasher then refill and run it. Fingers crossed.

Good morning.

Here are some of my goals for the early part of the day: Get more shredding ready to take to the shredding place, look for my missing makeup bag, and meet with some friends. I'll probably post more goals later.

Have a great day!

Today I cleaned the entire kitchen, floor included, did today's laundry, picked up the mudroom floor, made every bed in the house, and swept the bedrooms and hall. tomorrow will be busy so just laundry and dishes. goodnight all

I am going to post one of my goals for tomorrow before I forget about it: take my "to shred" pile to the once-a-month, low-cost shredding place I usually use.

Hi again to all. It's been a long day, but good.

Went out to that rural area this morning, finished the task out there that I'd started working on yesterday, and did some weed eating and some brush control. Also did some weed eating at another area. Later, I washed laundry (have a lot of laundry to do when I work outside), met with a friend in the late afternoon, then attended a function this evening. After that, I went to the Laundromat to dry my clothes. Read more in the Digging Out book while I was drying the clothes. It has an interesting section on forgiveness (both on forgiving people and also on asking for forgiveness from people). I haven't finished reading that part yet, but it looks like that section could be helpful in a variety of situations (not just in dealing with hoarding situations within a family).

It's getting late here and I need to get to sleep soon, so I'll save my comments about others' posts for another time. Hugs to everyone.

am grateful that I finally went to costco and bought lots of frozen fruit and vegetables, and soy milk to make my smoothies, and soup. Took list and was quick to shop and bought nothing but was on list, no stops at any other store or thrift shop.
I am feeling better today, each day less pain in mouth. Still if I am active and blood is pumping, really feel it where tooth was removed.
even playing fetch I notice it. Once I got home, put all groceries away, played fetch, was pretty tired. Max, bosses dog, is here for the weekend. These 2 dogs get along and play well together, so will be easier. Max is small and other dog is 4 times bigger at least, they got in each others beds, very funny. The little one was playing with big soccer ball, big dog was playing with 4 inch soccer ball, very funny. I used to kick the ball and Molly would stop it then run out for a pass, little dog does it just like Molly, funny but also miss Molly.
they are both resting, so I have time off. Good to read your posts, and know how your days are going.

yay TIllie! I'm glad some of your neighbors are good 🙂

Good morning! 😀

Got up and out very early this morning.
Watered everything, picked some weeds.
Did one load of laundry.
10:00am now and I am planning to fix myself some hash browns & eggs. 😀

Neighbors...
Some of my neighbors are creepy & mean but some of them are good people.
They know that I am there for them as they are here for me.
Even at three oclock in the morning they know that I will come help them.
When I see their animals got loose and are out running around, I always take care to get them returned to their yards, corrals, pens.
We only visit over the fence, no coffee.
We all tend to keep to ourselves but whenever there is a problem, we are there for each other. 😀

FANTASTIC! WAY TO GO! YEA! 😀
for you all using the chatroom! 😀

Already there, Billie 🙂 SO far I've made the beds and swept half the upstairs floors. ALready halfway through laundry and about to eat breakfast. hope to see some of you at today's chat.
Roxie dear, take it easy if you need to there's no shame in taking care of yourself first and the house second.

Good Morning Everyone...
There is a planned chat group today at 10:00AM(Pacific)
We will be doing the "Buddy System" clean-up for decluttering
We will set are timers for 15 minutes and then come back and report what each of us done in our 15 minutes.
Hope to see you there friends

Good morning! Getting ready to head out the door soon. Want to finish the work I started yesterday morning in that rural area before it gets hot. I'll probably post more later. Hugs!

Sleep is upside down again for the moment, so here I am, catching up. Coffee bubbling, tummy rumbling. Marmalade with our toast?

finished my bedroom today and cleaned my bathroom, did a sinkful of dishes and washed today's laundry.
tomorrow it's kitchen and kitchen floors. glad I got so much done today. see you all in the morning.

hi everyone. Beautiful day here. Haven't done much today other than maintenance and brushed dog again, really shedding alot. chatted on phone with 2 friends, felt better after they called.
I burned debris today in yard. Fires won't be allowed after June 15th so have most done now, tomorrow will finish.
I will water yard when sign off.
I am really looking forward to cleaning all of living area once dog leaves next week, never thought I would look forward to cleaning.
I agree would be nice to have noon chats. Guess we could sign into chat at noon daily and see if anyone else is available to chat.

Vi: Thanks for posting those links for me. I haven't looked at them yet, but now I have them when I'm ready to do so. I feel the same as you do about vacuuming. It encourages me to pick things up and put them away.

Barb: I'm glad you have family coming (well, scheduled to come, at least). Although I didn't "attend" it, I think that the noon chat thing yesterday was more of an "I'm going to work on xyz for the next 30 minutes, and then I'll report back" type of thing. I wasn't free during that time, or I might have tried to join in on it. If you want to propose a time for a daytime chat at some point, I'd love to join you. I'm expecting to be pretty busy tomorrow and would likely not be available, but another day might work out.

CleanLife2014: I started to post the very thing that Barb said . . . it's great that you're getting a start on this while you're relatively young. Way to go!

Tillie: I'm glad you got some decent sleep last night.

Diane and Roxie: I hope that both of you continue to feel better.

Me: I did get out to that rural area and get some work done this morning. Need to go back tomorrow (or at the latest Saturday) to finish a project out there that I started this morning. I had the time to finish it today, but I didn't want to stay too long and get overheated.

Working out there is a nice reminder that there are some very kind people in this world. When I got there, I saw that a neighbor's trash bag had gotten ripped open and there was trash on the road. I decided to pull over so I could put the stuff into one of my contractor bags. Before I even had time to finish getting my gloves on, another neighbor who had passed by and had seen it came to help as well. People out there are like that: they gladly pitch in to help one another. Being in that type of caring environment is one of the joys of going out there to do work.

I did several loads of laundry today and dried them at the Laundromat. I did some more reading in Digging Out while I was there. I also put clean bed linens on my bed today.

Before I go to bed tonight, I plan to spend ten minutes working on paperwork. I also need to put away the laundry that I dried.

Have a good evening, everyone.

Alright, TUesday night's chat and yesterday were very productive.
LR asked me to post these links as I have found them very helpful...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/5-chores-you-should-never-skip-even-if-youre-busy-203394 and http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-things-that-will-make-you-happier-at-home-174151

I made a list of daily things for me to do combining the two articles:
Laundry, Dishes, Counters, Vacuuming, Beds, Cats

I've gotten caught up on laundry finally so now I'm at my goal of one or two loads a day.

I'm still chipping away at the DIshes. the dishes seem to be my most hated chore.

Counters kind of follow dishes, but they also apply in every part of the house. the great thing about making sure your counters are clean and clear is that you have to put things away and it encourages you to stow everything in the vicinity as well.

Vacuuming like Counters encourages you to pick things up and put them away, and it's nice to be able to walk around in bare feet or socks without your feet feeling grimy all the damn time. If you don't have carpet think of sweeping or using a dry mop.

Beds are maybe the easiest thing for me. nothing belongs on the beds in my house but bedding and stuffies. Making the beds neatly is so nice to do, it's a good start to a daily cleaning ritual and it just feels good looking at a freshly made bed.

Cats need daily maintenance and I sometimes forget to do things like check the cat box or make sure the water is full. THis can be applied to other pets as well.

Many of the steps in the articles are surface cleaning things, but I think it's a good way to start on actually cleaning the house and so far it's been working really well for me.

TOday since I'm still trying to reset everything in the house it's dishes and vacuuming as well as laundry.

Good morning, all.
I just saw the post on yesterday's noon chat. I wish we had more of those. The Tuesday and Sunday chats start way too late for me. I am already winding down and ready to go to bed by then.
CL2014: Welcome to the group. I am so glad you are getting a handle on this while you are still young. I find prayer before getting started helps me focus and know that I will receive the help I need in persevering and in making good decisions.
Roxie: Your "voice" sounds stronger every day.
Tillie and LR: Six hours straight of Bingo is too much Bingo. It was just a way to shut out the world and procrastinate. Not good. There are other healthy ways for me to take breaks without immersing myself in a stupid game. I got my summer pass to the pool. That will get me out with other people and exercising in the sun. That is a better choice.

My family may be coming to spend a few days at the end of July. They have not been here in 8 years and have no idea what the inside of my house looks like now.
I really want them to come and I want my house to be ready. That means revamping my whole plan to declutter, clean and get needed repairs done. I need to pick up the pace.
Knowing my family, they could easily change their plans. I have been disappointed more than once. But this house needs to be clean, comfortable, and livable whether they show up or not. I need to do this for me. And if they do come and I can share a clean , comfortable home with them, that is an added bonus.

Good morning everybody! 😀

Hi Roxie 🙂
Makes me happy knowing that you have some wonderful people there watching over you. (((hugs)))

Too many things on my mind have kept me from getting a good night's sleep this week. But last night I was so exhausted that nothing could wake me up.
My computer seems to have lost it's mind, Twinkie (the cat) needs to go to the doctor, think he has a tooth ache.
Lots of other things weighing heavy on my mind too.
Anyways...
since I slept last night my brain is not all foggy today and I can now get caught up with some laundry, dishes and other cleaning tasks.
Hoping that my Hoarder keeps up his end of things too. I made him a lot of sticky/post it notes to remind him what he needs to do since I don't have a car.
The weather here is lovely today. Will be so nice to hang out the laundry.
😀

Good morning, all.

My goals for this morning are to go do some work in that rural area I often mention before it gets too hot. I will plan to take my usual protective items with me (sunscreen, plenty to drink, etc.) Have a great day.

hello everyone, great reading your posts and all that is going on with you
My mouth pain is much better today. Monday night was a nightmare, went to bed last night when it was still light out, first time in decades. Slept until 5am, so do feel better today.
Went to Lowes and bought a small pressure washer, reviews were mixed online. Followed suggestion to buy 2 year warranty from Lowes, so if it doesn't work for any reason, they replace it with a new one.

Hi, again, everyone.

So far today, I've worked a little on the kitchen floor, done some walking outside while the temps were still cool, bought a couple of bottles of sports drink this morning to help with hydration, met with a friend, and had a nutritious lunch. [By the way, when looking for a T-shirt to wear for walking, I grabbed an old one out of the closet. Turned out to be a T-shirt I'd saved for three decades. The decal was coming off of it, and the T-shirt no longer fit (as I found out today). I'd found various reasons in the past not to discard it. But today, out it went! (Yea!)]

My plans for the rest of the day are to finish putting away the laundry I dried yesterday, finish mopping the kitchen, do a little bit of reading, then try to take a mental break for a few hours. I've been having some muscle cramping that started last night, probably as an indirect result of my Tourette Syndrome. (I've had that happen before.) I suspect that my muscle cramping and the quality of sleep I get tonight will both improve if I get a mental break. (I'll make sure to drink plenty of fluids, too.) Sometimes, all kinds of things can improve when I act on the phrase, "Keep it simple."

Hugs to all.

Welcome, CL! It sounds like you are already making progress. A lot of the people who post here have been working on recovery from clutter/hoarding issues for some time (in other words, have experience with this) and will have many good suggestions for you. This is a great place to post your progress, goals, struggles, and so forth. I've found a lot of help, support, and friendship here.

Good Luck CL! if you need a bit of extra encouragement some of us are meeting here http://hoardingcleanup.com/chat_room at Noon Pacific to talk about today's progress so far.

I'm really glad that you're doing what you're doing and frankly I've started there too. one big box and just chucking it all in. Good job and keep going 🙂

Hello. I am new here. I am not sure if this is the right category to post in, but I just wanted to reach out.

A little about me: I'm 27, female, a hoarder all of my life in more ways than keeping clutter, and today I am being active in taking steps in learning to let go. I have set up a giant box inside my room and am going to fill it with everything I can find that I don't need. "Need" is the big word I need to fill my head with today. I prayed before I was about to start and then I thought of looking online for a support group. I had other plans of wasting my day today, and it is absolutely gorgeous outside so it's tough, but I know deep inside that I need to do this. I need to make progress. There have been so many dull days that I have wasted in the past. I want to be able to breathe again and look forward to coming home and sleeping in my own bed, not on a couch or on the floor because stuff is on my bed. That's how bad my clutter is. I can't take it anymore.

So here it is. My box. My big, almost empty box that is as tall as my waist and I am nearly 5'9". I hope the picture comes through for a visual of what I am setting myself up with today. My goal is to get it at least half full. Half full of things I either can sell at a garage sale or give away. Right now, I have things inside other, smaller boxes throughout my room that I have, at one time or another, categorized as things I would either sell or give away. The problem with that is that I have so many small boxed laying around that I look at them and I turn away because I don't want to go through them again and again. This time, I have one, big box, that I can neatly put things in that will save space and time and then I can just go outside with it and set up a cheap garage sale out of. That was a long run-on sentence! :p

Please pray for me. I don't ask for prayers much because I am one of those people who thinks others have it a lot worse, in which I still believe. However, I am at a point in which I know I need help from others. I almost died when my ex (boyfriend at the time) opened up my door without me knowing and stared into my horrible room. He hugged me and told me he still loved me. That was about four or five months ago. I called things off a few weeks ago, but we are still trying to be friends. Yesterday, he came over and to my surprise was just outside my door. I had been cleaning up the day before, so I was actually a bit excited to show him the progress since he hadn't seen it since the first time. He was impressed and I felt less-ashamed.

Even though he and I aren't together anymore, I want to someday show him a clean room. I want that someday sooner than later. I know I can do this. I know you are capable of cleaning too, and I am taking that knowledge and using it today to help me to continue to clean. I want that weight lifted and to breathe easier.

I know this rant is a bit unorganized and bounces around quite a bit, but I hope you'll forgive me for that. My mind is on getting started, but I just wanted to take some time and introduce myself and share a bit.

Wish me luck! 😉

~CL2014

Roxie, I agree . . . it is nice to have some people you can trust to come into the house. Sports drink clink to your coffee cup clink.

Barb, although by what you're saying, you spent more time with that app than you would have liked, I still think it's worth remembering that time for fun and R&R is important.

Me: Ran a load of dishes in the dishwasher last night and made it to chat.

I mentioned before signing off chat last night that I had a new use for the insides of paper towel rolls (dangerous territory here), but I signed off before saying what it was. FYI, I don't save lots of those things these days, but I do save a few. I eventually use them up and toss them. The main thing I use them for is to stuff my trash down further into my trash cans (to make room to put in more trash). But I discovered yesterday also that if I staple together the bottom part of one of those cardboard rolls, it makes a decent case to store my used, extra-long reciprocating saw blades. Now my used blades have a home, and I am less likely to accidently get cut by one of them.

More later. Hugs to all.

It is pouring down rain today. I'm glad. It is giving my vegetables and flowers a good soaking.
Yesterday, I downloaded Bingo on my phone and became addicted to trying to achieve higher levels and more points. It was a colossal waste of time. The first thing I did this morning was delete that app from my phone.
Today I need to get back on track with laundry, dishes, and getting the toter ready for curbside pickup tomorrow.

Coffee pot is burbling and letting me know it's almost ready. Good morning.

Hi to all.

Roxie: So nice to hear that someone was thoughtful and brought you those groceries. I liked your sentence where you said, "Sometimes the universe brings us what we need, and angels appear." I'd love to be able to share my spaghetti sauce with you, Roxie. I didn't even add any salt!

diane: I agree with Roxie. I like your post about letting go. Sometimes, standing up for ourselves in certain situations may be good and may be necessary. At other times, though, just "letting it go" is the way to go. And I do hope the mouth pain goes away soon and you start feeling great!

Tillie: Thanks for the donation inspiration.

Me: Yesterday, I got most of my posted goals done. I did the paperwork goal first, since that's one of the things these days I'm most tempted to procrastinate on. (I've decided that for me, "Worst things first" is a good personal slogan to help me with things on which I might wish to procrastinate.) I made the phone call next, because making business phone calls is another thing I dislike.

I started having foot pain after working at the storage unit for a while. I think I might have hyperextended something; I've done that (hurt my foot that way) more than a few times the past few months. In part because of the foot, I didn't spend the full 40 minutes working on that organizing project. (At least I did find a missing item while I was there, and two almost-full bottles of two different types of Roundup. Yea!)

Sometimes, when I hurt or am tired, it's hard to know when to push on and when to call it quits. I opted for the latter yesterday, then came home and propped my foot up some during the evening.

I also didn't work the full twenty minutes on the hunting-for-papers-to-shred plan for the same reason (foot), but I did get enough of it done to be pleased with what I accomplished. My shred pile is bigger and heavier now. (Again . . . yea!) Another thing I got done yesterday was to buy a new kitchen mop.

Today I met with some friends midday and had lunch with one of them. (The latter is getting to be a habit! For me at the moment, any increase in socializing is good.) While I was out, I stopped by a bookstore to buy Digging Out. I debated first about buying it. "Am I overdoing it, buying that book when I really need to focus on Buried in Treasures?" I'm glad I went ahead and bought it, though. I read through some of it while at the Laundromat. Although the hoarder (me) is not the target audience for Digging Out, the parts that I read ended up helping me with a section of the BIT book that was giving me trouble. It helped me get some clarity on my personal long-term reasons/goals for decluttering, and I spent a fair amount of time today writing down those personal goals.

Goals for the rest of the evening are to load the dishwasher, get myself ready for bed, and then be at tonight's chat.

Have a good evening, everyone.

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY! 😀

Been outside early this morning, watering & pulling weeds.
All five cats out there helping me.
Been searching all around the house for things that can be donated and have already made a nice little pile. 😀
This is how I keep things from getting to be too much. Little bit by little bit stuff tends to really start to add up.
Yesterday afternoon we didn't get any rain as predicted but the winds were really bad.
Need to dust in here again.
Then my plan is to work on finishing sewing my dress. 😀
Hope you are all doing well & feeling better! 🙂