Ok, so while waiting for BF to take me to grocery store, I gathered up the trash, changed our cat's box, swept the hallway AND.....cleaned the bathroom sink and vanity.

I hope no one fainted. The bathroom isn't clean, but the sink and vanity are. I seem to do best with tiny pockets of time that I "find". I need to do more of this.

My little one is sound asleep on the couch. I love that you have a garage container for your kitty, SubC. I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats but living in the city, I've got to keep my little one inside. I miss calling the kitty to come in at night and having him be all fresh from the night air. Or seeing kitty prints in the snow and on the car.

We are going down below freezing tomorrow, Tillie. I just went for a walk to bring BF chowder. Good news--he wants the other chair, so that's good. He did the usual that he'll buy them which is garbage--he pays for absolutely everything including my family. I'm excited the chair has found a home.

Tillie I am glad you found a new dress! I am going to treat myself to a holiday dress this year. Being slimmer, I feel like dressing up again. The last few years I haven't felt like it and I've been so embatrassed by my weight.

SubC, I hope I didn't come off as harsh or judgmental. Stuff on sale is a weak point for me. I had to learn the hard way (i.e. Living in a hoarded house) that sale stuff ends up costing me. So when I see sale stuff I have to say NO loudly to myself. I would buy multiples upon multiples, wiping out any perceived savings. So please forgive me if I stepped on your toes. I know you have a lot of needs at your school and I know how teachers and students alike use their own $$ when the budgets fall short.

Ok back to work.

Good Morning 🙂
Iced chai masala "CLINK!"

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Slow progress on the feed bags is still forward progress.
WAY TO GO!
Happy you, your cat and DH are warm. 😀
I understand the buying of a few Halloween items, right after the holiday is always the best time for good deals.
PLUS you have decluttered a lot of your old Halloween decorations this year too.
Seems like a lot more than one went out for every new one coming in. 😀
So, WTG!

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Your BF's cat sounds like a real sweetheart. 😉
That does sound beautiful, the table, chandelier and new drapes.
If you don't need the other chairs and like just having the two, then by all means consign the extras.
If you already have the upholstery fabric, I think you really should do the chair to help really tie the whole area together. ;D
WAY TO GO! keeping up with that kitchen counter!

I only have one kitchen counter so it's very important for me to keep it useable.
It's 6 feet long but has the microwave on one end.
I use this counter for everything.
It's what divides the kitchen area from the living room area and is right where you walk through from the door to get to anywhere else in the house.
Took me ages to teach Steven not to just dump stuff on it.
Today it's supposed to get up tp 60 degrees.
Yesterday I drug the hoses out in the yard to where they will be in the sunlight to help make them easier to roll up once they are warmer.
So, later today I will roll them up and store them away until next Spring.
The other day I bought a new beautiful Summertime dress, the kind I love wearing around the house.
Cost me three dollars.
Now I can more easily toss out two dresses that got ripped from getting snagged on his hoard this last Summer. 🙁
I mended them but they just aren't the same any more.

Hello!

I am seeing my house through fresh eyes and want to move forward. I find I like my dining table with two chairs instead of three. It's a cleaner look. Where to put my third chair? Not sure. BF has the 4th chair. I have half a mind to consign them. The table is so pretty in the alcove with the drapes and the two chairs and the chandelier. I need to change the fabric on one cushion. Have done one chair and the desk chair. No reason not to finish it. The other two chairs have arms and no cushions.

Ok I'm keeping up with my one kitchen counter. Would really like to make some more progress. Just need to act.

For now, I must do work as I am swamped!

SubC can you store your Halloween purchases at school?

Tatoulia, I am so glad your chandelier is up!

I'm sorry everyone is cold though! We keep the woodstove going when we are home these days. The wood is "free" (plus labor and chainsaw gas) deadfall from our land. Down comforter ($20 goodwill score) on the bed and we are cozy.

My cat is indoor/outdoor at will, so he has a big plastic bin with a pillow and an old bathrobe up against the wall in the garage. Dh calls it his "box of soft"

Still mostly focusing on the upcoming sale and trying to keep the house from squalor around here. I'm getting pretty tired. I am still making very slow progress on cleaning the empty feedbags out of 5he barn.

Yesterday I bought three plastic mats, a bag of Halloween doilies, and a bag of cardboard stencils on clearance at the grocery store. They are to use in the studio next fall.

My house is so cold, Tillie. My first year here I cried. Now I am used to it. Wearing fleece leggings under my pjs and keeping cat covered in her bed tonight. Very chilly.

BF came by to see the chandelier and then drove out back to see it from the window. He agrees it's a bit high but beautiful. Should be six inches to a foot lower. I'll wait til my artist friend is here to do anything about it.

Kitty doesn't have the box instinct. But BF's cat loves any size box, even tried to fit in my purse once. He's a giant tabby cat but now that he's aboit 19, he's shrunk considerably. People no longer take a look at him and say, wow, that's a giant cat. Cat lives in BF's office and all the employees love him so. Occasionally cat goes home but after a day or two, it's like he's living alone since BF works so much. He has a few boxes with cat blankets in them, and in December boyfriend wraps his box in Christmas wrapping paper.

I am happy with how much got done today. Can't stop now--plenty to do before trash goes out tomorrow night.

YEA!!! Tatoulia! 😀
Happy Dancing!!!
So WONDERFUL that all that is done & the ladder & box are out.
Make sure you & Kitty get lots of cuddles together tonight.
My cats here would have insisted that they get to keep the box.
They all love boxes, any box, any size.
Hope you are happy with the new changes in your home.
(((HUGS)))

Soon as I get the plastic up on the window the room immediately becomes warmer and stays warmer.
I hate, hate, hate not being able to open the covered windows but the living room area window is still openable because it's a double pane that someone gave us & he put it in.
All the rest of the windows are the old ones.
Anyways...
The windows & back door are all covered with plastic now.
I unhooked the hose and will roll up & put away the hoses someday soon.
Also will insulate that faucet.
I vacuumed the carpet today too and did a few other little tidying ups.
I'm done for today. 😀

Box is in recycle bin. Doing second load of laundry. Running dishwasher. Table and chairs are bacjnehete they belong. Kitty is in her bed and I put a warm blanket over her.

*back where they belong

Ok-MissionS Accomplished!

Chandelier is hanging!
Heating element by new drapes has been disabled
Drapery pull backs are installed
All lightbulbs in hallway switched out
LADDER GONE

Good day with handyman.

Now doing laundry. Kitty walking around but still silent. I'll replace her food dishes now. I'm washing s few of her blankets too.

The plastic really does help on the windows, Tillie. I tend not to do mine because I like to be able to open them year round. But boy it's cold here.

Thank you everyone for your support!

Now to get the box out of my apartment (the one that was holding my chandelier).

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hang in there kitty! ;D
My fingers are crossed that the project goes GREAT.
We have waited far too long to get that chandelier hung up and we all want it to be perfect.
((((((HUGS))))))

Weather here has finally turned cold over nights.
Down in the 20s.
Days are still getting into the 50s but there always seems to be a chilly breeze making us colder.
Today I will put the plastic sheeting on the windows.
I hate having to do that but I also hate being so cold inside the house all day & night. 🙁
These windows were installed in the 1960s so they are really terrible things.
Thin glass and poorly insulated around the edges.
The one window in my room is on the north side and at times has completely frozen over with a solid sheet of ice, but covering it inside & out with plastic keeps that from happening any more.
Also must cover & insulate the water faucet outside to keep it from freezing and bursting.
That means I won't have an outside hose to use to clean or water anything until after last freeze next Spring.
Oh Well... ;P

So far so good. He's left to get a part. Re wiring is done/issue with installation. Cat just came out, silent and walking really low.

Handyman on his way. Nervous about the state of my house. Cat is on a very high threat level.

I will stay calm and work. I need to remind myself that if he can't rewire chandelier and hang it, then I can hire someone else. I know he can do the work, but can he rewire it so that it doesn't show--right now it has about a foot and I'll need it to hang down about six feet. I don't want the caps to show.

My goodness I'm panicking for no reason.

I'll be under the bed with the kitty.

Love you all and was so happy to read your posts!

Going to jump into bed early. It's just after 8PM but I'm ready.

Hello Everybody 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
WAY TO GO!!! for not buying the clothes! Especially since they would have needed some altering and if they didn't fit you would have had a long drive back to exchange them!
Great that you took naps! That's the best thing to do with the time change, it's like having jetlag.
Those bunnies appreciate all you do for them. "HUGS"

Hi Tess 🙂
Wishing you great strength to stop the "hobby" shopping.
Some people have had satisfying results by "shopping at home".
Where they go through what they already have and instead of storing it they bring it out and start using it.

Hi Subclinical 🙂
So happy to hear that the goodwill has a plan for storing holiday items until the holiday!
So glad they will store it so you don't have to. ;D
My favorite thrift here always keeps Christmas stuff separate and then they have a huge "Christmas in July" sale and sell the stuff for up to 80% off whatever price they have put on it.
I always find lovely candles at that sale.

Hi Joan 🙂

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
I knew it was cars but cats was really cute. ;P
WAY TO GO! for your clean counters!
Great that you are also keeping up with the usual daily stuff like dishes, trash and of course cat things.

This morning I went to the DMV and renewed my drivers license.
It was early and there were 8 people ahead of me.
With wait time, renewing, eye test and photo I was out of there in less than an hour!
Went to Dollar Tree to get more Carnation evaporated milk and saw they had restocked the store with new stuff they didn't have last time I was there.
Stocked up on some really great name brand canned food bargains to hold me over until after Christmas.
Came home and did laundry & all the usual daily cat stuff. 🙂

Morning

Well, we've gone through the "fall back" with our clocks now. I don't like it. Wish they'd leave it on DST for good. There's no getting round the fact that the days are just shorter, bottom line.

Roommate and I traveled miles on Saturday to the one remaining K-Mart in our town. I got wound up there like a little kid, wanted to buy 4 pairs of exercise pants just because a) the other day I got to Goodwill and bought jeans for my new size after losing weight and that was FUN so I wanted to do some more, and b) the pants were in the prettiest colors - purple, blue, mint green, and coral.

But if I'd have bought them, first of all I would've had a sewing project because I'd have wanted to install side seam pockets. I don't wear pants without pockets. And I've got too many backed-up projects in the queue already. Secondly, of course, was that I just really didn't need to spend money impulsively, and finally, I find their unisex dressing rooms creep me out, so I wouldn't have tried the pants on and the gasoline to return them if they didn't fit - you see where I'm going with this.

But I was still wired and wanting to shop. However, I did manage to restrain myself there and bought a few things at Dollar Tree that were justifiable/planned.

Saturday and Sunday both I took naps - the time change shift got to me. The naps were great.

Yesterday I cut the border strips for my quilt. There was a lot of figuring to do first. One of the strips cut a little wonky but I'm hoping I can fudge it; worst comes to worst I have extra fabric.

And took another bunny to the vet - roommate's little old guy. He has chronic snuffles so it was time for more meds. I'm the bunny "med aide" in the mornings now. So I'll do that here soon before I go to quilting.

I just want to get the quilt ready to go to the church. It's been a learning experience. I thought I was doing a simple quilt for my first one, but now having the experience, I see how I can streamline the process on future ones and still have attractive quilts to donate.

And, as I mentioned in a previous post, there are just a lot of little decluttering and organizing tasks to continually chip away at. I've gotten through about 2/3 of the laundry backlog, which helps.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. clinks to all!

Good morning !!

Subclinical- that's great news about Goodwill. I had no idea. It does make sense. I guess lots of people donate their holiday decorations after the holiday.

I'm still over here working my way though my apartment. I've been taking the weekends off. I think that is helping to keep me from getting tired of cleaning. Instead, I've been sleeping in, hanging out with friends, relaxing, and talking to my guy friend. It's helping to keep the balance beautifully! I've also been trying very hard not to stop as a hobby. It's a very hard habit to break, but I need to save money and I don't have room.

Today my goal is to completely clean out and disinfect one kitchen cabinet and work more on making my bedroom less embarrassing.

Have a wonderful day folks!

Well, I am glad that the cars are at least not draining your resources any longer!

Yesterday at the food bank (brought home the recycling and a reasonable bag of chicken bread) I talked to a woman who works at goodwill. She says they have a huge warehouse in the city and any holiday themed stuff donated in my area goes straight there and gets sorted and tagged into crates. About a month before the holiday (more for some) each store orders a number of crates and that is what goes out that year - plus any new stuff that comes in after the crate but more than a week before the holiday.

So, I can show my kids and donate the Halloween stuff - no storing!

Catching up on laundry and dishes.

Hello everyone. It is the middle of the night, a wonderful time.

Tat, do not beat yourself up about the cat cars. (hah!)

Things are becoming more nonlinear. The past no longer is empowered to create the future, since the planetary grid shift of 12/21/2012. Things are happening now that could not happen before. We are literally standing on a different planet.

Getting the hang of multidimensional life is a whole different way of operating than we are used to. I went through mounds of self-doubt and self-blame in the old energy. I still look at what is around me, and often feel like a failure. The truth is, though, that people with cleaned-up houses did not have brain damage as a birthday gift from their mothers. They do not have biting. And generally they cannot see their nose on their own faces. In my situation, none would be alive today.

Everything has to happen in its own time.

Paying for four CARS for ten years. My phone automatically assumes I'm talking about cats. 🐱

That is hard work cleaning the oven--and the fumes are so awful too!

I balanced work and shredding and shredded all of my mail. Garbage out, kitty box clean.

Four cats for ten years. Is it possible to feel better AND worse at the same time?! What a colossal waste.

I have kept my one kitchen counter clean and clear. Such a good feeling. I've been keeping dishes out of the sink, too.

Heading off to bed. Thank you for supporting me. I do much better having my kindred spirits close by.

Hello Everybody 🙂

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Good luck with your laundry plan.
Dishes are easier to keep up with if we keep washing up supplies handy and wash up dishes as we use them, rinse & let drip dry.
But that only works when there isn't somebody else there not following up.
WTG! for your DH doing that expensive home improvement for only 20.00!
Wishing you loads of luck with your sale! 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
Hoping everything went well at the Dr. appointment today.
WTG! for your weight loss! (((hug)))
Steven kept 4 derelict vehicles registered & insured for well over 10 years.
This last Spring I defied him and turned in the plates and forced him to cancel the insurance on them.
What a waste of money all these years.

Today I cleaned the oven and the stove top & burner rings and everything else concerning the stove.
My back hurts from stooping & bending & stretching & twisting.
Then I washed my hair.
Planning to go to the DMV either tomorrow or Wednesday.
Don't want this license renewal hanging over my head any longer than necessary.
Will do laundry sometime this week.
Today was sunny and warm until it became bitterly cold.
LOL 😀

WTG! Tatoulia 🙂
For a good Dr. appointment!
Make sure to balance in time for you too tonight between working & shredding. (((HUGS)))

Good dr visit today. Got a new order for the. Ultrasound. I premise to schedule it. She was pleased with my weight loss so that was good. I was hoping to be down more (wanted to be down four more pounds before seeing her) but I was still down ten from our last visit. I am not nervous about the holidays. I think I can do this.

So now I'm working. I have so much paper to shred. I will set my clock to work for half an hour, then I'll shred for a while. Will try to balance between house and work this evening,

CM a hearty congratulations on getting that bill paid off. I remember (as I'm sure many of us do) of the feeling of getting my student loans paid off. Right now I'm enjoying the fact that my brother's car insurance is no longer coming out of my bank acct. I sat on that car for a year/first thinking he'd want it back and then stalling on selling it. What a waste.

You know I start writing these and then forget what everyone is doing. I'm sorry about that. SubC just keep the faith. As long as you are posting, you are accomplishing.

Tillie my dear. I am working from home today. I did most of my laundry over the weekend. I have doctor's appt this afternoon. I forget now what she wanted to check on. I will get the new order for an ultrasound and I hope she's pleased with my weight loss! I know I am.

I'll ttyl. Have a great day, everyone!

Hi all, I have been kind of mia (except i've Been more missing in non action)

No cleaning or purging going on here lately, house is starting to descend into squalor. Dh hasn't complained yet.

I've been mostly focusing on clay work for a sale in two weeks.

Thanks to my procrastinating making ware boards out of the drywall left from our home improvement project, dh was able to use some for the vent work he did this weekend. He also used some of the insulation I refused to throw away, and some of his workshop stash. Total expenditure for a job quoted at $1,800 by the pros - $20. He says he may also need to buy a $50 remote sensor to hook into the thermostat.

Down side - I got reinforced for keeping stuff.

Anyway, i'm going to try to start a load of laundry every morning and switch it over every afternoon this week to keep my head above water. I need a regular plan for the dishes too, but for now i'm going to set aside an hour for housework and include them in that.

Hello Everybody 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
YEA!!! WTG!!! for paying off that old bill!
Happy dance! 😀
You are such a WONDERFUL bunny Mommy. (((hugs)))
Rewarding ourselves with something pleasurable after doing all our tedious and demanding tasks is very important.
Enjoy your well earned reward times. 🙂

Been doing some of this & that, here & there today.
Little catching up type chores that really take no time at all but for some reason always get put off day after day.
This evening I plan to spray the oven with cleaner and let it sit over night.
Tomorrow I will do the hard part of wiping it out.
Fortunately, I have been lucky not to have anything bubble over in there, just the usual little splatters/sizzles on the top & sides.
The DMV is insisting I come in to get my license renewed before my next birthday. I had to go in last time I renewed too.
NO FAIR! They are picking on me. >:(
Everybody else in the whole world gets to renew online.
Oh Well...
Maybe I will do that this week just to get it over with and not stress for ever dreading it.
Sunny & clear skies today but there is a cold brisk breeze blowing the leaves around.

Not as much this time, just a hello. Yesterday was payday. I made the final payment on an old debt from a medical bill that had gone to collection because that was during the time I had no job, was waiting and praying for my disability to come through, and checking each month to see if my parents' house had sold at sheriff's auction yet. Fun times.

Still, since I can't change the past, there's a satisfaction in getting that bill out of my life. Even being able to file away the paperwork for it will make me happy. The lawyer's office is supposed to send a letter confirming it's paid off. And that little bit of money each month is now freed for other purposes.

Had hoped Friday to get at least partway on quilt border but ran out of time. Monday I can get going on it. We are having to do more loads of laundry because of the arthritic bunny. She needs fleece blankets and towels because she is incontinent and the vet said she should be on a soft surface. I want to wash my quilt fabric separately from bunny pee bedding. Seems like there are always so many complications to juggle. But bunny's well being is worth it, so we'll make it work.

Other than that, I just need to catch up on lots of stuff sorting and paperwork reduction. Those tasks that one must just keep plugging away at. And for reward and change of pace, do writing and sewing and art. Strike a balance between the tedious and the enjoyable.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂

What a lovely day you had! 😀
Yes, Stevie has been there for so many decades now
helping to keep us all inspired and dancing.

Made the cake, cleaned up the kitchen and got the cake all properly cut & bagged and into the freezer.
Feel as happy as a squirrel with a hoard of nuts now with my freezer all full of home made ready to eat food. ;p

Oh gosh, Tillie. That is terrible or aboit your bathroom. Very unfair to you.

Well we thought we had a wedding today and got dressed up and went to it--lovely drive--out of the city--but turns out the wedding is tomorrow. I don't care. We had a nice time together. I don't think we can go tomorrow so we will skip it. It's not actually a wedding, it's a pot luck reception. So we took our beautiful food to a neighbor's house and enjoyed our time with them and played with their very active black kitten. I feel like we won the day.

Now BF is working and I'm doing laundry with Stevie Wonder and I'm puttering. I feel like Stevie understands me--he keeps me dancing and puttering.

Good Morning Everyone 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG! for keeping the counter clean! 😀
YEA! for all your Trick-or-Treaters!
I never get any here any more. Used to tell 4 kids who lived out here to always remember to stop by my house before they headed into town to trick or treat.
But those kids are all grown and gone now.

I know why I have resistance to cleaning the bathroom here, it's a disgusting disaster and there is no joy in cleaning it because the issues are still blaringly still there after I clean it.
The toilet is falling through the floor, bare wood rotting away all around it due to needing a new wax seal many years ago.
Toilets should not "rock&Roll" when you sit down!
Plus it's so old it doesn't properly flush any more.
The basin is all chipped and too small for the previous hole cut in the counter, leaving a large open gap around the basin back.
He hung the cupboard upside down. Said it was the only way it would fit on the wall. It is rectangle and would fit the right way up.
The ceiling is a mess with areas damaged and wanting to fall down around where there had been a vent pipe into the room that he did not properly seal from the rooftop.
The area where he installed a ceiling fan is also damaged and starting to fall apart because he vented the shower fan into the ceiling rather than to the outside.
There are other issues too but I don't want to sound like I'm nit picking.
Any time I mention anything about fixing the bathroom he becomes extremely hostile so I keep my mouth shut any more.

Another cloudy overcast day here but not too cold.
Could not see the "Beaver Moon" at all last night due to all the cloud cover but it lit up the clouds from behind and was absolutely gorgeous!
Thinking of baking one of my favorite cakes today.
It's full of dates & nuts & spices & has chocolate too. It has a crumb topping and freezes beautifully.