Hello. February just disappeared. The sun was out today and it was not cold, so that was quite a boost. Birds and the promise of spring. I have been discouraged this past month, not getting much done, not keeping up. Seems like the month was spent on tires and car problems and more appliances quitting, Nothing too terrible but it takes more time and energy to get things done, i have to re-organize my time. This week, though, I was able to do some laundry at the laundromat, prepare a compost drop-off, and drop off some recycling. These extra daylight hours are a blessing.

SubC - I like hearing about legos and glad you have time with Birdy, Enjoy.

Lila - I hope you ae feeling better and that there is light in your small bedroom.

Hi Messi,
Hi all!

Messi, I hope your weeks continued to get better!

Had a great day with my boys. My daughter came and took home a giant bulletin board, so that will be one out.

hi SubC, messi, Tatoulia.

Been working long hours every day. I am having a bad day today. I had planned to work on decluttering today after some work, but sad things happened and I am sad. Trying to just have a quiet hour or rest, and then hopefully I will snap out of it and try to get some things done. It is beautiful and sunny.

The small storage bedroom light is a saga all in itself. Son installed the new light and it started flashing. He has a friend who is a licensed electrician and he came and couldn't figure it out, replaced all the outlets and the switch, still flashing. Then he replaced the outlets in my bedroom (omg), still flashing. By then it was late, I told him to come back another day. He did ask if we had a different new light to try, since the one TotsDad got is some weird fancy dimmable motion sensor one, so I have ordered a simple ceiling light AND a new ceiling fan/light for the living room since it has 2 burned out things the bulbs go in (it is close to 30 years old). When those come, he will install them. In the meanwhile, I can only work in that storage bedroom in the daytime when I can see. He said not to use the flashing light.

Maybe I will do some stuff and come back and post, and try to add to the Daily Tally. I have 2 days off.

Good morning!

Lila, I'm sorry about the sad things.

I'm also sorry you have had such a struggle with your electricity! Hopefully because it was your son's friend all that work is not crushingly expensive.

I am having a great time with Birdy and his daddy. Our days are full but fun and relaxed. Birdy is a delight. It has been raining almost nonstop, so we have basically been in the house, but later this morning it is supposed to be partly sunny and 70 degrees, so I plan to take him out and let him play in the mud puddles.

My son has cooked us dinner twice - and cleaned the kitchen after! When he gets done with work, we've been sorting through the legos in the playroom while playing with Birdy, and he has put three of his Lego Star Wars ships from when he was a kid together to take home. There have been a few missing parts, but we have managed to sub out or work around them. Sometimes we find them later and he goes back and fixes it. Sometimes not. I'm not counting these as out.

Yesterday Birdy found a Lego Ewok and it was love at first sight. The Ewok visited the troll house, took over driving the little orange car from the "man man", had some food in the toy kitchen, drove on the Brio train track, rode around in the stroller with the "baby" and required the getting down of the fisher price little people house. He has also gotten many kisses. Ewok will definitely be leaving next week.

I bought another, larger Lego set for me because I had been coveting it and it was on sale. It arrived yesterday - I don't think I ever recorded the bulletin board, but that will be a wash. I am not going to open it until I get caught up on the basement project - hopefully over spring break.

I don't know if i will get to post again in the next week, but I am not gone. I will be back at it working hard after the 14th.

The Legos sound so fun! I am glad you are having a wonderful time with your family. And thank you for warning us that you might disappear but will be okay, so we don't panic!

I have 2 days off and it is nice outside. I am doing as much as I can since my house has been pretty stagnant since I was sick and then working a ton.

Today I:
-loaded and ran dishwasher
-put in a load of wash
-took my car for an oil change (it is still there)
-started cleaning and decluttering, mainly the master bath so far

Will be working on finishing the bathroom, cleaning the dog yard, the kitchen, and making soup.

Good morning!

Tatoulia, I hope you are safe and warm in the snow!

My parents lost power for almost 24 hours, and a tree fell on their shed, but they are ok. We only got light snow here.

I had a good day with the boys yesterday. Now I need to focus on getting myself together for this morning.

Maybe I will find some time to work on the house when we get home.

What is everyone else doing?

Good morning crickets!

I hope everyone is doing ok!

Today is my day to clean up and get ready for my visiting boys.

I am really looking forward to having my son and grandson under my roof for a while.

I think the open house at school went well last night. I got a swag bag that someone left on my desk. It's a little canvas tote with our logo on it and a keychain/bag charm and sticker. I brought it down at the end and told admin "this was on my desk" and she said "then it's yours." I am going to put the charm in my Christmas stocking gift box. But the bag is a plus one. I also had another little box of Lego arrive yesterday, so that is a second item. The tiny cats and bunnies are so cute!

Challenge - get real house in order. Do not play with tiny Lego house all day. Tiny Lego house is for spring break after boys leave.

Good morning.

Here we are at the end of February and I have done very little on my basement. In fact I received an eBay order of Lego yesterday - partial sets and accessories that came in two bags, so I will call it 2. My little man will be getting a tiny greenhouse, a streetlight, a picnic table (with picnic), and a car. Bean will love the car. There are various other tiny accessories too.

It is definitely time to put the brakes on the Lego habit though. Spring will help. I need to start seeds. I got seeds in the mail too, but they are consumable, so I will not count them in.

I am also getting paid less in March because I am taking time off to spend with Birdy.

My son and Birdy arrive today! This morning I need to clean up the playroom, put some laundry away, and reclear the counter of doom. I also have some barn work I need to get out of the way, so better get moving!

Still working on things. Wondering when I am going to finally be done with all the sorting and getting rid.

I found some paintings and pictures in frames that belong to my ex, so I emailed him. He does want them, so they are in a pile with a few other things that belong to him.

I found a box of coffee and a quilt that belong to my son, so I gave those to him last night when he stopped by.

I found expired food that belonged to my daughter, which broke my heart a bit, and I threw it out. Her Dad tells me she is never going to recover from the brain damage from addiction. They say she is not even the same person, or even able to think or respond like a person, anymore. She is supposed to be going into a residential type hospital and they will care for her physical needs for the rest of her life. The daughter, sister, we knew is gone and just a shell remains.

So when I find anything that was hers, I put it in a box in the garage. I figure her brothers might want some of it for some kind of memorial, and at some point if not, I will toss it or give to her Dad. I am saving a few things to put on a shelf in memory of who she was. I have really been struggling with this reality over the past month or two. Not sure when my brain will catch up with my emotions or vice versa...

Good evening.

Lila, you are doing well. My heart aches for you over teen. I hope you will find peace eventually. Losing a child is such a terrible thing. I am sad for her as well.

I am typing this on a new iPad. Mine fell off the dresser yesterday and unfortunately could not be restarted or accessed. Also, my pictures hadn't been backed up since November, so I have lost all of Christmas and the ones I took of bean and Buddy in January and February. I know it is a small loss, but I am a little sad over it. Also I am tired of suffering consequences that are my fault. I would really like to be a better person.

I lost my day to a trip to the Apple Store. And my budget is blown for February. The iPad is my only computer. My phone just makes calls.

Tomorrow I have Bean and Buddy again. And class in the evening.

I am still keeping up with my counter.

Thanks, SubC, I am coming to terms with it.

Today is a paid holiday for me, so I am taking this time to relax as well as finish some paperwork and clean. So far today I am doing really well with this:

- loaded and ran the dishwasher
- hand washed some dishes
- put things away in the kitchen
- scraped burned stuff off stovetop and cleaned it
- wiped some of the counters

This plus have been caring for the dogs and heated up some soup and made tea. I am really DONE with sickness and I refuse to stay sick anymore!

I claim wellness!

I plan to do a bit of sorting as well, and get the donation boxes moved out to my car once it stops raining (they are on the dining room table, still).

Quick stop.

The counter of doom is clear, the dishes are all loaded and running and I put a few things in the donate and recycling piles today, but nothing worth counting. Not working on the basement, but keeping up with the house and recentering.

Thinking about you all.

Hello. Just a late night moment to try to catch up to you all. I am not catching up with much else, alas.

SubC - nice work with the clear counter of doom. It's inspiration for working on mine. I did a little bit this evening, but it is not clear. And, of course, there is also the desk of doom and a "top-of-the-dog-cage" of doom upstairs. You give me hope to keep working on these things.
I'm sorry about your ipad. You are a wonderful person.

Lila - my thoughts are with you in your moving through the sadness. I admire your strength and wish you peace.

I hope you are feeling better. You really did a lot on presidents' day! Bravo!

Good morning!

Messi, I keep telling myself there is a finite amount of stuff.

Sorting out the school Legos was really good for me, because I can look at the bins and think "there were thousands of pieces! But it was a finite amount of stuff. And I got it done." My house is also a finite amount of stuff. If I keep working on it, it will get done.

Also, taking my time off this week to mostly focus on Lego has been good for me - it uses my brain differently and helps me reset. I finished my plan for the little house yesterday and made an order for the pieces I need plus little treats (Lego sells individual pieces like penny candy, but if your order is less than $14, they charge you a $7 "picking" fee.). I added some trees, cats, a butterfly, and a bunny instead of paying the picking fee. I will add them to the little garden.

I just realized that I have skipped over one of the most significant parts of the Lego adventure - I can play with my Lego and walk away and come back because - I HAVE A CLEAN PROJECT TABLE IN THE SLEEPING PORCH. It has been cleared off since right before Birdy came at Christmas and all that is on it are my Legos and two fabric bins of 1) papers to sort and 2) unfinished projects.

I will move the bins back to the dining porch and clean up/move the Lego before he comes back at the end of the month.

Yesterday I worked in the barn a little bit and discovered just how out of shape I am. I need to work harder on getting exercise.

I also took out the compost, cleaned up the great room, made dinner, and did the dishes (I told you that). And I worked a little on the backlog bin - the stuff I just scooped off of the counter of doom back in October when my in-laws were coming.

I am finding I am able to throw some of it in the trash if it does not have an immediate and obvious solution. I ask myself "Do you want this? Or more Lego time?" Also, I have to remind myself that I cannot optimize everything on the planet. I have a bag of trash and two of recycling to take today.

Messi - I don't know if you know this - I don't have trash or recycling service. Everything that leaves my property leaves in my car or truck. I drop my trash off one plastic grocery bag at a time usually in the can next to the gas pump or grocery carts (most of my trash is unrecyclable materials bought attached to things I got at the grocery store) or in the trash can at the park where I drop my recycling in the mixed materials dumpster (the township that provides the dumpster collects taxes from my paycheck, so it seems fair to use it). Diapers go back to Buddy's house and straight in their outside can. And several times a year I make a trip into the city to drop off recycling that can't go in single stream. Plus, we make a scrap metal run with the truck every so often.

Ok, I need to do yoga and chores, get my lesson plans together, and go to school.

hi SubC and messi.

Good thought SubC, about the stuff being finite. It doesn't feel like it some days. But if we are careful about bringing in less stuff (which we are), then the stuff WILL get sorted and done.

My son is putting a new light in the small storage bedroom today, so that is a win. It needs badly to be decluttered but it does not have enough light in there since the fixture died almost 2 months ago.

It is a stomach-ache bedroom but it simply has to be done. I will pick a day next week, when I am less busy, and take in a donation box, a trash bag, and a tote (for stomach ache things I do not feel I can get rid of) so I can put the tote in the garage. Then it will no longer be a stomach ache area in that bedroom and it will become useful again.

Hope you all are doing well! I am still coughing and very tired but working. I really need to get all the way better.

Good morning!

Lila, after I posted that about the Lego - a coworker brought me another bin of Lego found in a closet! "Done" is relative.

I'm glad you are getting a new light and can't wait to hear about your progress on the bedroom!

My life is getting very full lately and I am tired and having trouble keeping up with things. I have not met any of my basement goals for February, and it doesn't look likely, since my only "open" day this week is Thursday, and I also need to get ready for my son and out of state grandson to come stay for two weeks. (Ds will be working remotely the first week and traveling the second, so I will have Birdy to myself.)

I did turn in my full allowance of pottery pieces for my class this session, although many of them were small and simple.

Dh has a second round of oral surgery tomorrow. This time I will be better prepared - I know the waiting room is freezing and I will be there for hours, so I will take a lot of paperwork to catch up on.

Today is the boys and my class in the evening, and I need to get moving so I will be ready for them.

Good morning!
Happy Valentine's Day! Sending love out to you all!

I made it through the week.

Thank you for coming by!

Lila, it will be great if you get sone decluttering done, but the resting is most important! Getting better will help you the most long term.

Messi, I'm sorry about your struggles with your health and your car. Hopefully things will calm down for you. It's hard to make progress when you keep having to fix things.

I have not found the holy grail. I have found knex, broken action figures, Lincoln log parts, buttons, crayons, marker caps, erasers, pencils, and batteries. I got tired of sorting about 1/2 way through and took a break, but I want to finish this weekend.

We are halfway through February and I have not made more progress on the basement. I have pretty much kept the counter clear. There are a few things on it, but they just need ten minutes to be washed and/or put away. I will do it today. It has been completely clear at some point every day since I cleared it.

I finished my set and immediately started taking the little house apart. I have been mentally reconstructing it throughout my day. I need to focus on some other things though. Like my basement. And pottery. It will be warm enough to work in my studio this afternoon.

I'll report back later.

hi SubC and messi, good to read what you are up to. I am still sick, although recovering and better than I was. Still very tired with a lingering cough.

I found something I could sort while resting - a large tote of photos. I wrote about it on the tally thread.

Now I am going to vacuum a little bit with the stick vac. I am tired.

Good evening.

Back, but little to report.

I'm struggling with depression. The sun won't come out. And a raccoon ate one of my ducks and maimed another. It was my fault for not chasing them down in the dark and making them go inside. It was the fat white ducks that buddy loves. I'm so angry at myself.

I did clean a few things out of a junk drawer I'm trying to empty, and sort out about half the remaining school Legos.

The counter of doom is clean. I ordered my garden seeds (it is time to start peppers and tomatoes.) and potato starts.

oh I am sorry for the ducks, you, and Buddy. What a heartache. Hugs to you friend.

I too hope the sun comes out... for both of us. If it does, we need to go out in it for sure.

If you have or can get a Daylight full spectrum lamp, use it in the morning. And if not, don't forget your vitamin D3.

Wish I could come have tea with you.

Sunday. Still sick.

Did a session of work in my office. I figured nothing in there could be stomach-ache items, aside from maybe the baby clothes but those have been sorted enough I relate them more to my grandkids than Teen. (I don't know why I still call her Teen. She will be 21 this year).

But behind a bunch of things there was a small box. I did not remember that box - I was like, what is this? And inside were some things of Teen's. Including this really pretty candy she begged me for, 3 Christmases ago. It is all colorful and looks like big crystals and gems.

Well I could have just cried, but I took that box of candy and two other things in there that were Christmas gifts, and took them to the outside trash.

I don't know when it is going to stop hurting.

post 2 today -

I am so tired, almost falling asleep, but doing what I can in very short amounts.

- vacuuming with the stick vac in 3 or 4 minute bits
- worked on my coursework
- loaded the dishwasher
- took trash out
- worked on dog yard for maybe 5 min

I am so freaking tired, and dizzy. I am supposed to go back to work tomorrow afternoon. I hope I can do it. If I can't, I can't.

Lila, I am happy for you about the moving!

Don't push too hard and keep getting plenty of rest, ok?

The sun came out today and it was warm (ish) and I exploded into action.

I did yoga this morning. The laundry is all caught up and put away, the sinks are empty, the last of the dishes will get started when I go to bed, the great room is completely cleaned up and there is a clean tablecloth on my table. I repaired my favorite boots. I helped Dh cook and clean up after dinner, I carried things from my car and the floor of the scullery out to the studio (where they belong) and I cleared the counter of doom!

I also picked up the mail because my drive is still 4wd only. My reindeer arrived! Also I ordered another Lego set, which came, and I got it mostly put together as a reward for clearing the counter. It took Bean to help me remember how much I like Lego. It is really calming and meditative for me. This set is a little bigger and I am already thinking about adapting the design with some of the Lego I already have. (It has a person and a little house and some trees and flowers) - I want to change the "landscaping" and make the house bigger. It needs a second room upstairs. And the little man needs a friend. I used to spend hours as a kid creating entire Lego worlds in my room.

Anyway, I will tally the four things.

Tomorrow is a school day.

hi SubC,

I was just thinking about how I might like to build something, like a Lego kit (I have several of my kids') or some type of model. It does sound calming.

I went back to work today for 2 hours, came home for lunch and was so exhausted I fell asleep on the couch! Now I am coughing more. So I guess I went back too soon. But I have two days off plus Monday is a paid holiday, so that's good.

Hope to do some decluttering, slowly, tomorrow and add to the Tally.

hello, hello. it seems like ages since i've been here. glad to read and catch up with you all.

Lila, i am so sorry you've been sick. I hope some time of extra rest helps you feel stronger sooner. Thanks for continuing to work and post in spite of being sick. It is encouraging to hear about your long-term progress, esp. because I have had a dud week in regard to my mess. and thanks for the tips about the chat. I may have to check it out.

SubC, great to hear about your productive Tuesday. Wow, even clearing off the counter of doom! I can only dare to dream. You certainly deserve that creative Lego time. and congratulations for earlier scoring a nicer cart at school and I'm wondering if you found the holy grail in all that stuff for sorting. In my case, I think the holy grail is getting to the sorting.

My week has been filled in much the same way as last week. I lost a day to another allergic reaction. The weekend trip was wth my brother so it was complicated, but we got through it, so that is good. More car issues and trips to the tire stores, with more in the near future. I thought that maybe the car was not repairable, but now they think it will be ok. I hope so. All these trips to repair/tire shops take so much time, so my dogs suffer a little and the mess rages on. I am lucky I am able pay for repairs right now. (thank you, credit card!) The sun has peeped out and it is a little warmer. I hope to get something done at the house after work tomorrow.

Good morning!
Happy February!
White rabbits.

Yesterday I puttered around and cleaned up a little. I did some laundry, mostly caught up on the dishes, helped Dh keep the fire going and got together all the information for my business taxes. In the process I recycled some papers and found two more items to donate.

I had wanted to start February with a clean counter of doom, but I could not focus on it yesterday. Maybe by March.

I need to remove two more bins of items from the basement this month. I cannot see how, but I will keep trying.

This morning I have the monthly potters brunch, (the topic is goal settling!) stay at the studio to work, have dinner at Bean's house with DD's family and Heartdaughter and her wife, and bring the boys home to spend the night.

So I have just a couple of hours this morning to do chores, get my pottery stuff together, and prep my house for boys.

Good morning!

My boys are sleeping. In a few minutes I think I will start making pancake batter.

I had a good day yesterday. I got a lot of encouragement about scheduling and protecting my pottery time from my group, and I stayed at the studio all afternoon and made a cute basket and a small candle holder.

Dinner was yummy, although it ran late and I didn't get the boys home and in bed until 45 minutes after their regular bedtime (and we skipped baths.)

Bean wants to go to the library this afternoon.

Good morning.

I had a really good day with the boys yesterday. Dd fed me a yummy dinner, and my class went well last night.

While we were at the library I signed up for the winter reading challenge and they gave me a free sturdy canvas tote bag. I will be keeping that, so that is one in. I have packages to pick up today though, so I will do my full tally later. (My reindeer, more Legos, and a book)

Also, a pan I tried to use to cook the pancakes yesterday is warped and going in the recycling after I wash it - so there's that.

Today I am mostly home.it is the cross quarter,so a day to set goals and plan for the next eight weeks and to try to get things set up and organized for success.

I have a lot going on between now and the equinox.

Good afternoon.

I spent most of the morn8ng puttering around, but the fires are going, the house is warm, the dishwasher is running and I picked up my packages.

I have laundry to put away in a minute.

My reindeer did not actually come. My Legos all came.

I'm not sure how to count Legos. Like, if I got a boxed set of Legos at a store, I guess I would count "1". But these are second hand Legos. I bought a little box of minifigures that had some I wanted (I set up *my* Legos under the tree with the train at Christmas, and I've started looking out for ones that look like my family or are just more interesting), some I will just throw in the box for bean to play with, and some are going in people's Christmas stockings or Easter baskets. So I don't think 13 figures should count as 13 things? What if they have an accessory? What if their hair is missing...? What about random extra blocks?

So I think I will count one package = one item? That would be four items in- three packages of Lego and one book. Ironically I ordered the book because I had been looking for it used and it put me over on free shipping for the reindeer - hardcover for the price of paperback. Then they shipped it separately.

I have not opened all of my Lego. I am making myself accomplish something before opening each package.

Good evening.
Hope everyone is keeping warm. Keep stoking those fires, SubC. They sound cozy. Winter adds on those dealing-with-the-cold things that just take extra time. Glad to hear about your keeping on with so many things - classes, family, pottery, animals, sorting, the usual suspects of dishes and laundry...

I am trying to keep up, but it may not really be happening. I am fine, but not making much progress on the mess. I have added things into the schedule - allergy shots, exercise class, physical therapy - so there is less time. and then there are the unexpected things - flat tire, getting new tire, car breaking down, getting it towed, arranging other transportation, allergic reaction to treatment, pet issues, vet visits, dryer not working, friends coming into town, special events. All of these things are workable, (I am So fortunate), but they require time. so my counter of doom is still doomimg, lol. I have to skip some things. I have a big weekend coming up which requires some prep, I will be out of town for a day or so, so I am just trying to keep up with that. Maybe next week I can get to some sorting and can share that...