BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report

Subject: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 04:54 PM

The last accountability and de-clutter thread is here.

These are two of the most difficult months coming up, exercise in the worsening weather, thrift in the gift-giving months, and losing weight in the calorie rich environment.

I'm down about 12 pounds now, and the fat pants that got too tight are now comfortable again. I didn't want to go up another size, so at least budget wise I'm down into the pants I already owned. I still have boxes of clothes that are out of reach (figuratively and literally) until I loose another 20 to 25 pounds.

My bank stuff is still rather disordered, but I did get a paycheck. Now I'm working on setting up a college account for my son and teaching him about writing checks as we send off applications fees to universities that suggest they have funding for him.

It's a pretty afternoon and I did the poop-scoop bit and now I'll go mow the back lawn. According to Covert Bailey it would be better muscle wise if I do it tomorrow (making the heavy stuff happen every other day) but I don't think I can manage it in a busy work day, even if I mowed at lunchtime.

Kat, I hope you're feeling better, but I suspect we won't hear much about it as you plunge into this novel writing month of November. There are a couple of folks I don't expect to hear much from for the next four weeks.

Susan, have you tried offering a bribe to those young volunteers? Make muffins or cookies or something. The word will get around as fast as the warm oven smell meets them at the kitchen door. :)

All of you doing heavy lifting, remember to "lift with your legs." And keep up the good work!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: gnu
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 04:59 PM

Wednesday past, I made it to one pound lighter than I was on December 31, 1986.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 05:01 PM

And what kind of bell curve is represented by your weight measurements in the interim?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: mouldy
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 05:43 PM

Progress!

(I fetched the steps in so that I can get at the top bookshelf to give it a long needed de-clutter, maybe sometime this week).

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 05:56 PM

Bribes, decent pay, fluttering eyelashes-- all of that. :~) Fud. Pizza next.

What I have not tried is asking any young ladies to come visit while we work. It feels kinda icky. I keep hoping one of them will have a girlfriend they want to show off for.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 08:18 PM

My goal this month is to keep a journal of what I eat. I used to do this and need to start again...it helps keep me on track...one of my favorite WW quotes, "If you bite it, write it!"

I'm happy to say that the only chocolate that made it's way into the house this Halloween season is dark chocolate...something I don't flip for but my husband does. He is great at having a piece or two and leaving it alone....if it's candy I like, I am unable to do that no matter WHAT story I tell myself at the store...so I just didn't bring any in the house. We'll continue along that trend (for holiday goodies) in the upcoming months.

I hate to say that I do this but it has helped me and maybe it will help someone else...all cookies and well meaning yummies that come my way are given to someone else to enjoy, added to the chicken food bucket (if it isn't chocolate) or tossed in the trash. I hate to do it but short of handing the gift back to them (which is offensive to most people), I have to do that. Most times other people are more than happy to take the yummies off my hands and they are great at understanding WHY.

Ok...activity for this month includes 2 power yoga classes per week, 1 not so power yoga class per week (although it's a drop in and the instructor's choice...normally this is a nice stretchy class but she has been known to kick our asses every once in a while during this class too). I won 3 seasons of Grey's Anatomy in an eBay action for CHEAP and I love to watch that while I walk...so walking is on my schedule too...3 days a week. Finally, I have been asked to join someone at the pool, so I'll be swimming at least once a week, maybe two.

Around the house, tonight I cleaned out the fridge. Tomorrow I am changing my closet & drawers from summer to fall/winter gear.

I've already started my Christmas shopping for the very few people that I exchange gifts with...it's going to be small and intimate this year....just the way I like it!!!! :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 09:43 PM

Don't think twice about passing along candy. I do it all the time. In fact, the candy I gave out for Halloween was determined by the fact that I don't like it. I've never cared for the combination of chocolate & peanut butter, so I always give Reese's-- never have been tempted to eat any of it.

I spent a little time re-organizing the clothes rack in my room. Sent some more clothes off to charity, too.

Also started making a holiday to-do list. I updated my Christmas card list and printed the labels. I discovered that I have enough cards from previous years, that I won't have to buy any this year. I try to get them in the mail before the end of Nov.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 10:15 PM

Hey Maryanne,

   I'm with you on the Christmas cards. It's my tradition to sit down either on Thanksgiving Day (after all the festivities) or the day after and get my Christmas cards ready to go out. I found some cute cards early this summer and stocked up for $1.00 per box...jackpot! Maybe I'll get the envelopes addressed this week........hmmmmmmm.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 03:15 AM

I haven't written holiday cards in years, so I need to do it early so a few folks who do send out cards will add me back on their lists.

Not like chocolate and peanut butter - one of natures most perfect foods? Make it just a little salty along with the sweet and I'm in heaven. But when I do Halloween I usually do the same thing, I buy the candies I can resist.

Today I started putting up the lumber border in what will support the raised bed for spring. I'll work on it as I have time. I took four of the shortest fence posts that hold chicken wire fences and pounded two on each side of a 2 x 8 plank (staggered the posts) and then piled dirt against the uphill side. This is untreated lumber, under $10 for the board. The posts cost $2.50 each. A heckuva lot cheaper than the plastic planks and support system I was looking at. If these boards rot, I'll get another few, they're cheap.

Dishes are clean, two jars of tomatoes cold-packed then processed for 40 minutes. I started with three jars, but one broke. I'll do a hot pack after this. Laundry finished, folded, and put away. Kitchen cleaned up. Amazing (thought I didn't get any of the work for work done I planned on).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 08:00 AM

My brain is still fabricating fencing details. Some small, low-quality (pine) logs will be going in the chainlink's trench when we backfill. Sod backfill on one side and logs on the other, as an anti-dig deterrent-- then, logs as a mowing border on the other. The logs are the small branches from a tree that fell down years ago. We blocked over our fireplace last year and will never burn them!

It cracks me up to be uing up all this stuff that's been lying aoround for years, making it look like we paid a landscaper.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:03 AM

You're right, SRS, I will be fairly scarce, but I am will check in now and then. We did a lot of house cleaning this weekend and ran extra errands. we had a little extra in his paycheck this week as they have three paydays this month, so skip taking out insurance on one of them. That was a nice surprise and went for a new toilet seat and a floor lamp to shine over my shoulder onto my keyboard; most helpful.

I send all of the leftover candy with Rog to work where they welcome it.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:03 AM

Dishes are done, laundry is done and folded, washing some throw rugs at the moment and soon will head upstairs to begin the seasonal change over.

On the accountability front, I've decided to set aside at least 1 hour every day to read something inspiring or educational in the direction of my well being. I exercise my body a lot and while I read daily, it's not usually a topic focused reading....and I think I need to do that! So this morning, after the breakfast table was cleared, laundry started, dishes washed, I set the timer on the stove for an hour, got myself a cup of coffee in my favorite Snoopy mug and read, undisturbed for an hour with my purple pen close at hand for making notes or underlining interesting thoughts. Doing this felt good, really, really good.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:49 AM

The promised young men received a little reinforcement today from their manager, on motivation, and are expected shortly.

Their reward will be a pizza party at the end of the day while the doggies play in Dog World.


Their next project (if they complete this one and earn another one) will be the conversion of 1/3 of my old chicken domain into my own personal potting shed. All the topsoil dug up to plant fence-posts will be shifted there, mixed with old chicken litter, and potted up for spring container gardening. The unused fencing supplies, ditto, for a spring re-do of the temp kennel when feasible.

A FreeCycler has already spoken up for the whole, weirdly mis-matched box of clothing I listed yesterday, which I will drop off the same day I pick up two other FC items in her area. My buddy Ed will ride along for company and to tell me all about the trip he's just back from, to see his brother.

FC-in will be workout/yoga videoes and equipment for my fitness library and a pile of magazines I'll pass on further.

It's all about flow-- what flows in, what flows out, how many items can be added to the chain as the flow moves.

I'm flowing, too, with energy. It's SUNNY out there!

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 12:56 PM

I think there is a chocolate laced diet wreacking conspiracy which operates from mid September, when the stores start really pushing the Halloween candy to just after Easter, when the last bit of Easter junk is on clearance.

Then suddenly the TV and papers and magazines are full of ads for losing weigh and getting into that slinky swim suit. Join this club or that programme.

Where's my double dipped chocolate Acai berry?

I cleared some junk out of the wardrobe in spare room this weekend. Will do some ironing tonight.

I am humgry. pout.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 01:21 PM

Weather is cloudy & chilly, but only a few drops of rain, so I was able to get some leaves raked to the curb. Most of the front lawn is cleared & most of the driveway, but the tree in back (my neighbor's yard) is still holding on to a lot of leaves. Next task for the week is to try starting the snowblower. I've also been cleaning out the freezer/fridge, so I'll have room for holiday baking.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 04:24 PM

It's a drop-dead gorgeous day out today, and everyone seems to be outside working. Across the street neighbors getting a new roof, and the street guys are coming back to finish the driveways along the road they paved early last month. Folks are out walking dogs and driving on errands and all meeting to talk in the street out front. The roofer across the street did work here for me a couple of years ago, so we were out talking, along with the guy getting the new roof, and looking at tomatoes and peppers in the garden. Passing around business cards because any time someone starts a new roof someone else who needs one comes by and asks about it. I feel very fortunate that I know (at least by sight, if not by name) my neighbors about a block out in each direct. So this kind of weather gets us all out there to catch up after so much rainy indoors time.

Shipping a couple of eBay things today. I had to cancel a sale from 2 weeks ago that never paid. He didn't seem to get it that PayPal only means don't send a money order, and when his money order never arrived, I ended it and he agreed. If a money order envelope arrives, I'll send it back unopened. I'm trying to keep a steady trickle of activity over there, because every sale helps.

At lunch today I mowed the back yard. I wish this were for the last time this year, but I suspect it won't be. And the ground is really moist and it's warm, so even if the days are getting shorter, the conditions dictate growth.

Must design a web page and send out promotional stuff, so I'm back to work. But I'd love to spend the entire day out in the yard.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 05:48 PM

THY'RE IN! THEY'RE IN! THEY'RE ION DOG WORRLD!!!

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 05:51 PM

THEY'RE IN! THEY'RE IN!

THEY'RE IN DOG WORLD!!!

Wrassle, run, roll, play, wash my face. At breakneck speed. As the last burnt-red stains of sunset, and the last of the barely-seeworthy twilight gave way to a COLD, dark night.

More later,

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 10:13 PM

Power & Grace yoga tonight...didn't want to go...would have rather stayed home doing what I was doing but I went anyway and as usual, I'm so glad I did!!! YAY!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Nov 09 - 11:41 PM

I always thought this was funny...NOT picking on any of you, just hoping for some smiles/laughs:-)

GOD AND ST. FRANCIS DISCUSSING LAWNS

GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have they scheduled for us tonight?"

ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a really stupid movie about.....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 04:30 AM

LOL.

We prefer the potential privations of poverty to Purity Through Suburbia. We know too many fundie-burbanites, as perfectly described by St. Francis above.

I'll take the cluster flies, frozen and burst pipes, occasional power outages, WILDLIFE, and unobstructed sunrises and sunsets-- till they put me away in an old folks tower!

In fact in spring I plan to sleep often in Dog World. I made a gate big enough to drive in the CAMPER! :~) Close enough to hookups! :~)

Cuz Faulkner gets carsick, so he cain't go on vacay with us. BUT, I can bring the campground to him! Just open up the camper door to let him out in the mornings. That's my little chunk of heaven. Miniature ponies, next? Well, maybe the odd goat or two. Oh yeah. This here fence is goat-proof......

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 11:16 AM

I let the weeds grow in my turf; when it's is mowed it all looks like lawn. I don't have trees that drop a lot of leaves, but all of my neighbors do and those end up in my yard, and in turn, end up in my compost. :)

My dogs absolutely love it when I go out and visit them in their stall. It's all happy wiggling and wagging. I suppose if I had to I could take a sleeping bag out there, but I know I'd have both of them on top of me.

As I reported in Kat's other thread, I'm off of the meds that needed weaning to stop. I'm sure it will take a little while for everything to finish the shift from the med that was resulting in weight gain. I am inspired to continue losing the weight, to benefit from the change. Right now I'm to the point where my fat pants are all comfortable, not so tight that I'd have to go another size up (that's where I was when I started this). I'm looking forward to visiting the far end of my closet (smaller sizes) and pulling down a box of garments (too good to give away, but no way I could fit into them). In fact, I have a goal that would be fabulous if I can reach it this year, but maybe not by the time we have our holiday meeting at work. It follows:

A few years ago I was over at my neighborhood thrift store, and I found what looked like the weirdest shaped sweater dress you can imagine. Then a flash of inspiration hit and I realized what it was--one of those shaped fitted skirts and a blouson top. It's a rich dark green Benetton (Italian) sweater dress that probably cost a small fortune new. The top front bottons and has pretty pearl buttons. And at one time I was able to successfully wear it (several years ago). Our next Friends of the Library meeting is a month from now and I'm sure I won't be into it by then, but maybe by the New Year? I might even find a way to go out and wear it if I do get to where it will fit, even if it is something simple like going to a concert or something.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 11:34 AM

Dog World is fun but chilly. Play that had drawn blood in the temp kennel has converted by itself back to peer-wrestling play. Much running and sunning out there (dogs) and jes' settin' a spell (me), assessing next escape-proof tweaks.

Pal with digi-camera my come by later and if so there will be snaps of Dog World soon. It's not quite perfect, but it is not too bad either, even pre-lansdcape-- considering it was 80% re-re-recycled materials. Spring will make it prtetty. I already have a lightweight shade pergola planned, on wood posts. (A dry spot to leave chairs, under it.)


Me, back to "normal" life but with a nicely enhanced strength / increased energy level. Pooltime again now feasible-- back at it tonight.

Next boy-tasks will be with much less supervision.

And the FC box goes out tomorrow.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 12:38 PM

Daily house chores done and may actually get to the closets and drawers that I had hoped to do yesterday. Somehow I got sucked into the book I was reading and didn't do squat (other than the power yoga class). I did get some of the grocery shopping done and the rest will happen tomorrow. I had planned on going today but my body is not cooperating (PCOS).

I found coupons.com yesterday and to my surprise found coupons for children's toys from PlaySkool....so while I was shopping, I picked up a little push/pull/ride scooter for our wee one for a mere $12.00. I am most happy with that.

Susan, I have a Meghan Garcia yoga DVD for real sized people if you are interested. It's the DVD I started out with to learn some of the more basic yoga. Also, I have no idea how much get up and go you've got lately but if being on the floor is difficult, they make DVDs (and offer classes at the senior center in Wboro) for chair yoga. I'm not sure how much interest you have but noticed in one of your posts you said something about some yoga dvds. I love yoga and high recommend it to anyone. It's never a DO MORE, BEND MORE, HOLD LONGER kind of thing...it's all about finding YOUR own edge and what works for you.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 12:39 PM

er...highly recommend!

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 12:55 PM

LF, if you would like to donate that to the parish to my attention, I could use that with some folks I'm working with.


Thanks,

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:09 PM

Folks you are working with? As in you are teaching yoga? I'm confused.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:13 PM

Long story.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:38 PM

Went to vote this morning; just city commission and some ballot proposals. Made a couple loaves of soda bread-- one will go in the freezer. My snowblower needs work, so I'll take it into the shop this afternoon.

Can't wait to see the dog world photos.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 02:52 PM

Me too! :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Nov 09 - 07:42 PM

Yoga: Meditative Posture Flow....long held poses with release to feel & recognize each echo. I love this class!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: GUEST,MAG
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 09:05 AM

decluttering continues apace; I'm taking some time off work, so it's going faster.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 09:44 AM

My fridge is so decluttered that it's practically empty....a few bottles of water, salad dressing, some pickles.....you get the idea. My freezers are full but I need to pick up some fresh stuff. I made a grocery list and left it on the table last night and this morning I see that my husband has added a few additional things.....butt plugs and elk steak. LOL.

Have a great day everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 12:42 PM

I've decluttered my mind of 1657 words on my novel in the past hour. That's almost the what the word requirement averages out to if you count all of the days in November.:-) So, I am at 7148 which is actually 1858 than where I was last night.

I am now going to go do some qi gong, then hook up my plant sprayer to the sink, wash off and water my houseplants, then it'll be lunchtime. We waiting to find out what's wrong with our car and how much it will cost. They think it is something simple like a spark plug or sensor, but won't know 'til they call.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 03:06 PM

Oh, well, the rest of my day will be spent putting things up on ebay, finally. Nothing like a car repair taking all of our extra to motivate. I don't know how our car knows to do that whenever we have a little extra; I suppose I should be happy it waits until we do.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 05:36 PM

Finished a big newsletter, did a blog entry earlier today and have been planning more furniture moves for next weekend.

Nuked a bunch of snails in the garden by putting out bowls of beer. Got a couple hundred of them, so I'll put out more again tonight. Conquered a troublesome web site that wouldn't let me log on to change a bank account number (ongoing from the fraud problem in early October).

Last night I ate a meal that wasn't strictly on my diet, though it wasn't horribly fattening. The plan called for plenty of broiled hamburger (however much that might be) and a salad. I made taco meat during the afternoon (hamburger meat plus seasoning and tomatoes). I was going to eat it with a few corn chips to make it not too far off of the plan, but when I stopped by Central Market they had hot tortillas off of the machine. The plain ones were sold out but they still had the white flour ones made with butter. Warm. I brought those home and we heated some of the taco meat and spooned a little meat into the tortillas and didn't bother with cheese or sauce or lettuce, etc. A pack of 10 (small sized) was demolished between us. It was so good!

Kat, I agree, machines around the house seem to know if you have something extra you were planning to use elsewhere. My hot water tank did that earlier in the year. My truck has been very well behaved, but did a bit of that a year ago, so this year I went ahead and had some workd done that needed doing (based upon mileage) before any problems arose. So it amounts to the same thing, doesn't it? Preemptive still costs money.

eBay has been nice to help knock off a few bills. It also motivates me to keep moving out extra stuff from around here. Slow and steady.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 06:15 PM

Thanks, SRS. I had the menorah all ready to go, wrote up the sales pitch, loaded the pix, went to preview and ebay hung up somehow so that the whole thing got dumped when I had to shut it down to get out of there. Discouraging. I will do it this evening, saving it, first, as I know I should have done!:-) I have some other unusual things to put up including an adorable little purse I had as a kid which is in the shape of a Scotty dog...really cute and collectible.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 10:32 PM

Kat, I was having that problem, and realized it was because I was using Internet Explorer. I've tweaked and adjusted and IE still hangs and is so slow. They sent out a big update yesterday and I thought that might help, but it still has it's slow periods. Firefox is great for eBay. I also have used Chrome successfully.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 10:50 PM

Thanks but that's not it. I use Firefox exclusively. Not sure why it did it, but I won't take any chances on losing it next time.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 07:43 AM

Last night: Yoga, 60 Minutes...fairly intense. One of my good friends went last night and that makes something I already love doing even better! YAY!

Today? I've been asked to do some test reads at a local radio station for possible commercial work. I don't think I have the voice for it but the owners have approached me 3 times now....I thought they were joking. They weren't. So....we shall see what happens. I'm thinking I'll read something, they'll listen to the recording and say, OMG....you sound like CRAP...and I'll laugh and say, I told you!!! Either way, it'll be an experience!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 09:41 AM

The FC-out ydy took up two black trash bags. The FC-in took up two GROCERY bags, and 2/3 of that will FC out again promptly-- to get one item I wanted I took some magazines I did not need, but I know where they can be donated. Today I will sort thru and list another pile of FC stuff.

No playtime in Dog World today, tho there are tasks that need to be done out there-- I got what Hardi had, with a vengeance, so must stay out of the cold air. But Hardi and I can play a new training game with the doggies later, to reinforce their return-when-called training. I'll play the inside "role" from their nice warm kitchen corner, and Hardi will play the outside role. He can putter a tiny chore or two out there while we play; the doggies will be so amused and get a great run out of it, too.

Ydy during Dog World play hour, Sadie "told" Faulkner where her submission "limit" is. It's so cool to be able to be WITH them and see their communication. She very clearly said, in dog-ese, "If you want me to keep playing with you, you will have to knock off that skin-pulling thing you've been doing on me!" And F's behavior replied, "Oh. ....that was a problem? .... so.... .....show me how you want to play. I like to play." They also worked on "leave the fence alone" habituation.


The FC-d out videos cleared space in my home office for stowing a bunch of stuff that has been sitting up there waiting for shelf space, so I'll take my flu meds (and soup) and hole up, today, up there-- tea and other goodies are waiting. A somewhat-mindless Songbook task also can be done if I get awake enough.... or I'll just go back to bed!

A HUGE pork roast found ydy at our butcher's will be dinner tonight and a bag of single-portioned leftovers for the freezer-- to go with cornbread stuffing, etc., in the cold months ahead. A nice batch of their homemade kielbasa will slow-cook at the same time and portioned for the freezer in lunch servings.

I found an easy fix for my autumn pumpkin-roll jones. It's actually good for IBS and a bunch of other things, but it's expensive and sometimes hard to find. The cream-cheesy filling that goes into the roll is easily swapped for the cheesecake-filling in the dairy case-- and if food is an addiction for you for God's sake do not buy THAT stuff-- it's good! I can make pumpkin bread in bulk and use the prepared filling much more sparingly than the boughten pumpkin-roll-filling, get the stuff we need but with a lot less sugar/fat calories, and use oats in the pumpkin bread to make it even better for us.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 10:15 AM

MOTIVATION TIP

After I post here that I have decided to get rid of an item (or bunch of items), but before I bag or box them and bring them downstairs-- I list them at FreeCycle. I leave them right where they are until a FC-er schedules a pickup! This means that stuff that can and will actually leave does not clutter up my downstairs at any point.

Stuff that no one wants is simply bagged up for disposal and rolled downstairs and OUT on trash night.

It's amazing how much energy there is to move stuff the moment someone else actually wants or needs that stuff. At that moment the stuff is transformed-- it is no longer trash I must deal with ("sigh..."), but valuable property belonging to someone else.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 10:58 AM

I'm following the Scarsdale diet again, and it called for lamb last night, so I picked up a leg at Sam's Club. Most is in the freezer, cut into portions, and some is in us. While I was out there one of the sample ladies got my attention with some fresh farm raised catfish (it's one of the few farm raised fish that I think tastes good) that had been dipped in some Zatarain's seasoned corn flour and sauteed in a pan in minimal oil. It was so good, and so simple! I may not buy the mix, there's an awful lot in that jar, but I can approximate it on my own (I can read the label, it's a simple mix).

I do need to buy some fresh cornmeal and toss the old (into the garden--it won't go to waste!) Too often I've kept flour and grains too long and they get rancid. I'll be this corn isn't as good as it was 2 years ago when I bought it. This time, a small bag or buy a small amount in bulk and not keep it for ages. This is part of my healthy eating routine (as directed by Dr. Weil). Rancid foods not only don't taste good, they aren't good for you. We know oil can get rancid, but any kind of a whole grain also has oil in it and gets rancid.

I'm down another couple of pounds, and some of these fat pants are getting quite loose; I've moved the belt up another notch. I'm going to give myself the psychological boost of wearing them a while longer so when I shift down to the next size they feel good and it isn't a case of squishing into them and gradually letting them fit better. It is nice to wear pants that fit well, not too snug.

It's a beautiful fall day and the street is noisy with construction workers finishing driveways up the street. My neighbor's new roof looks good, and has a cluster of brightly colored leaves resting in one corner, making it look like it's always been there. My allergies are perking up so I've done the gargle and neti pot routine along with the zyrtec. A walk at noon will get me my exercise for the day, and I'll pick up a few more pecans while I'm at it. See if I can beat the dogs to them. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 01:12 PM

It has taken what seems like the whole morning (not really, though) to get one item listed on ebay, but i have done it! (It wasn't lost afterall, but I didn't find that out until I'd recreated it in my own program.:-) I wish ebay woud make drafts easy to find!) Now, for some others, but that will have to be after lunch and naptime...I feel sleepy today.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 01:37 PM

Ha! There's some good news. The car was only 281 instead of 350! That's enough to make me much happier!

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 02:45 PM

The radio bit was FUN. I did 4 commercials, some stuff for the midnight show and the birthdays/anniversaries for tomorrow morning! I don't know if they'll ask me to do more or not...either way it is totally okay! They asked me to do something I've never done, I did it and had fun...in my book, that's great! If it turns to something more, that's great too! :) YAY!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 07:51 PM

Down 2.2 pounds this week. YAY!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 11:00 PM

Cleaned up the kitchen and the dining room table, discarding and shredding a lot of paper in the process. It's been a hectic week, so I'll treat myself to an early evening. Full day tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 12:04 AM

Didn't sleep very well last night, so I've been draggin' all day. Also really tense & anxious-- probably why I didn't sleep last night.

Got more leaves raked, with some help from my next door neighbor. Most of the leaves are down now-- the fall colors have mostly disappeared around here. Also have some books bagged up to take to the library's used bookstore. Laundry is all caught up.

I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, and take back 4 bags of returnable bottles. Want to stop at Home Depot/Lowe's/whatever and get a new door chime. The old one only gives a half-dead "thunk" when you press the button.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 08:17 AM

Up early this morning, floors are swept, dishes done, laundry running, table cleared...it's looking like a beautiful day out there! I don't have anything on my agenda today other than house work (puttering with whatever) and yoga later tonight. At the moment, I'm listening to the radio waiting to hear myself....it's really kinda strange!!!!

Have a great Friday!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 01:02 PM

Today was the mother of all garage sale days. I stumbled upon at least a half-dozen very good ones and probably spent about $25. A couple of appliances for my daughter, a set of sheets for my son, candles to burn in the fireplace (we don't burn wood in there, we set up candles). A couple of collectible maps I'm going to donate to the library where I work (Special Collections) and some useful odds and ends. I'll clean up the kitchen then clean these things (a Welbuilt bread machine and a good brand convection oven, $5 each).

I don't think I mentioned yesterday that I've decided to dismantle one of the television viewing areas for now. The televison and converter box will go on a table in my bedroom and I'll take out the table and trunk in the corner and fill in some shelves I have all across the rest of the room. Since a DVD player and VCR died in the front room we'd already moved that part of the system. For my shelves I'll need some supports and three boards, but this will give me a good way to move magazines out of the living room and more books from my office into there.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 05:47 PM

I didn't go to yoga tonight, I'm about to get on the treadmill instead....just didn't feel like leaving the house today!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 08:00 PM

2 miles on the treadmill & all hardwood floors (that's my entire downstairs) mopped.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 12:28 AM

I have already had two bids on the menorah and have two watchers on the other item I put on ebay, a little girl's purse in the shape of a Scotty dog. My cousin gave it to me when I was little. I figured it could go as none of the grandsons want it.:-) I started them both out way low wiht no reserve. They may not bring in a lot, but it all adds up. One of the watchers is in the UK. I am getting her a postage estimate tomorrow. I have a basket of stuff by my dining room desk, full of stuff for ebay.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 10:38 AM

I'm glad to see you got that listed, Kat. And early bids usually amount to more bids in the lifetime of the auction. I have one closing today and several more things to list.

Last night I scrubbed and detailed the bread machine and convection oven I picked up at garage sales. The DaLite screen doesn't need any work. I've had a slide projector for years and always projected on walls or sheets because these screens are so expensive. This one was $5.

Garage sale stuff.

It feels good to go through this process, to know you've adopted a device that is still in good order but just wasn't treated like a useful device in its old home. I keep my cookers and this-and-that makers clean and shiny, then they look like a nice part of the kitchen. These both needed to have cooked on grease spots scrubbed off, and lots of grimy crevice work with cotton swabs and toothpicks. But they cleaned up nice! They're here in my pool of appliances for days when I need more than the one I already have or to go with the kids.

The sheets I picked up were laundered and then hung on the line for several hours. I then put the dry sheets into the dryer with the rest of the batch of laundry (still waiting to be dried) and ran them till everything was dry. I like to use the line this time of year, but for this project, the most important thing was to get the slightly perfumed smell out of those sheets, replaced with the typical laundry smell of things washed here. I'm much more likely to have easy acceptance of these sheets by the kid in question if they have the right smell. (Same with clothes we bring home from the thrift store--they get washed so they smell right before they get worn).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 02:31 PM

Flipped a mattress, washing linens, and getting ready to run up into the attic. I've done the measuring and figured out the placement of the computer table and such in the new room. Heckuva lot of moving this afternoon, but it will be worth it in the living room.

Going to take the dogs for a walk and then give them a bath since it'll be warm enough this afternoon to not make them miserable to be damp out of doors (well, Poppy is always miserable if she's damp at all, but she dries fast.)

When losing weight, every time you get low enough to be in the next 10 pound increment, it gives an emotional boost. I've been hovering a couple of pounds over the next hurdle most of the week. I'll have to make that dog walk a really brisk one to help move to the next lower level.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 07:37 PM

We decluttered some turf-squares cut out of the yard, to trench a bit of anti-dig into Dog World, today.

One of the two trenches created was not only WAY too wide, the same person who made that mistake also made some mistakes on ag panel fabrication that left a HUGE gap under about 16 feet of fence-- right along the road. So we used some rubbly broken cinderblock pieces I'd gotten from FC to fill that trench to ground level, and then added layers of these turf squares yp bnring it all up to the berm of mud Mr. BooBoo ALSO left melting into the grouind on both sides of the trench-- it can;t be dug up now for backfiill without a majoor investment of time and valuable strength.

The built-up sod layers will melt thru the cinderblock fill, into a nice raised berm over the winter. It will not only meet the berm that is NOT supposed to be there, making it look like we planned it, it will bury that lower foot or so of fence like it was supposed to be.

About 1/3 of this is done as of today-- Hardi and I both working hard, sick, because it just must be done.

The other properly-trenched section was cut so nice and clean, I'll be able to fill it with unused small logs for a mowing border. Even after the ground freezes, I can chuck a few of those in there at a time.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 09:48 PM

Parked a mile from church tonight...got a nice walk in before and after the service.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 11:08 PM

Finally got back the novel this evening and decluttered another 1600+ words. We will do chores tomorrow morning then I am off to a nano write-in event for four hours of non-stop noveling.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 01:30 AM

I'm fishing wires in the wall tomorrow. Got them down the hole from the top but haven't managed to connect with them at the bottom. I'll go up in the attic again tomorrow, with a dust mask, and re-run the wires (and a string to make it easier to fish). I think it all curled up in the top of the wall.

The shelves (18 linear feet more) are in place and I've begun moving the magazines from around the house into stack on the bottom shelf (that rests on bricks).

Garage sale linens are in great shape and have been installed on the bed. They look and feel good.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: mouldy
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 03:17 AM

I haven't been on for a few days because I haven't really done much more sorting. However, I did get the 4 pieces of salt dough made that have been ordered, and now I just have to get them painted and varnished. After that, ALL the craft work equipment can go up into the loft.

My niece and her gorgeous (down girl!) Moroccan husband are coming later this morning to help me get some deep-rooted bits dug out of the garden. They actually volunteered to come as they are in the area this weekend for the christening of their friend's baby. As long as I keep them fed with home made soup, they are happy! Karim's family own an olive farm, and he has been to agricultural college in Spain, so he loves working on anything outdoors and physical. I have to go up to church for the Remembrance Day service, but they will arrive about the time I get back from there.

I'm absolutely gutted, as the house I had been keeping my eye on up north has been removed from sale. I suspect it's because the seller can't get what he wants for it. It had dropped price twice in the last year with "offers above", and then dropped again earlier this year to a fixed price. I hope it reappears in the future. There are other possibilities, but that one ticked all the boxes.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 07:06 AM

My 87 year old nana is visiting from downstate (staying with my mom) and I have invited them over for Sunday dinner. I have great childhood memories of going to Nana's house after church and having a family dinner with my nana, pappy, mom, great grandfather and great grandmother....so today feels really good to me. I have some tidying up to do but nothing big. :) The menu is simple too....the idea being that we are together as a family. We'll play cards or something after dinner. I'm looking forward to all of it!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 12:45 PM

All the rubble-fill along the front trench is done (I can hardly move now)-- the broken pieces were all used up so I spent about an hour smashing half-cinderblocks with a little 3-pound mini-sledge. That was actually a lot of fun, angling the pieces to break easily on one good hit. I was able to sit to toss them into place, until I discovered that some of yesterday's work had warped the fence panels inwards, so I heeled some fill in, deep, from the unfilled side to push it back straight.

I hope we might chuck the rest of the turf-squares in on top of all that, later this afternoon. Then the top of the chainlink needs to be properly fastened to the top rail-- right now it's just tacked up in a few spots (don't tell the dogs!)-- and I can work in the log-border during the week.

But man, them dogs sure do live their Dog World, though, and with each improvement it's a little more escape-proof so they are getting to spend longer times out there each day. And it's still warm enough in the afternoon to go in there with them, police the poops (such fun), and give them a good workout.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: mouldy
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 01:50 PM

The bed at the back of the vegetable patch is emptied of its unwanted growth. Cat and Karim did sterling work, and we ate best part of a pan of veg soup. I bet the local cats will love the new latrine!

Moroccans love bread, and I have never seen anyone eat so much and still stay so toned! We got through 75% of a loaf, and he ate most of that! The bread machine will have to go on again again tonight so that I have some for Freya tomorrow. A loaf normally lasts me the best part of a week!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 03:33 PM

I'm embarrassed, but those of you who've read these de-clutter posts for any length of time will know that I'm not a very good house-keeper. Cooking, baking, gardening, canning-- all good. House-cleaning, not so much.

I try to avoid physical work on Sundays, but this morning, I dropped a paperback book next to my chair, and a cloud of dust flew up. I knew I needed to vacuum the floor, Sunday or not. So, the living-room and dining-room are all clean now, and I can go back to reading my book.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 09:27 PM

Maryanne, I have the same tendancy. The kitchen is clean, the bathroom is clean, the worst of it is picked up elsewhere, but there is a lot of dust around and behind and under things.

I made the big push this weekend to wire my son's room (with a couple of mis-steps and a trip to Home Depot for a new, larger and longer drill bit.) Today, when he came in, I moved a couple of pieces out of his room (a small desk and a chair) and moved stuff around as I swept and mopped. And when I got far enough along that he could see the space that I intended for his computer table, he picked up the task and emptied his table, dismantled the computer, and once we moved the table to his room, he put it back together. Right now the couch is alongside his bed, meaning he'll be climbing over the couch or off the end of the bed to get in and out, but it is perfectly positioned for playing video games on his large television (from the neighbor after her mother died at the nursing home). He knows I'll go in and check on him occasionally, but he's so busy with school and homework now that I think this is the right time for this. He's not great at housework or chores, but he is a very good student and I think deserves the adult upgrade on his space (he's 17 1/2).

I'm tired, after all of that up and down into the attic. Time for a hot soak in the tub and early to bed. Lots of work for work tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 12:32 AM

Now that the bath is complete (felt great!) and I'm looking at the living room I can see that now that the gob of computer stuff and kid detritus from that corner is out, I will be rearranging the room - again. It'll look nice, I think, to just have living room stuff in the living room.

Sold a couple of little things on eBay, have a few more to list tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 09:22 AM

Houseguests coming-- gonna have to vacuum up the cluster flies collecting upstairs.

DAMN, this mean my whole house will have been vacuumed and cleaned in the same month.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 11:10 AM

It took me all day yesterday to clean out one file drawer of a 4-drawer cabinet.

20 year old crap I haven't looked at in that long

Tell me I'm not alone.


MA

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 11:20 AM

Of course the problem comes in when we actually LOOK at the stuff. THEN it gets complicated. I always to to look at it this way-- not "should I toss X" but "When will I use X?"

But no, you are not alone.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 01:01 PM

No, you're not alone. I did a lot of the file purging last year, to compress the contents of several files and get rid of one four drawer file. I could stand to do some more. Meanwhile, much of the paper that NEEDS to be filed is sitting out on surfaces, in boxes and in stacks. [sigh]

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 01:13 PM

Alone...oh, no, definitely you are not alone!**bg**

I have a four-drawer cabinet, brand new a couple of years ago. Rog bought it for me because I whined about needing somewhere to file everything. Did I file? There are two drawers which have some files in them with stuff piled in flat behind them. The other two drawers have stuff lying flat in them which I need to go through someday.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 03:25 PM

and what do you do with the empty file folders?

and for that matter, plastic magazine boxes from magazines sitting around for the same 20 years?

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 05:04 PM

Give them to someone who needs them? A non-profit, a young student? There's got to be someone who could use them,:-)

I have so far decluttered 10,126 words. Waaaaahaha!

This weekend we took a rocking chair out of the living room and gave it to Morgan as part of an early b-day present. He loves rockers and they didn't have one. We also did the usual clean up, though Rog missed the litter boxes...there's always tonight.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 05:32 PM

I've got problems with flies in the new place. They were gathered around in the bathroom, crawling up the window (as in the song), so I started by leaving the window open when I was out - second floor (third in US) so no problem of security. No use. And when I changed the lightbulbs for eco versions, I found a whole bunch of them in the fitment. I put a repellent in, which uses permethrin, so should kill them, and they all disappeared.

Into my new bedroom. The repellent did not move them from there, as they were all hanging out round the venetian blinds. I'm afraid I've sprayed them.

I keep moving boxes of books etc. over there, but am a bit behind, as my neighbour who must not know what I am doing keeps working on his flat between tenants.

Someone has painted the walls around the wooden veneer wardrobe doors, and onto them, and not cleaned it off- but I think I can get round that by rehanging them inside out. There are drawing pin holes, but I can fill them with wax crayon. Two person job, though.

The house has no window sills, and I have loads of nice things I put on window sills - glass paper weights made by glass artists, rock specimens, and so on. I think I can put little shelves alongside the stairs, though. My sister has something like that on her cellar stairs.

There's a Virginia Creeper at the end of the garden that's going to need controlling - I want the fence for a climbing rose and honeysuckle as well, from my grandparent's house.

I'm moving my emergency food backup larder over and making sure I've got a list of what's where - I do tend to make duplicate purchases. I went a little mad when the flu broke out in Mexico, and replaced all the stuff I'd eaten to make the move easier!

Today I have eaten two packets of Cadbury's chocolate fingers -not good, I haven't had a chocolate binge for ages, and can't bring myself to eat 70% dark, which usually sees it off. (There's a meeting of the flats board on Wednesday, and I'm not looking forward to it.)

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 05:51 PM

No, you're not alone. I save newspaper articles-- used to be clippings from the paper, now it's articles that I print out (2-sided to save paper). Mostly politics & economics. Maybe one day I'll write a book (ha-ha). Occasionally, I have looked for something and actually found it. They are stored in three large plastic bins, stacked in the corner, and they don't take up too much room. For things that I'm actively working on, or that I refer to regularly, I keep things in a loose-leaf binder, one for each topic. Things like bank statements, etc. are in a separate bin, with hanging folders even.

As far as old folders, if they're in good shape, I just re-label them; otherwise they go in the recycling bag. For all the clutter around my house, I'm actually rather proud of my filing system. I can (nearly) always put my hands on what I'm looking for.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 06:23 PM

I did some filing today too. The adoption paperwork is never ending. We had a request for duplicate forms, originals of clearances, Homeland Security stuff, 8 passports for each of us (and that's not even for travel plans) and the list goes on. I made copies of everything, notes where required and filed them in the appropriate spots.

I also paid bills today. I wish I had them as organized as I have the adoption stuff....maybe someday but it really isn't at the top of my list like the adoption is. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 06:38 PM

Kat, you might enjoy this article: How to Write a Great Novel. I like Laura Lippman's approach--maybe you end up with a novel and a work of art when you're finished!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 07:32 PM

Penny, whatcha got there is Cluster Flies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_fly

Ain't they FUN?!?!?!?


Alas, the only declut today was putting away some laundry. On the other hand, it had sat there in front of the shelves for about 3 weeks. Amazing there was any left.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 12:10 AM

A challenge to each of us with bulging file cabinets: purge/shred/recycle 5 pounds of paper by the weekend. I think I can do it (though it may involve some catalogs; they add up quickly).

My son is very happy to be computing in his bedroom, but I'll have to stop by periodically to see him. I doubt he'll come out often. :-{

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 12:32 AM

Got a few things done today. My front tire looked low (I'd picked up a small screw) & Belle Tire fixed it no charge. Also dropped by the city planning dept & got my 2010 calendar. The Downtown Dev. Authority puts out this real nice calendar that fits perfectly into my binder. While I was at city hall, I met 2 of our newly-elected commission members. Got 3 loads of laundry done & put away.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 08:50 AM

Already loaded into the car and ready to be delivered are a bookcase and dresser mirror to a bedroom set I passed on to my niece. Today she'll get the final pieces and it will FINALLY be out of my house!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 08:50 AM

I've been really, really careful not to add more clothes the last year or so, to give the closet a real good, all-year test (What do I really NEED?). It did sustain me through the recent spate of funerals, despite NO time to do laundry or go to the cleaners.

I discovered, though, one category in sore need of re-supply-- warm leggings for the cold winter. I stopped wearing them "out" when I redesigned my look, so the last pair is in tatters and I wear them WAY too much when they need a good wash. So-- I am going to go look, forthwith, for some clearance stuff in weird colors so, between crazybusy times, I can sit a spell in my pretty-clean house and not FREEZE!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 09:14 AM

FOUR pairs! Two to put into rotation, two to save unopened for next year.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 10:54 AM

All bedding washed and hung up to dry. Clean bedding on all 4 beds. Kitchen floor swept and washed. Harry helped hoover the living room and dining room.

The kids toys have yet to be sorted but it's on my must do list for the next couple of weeks.

Xmas shopping is all done and put away. The ties for the wedding arrived last week and have been put away with Amelia's bridesmaid dress. Invitations have been worded and proofed.

Saw the doctor last week, he's still happy with my weight loss. Slow and steady and it will stay off. Going to body pump class tonight, 2 mile brisk walk there and a 2 mile jog home. The metformin for my PCOS upset my stomach for a couple of days but all seems to be well now. Waiting for an appointment to have the pins in my left leg checked as they may need to be take out as they have moved.

Tomorrow I need to bake and ice the MIL to be's birthday cake when we get back from playgroup

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 11:01 AM

You're done with Christmas? HOLY SMOKES BATMAN! I have SOME of it done...actually very little. I know it's early but I am really looking forward to decorating this year as for the last couple years, we haven't done much (sometimes NONE) decorating at all for various reasons. I am really looking forward to that!!!

Michelle :)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 11:06 AM

I started in August so I could spread the cost. The kids presents were delivered last month which was the major expense. I can't wait to wrap them though, then see the kids rip the paper off and open the boxes...it's the best bit! Cake is made too, looking forward to decorating it...will post a picture when it's done but there are a few more weeks to wait for that!

Enjoy decorating your home Michelle!

Khatt x

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 11:27 AM

Khatt, I'm also impressed! You've finished the shopping? I've done a little, put a few things aside. I have a couple of ideas, but no firm plans. My kids are old enough that I ask for suggestions, and I am expecting my son's treatise to be delivered to my computer desk one of these days. He's very efficient at breaking down wants versus needs and prioritizing. :)

My living room looks disheveled right now as I think about the things in it and what I want to move. I am considering moving the dining table into there and using the room partly as dining room. I have two living rooms as it is (I think this is common in the South, I didn't used to see it in houses where I grew up in the Pacific Northwest) and this is the large room. I was originally going to use the sun room as a breakfast room, but it has been piled up with craft stuff and eBay things for so long that it isn't practical to try that now. I could move the breakfast table (a small round drop leaf oak antique) into the current dining area and move the big dining room table into part of the living room and make it an attractive zone. I'll think about it some more.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 12:00 PM

Thanks for the article, SRS. It is fun to read of others' methods. I'd go nuts if I tried to do what Lippman does, though! (Like the idea of artwork after, though!) And I like her books. I do most of my writing in my head...kind of the highlights, then when I sit down I just start typing. Of course it needs to be edited, but usually not all that much. My Rog made me feel really good the other day when he told me I don't realise how easy it is for me when other folks, i.e. the young reporters he works with, struggle over each story of a few hundred words. I don't feel that superior, if at all, but I do forget that I have put a lot of years into learning to be a writer and have developed my own way of going about it. I have the informal "Mudcat Writers' Group" to thank for some of that.

I have been picking up and putting away stuff as I walk through the house the past few days. Failed miserably on exercise...haven't done much, but I do have new Birks and have been way more active, so I am counting that!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: mouldy
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 01:48 PM

2 and a half pounds back on this week, dammit!
It's the rest of the soup and home made bread what done it!

The back of the garden's looking very naked since it got "Karim-ed", but I don't think it has attracted that much attention from the local moggies - yet. Trouble is, the rest of the garden is now looking a bit on the wild and woolly side.

At some point I have got to de-clutter the tables yet again, and start to prepare for Christmas. To be honest, I can't be bothered at the moment!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:02 PM

I thought they might be cluster flies - they're in my Dad's house as well. But I want the earthworms, so killing them doesn't bother me too much. I did leave the windows open and ask them to go....

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:03 PM

So this morning I made the best oatmeal. Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins....YUM. I opened the cupboard door to get some brown sugar and BANG...the pepper mill fell out of the cupboard, smashed right into my oatmeal and broke the bowl. I'm pretty sure was a sign to clean out my spice cupboard today....and that's just what I did!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:08 PM

Headline:

Pepper Takes Header into Good Groats

I've had things pitch out of the cupboard that way. It must have been really disappointing to lose that bowl of breakfast. :-/

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 05:00 PM

What we do to manage our cluster flies is pick a spot where we don't mind the bodies piling up, and leave the light on, there. They clustrer on that ceiling and when they die they fall to the floor, where they are conveniently vacuumed.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 06:40 PM

Hey Khatt,

    What do you find relieves the pain of PCOS on the really bad days? I had a miserable night and today is proving to be worse. I have a heating pad, a constant stream of Advil (per my doc) and my legs up...but man...what I wouldn't give to find some relief. ARG.

Seriously. I hurt.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 03:28 AM

Heat bags, hot baths,I take codine on really bad days. The metformin seems to have an effect on the symptoms too. I've been on it now for about 6 years. The doctor put me on dianette (contraceptive pill) which is designed for PCOS but it made me ill so I had to come off it. Funnily enough exercise helps too but sometimes when I'm bad I just don't have the energy or enthusiasm to do it. See if you can get an appointment with your gynocologist (sp?) they might be able to give some help. I was told they can operate and remove some of the cysts but they would probably come back in time. Hope you feel a bit better soon. ((hugs))

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:18 AM

Hey Khatt,

Thanks. I've been to the Dr. and they gave me Metformin too but all it does is make me sick. I was taking Sprintec (contraceptive) and that helped for awhile. My symptoms have been markedly better with the weight loss but every once in a while...BAM. I was up with it again during the night and this morning I am sitting at the table with the hot bean bag on my belly. I just hurt. And it's gross. Walking usually helps with cramps but for now, gravity just isn't my friend....and like you said, the energy and enthusiasm just isn't there either. BLAH. (and I mean it!).

Thanks.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 10:05 AM

I sympathize with you ladies who are in pain.

For me, yesterday I tackled a spare room which has been solid junk for way too long.

I found 3 (more) boxes of papers stuff and got through one of them. Absolute crap sittingthere for no good reason.

on the weight side, I have not been to the Y in months; am in a real emotional slump right now.

My size 16s still fit; the 15/16 do not, so I am stuck on a weight plateau and getting flabbier. but not overeating.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 10:55 AM

Some of the house tasks that didn't get done in early October for the MIL visit are getting done today for the impending houseguests' visit. I don't think THEY care, but it is nice to see the house coming back together. With a recent couples' dinner, the whole downstairs is staying relatively tidied up. Even the dnstrs loo is "OK." That means I can focus in the upstairs stuff that has not gotten done in awhile.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 04:05 PM

100

Saw the dentist yesterday, and he said things are looking good. Not as much soreness as I expected. Visited a local antiques/resale shop and found a real nice enamel double-boiler. Of all the stuff I have in the house, I didn't have one before. It looked like it has hardly ever been used.

Put some beans in water to soak last night, and made baked beans today. The house smells delicious.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 04:54 PM

One ebay auction ends in 20 hours and the other in a day and a few hours. Both have started to pick up bidding, though not too much, yet, and both have more "watchers." It's fun to watch when someone actually bids and wants what I've put on there!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 04:57 PM

Oh, and I lost a pound. Must've been the activity because I went over points, again. Something is happening because I cannot leave on my wedding ring whilst typing; it keeps slipping around and the stones then get in the way!

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:47 PM

Good for you, Kat! And for those who are ailing, have you tried eating ripe bananas? I never had the ailment you're discussing, but I did used to have heavy cramps during periods and I heard about a study with chimps and bananas that turned up a hormonal effect from ripe fruit. It made the male chimps more aggressive, but the same hormone has been found for women to reduce the cramping. Who knew? I found it worked best if I made sure to eat ripe bananas a day or two before the time came, and during the period. One a day was enough, as I recall.

This morning Max (our Max) sent an invitation to try Google Wave, a new platform they've been sending out in a Beta version. I in turn have been trying to send invitations to co-workers. We're all excited about maybe getting to do some of this work in a common platform, where everyone can read all of the remarks and you can drag in photos and videos and such. It should make doing some of the library promotions a lot easier than the way we do it now.

The house is, to put it politely, in flux. Great potential. The kitchen counter has been cleared a bit, but there is a lot of stuff sitting around the rest of it. It's about to get a big going over--moving lots of pieces for entirely new looks for rooms.

This is the beginning of my two weeks hiatus from the Scarsdale diet, when he wants you to eat a "keep fit" plan that allows more variety and can still result in some weight loss. I'm turning more to the Dr. Weil eating tips during this time. In a related event, I saw my hair stylist today, and she has lost about 20 pounds in the last three months, and has probably 30 more to go. It was interesting today, to notice that her clothes were loose, way too big, and she's having some taken in and replacing others. I found that seeing her in a shirt that was too big actually made her look heavier, and I think this is something we all need to consider--I have enough clothes to move down into (she had given hers away, convinced she'd never lose the weight). Wearing baggy stuff doesn't necessarily show people that you've lost the weight. Treat yourself well and wear clothes that fit well and change them out with smaller sizes as needed.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:48 PM

Kat...YAY!!!! I've had to resize my wedding rings twice. The engagement ring would just spin in circles and I was so afraid I lose it!!! Kinda funny WHERE we lose weight from, isn't it?

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 07:28 PM

I hope I lose some weight in my hands. I can't see the difference, but just the same, I can't wear most of my rings right now. I'm looking forward to wearing more jewelry as I lose weight. I'm also a bit self-conscious about how shorter necklaces look--they fit differently (of course) when I weigh less.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 08:59 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 10:14 AM

Getting back on track, I did qi gong yesterday and handweights

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 10:31 AM

Good! And are you feeling better when you do it?

I ate some of the reception food at work yesterday, chicken fingers, fruit, but I avoided desserts. I noticed for the rest of the day that my system wasn't too happy. I think all of these weeks of much healthier eating without the heavily breaded foods has been good. The junk food causes distress. There's a reason for that.

Must fly through the writing assignments today. I have a long day at work tomorrow. I hope to have a productive weekend moving furniture to give the living room the look I want for when guests come over a couple of weeks from now.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 11:04 AM

Good timing on this story about how your gut responds to what you eat. Yesterday's not so healthy diet didn't get a good gut response.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 12:07 PM

The flies are dead and swept up. I have anointed a regimental badge on the outside of the window with sticky stuff remover, but I think it needs more than that. I have put my stores into cupboards in the utility room with the bottled friut from earlier. I need another ccupboard to get it all in - but then I shouldn't have stocked up when the flu broke out!

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 12:42 PM

The upstairs straightened up surprisingly quickly. It is very odd how much progress you can make without quite realizing it, or believing it.... I still FEEL totally overwhelmed by this huge house but the reality is, all the stuff we cleared out around the time of the fire, and since, really HAS made a difference.

Apparently I will have to re-program my mind about how much time housework requires, and stop using that overwhelmed feeling to keep me from getting at it.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 05:24 PM

2 books cases cleared. 1 large box of headdresses, fairy wings, and craft stuff (for decorating the wings) and some flower fairies packed and ready to post up to the Mum of a friend of a 13 year old .....etc..

Saturday, CD Tower to be collected by the winning ebay bidder and 2 now empty book cases thrown in for free, if she wants them.

This Saturday, worktop to come out of spare room and taken to recycling centre along with loads of fabric, cardboard and paper.

Take musical instruments, art supplies, books, and clothes to charity shop if there is time.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 05:31 PM

I had a cardiac stress test this afternoon. No particular symptoms, but my doctor has been after me to have it, esp. after I turned 60. I figured I'd better have it while I'm still insured & can take remedial measures if something turns up. Should get the results next week. My father had undiagnosed heart disease & died at 52. He had just completed a physical for work, but back then they didn't check cholesterol, etc. On the other hand, my mother lived to be 92.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 05:48 PM

Last weekend I did some of the work in the front to rearrange the contents of shelves, but I haven't gotten far in moving books in to put on those shelves. I've realized I can make more artistic "gaps" between books and display antiques (I already have some old radios on view in there). I was walking through a neighborhood near my son's guitar lesson earlier in the week and saw a pretty window, with a table and lamp and the furnishings in that room somewhat lit from the window lamp. I like that, and it would be good for my front room, so I'll keep that in mind as I move things.

My goal is to have stuff in place before Thanksgiving, so it looks like I have plenty of time, but you know how that can fly out the window with a medium level of interruption.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 07:49 PM

I did about an hour of walking today between going to get H1N1 shots and shopping, non-stop it seemed!, for Morgan's birthday coming up on Sat. I also did over 2,000 words this morning, so I am at 13,000...never mind that by Sun. if I want to be half-way, I have another 12,000 to go!

VTam, will there be anything left by the time you get done? It sounds as though you are packing out lock, stock, and barrel...did I miss a move or something? (Hope I'm not being too nosy, if so, just say, okay?:-)

My ebay items haven't sold for much, but they will go out the door on Sat. I have two more items to get listed in the next day or two. I need to research a print to find out if it is Maxfield Parrish or not.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 11:11 PM

You might be able to look at books of Parrish's prints in Google Books.

I haven't had particularly high sales on the more recent bills, only a little over face value. I have several I'm going to put together, all from 1959, and I'll ask face value and shipping and let them go and see if anyone wants them. I'm tired of listing them individually. This will be the last hurrah on this, and then I'll move to a new type of item.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 02:52 AM

Kat

Not moving, just downsizing the crap I have collected over the last 6+ years.

I was on a crafting kick after Andie passed away and accumulated ribbons, embroidery floss, beads, gems and charms from broken jewelry and Christmas tops from charity shops. Include brocade and velvet remnants from curtain shops when I was on my making hanbags kick.   Figured that ShadyLady and friends would enjoy the headdresses and fairy wings and some craft bits. Maybe sell in auction or put on that fashion show to raise money for leukemia research or hospice.

Art supplies from when I was making painted tapestries back in the SCA days. I have 2 nearly new kits one watercolour (which I may keep) and acrylic which I won't. We have hundreds of books and much as we would like to keep them all, there just isn't space in a small flat.

The instruments are a youth size guitar and el cheapo mandolin that are collecting dust and eating up space. Clothes are either too small or too big (yeah I fluctuate that much). If it is in good nick and I have not worn it in over a year, it goes.

Want to focus creative energy on learning and making music now, if I can drag my lazy ass away from the Mudcat.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 12:16 PM

Whew! Sounds busy and good, VTam. I know what you mean about small places and books. Every time I turn around, I find another box of books, plus there are some in storage. I keep thinking I will get them all listed in my bookstore, now dormant, online, but it takes so much time. One place has a neat hand-held scanner which would make it quick and easy, but most of our books are vintage/collectibles without isbns, at the time, so that has to be looked up, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 12:59 PM

I was sorting through a book of accounts and passwords this morning, three-hole punching sheets and updating account information. As I prepare to stop a few email accounts, I'm finding I had several set up for things I forgot about. I'll have to see if they are still active or if I can declare them dead. Virtual house cleaning.

Late night at work today, so I'm finishing up some of this stuff before I head over. And the dogs and I need a walk before I head out. Exercise has been on the fly this week (plenty of stair climbing, but not many dog walks since last weekend).

On another note, my hands are beginning to clear up more. I grabbed some wet laundry last weekend when the washer went unbalanced, and found that the dermatitis got worse for a couple of days, because I didn't take the time to put on gloves. That has been the answer, good hand cream (Eucerin) and gloves.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 11:58 PM

I'm another enthusiastic Eucerin user. Started with a sample I got in a gift bag, and I love it. I had never heard of it before that.

Picked up my snowblower from the shop. Lots of errands to run tomorrow.

Just got back from a music session. Nice turnout, including a couple of new faces.

M

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 09:16 AM

Unpacked some books from boxes onto shelves. Home one is beginning to show the floor again, but I have to sort out some boxes of random stuff.

Added more jars and things to cupboards in the utility room. I'm keeping a list on my PDA, so I do not buy any more chutney, jam or ketchup, etc. until I've used up my stores.

Had to spray a couple more flies, and sweep up a few more, but there weren't any more in the window frame when I opened it.

Where did cluster flies cluster before windows?

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 11:33 AM

I shaped wire frames and put net covering on 9 more fairy wings last night and this morning. My hands are killing me. Want to play my guitar, but cannot.

Found loads more beads and things and 2 packages taken to post office this morning.

CD tower and 2 book shelves hauled away by grateful new owner.

Hall and lounge de cluttered, dusted and vacuumed.

Old car shown and sold.

Sitting on sofa feet up, heels suspended over pillow (yeah they hurt too. I am whipped.

Got to get up in an hour and make tacos for dinner.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 12:02 PM

I must load some photos into my computer, process them, and send some to the local newspaper. Everyone at work was happy after the last meeting to see our Library event in the paper, so they would like it to continue.

My house needs a lot of rearranging. I've emptied the dishwasher and dryer and am prepared for the usual stuff, dishes and laundry, but I also have to be prepared to sweep and mop as I work around the living rooms and rearrange stuff (so the sink needs to be clear so I can fill my mop bucket, etc.)

I'll have several guests during the next month, so it's time to move extra furniture that was pushed into the guest room. If I use one of the desks in here then I could liberate the pretty little antique table I've been using for a small television.

There are a couple of bills to pay to declutter my bank account further. And a little shopping. And a new bill on the horizon--I need to defrost the fridge again, and see if that louvered door between fridge and freezer can be fixed. My eggs and much of the contents of my fridge are frozen this morning, and the thermometer reads about 27 degrees. Shit.

I need to declutter my brain of a little fuzziness with a nap soon. After I take my allergy stuff, I think that's part of it. The neti pot this morning revealed that the sinuses on one side are blocked. It's allergy season.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 02:52 PM

Man!!! You guys have been BUSY! I've pretty well been kicked on my ass with my PCOS this week but I am slowly getting back to normal and have to remember to NOT overdue (yeah...NOW I remember.....was feeling GREAT yesterday and today...well, let's just say that my body grunted at me and said, OH YEAH?!?!? SIT DOWN).

I finished my Christmas shopping for my husband yesterday and am really excited about it...I hope I can wait until Christmas....sometimes I'm not so good at that!

This morning I had a job interview and they hired me on the spot. I've decided that I only want to work part time as our house works much better with me at home (vs. full time work). For the first time in my life, I gave hours and days that worked for *ME* and everything worked out just fine. I'll have my mornings at home and be done early enough to get to my yoga classes...what more does a girl need? :) YAY.

When I got home, I did some sweeping, laundry, dishes, general clutter clean up but my body is now screaming at me so I'm in my recliner, legs up, heated corn bag in use....

Michelle

PS. VT, your post makes me want to get up and sort stuff and GET IT OUT OF HERE!!!! Good job!

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 03:13 PM

The fridge has been defrosted and is sitting open and off for a while. I can see bulges under the plastic interior where apparently water settled and froze and caused the skin to bulge. This is such a troublesome fridge these days, but it is only 7 years old. I guess I need to get one of those service agreements from Sears and if it dies, I'll get a credit toward replacing it. Bummer. But I can't have everything freeze and no space for simply chilling stuff.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 09:09 AM

Load of stuff went to recycling centre this morning and the caravan has been winterized.

My hands and feet are still killing me, but I mean to do some ironing and get load of art supplies and other stuff together for charity shop. There is a Salvation Army shop on the way home, which should still be open when I leave work tomorrow.

Next weekend, take down worktop in spare room and take to recycling centre. Collect new bookcase from IKEA and set up in spare room.

Advertise little white desk on ebay and free ads at work.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 03:37 PM

The lawn is finished. I didn't manage to use up all of the gas in the mower, but I'm sure I'll be mulching more leaves into the front yard in coming weeks, so I'll be able to store it for the winter without fuel in it.

I'm tempted to put the holiday lights up in one or two of the evergreens and just leave them there, unlit, until after Thanksgiving. It's nice weather now. It won't be when it gets to be the season for lights.

My fridge is still acting up, so right now I've turned it off. Almost-frozen eggs look really strange when you try to fry them on a skillet. I think the thermostat is bonkers, on top of a couple of other problems.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 03:54 PM

Our 18 year old cat, Fester passed away early this morning. My husband dug a grave for him in the orchard beneath the Red Rome Beauty apple tree and we covered his grave with daffodil bulbs.

Because it was an absolutely beautiful day, we decided to plant more bulbs. Over 100 crocus, daffodils and grape hyacinths were planted just outside our kitchen table window where we will be able to enjoy the color every morning. We also worked together to clean out the flower bed in front of the house which needed some raking, winterizing and some dead ferns (at least the fronds) were cut out. It's looking pretty good out there.

Tomorrow we are going to Syracuse to be fingerprinted by Homeland Security as part of the adoption stuff. We've already been fingerprinted and cleared by the FBI, not sure why we have to do the other, but we do, so we will!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 07:47 PM

So sorry to hear about your cat, Michelle. My Little One has been gone for three months and I still can't bring myself to close the bedroom door at night.

No more severence payments coming in, so it's time to re-activate my unemployment claim and get busy looking for work. The extended vacation is over, but now's no time to find a job in Michigan.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 09:21 PM

We planted a bunch of daffodils over the top of the lovely little calico we lost last January. When I mowed today I found myself wondering if the bulbs had spread during the year. Probably.

More furniture moved; there are lots of VCR tapes I'm stuffing onto a couple of shelves; I can see duplicates when I glance over the collection. I am not ready to toss them yet, they haven't been replace on DVD or transfered over yet. I'll move the shelf they've been on to somewhere else in the house and fill it with paperbacks.

We're under a thunderstorm warning tonight. Better keep saving things I'm working on so I don't lose stuff in a flicker of power.

I have realized, after sitting for a while, that motrin and a hot bath will be welcome before bed tonight. I'm going to have a few aches and pains.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 10:21 PM

I guess the next Big Push around here will be the heavy table in storage moving upstairs to my office. It's a big 'un that used to be our family dining room table; when the kids moved out it was way too big for the dining room (it had been bought to take a million leaves in the previous house for huge dinners and buffet entertaining). Without leaves, though, it should be a perfect desk for the space that needs one. There is already a keyboard-sized built-in desktop in that office, but I need am "executive" desk (tabletop) to do projects on-- and there's a bonus! The way the floor slants up there, this heavy thing will make a good stopping point for the desk chair on wheels! Right now a mere card table is NOT stopping the roll!

But right now, that table lives on top of an old shower stall in the least-accessible of the 2 storage rooms out back. It will weigh a ton getting it down and out of there, and thru a number of turns in the house to the stairs, and then up a flight and several more turns to get it down a long hall to the office.

I think it will actually be worthwhile to take it out the back door and along the driveway, and then back in the front door, to avoid all the internal tight turns downstairs. I imagine the appliance dolly will be involved; the legs just bolt on quite simply and I know I can carry THEM up there even without Hardi.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 11:25 PM

The dining room table I have used to sit in the dining room at my great aunts' home in Salladasburg, PA. That room had such a warped floor that you'd often times trip on the lump that ran under the table. Because this is one of those old ones with six legs (two V-shaped sections) they simply set it so the legs straddled the hump.

The good thing about all of those old pieces of furniture, you can usually take them apart, and it pays to have the patience to dismantle them before moving. They come out in much better shape that way.

Moved the upright grand piano. I'm not going to try anything else in that room tonight, but I think I've just freed up some nice floor space in there. And I've put tall things against the full wall, not the "pony wall" (half-height, with turned dowels up to the ceiling) so now you'll be able to get more light and view into that room. I'm next going to consider how many old trunks need to be moved around or out of there so the couch goes into an interesting spot (where it can open for sleeping--it's a comfortable futon). Right now it's in the middle of the room.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 06:40 AM

My Nana used to have a table in her kitchen, right in front of the window. As a child, I was frequently dropped off at her house to have breakfast before school. I sat at that table for breakfast and after school Nana and I would sit there and play cards (usually Crazy 8s). Today that table is used for a desk too.

So we're outta here shortly, not just for fingerprints but (after I read the small print last night I learned this) also for a facial scan and iris scan. Why? I'm not entirely sure. Just another hoop for the adoption. I kinda feel like we're going on a spy mission or some kind of adventure........secret service....getting our iris's scanned. LOL.

Anyway, it will be a nice day and wonderful to spend the day with the love of my life out in the world. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 09:00 AM

SRS, thanks for the encouraGEMENT, BUT THIS IS NOT AN OLD PIECE-- IT'S oops capslock-- it's nonwood veneer over particleboard, but the finish matching the hutch still in use in the DR has many memories attached, and the table IS big, heavy, and stronglegged. It's nice to know that if a big project comes along the room WILL take a leaf or two "temporarily" as long as I am not anxious about walking around it!

The way the legs bolt on was well-designed and braced, so that altho we slid it across thick rugs numerous times, the legs are TIGHT. And it can hold a ton of stuff-- very well braced up the middle and the legs were designed to hold a ton of food with all leaves IN. (Legs and bracing ARE wood.)

I also like that the corners are not corners. It's not oval, and it's not rectangular. It's shaped more like a boardroom table and if I REALLY wanted to be nice (I don't), I'd have donated it to the parish as a Vestry table. Kinda surfboard shaped-- fatter in the middle.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 09:49 AM

Decluttered a whole heap of inherited crap from my office workstation today... some of it was from 4 years before I started working there! It's amazing what happens when you're off work and someone else moves your desk...

As for the accountability - will find out on Wednesday what the latest result is and if the way my trousers keep falling down is anything to go by, it should be good!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 10:17 AM

LTS, the trousers know more than the scale. The scale does not differentiate between muscle and fat. Muscle burns fat, but it weighs more than fat.

===

Four dozen hangers are on the way OUT. Office assessed for table-readiness-- it's ready! And boy is it BRIGHT up there!

A bucket of dog toys has moved downstairs and is on the way out to Dog World this sunny morning. They were up there to get me up there and to get the dogs playing yup and won the stairs. Now we can go OUT.

The wheelchair-for-cleaning is looking for a better place in the house. If it gets to be any more of a pain in the patoot it will also go OUT. Its best place on premises may be the back porch, for quick-sits.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 10:20 AM

yup and won = up and down

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: mouldy
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 02:52 PM

Well I have lost the two and a half pounds I put on last week, so I'm back on course. Seeing as I have been full of cold for the last few days, thanks to Freya, I was quite surprised to have lost, as the sugar-full throat and chest remedies have been going down my gullet lickety-split!

Just had the bill for the plumbing work - AAARGH! Actually, it was around what I thought it might be. I now have to just work out how I am going to juggle the numbers in the bank...

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Nov 09 - 03:00 PM

IN comes a new chair for me for Dog World. Not the $45/pair ones I passed on, first, with no cushions-- the $5 ONE from the man a mile farther down the road, who didn't want to move it back indoors for the winter. AND they loaded it for me.

OUT goes a plastic table (matching) cluttering up the unused front porch, to go to DOG WORLD, where I can set a mug of tea and where the doggies need a visual aid to say, "This is not the grass section where you poop, this is the section that is our sitting area, if would you like to join us?" The table has a hole for an umbrella I can spend all winter finding.

OUT will go all the folding chairs I rescued from church trash several years ago to have them here as Jam Session (or other overflow) chairs, because that is really all that porch is good for anyway-- it's always FREEZING out there and the steps are awful, but on a really hot evening it's nice out there. A pallet already sits out there in the one dry spot that never gets rain or snow, to keep them decently usable.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 03:40 AM

Kids toys have been sorted and 2 big sacks are now in the attic. The front room has been cleaned from top to bottom and the furniture rearranged. The kids enjoyed their 'tidying up' game.

Body pump class tonight for some more toning up.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 01:24 PM

That heavy mow job was good for the diet, I'm down a couple of more pounds, just entering that next zone (you know the one I mean, every time you go into the next lower 10 pound range on the scale).

Here's a grandson's son, a great chuckle! :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 01:45 PM

Darling video, thanks.

The city truck were in the n'hood vacuuming up leaves. We're at the beginning of the route, so they started at 7:30am. But it's a great way to get rid of the leaves; the city composts them, and gives away the compost in the Spring.

Started cleaning the house for the holidays. Moved all the furniture & cleaned (and polished!) the wood floors in the living room & dining room. Dusting furniture along the way. Will wash the kitchen floor this afternoon.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 03:04 PM

Better deal than we get on leaves. The city charges.

I gave away a box of 3x summer clothes to a woman who needs tham, having a leg in a straight cast, nad have 2 boxes of t-shirts I want to keep sorted and folded into boxes.

Otherwise I am vegging out on the computer watching old TV shows I missed not having a TV.

Anyone know where I can find Robert CArlyle playing Hamish free online?

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 05:45 PM

I don't know what I was thinking when I put in that link. It is a co-worker's grandson. Geez. Too much going on here today (held hostage by the Sears repair guy--on his way over at the end of the day after parts arrived earlier.)

Working around the house this evening, and listing stuff on eBay. And straightening up my eBay room.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 07:46 PM

At last! I think the fridge is fixed. All of the symptoms were apparently not different parts failing, they were one part - the computer. Misreading and sending out the wrong info. Making the freezer too cold, and when it does that, the gasket fails and lets moisture in. And then the defroster can't keep up with it, and too much cold air moves into the fridge part. So, a new computer board and two new thermostats and we'll see if the thing works. I also put the water filter and ice maker back into service. This will be nice.

It destroyed a lot of food in the last few days. Many of my peppers and tomatoes froze, so I need to build up my supply. I threw out a bunch of eggs, and there is more that will go out tomorrow night for Thursday's trash.

Now I can move forward with some of the rearranging in the kitchen, I'm not having to hover around that appliance. Still planning on eBay, but also moving some books from a set of shelves in my office to the new shelves in the front room, and then the emptied set will go in the kitchen.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 09:52 PM

I have done a few little things. All of my necklaces were tangled up hanging from a cup rack, you know the kind that pulls out like an accordion? So, I took them all down, untangled them, then put them back, neatly.

I aked Rog if he will help me go through the linen closet on Saturday. We put almost all of the stuff in there in those vacumm bags and have never used any of it since, so it seems stupid to keep it all. We'll see once I see what is in there, again.

Oh, and I have not used all of my bonus points for the first time in weeks. Weigh in tomorrow morning.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 11:21 PM

The other day I stacked some backpacks, luggage-type duffel bags, and cloth totes onto a closet shelf, and used a couple of bungie cords across the shelf (top to bottom) to keep them from sliding off the shelf.

I've been moving books and sorting VCR tapes (compressing the collection).

I hear that we have a chance of patchy frost tonight, so I'll spend a few minutes throwing a tarp over the top of my tomatoes. They're not ready to ripen yet. Looks like its soon time to pull them out and hang the entire plants up so the fruit will ripen.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 09:15 AM

Sorted the dining room and got rid of a few things - mostly rubbish and stuff that should be in a different place. Just as well, I have a committee meeting tonight that needs the room! I'm really busy procrastinating now... I've been tying up shrubs and things in the garden that have been blown about, putting next door's tree back in their garden before it takes the fence down, and trying to work out why the phone doesn't work (the battery in the handset had run down).. anything to avoid tidying the front room... which I suppose I really had better get on with...

Then there's the chicken to go in the oven...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 10:02 AM

With the furnishing of Dog World underway, I see an invitational dogpark emerging. I know people who lack fenced yards as I did-- now there is a place to bring their dogs to play.

Next to add: an outdoor grooming station. No, I do not want to be a dog groomer-- I just want to use my horse-handling skills to work on the dogs, at a better working height. The lady who boards them inspired this, although I doubt that she knows it-- she bent over one day and lifted Faulkner's paw-- EXACTLY like a farrier-- to clip a toenail. How often over the years I have wished I had a good place outside to brush off the shedding season, clip nails, etc. Now I can do that in Dog World and let the birds have the discarded fur for their nests.

I have cinder blocks I can stack TODAY, already in there, to figure out the best working height FOR ME and then build it in lumber or out of shipping pallets already on the property. And when I'm not working oin them it can be their King of the World sunning station.

Another HUGE change in daily living, from Dog World-- when we opened the old fence for demo, I found several pans I had not seen in years, scattered out there. The kids had set the pans into the dog corner after bulk-cooking, to let the doggies lick up pan juices-- these were the pans that had scooted themselves off the dog porch and underneath. THAT fence did not have a gate-- the dog-sized door was the only access and it was way too small for me, not to mention requiring acrobatics!

But with the new fencing and gate, I can not only set a pan out there, but if it goes missing I can just go GET IT.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 10:34 AM

Dropping everything else and getting my son's college applications sent out. Lighting a fire under him is the hardest part, though he wants to go. He just can't see far past all of the homework they're buried him under this semester. Though many schools have deadlines in the next six weeks, some of them have a Dec. 1 deadline. If we treat all of them as a Dec. 1 deadline we'll get that out of the way and free ourselves up to search for scholarships.

Oy. Tons of work ahead.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 11:23 AM

Oy here. Dogs ate one cushion off my new chair out in DW!!!

We remediated who owns furniture, toys, and gate. Of course I had other cushions I could stuff in there, but-- !*!&!%^!^!(!)!(!&!&^!!! I MUST be able to sit there at least long enough to catch my breath. Screw the furniture for now-- I gonna get a couple of hay/straw bales I can use later as mulch. (A hay-bale recliner? Easy-peasy.)

Next to teach/remediate is FETCH TRASH. I had one dog that would clean up a whole room's floor as a game-- she had learned it before we got her. So now these two are going to have to learn that game because I have tons of faux snow and faux gravel out there in DW now. They wanna play, they gonna have to play MY game. THEY can clean up their mess! AFAIK any dog can learn this game, and really, shouldn't all dogs be able to do this?

Bitter-apple-sprayed new cushions. Moved 3 turf squares and two cinder blocks. Left wheelbarrow in DW for next round.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 01:15 PM

LtS, your last post, last line leaves me to ponder that age old question, though paraphrased:

Why did the chicken go in the oven?

**BG**

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 01:34 PM

Today was not the first time I have tried to get a simple job done in my own home, only to discover that my skinnier husband has arranged things so that I cannot get TO them to DO them. It's nice that HE can move whatever he sets where HE wants it, but if I live here, I need to be able to get around, too. It is not helpful to have "accessible" steps to the back yard-- and then find that inside, my home is increasingly NOT accessible!


First there were the porch's fire logs I have said for weeks that I want to move-- they are blocked in. So I got the ones I could reach..... and went on with my planned job.

Then I decided to try to get the table that I have said, for weeks, I need as a desk. To get out into the storage area even to look, I had to move a set of barbells (the ones he is supposed to train ME on), just to look. Just to see IF I could get at the table I want for my office.

..... only to discover that the whole weight rack is set so that the door-- which leads not only to the table, but MY BACK-TO-WORK ARCHIVES-- will not open.

So I MOVED IT ALL. I left a bit of a wake.....

And I'm mad. By the time Hardi gets home I hope to have the table UP there and assembled. He may not like how I leave the wake THAT move may create, either. Frankly, I will be too f*cking sore to care a hell of a lot, and I may be sore enough to dine up there, as well.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 06:20 PM

Still not 100% just yet but I was out for a little bit today. Food choices could be better and yoga just isn't an option for right now....hopefully Friday will be better.

I have a chicken roasting in the oven (a steal at .59 cents a pound), potatoes are baking, a nice salad is all ready, a fire going and it's just cozy in here. I love nights like this.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 06:55 PM

Chicken followed a custard tart, which followed the chicken in eating order... both were fantastic, though I say so myself, and have done nothing to help the accountability report, except that at official weigh-in, I am only 6lbs short of my target! After 2 weeks of comfort/illness eating, I still came in 1/2 lb lighter than 2 weeks ago!

Back on plan as of tomorrow... got to shift that last 6lbs before Christmas.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 07:59 PM

My weight has crept up a little over the last month or so. But, I've been very careful the last few days. Like today, nothing with white flour!. Oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch and salmon for supper. Oh, and I got the results of my cardiac stress test: my heart is fine-- no problems showed up.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 09 - 08:11 PM

I got the table up! Had to accept some help on the last bit up the stairs. :~( But Hardi survived the rant. (That makes two this year.)

And spent a VERY productive 5 hours in that office getting a big project knocked out, desk equipped, de-junked a storage section in the hallway and cleaned/dusted/set up the video-shelf for planned workshops. De-flied several areas. Pleased how well the upstairs is set up as an all-day spot as needed. Had a "St. Mary's" dinner up there and left a lunch up there for tomorrow's next push-- another overdue project.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 11:07 AM

Stuffed Pillow in dog world = disaster. Ask me how I know. . .

My two destroyed several pads and cushions, until I bought coastal hay for them to sleep on. They love it, and I pull it out every month or two and re-stuff it into their dog houses.

We're part way through the college application process, and stopped due to need for sleep last night. Once he has the common application completed we can put together forms and stamped envelopes for his teachers, and he has to ask them not only if they will do it but if they have time to do it in the next couple of days. We'd like to have all of this in the mail before Thanksgiving. He has the whole week off next week, so we'll be finishing some of it then. I think the teachers might have a day at school next week, so we can drive over and take in more forms if need be.

I picked up a used VCR at a garage sale this morning (one of our old ones died a couple of weeks ago) and I picked up one of those 300 CD changers (same garage sale). With as many disks as I have, I'd like to load some of them in it, but I need to look up the owners manual first, and figure out a software program so I can keep track (make a printout) of all of the tracks on the disks and not resort to random play. Kat, I think you cataloged your CDs, didn't you? Did you use a program dedicated to that?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 11:14 AM

5 wash loads done today, mainly kids clothing and bedding as George was diagnosed with eczema earlier on in the week and the doctor suggested washing everything in non-bio liquid as well as treating him with the ointments and cream. He's much better now and I'm now trying to get everything dry!

Kitchen floor swept and washed this morning. Lasagne in the oven.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 11:49 AM

I took a major step and threw away 2 ice cream makers which were each missing a part.

Siting there for years, and I don't even eat ice cream anymore.

If someone comes up with a stevia ice cream recipe, I may go trash dive and get them back.

"A piece missing is something wrong with it."

I try to remember this every time I go through stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 12:35 PM

It was definitely Sadie who put the stuffed cushions into play. Faulkner knows better and he assured me, "Wasn't me, boss, I'm the GOOD dog, I swear!" I bet she pulled it off the chair, and I am sure he chased her all over telling her not to play with my cushion-- which just made her shake it all the more, I am also sure. (My bad.) Still-- a $5 chair was a cheap illustration of why Sadie will not be invited to lounge around in the LR when we are not with them. :~)

I know this because he was left with some food temptations (inadvertently) in the kitchen for a few hours last night, and did not even investigate. I think it was ONE time as a pup he offered to chew a sock, and was told "MINE," and that was all he needed to know. Sadie, OTOH, is an anxiety/boredom digger, always looking for something to get excited about, and has had a lot less upbringing. That's OK. She has other skills in the pack mix.

I COULD spend a LOT of time training her, and she'd remember for a few days, but it's easier just to follow #1 rule: Never expect an animal to do something it cannot do. I'm happy to reinforce the surprising and desired things they CAN do, and build my expectations around that.

Like fetch-- they both like it but in different ways. When they are both present, some of the fun for them is the competition and showing off. "I'll bring it BACK," says F. "I hate to return it but I will run and run to go look for it," says S.

Whatever-- one of them gets it and the other one takes it from her and brings it to me so we can start all over. ;~) They both get exercise. It's that desire to compete that I will harness in teaching them to pick up trash on request. They definitely watch each other to see what I am rewarding. Sadie is even learning that "sit" and "down" might also mean "stay."

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 12:39 PM

And did I mention there's an old AC on the way out?

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maeve
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 12:45 PM

Start diving!

Very Vanilla Ice Cream
2 Egg Yolks
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup Soy Milk
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
½ Tsp. Pure-Li Natural Stevia Powder Concentrate

In a blender or food processor whip all ingredients very thoroughly then refrigerate for 1 hour. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice-cream maker and follow directions for freezing.

For a fun treat add fruit (blueberries, strawberries, banana, raspberries, cherries or cranberries) once mixture is semi frozen, then complete the freezing process.

These recipes are variations and modifications of recipes found in:
The Stevia Story by Linda Bonvie, Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates
The Stevia Cookbook By Ray Sahelian and Donna Gates
Recipe found here: http://www.purelinatural.com/Recipes.html

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 01:02 PM

Gosh, how busy.

I've been over at my Dad's for the first time for ages, and have returned with yet more books and my fabric stash for the new place. Also a shelf unit that Dad had made out of melamine coated board, which will go in the garage. We have a photo of him working at it. And an old eiderdown which is going to become the cushion for a chair I am remaking. It is based on the teak frame of an old armchair, of which I have dumped the seat and back. I'm going to make a fabric seat for it like a deckchair and put the down cushion on it.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 03:38 PM

That sounds lovely, Penny, esp. that you have a photo of him working at teh bench.

SRS, I never did get to cataloguing my CDs. I'd thought i would just use excel, but it's really too much trouble. I only have about 130 in the 300+ changer and now know where most of them are in the lin-up. I've lost the manual so haven't even sorted them by genre. YOu can do that, you know, when you input their titles. You can designate a group, then play only that group later on. I wish my unit would interface with the computer, but it was pre-those days near as we can tell. Good luck.

We have a mirror, about 2.5" X 3" or thereabouts which is going home with Morgan, tomorrow. We've had it down low in the office for him, here, but I want it out and his mom said okay for it to go to his room. Kid's making out this year with an antique rocker and a very nice, old, simple wood-framed mirror, as he says, "MEER-rah."

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Dave Earl
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 03:43 PM

Don't know if this is in context? But...

Severe declutter in the offing!

Boiler (is it furnace over da pond?) dead - replacement organised but all the radiators need to be sorted out too.

So everyting to be out of the way to allow 18 inches clear space around every radiator ( if you have a "lived in" house you know what a difficulty that will be)

Shouldn't be playing in here cos of the above but.......

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 06:41 PM

Ahh, the joys of living in an old house....

You have my sympathy, Dave. Went through something like that when I had the interior painted last spring. But think about where you want things to go when you're finished-- I moved a lot of things up (to the 2nd floor) or out (lots of books went to the library). You'll feel much better when it's over.

M

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 06:50 PM

Up 1.4 pounds this week and I'm okay with that given how sick I've been the last 2 weeks....which meant zero exercise. I MISS MY YOGA! Tomorrow, I will be able to go though as I am feeling MUCH better.

Started my new job today and enjoyed myself just fine!

Michelle who needs to do some dishes

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maeve
Date: 19 Nov 09 - 08:29 PM

It's good to see you here, Dave. Keep us posted as you make progress so we can cheer you on! Hope the new boiler and radiators are up and running before you get seriously cold weather. Or more rain!

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 12:29 AM

maeve, you're a hoot! Good timing on that recipe--maybe there was time to retrieve an ice cream maker!

Made progress on the applications for universities, but will have to work more on the weekend and take forms over to school on Monday or Tuesday, when the teachers will be working but the students are off.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 02:19 AM

Too late; the trash truckcame today, but thanksfor the recipe.

2 birds feeders gone in freecycle, one garden ornament (which was a gift from an ex, and I was tired of the reminder every time I saw it), tent promised pickup no show.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 09:20 AM

AM office coffee, nice. Set a spell to review ofc equipping, saw a few tweaks easily done. VERY bright (as I had anticipated) up there even on a gray day, with the bright-fluoro sunbulb plus huge windows. Gave a few thoughts to workshop video use and organization. Something is coming my way, and I will be ready.

Also noticed that under the table, which is a tad high for keyboarding (I use a keyboard shelf), there is copious room for a nice, deep file cabinet that is taking up WAY too much space in what Hardi has taken over as his personal weight room. The stuff IN it needs to be upstairs now, too-- yup. The couch in there may go up, too. :~)

What I think I have not mentioned is that the color scheme in the office-- golden-pine paneling with white ceiling and white lacy curtains-- just happens to fit my alltime favorite color scheme, of which I have copious amounts of fabric (saved from my apartment when we got married in '92). The most important winter prep up there is to find the heavy, fluffy, WARM terrycloth bathrobe essential to grant-writing.


Giac's picture came up on the screensaver the other day in another setting-spell. She had quite a bit to say to me, too-- and I listened. :~) I think I better make sure Rick's penetratingly-curious gaze is in that rotation, too.

Other photos are welcome, BTW, from friends here who know my email address. An inspiring .JPEG I can insert would be quite a help.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 11:12 AM

Sometimes I wonder how I ever find anything. I was reading Susan's description of her office, and got to the point where she mentions "white lacy curtains". I think "brilliant!"; I have some lace curtains, and they'd go great in my office too. But I can only find one curtain (and 2 valances)-- I know there were two, but I can't find the second one. Since now is not the time to tear the house apart, I'll just have to wait until I stumble upon it.

Went to Windsor last night, for a sing-along session with some friends. Nice little deal. They do one round of songs that everyone has lyrics for, and then one round of solo songs. If there's time, they go around again. It was about 11:30pm when I crossed back. The customs guy asked a lot of questions, but you get used to that.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: GUEST,Penny S. (elsewhere)
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 11:53 AM

The shelves are not exactly lovely, as he made them out of scrap materials - my sister thought we should donate them to the dump! But they will do the job. And there is the photo.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 12:15 PM

Sometimes I wonder how I ever find anything.

Oh, I'll tell you my shameful secrets. The lacy curtains are UP, but one pair has needed to be shortened for years! Because the windows are not the same size.

AND I wanted to put a matching piece under the glass top, but I can't find THAT one (another pair that almost match). If and when I do, one panel will go under the glass and the 4th will go into the wider window that needs no hemming! :~)

BUT I know where to look if I don't grab another piece in another color, that is handy, quicker-- the day just busied up with an emergency hospital call Hardi dashed off on, which puts some of his "scheduled" chores back on MY List again today.


Why I know where to look is the Other Big Secret. It's color. Each room has a fixed color palette. If I come across something that fits that palette, it gets set to go toward that room and, eventually, it does flow it's way there (where the well-policed closets usually have room). Then I usually have only one room to check, if I get the bright idea to go off plan and pull a color to mix.

====

SQUEAM ALERT ON

One chore now permanently OFF my list is making up the beds for overnight guests. It's just not realistic to put linens on a bed that 2-3 cluster flies will crawl into, to die, and then hope there aren't any visible when an honored guest peels back the pretty linens!!!

Instead, the linens for each room, which have been bagged against the flies to begin with, are always there and available. They've been ready that way for years, and ya know what? No guest has ever YET put a fresh set back ON when they left.

SQUEAM OFF


So-- when a guest comes-- if I have time to put the linens on, of course I'll be happy to do it, but from now on I will warn potential arrivees that I may not get to it no matter how much I might like to promise that I will-- these emergencies are the norm, at our house, not the exception. But it's how and why, for example, Hardi can rush off to see a bandmate's son unexpectedly at the ER.

AT OUR PLACE, THAT'S ALWAYS THR TRADE-OFF. (inad capslock)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 01:25 PM

Help Request

I need a safe partner to be on a buddy-PM-system on this home-office issue. If that describes you, and you have time, pls PM.

Thanks,

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 09 - 06:11 PM

What part of the home-office issue? (I'm about to start moving books and maybe the table in the corner and who knows what else once I get started). Are you looking for a partner in crime? ;-D

Took the day off to do things with my daughter. I turned over a bag of patterns I picked up a few weeks ago at a garage sale. There were a couple of pretty ones in there that I wouldn't mind making for myself, but I doubt I'd get around to it any time soon, so I sent them all up. But then I was looking at Martha Stewart's blog (she links to it via Twitter) and she attended a party this week in a pair of fitted legging-like pants (a little longer than capri, but along those lines) and over the top wore a straight sided beautiful jacket, in a stunning shiny bronze fabric. And a good pair of shoes. This was a simple yet very elegant look, and one that I wouldn't mind having handy in my closet. I think there was a jacket in those patterns that would work that way. I may ask her to bring the bag back on her next visit so I can look through a little more closely. And with all of the sewing she does now, maybe I'll have her modify it for me if the one I saw isn't quite the right size. This is a good look at it.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:20 AM

Tonight I did two main things: I moved a lot of furniture, and I polished off a bottle of wine. I suppose the furniture moving burned the calories, but I don't know if it is a wash. The scale will tell me in a couple of days. Anyway, I have a tangle of wires behind the media cabinet so tomorrow I'm going to disconnect everything and see if I can't make some sense of it all. I set up a new (garage sale) VCR and it works just fine. Watched a couple of old tapes while I moved other furniture around. Right now I don't have the VCR or DVD going through the receiver and out to the big speakers, so that's what needs re-wiring tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: MAG
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 09:33 AM

I don't know if anyone wants to read this, but,

GAG alert

As I continue to clean out the rubble, I finally got to the back corner of the spare room which has been a storgae space for many years. I could barely get in there.

Anyway I finally got there and found a TREMENDOUS pile of cat shit which has to have been there awhile.

I did what I could; have to go in and vacuum and spreay and shampoo like the dickens.

I was so put off I had to go away from there for the rest of the day.

Pardon the gross, but this has been so demoralizing I needed to get it off my chest.

Kitty has been squeezing back there for awhile, in spite of an always-clean box rightt at the door.

Mary Ann

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 09:55 AM

GAG ALERT CONTINUES

MAG, don't forget about the enzyme sh*t-dissolvers for the resdie that will be left, esp. if this went into wood or other absorbent flooring.

There is the carpet-cleaning stuff at the grocery store, but the same type stuff as a camping product may be cheaper-- and poss. available in a smaller-size for your hopeful one-time use. That would be porta-potty or RV-potty tank deodorizer/waste breakdown stuff, in several scents-- watch out for the minty one (ewww), but there is an orange scent that is not too bad.

But before you apply an enzyme, consider a diluted vinegar wash to remove odor and change Ph.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 04:08 PM

Nature's Miracle is good at developing products for just this kind of use. I have a cat who always heads straight for the corners of the one carpeted room. I keep him out as much as possible, and I have some of their pet stain stuff on hand (I also have the skunk odor remover for the dogs).

I have the school stuff to do, but my second monitor has been failing to turn on, and continually turning on and off the computer only messes up my desktop. So I took time today to run some diagnostic stuff. Since the monitor did turn on occasionally, I figured it was either the video card or some program controlling it that wasn't getting the message any more. I think I've found it and at the same time I've updated my free AVG and run scans with my Spybot Search&Destroy, etc.

Still working on where furniture sits. I moved the piano to a new position, but I may end up moving it back. Or someplace else. If it had been restored I'd be tempted to move it down into the front room, but since one day I hope to have it go out the door for extensive restoration, I'm keeping it on the upper level near the doors.

I'm thinking about moving the shelves back in and putting the VCR tapes up, and while I do it I'll sort out all of the ones we won't keep. I've pulled several dozen already that I think I can pack up for re-recording on or something. They still work, there's no point in sending them to the dump. Since I don't have a DVR right now, it's tapes. And the new garage sale VCR works just fine. I still haven't got quite all of the wires going to the right parts of the receiver (I can't hear these through the stereo yet) so I'll take out all of the wires and put them back. I suspect I have some just hanging out in there doing nothing. I used to stash a spare folding table behind the television cabinet, and I'm thinking about doing that again. You can never have too many tables. Maybe.

I'm still thinking over where I want my little secretary. I tend to open mail in the kitchen, and one of the things that Martha Stewart points out is that you should situate some of your office and file things in the place where you find you use them most often. So putting the secretary in the front room may look good, but I need all of that stuff in the kitchen. And what if I move the big wire pantry rack into the kitchen? Will it look way too crowded, or can I arrange it so the stuff looks interesting, not busy? If I do that, will I put wall-mounted shelves in the hall where the pantry used to stand? Or put a table there against the wall?

Lots to consider.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 07:44 PM

Feeling a little blue this evening. I was in the hardware store and ran into the vet we used to see and followed to various practices, but we lost touch with him about 4 years ago. He was working freelance for a while after he dissolved a partnership (didn't support two vets), and though I'd asked at the place if they knew where he was (we kept seeing his old partner, but weren't as happy there and hated their high prices) and they said they hadn't heard.

Of course this was nonsense, as it turns out. I'm feeling sad because we lost Clementine last January, and one of the reasons was I couldn't afford all of the anticipated vet bills, but I think Dr. Bob would have been a lot more reasonable, he isn't supporting a "pet resort" like the old partner is. So I'm switching this week, and having the current (now ex) office fax my records to the new one.

Making progress around the house. I'm on a plateau as far as the diet, but I'm not going to go back on Scarsdale this week, it would be too difficult. I'll keep the "stay trim" or whatever the less strenuous part is, and after Thanksgiving I'll go cold turkey, so to speak. The following week on Monday. I still feel motivated and am looking forward to wearing more and more of the clothes in my closet.

I did some chores today, dropped off recycling (in the last couple of days I've taken all of it out--I have to take some to the village city hall, where they collect paper and aluminum. The rest goes to another recycling program). I found some brand new (or at least, unused) medium length post office cardboard tube mailers. I've been meaning to find some of these, I have some posters for eBay a friend send. And I picked up a big box to begin some of my holiday mailing. It begins!

I cleaned out the fireplace in anticipation of setting candles in there for burning. It's always damp and full of pill bugs and such, and I realized that the hatch that is supposed to open to let me push old ash out and then empty outside had completely rusted out. I'd had a brick over part of it, but not enough to keep the air from flowing in (hot in the summer, cold in the winter--very noticeable). So I pulled out some left-over special insulation foam for running around under the frame of glass fireplace doors and put a couple of hefty loops of it around the edge of that hole and then put two bricks completely over the top. I could feel the difference immediately. I put the grate back, found a larger plank to put across it, and put a new multi-candle holder ($1 at a garage sale) on top. There is a mirror behind it, and a few other random candles just set in there. It looks good to have even flames as small as candles in there, and it helps keep the cold from the fireplace entering the house. The fireplace doesn't draw well, so I don't burn wood in it very often.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 08:34 AM

(((SRS)))

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 10:06 AM

Not much going on here due to the new job and me getting used to the schedule. I really enjoyed my first day on the job but the second day they switched things up a bit and I'm not sure so that's a job I'd like to continue....so I may end up saying goodbye. Too bad really but I'm at a point in my life right now where I'm working very hard to pay attention to what my own intuitions and gut are telling me.

Today is mostly a day at home and I am looking forward to puttering. And SRS, I like that bit you shared about Martha Stewart...makes sense and I may have to put that idea into play. It's a simple idea and one I have half heartedly done around here......hmmm...something for me to think about! :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 01:23 PM

Michelle, why not ask them to let you do what they had you doing on the first day? You don't have anything more to lose than if you simply walked, seems to me. And I agree with Martha also on that office stuff organization--I moved the secretary into the front to look at it, but it doesn't work, so I'm going to put it back in a corner of the big room where I had it before. I think that will be best. I have the file cabinet in the kitchen corner mostly out of sight behind a bigger piece of furniture, but I may relocate that as well. Nearer the secretary.

Turkey is in the fridge, beginning to thaw. I'll probably put it in the sink in water to thaw the rest of the way on Tuesday, and brine it sometime late on Wednesday. I'd better check out the recipe.

I have a box packed and ready to go to a friend in NYC. I found a beautiful basket of big pine cones, and he just loves big pine cones. I picked up some on the road for him on one cross country trip and he still talks about them. He never seems to go to craft stores to buy his own, so I'm sending a nice wicker and grapevine basket plus a whole big bundle of cones that I picked up for $1 at a garage sale.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 10:50 PM

I made tapioca pudding this morning. It produced about twice as much as I had expected, so I'll be eating it all week. Made a broccoli salad to take to the trivia quiz.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 12:49 AM

I have picked up the video card for my computer. My son is a little envious, though this isn't quite the card he wants. He likes the storage, but it isn't quite as fast as the card he has now.

Now to turn off the machine and change it out. Fingers crossed. . .

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 01:44 AM

I am IN MY OFFICE on the LAPTOP with WIRELESS card... on a scrounged laptop pedestal (from Sallie's) that has sat for....a year? Waiting for me to put it to use. It just TOOK this long.

And H and I did hours worth of songbook-making IN MY OFFICE, this afternoon. I ended up putting one leaf in the table. So far.

My inboxes are two banana boxes. Actually they were 40-lb cases of chix, but the size is bananas. :~)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 08:09 AM

7:15am Me, outside, helping to stack wood. I love the chill in the morning air, it makes me feel alive!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 11:08 AM

We did our usual pick up, put away, sweep, and scrub Sunday, but not until after we went out on the desert with our son and, get ready for a shock...went target-shooting with my dad's old .22 single shot rifle. I was very shaky from new meds, but I did find I could hit the broad side of a barn if I had to. It felt wonderful to get out, away, into the crisp, sunshiny air and, on the way out, we saw whole flocks of beautiful little desert birds. Next time my son is going to show me some crsytals and also a place where one can find fossils, though we will leave them intact...it's all on BLM land.

The rest of the day wasn't much good after Morgan went home, but at least we got out and the floors look swept.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 05:25 PM

We used to go down on a beach with a high bluff in the background and do some target practice when I was a kid. Great memories. So what if you're shooting a gun? It doesn't mean the NRA has their grip in you, and it doesn't mean anything regarding your view of concealed weapons, etc. My Dad used to hunt, but injured his knee badly enough on one trip the doctor told him he probably ought to stop some of that or he'd really mess it up.

Working on college stuff. There will be a lot of that for a while.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 06:44 PM

Went over to the new place and ate breakfast there, then unloaded boxes from the car (heavy rain when I arrived), and stowed tins of stuff in the kitchen cupboards. I am being a bit OCD about this, and inventorying everything on my PDA, so that I don't buy stuff I have already, and do eat up things I'd forgotten I had. (In some cases I think I deliverately forgot them. The typo, I think, refers to a tin of cooked liver in gravy which used to be around... strange idea. Don't try it if you see it.)

Then I went upstairs - only one dead fly, which I had missed as it had crawled into one of the light fitments in the bedroom. Said light fitments are four or five halogen spots suspended from a pair of wires. Keep reminding me of the trolley buses that used to run in Brighton when I was young.

I hung more clothes in the wardrobe, having taken some skirt hangers across. Above the rail is a shelf, and it is about two foot from that to the ceiling. At the moment, I've just slung things up there - though I've bought a hanging fabric sweater thing. The shelf beats me - it's too high for ease of access without a step, and has too much space for sensible use. The top of it is above the top of the doors. (Does that make sense?) I think I need to put in another shelf that I can put bagged out of season items on, and vertical sections below it to stop things getting like the stacks in Primark. (A cheap chain of fabric shops which is the reverse of Benetton - it is the thing for the clothes to descend to the level of a jumble sale in disorder...)

I have bought a ceramic hob cleaning blade to get the badge off the window.

No news from the garage door guys. And I have discovered that the flat roof over the front of the garage leaks. In the vicinity of the electricity meter and the fuse box.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 06:52 PM

And yesterday, after breakfast in my new kitchen, kat's report reminds me that I went through my geological stuff and added some to the garden. Did I mention that the garden has an odd mix of lovely quartz vein fill, other geological specimens - , slates, and possibly Shap granite, which I will have to compare with mine, and heaps of broken urban conglomerate or wimpeyite, (aka concrete) treated as if of equal value with the collection? In one case, the good stuff has been used to chock up flagstones, while the concrete just sits around uselessly. In another, though, the concrete has become moss covered, and looks OK.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 06:54 PM

And, in the old garden, the hyacinths my mother gave me one Christmas long ago are flowering already - a bit half-heartedly, but I'll be able to take them with me.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 11:41 PM

I was planning a quiet day at home for Thanksgiving, but I talked with my friend Bill this evening, and ended up inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner here. Hmmm. Now I have to clean the bathroom, kitchen and dining room, plus get out the good silverware & china (if I'm gonna cook a big dinner, I might as well go all-out). And food.... I gotta cook a turkey!

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 08:33 AM

I'm up and running this morning. Dishes are done, laundry is going, breakfast has been made, eaten and cleaned up, Pete's lunch packed and he's out the door. We went apple picking this year but ended up with a bunch of wormy apples. Instead of just throwing them out, I've been rough chopping them, adding some cinnamon and simmering them on either the woodstove or stove. No need for a fire in the woodstove this morning so I have the apples on the stove. I love the way they smell!!!

I'll be fussing around the house today getting things all spiffy for holiday company and if time allows, I have some Christmas gifts I'd like to get wrapped.

Also on my agenda for today is to make some homemade bread and chicken soup from the leftover chicken I roasted earlier this week. I'm feeling kinda homey today. :)

Have a great day everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 09:22 AM

Hardi and I are each, separately, running Txgvg baskets all over the twin tiers, plus (me) an air conditioner to a lady who asked for it, yielded it to someone else due to time/travel issues, and then declined a Txgvg box for herself in favor of a needier person she named. It's a ThreeCycle-- multiple beneficiaries on all one trip, and another opportunity to spend a nice day with friend and road partner Ed.

The Dog World chainlink got some attention last night, by flashlight, as Hardi and I started a re-do of the hastily-tacked-up topline-- helpers didn't listen and as the light ebbed I OK'd a lot of quick work to get the dogs out of the smaller kennel we built first. But that raised the whole thing higher off the ground than I wanted, so in the spring we will trim the posts a couple inches, and re-sink that whole section into the trench that was dug to bury it. Till then the doggies will get some electric motivation to leave that section un-nosed. I plan to use cattle-fence-sticks (cheeeeep) to carry dog-strength hotwire. Which lines are powered at any one time will vary-- the doggies only need one touch to realize that skinny little wire should NEVER be nosed/climbed. Anyway, it's been so much fun using ag approaches to Dog World. And I figured out how to use Invisible Fence if we ever live farther than 12' from a road-- how to train the dogs to it with minimal fuss. (Someday I can afford that option. For now-- Dog World.)

But I LIKED fence design, so now I'm thinking goats are in our future. Not here, but somewhere, someday. Goats to milk, with a few feeder sheep. I've done goats before (small scale), and I love the outdoor chores.



The upstairs office came in handy early this AM when I could not sleep-- snack, comfy table to eat it, and laptop to notify a few folks of a last-minute sched change. As long as I was up, I also changed a lampshade in there-- my pretty colors came off another lamp and went in there. I have more of the pretty fabric to cover the swapped shade, so now I'll see my colors in more places. It's esp. nice to see them filtering lamplight, and I'll put a full-spectrum bulb in that lamp when I can.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 11:50 AM

Does washing one's hair count as decluttering? :-> The new medicine is really doing weird things...we may change it tomorrow, but in the meantime, it took me about an hour to talk myself into just washing my hair! (I did and it feels much better.) And that is on one quarter the started dose...I needed to give it a few days to work through, but tomorrow is the last day, so we'll see. Some of the side effects seem to be lessening.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 05:07 PM

Mailed a big box--the contents cost $2 at a garage sale, the shipping was $20. Typical. But the contents will bring more than $20 worth of pleasure, I think.

One of my two monitors died (for web design I'm using a dual monitor setup), and I've been fussing with that instead of getting my work done. After guitar tonight we're going to go over to Fry's and look at monitors. I may do a switch - give my son my remaining monitor (it is larger than his now) and get a single bigger one for myself. I could take his older one and give him a newer one, but I'm afraid it won't match up with my monitor for brightness. Otherwise, I could get another one like the one that remains, but they'll spread all across the front of the desk--probably much wider than I need. We'll consider all of the options, and try come come up with something that involves purchasing only one monitor.

Turkey will go in the tub of water this afternoon to thaw for a while, and tomorrow it goes into brine in the evening. My fridge's icemaker has decided not to work after all, so I'm going to have to wait until next month and then call them back and see if they can fix it. I'll buy ice for the cooler (the brine container will be submerged in the ice-filled cooler).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 05:16 PM

I suppose I ought to beat Terry to the number.

200

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 07:52 PM

I decluttered a REALLY big box today-- OUT. The box itself was quite small, but it contained a NEW SONGBOOK's cover stock and camera-ready originals-- it went to the print shop, is done by now, and ready for pickup Friday. And THAT means I can start printing the rest of the book (at church) for assembly, soon! (The smaller box containing those originals will go to my church cubby, tomorrow!)

HUGE amount of work to prep this-- numerous and major repagination "fun" stints.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 01:45 AM

New monitor on desk--it's huge, but the screen is perfect and it's just one instead of two side-by-side with the need to move stuff to one side or the other. I can have many windows open on this. And my larger monitor that was still working fine has now been handed down to my son.

Emptied my pocketbook, to the extent that this basically takes care of christmas for me.

Turkey was in water this evening, back in fridge now. Brine tomorrow. Picked up one, maybe two extra dinner guests for Thanksgiving. One would have been home alone as her kids had other commitments (she was planning to spend a quiet holiday, but jumped quickly at the offer to come over here!) and another who hasn't had the usual invitation to dine with his kids and ex. We're the backup in case they don't come through. That's okay! You know how Thanksgiving dinners are--there is always enough food to stretch to more diners. The trick is to have enough chairs!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 11:20 AM

I got a new set of cookware. Beautiful stainless steel, copper bottomed pots and pans. They are more curvy than traditional pots which makes them just pretty to see sitting on the stove. However.....before I could use them (I opened the box yesterday), each pot had to soak in baking soda and hot water for a bit to remove a clear coating of tarnish inhibitor from the copper. And then there were stickers on the inside center of each pan that were a total pain in the ass to remove. I spent hours on my new pots yesterday. Today they are in full use, prepping for Thanksgiving. We are keeping it small and very simple this year (in line with Core foods)....Roast Turkey, Butternut Squash (from our garden), Mashed Potatoes (from our garden....made with skim milk and no butter), Cranberry Sauce (sorry, full out sugar in this...Splenda just doesn't cut it) and Mom is bringing her famous German Stuffing. No breads. No appetizers. I'm not interested in any of that. I want to have a healthy, delicious meal with the people I love most and that is exactly what will be happeneing here. We'll probably play cards or something afterwards. Oh..and there will be pie. I make a pumpkin pie that my husband LOVES and he'll be making an apple pie (very low sugar, higher in spice). The pumpkin pie is very rich...I might have a piece or maybe I'll have had plenty of other stuff by the time desert is on. We'll see.

So....today I am cooking, mashing and prepping. Laundry is going, dishes are done, floors are swept, house has been dusted. Mopping will take place tomorrow morning so the dogs won't have a chance of mucking up the floors quite as much. My husband is home for the day and while we will both putter at stuff around the house, I imagine that we will spend a good deal of time just relaxing as well. :) It's going to be a great day!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 02:06 PM

Flow twds upper ofc continues, plus being sure which functions will remain down and which will go up-- incl associated furniture, hardcopies, equipt.

Spent AM helping friend untangle HER home-office nightmare (degoofing, which means attention to/unblocking of her thought process for fixing some serious issues [plus practical task-helps]), so am glad I didn't rush mine-- very glad to have time to think (and not pressure to act)!

A BIGGIE-- I seem to have reached a good process for declutz of a profuse miscellaneana of recliner-side notes-- on the puder but where to PUT the notes so they can be found from upper or lower office. Yup-- Hotmail DRAFTS folder. It's accessible from either location and can be saved to disk from either or both, as needed.

HotCHAHHH!

Speaking of which, a kitchen-basics setup up there is now in great shape-- added crackers and olive oil, DUH, and I am still in the tinest mini-fridge (with larger nearby as needed and oh DUH I just realized where to put THAT (duh, hallway-- has outlet!!!)! A grocery list for that office will next be created. I have the everyday shopping list always ready to print, but needed one for up there.

Also found and will flow up there the originals for a "printing request form" to use with the parish office when adminning parish tasks from home. Avoids a LOT of confoozuns-- mines's and others'.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 02:47 PM

Note to self-- Need the right image for the outbox-- where the work "stuff" particular to MY work actually goes. The small thing that is large in the application, after it leaves my box. The banana-box inbox is right as-is-- what comes in IS usually that big and then I integrate/invent it to one elegant application. The output is usually small and SO powerful-- needs an image that can be made into an outbox. The old wordprocessor box would have been perfect-- maybe find logo to apply to a basic outbox. How small..... a breadbox.

May have one. Out in cold room......? Take out shelf and paint it.

If not find wooden one, rolltop-desk-style?

A Sallie basket..... Bible verses.... Scripture reference dedicating it..... ask Hardi.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 05:13 PM

giant bag of art and craft supplies taken to work today for colleague who leads scouts and girl guides activities. another to go next week.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 05:42 PM

Well, things are ready to go for tomorrow. The bathroom & kitchen are clean. Just have some dishes to wash tonight. The turkey breast is in the 'fridge, and the veggies & bread for the stuffing are all cut up. The pots and pans are all lined up & ready to go. All I need to do is pop it into the oven in the morning. I make my mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker, so that'll only take a few minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 07:35 PM

Our is in the roaster we were given 5??? years ago and never used, so we decluttered dust, flies, and disuse. Half the turkey will declut tomorrow to some nearby hungry young men far from home; plus whatever fixings we can pull together before we head off for our own turkey at a local restaurant special to us-- and back home to freezer-pack our halfbird to be ready for Crimmiss Eve/New Year's Day feasting.

Tomorrow we may also (or Friday) have fun with punkin bread, with cream cheese filling dolloped into the batter.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 10:50 AM

It's been a busy morning in the Festre household! We've been up, showered, went to town to pick up a paper, out to breakfast, a little ride in the country and now we are home. The turkey is roasting in the oven, potatoes are cut, pies are made, cranberry sauce is chilling...the only thing left is to set the table and cut up the squash. YAY!

Now it's time to relax and check out the papers....might be joining in the madness tomorrow or maybe not. We shall see!

Happy Thanksgiving Ladies!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 03:52 PM

I'm taking a breather, right before the turkey goes in the roaster. It is in the brine still. We eat late, my daughter and her boyfriend go to his family (two meals, they're divorced and each remarried) and then end here. We just want them here, whether they eat much or not.

Back to the kitchen. . .

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 04:02 PM

I am a little curious about the brining of the turkey. I've not known that done over here for Christmas.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 05:07 PM

Changes salt ratio in the flesh to encourage the flesh to absorb moisture and thus avoid dry turkey breast. Formerly done by "broth" injection-- now soaking is known to work equally well. Brine can be flavored. The flesh's urge to absorb moisture due to the salt uptake means any flavoring agents are also absorbed into the depths of the meat.

Steps doing it matter-- easy to make bacteria grow if not done properly. Worth looking up and doing it well. (no here time now)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 05:22 PM

Dinner was a huge success and our time together was even better...lots of conversation, laughter and even singing....it's officially Christmas season as Elvis made his debut with Blue Christmas just after we had our pie!!!

Really though, this is the best Thanksgiving holiday that I can ever remember!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope yours was equally wonderful!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 09:38 PM

Ours was subdued. I am on a new med; Morgan was gone for the day, though he's called me three times; and, Rog did all of the cooking. I couldn't get it together enough to make my usual yummy pie and cranberries. Rog did the latter; my brother brought an awful store-bought pie. I told our son to hold off until the weekend before they come over...my house is not fit, nor am I, for company, just yet. Rog will be going to work for a short time in the morning and I am going with him just to get out of this house! It HAS been a better day than I thought it would be. Rog is a good man; he took me for a long car ride this morning during which I slept and another short one this evening.
I am thankfull for him and for you, my friends.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 09:39 PM

Everything came together, and all the food was ready at the same time. The meat thermometer hit 170F exactly at 2PM. It may be another 20 years before I do this again, but it was great fun-- just to prove that I still can pull it off. The Lions lost to Green Bay, but no surprise there.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Alice
Date: 26 Nov 09 - 09:49 PM

Had a quiet day alone at home, made small roast turkey breast and dressing. I'm still getting over the pneumonia, so I felt just fine and dandy to stay home and take it easy. My son had an invite to dinner with his friends and he made a chutney from scratch that he took to the party... it smelled SO good.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 09 - 02:55 PM

Last year the roaster oven cooked the turkey too fast so this year I put it in later--only to have it cook too slowly. I think it's because it was on the table outside and the air was cold. It was uneven. I ended up taking some of the cooked meat off of the breast and putting the bird back for a while (after moving the roaster indoors).

The house looked better than it has and there was more room for the table. I picked a wine that none of us was happy with--my mistake for reading the labels. I had one in mind but it said "desserts." And yet, that's the one we decided would have been best if we'd each chosen. Next year I'll just get the one I think was right. Meanwhile, I'm going to use this other bottle for some cooking.

Brining is a great way to give the turkey extra flavor and create a generous amount of drippings for gravy. The bird has be be completely thawed, and I have a large plastic (restaurant supply) container that I put into my camping cooler and surround with ice. The brine is 1 gallon of vegetable stock (cooked ahead and chilled), 1 cup kosher salt (I had sea salt, which I think tastes saltier, so I used 3/4 cup), 2 Tablespoons black peppercorns, 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries (I had to use ground), 1 1/2 teaspoon candied ginger (I used ground), and 1 gallon iced water.

There are some "aromatics" with this also: In a bowl you place 1 red apple, sliced, 1/2 onion, sliced, and a cinnamon stick. Add 1 cup of water and microwave (or otherwise simmer) this for 5 minutes. Then scoop the solids and put them in the turkey cavity, along with some sprigs of rosemary and a few leaves of sage.

Mix the stock and ice water and pour into the ice chest container, and soak breast down for 1/2 of the time, then turn it. Brine for at least six hours, and as long as 12 (overnight).

This recipe says to start the bird at 500 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes, then turn it down to 350 for the rest of the baking, with a double layer of foil. It is written for a smaller bird, but if you add cooking time and uncover at the end to brown, it works fine.

This is called the "Good Eats Roast Turkey" that comes from Alton Brown on the Food Network.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 09 - 08:40 PM

Arrrghh! Blue Screen of Death this afternoon! Twice! I think maybe I didn't finish installing the new monitor. I've downloaded the drivers, and scanned everything (it's clean). We'll see what happens.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Nov 09 - 09:47 PM

Roaster here = ginormous crockpot, SRS-- yours also, or counter-top oven?

Good brine explix. The one I saw done ohad maple syrup asne of the flavorants.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 09 - 11:12 PM

There are lots of formulas for brine. Main thing is to keep bird cold enough all of the time.

I'm running Window's disk check on a couple of drives on the other computer. It's slow, but it is to find any bad sectors and to repair any file damage. Probably not necessary, but since I had that blue screen come up a couple of times a Microsoft window popped up with a message to me since the event was reported back to the Mother Ship. This was one of the possible solutions, and though on computers in the past I've done this routine on occasion, I hadn't done it on this one. It's like putting an orange cone next to a pothole so drivers don't hit it. In this case, the bad sectors are flagged so data isn't written to them and lost. I think in this instance the problem was simply that the monitor wasn't completely installed. There wasn't a disk or box with it.

I just had the best turkey sandwich. Since I ate a big lunch (I made hot turkey sandwiches for my son and myself) I didn't want much. I sliced open one of my homemade rolls and buttered it and put it down on the griddle for a few minutes, then added a nice slice of Havarti to the hot bread, plus a slice of home-grown tomato (yes, I still have a few!) and a swirl of mustard. Heated the turkey a little and put it together. Mmmmm! Washed down with a small glass of wine and I'm ready to finish some work around here.

I had moved a set of shelves a couple of times, but finally decided it had to go on the side of the front room (not up beside the piano, but on a perpendicular wall). That is where I am going to put my VCR tapes as I weed them out and also a bunch of paperbacks. This will clear up some of the new shelves (lumber put in a couple of weeks ago) for books from my office. I took a small bookcase (baker's rack type) out of here and put it in the kitchen (where I already had an identical one--now they're side by side) and I have some books on the floor.

The dining table is back down to it's smallest size and the big living room looks good. The shelf and piano are in the front living room, and I think I can have that looking pretty good fairly soon.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 01:30 AM

I just about filled that set of shelves with VCR tapes; I have a lot of DVDs around here, but the stuff on these tapes hasn't been transferred and I haven't seen on disk. And I don't watch them that often that it's worth going out and buying a new copy. So I am discarding the poor quality tapes, the LP versus SP tapes, etc. I have several more boxes of tapes to go through, non-fiction and various television programs that I taped. I'll put those in a different set of shelves, and will sort through them as I put them in place. The floor in that front room is slowly opening up again.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 02:49 AM

Decluttered the local cash and carry store into my car, lost many pounds from the bank account... other than that, pretty dismal on the decluttering/accountability front. I put back the weight I lost last week, have filled the newly tidied dining room with massive amounts of bottles (water and juice) for our concert next week and have been up since 5.30am cleaning the kitchen. Managed to declutter the sum total of one stray lid.

I think I know what I'm going to be doing on my next free weekend - which at this rate is mid January....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 10:10 AM

Liz, at least all of those bottles will leave the house at some point, right? So the clutter is temporary.

Yesterday I was working on some things that I needed to finish, but I had those blue screen of death episodes, so I spent time trying to clear up any computing shortcomings. I think I'm up to speed so now I need to race through some of those chores.

I didn't try to diet this week, but I have tried to keep the junk food to a reduced amount. I had nuts, not candy, in the snack dish (the one that guests made a beeline for, even though I hadn't put it on the central counter yet--it seems they're conditioned from years past to go look for that little three-section crystal bowl with the hammered aluminum lid). I did eat a couple of pieces of pie (on two different days) and then I sent both sets of pie remains back to the ex's house yesterday so my son and his friends can polish it off over there this weekend. I had a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes for breakfast (no added sugar except for a few marshmallows on top) and I'm going to freeze some of the extra meat today so I don't feel obligated to eat turkey for the next week. I'll start that diet up again on Monday.

There's a lot I need to do, but I don't know if I'll get it all started today.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 11:19 AM

I put on a few pounds, but not all from Thanksgiving. It had been creeping back for a while. But I have resolved to do better, beginning today. Most of the turkey went into the freezer, the sweet potatoes had no sugar added (just cinnamon & nutmeg), and the pie went home with my friend. I only keep sugar-free candies in the dish, and I've added peppermints for the holidays.

I have decided not to bake a dozen kinds of cookies this year. I will fix spiced or seasoned nuts, and give those as gifts.

M

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 11:22 AM

Since Rog had to work yesterday, we are running to the store for a couple of items. Other than that, this is a do nothing day with a huge sigh of relief.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 02:11 PM

Another blue screen so I went in and did some more work. Looked at the monitor settings and dumbed it down from a gaming platform (I don't need all of that 3-D stuff) and I also uninstalled the free AVG software (it always fails as I'm clicking on a new page, leading me to believe that AVG is trying to check the site in a way that doesn't conform with how Windows wants to operate). I installed instead a program they use at the university and make available for staff to use on home computers (so we don't infect our office work from home).

Nice day out. I'll try to spend some time out there before dark, taking the dogs for a walk. We all need the exercise! I had another turkey sandwich for lunch, and made some boiled eggs so I can have a chef's salad (with turkey, of course) for dinner.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 02:49 PM

Well, we came back from errands and I could not face another day of being in the house AND doing nothing, mostly due to depression. The meds must be kicking in, because I had Rog help me empty my grandma's trunk, putting some stuff to keep in the other trunk with other keepsakes, then lined the artwork out of the first trunk up on the couch so I can take pix to send to my dau. back East so she can tell me which pieces she wants. Those are her Christmas presents this year. I found a couple of collectible posters in there which I will list on ebay after doing some research. I am cautiously optimistic...it feels as though a fog is lifting off my brain.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 04:26 PM

Ummmmmm................ graaaaay day..... blue........... still got out in bright cloudy-AM to force a few more chainlink parts into place. Blew both shoulders........... edited a ton of Hardi's submissions for a new players' book, together, braindead............. got a whole 15 minutes in on MY project........... all day was 6 steps back, 1 step forward. But I did score a winwinwin on a puder solitaire game on first run-thru, THAT was nice.... it's all good, it just don't FEEL that way...........

Hm.... OK-- Threw out a large yogurt-containerfull of ex-chainlink scrap metal. THAT is an achievement-- it means I can put the rest away where it goes; I also get a trashcan lid back that I needed now that it's not a temp holder! :~)

~S~a

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 04:39 PM

Got up fiendishly early for the builder - the work will be done the week after next, and cost £700 ish. The surveyor never mentioned the evidence of the leak, which is very obvious, and I would certainly have haggled the house price down a bit if I had known about it. It had a bodged repair, and an attempt to hide it. But a surveyor should have seen it.

And I have pulled my back while carrying stuff up the stairs.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 05:34 PM

UK? In the US we hire an inspector who is certified to find and report issues like that.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 28 Nov 09 - 10:49 PM

Tonight I parked my car maybe 1/2 mile from church and walked. After church I walked around town taking lots of photos of the small town Christmas windows. I had some meditation tunes going on my iPod, there was a chill in the air and it was a lovely night for a walk. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 12:41 AM

Went to a house concert this evening. There was a brief open-mic at the beginning, then the featured (local) entertainer. There were a lot of very old songs, and we did a lot of singing along. Great fun.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 05:57 AM

Progress.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 08:49 AM

Loads more stuff pulled out of the spare room. Getting stuff together to make a bean bag mattress which can be stuffed into a shaped sac to use as chair. Need it to do double duty when we have guests for Christmas. Folding bed purchased and collected from Argos.

Another lot of crafty bits to be sorted through to go to colleague's girl guides and basket load of ironing today.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 01:36 PM

My husband and I make an incredible team!!! We spent 2.5 - 3 hours totally cleaning out one of the sheds (10 x 16) and rearranging. We also dug out the Christmas gear...took 2 truckloads to get it all down to the house. I think I mentioned before that we haven't really decorated since Veronica was taken....it's been 5 years now and we're ready to really do it up big!

Whew. Lots of work done today in a short amount of time. I feel great!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 01:51 PM

Warm and humid day, overcast. Looks and feels like rain. I'd better get some of my outdoor stuff out of the way soon.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 03:50 PM

Just in from helping to load, unload and stack a face cord of firewood for the week. :) Today is absolutely perfect weather wise!!! Another incentive to get all the outside work finished today is that Deer Season begins tomorrow morning. Our neighborhood, in the middle of nowhere, is ringing loudly with the sounds of gunshot already. The NJ people, who have a cabin down at the end of our road, have arrived by helicopter and have been busy buzzing the mountainside this afternoon looking for deer (which they are scaring away) and giving rides. Between the helicopter flying very low and loud in the sky and all the gas drilling going on around here, I'm afraid the folks hunting nearby are going to be very disappointed. And let's not forget that most people (on our mountain) have now posted their land...HEAVILY. Across the frontage of our property, there are about 15 NO HUNTING/NO TRESSPASSING signs and we are far from being alone.

Anyway, we've had a good day getting things done and now are taking a break...I smell popcorn and hear deep breathing in the near future!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 04:35 PM

I wish I could do the firewood thing, but my fireplace is not well designed and it puffs a lot of smoke into the house. I have the grate in place to support a board and a candle rack. I find the light of candles burning in there gives the same general look to the room, so I buy cheap candles at year-end sales and garage sales.

This afternoon I decided to take down the tomato crop. It wasn't ripening the way I hoped; some of them were going from green to soft without getting red, and there were mites making a home on one part of the wall of green. This fall crop was not a great one; lots of tomatoes, yes, but the snails got all of the early ones and the frost was too soon for the rest to ripen. I'll start the fall crop much earlier next year.

I've pulled out some lights and am working on setting up a couple of shrubs, and then I'll go over to the local garden center to pick up replacement bulbs for one string of the big old fashioned bulbs.

Taking my son out for dinner tonight, to sit down and discuss college options. At home it's too easy for him to be distracted by things. He has to decide to take over the work on this, and I have to be supportive, but I can't do it for him. So we'll talk about what he wants to do and we'll work from there. It has to be finished in the next 3 weeks. He has a full scholarship offered from one school, due to his good grades and national scholar standing. And several others as much as saying they'll let him go fully funded, but the top of the top Tier 1 schools, while they may also have the funding, we have to work harder to get it. But they're in reach. That's what we need to talk about.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: LilyFestre
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 05:25 PM

Hey SRS,

   We haven't used our furnace in 3 or 4 years now...we use a woodstove instead. Last year we added a pellet stove...which I LOVE!

Congratulations to your son for his scholarships..that's GREAT! I think you have a good idea about going out...sometimes it's much easier to talk when you are away from the distractions at home. Here's hoping it goes well!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:40 AM

For some reason I can't convince him that it is worth the effort to get the paperwork done to apply to these big schools. He's eligible, they're sending mail by the wheelbarrow full. I am about ready to try the dope slap. Or beg. He has one offer of a full scholarship already, and I think he can get full funding at one of these top 10 schools. He has no plans--that's the problem. So why work so hard on AP classes and tests at all? This is a conundrum.

Lights are up on a couple of the front yard shrubs, one spot left to do later this week.

Busy week coming up. I may not get much else done around here.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 01:19 AM

The bottles of water were bought in such quantity that we have enough for the next two concerts after this one - they don't go 'off' until 2011... so the clutter is not as temporary as I'd like.

Busy day crafting today and then a final clear up before Christmas. Got an awful lot of little bits to tidy.

Did manage to declutter the spare spare Christmas pudding... found a taker for it, but still have one left.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 10:35 AM

Warm-weather clothes went upstairs into the waiting, zippered storage wardrobe today. It all fit in there..... Some of it will be purged in the spring when I get a fresh look at it.

And hopefully the funeral outfits will stay up there for awhile, tho there was another call yesterday. I guess I'll bring down the winter funeral dress. The pore old jacket portion isn't gonna hold up much longer, but I have dark pants and a sweater just back from the seamstress (finally) to go with them.


I'm so frustrated with the whole clothes thing. MY personal program is about making the weight loss as SLOW as possible. It isn't perceptible to others yet, who see me all the time... I don't care about that, but it's so unfair-- the "I'm so fat today" feeling can come as much from skin loosened by weight loss as it does from ADDING a few pounds, and I can't really tell, myself, unless I put on the older (tighter) clothes and see them fit looser.

But it just makes it hard to want to buy new things, tho I am OUT enough nowadays to be wearing out my ancient (or cheap-fabric) clothes again. To buy or not to buy? What a pain in the ass!

I'm hanging up on display, a new motivator-- a blouse I used to love wearing, that may fit again someday. The style is totally outdated but I remember being that SIZE. I'm putting it in my office where a dark corner on the wall needs to be brightened (white blouse).

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 10:36 AM

Rog and I mucked out our bedroom yesterday morning. We'd planned it and it came off without a hitch. It felt so good to want to do it AND to be able to really help. We changed sheets, washed bedding, put away a huge pile of clean clothes, swept the floor, fixed the dog's bed, put stuff away. Morgan came over later. I told him to go take a look as he still will take a little nap back there sometimes. He was pretty funny. He came out with his jaw dropped open, then told me he was going to leave it that way "forever" as he was so impressed!

SRS, I wish there was something I could say which might help with motivating your son. My son was the same way, though, even younger and more so. It came too easily for him and he got bored so why would he want to continue school? That was his thinking no matter. We were going through some rough patches so I don't think we talked about it as much and I know he didn't have as much support from us because of what was going on, but if it's any use, tell your son that my son regrets not pursuing college. He's happy in his chosen profession, but I know he thinks about it and has looked into taking a few classes for his own enjoyment, now.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:55 PM

I think he'll go to school, I just want him to realize that he can go to the top if he wants. His counselor agrees. We spoke this morning. This school's number of Tier 1 candidates has been fairly small, but she thinks my son is easily in that group. This really is an exciting time--I don't want to diminish it--I want him to open his eyes. He has an offer for a fully paid scholarship, 4 years at the University of New Mexico. That isn't bad, and if it is all there is, it will be just fine. But I think he can go all the way to the top.

It was very helpful to talk to this counselor, and I'm going to pass that along to my son this evening. We're so close!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 12:56 PM

F now has a dogbed in my office, and I got some WORK done, too. This daily-schedule thing WORKS! :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 01:37 PM

I wouldn't get anything done if my dogs were in the house. They're house trained re piddling but they're not great because they're so curious and want to look at and sniff everything. Last winter we had a couple of really cold nights, so I put some towels down on the carpet in my bedroom and had the dogs come in. They lay on the carpet and were happy and quiet, but the moment I turned off the light they were up and sniffing the entire room. Like it would have been rude to do this when the light was on? I could hear toenails on the floor and jingling collar tags for about five minutes, and I was lying in bed laughing to myself, the bed shaking, but trying not to encourage them. They abruptly finished, lay down, and were asleep for the night. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 02:18 PM

And I get much more done when F is in and with me-- he's quite the observer/service-minded companion, but S is not yet old enough/settled enough for an indoor doggie. She mostly exercises F. :~) She can be the couch potato when she gets a little older (or I get more allday active).

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 03:35 PM

I employed a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors surveyor to do a medium value survey on the property - lowest merely acknowledges for the lender of the mortgage that the property exists and is not falling down. Top level guarantees much more, but this was several hundred pounds.

I don't mind him missing the immersion heater and associated problems, not his job to do electricals and plumbing. But the signs of the leak were there to be seen - if he had lifted the board over the rotten cupboard floor, or looked up at the bodged ceiling - I'm wondering where the vendor's daughter was standing, as I was shepherded about carefully.

I shall be writing. I have photographs. He had spotted the roof was soon going to need fixing, and the bottom of the down pipe was damaged.

Today I went over, quite by chance. I intended to go out briefly and get food I could eat without having to stand over the cooker, but the town was gridlocked.

Yesterday there was a fire in the Blackwall Tunnel, which takes commuter traffic from Kent into the City of London. It was closed. The Woolwich Ferry which does some of the same was only running one boat. The traffic jam stretched back fifteen miles to my town. It joined with the jam at the Dartford Tunnel, backed up with extra traffic which had heard about Blackwall, and str5etched back to Gravesend. Enough people came off the motorways to block all the local roads.

So I went over to the new place. It was raining hard, but no water was coming out of the drainpipe which runs through the fuse cupboard. It was running down the outside of the pipe. Investigation showed that this was a new pipe into which a narrower pipe ran, and was not sealed. I went to get some duct tape and a step ladder, and found that the pipe was full of water. After investigating local shops, I realised I had something useful at home.

Back through the traffic for an old plastic curtain rail and some old washing machine hoses. And a small stool to sit on.

After some time of poking with the rail, and twisting with one of the hoses (not connected to a tap), I removed mud, and small gravel from the flat roof, until, all of a sudden, out burst clean water. Over my right foot. So the leak should now be less of a problem.

Silly thing for the previous occupiers not to have done themselves.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Penny S.
Date: 30 Nov 09 - 03:39 PM

And I still have the back.

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 10:35 AM

Working again on schedule-- think I'm gonna get dog and work and groceries up there today, and maybe get the laptop working online, too. I have a lot of handouts I need to print up there, the easy way.

The LR puder-area looks/acts less and less like an office, which is GOOD.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: maire-aine
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 10:55 AM

I found my curtains! A few weeks ago (20th) I was complaining that I couldn't find some lace curtain that I knew I had. I found them in the basement, on a clothes rack. I must have walked past it 20 times since then. Just happened to look in that direction this morning, and there they were. Amazing!

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:30 PM

Then where may I ask are mine, and where the heck is the warm, fluffy bathrobe I need in my freezing office?

Alltime high 3 hours in there today, all productive and happy. Sunny too! F loved it after he met the toy and the treat-- settled right in.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 11-09/De-clutter & Accountability report
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 02:47 PM

There is a December thread here.