#hellobeth

[hellobeth]

No Queenie Nothing is going out at the moment :oops: Stuff I am buying is being put in the rooms where they will live. Am ‘stuck’ :!: Where’s Stelios when you need him :lol:

[chaosqueenParticipant]

Stelios is just a phone call away! Are you willing to put your hoard on TV?

Well. HAving a visiion of what oyu want is a good thing. Could you get one room done and then start the rest?

[hellobeth]

Gosh Queenie it’s been so long since this post :oops:

Update. Lounge still in the chaos I recently caused by looking for attachments that didn’t exist. Haven’t touched it yet. The carpet fitters that did the room measurements with their laser gadget messed me around so I decided to go with the same company but my local branch. Meant I had to be measured again…but with a tape measure this time :o Mostly he coped but the spare room & lounge was a bit of a challenge. He did knock a box over & profusely apologised (bless ) while trying to put it all back. I had to interfere & slide the lot under the table (where there was actually enough room :lol: ). Said I’d sort it when he went but of course it’s still there :oops:

I have decided to go ahead and have flooring laid downstairs in the hope that I will be encouraged & inspired to ‘get cracking’ again. Still struggling with that. :roll: But like Kim says, we are hoarders-if we could just get on with it we wouldn’t be! I am hoping that rewarding myself with new flooring will be proof that I really do love me

Have watched all the hoarder-next-door progs & found it particularly helpful this week that some of Stellios patients have hiccups Would like him to be able to put his finger on where & why I’ve got stuck. Still, I am making some little progress even though by my standards it’s only a slow trickle. Sold another jacket which has left the house and have a bid on a table I relisted yesterday. Also got my act together enough today to put the kitchen & hall back in order. It helped me to get onto it because the engineer was coming round to see why my washing machine wasn’t spinning. It’s a write off, d’oh! Something else I have to buy And my landline has also gone kaput It all goes wrong at the same time; don’t know how my credit card will cope with the strain :roll:

Have become a volunteer for Time To Talk to speak to people about my mental health issues. The idea is to change negative attitudes & behaviour towards mental illness. Did my first event last saturday. Piccy on twitter @oomymoomy. Right, heading off to bed; up early tomorrow to head into the city for new phone & washing machine! Nite nite all

[chaosqueenParticipant]

WOW! You were busy! Yes, things all go kaputt at the same time. It stinks. I had 2 dryers, a washer, an oven and don’t ask me what else go kaputt on me one after another over a very short period of time. I think you are doing well.

Maybe we should write down all the little questions Stelios asks. :lol: In the episode I watched today he asked the lady how buying all those chocolates makes her feel. “Save.” I think my hoarding of things that one might need some day is motivated by a similar hope. To be save and ready for the future. But no matter what I will accumulate. I think I will be even saver when I just trust in things working out when I am there instead of hauling a house full of random stuff around that I can never find when I need it.

Keep selling those things! You are doing well. And make sure that old washer gets out of the house! :lol: Although you don’t strike me as someone who hangs on to broken things. I should go to bed, too. It’s just so nice and quiet here with everybody else asleep. I think I’ll write one more blog post and then call it a night. Can I see your twitter pic without having an account?

[chaosqueenParticipant]

I can! :o

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Such a lovely smile! Love, love, love your picture!

[hellobeth]

Aww, thanks queenie It’s the most recent one I had taken at a friends wedding. Glammed up, you wouldn’t recognise me if you saw me in my everyday flesh! :lol: Do PM your blog address.

Still not in a great place but wanted to write an update. I have ripped up the lounge carpet which has been down I believe for well over twenty years (not laid by me). Ugh! It was as disgusting as the hall one, totally rotten & smelling of cat pee! I think it might have been greenermum who said rotten carpets do smell of cat pee anyway (it was cat pee :!: ) Two car trips to the recycling centre – the dust formed by the disintegrated foam filled two carrier bags! Also took three bin liners of garden rubbish too.

Have reorganised my stuff which has taken two days so far – five hours yesterday & three today. Basically, I had to rearrange the spare room so I could get stuff from the lounge into there. Ideally, I’m hoping I might get to paint the skirting board before the fitters arrive. But my body is being uncooperative so progress is going at a snail’s pace. :roll: Que sera!

The good news is that although every step on the staircase now has stuff I want to keep, I have actually managed to empty four boxes I’ve avoided for years :oops: making myself throw away things that I think have some use but too petty to put in a charity bag, e.g., twelve individual sachets of nail varnish remover. :roll: And I’m making great progress in throwing away unused cosmetics & creams without cutting the bottles in half & scooping out the smear I can salvage & then washing them before recycling. Got a carrier bag of such stuff to go. Feel guilty though :roll:

Also got half a carrier bag of metal bits & bobs to go – including a dozen door keys, none of which belong to this house! :lol: And started filling a bin bag with old paper, card & boxes (I mean really old!). :oops: This is such a big deal for me but I don’t know why yet. Fiddly bits & pieces that I have to make decisions about; always put off. And lots of broken things (take notice Queenie – don’t know how you got the impression that I don’t put up with broken stuff; it’s my speciality!)

The washing machine was delivered & installed. Although the guy took the old machine & packaging away he left two pieces of wood, the packing tape and the four transit thingy’s which he said I could chuck. :evil: Says he! The wood is now tucked down the side of the fridge waiting for a decision & the (pretty yellow) thingy’s are in the cupboard under the sink???? But….the tape made it into the carrier bag of rubbish. Don’t know how, it’s no less useful than the bits I still have!

……………………………………………………..

Wrote that on saturday but hadn’t finished what I was going to say. Monday now & I can’t remember! : Yesterday was a productive day. I had left a small area of carpet because it was under a heavy cabinet that I couldn’t move. But the perfectionist in me had no rest so I pulled everything out of it and took up the last remaining bit. Now bagged up ready to take out tomorrow. I had already sorted the drawer out in the cabinet so I was able to put that aside & in the bottom draw I had four ring clip folders (that will need sorting sometime in the future) and three bales of furnishing fabrics that were already contained in bags. The challenge was sorting through the games in the cupboard section. :shock: They have been in there since I moved in 19 years ago taking up space that could be of so much use to me *sigh* you know how it is!

I faffed with this stuff for hours & not a lot made it to the bin but some have been set aside for the charity shop where all the bits remain present. Some that I think I might use now they are separated from the tat are in a crate ready to go back in once the floor is laid but the rest (the larger part) is still ‘hanging out’ :oops: See, I know the missing bits are probably in the shed and although it is no way weatherproof & they are likely rotten by now, :roll: I baulk at throwing the games away until I have tried my best to put things together first.

It would help if I had the game instructions so I could work out what bits belong to which game. For one game, the instructions I had are in french! I guessed that ‘de’ (with an accent on the e) meant dice. So that game’s in the shop pile. But not all the di are sraightforward. Some have numbers on & others pictures or symbols. Aaargh! Why can’t I just sweep them in to the bin like sane people??? :!:

Although the games are now ordered & dusted & the carpet finally totally gone, I am robbed of the feel good factor, probably because the job is still incomplete I suppose. I have now lost the gained space in my hall & on the stairs also so I feel quite downcast-like it’s all out of control again. I am forcing myself to see it as temporary; that once the floor is laid in the lounge I can move most of it back in. I hate that decluttering causes greater chaos than the original mound. But that’s why it is important for me to record this.

I will get round to responding to posts when I have more energy but for now I would just like to welcome you newbies to the fold & wish you all the best. Onwards & upwards

[chaosqueenParticipant]

You are busy, busy, busy, you have my permission to neglect posting to move on with your big project! Why did I think you wouldn’t hold on to broken things? Because I have a vivid imagination and with that anything is possible, remember, I also imagined you as in your late 20ies.

I hear ya on the board games. In my case you can add puzzles. Have you tried googleing instructions? You can find quite a few of them online. Okay. Forget I said that. Throw them out. :lol:

About the washer. If you want to move it in the next couple of yours (different apartment, not from on corner to the next) hanging on to the transit thingies is okay. It only took me 2 years to throw mine away, and I have no intention of moving in the next 20 years.

I am emotionally spent and am very happy that you are moving along so well. When are your new floors coming? BTW I hate the yellow dust from the disintegrating carpets. It is THE WORST! Still dealing with it in the attic.

[hellobeth]

Silly me! I’ve just realised that my low mood is due to my CFS. I can usually work through pain but when fatigue kicks in I can do very little. This bout has been going on for nearly two weeks now so it’s not surprising that I feel so low. With this in mind I realise I have actually been making good progress.

I expected the carpet store to be in touch by now. They said about ten days which must be up by now. I’ll give them to the end of the week. Heard today my bathroom’s being refurbished – hope it goes better than the kitchen makeover!

Thanks for the tip to google for instructions Queenie. Too late to ignore it :lol:

[chaosqueenParticipant]

Sorry about the instructions. Glad you know what is slowing you down. That makes one fell better, doesn’t it?

[SpacedOutParticipant]

You have made amazing progress Hellobeth! You should be very proud of yourself. All that clearing and ripping up carpets. No wonder your body is rebelling. :!: Let us hope you will soon be able to relax in comfort with your new carpet and sofa. I am so impressed. Well done. (I thought you were incredibly brave to get the carpet fitters in (twice) before the room was cleared.) I know that you suffer with various health problems so all the work you have done is even more of an achievement.

I have come to a stand still and have been very dispondent but reading your recent posts has inspired me to get going again tomorrow. Be very very proud of all your hard work over the last few months.

[SpacedOutParticipant]

Have been meaning to say well done on starting studying again with Future learn. Sounds interesting. Also congrats on becoming a volunteer for ‘Time to Talk’. I am sure your articulate and sensitive wisdom will be of great benefit to many, as it already is to those of us on this forum. I think far too many people have completely the wrong idea about us hoarders and think we are ‘aliens and weirdo’s’, not the ordinary, pleasant people that walk unknown in their midst, because, some of us, are too frightened and ashamed, and worried about their reactions to admit that we have a hoarding problem.

Hope both go well.

[TheCollector]

Beth, when foam deteriorates it gives off a gas which can smell like vomit, so your poor cat might be innocent! Museums and others who deliberately collect old plastic goods face these problems all the time. If you want to know more : http://www.plastiquarian.com/index.php?id=7&subid=127

[SpacedOutParticipant]

Hope you are feeling better.

Have the carpets arrived?

[hellobeth]

Hey there everyone

Hopefully, I am back though not making any promises! Spaced Out I am so sorry I didn’t respond to you You said some very kind, comforting things to me which I didn’t acknowledge. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t treasured them or wondered how you are doing. I can’t believe it has been two months since last here!

Unfortunately, my body hasn’t stopped complaining about ripping those carpets up. I am just inundated with chronic fatigue and cycles of debilitating pain, both of which conspire to keep me on my bed Where are the smilies gone? They provide humour to lighten the gloom; feel like a moaning minny without them lol!

The flooring arrived in the shop a few weeks back *red face* but the landlord is refurbishing the bathroom so put back having it fitted as I didn’t want it to get damaged. The workers are not professionals, not on contracts so they are not too fussed by the mess & damage they cause *eye roll* I also thought I might as well finish painting the whole lounge before it goes down. But I haven’t had the health to get on with it. The shop will probably start nudging me along soon!

I did paint the skirting board but what was supposed to be ‘mellow mocha’ (beige-ish?) turned out lilac *what* A second coat didn’t change it either but undeterred I thought I would see if the wall paint helped. The ‘pure oyster’ (pale pinkish beige) turned out to be grey, definitely grey with a blue tone!!! My positive attitude drained away to leave me with a sinking heart

I have since changed exchanged the paint (good old H******e) for ‘dairy farm’ Who knows if it will be the cream I envisage lol! Thought I would do painting while the workmen were in but I have developed a compulsion to escape from the house sooo reminiscent of escaping the hoard. So discouraging! I have decided its best not to see the botch job actually finished – it produces the same anxiety as dehoarding overwhelm. I find it less stressful to just accept the situation and sort it out when the bodgers have gone Just so annoying as it was the room I had cleared & decorated and the one that has stayed clear *grh* Amend that – the little cloakroom downstairs has been maintained well too The hall & stairs have stayed clear too but not decorated yet.

I have been writing this in chunks & the gremlins have been having a field day with my save drafts. Keeps telling me they are updated then it turns out they aren’t *grh!* Tried a new draft & that saved the first paragraph only *more grh!* So now I am totally confused as to what I’ve written & what has been lost. But at least I’ve managed to put some pieces back together. I am now writing this on Word to see if I can copy & paste the whole lot over.

Bathroom is finished (according to the workers) but the supervisor called today to check it. I have decided to ‘swallow’ the shoddy painting & redecorate when I have completed clearing & decorating my other rooms. However, he agreed the door needs to be planed & repainted. Although I had pointed out to the painter the door won’t close he said okay but painted it anyway. The paint was brushed on so thick it was still tacky three days later *euww* Whoever checked the work gouged out lumps of the door to make it close making it unsightly & causing the paint to peel off. Unbelievable, if I hadn’t seen the same vandalism inflicted on the kitchen! He also agreed the sealant on the windowsill needs be removed & redone. Can’t remember the third thing he agreed to – oh, the joys of Fibrofog! D’oh! Didn’t remember to tell him the new toilet leaks!

I have been clearing up the mess I have made of my bedroom in the last few weeks and just popping in to finish this post before attacking the office which has succumbed to clutter once more. *red face* The incentive is that my son is visiting me this weekend & he will be sleeping in this room on the buried sofa bed Have sorted out the clutter in my room so that I have space to put move the clutter from the office that can’t be turfed out. A great deal of it is stuff for the charity shop that I haven’t taken yet.

Spaced Out I haven’t been well enough to pursue my studies so that’s two courses I’ve missed out on My next one begins in September so hopefully, I will have got through this drawn out flare up. Congratulations turn out to be premature lol!

I am doing my best to keep up with the threads. Please consider yourself welcomed if I haven’t yet managed to greet you. Waves of support winging your way

[Kim2014]

Beth lovely to see you back, whatever form of back it is.

It’s horrible when your body won’t do what you need it to, even harder when the brain decides not to get missed out of the party!

How very annoying to discover the paint a totally different colour, but nice to hear it was possible to exchange it even when opened!

Sympathy on having cowboys working in your home, it’s very frustrating and depressing watching them create a mess, do things badly, and not being able to do anything about it. I have the same problem, they just don’t care, it isn’t me they’re working for, and they’re definitely not professionals.

I think your right to take the attitude that you can sort this out best by letting them get on, and sort it out afterwards. I hope I can manage that myself, I shall try channeling you when faced with their next coup de grace.

I wonder if putting a temporary white board on the inside of your main door to write the snagging list on so you have a reminder in front of you at the time the supervisor’s leaving would help? I may be trying this for myself!

A thought about the stuff ready to go to charity if there’s a fair bit; depending where you are some charities can and will pick up. When I was clearing ‘friend 1’ the PDSA were happy to send out a van.

Well done on the successful maintenance, especially when not feeling great. Hope you have a nice weekend with your son.

[Author]

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