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Post by houndsnroses on Jun 28, 2008 23:22:02 GMT -5
Hi, I have been lurking on this board (and the earlier one) for a long time. I found a link to the world of surviving squalor from another board I'm on about homesteading (which I hope to do someday). I finally created a username because there was a thread in the general chat section I wanted to comment on to help the original poster out. I'm female, 39, live in Washington, DC, and I am MESSY! I was born that way and to be honest will probably die that way. I can often keep the mess under control but sometimes I can't, and I hate to live that way, but sometimes it just gets out-of-hand. Part of my problem is I have OCD and sometimes I feel like if I can't do it ALL AT ONCE why bother. But other times I am OK with cleaning a bit at a time and eventually getting most of the house clean. Quick run down (as of today): -Living room is clean and organized except one side table needs to be scrubbed (the bottom part, which holds vases and silver) and one chair is full of clutter, including a 50# sack of flour! -except for credit card bills which I have paid, all my other bills and mail are in a giant bag and haven't been touched for 2 weeks (except to pile more mail in!) -kitchen is sparkling except the fridge badly needs to be cleaned out and the oven needs to be cleaned -my bathroom is sparkling clean -my bedroom is a disaster -my basement is beyond a disaster -my yard and garden need to be weeded and the grass cut very badly (but it keeps raining!) -my car is a disaster -my desk at work looks clean to the outside world, but it's actually a disaster Even though you don't know me yet, I feel like I know a lot of you from reading your posts and I'm glad I created an account!   |
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Post by pegasus48 on Jun 29, 2008 0:06:20 GMT -5
Welcome, HoundsNRoses. I'm glad you stopped lurking and started talking,   My rooms are all at different levels too. Kitchen and livingroom look pretty good. Main bathroom acceptable. Back bathroom UGH! Two bedrooms semi-disaster. One bedroom complete disaster. I am looking forward to the day that I get them all looking good at the same time. I do think it is possible.  |
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Post by crazycatlady on Jun 29, 2008 21:18:58 GMT -5
Welcome HoundsNRoses! I'm glad that you posted. And it IS possible to learn new skills to keep the mess at bay.
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Post by WestsideStory on Jul 10, 2008 3:48:07 GMT -5
Hi Hounds and Roses -- Glad you've stopped lurking and have started sharing. From some of my academic reading about compulsive hoarding and really drop-dead-serious cluttering, some psychiatrists and physicians believe some of us share a lot of OCD characteristics. Not all of us, but enough for them to comment on it and study it. You may want to read Buried in Treasures by Frost, or Google Dr. Saxana (formerly of UCLA, now at UC San Diego). They've been doing work in this area. Frost and his colleagues have developed a cognitive behavioral therapy program for working with compulsive hoarders, and Saxena has found that some SSRIs can be helpful for some people. From where I sit, a little OCD would be nice -- at least part of the house would be immaculate. ! Hope you continue to share -- looking forward to hearing more from you! WestsideStory |
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Post by Chris on Jul 11, 2008 13:36:25 GMT -5
Hi Hounds and Roses -- I'm new too. And I'm so glad to read that someone else's rooms are at drastic stages of array and dis-array! Don't feel bad some of my rooms are actually split personalities.
Living room -- decent all the time - usually needs vacuuming (I blame the cats!)
My office -- split personality = my desk is normally in good working shape with very little clutter but behind that is my sewing/craft table which is buried in treasure almost all the time, and little boxes of "too be shredded" stuff is hanging around near my desk too.
Kitchen -- again varied, I keep the stove and sink area real clean and organized, and the table is always good. BUT around the table and microwave is the overflow pet food etc. In the pantry is crammed full and usually in need of serious help. Cupboards are not quite embarrassing I can still open them in front of company.
Attic -- a total wreak of boxes and junk and very very worrisome
Bedroom ours -- heavily piled up around the edges but passable
Bedroom middle extra -- looks like a warehouse with boxes and bags but you can walk in and use the desk and the shelves
Bedroom formerly my inlaws -- stockpiled and messy -- extremely bad but we are working on it first to move back into it as its our master bedroom
bathroom -- normally good and i just finished conquering squalor in there
garage - half hoarded half good -- can put one car in the two car garage
porch closet -- boxes galore and junk
utility room - unfinished literally and quite piled up right now with donations for the next pick up day.
Just wanted you to know I can relate!
~Chris~
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Post by Platypus on Jul 13, 2008 8:55:01 GMT -5
Welcome. It sounds like you have some areas under control. That is a victory. Here's those fridges and ovens again. Over in Live Journal I think I will do a poll on fridges and ovens. My Mum cooked on a wood stove. I swear she had less work because the stove just burnt the everything clean. No grease, no grime. Bit then someone had to chop the wood. (me!) May I ask, what is homesteading?
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Post by houndsnroses on Jul 30, 2008 19:41:53 GMT -5
Homesteading is being self-sufficient ~ being able to grow your own food, make and fix things yourself, etc. Ideally I would love to have a little farm and what I really want is a farm with all miniature animals. Miniature horses, highland cattle, chickens, pot bellied pigs, etc. An itty bitty farm.
I'm glad I'm not alone! Thanks everyone.
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Post by creativechaos on Jul 31, 2008 11:27:19 GMT -5
hi houndsnroses, welcome! you have gotten lots done, and thanks for sharing that, as well as the inconsistencies some of us face when desqualoring/decluttering our homes. i'm with ya; i'm a messy too, been that way since birth! when i take out a creative project i can mess up a room totally in 5 minutes. i have areas in rooms that are clean and clutter free and right next to those, piles of disarray. i can't seem to work in a 'linear' fashion! hope to see you around the boards!
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Post by Platypus on Aug 3, 2008 11:24:27 GMT -5
As a kid, I lived on a not-so-itty-bitty farm. Too much hard labour for me! Those miniture animals need just as much work as the big ones! And I like to sleep-in on a weekend. (I do however still grow herbs and few vegetables, my own flowers and I preserve fruits, make pickles etc.) |
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Post by glowworm on Aug 3, 2008 20:45:15 GMT -5
Hi, and welcome!! I understand about being overwhelmed at the thought of wanting to do everything all at one time. I tend to have an all-or-nothing way of looking at things. |
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