Everyone seems to be making great process and there are some beautiful photos getting posted on the flickr site. I fell behind last week. Aparently cleaning out the kitchen is scarier than I thought it would be but I did get my sewing area up and functional. I find myself going to sit in that room now and I have never really spent time there before. Up for this week:
1. Finish cleaning out the kitchen
2. Re-evaluate Landing Strip (it works pretty well)
3. Hang some new blinds in both of the bedrooms
4. Start looking for options for kitchen backsplash (My husband asked if this was part of the cure and I said yes! I am going to need some help with color choices. Anyone done tile before? Is this something I can do myself?)

Oh another question, what are good house plants like succulents that are safe for cats? Every time I have flowers my cats eat the leaves and shatter the vase. Any ideas would be helpful! Thanks!

Thank you for this! Looking at my living room 6x over every time I clicked through was unnerving.

I've decided to paint it Chinese Red. The Benjamin Moore sample was a titch too orange and bright--anyone have any good paint suggestions for a "Chinese Red?"

Kitchen backsplash tile is OK as a DIY job--the tricky part is cutting the tile, not installing it. If you can make it so you have no cuts (or can hide the ones you may have with a switch plate cover), it'll be easy .

Just a little update here -

My landing strip is still working quite well from last Fall when I set it up. But one thing I did do last night was put away my winter coats and the box with gloves, hats, scarves. They aren't far, just in the back of my bedroom closet (in case we get some nice STL-style winter-redux), but it already makes my place feel so much more Spring-y!

I also went through old catalogs (don't keep too many), and debated on cancelling C&B and CB2 and Pottery Barn - All THREE showed up in my mailbox yesterday! I use catalogchoice.org for the junk stuff that I really don't want, but I'm up in the air on these still (and West Elm). I like flipping through for inspiration, but it's so much paper!

How's everyone else doing?

I really don't think you should cancel for the sake of cancelling. If you actually go through them and use them, just keep only the current ones. Throw out the old ones. Over the last 3 cures I've slowly tossed almost my entire shelter magazine collection and I don't miss it as much as I feared I would.

I also only have one subscription.

As for progress:

So far I've washed all the hats mittens and scarves I could round up. Haven't put them away yet, though.

I've wrapped and secured all the cords dangling from the basement ceiling. It looks so much nicer, now! (And nothing bonks me on the head anymore).

I've framed all (but one) of the pictures I want to put up in the upstairs hallway.

I've set a few more goals.

Today, I'll clear out the outbox and all the garbage still hanging around (pick up is tomorrow.)

http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/

I'm hitting the wall--any encouragement out there?

Everywhere I look is something difficult--the kids artwork, the husbands paperwork.

Mending, sewing, ugh. What do you do when you feel discouraged?

Alana - thanks for the advice! I wound up cancelling just Pottery Barn (I do check their sale section on the website occasionally but I would probably never buy anything full price). I too have just one magazine subscription, and I'm pretty strict about the one in, one out rule.

Also, your cord solution in the basement looks great! What a smart concept!

When I'm discouraged, I let myself have a day off. Do something totally un-cure related and take in all the accomplishments you've made. Come back a bit refreshed and with some perspective, instead of the overwhelmed feeling.

You've done so much!

Something tells me you are not the only one who's "hit the wall" as evidenced by the lack of posting here ;)

Alana -- be not dismayed!!! be not discouraged!!! You're doing great, but you're working like a steam engine, and even steam engines need to go off onto a siding once in a while, to build up the steam again...

I haven't been commenting or posting pics or anything this week, because I've had a flu/cold/headache thing that has made me want to avoid computers as much as possible. (I've also not done much around the apartment). I'm better now, and will post pics tomorrow (of the kitchen as well as the landing strip and the outbox, because I'm behind!)

Re my comment above -- when I said I'm behind, I meant I'm behind on posting pics. I'm pretty much on track as far as the cure work goes. (Yay for "Cure Lite"!)

Thank you both. I do take time off--honest! But it is spent wondering what to do next and analysing what is/is not working so it's easy to work myself into a dither.

I cannot take credit for the cord solution: that was Zooza's idea. http://zooza.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/taming-the-cable-monster-for-alana/#comment-1377

One of those remarkably simple and brilliant ideas you wish you'd thought up yourself...but hey, that's what we're here for--to get ideas from each other so we don't have to do it all completely by ourselves.

I think the dreaded artwork is next. My goal is dedicate one file drawer to BOTH kids. That may still be too much: but it'll be a start. What I have will be culled to 1/2 a file drawer as they are only 7 and 10!