Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Wednesday, Saga cont:

     Saturday morning I had a girlfriend take me to Wal-mart and the dollar store.  I needed to get a few things for the house.  I was not going to give my brother money, but I would buy supplies that were needed.  Friday morning I had already picked up every cleaning agent I could at the Dollar tree. By Friday night I had run out of 4 different agents.  So I bought, pillows, toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex, laundry detergent(I had used it all) two large buckets for toys, light bulbs, curtain and rod, nails, sticky tack, one marker, small trash cans, garbage bags, (we went through 50 large trash bags), sugar, small containers for spices, sugar shaker, containers for toothbrushes (I found the girls brushes on the floor in the bathroom I boiled them)bucket for cleaning, dish pans, scrubbers, brillo pads.I also found many containers to hold things, like cleaning supplies and personal bathing items.  These two had nothing to store things in and up on shelves.  Just simple organization helps a lot.

     The girls dresser had been down in the front room, so I had that moved into the large closet in there room and added a hook lock on top of the door so they cannot get into the closet without an adult. I had purchased large gold letters from Hobby Lobby and my brother attached them to the girls headboards with nails and wood glue.  So each girl had a bed with her initial on it.  We spray painted a lamp to match the peach and gray comforters.  I had picked up bed linens on a really good close out sale.  The room was so cute and clean and my sister in law was almost in a state of shock.  I went back downstairs to continue to move furniture and start cleaning walls.

     Lil sis arrived Saturday afternoon, and it was obvious to her that I would not be able to complete the work that was needed before we needed to leave on Monday.  Also I was wearing down.  By Saturday late afternoon, I started on the bathroom and lil sis and two girlfriends were working in the kitchen.  I used 5 stones on the toilet and is still was not clean but much better.  Then my hands went numb and started to swell up.  Lil sis, and I and friends left and went to dinner.  Then we formed a plan for Sunday, so I would do no more scrubbing as all my fingers were locking straight and I was in some real pain.

     Sunday morning I was having a hard time brushing my hair, and my teeth as holding anything was painful plus I could not feel anything with my right hand. So when we went back We assigned Bro to all the walls that had not been cleaned, Lil sis did the rest of the bathroom, and I just put bagged spices in containers.  Lil sis took the girls to the carousel to have a play date and I ripped apart a cushion that was on a large window box.  I then recovered it with material my sister-in-law had purchased and I also made up two pillows.  Hand stitching the pillows shut almost killed me.  I was done.

     My brothers and his wife's room was paddle locked when I got there.  I told them I would not clean their room.  I was surprise after I was able to get the girls room done, and stair landing cleaned that my sister in law opened up their room and pulled a bookcase out and decorated the upstairs landing.  It was adorable.  She had all these eclectic things and she put them together.  I found out she could knit well, she is a culinary graduate, she can sew and she has the desire to have a nice home, just no way of getting there.  She actually helped me scrub down the long staircase which was painted white, and you had no idea it was so dirty.  It was covered in the corners with mouse poop.  She was so happy to have clean walls and a staircase and windows that sparkled, it was like I met a new woman. We went through 7 bottles of cleaner, two gallons of ammonia, and 2 gallons of bleach and 4 cans of spray disinfectant (for all the carpet).

    When we first got to the house on Thursday, there was a long dresser, a large hanging clothe-rack, a double under twin bunk bed set, a large u-haul box of toys, two small children's recliners, I don't know how many dirty old, blankets and pillows, a bike, a round oak table and chairs, and a large cabinet with one broken leg holding a huge cage with two guinea pigs in the room that was supposed to be a dining room.

     When we left there was a table and chairs on one end.  The broken cabinet had been fixed and moved across the room along with the guinea pigs. The other end of the room was the window seat that was recovered and two toy containers and the two small recliners.  It was a home!  The girls know which bucket contains their toys and they have some place to put things and place to play.

     Now the place is not perfect but it is clean.  There is a place for everything.  There is a place to store everything.  Old linens, blankets, were either washed or thrown away.  It was late Sunday as I was about to leave that I found out the Eldest's teacher and CPS were coming for a home visit Monday at 4 p.m.  We finished just in time.  The house was bright, shiny and clean and it smelled clean.  My sister in law was working hard on her room.  I did not really even go in there, but saw her hauling out bags of things to take to the truck for the last truck load to the dump.

     Why do people who are poverty stricken have animals?  Also expensive animals.  My brother and his wife have two large ginie pigs and two chinchillas in a huge tall cage.  These are expensive and require constant cleaning and bedding.  What I find amazing is that I never smelled dirty bedding and they take very good care of the animals.

  We did not get a dog until our youngest was in high school, we could never afford to keep one.  Animals require food, vet visits, licenses and when you have nothing you don't need something that is taking money out of your wallet.  I don't get it.  I never will.

     All said it was a long weekend and will not be repeated, I found out after 2.5 days that I truly am disabled.  I don't think of myself as disabled.  I consider myself a hard worker and that I can do anything.  But here I am with hands that are barely working.  My right arm will take at least two weeks to become normal for me.  I cannot feel with three of my fingers on my right hand and it is really hard to sew when your hands are numb.  The swelling is going down and I am no longer in terrible pain.  I can work, but it must be in spurts, and I have to be very careful how long I push my body before it flairs.  I have to admit that this is a disability.

      I feel like a cheat and a loser much of the time and justify my SSI as it pays our medical insurance and my med deductibles.  That is all it covers.  My meds right now are a little over $5000.00 a month. But it is episodes like this when I really try and work hard that I realize I cannot any more.  My hands just quit working, my elbows stove up and my shoulders are locking and not working right.  I hate it.  I want to be like I used to be, but that will never happen.  All I can do is be grateful for what I can do and sew a little everyday to help out with the finances. I can still give service to others and help those in need.  I can give back and I always have. So why do I feel guilty?


Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

35 comments:

  1. Oh my. What an eventful weekend it was! That is just so nice of you guys to help like that. I bet it was more appreciated than you can possibly imagine. I just don't understand why people let things get that bad.

    $5,000 a month!!!!!!!!!!!1 Wow, that is crazy. Bless you and feel better.

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    1. I can say it was really appreciated, both my brother and his wife were so grateful. My older niece was beyond the moon happy and the little one was so cute as she laid in a sunbeam on the stair landing and sang to her self. That window had never been available as it was covered with junk and then filthy.

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  2. KIM!!! Don't you ever feel guilty and like a Cheat BECAUSE you are so far from that! You are the most giving person I know and you do so much for others!! YOU ARE A SAINT!!! I'm serious! A Truly Amazing woman! God bless you!! Hope your feeling better real soon!

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    1. I just don't see myself as disabled and I always think I can work full time or at least part time, and then I get sick or have a flair, it is so aggravating, this is probably why I try to overdo for people guilt.

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  3. you did so much work, and to think they had a CPS meeting!!!!!!!!! My goodness. If you hadn't made it out there this weekend!

    And I hope you can find a way to work through your guilt re: your disability. I didn't know you had any problem, as you are always sewing etc from what I have read thus far. You matter, you're important, and you work hard!

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    1. Well as I said I don't consider myself disabled, the doctors do and they are on me all the time to slow down and I have. My specialist always tells me you may feel good but you are still a very sick woman, I keep wondering if he is talking about my brain:)

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  4. oh KIm, you're not a cheat at all. I really feel for you - I used to do this cleaning up for my mother who hoarded, eventually I realised I had to stop as nothing changed in the long term - its an illness- its a very hard situation and kind of you to help your brother, but your health needs to come first now. I hope you can get a bit of a rest now.

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    1. I told him I could never do this again, it was just too hard on me physically,but they have the tools and they know how to do the job, they just have to do it.

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  5. You worked so hard this weekend and I'm sorry that your body is hurting from all that work. You are such a good person for helping them like this.

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    1. Well it is the first time my brother actually asked for help, I just hope he keeps up the work.

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  6. You certainly are not a cheat!!! You work very hard and did a great deed for your brother and his family. I hope they appreciate all you did and will continue to keep the house nice.
    I had a family member that was on SSI, she would be the first person to help out and she would take the shirt off her back for you. She often pushed herself to help others and suffered in pain after. She had a huge heart, sounds like you.

    Take care Kim and rest up. I hope your pain improves.

    I found your blog over at Sluggy's and enjoy reading your posts.

    Take care, Janie

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    1. Thanks Janie, I think I have a tendency to over volunteer as I feel guilty and I am working on that.

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  7. Just wow! You must be completely exhausted. I hope, for the girls sake, they keep it up. What an amazing thing you did for them. That is an amazing amount of garbage you cleaned out.

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    1. It was pretty amazing, but I blame much of the problem on slum lords and Montana laws. My bro is a slob, but he will take out the garbage if there is a place to take it.

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  8. I pray that the family understands that this was a one time effort and the progress can continue. I am a horrible housekeeper, and have had things slide, but what you describe is an illness, so while i pray, I question without them getting intervention mentally it will stay that way. You take care of you now!

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    1. You are nothing compared to these two believe me and yes it is an illness. But is can be controlled.

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  9. A cheat? You are one of the hardest working people I have ever seen - just reading about what you do in a day exhausts me! It was lovely and selfless of you to do what you did, I hope they can maintain it.

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    1. I always feel like I should be able to work outside my little sewing business, but every time I try I get sick it is very frustrating.

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  10. I didn't even know you are on SSI. Have you ever mentioned it? I guess I never saw it mentioned as part of your income.

    Kudos to you for helping your brother out of such a mess. Is it just me, or did anyone else have an urge to do some major housecleaning? I always feel this way when I read about hoarders!

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    1. Well I wish I had the energy to clean my own house:) My SSI came in about 5 years ago, I don't consider it income as it is a wash with my insurance premiums and medication copays. But I still refuse to be disabled.

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    2. But it IS income because it is! We pay hundreds every month for insurance and co-pays that come out of my husband's paycheck every month (read income). And this past year, we have had enormous medical bills with my 2nd bout of breast cancer, chemotherapy, bi-lateral mastectomy, reconstruction etc. So even if income goes to things you don't really like having to pay for, it is still income. How would you pay for it otherwise without this "non income?"

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    3. I see it your way, and I agree it is income. It would be hard to pay for all my treatment without it, in fact I don't know if I could. So I am very grateful.

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  11. Just from reading your everyday blog posts I can tell that you are not a cheat. You are a hard working woman and just reading about your days exhausts me! I can't accomplish 1/10th of what you do in a single day!

    So don't you dare feel guilty! You deserve every penny of assistance you get! When I think of all the people shamelessing gaming the system and then think of you working your butt off but feeling guilty, it makes me hopping mad.

    And bless you on your efforts for your nieces. The hugs you were getting make it clear that they know YOU rescued them from the filth, and that they didn't like living in it. Poor babies. Mouse poop is so freaking toxic to the brain and body, and they were forced to live in it.

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    1. I actually have a sore on my nose from wearing a mask and sweating so much. I am just lovely.

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  12. You did an amazing service for your brother. Now the ball is in their court. It is amazing the things we can't do now that were so easy when we were forty.

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  13. Your brother and his family are lucky to have had your help.

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    1. Yes they are and I hope they can keep up what we have started.

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  14. Wow... Just reading the whole recap made me tired, and I can only imagine your pain. Not for one single moment I have ever thought you were a cheat about the SSI. You work so hard and only really complain when it is bad... and THIS was bad. Praying for you my dear friend.

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    1. Thanks rhitter, not go do something fun, don't make Sluggy and I come down there, because we will.

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  15. You are a helper, you feel guilty because you can't help like you want to and probably knowing myself as one also, feel guilty asking for help. According to doctors I've been disabled all my life, according to my parents I have been special. Just a point of view but as I need to do , you do to is to pace ourselves with breaks during the day for resting. Take care Sweet lady

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    1. Yes to rad your blog and all you do, one would not think of you as disabled, but you are my friend. Take care

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  16. What a good sister you are. Poverty doesn't mean you can't be clean. On the upside your brother reached out for help - that is huge. I truly hope they keep it nice like you guys left it. It sounds like you gave a little piece of heaven to your nieces, I am sure they will never forget it. I hope you feel better soon

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