misscousinitt's MF Diary

Pearla*Merle

I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you xx

misscousinitt

Pearla*Merle wrote: »

I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you xx

Thanks PM

All help gratefully accepted xx

MCI

misscousinitt

Work is crazy - but I have no enthusiasm...will have lunch and start again.

We got the refund on the bent tap!!! At least that pays for the floor levelling compound. Need to get a ducting kit at lunchtime - not that anything will be done with it yet - just gets me out the office for 5 mins and at least we have got it then.

Few more tiles down when I got home last night.

Off to have my first massage in 2 months tonight - really looking forward to it - I really need it.

Shopping at Herr A this evening - shopping on a week by week basis at the moment. Mr T have sent me some vouchers, but I don't think I'll be using many of them - not spending £40 a week on shopping at the moment.

When everything has settled down I am going to look at our bills. I must admit I've been a bit lax this year. I think we are going to cancel the insurance on the dishwasher once it's been fitted, and we are going to cancel it on the freezer we bought last year too - this is because in the grand scheme of things they are really low value items ie £200 or less - so if it does go wrong permanently then it's not that expensive to replace - I am willing to take the risk. Going to keep it going on the washer dryer though at least for this year. Need to look at getting the gas and electric meters swapped to credit account - this is on the list for next week! It will save us quite a bit. The other thing I have got to look into is a water meter - we seem to be on the only ones in the street who haven't got one - this could save us quite alot - but it depends what it involves. I need to save all the money I can in the coming months.

I am quite pleased about how much we have saved in our gas/elec underspend 'account' and we have been saving extra for Christmas too.

Oh dear...did I just say the 'C' word - wash my mouth out with soap!!!

Thinking about the weekend already and I must get the bid sent off and my driving licence details sent off to the insurance company. Need to chase our new driver for his new driving licence.

Hope everyone is ok.

MCI

misscousinitt

Friday at last!

I have half a floor! Kitchen fitter has has allsorts of problems getting the floor level on the lower level of the kitchen (don't know if I've said before that there is a step up). Things are progressing and I hope to have a kitchen proper by the end of next week.

One of Mum's ceilings has come down - we think it might be the water tank boiling over that's caused it. My brother was very calm about it and didn't tell me for hours! If it's a major repair job then we might have to claim off the insurance - but trying not to panic before we have seen what's what. I just know that whatever happens it's going to cause me some work!

Trying to keep positive about stuff. People have been out of the office at work so at least I haven't had a bad atmosphere to work in - still thinking seriously about my future though.

Nearly the weekend and I think it's going to be another busy one - seriously need to get a bit more sorting done at home and then there will of course be sorting Mum's out.

Few things to do tomorrow:
- Home and kitchen accounts
- register cooker
- pay bills (if they have come in)
- check what address is on our life insurance (not sure it's been swapped over even though it was taken out specifically for our new house???!!!)
- print out bid ready for sending
- FB marketing for our charity page and our next couple of events coming up

Fish & Rice for tea as long as going to see the ceiling at mum's doesn't take too long...think I need to keep my fingers crossed there.

Have a great weekend all.

MCI

misscousinitt

Well the weekend didn't go exactly to plan, but we have a cooker in place (if not connected up) and a splashback and cooker hood fixed in place. PLUS the floor if finally finished.

Went to Mum's and the ceiling wasn't quite as bad as we thought it was going to be. It was dry and therefore historical - pretty sure the wallpaper had been keeping the plaster up for a good while. It's been made safe and my brother and I spent a couple of hours cleaning up and decluttering a bit. Probably the push we needed... The fix won't be done till we come to decorate the room which won't be for a good while yet - as long as no more comes down it should be fine (it's not a room that is used).

Managed to declutter a fair few boxes at home on Saturday morning too - but didn't get finances or other paperwork done.

Registered the cooker and the cooker hood yesterday and had a bit of a tidy up (which is quite difficult at the moment with kitchen stuff everywhere!) We then treated ourselves by going to another food festival - had a lovely time and didn't spend too much - but did pick up a couple of treats...

Oh, I did remember to pay the credit card bills...;)

Kitchen is starting to look the part now and I am very hopeful that I will be able to get my stuff put back in this weekend - even if we can't cook in there. I think it's high time that we reclaimed our house. :rotfl:

The fish meal planned for Friday has been postponed till today and I will be using up our HG tomatoes in the sauce and any other bits and pieces I didn't use in the egg fried rice at the weekend.

Wishing everyone a fabulous week.

MCI

misscousinitt

DH and I have been talking about my 'study' room - at the moment I am still in the process of decluttering and sorting out paperwork etc... and hope to get it all down to a manageable level soon.

DH has come up with the idea of cutting down the one shelf unit (it's !kea so easy to modify) and have it as a slot in unit for my boxes of catering/baking stuff that won't be going back in the kitchen (not enough room for it all) - it's really exciting - he's going to modify it and I will paint it to pretty it up a bit. I really want this room to be practical from an office/storage point of view, but also to be a room where I can relax and read or tat about with my keepsakes etc... So it needs to be both practical and comfortable - excited that this should be achieved for a minimum amount of money.

I am hoping that the time scale on this will be the next few weeks, so I really need to pull my finger out and get a bit more sorting done during the week rather than just at the weekend.

I am so glad that things are progressing to make our house a home - it's been over a year since we moved and although we are having the kitchen done, we haven't really done a lot else.

Wish I could transfer a bit of this motivation to work - hey ho!

MCI

misscousinitt

Internet difficulties and manic work schedule has kept me from the forums.

I am still not very happy at work...things have transpired over the last couple of weeks to make it worse.

The kitchen is still an on-going project. Tiling is taking forever (especially as our kitchen fitter is off doing other jobs in-between) and the electrician is still AWOL (but in his defence - his Dad has been in hospital). Although progress has been slow - it is getting there and at the weekend I started to put some things back in my cupboards. I desperately need an operational kitchen by Wednesday next week as I have a fundraiser which I need to do baking for.

Kitchen fitter is back today and the electrician is hopefully coming tonight - so got to keep positive that by this time next week we will be operational.

We have a toy fair this weekend and fortunately DH has already sorted out alot of what needs to go. My brother has found my old Dr&gon 32 in the loft and I'm going to put that on too.

Mum's curtain rail has come down completely and so I will need to buy her a new pole and DH will fix this one to the ceiling to ensure good fixings - another thing for us to do.

Decluttering is continuing and I threw away so many (100s) unidentifyable photographs that belonged to our family friend - all of plants - I have kept a few to make a collage to go on the wall of my study room; but the majority have had sadly had to go in the recycling bin. I have salvaged some good photo albums though of places he went in the 70s - interesting photos which are labelled and I will be keeping.

More stuff sorted at Mum's too - more to do this weekend.

So it's busy busy, but yesterday I had a fall at work where I fell down the internal steps in our office (just the bottom one of a set of 3); but my shoes stayed where they were and I ended up on the floor. I ache today and I have jarred my bad hip and my shoulder - it's very annoying and I really don't know what happened - hope it doesn't stop me doing stuff at the weekend - I have loads of leaflets to deliver - I suppose I better just rest until then.

Hope to catch up with some of the diaries in due course - hope everyone is well.

MCI

misscousinitt

Forgot to say that I had a £25 win on the premium bonds - wish it had been bigger - but can't complain!

I wish the kitchen was going better - the electrician came last night and all was well with that. But we have noticed that the cupboards are a bit low to fit my mixer and food processor underneath (this is because the cupboards are lower in the upper part of the kitchen due to a fan being put in above the one set and the kitchen fitter has done them all the same - as you would expect) - the cupboards I want to put the mixer etc.. are in the lower part of the kitchen - so we might have to have them taken off and taken up a bit - he's coming round tonight to discuss. Just when you think you are getting somewhere!!!

Some of the grouting has been done though and it is looking lovely - can't wait for the final result - I think I will be very happy!

So, I need to prepare a plan for another weeks meals based on hob and microwave - getting a bit bored now and nearly out of HM ready meals too - there is no real joy in cooking in our makeshift kitchen anymore - want my new one now (sulks)

Must get the figures done this weekend and shuffle a bit of money about and pay some bills.

MCI

misscousinitt

Working on a HUGE list!!!

Back soon with update.

MCI

misscousinitt

TO DO!!!

Breaking this list down into chunks; got a separate list for this week - all the rest starts on Sunday 02 October!

October:
Spending Money:
- Birthday Cards: We have loads of birthdays between now and the end of the year, so need to make a list and go and buy them all in one go.
- Birthday Presents: Same as above, but fewer to buy - probably not in one go - but need to make a list and get buying.
- Purchase new work clothes and one or two nice tops for occasions.
- Look into some self employed stuff.
- Buy one or two blow up beds. (will become clear further down the list)

Making Money:
-e-bay: Been putting it off long enough - need to target a few items to put on before the end of the year.
-FB Selling: Fire surround needs to go (it's monsterous!) - need to get pics of DH and stick it on FB locally - need the money and need it out of the way.
- Look into some self employed stuff

Getting the house sorted (have friends coming to stay first weekend in November so need to get loads done).

- Finish sorting kitchen stuff (if it's not finished by the time I start this list - hopefully this part will all be done)
- Keep chipping away at decluttering and organising the study on the evenings and weekends - gradual process; can't do too much in one go.
- Tidy Spare Room, check blow up bed
- Sort out attic room: there are loads of empty boxes, some packing materials and some odd boxes of bits and bobs from the move (to be sorted when all the kitchen stuff is back where it belongs)

Targeted Jobs:
- Garden: Get bed planted up/lawns done 2nd October - weather dependant
- Charity paperwork sort out and filing 8th/9th October
- Sort clothes; re-arrange winter/summer stuff; get rid of things to charity shop 15th/16th October
- Deep clean house in preparation for friends coming to stay. 22nd/23rd October

Other things for Oct or November (not sure yet).
- Get my desk back from charity office for study
- Get book case for study
- Radiator replacements
- Roof
- Tax Return and apply for DH self assessment log in

November:
- Xmas Present lists and Purchases
- Self-employed stuff
- Keep house up to speed

Mum's: (Oct/Nov/Dec):
- New curtain pole for main living room.
- Clear out, declutter and sort small spare room
- Purchase shelves for small spare room to make into a library
- Tidy study
- New cooker and kitchen deep clean
- Buy part for and install storage heater in Mum's living room
- Put up curtain pole and curtain for over the door to keep drafts out (bought last year - never put up).
- Get and fill a skip!

Charity Work Oct/Nov:
- Next funding bid to be ready before breaking up for Christmas
- Accounts 2015/16

Phew - guess I'm going to be busy then...

MCI