My home is a mess

mcculloch29

Emm, our local farmshops are very chi-chi - this is quite a wealthy farming area, though the Durham Dales hill farms aren't too far away and are at the other end of the scale. We do have some lovely farmer's markets but it's more a case of 'buy as a real treat'. Plus with Ron the cheapo greengrocer being a stone's throw from the market, it would be self defeating to buy from anyone else.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies
Buffy - I`m so glad you got so much done with some help (much needed by the sound of it!) from your BF, he does sound rather a star. Well done you, finding one of the good guys!
Theatregirl, your painters sound great, a bit more versatile and helpful than the sort who only apply paint!
Mcculloch, you`d be bonkers not to stick with your `magic` Ron. I just sometimes think it sounds a bit `not MSE` when I go on about my farm shop, so had to explain the veg part is more like yours than like the `chi-chi` sort of FS. I admit I`ve been tempted occasionally in Aldi/Lidl, but found their fruit/veg doesn`t keep.

Messy Status Report-
DGD went home with her mum last night, after our edible but very odd-looking microwave sponge experiment. We`re going to have to tweak things a bit.... she did the washing up after our efforts too, Bless`er, so kitchen not too bad.
DS shook the very hairy woolly LR rugs outside last night on request, and they got washed and are hanging outside today. OH did rubber brush in LR just the hairy bits then got the clean rugs out from caravan of Doom. LR looks clean & tidyish, mantelpiece still clear (but dusty) and sofa still clear because it`s generally accepted as my `crash` zone now!
Day 1 of waiting for hospital letter -no post so rest of day clear, I shall potter gently at some clutter and write some lists.
Have a good day all x

sonastin

Buffy - wow so much done in one weekend. Made me exhausted just reading it. Sounds like you're well on your way to transforming your house into somewhere you want to live. I have to admit that the only thing that persuaded me to make my bedroom presentable way finding a man I'd want to share it with! No one else had any reason to ever see the state I kept it in.

Emm - glad you're only expecting a cyst and nothing more dramatic. Please make sure you deliver it by c-section. We don't want any "natural births" with this one! Hopefully they'll get you seen to soon enough. OH used to have a farm shop a bit like yours near his home in hampshire, but he also had a really good greengrocers in his village. Our farm shop is expensive but the butcher seems reasonable when I can get there. There's a greengrocer & market in town both of which aren't too bad but the parking charges in town wipe out all savings for using them so we only go there when we're going into town anyway.


Weekend away was good if a bit tiring (had a wee bit too much to drink on Saturday so felt a little bit poorly on Sunday!). Yesterdays day off "to recover" was anything but! House got quite messy as we installed a flue liner in the chimney for our wood-burning stove. At one point, I even ended up on the roof with OH helping him feed the flue down! As its an old, used chimney, all sorts of mortar, dust, soot, etc fell down. Caught most of it on dust sheets but it does tend to hang in the air for a while! Lovely to have a proper fire going last night though. The house was really warm last night and the heat was basically free (if you ignore the cost of the stove and flue!). We can finally start decluttering all the off-cuts of wood that are lying around from all the building work now.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies.
Sonastin, Glad your weekend away went well. Sounds like your `recovery` day was a bit too exiting but very well spent! It`s so lovely to have a `proper` fire. Ideal for us Messies, too, as it does provide a focus...draws the eye away from messy bits...
Messy Status Report -
Yesterday I did a bit of de-cluttering upstairs. Not bad for a gentle potter - sorted a load of bra`s, and put away 2 ultra warmest chunky winter jumpers, so that freed a bit of space. Also filled a large shopping bag with stuff for DD & kids, things she`ll use that I won`t.
Then got a phone call from hospital - appointment Friday. OK.
(Sonastin, re `c-section`- I was rather hoping it might be a `keyhole` delivery myself, but that`s probably not an option, I`ve no inside info yet on this!)
Then DGD came here after school. She dusted the mantelpiece (mainly because she wanted to fiddle with and re-arrange the `balancing goats` - wooden ones that stack in different ways, bit of fun. She played with them when she was little and one has a toothmark from those days)
Then we had another tweak at our `microwave cake` experiment. This one was very edible, but had larger holes.
We added elmlea and sliced banana & called it a pudding. (We decided we need to work on `presentation - ie to make something we won`t need to cover up!!)
Laundry - as I`m not using uniforms and just slopping around in same baggy trousers/jumpers not generating as much washing as usual, and others are making an effort to keep theirs down too...except the dog. Will do her downstairs bed today.
Aims for today - make a beef casserole for tonight (SC). Bit more pottering upstairs. Would really like to access my toenails with nail-clippers before Friday but this may not be a realistic ambition. I`d love a trip to the skip too, but have to content myself with making a heap in spare room of Doom for now as the many speed bumps at the skips are Mega ones (NOT ideal in my state, and I`m the only one who drives here). Also there`s stuff in the garden that needs to be skipped, so just as well to wait till we can take it all.
Bedroom desk - surface has disappeared completely, so that needs seeing to in today`s potterings.
Have a good day all. x

bearcub

Afternoon Messies.

Buffy, I am so happy for you, both that you got so much difficult stuff done, but that you've found someone rather special, by the sound of it.

Mc29, OH has found a rather good veg place, too, but it's about 12 miles from here, so he only shops there when on his way to or from the voluntary work he does on Mondays.

Sonastin, well done for climbing on the roof - not sure I would. Maybe it was a cure for the hangover, though.

Theatregirl, what a huge shame about the radiator, but good news about the work being done outside. It all takes time and, sadly, money.

Emms, I'm glad you have a date now for the op. You must have been getting fairly frustrated with not being able to do stuff. I love the idea of 'inside info' given the op and your job! :rotfl:

Sorry I've not been around for a while - life has got a bit manic, and I seem to be here, there and everywhere. When I'm at home, I'm trying to keep things under control, and catching up. Last week's blood test seems to have shown nothing untoward, as I was told the GP would call if it did. Oddly, since then, I've felt better, so I'm wondering if my body was trying to fight off some bug or other. Birthday on Friday was a bit of a non-event, really, but I did receive a huge bouquet of freesias from DD1, which was lovely. Also, a slightly odd phone call from
DD2 - she seemed slightly 'off', but chatted about work and her bf, so maybe it was just triedness. Monday, I was quite busy at home - washing on the line early, came home to change bedding, and did a fair amount of gardening. Yesterday, I was out most of the day with a friend. The weather was lovely, and it was a chance to go and see some of the touristy places, before the holidaymakers start their 'invasion' at Easter. I hasten to add that we do appreciate the holidaymakers, as tourism is now the biggest industry here. Last night, I was at a 2 hour AGM - good atmosphere, but a bit tedious. Tonight, OH and I are out for a meal with the friend I saw yesterday and her OH, as it's her birthday this Friday. Tomorrow, we and Mum are going shopping in town, and we have quite a few shops to visit. Friday, I have to make 2 cheesecakes for Saturday, then I'm out in the evening; Saturday, I'm out mid-morning until mid-afternoon at a combined churches brunch event (fundraiser for charities); Sunday will be my day of rest, except Mum's coming over for dinner as it's Mothers' Day; Monday, I'll be at the drop-in centre. the rest of next week, I think I'll lock the door, and shut out the world!

Buffythedebtslayer

Hello Messies!

I have a messy dilemma,

Although much of the heavy lifting was done at the weekend after the man left I got quite sad ended up with a head ache which has stayed.

SO. my bedroom did not happen and mum arrives home TOMORROW.

I need to tidy up every room in the house and really should have the washing machine on.

Do I

A. move my room round as planned - would take at least an hour and then tidy up the house (as I go)

Plus's - It would be much easier to finish it off on Saturday. Less scary for piggies to only move them once. I would feel better.

Negatives - Am so tired. Awful week at school. AWFUL.

B. Stash and dash
Plus - quicker (although I have no enthusi.....enthuasuim.....spelling power.. for this) more realistic to get done tonight.

negatives - undoes a lot of the work I started.

I guess writing this makes it clear I need to move my room round. It won't take long.

really it won't.

Dinner first. Jacket potato and coleslaw and cream cheese.

YORKSHIRELASS

Oh Buffy, thats a tough one. I guess you will have made a decision and done something by now - I would have gone for plan A myself.

Glad the blood test results came back OK and you are feeling better Bearcub.

Emms, hope the appointment goes OK. Does being "in the business" make it better or worse having hospital treatment I wonder?

Anyhow, done a bit of general tidying and dusting today and took DS out for lunch and a chat. He has been seeing a Youth Worker for support which seems to be dredging up all sorts of difficult feelings. Good to get them out in the open of course but I seem to be absorbing most of the impact. I had a moment yesterday when I wondered what it would be like if he hadnt become ill and was going to school and I was still doing my old job. Funny because I dont often think like that.

Work tomorrow and its going to be busy so I need to get myself off to bed. Must change our sheets and duvet cover tomorrow even if its raining!

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies.
Bearcub, I`m glad your blood tests were ok, it`s good to know there isn`t an underlying reason for how you were feeling even if you`ve felt better since. You`re always busy with lots of different things so it`s natural enough to hit some tired patches. Weekend sounds hectic too, hope it goes well.
Sorry to hear your birthday was a non-event, but I bet those freesias are still smelling gorgeous! I know what you mean about `invasion`! Going hill-wards from here is a lovely little town that gets INUNDATED with visitors. I used to work in a nursing home just the other side of the town and there`d be jay-walkers from all over the world with cameras all through the warmer months. Driving to work in winter wasn`t much better either, I often had to `park & walk` when the snow was bad!
Re my `op` I still don`t have a date for it, but saw gynae consultant this am, and now at least I know what they plan on doing. Should be in 5-6 weeks. In the hospital corridors (where all paths cross!) bumped into SO many dear folks who had wondered where I`d got to, plus we called in on my ward and got severely hugged - OH said it was like accompanying royalty except for the hugs! It made me realise how much I`m missing work, but I daren`t tell folks that or they`ll refer me to the psych`s!

Emm-in-a-pickle

Buffy - I`m guessing you went for plan A, with maybe a bit of stash & dash at the end when you ran out of enth..steam! And your mum is home today, so at least take some time out this weekend to catch up and chill a bit.
Sorry to hear you`ve had such an awful week at school, try to hang in there & think of Easter hols! (Same advice I gave to DGD the other day - her teacher had written `antagonistic` on the board (re muscles) and DGD was the only kid in her class who could say it and actually knew the meaning - then got called "smart-a$$" by some of her classmates.GRRR!)

bearcub

Afternoon Messies.

Buffy, I hope you've picked up a bit by now. As I've said before, I've every sympathy with teachers; I don't know how you cope with 'orrible kids, all that paperwork (that has little REAL connection with educating kids), and having some sort of private life.

Emms. I'm glad you've had an explantion about what the medics intend to do. I hope you don't have to wait too long for a date. It must be very odd to go into your place of work, and be 'on the other end', so to speak. From what you've said before, I'm not at all surprised that you had such a great welcome! Your poor DGD - kids can be so horrible, can't they?

Thanks btw. I've been feeling much better, but I suspect that it's because I've made an effort NOT to play on the computer til late and, oddly enough, stopped taking medication for my sinuses.

YL, I'm not always sure that dredging up old feelings always helps, but maybe your DS needs to continue to express how he feels to see how you react. It's always different talking to someone outside of the family, and maybe he needs to talk about it all to someone who actually knows him well. I can quite understand your feelings of 'what if', as I've had them myself. This morning, I picked up my notebook that I keep for poem and story ideas, and had forgotten that I have a page out of an old journal tucked in the back. It has a poem that DD2 wrote about 9 years ago, around the time that she'd broken up for a short time with her now ex. On the other side, were some of my jottings about how I felt when they finally broke up for good. I was so worried about her, with her history of depression, and we were quite a few miles away by then. That was very much a 'what if' situation for me.

Lots of rain this morning; we could hardly see the Solent was still there, never mind the mainland! I've made two cheesecakes, and they're setting in the fridge. Also, done the washing-up. I have to finish a birthday card, but that's mostly done, and I must put some towels into wash, as we've run out of clean handtowels for the bathroom.