My home is a mess

mishmash

Emm-in-a-pickle wrote: »

Mishmash, having a cooking day as a break from the cleaning binge is a great idea. I do envy your stamina right now!!

I suppose being at home has made me see what needs doing! I want to get my life in order, and use the time constructively, so I am hoping that the time and effort investment of deep cleaning, de cluttering and batch cooking now will make my life easier!

bearcub

Evening all Messies.

Emms, we've only had the odd flake of snow here, and it's been quite bright, and not too cold today. I have friends who are small dairy farmers. They can't get their cattle out to graze as the fields are hock deep in water (we know, cos of the horses), and it's costing them a fortune in feed and hay. I was watching Tv last night, a report on the farmers in N Ireland digging out dead sheep and lambs - so, so sad.

I'm not at all surprised that you're wanting to get the op over and done with. I've a picture in my head of your Spare Room of Doom. I know where to come if I run out of anything crucial.

Mishmash, I've just been watching Phil Spencer's 'Secret Agent' where he goes into very 'messy' houses and the owners want to sell. Very interesting how some people just don't see how bad their house is at first. We get used to it, I think, until we stop and really look. Downsizing radically was what did most of it for us, but it's a bit of a desperate step just to clear the place up! We now have a very small bungalow that gets 'overcrowded' very quickly if we don't keep things under control.

grousescot

Hi folks. Well I'm afraid I've let things slide a bit. Floors and bathroom need a good seeing to and the clutter of random bits of paperwork around the hall table is starting to collect again. It doesn't seem too bad to me but then I'm blind as a bat so there's probably dust and fluff gathering under my nose, as it were. Still have to dismantle my old keyboard and at least attempt to get it up the loft - been meaning to do that since a little after Christmas. Pure sloth/laziness on my part - I've slept away most of my weekends, motivation in the evenings when I get home from work is zero and I don't have any of the difficulties like illness or family matters others on this thread are coping with. However I am not at work Good Friday or Easter Monday so I'm determined to use that time to make inroads.

I at least had a minor culinary triumph this evening - made from scratch a pasta bake which is something I've only ever had encased in plastic and cellophane. The last time was when the news broke about the horse meat scandal. I guess that's motivation of a sort!

Hope everyone is managing with the endless winter - snow is not really lying here in Fife but it's still very cold, damp and generally miserable. I've got the urge to hibernate which is odd seeing it's supposed to be spring now.

mishmash

Didn't get the kitchen done yesterday! Hope to get it done this afternoon! Just cleaned and tidied the sitting room (where does all the grott come from?).
Have family coming to stay this weekend so spare bedroom tidied, dusted, and clean bedding on.
Lovely bright day, got the radio on blaring out, and I'm trying to stay motivated! Know I won't get much done this weekend.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies.
Bearcub, My OH & DS certainly don`t see mess! Even though they are both being really good about helping now they really just don`t see it themselves. OH offered to help today - was genuinely surprised when I said the woolly LR rugs needed shaking outside (one is now in WM, the other waiting its turn...) "but they`re all right, aren`t they?". Now we`ve got the clean pair down he admits he can see the difference though. And there`s a big dirt, hairy patch of snow outside where he shook them. Manky just doesn`t go near describing them.
Grousescot- well done on your culinary adventure. I`m sure the horse-meat scare has motivated a lot of people. I`m still chuckling about a snippet from Radio 4`s `Now Show` a couple of weeks ago :- "may contain TRACES of Horse? How do you get TRACES of Horse? Horses are not small, sneaky creatures. Look under your bed. You`ve either got a lot of horse there, or no horse at all!" Just had a giggle again typing that.
Mishmash - you`ve got such a lot done you deserve a little break when your folks are visiting - enjoy! The Grott - it`s brought by the Messy Pixies while your back is turned, so you don`t notice till it reaches Critical Mass!!

Messy Status Report -
I am On One today. A week from now I should be sleeping off the anaesthetic after my surgical `de-clutter`, so need to keep distracted and want to feel I`m getting the house as reasonable as possible for a while.
LR - flat surfaces cleared/wiped. (more cat-prints already on windowsill but at least they`re fresh!)
Woolly rugs shaken outside, now in WM, and clean ones fetched from caravan of Doom. (OH did that) LR, kitchen and hall Henry`d by DGD - was going to do it yesterday but put off till today.
Kitchen - sink & draining board clear, worktops & hob wiped but not wonderful (I did those while directing operations in LR!)
Next -
I`m going to bother a large turkey leg in `pseudo le creusot` pot, I`m thinking tarragon, wine & cream, and HM chips with it. DS is going to do the spuds.
Also going to slap some colour on my hair while OH is handy to help me wash it off, and give it time to calm down before next week.
It`s bright and sunny here, can you tell?
Drags self away to grapple wet woolly rugs to hang upstairs....

bearcub

Afternoon Messies.

Grousescot, my OH doesn't see dirt, either, partly due to poor eyesight but also, I suspect, because he's a man! Well done of the culinary success. All our meals are OS, apart from the occasional jar of curry sauce, but I don't cook them. This is the reason I forgive OH for the mess he makes, because he happily cooks our meals! It's not that I can't cook (although I'm very out of practice now), but I find meal-cooking very boring, while he enjoys it.

Emms, I suppose the 'trace' of horse is the same as 'trace' of peanuts. If horsemeat has been minced in a machine, the machine not cleaned thoroughly, then the machine minces beef, then there will be 'trace of horse'. As a horse owner, I can honestly say you can't have horse and not know it, especially when cleaning out stables, or if said horse steps on your foot! :rotfl:

OH and I went shopping in town today, without Mum this time, and visited a number of shops for specific items. Bought a huge lidded plastic box in which to keep spare bedding from getting damp - bought at a negotiated reduced price because the lid was scratched. Never hurts to ask, does it?

De-messying; OH washed some of his fleeces, which will dry quickly indoors. I put away last night's washing-up, and I've cleaned the bathroom. I finally finished repairing one of our church banners, one that is particularly appropriate for Easter Sunday, and I'll take that back and re-hang it tomorrow. I just want to swepp the kitchen floor, as the cats do tend to spread their food a bit.

scaredy_cat

well, got the bin bags, got the scourers and cream cleaner, and the gloves.

next step is to use them!

bearcub

scaredy_cat wrote: »

well, got the bin bags, got the scourers and cream cleaner, and the gloves.

next step is to use them!

:T :rotfl:

mishmash

Kitchen now all clean! Not quite sure how the insides of the cupboards get so dirty! Also scrubbed the hallway floors old style, hands and knees with a scrubbing brush, they are gleaming, however with 6 kids, 2 dogs and a husband I doubt my home will stay so clean! Kids sitting room cleaned, tidied and dusted!
Well now just to enjoy the long weekend with great company and lots of food and wine! Have a lovely Easter all, no doubt by next week I will be back at the beginning!

bearcub

I'm with you on that, mishmash - how do cupboards get so dirty? The food ones, yes, and the crockery ones are ok, but HOW do the saucepan cupboard and the cutlery drawer get so filthy?