My home is a mess

alec_eiffel

Did some cooking yesterday, pie for tomorrow night, loads of roast veg and some pasties for us to take out with us today - we're going to a Christmas craft market and lights switch on so there's opportunity to go well over budget. The kitchen is all clean and clear too so I can go out and have fun without having to think of all the work there is to do when I get back.

Have a good weekend.

farmerswife75

Morning all!

Lovely sunny day here on the farm! Mr farmer is busy with his cows, no 1 son is spreading slurry and the girls are playing quietly upstairs. Ahh, lovely start to the weekend!

After lunch we are at a tennis comp and all day tomorrow, i said i would make some cakes for the refreshments tomorrow so i'll have to do that tonight.

How is everyone getting on with their xmas shopping??

Jxx

YORKSHIRELASS

Afternoon all

So sorry to hear your story FW. We live on the edge of a tiny village in the middle of nowhere and I can imagine how you feel. Its all the disruption of losing the van too thats a nightmare too I guess.

As always Emm you sound very busy, keep going with that clutter. The temptation to just stuff it all in a cupboard somewhere is huge isnt it?

DS1s birthday yesterday so out for lunch and tea!! Spent far to much but its hard not to spoil him.

On the messy front downstairs is reasonably OK I suppose. Upstairs its a different story. I have managed to keep on top of the washing and ironing this week though. As soon as one set of muddly clothes comes out of the machine another set appears to replace it.

Waiting for visitors to arrive at the moment so I am resisting the temptation to charge around like a maniac making the house look tidier. They can take me as they find me!! Have made a nice cake to feed them so I hope they can forgive me for a bit of dust in the corners.

Oh and FW - Christmas shopping. I looked at things yesterday, didnt buy, just looked. Does that count??? At least I have finished doing Mums for her. She gives me money for the kids and I spend it on pressies for her to give them which is quite nice but I need to start doing my own shopping!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday everyone x

bearcub

Evening Messies.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas market, alec e. I gather it must quite an event if you took a picnic. Any successful buying?

Oo, slurry spreading, FW! I think there's been a fair amount of that going on on the island recently, although not too close to home as yet.

YL, I can imagine that you want to spoil your DS1. Did he enjoy it all? What did you give him as a prezzie? Forget the frenzied de-messying. My OH always says people should come to visit us, not criticise the state of the house. Quite.

DD1 went home this afternoon, but we had a walk by the sea, before having a drawn out lovely lunch, so the day just went. I'd put a load in the WM before going out, so that's all hanging up to dry, and I gave the bathroom a quick clean this morning. The kitchen floor really needs a sweep at least, but I feel really tired, so that's going to have to be done tomorrow.

Because DD1 was here, we went over to one of the villages that's a real tourist attraction during the holiday season, but is wonderfully quiet now. Both DD and I bought a couple of small Christmas gifts, and I shall be ordering some online this coming week. We've bought tickets to the Olympia Horse Show for the DDs, so that's a huge part of their prezzies done.

MoonJelly

Hello All,
I am struggling trying to tidy up my very small flat. Basically we downsized and poured the contents of a house and an office into this place. Some of the older files are into storage. I wish could afford a larger storage place but then it would defeat the purpose of being in a money saving forum! My darling hubby is coming home for Christmas (he works overseas)...and I want the place to look decent for the holidays. I have a cupboard which is already filled with office stuff. Our summer clothes and extra bedding will have to go into boxes. Is there any way of making a pile of boxes less depressing or ugly? Ideas? Because right now everything is on the floor and I feel like I'm living like a squatter. I hate it!

Lilyplonk

MoonJelly wrote: »

Hello All,
I am struggling trying to tidy up my very small flat. Basically we downsized and poured the contents of a house and an office into this place. Some of the older files are into storage. I wish could afford a larger storage place but then it would defeat the purpose of being in a money saving forum! My darling hubby is coming home for Christmas (he works overseas)...and I want the place to look decent for the holidays. I have a cupboard which is already filled with office stuff. Our summer clothes and extra bedding will have to go into boxes. Is there any way of making a pile of boxes less depressing or ugly? Ideas? Because right now everything is on the floor and I feel like I'm living like a squatter. I hate it!

Is there anything at all that you don't need and could perhaps declutter?

Why not pop over to the 'Declutter in 2012' thread for some ideas.

hopefulmoneysaver94

MoonJelly wrote: »

Hello All,
I am struggling trying to tidy up my very small flat. Basically we downsized and poured the contents of a house and an office into this place. Some of the older files are into storage. I wish could afford a larger storage place but then it would defeat the purpose of being in a money saving forum! My darling hubby is coming home for Christmas (he works overseas)...and I want the place to look decent for the holidays. I have a cupboard which is already filled with office stuff. Our summer clothes and extra bedding will have to go into boxes. Is there any way of making a pile of boxes less depressing or ugly? Ideas? Because right now everything is on the floor and I feel like I'm living like a squatter. I hate it!

Try putting the boxes under the bed? or on top on cupboards if their not the cardboard square ones, and is the cupboard with the office stuff in the only storage cupboard you have?

alec_eiffel

No, it wasn't a big market, I just didn't want to end up spending lots of money on food and drink knowing we'd be out all day. Turns out there was no market anyway but it was fortunate that the person mentioned nipping into the town before we went to the next town as I wanted a new coat. DH and I both stopped dead outside a charity shop and stared at a very gorgeous coat in the window.

I nearly keeled over when I went in and asked to try it on. I've worked on and off in charity shops since 2002 so this was the first time since then I'd had to pay full price for something. £25!!! But it is gorgeous and it looks lovely on so it doesn't bother me too much.

Moonjelly, my first advice would be to look at your stuff and see what, if anything you can get rid of, what can be stored better and what needs to stay as is. The office cupboard - is that the best use of that space, could the clothes and bedding fir in there to make better use of it. Can the office stuff be collapsed down in any way? Not saying that it can or should be moved but asking the question can help provide a solution. We often store things somewhere as it's convenient rather than being the best solution.

For the clothes and bedding again go through it and get rid of anything you can. I hate things on top of wardrobes and under beds but if that's the only space you've got then use it. Vac sacs are good for fabric stuff and frees up a lot of space so you can get things out of boxes. Anything that's going to be on view i.e on top of a cupboard I'd advise to store it in the nicest boxes/storage you have. You'll see it every day and it will only remind you of how you're fighting for space if it looks unattractive.

Other than that, if the boxes have lids then you can throw a cloth over them and use them as a coffee/side table. Not ideal but there you go!

bearcub

Afternoon Messies.

I can understand, alec e, about the food. DD1 and I usually (but not this year) go to the Christmas market at Portsmouth Dockyard. It's a lovely event, but the food is always over-priced, and often not that good. The mulled wine's always wonderful, though. Shame there wasn't actually a market after all, but a good find with the coat! :T

Lovely sunny, cold day here. Spent quite a while de-misting the windscreen this morning. Not sure about de-messying, although I must sort a WM load for tomorrow, and must sweep the kitchen floor NOW!

alec_eiffel

It was still pretty Christmassy in Lytham as it was the lights switch on, the Town Crier was out and there were people singing and all that good stuff so we had a bit of pre-Christmas spirit (even though it's still very early for that kind of thing).

I have been wrestling with this flipping quilt today. I just don't like it but I think I've figured out a way to make it wonky enough for me to enjoy making it. DH has been on domestic duties - washing up, floor sweeping, leaf raking and bin emptying. Hooray!