Hoarding - Springing Ahead

thriftwizard

Not a lot achieved today! However I did manage to use 6 of the jam-jars I picked up a couple of weeks ago; I was given a bag of going-over strawberries at the market this morning, so I made strawberry jam - and some apple butter, too, with apples I hadn't managed to do anything intelligent with beforehand.

I did manage to clear some random bits of paper in the conservatory but there's still far too much stuff waiting to find a sensible home. Trying not get overwhelmed - tomorrow is another day - I can thin some of it out, surely.

parsniphead

Oh thriftwizard, random bits of paper are are a complete nightmare.

I made a reasonable start yesterday. I put loads of washing away and got two more loads washed. Two very bobbly old pillows were binned. The poker set which had been tipped up was picked up. Poker chops on a wooden floor are treacherous. This is now waiting in the charity shop bag. I filled a bag of rubbish to go and started sorting out the bedroom.

Today I have already done a load of washing. Folded some dry washing and put it away and started tidying the kitchen. I'm going to finish the kitchen before the little on goes to nursery for the morning and get the washing out on the line. Once he is dropped off its a load of ironing, a quick tidy, polish and vac in the sitting room ( this room is usually fairly tidy apart from toys) and then continue with either the master bedroom or the front room which is currently stuffed full of toys and my sewing stuff. I have also thrown as many bags as possible to stop the much in filling them like a bag lady.

DH and I have decided that we are going to swap the bedrooms over Whitsun so I need to get started by sorting step sons bedroom a little with a VAC and polish so I can start painting over the black walls. Its going to take many coats to sort it out. Its such a lovely room which glows in the morning light and it will be good to get it a nice bright colour again.

So I need to get off here or time will pass and I will get nothing done.

Having a lovely day everyone.

Ali

thriftwizard

It does help to have a clear plan of action, doesn't it? The only trouble is, all the tasks jostling for attention in your mind can make it seem quite overwhelming. I'm trying to work out a "critical path network" - priority here has to be preparing DS3's new room, for which the major task is to move his bed into it & dismantle DS1's bed, which is going to be replaced with the Hemnes daybed, which I'm collecting on Wednesday. BUT we have OH at home today - he works 4 10-hour days rather than 5 8-hour ones - and if he insists on helping, we'll never get anything done! He gets tiswassed very easily & ends up running round in circles, either roaring or muttering, which is worse...

I am actually reaching the stage where not much more of my stuff needs to go out now, except the stuff in the garage. What remains indoors needs to be found sensible homes. But there's quite a lot of stuff in the way which isn't mine; it's DS2 & TDiL's. I can't do a lot about it except pray that they'll find jobs & a home of their own where they want to be, very soon!

GreyQueen

Well, today threw me a curve ball in respect of a dental emergency, so am kicking my heels at home until time to leave for my emergency appt. Would have been a working day, but I rang in and they were happy enough for me to book the whole day out of my annual leave. Since I had a restless night with a lot of really weird dental-themed dreaming, not feeling 100% alert atm. Plus might be a bit miz after treatment. Am not phobic about the dentist but it isn't a fun gig.

Have taken the opportunity of having some extra time to de-kipple several living room surfaces of random bits of paper. I have an appalling habit of jotting notes to myself, as a way of mitigating the ME-brain fade, and then they pile up in drifts, some of only temporary importance, some containing vital information.

Thus they cannot just be shuffled straight into the bin and need to be given a few seconds' worth of consideration.

Have typed two of the items (recipes) into the pooter so I can find them in a hurry and am adding some book titles which were recommended to be to my To Read list. Think I will put these on a little card in my wallet - done!

thriftwizard

Hoping your dentist has sorted you out quickly & with the minimum of pain, GQ.

I got a little more sorted out than I thought I'd be able to. Half a car load went down onto my stall, including two big items - luckily some equally big items had sold over the weekend - and a couple of bulky items to the Tip. Admittedly I came back with some of those useful wooden folding/stacking shelves - always good for display, take hardly any storage space - and a stunning 50s mirror, but they're both beautiful AND useful. And also eminently saleable, if push comes to shove! I accidentally sold off some of the shelves last year at a car boot sale; DD1 was hopping mad as she'd wanted them for her stall. Sorted now!

I'm beginning to see a difference in the conservatory. It's nowhere near presentable yet, but the level of chaos is slowly decreasing. I have a feeling that when the bedroom moves are sorted, stuff will drain away into new & sensible homes very quickly. But I'm still finding embarrassing things like a large empty cardboard box at the bottom of one heap, and a box full of Christmas rubbish - used crackers, torn hats - in the middle of another.

GreyQueen

Still feeling a bit tender around the jaw; have had my gold overlay cemented back into the tooth and am advised to treat that a bit gingerly today so am eating softish things and chewing on the other side.

thriftwizard, don't feel embarrassed about the hollow boxes, the ones with fresh air and Xmas tat, just thing of the easy gain in space you got by breaking them down, all that square footage for free!

My bit of extra time has really paid dividends and I have nothing on the 'coffee table' - it's actually a tin document box and I even have the key! - or the sofa. Or the floor. I feel as if I should invite someone around before the clutter demons creep back in.............:p

thriftwizard

Something big incoming today, and again tomorrow - hopefully there'll be an equal & opposite reaction as their counterparts go out! And one more big item, too... the IKEA linen cupboard that just didn't fit the space properly is off to my friend's house, and her Hemnes daybed is coming back here (with adjusting payment!) to replace DS1's single bed, as he's now acquired a serious girlfriend. Also a tatty old chipboard wardrobe whose screws are barely holding it together is offski, to be replaced by a nice plain wooden one found at the Tip at the weekend. Interesting that the wooden one is sooo much lighter, but shows no signs of falling apart even though it's probably 30 years older.

I doubt that any real decluttering will occur, though, which leaves me gnashing my teeth with impatience a bit, but there's too much else going on.

Happygreen

I started on the girls' room yesterday - which is now DD2's room. We broke down the first of the bunk beds, home made and almost indestructible, lol. tons of screws in a box for OH but then I gave up and got the crow bar out. Lots of kindling!

2 walls are now in progress, then we will move drawers and wardrobe....All has to be done before DD1 returns from Uni in 4 weeks time!

thriftwizard

Well done you, Happygreen; I've just conceded defeat. DS3's room is not going to be ready for him on Saturday. He'll just have to help move the beds round himself.

Nothing went right today! The last two kitchen items sold last night, so I wrapped them up ready to post in the little town we were visiting on the way to my mother's this morning. The Post Office was closed temporarily... so we thought we'd post them where my mother lives. But were caught in a 45-minute traffic jam - in very-rural Dorset?! For some bizarre reason they've decided to do all the roadworks BEFORE the tourists get here, this year. Which is great on the one hand, but not so great when you're caught up in it...

Anyway, I did manage to post them, but felt we needed to spend more time at my mother's than I'd accounted for in my plans, so got back here late. Managed to collect the wardrobe, and get it back here single-handed, but a gust of wind caught it on the driveway, so it fell over & landed half on a paint pot, and the door has sheared off at the hinges; the mirror inside made it much heavier than the rest of it. I'm so upset; a nice 50s wooden wardrobe in good condition - wrecked now.

Anyway, I soldiered on; I decided to use it in the garage to replace the linen cupboard that's going out tomorrow. Which involved hauling all my stall infrastructure & excess stock out, plus the car-boot boxes and some completely random rubbish too, so I could get it in... I suppose it wasn't wasted time as I now have a big box of stuff I really can't imagine why I've been keeping & storing for so long; I think it must just have got stuffed out there when somewhere else needed clearing quickly. That'll be off tomorrow or Thursday; it's at least two bin-bags full! But there are two other containers of random stuff that's less-obviously-rubbish which I still need to tackle out there.

This has taken me all day and I've ended up going & buying supper from the supermarket, at vast expense - hangs head in shame! The wardrobe is at least being useful, storing stuff I wouldn't want mice to be able to get into without a fight. And I suppose the silver lining is that at least one great big box of complete rubbish will be leaving the premises in the next couple of days.

Just hope tomorrow goes a bit more according to plan!

Happygreen

thriftwizard, what a shame about the wardrobe - at least you didn't break the mirror inside . I hope today will be better for you.

But yesterday was just such a day here as well...the wallpaper steamer gave up in the middle of the wall, so DD2 is sitting in quite a mess as I'm not going out today to buy a replacement. Much needed garden time today instead .