Five OS Pleasures in your day today

newlywed

Here's mine:
1. A thank you text from a friend for the unused art bits I gave to her as she had been wanting something just like that.

2. HM Leek tatty soup

3. OH giving me a bit of extra housekeeping money

4. Having bought all our shopping to last till payday - apart from milk and eggs.

5. It's Friday so I get 2 days off work

Caterina

bluenose1 wrote: »

5. OK not in the least OS but the Cleaner came today and the house is immaculate. I got rid of all the clutter but now it is hoovered and polished etc it looks great. My excuse for having a cleaner is that I work 4 days a week, have 3 kids and a big house.(am off this week hence the Garden Centre) She comes alternate Fridays and I love coming home to a tidy house. The beds are made like hotel beds.

Hi Bluenose,

First of all, I hope you feel better soon (((HUGS))).

Then, I wanted to say something about what you posted re. cleaner, because I also have a cleaner and sometimes also feel that it is not OS at all but then when I think about that I say, yes it is OS, I save so much money in other ways that this is a TREAT (and even the OSest of OSers is allowed treats!)

I work 12 hours per week from home so in theory I do not have any excuse to have a cleaner. My cleaner comes every fortnight like yours. Rather than an "excuse", my "reason" for having a cleaner is that in my family the more I clean the more my family make a dirty mess, I have two messy (even if truly lovely) teenagers, a busy and chronically untidy husband (who insists on a clean shirt a day for work, plus he does martial arts and there is always one of his martial arts suit in the wash because he sweats like a beast!:rotfl: ) and two huge and permanently hair-shedding cats, not to speak of the constant flux of teen friends of my teens.

Frankly if I did not have a cleaner, in order to cope I would have to put so many strict rules and regulations in the household that it would make it unpleasant for everybody around and very difficult to police effectively.

The cleaner, bless her, gives me a chance to see the house in perfect order once in a while, which would never happen if I was left to my own devices. Also having the house clean has a rebound effect on my mood and encourages the others to leave less mess. I have noticed that after she has been they seem to tidy up after themselves a little more for a little longer, even though unfortunately after a while it returns to same old same old...

I have found that many people think that having a cleaner is an extravagance (well of course it is if you are on the breadline and I feel very fortunate and grateful to be able to afford her services), but I feel that I am doing something for her too, I pay her a fair wage (and voluntarily give her some holiday pay too, like at Christmas) and I give her employment, which in these days is not a bad thing to do for another person.

So, all in all, I really rejoice in my lovely cleaner and am grateful to her and for her.

Off the soapox and back to work now, will be back for my daily five later!

bluenose1

HI Caterina,
totally agree. It is a treat to have a Cleaner and I think for me it is money well spent. We are financially comfortable and it gives me a chance to have a bit of me time and do things I enjoy. My husband is savings mad but I prefer to spend some of it on "treats", such as the Cleaner. Though I understand that some people would regard this as a waste and would get more satisfaction doing it themselves.
(sorry to digress all)

I often think of us all with our different lifestyles, I live in the suburbs of Liverpool and it is lovely to communicate and read about all your lives. There is a real community spirit and kindness on this Board which is really lovely to see. (apologies - digressing again.)

KarrieBee

Like Karen's girl I seem to only get round to this every 2 days so I've got a bumper crop from yesterday and today!
1. Going to the local market and getting some lovely chunky wool half price and some needles the right size for 25p!
2. Starting on a hat for myself with said chunky wool
3. Making friends with a gorgeous collie cross puppy that lives across the road - she tried to follow me home buti don;t think the cat would be too pleased!
4. Going back to choir after the christmas break, very OS as I am the youngest member by some years:p , we started on the Creation which I love and had a great 1st attempt at it.
5. OH coming to meet me at the bus stop as it is quite a dark and spooky walk home then cuddling up with him, my knitting and a cuppa
6. speaking to my cousin and finding she has been very OS all day too - she was worried because someone called her old fashioned but i pointed out that she is just cool before her time!;)
7. getting a load of bedding washed and dry on the airer and getting teh next load up to dry
8. making lovely coconut cake as it is OH favourite to say thank you for the lovely flowers he brought me earlier in the week
9. having leftover yummy fish stew for lunch
10. making a very OS dinner of fishcakes with leftover mash and smoked salmon and a veggie soup as a starter so we get our 5 a day!

whew i really should do them everyday but it is so nice to read and catch up with everyone else's pleasures when i do get around to it - Caterina to have been at the birth of your friends baby must be such a blessing, it made me feel all warm when I heard that!

Hope that Kiwiblue and OH are coping ok and good vibes to all that needs em!
Karrie

Caterina

Hi all

As promised, back for my five of the day!

1 - Breakfast at Cafe Rouge with DD (the OS part is that I had promised her an outing for a long time and breakfast is a lot cheaper than dinner, and I used the 50% off voucher!). We had a lovely time.

2 - Walking back home with DD in the glorious (even if freezing) sunny day, passing the frozen pond and crossing the heath, stopping to face the sun, taking off our specs so that the sunshine could fill our closed eyes through our eyelids (a good way to get Vit. D in the system, but also a lot of fun!).

3 - After having that rich breakfast DD and I decided to have a light lunch and she made a very nice salad with chunks of bread in.

4 - Organising the 2-day free gym pass for me and my friend tomorrow at the Virgin gym/spa that I got with my Zest magazine, really looking forward to it!

5 - Anticipating watching Living on Nothing part 2 (I missed part one) and really looking forward to it.

Good night everybody!

bellaquidsin

Ooops not been keeping up again, must be having such a good time. Here are five of my pleasures over the last day or two.

1. Getting an email from DGS (10) containing a picture (taken on his new digital camera) of the snowman he and his sister (6) had made.

2. Going to the library, always a pleasure and bringing a book and an audio book - for free.

3. Stretching a steak and kidney casserole with lentils to make it last three days. Yesterday we had it straight for the SC, tomorrow it will be served with a mashed potato topping, reheated in the Remoska and the third portion is in the freezer for future reference. It was a whoopsie so only cost £2.45, not too bad for three days dinners for the two of us.

4. Making marmalade, six lovely jars of gold. Albeit only from the preprepared stuff in a tin but still better than shop bought.

5. My regular Friday pleasure, baking session, just bread rolls and scones today as I have all I need in stock at the moment.

Bella.

Disflop

Here are mine for today:

1. Starting to read a library I had reserved - feeling pleased that I hadnt just gone out and bought it!

2. Finishing a scarf ready for friends birthday next week.

3. Watching 'our' garden robin eating his lunch.

4. Helping a friend out for a few hours who was feeling 'overwhelmed'by amount of stuff to do.

5. Eating a delicious homemade chilli!

Broomstick

Today's five:

1. Eating lots of big, fat, juicy, organic clementines (for some reason we seem to have a surplus which needs eating up!)

2. Talking on the phone , for the first time since before Christmas, to my best friend who is working in the States at the moment.

3. Admiring a nightime, very cold countryside full of frost on the way to collect DS1 from the class he'd been at.

4. Treating myself to a pot of real coffee.

5. Everyone in the house trying on 'the sock', trying to run away wearing it and wanting a pair for themselves - very silly.

Sweet dreams...

MamaSaver

1. OH still talking about last night's dinner, even though I thought it was a bit disastrous
2. The joy of yet another successive dry nappy this morning. Started potty training DD on Christmas day and the last week has been dry. Took a chance tonight and didn't put night time nappy on.
3. Prepared HM curry, but OH didn't make it home in time for it, so I'll save it until tomorrow. He ended up getting take-away instead, but I couldn't let him starve.
4. Did seriously HUGE clean out today of upstairs after motivation from the flylady thread. DD was happy playing with dough shapes for the afternoon. Hallway is full of stuff now for charity shop, which I was saving for a car boot sale, but realistically I'll never do it, so eventually gave in.
5. Got loads of washing done and on airer now.
6. Sat and read this thread. I've been an avid lurker for ages, so thought I'd have a go too. It brings great pleasure and motivation to me to read all your OS ways. OH doesn't know what's come over me with all my lovely HM meals and baking in the last while. He's actually genuinely impressed

sparrer

Friday blessings...

1. Started to declutter - I thought I was reasonably clutter free til I had a good look around. Sorted lots to car boot when the weather's warmer, and I suspect there's quite a lot yet to come

2. Turned out the comp desk and found £27 of Argos vouchers, £5.50 Tesco vouchers and the I Ching coins I mislaid weeks ago all together in one little cubby hole That's a coincidence

3. Made a lovely supper of jacket potatoes, whoopsied sandwich beef, chopped onion, pepper and tomato and a pack of korma sauce from my food parcel. Isn't it strange how the most unlikely mixtures seem to taste delish

4. Made my nightly phone call to DM and chose where we'd like to go on our Sun holiday. She wants to go to the seaside after her b/day in May - as she'll be 88 this year we'll be like two fat ladies playing her favourite bingo!

5. Realised today that I haven't been shopping for almost a week, it's been too cold which doesn't suit copd (hurry up spring!), DS has picked up milk on his way home from work so I've saved petrol and goodness knows how many pennies by not 'browsing' in the shops :rolleyes:

6 sending hugs and blessings to all my cyber friends here and praying for strength to see us all through the times ahead :A