KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Karmacat

VJsmum wrote: »

When i read the "decide what you don't give a f*** about and then don't give a f*** about it" article a while back, work magazines were the biggest thing i applied that to. Just thumbed through and the bits that were "don't care" "dont care" etc i just skipped.

I've not heard of that, thats great :j

Love this, thank you [greenbee's working at home recommendations] (she says, typing this at the kitchen table still in her PJs). I really need to sort the office out as i just don't like being in there. i think i would get more done.

They're good, aren't they! I don't follow them exactly myself but I agree with the general principle

mrs-moneypenny

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/fb/34/5f/fb345f9eca9e0078df7664de33060932.jpg
Throw is finished all but a few stitches to catch it together at the corners of each square join.

Our council tip have recently decided to start charging if you take hardcore soil etc.

short_bird

Mrs M, that throw is brilliant....

Tete_en_l'Air

Thanks once more to everyone for your kind words and welcomes!

Well, I showered and dressed but you can't make me wear a bra Got a couple of hours' work done this morning (I'm on PT hours so that's fine) and am just finishing my lunch before I face the washing up.

I've done a couple of loads of washing this morning and been ferrying clutter up and down the stairs when I've been making loo trips so once I've washed up I'll get as many clothes put away as poss and then crack on with what I'm itching to get started on: my filing.

I've got four hours until I have to get ready for yoga. GO!

Igamogam

Well the shed has gone...transformed into fire wood A whole week before scheduled. Back at work now so wont be dong anymore serious KMing until weekend.

Hello Tete:D I use to follow you when you where just starting on the teaching.......sorry it didnt work out.

Siebrie

My overly busy week and weekend have just finished, hurray!

On Thursday during my working hours I had to take eldest dd to a speech therapist for an assessment on maths tutoring (I'm in Belgium, and just as baffled as you ), then had to get the assessment back to the ear-nose-throat doctor to get the referral for the therapy (still baffled....). She has now been approved for the therapy: 140 (can I get more baffled... bafflest?) half-hour sessions, to be taken within 2 years. It's a once-in-a-school-career offer, so if she needs any help during secondary school we'll have to go private. Anyway, it was a task I was dreading and that I've now finished.

Next was Friday, when we had a visit from our old neighbours. They now live in the UK, but lived next to us for 2 years until 2 years ago; their 2 daughters are exactly the same age as mine, and were in the same classes at kindergarten. Their eldest was rather wild back then, and, having moved 3 times already at age 4, had developed a coping technique: she completely claimed my dd. They were great friends, always together, but 'always' when the friend so decided. She kept my dd on standby, not letting her play with anyone else. So, even though my dd loved her dearly, I was kind of relieved when they moved 2 years ago. My dd has grown since, has opened up, and made friends of her own. I didn't know what to expect from the visit. I thought it would be good for my dd to see her old friend again, to stop the romanticizing of the friendship, but dreaded the emotional upheaval the visit may cause. In the end, it all turned out really well. The friend did not remember any Dutch, so communication was difficult, and she was at her wildest, finishing off the serving tray with biscuits, switching on the ipad without asking permission, refusing to eat proper lunch, not listening to her parents, even persuading them to go to the supermarket to buy her food she wanted to eat. Dd did not like playing with her, and commented on friend's rude behaviour.

Then, Friday evening we were invited to acquaintances' 10-year wedding anniversary. I did not want to spend any money, so in the end I bought 3 bunches of tulips totalling €7,50 (GBP6), put them in a grey pot (10 years = 'pewter' wedding) I had lying about. I added a bottle of 'blanc des blancs, cru' champagne my former boss gave me. I didn't like the boss, and I don't drink champagne, so that was an easy decision. I wrapped everything nicely, and it turned out that all the guests had the same idea: they had about 15 bottles of champagne!

Then, Saturday and Sunday we had a couple with their son staying at our place. African guy, Polish lady, adorable 6-month old baby. For me there was not really a connection; they want to move to Belgium from the Netherlands, I'm not sure about their reason. Turns out she is his second 'wife', he already has a formal wife in Africa. The couple got married in a mosque last year, which I'm p*-d off about, because in NL you are not allowed to get married religiously before you are married before the state. But if he already has a wife, he cannot get married in the Netherlands.

Sunday afternoon I took my girls to an outdoor playground and we had a lovely time!

So, lots of not-so-nice and some nice social tasks kondoed.

This week I have three 8-hour and two 16-hour days, but that's relatively normal

mrs-moneypenny

Work is done for the day, have another potential woo moment awaiting outcome of a talk I've had.

Just read a full page article in today's mail " why we need to chuck out the crazy fad for decluttering" it's actually quite interesting and apart from the title what most of us on this and the make do mend and minimise thread aspire to. The title implies that we should continue hoarding like there's no tomorrow but when you actually read the article it's saying we shouldn't be constantly striving for new but should be happy with what we have and be prepared to pair and adapt rather than bin and replace.
Pretty much what we are all doing anyway.

Got the solar lights and pond pump out of the attic over the weekend so plan to get those put out. Also got the huge bulkhead security light that was kept for Justin, if he wants it he can collect it from the metal recycling skip at my DHs workplace tomorrow. (Along with a collection of washing machine infill pipes which you get with the machines anyway! But they will be in the general skip next to it)

PollyWollyDoodle

Mrs M-P you are inspirational- that throw looks fabulous. I know my friend has a lot of band t-shirts that she doesn't wear but can't bear to part with, and I've suggested something like this but couldn't quite picture it. I love the plain squares that break it up. Not confident I could get my squares as regular as yours, but I'm going to put that on my project list!

Siebrie, sounds as if the visit from your former neighbours was good; your daughter won't be hankering after an old friendship but is mature enough to see that it's over. Very MK!

GreyQueen

:T Wow, Mrs M-P, that throw us fantastic, what a great way to repurpose beloved band tee-shirts so that you can actually see and enjoy them. Well done!

Have been to work and, before work, to the dentist, so it's been a long day and I'm pretty pooped but am not planning to do an awful lot for the rest of the day, just reading and lounging around.

I have been sent some personally-addressed post by a political party. They will be getting it returned shortly, unopened, with a terse note on the outside not to send me stuff. Each time they do this, I do this back. Doesn't seem to sink in but I'm not wasting my time reading propaganda.

I too read that DM article this morning and thought that the headline was a poor summation of the contents, which I am not in disagreement with. However, most of us old-stylers have probably forgotten more about make do and mending than the writer ever knew.

It's a false premise. It isn't a case of people not wanting clutter because they want to live with soul-less modernity and are hyper-consumers. Most of us are pretty happy with a lot of our possessions which are already well-worn. We're just not attached to keeping everything we've ever been bought or given, or everything ever bought or given to someone we're related to.

Heck, I have a chipped earthenware pickle pot which was Grandma's beside my stove holding my utensils and a very worn old breadboard, also of Grandma's. That breadboard was already ancient in my mother's 1950s childhood. Heaven knows how old it is, could be pushing towards a century. I wouldn't part with it for the world.

mrs-moneypenny

Thank you Polly, I cut one square and used that as a template for the others, the plain squares were the backs of the Tshirts, my squares were approx 13 inches so that I could use as much logo as possible some of them has a small pocket type logo those I cut out and stitched them onto a plain square.
I used the stretch stitch on my machine and just sewed them in rows then sewed a band of them together.
HTH.
There are quite a few other pictureson pintrest of tshirt throws if your friend wants to look for inspiration.
I think it's a much better use of Ts that would otherwise be laugnishing in a drawer or bag destined never to be worn again.
If I lived nearer to you I'd offer to make one for your friend but the weight of posting them to and from here would be too expensive.

GQ I've had my political post today and had already said to Dh I Didn't want David Cameron telling me what I should or shouldn't vote I am a grown up with my own opinion and it is a free vote which I will use as I please so he will be getting his booklet back with a note telling him he shouldn't have wasted MY money printing it in the first place!
Totally agree with you on the oldstylers have forgotten more than the writer of that article ever learned, it was rather patronising in some of the suggestions but if it was written for people who always chase the next new thing then it may have come as a revelation

RE kondoing, after sewing the throw I decided to sort my cotton box out, I have around 150+ reels of thread, I used to work in hosiery so most were acquired while working (but that was 30 years ago) I had some that were newer unopened reels so I've bagged them up and put them in the CS bag - so my collection is down by 43.