KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

GreyQueen

flubberyzing wrote: »

You are so right!
Even in my younger days, I was never one of the "pretty ones", but didn't (and still don't) care. I've never bothered with make-up for anything other than the most special of special occasions (usually only weddings!)
But now I'm noticing that I can no longer pull of the slogan t-shirts and that unbrushed look! And especially at work now, I'm making an effort to dress in a more "tailored" style, as much as is possible anyway, considering I teach Reception! :rotfl:

Sounds like we're very alike in that respect. I realised by my mid-teens that I didn't enjoy faffing with hair and make-up and could spend 100% more time and only look about 5% better than I would bare-faced, and the trade-off simply wasn't worth it.

It's one of the great deceits of the beauty industry that everyone looks better in makeup, some of us just don't. Cosmetics can make a pretty girl stunning, if correctly applied and well-photographed, but they won't make a plain woman pretty.

I actually do have a number of smart clothes, including several pairs of office-appropriate classic-cut trousers which are presently too small but I am working on that. Lost two inches off my middle according to the tape measure, still can't see where it went from, but I have hopes.;)

Got the sewing machine out and threaded ready to mend a pair of trousers and then held them up to the light and realised that the cloth is almost tissue-thin and sewing up the seam isn't going to change that, so they're in the rag-bag. Have been mended a couple of times before and were my gardening trousers anyway, and don't owe me anything.

Pity I didn't look before getting the machine out, grr. Anyway, then went on to a fiddly hand-mend of my rucksack, which has been pending for some time. Nearly finished it now but paused as a pal dropped in for a chat and then I went out for any airing.

In my nice raincoat, which got my two compliments in 5 mins from friends. I must make an effort more often.:p

Slinky

maddiemay wrote: »

I really need to find an oven cleaning company, no local ones, has anyone used any of the national companies?

The 'national' ones are usually franchises so will be somebody running their own small local business usually. I've used Ovenclean in the past and have been happy with the results.

The last time I had mine done I think it was about £50-£60 for a 1 & 1/2 oven. Money well spent, did a far better job than I've even done.

Slinky

I've just KM'd the last of a bottle of liquid vanilla into some home made ice cream. Best before end of March 2008........ hey ho, you can't rush these things.


Going to serve it up later with some rhubarb and ouzo sauce.... yum yum yum

Fen1

Well, I'm back from Forn Parts before mine own Greebo and You forget who I am and decide that the nice old ladies next door are a better bet.

I Kondoed a tin of peculiar Oriental vegetable ( bb 2011 ) this week. I opened it. I smelt it. I chucked it. One tin down, five million to go.

As I am stuck on the sofa today with an oven-cleaning injury ( managed Forn with no twists, breaks, embarrassing rashes ), I thought I would sing praises to our Great Leader.

Please, if you will, strike up your Spotify to Britney Spears ' Hit me baby, one more time.'
..........................................

Oh Marie, Marie,
How was I supposed to know
That clutter wasn't right here
Oh Marie, Marie
I shouldn't have let you go
And now you're out of sight, yeah
Show me how you want it to be
Tell me Marie 'cause I need to know now, oh because

My massive mess is killing me
And I, I must confess I still believe, still believe,
When I'm not with you I lose my mind
Give me a sign
Folding Kondo one more time.


Oh Marie, Marie
The woo-woo I got from you
Sparking joy, I found it.

Oh pretty Marie
There's no room that I wouldn't do
Room of Doom I binned it.
Show me how you want it to be
Tell me Marie 'cause I need to know now, oh because

My massive mess is killing me
And I, I must confess I still believe, still believe,
When I'm not with you I lose my mind
Give me a sign
Folding Kondo one more time.


........................................................................


Fen shuffles into the corner...........:o ( Folding Kondo scans better than Kondo folding. 'Tis a pop song. Who cares about gramur?)

MMF007

Fen, I love it! :T:T:T
but now I have ear worm :rotfl:

Just popped in to [STRIKE]boast[/STRIKE] report that I have re-purposed a v pretty diary that was surplus but I couldn' t bear to part with (last years, unused but no good to anyone else so couldn't donate). I have used it to note all birthday and anniversary dates for future ref. Obvs it doesn't matter what day is stated against the date, iyswim. I have co-located it in the greetings card file. I was considering buying a purpose made one this morning while looking at pretty notebooks in Smiths but had a LBM, realising I had the perfect thing at home. And I resisted notebooks, ta-dah!, the KM magic :T

Have not yet negotiated with DH re surplus Tshirts but i shall have to set the example cos my droppping off at CS resulted in purchase of a gorgeous bag that will hold our picnics henceforth. It immediately sparked joy, I smiled every time I looked at it, so £4 well spent I think! I shall now donate previous designated picnic bag - no need for two of them!

Have rattled off a few little jobs to make life easier, those things that sort of hang round for a while but really only take minutes to deal with (weird how we put off such jobs but when tackled we wonder why they took a while to get round to!). I am certain this is due to the KM magic percolating my brain :eek:

I am feeling energised again after the chaotic 4 or 5 weeks since leaving employment ( since about 4 years ago really, when work began to really ge me down).
Ideas keep popping into my head, anything from improvements round the home, better ways of
organising myself and how I do things, and even some plans for self-improvement (not much on that list of course - well maybe quite a bit then - and some de-Worzeling, as GQ rightly points out we have to do sometimes!).

I think it was mentioned last year that clearing some space, getting rid of the backgound 'noise' of clutter / wrong choices / unwanted and unloved items etc allows other, more useful things into your space/life. OK, that sounds a bit woo, which I am not really, but I do feel different since I started to employ KM strategies.

Tai chi anyone?

Oh, and while we're soul searching a bit, thanks to everyone who contributes to this thread, it is so enjoyable, reading successes, wise words, laughing at how old / how long unused / Justin Cases etc that we are finally releasing on the unsuspecting world outside! Not to mention the down right ingenious ideas many of you have for problem solving. THANK YOU ALL!!!

M

M

Fen1

Glad you liked it.
Praises is plural. My mind worm started with ' It started with a kiss'/ 'It started with a sock'. ( Old, old references on here for the woo of the undies drawer.) I like to jiggle, albeit painfully, with Britney, so 'Hit me' / ' Marie' came into being



You Cat has just come in. I suppose I shall have to feed him one of the many tins I bought before I went away. He is a right fuss cat, unlike Greebo, so a good supply of You food is necessary. This is one instance of minimalism that doesn't work. What fuss cat wants, fuss cat gets, or the carpet will not survive.

Tete_en_l'Air

Ginnel!! No Corrie fans on this thread then?

Love the song Fen, now I'll be singing that as I flit through the house with my binbag!

After my burst of energy in the garden the other day, I put all my clothes away yesterday! Not in the proper Kondo way admittedly but they are all in the right place and out of sight and I feel better already.

It hasn't made much difference as the floor is still covered in paperwork and all sorts of other ephemera but that is my next job - got my shredder and new box file at the ready!

Had a bit of a lazy day today but have kondoed a long book I hadn't been enjoying (I had to finish it, it's a syndrome I have, but I can move onto something more joyful now) and a jigsaw I borrowed that has been sitting half-finished on the kitchen table for three weeks. I just took it apart and put it back in its box - I wasn't enjoying it and away it went. Simple!

I've done a freezer inventory and will make a meal plan tomorrow. Feeling much more organised already.

What do you all mean by "woo"??

PollyWollyDoodle

'Woo' is what happens when you Kondo ... I don't think it's in the book, mind you, not sure where it came from on this thread! :rotfl: It's the sudden feeling of having space and time, the discovery that you already own something that you thought you'd need to buy, or the ability to do something that pre-Kondo you wouldn't have had time to do. At least that's my interpretation - others may feel differently!

Fen, I love the song although being a dinosaur I don't actually know the tune :embarasse:

I'm loving the Wurzel Gummidge comments too, and I agree completely. I used to just think it was ok if you were clean and tidy but now I'm older a bit more effort is needed to avoid looking frumpy. It's God's little joke that facial hair increases in direct proportion to one's inability to see close up. I'm thinking of trying threading!

dragonette

Today I took the 2 bags from my friend to the CS, plus a book and 2 glass bowls from mine - last time I was in they had some gorgeous crystal bowls but none atm, so I came back emptied handed save for flowers

Finished one small blanket and have offered to a friend, so that will be leaving at some point. If I had thought I could have taken the box that yarn lived in to the CS. Next time :cool:

Love the song Fen, well done slinky

dragonette

I think woo came from Mavvy to begin with? Saying that the idea that everything will fall into place sounded v new age and woo but was working, if I remember correctly