KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

mrs-moneypenny

I defrosted the freezer this morning so all the ice has been kondoed. Finislly thought about using some of my bead Stash up so am making a jumper with beading on for Christmas. Some wool was used making the elf that has been given to dd3 today and will be going home with her in a bit.

Mavvy it was my pleasure to help out with the Christmas fayre, hopefully I'll have time to make some more before I come on holiday next year.

I hope everyone is as well as can be and their kondoing is going well.

Slinky

Yay, the wall above the radiator that we filled last week has now had 2 coats of paint and is finished. Whoopeee, no looking at that unfinished job everytime I walk in there. We also did some touching up of chipped areas whilst the lid was off the paint, plus we pulled out all the 'stuff' from the 'boiler cupboard' that used to house the boiler but doesn't anymore. When we had it moved and painted the inside of it 9 years ago, we didn't paint all the way to the floor, as the wall is very rough at the bottom and we had the idea of getting some skirting to cover up the rough bits. Well, 9 years on, that job still hasn't been done, and frankly never will be, so rough though the surface is, it now has the same colour to the floor. Accept the things you cannot change.

Put a first couple of coats of paint on in the bathroom where the tiler pulled some paint off the walls when he was retiling last month (note last month, not last year!) and will try and build the level up to match the rest over the coming week. It'll never be perfect as there were about 4 coats of paint pulled off. Ho hum. I also painted over some hairline cracks, fingers crossed they don't break open again.

Started a little rubbing down job in our sunroom, but need to get some rust remover as there must be some moisture got in somewhere and the metal mesh that's on a corner is slightly rusty, so need to remove that before repainting. A trip to Halfords I think.

Karmacat

This post of GQ's had a lot in it for me ...

GreyQueen wrote: »

One of the bits of slower sorting out from my Nan's home was a carrier bagful of small diaries. Dad has now gone through them and is releasing all but one which details events around his father's last illness.

I had to hunt around my own crate of diaries recently - my mum has had a terminal diagnosis, and we were trying to contact a brother of hers. And one diary I found was mine for the year I'm writing up from a big journal I kept of my European travels, I'm making it into a kindle book - there's a bit at the end thats lacking, and its in *that* diary - so I'm happy.

Most of the time, we have things ranging from along the spectrum from the totally usused, via the barely used, to the heavily used before we get to the rare thing which is worn up and exhausted of all its utility whilst in our keeping.

I've taken a previous piece of GQ's advice in relation to towels, and applied it to clothes - t shirts, blouses and whatnot - I'm not trying to wear them out equally, I'm putting some away, not for "best" but for the future - thats a prepping thing too in case the economy goes ka-blooey It's accelerated recently because my mum is trying to think about things she can usefully pass on to us now, rather than us have to face it later.

Just think, any one of us has quite probably got more goods and chattels than an entire medieval village............... :rotfl:

That. Is. Horrifying. :eek: :rotfl:

And true, actually!

Save

PollyWollyDoodle

Use filler to raise the level, and then just paint over it; you'll get a better finish. Ditto with the hairline cracks.

I usually lose my poppy within hours of buying it, so I put off getting one till the 11th this year. I have a discreet metal one that I've been wearing for work, but I do like to have a proper paper one. Visited some friends today and their dog had a poppy on his collar!

Slinky

Ooh that's an idea Polly thank you.

The hairline cracks, we even have some hairline crack filler, but in my office where we've used it, I think there must be some thermal movement in the plasterboard as I filled the cracks and painted over, then got ridges where the boards moved again and squeezed the paint and filler out. Then the following year the cracks appeared again! I'm wondering whether I should put up a thick lining paper and paint over, or whether the movement is enough to break through that as well.

GreyQueen

I'm focussing on two towels only, Karmakat, something I did once before. Even with only two towels in use, you'd be amazed how long it took to wear them out - more than five years.

Then I quartered them, hemmed them and use them as rags when cleaning.

All my towels came to me secondhand, mixture of bootsale and chazzer finds and a couple of family cast-offs like Gary the Towel of internet infamy.

I was thinking about clothes as well, funnily enough.

In my growing years, when I was unfurling to what would be my adult 5 ft 10 and shot out of trousers and sleeves like a triffid, we were also in the skint years when clothing cost a lot more than it does now, proportionate to income.

There may have been charity shops around somewhere, but not anything like now. Bootsales didn't exist. Hand-me-downs weren't possible; I'm an eldest and am still 10 inches taller than my closest female relation (Cousin). There was the odd jumble sale, handknitted jumpers and rare things bought new. Most of which were less-than-ideal because of not being cut correctly for the proportions of a tall person. When clothes never fit properly, never strike at the right point on waist, ankle or wrist, one is left with a constant vague annoyance - or this one is, anyroad.

A combination of all of the above, plus a tomboyish personality, has meant that I am not particularly interested in clothes, even to this day. Yes, I can dress myself appropriately for the places I need to go, but I am emphatically not interested in clothes. Or shoes. Or ruddy handbags and jewellery. Good luck to those folk who are, but it's not for me.

I've always had 'pet' clothes, things which I've reached for time and time again, and worn to pieces. I'm easy with that, and will try to keep on with using up the favourites, so that I will end up with fewer clothes overall, but all will be used.

Even in the pyjama drawer, I am focussing on a couple of pairs and will look to wear them up. I have too many (I blame the Everything 50p Chazzer, I must.no.go.in.there) for this present excess. Got a drawerful of nightwear, FGS.

ETA; I'm sorry to hear about your Mum's diagnosis.

MMF007

Karmacat ((((((0)))))).

Charly27

So sorry to hear about your mum's diagnosis Karmacat {{{{x}}}}. K

Charly27

We had an evening away with friends on Friday whilst DD and DS dog sat at a slightly reduced rate than kennels;) Today I Kondoed some broad beans and some extra garlic at allotment and a library book back. I also finally planted out my bulbs and DH collected leaves for leaf mould. Last week the garage wall was a blaze of colour; this week the bricks just have the vines and a few stalks. I've even finished a sewing project :j

mavvymoo

MMF007 wrote: »

Oh Mavvy, my heart goes out to you with the struggle about clothes. Remember though, as you think about clinging on to them - they are not a life raft.

Clothes was my hardest category because I never had nice clothes when i was a kid. We 'shopped' at jumble sales, nothing matched, there were no trips to buy an outfit, we wore clothes until we couldn't squeeze into them anymore as we grew.
Added to that the idea of dressing up smartly to look nice was dismissed as the sin of pride.

Finally, as my weight yo-yo'd over the years I'd make emergency purchases, putting off buying until absolutely necessary and then getting whatever was on the rack in my size.

So when I started KM I had lots of ill-fitting, unloved clothes, no idea of a capsule wardrobe and a fear of not being able to find something nice to wear.

I did a first go at releasing some clothes way into the KM journey, because for me it was the most emotional category. I have since done 2 more full kondo's of clothes and now I am doing a quick try on every few weeks, largely due to steady weight loss, but also because i know I can release more as I get better at feeling joy and releasing Stuff that does not give me the spark!

I am sure, given how determined and practical you are, Mavvy, that you can deal with this.
I must say that I didn't try to analyse why I had lots of clothes that I found hard to let go, I just concentrated on doing the joy test and making sure I put items into CS bag straight away and took them to CS asap. I felt the weight lifting off me as I handed the bags over.

The above thoughts are a recent recognition of old problems lingering into adulthood. I did the kondo-ing before I fully realised where I had previously gone wrong, iyswim. I certainly don't dwell on the issues, I am fortunate that I look at my present fortunate ccircumstances and am thankful. No point looking back, can't change it, doesn't help to go over it, just have to release the sadness or pain along with the physical items that bring it to mind.

I think someone in the 2015 thread suggested imagining putting the stress or hurt in a box and taking that outside to release it. I just put the items out!

(((((((((0))))))))

M

Thank you MMF007 I know this is in my head its just so odd clothes my biggest weakness. I will tackle it again honestly the amount of stuff I have already kondoed is a joke. To know I still have many things I will never wear. But the thing is I am still buying :mad: and saying to myself ' You do NOT need anything' Dont buy anything, You dont need it. If I am with anyone saying to them dont let me buy anything. But I still do even after the talking to I give myself :rotfl:

But I am jumping straight on to the crazy clothes challenge after this and posting my sins and starting afresh from NOW not tomorrow or next week or the new year NOW

Enough said on that one

Right today I have had a lovely day Rembrance service and then friends back for Tea and Toast. Then to Hillside today just to have a cuddle with the animals and a lovely vegan lunch (they only sell vegan food at Hillside but its all lovely.

Then we walked over the cliffs to Sheringham and had coffee at the Funky Mac cafe and then back along the beach with a stop for a pint at the local pub :rotfl:

A perfect day in my eyes sun shine No work just a lovely time in a joyful area and joyful friends.and of course DH

Mav x