KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

GoingToDoIt

Kondoed my available credit - closed three empty credit cards and shredded their associated paperwork from "the file". It's that time of year when new bills arrive so lots of "one in, one out" going on with those as well. A tiny amount of "physical" stuff gone but a lovely light feeling mentally.
Later am making pomanders from old bedsheets, old buttons, old tights, old neck pillow bean innards and free sample packet of "fragrance pearls"

greent

My view is that there are thousands and thousands of books out there which I haven't read - in spending time struggling with a book which I'm not enjoying I'm actually wasting that time which I could spend on a book which I would enjoy. Why struggle with one book which is hard when there are so many more out there waiting for you to discover them? If I don't get into it it goes out

GreyQueen

greent wrote: »

My view is that there are thousands and thousands of books out there which I haven't read - in spending time struggling with a book which I'm not enjoying I'm actually wasting that time which I could spend on a book which I would enjoy. Why struggle with one book which is hard when there are so many more out there waiting for you to discover them? If I don't get into it it goes out

I'm much in agreement with this; the world is full of books, many of which are excellent, why waste irreplaceable time on those which aren't floating your boat?

Icey77, runner beans are insect-pollinated although you can, in a crisis, mist the blossoms with a fine spray on a garden hose. I have an allotment and a chance convo with another plotholder revealed that he was having to do this.

I was astonished as our beans were only 30 m apart and mine were covered with bees. He didn't believe me, so we walked down and watched honeybees and several species of bumblebees doing their stuff. He was gobsmacked.

I'm not sure about the habits of bumblebees, but honeybees forage and go back to the hive to tell other honeybees where the pollen is, they do this in the form of a dance. I think if you plant a fair few flowers around, the bees will find you, and you're garden will be on the radar for bean pollination time.

Not all flowers are equal when it comes to bees, although I have been up at Wilk0 and they have several different flower seeds specifically flagged as bee-attractants.

At this time of year, I deliberately leave any dandelions and red-dead-nettle which are in flower alone, as they will be foraged by the Early Bumblebee (the big one with the red derriere) which nests early and has finished its nest by June. They also love marigolds, all species, and calendula (the English or pot marigold) flowers 12 months of the year. I allowed them to self-set all over my plot and only move them if they're in the way of something else. HTH.

Been busy about life and busy gardening today. Am also cracking on with the reading pile, which is shrinking steadily. Have re-homed all the kipple from the wooden bowl, some of it more suitably, some of it in the bin.

LizzieR

Done a bit of furniture moving this weekend - my old sofa is in pieces and has been loitering in the lounge for some time. I've now moved it into the spare room (too heavy to get it out of my flat on my own) and rearranged the lounge furniture so it looks better now. Although I seem to have hit the 'it looks worse before it gets better stage' and have random stuff all over the place at the moment.
I need to kondo a cold now so it might take a few days before I get back to things.
Managed to recycle a boxful of papers yesterday - it was full of notes, readings etc for the dissertation I wrote in 1996. Having not looked at this stuff in 20 years I don't think I'm going to miss it too much....

[Deleted User]

LizzieR wrote: »

I seem to have hit the 'it looks worse before it gets better stage' and have random stuff all over the place at the moment.
.

I read that you are doing this on your own, yes it is so difficult to actually physically move things. I sometimes am amazed at how that resulting mess melts away, that phrase `it gets worse before it gets better` is so true. My county council has a recycling project for furniture and electricals, things are repaired/restored to become fit for use by someone else. They have a large warehouse and things are sold on and given to people in need. I love that idea and have given beds, airers etc. They send a van, two men and a woman. Maybe have a look within your county, ours is not advertised and I found it by accident. It makes me more relaxed, knowing that I can give furniture away and someone will collect

I have spent four weeks looking for some treasured letters from 1969. Those from my husband to me, I have stacks of them, he wrote every three days while I was away at college, sometimes there was one a day. In the process last night, I realise that MK must continue. So very much has been done but more to do. They were in a box behind fabric

I dragged some new electrical thing out from storage, that with wax beads etc. At one time, my hands were so sore after doing maintenance work on a retaining wall in the garden. My aim was to coat hands in warm wax as it is soothing. I never used it and see no need now. I will put this stuff into my shopping trolley for a while, while I make my mind up completely but it takes up quite a bit of room and I know it will be good to see it go

Fabrics have to be on my list to MK. My cs do sell fabrics but again I don`t want to be impulsive. I have the two rooms left, my sewing room and my jack of all trades, crafting room, which holds my printer and papers that go into a whicker tray, which spills out

Sweets are being kondo`ed a bit at a time. I had an impulsive moment over christmas and went old style sweet shopping via the net. I am finding that now, all I need is a fruit sucking sweet and only sometimes. A bag of winter nips has gone and there will be another bag of something going today, slowly slowly. I can`t let my large jar of uncle Bens mint balls go but they are all individually wrapped so will be good for years.

All in all, I look around me and am very happy with progress, it is not perfect yet but is getting there :T

Icey have a look at self-pollinating runner beans. Moonlight is one and the beans are wonderful.

Pooky

Round 2 of the kitchen kondo is happening! I've moved out a large piece of furniture (a large Welsh dresser) sold all the stuff that sat on it looking pretty (and gathering dust) and now need to find homes for the things that lived in it that I want to keep.

1st kondo was fairly brutal but 2nd one even more so as I'm sick of still shuffling stuff about to reach the stuff I use more often.

I've made some good profits from my dust gatherers though so shouldn't complain!

[Deleted User]

Pooky wrote: »

1st kondo was fairly brutal but 2nd one even more so as I'm sick of still shuffling stuff about to reach the stuff I use more often.
!

Now that is the truth of it, me too. In a way the first one was hardest but personally, once I learned that I liked the new home, then the second is easier.

I went and got rid/rehomed it all. I went to my pile and the feeling in my stomach was yuk, so it has gone, another bootfull, not stuffed but full enough I added cut out cloth remnants and a length of yukky mustard yellow polyester fabric

Stage two on my freezer today but this time is sorting back into the properly labelled drawers. One large hidden bag of cut up BNS is out for compost and lots of frozen milkhas been used on growing my kefir. Having a cuppa now but will start that straight away and am hoping to just about empty my small overflow freezer in the process, so I can switch it off, until the new crops. I have to work fast in the mornings as that is when I have my energy, afternoon will be for leisure

wort

Re photos on display I have on a book case, a mirrored folding frame which was a present, that holds baby pic of dgson and a pic of my mum as a young woman, at the bottom shelves I have 2 matching mirrored frames with mum and dad in their courting days, and 1 of mum as a young girl. The last frame has a school pic of hubby as a 5 year old. These are all in black and white , and the frames tie in with my silver lantern and tea light holders.
The landing has 3 photos again in black/white postcard size photos of mum as a baby with my nan and grandad, my dad as a toddler in what looks like a dress!! Obviously taken by a professional and as he was born in 1916 probably trendy at the time:rotfl: The last photo is hubby's mum and dad in a formal pose also.
The bedroom has a couple of dgson and our wedding pic.

This weekend we went to the big garden centre as we wanted to go to the farm shop and get chicken and meat for freezer. I was tempted by some plants but held off, as I decided to see what I need rather than picking up something cos it's pretty. My garden is stuffed to the brim and I usually buy something then struggle to shoe horn it in!! So I was pleased by my restraint.

[Deleted User]

I am done for the day, just enjoying my after-lunch dark chocolate treat

When I found the letters, then I also found where I had put all those cds on which my husband had put all the photos. One at a time, he re-photographed them all and eg I have over 300 family photos on one cd, our wedding photos on another etc. These new see-through frames are going to be perfect. I will print tiny pictures, so will get lots in the frames:D

Then afterwards I will take courage and offer all my frames, kept in a storage box, to my daughters. Courage because some of those were presents. I will see how I go first

22 lock n lock boxes emptied of Delias red cabbage :rotfl: made just because the children loved it and I had huge red cabbages. All in my composter now, it was the added sugar that put me off and grandchildren getting older, now have too much to do at home, rather than be here and anyway they love going out for a roast dinner with me. Not growing any this year. Those lock n locks will be kondo`ed to family. Today, it hit me, why on earth am I still preserving for a a whole family when there is just me. That is kondo second stage for me, the ruthless stage. Small freezer emptied and dried and this year I am counting out the growing beans and tomato plants.

Another satisfying morning

dragonlily

Quiet day at home today, and have been lost under a mountain of laundry after being away for a week and not havind done the laundry from Sunday to Friday the week before we went......

Have managed some tidying. I have cleared out the medicines cupboard and took all out of date / unwanted meds to the chemist for disposal. Took three pairs of shoes to the cobblers to be reheeled / repaired.

I have also been to the hospice shop and donated three pairs outgrown shoes, inside out toy, and a couple of small presents my daughter got at christmas but wasn't bothered about.

I think that isn't too bad for one day. I am going to go now and make a cottage pie, and hopefully if I get time later will get my DDs outgrown shoes that are worth selling onto eBay. x