KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

catshark88

Wow people have been busy!

Kittie, I empathise re the fitflops. They give my ankle no support and should go, but I love wearing them and it will be hard.

I've given away some china horses. They have gone to a 10 year old girl, who adores everything equine and she is so happy with them. That is proper joy sparking, I just thought they were "nice".

No major Kondoing left to do really, the drawer of dispair is always up for another round and the office will get de-papered if it kills me, but I'm at the little bits, chipped away stage really.

I read some interesting things about item purging, where people go too far decluttering and feel the need to throw things out, rather than focus on keeping what they love/ need. It was a wake up call as I'd used decluttering as a support when I was v stressed and I could imagine it being quite easy to cross the line into a problem. Forewarned and all that.

Happy Friday people.

PollyWollyDoodle

MMF007 sorry to hear about your dad, hope he continues to improve.

Interesting debate about relationships; Siebrie you seem to have a very clear view of things.

I've been single(ish) for 25 years now after my marriage ended. I'd find it hard to make the compromises that being in a relationship requires, now. I have lots of friends, a good social life and feel very fulfilled - and once I realised that I no longer wanted a relationship, it was like a weight lifting. I look at my friends who are in relationships and quite honestly I wouldn't swap my life for theirs. I see them making a lot of concessions, and it usually seems to be the woman who does this. Sometimes it's hard being on your own but there are lots of positive aspects to it.

And that reminds me, it's time to put the bins out ... now that's when I wish there was someone else around!

[Deleted User]

I must say that I am agreeing with your (personal) feelings about relationships and it does seem indeed that kondo brings those feelings to the fore, so that we can deal with them, instead of shoving them to the back of our minds, to fester. Festering is unhealthy and dealing with them is healthy.

I now like being single, once the shock and its effects were gone. I like doing what I want, when I want and this potential new house of mine will be my wrapping up of my new self-growth and awareness. I have no desire at all for a new relationship, never been on my own from birth to 66 and am now relishing it but yes I did have to get used to a new way of living. It is like shackles are gone, no more worrying about someone else, no more preparing masses of good meals for a cyclist who stayed fit and did an awful lot of miles but in process it put weight on me. Now the weight is going, slowly but very steady, not dieting but eating more like a single small person. My skin is clear and bright, my eyes sparkle and I have aspirations for myself. Not glamerous stuff, which I find very shallow but a deep down self-care and nicer better clothes which emphasise my trimmer figure. I have a zest for life which will not be held down, any more

I am also trying to get through some books, ideal time of the year. I have read conn igulden, the first of his trilogy about the war of the roses, enjoyed that. I picked up wolf hall last night, seems easy enough to read, different style of writing. They will go into my cs trolley as will others of similar ilk

I got rid of something 8 years ago, that I now regret but there would not have been anywhere here to store it. It was very big but so gentle to use. A pilates bench but I have to be realistic. I want to do pilates again

greenbee

Kittie - have a look at mat-based Pilates rather than reformer-based. Much less equipment needed, and plenty of online guidance/books, although I'd recommend a class if you can find one locally. I go to two classes a week which I find keeps me on track.

greent

MMF007 - sorry to hear about your dad - hopefully he will continue to improve. x

3 bin-liners of toys have left the building! - all sold on flebay - that equates to a large volume of parcels - lots of polystyrene, bubblewrap, packing paper (all recycled from previous use) and boxes (again, all previously used) - have also left the building!:j:j:j The children have made over £150 from it (after all costs) I sold some crystal glasses and some random kitchen-y bits, too, so also gained some money

Not much other KM-ing going on here at present - the odd item of clothing wears out and is recycled, and any books of mine which I've finished reading are being passed on. Other than that, the main things going are the wrapping and card stashes - didn't buy any new stuff this year (except a free pack of cards through 02 priority moments and a cheap roll of wrap for FC stocking presents @ £1 - and it will last several years) and still probably have enough for next year - especially gift bags! - my mum uses gift bags for most things (and never re-uses any given to her!:eek:) so we get lots..... and I always re-use them

Am looking forward to Jan, in some ways - a time to sort out any new items - and clear out my kitchen before I have a new one

wort

Mm - sending hugs x hope your dad is ok, look after yourself.x
Kittie - I was told fitflops were good for my feet ,but I have neuromas, and a malformed sesamiod bone. I live in them in summer.
I'm desperately missing my darling hubby, but I'm very organised, the house is very easy to keep clean now, I will do a re sweep of the garage when the weather turns warmer.
My presents are wrapped and I've got most of the food for Xmas sorted.

GreyQueen

Evening all.

MMF007, so sorry to hear of your father's ill-health and it's great that he's getting a bit better now. And I LMAO at the idea of the mobile on top of the freezer.........

Yestereve, I did the last three rows of the WIP rug. I have a tiny bit more to do in terms of tidying up (snipping off some overlong tufts) then baby's done. I'm currently chopping up some rug wool, have retrieved the last (much smaller) rug canvas from the storage shed and will be thinking about planning my next effort.

Thanks to gifts and happy womblings, I believe I have far more rug wool than will be required for this smaller canvas. Since I don't have much by the way of floors, I cannot keep rug-making indefinately but I want to use the best wool in the new rug.

By best, I mean the pure wool in the colours which speak to me the most, which are the autumnal hues. I plan to sit down surrounded by the wool, make a rough design based on quantities and execute a rug which will be more pictorial, and will be used as a wall-hanging (really have run out of floor in the micro-flat ).

The goal is to take rug and some of the wool to the parental homestead for playing with over Christmas, as I am an annoying fidget in company if I don't have some hand-work to do.

Oh, and I have been in the juntique shop's Cellar of Doom for a little while this afternoon, emerging with some random carp which included a full bottle of wine (minus label) and heavily cobwebbed. This had been on the floor up the corner for heaven knows how long.

Me to pal; Can I pour this down the sink and recycle the bottle?
Pal; That looks like a rose. We should drink it.
Me; It's got floaters in it and might've been down there 30-odd years. I'm not risking it.
Pal; I'd try it but I'm driving......
Me; Show some respect for your liver, it's too risky.

Down the sink it went, not before pal had mooched into the kitchen too remark that it smelled OK.............! Bottle washed up and in the recycling bank. Also found an empty milk bottle down there, also washed up but going back home with pal to go out on the doorstep.

Things I found in the cellar today; a pint pot of brass thrupenny bits, a round satin trinket box, badly stained, wine, an archive of margarine and ice-cream tubs through the ages, 1960s to present. Mostly recycled. A wooden box about 10 inches square which, when lifted, turned out not to have a bottom. A Marc Bolan badge, a nest of rusty safety pins, several vicious looking knives/ bayonets, one of which was rushed into the scabbard, a facric Xmas card (mildewed) and lots and lots of little carpy things too ridiculous to mention. These are now in refuse/ recycling as appropriate.

Oops, almost forgot to mention the single dart with very ragged flights. When I queried this, I was told 'we used to play darts down there'. Because that's what you do in a small square cellar with a low ceiling and only a strip light for company.

MMF007

GQ, it is worth knowing that said freezer is an upright one, taller than me (I am vertically challenged) and mobile reception to make/receive a call is only achieved when I am standing on tiptoes on the kitchen step, with the phone hovering as near to the top as possible. :rotfl:

As I am so far from home I have yet to wrap any presents. I have quite a lot to do and a fair number need delivering round the neighbourhood. If I get home before xmas it will be a mad dash to get them all wrapped and delivered! I love the wrapping and 'prettifying' and am so looking forward to doing it, hope I do get the chance!! So glad I organised a list and a neat present stash to make retrieval fairly straightforward.

tibawo

I am here to listen [read] of anyone's posts be them happy/sad/ wanting advice and/or just letting off steam. Sometimes being able to 'just put it out there' you can gain so much on an emotional level and please accept my virtual hugs. I sometimes only have time to bob in once a week and by the time I have caught up with the thread and forget who exactly said what.


In this weeks catch up it seems that things are a mix of KD and, as the year draws to a close we are starting unconsciously to think about the fresh and often big changes that we are considering making as a fresh new year begins.


I have no right answers and have made huge life changing decisions myself, some in hindsight might not have been the best but the fact I was wrestling with them meant a decision had to be made one way or another.


Just know we are all here for you in whatever capacity you need.

PollyWollyDoodle

Put up some Christmas decs this week (while waiting in for the plumber ... again). I had an amazing realisation, and yes this will be obvious to most of you - I don't have to put up EVERY decoration that I own!

I Kondoed the Christmas decs a couple of years ago, so the ones left are all loved and there are set places where they usually go, but this year I just didn't feel enthusiastic about putting them out. I managed to release a few things which I took to the CS yesterday in the hope that they'll brighten someone else's Christmas. I'm hanging on to the rest because next year I may feel more like it. I don't know why it's taken me so long to realise that just because you can, doesn't mean you have to!