Weekly Flylady Thread 1st January 2018

roundtuit

Lunch with Lorna eaten - Mediterranean vegetable with ricotta quiche, coleslaw (not much) and side salad (lots) - their serving not my choice . I did choose to forgo their scrummy potato wedges - and, if I'm honest, I didn't miss them as much as I thought I would. I took Lorna's birthday card and presents in a gift bag from the stash.

Whilst out I bought three birthday cards for birthdays in Feb, July and December - I must make a note in my bullet journal that these three people are sorted cardwise. I also called at the C00p on the way home and bought a few bits (including tomato puree )

Been feeling a bit nauseous since coming home so just taken it easy and read my book this afternoon. I've told DS he can go to chippy for his tea; I'll try something light later (maybe). Hope I'm not getting one of the dreadful bugs that colleagues have had over the holidays _pale_

Think I'll do a laundry shuffle and call it a day.

Rxx

Honey_Bear

(((Hugs))) ATB and FBO.

Valli wrote: »

IF YOU A RE DOING THE SLINKY challenge please post, with your target ty

Excellent suggestion. For those of us doing the Hovel House to Heavenly House Challenge (anyone else got any suggestions as to what to call it) how are we going to do it? One room at a time, all doing the same together if possible, or dusting first month and then and degibbling, and then washing windows, followed by something else? There are nine rooms here, plus the attic, the stairs and landings and a few large cupboards that are part of the structure, like the old coal hole and the cupboard under the front steps that used to be the larder. Theoretically I could do one area a month but I've tried that in the past and gave up when confronted by the sitting room. My office, aka my RoD is also just too big to consider doing in one hit, but if I made the commitment to wash all the paintwork in the house one month I'd have to move furntiture and would therefore vacuum under it so it would give me the same result in the long term.

Is there anything more unnecessarily frustrating than trying to change broadband/landline suppliers? Gah.

pigpen

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Is there anything more unnecessarily frustrating than trying to change broadband/landline suppliers? Gah.

yes.. trying to change supplier when you don't have a BT line..

lynnejk

Afternoon everyone

Soo sorry to read the news re your DS1 Pigpen - hope he's okay - and congrats on the new addition to the family

Hope the wait isn't too long FBO. Sending some hugs and stay-strong vibes

On the slinky challenge I'm aiming for 9lbs atm

When I decided to get this apartment sorted I found it easier to do little and often, interspersed with other 'stuff'. I would pick something like a cupboard and 'do' one shelf thoroughly. Next time I had a spare 15/20 mins I would do another shelf. I tried to do one extra task each day - it slowly adds up providing you don't get too carried away and leave other 'stuff' to pile up. Must admit the big cupboard took weeks and weeks to sort properly - one file at a time mostly.

Whoopee doo !!

Today I finally finished sorting the last box from the big cupboard in the spare room. Three files of teaching stuff thinned into one I want to keep and shelved, rest binned/shredded :j

Just having hm pizza for tea today - nice and quick and easy. I'll do a roast tomorrow.

Hope you all having a good Saturday
Lx

Valli

Love the doggie names - I know two little girls with EXACTLY those names LW

Excellent progress in Villa Valli today

Kitchen - immaculate (could have something to do with suggestion of chinese for tea...in an attempt to keep it tidy)
Bathroom - immaculate
Christmas decs almost everything in loft. Mouse-chewed paper swept up from loft. DD informed that mouse bait is to stay up there...no, they are NOT cute if they have moved in. Mysterious piece of MDF that I have no recollection of ever having seen removed from loft and stuck in shed in anticipation of tip run at some point. Spare kitchen tiles in grabbing distance - either plumbers can come to 'make good' or I will have a go or see if dad's up to it...(removed boiler controller is 'out of sight' anyway so it's not urgent).
Old Christmas tree binned - it lost a branch or two so had a patchy side anyway, and is at least 10 years old so we've had our money's worth.
Lounge, hallway and bottom part of stairs vacuumed.

ETA the 'almost' refers to the two bauble-hooks I found after I had put everything away. In a long standing tradition they will live in the bureau with the paperclips in the vintage bakelite paper-clip holder for the foreseeable. And I need to put the spare bulbs (fairy and candle bridge) away in the bulb box. And the snowglobe which lives in my handbag wardrobe as I worry about is retaining its liquid in the loft.

ionafan

Valli wrote: »

Mouse-chewed paper swept up from loft. DD informed that mouse bait is to stay up there...no, they are NOT cute if they have moved in.

I did a similar job this morning - the little ****** had chewed the bottom of a pack of toilet rolls: one is very lacy, but still mostly usable.

Then just after lunch NNDN came round to say that they have got mice in their loft. No doubt they are running from one house to the other (semis). I sent DH to nearest ironmonger to buy new traps. Can't use bait in bathroom loft because of Rosie (because the door sometimes comes open of its own accord, when the wind is in a particular direction) though I might try some in the bedroom loft which is rarely opened but is where I store family history papers - and I don't want them ruined.

DH also called at B00ts for vitamins and took the holly to the tip. That wore him out for the rest of the afternoon, so after Rosie and I came home from our hour's walk I hoovered the LR and moved the sofas round. The LR is now tidy and clean.

Just going to update my diaries and then finish off our evening meal. While the rice is cooking I will wipe the fridges and make a shopping list.

WMx2 done too.

That only leaves 3 emails (I can send them after we've eaten) and some phonecalls (but I shall be seeing some of the people at church in the morning and will ring the rest tomorrow afternoon).

It sounds like a lot of us have flown well today :T:T:T:T:T

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Swished the bedrooms and hoovered upstairs. General tidy around. Went to watch DS play footie for a bit then came home and made chilli. Sleepy now.

Forgot that there is paperwork to do for DH, will do that tomorrow. Think DS1 wants a lift to the pub in a bit. Going to shift myself and check my mealplan and shopping list for the week, dont want to doze off because I wont sleep properly tonight!

I am working on a list of "extra jobs" that need doing because often when I have a spare bit of time I dawdle about and waste it. I have this idea that if I have a list I can pick something off it and tick it off.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Kitchen is again, all sparkly clean and neat, with everything washed up, put away,
rehomed and generally scrubbed to within an inch of life. Sink unblocked again, washing up bowl degrotted, counters clean, hob degreased and decrumbed, ingredients all removed from various waiting areas (floor? why? the cupboard they go in is one inch away :huh:) and teatowels put into the WM to be nuked along with a bathtowel or sheet when I go upstairs next (having rescued my one not yet shrunk shirt from the machine where he'd put it, despite having instigated the 'isolate what I can't be trusted with' protocol - which I am tempted to rename as The Washing & Additional Tasks Protocol in his honour.

Spent a while with the laptop sat at the table for a change, as the Idiot Cat is getting very assertive in having to hurl himself at my legs and sleep on my foot as I'm curled up on the sofa; he's also getting a bit clumsy with his pointy bits which, as I'm a no socks type of person (mainly because I can never find any after Himself has been at the new packs I buy regularly), which is beginning to annoy me.

All went well - removed the heavy, fluffy lump that was sat on it hiding under the tablecloth, everything was clear and clean and comfortable. And then a tabby lump of Stupid launched himself into the small collection of cacti on the table, promptly fell back off and took the unsuspecting little plants with him. So I can add 'swore profusely at the Idiot Cat, picked up little herd of spiky plants that showed their gratitude for rescue by stabbing me repeatedly, swept of soil and gravel and then returned to a now cold cup of tea that had compost floating on the top' to my achievements today. Serves me right for wanting to escape being jabbed by sharp things or being leapt upon by the Idiot Animal.

Also collected up the various pairs of shoes that have accumulated downstairs.

Oh, and since he's come down, all bouncy and chirpy again (!!!!!! is wrong with him? He's never bouncy and chirpy, but he's been like it for at least 3 days now), had two Pain au Chocolat and a cup of black chai, gone to the shop, forgotten that it's my birthday next Friday and agreed to do a DJ gig all afternoon on the Saturday, and seen an immaculate kitchen and living room, Himself has decided to cook us 'Pasta Bake' whatever the heck that is going to turn out like.

Hmmm. Starchy water, tomato gloop, chopping onions on the clean boards, stirring both pans, draining the pasta, pouring into a baking dish, dishing up, grating cheese...what could possibly go wrong?

Honey_Bear wrote: »

(((Hugs))) ATB and FBO.



Excellent suggestion. For those of us doing the Hovel House to Heavenly House Challenge (anyone else got any suggestions as to what to call it) how are we going to do it? One room at a time, all doing the same together if possible, or dusting first month and then and degibbling, and then washing windows, followed by something else? There are nine rooms here, plus the attic, the stairs and landings and a few large cupboards that are part of the structure, like the old coal hole and the cupboard under the front steps that used to be the larder. Theoretically I could do one area a month but I've tried that in the past and gave up when confronted by the sitting room. My office, aka my RoD is also just too big to consider doing in one hit, but if I made the commitment to wash all the paintwork in the house one month I'd have to move furntiture and would therefore vacuum under it so it would give me the same result in the long term.

Is there anything more unnecessarily frustrating than trying to change broadband/landline suppliers? Gah.

Trying to do everything in a room at once doesn't work when there isn't anywhere to put the moved items - it just makes all the rooms look a hundred times worse, IMO. And trying to do one task in every room is almost guaranteed to drive you to a nervous breakdown.

I'd suggest doing one job that makes the most visual difference to that one area at a time. I'd say I'm probably bordering upon being a Stair Fascist, as I detest anything at all left on them (childhood experiences coming through). So I'd suggest starting there.

My plan for tackling them would be roughly like this;

1. Remove absolutely EVERYTHING from the stairs themselves. I mean EVERYTHING except the stair runner itself. If the stairs go over several levels, treat each run as a separate section.

2. Check the runner is still secure, bashing in carpet tacks or tightening rods as applicable.

By this point, you'll probably be sniffly and sneezing, especially if some treads have been fully exposed for the first time in a while.

3. Vaccum every tread and riser with the appropriate tool - the little turbo brush on the Dyson is perfect for that, along with the crevice tool, if you have a Dyson. Sit on the stairs as you do it, as that way, you'll be able to see every inch is clean (and it's safer/less physical effort than trying to do it standing up). Start from the bottom and work your way up, as that way, you aren't risking the vacuum cleaner coming down on top of your head. And you can go and get a cuppa once you've finished the first section.

4. Damp dust the banister/handrail on your right on your way down for your cuppa.

5. DD the one on your left on your way back up.

6. Next - skirtings/treads that have exposed wood. Do them sitting on the stairs. You're having a nice little sitdown, not working too hard.

You're back downstairs. With a clean set of stairs. Time for another cuppa whilst working out what is rubbish/needs relocating from the stairs. If there are things you genuinely need and are dusty, stick them in the WM/sink as applicable. If it looks like it might act as fuel in the event of a fire, you probably don't need it on your stairs ever again. Make sure nothing is taken back with the intention of moving it upstairs. Assume the stairs are lava and you cannot put anything on them - everything either goes straight up into a room, stays downstairs in a room or goes into the bin.

7. DD any picture frames on your way back up to start the next section.


Repeat as necessary until every step is safe to run down in the dark when the roof is on fire and safe to run down in the dark and get you to the nearest external door if the downstairs is on fire. And safe for big firefighters wearing lots of bulky equipment if they need to come up to save you if there is a fire.


Next task concerning the stairs - any windows. Fairly simple here, completely clear them (DO NOT LEAVE THE ITEMS ON THE NEWLY CLEANED STAIRS), remove all window dressings and put in the wash. Wash window, frames and sill. Replace nets if you have them (you might prefer the extra light, if not, a good squeeze and they'll dry exceptionally quickly and crease free if rehung). Only replace things that add to the appearance of said window (a single, healthy plant, leaves wiped over to remove dust, decorative pot washed up and dried, a couple of newly dusted, pretty, vintage books, no more than one or two ornaments if you're into that sort of thing, all washed).

Next job, the stuff you only see when you look up. Cobwebs and lampshades. Remove, clean, replace the latter.

Deal with each landing in a similar manner another time. And the hall.

None of this has to be done in anything other than chunks. If you want to do more than one chunk in a day, fine, but each one should not (unless somebody is a huge hoarder) take more than a couple of hours at a leisurely pace - that way, if you run out of steam, you're still left with one section looking significantly better than before. There's lots of sitting down, lots of breaks for tea and you aren't slogging away for hours on end, only to destroy the effect by messing it all up again.

froddington

Honey_Bear wrote: »

For those of us doing the Hovel House to Heavenly House Challenge (anyone else got any suggestions as to what to call it) how are we going to do it?

Hovel to Haven? Shorter and, therefore, easier to type!!!

Not sure on the best way to tackle it - I was thinking of using the spare room as a dumping ground for stuff from everywhere else which can then be sorted and housed / sold / dumped / given away bit by bit. That would give me room to properly clean and sort the other rooms without the clutter that currently puts me off.

I will probably end up writing a list of every little thing that needs doing in each room / area so I can see progress as I cross things off even if I've only done one or two small jobs in a day.

pigpen

lynnejk wrote: »

Soo sorry to read the news re your DS1 Pigpen - hope he's okay - and congrats on the new addition to the family

thank you

Well he was literally laid in the middle of a busy junction when DD1 got to him and has cigarette burns on his face so we are guessing not.. but he will be.. he is being looked after. Joys of having a gaggle of siblings and extended family to rally around in times of need.

Parenting never gets any easier does it? I have his wages and his bank card here so he can't just go get utterly wasted and behave entirely stupidly..