2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Moorviews · 4 March 2023 at 1:47PM

@Muddy_Walker - well done for being brave and doing the video. Please be very proud of yourself. When my husband had treatment for cancer I relied very heavily on the online community and information there for support in helping him during his treatment. Understandably he didn’t feel up to doing this for himself but the tips and advice I got from both those with cancer and their families were really valuable to us. I am sure you will be helping many many people.

@Florenceem and @Dfw38 - your creativity shines out of your posts. Thank you for sharing the photos. Really love the blue bedroom, the canvases and the Easter bunnies.

@GrannyKate - your BIL’s mild stroke must have been such a shock for everyone. I hope he can recover without any lasting difficulties.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - I am very pleased to hear that Mr SD is back on track. As someone who has to be careful about making sure that I eat regularly I can vouch for it being very important. It’s annoying when you just want to get on with something but much better than the consequences of skipping the meal.

@QueenJess - It’s taken Mr MV many years to see the light about keeping clothes that you rarely wear, or aren’t fond of. I hope your husband is a bit quicker 🤞I have had some success with pointing out that they would be really useful for the charity shops and customers while they are still in good condition and not completely out of date.

@weenancyinAmerica - I am so sorry that you are still suffering and ill. I wish it were possible for your housemates to genuinely take the burden off you sometimes instead of adding to it. It’s a shame about the orange groves disappearing; I thought they were such a lovely sight when I visited California many years ago.

@grandmanerd - it sounds like you have so much to do and you are getting on really well with it. I hope all the ordering and moving things around starts to make life easier for you soon.

@Liverpool_Anne - you are obviously a great and thoughtful friend and I am so pleased that your friend has someone like you in his life.

Hmmm, so what have I done 🤔

Sorted out a bag for life of books to go. I might list some and donate others. Freed up some space for me to reorganise the bookcase.

In that process I discovered some ancient pamphlets (early 2000s!) which have gone for recycling.

Back porch has been cleared of junk and extra stuff for recycling. Resulted in Mr MV rooting around in the garage and a subsequent trip to the tip/recycling centre. It’s so nice seeing it clearer.

Poked about in the kitchen food cupboard and found a small number of ridiculously OOD items for the bin. Sadly no food waste collection here.

Lots of little bits and pieces here and there are getting sorted as I become less tolerant of clutter.

I am keeping up with listing food in and out of my stock cupboard. It is proving very helpful with my shopping list and meal planning.

Regarding socks and ironing: I think all that pulling about ruins the socks that I wear so I just gently roll them together with their twin. I rarely iron and it’s mainly when I am sewing things that it gets used. Mr MV likes it sometimes as it is warming and gives him an excuse to watch his top gear/bangers for cash/car refurb programmes.

Having been busy with visitors the house doesn’t look too bad after a quick vacuuming. I don’t need to go shopping so I’m planning on reading, knitting and a warm fire this afternoon.

Hope the weekend is enjoyable in its own way for everyone. Hugs for anyone in need of one. You are all doing so fantastically well with the decluttering.

Moorviews · 4 March 2023 at 1:52PM

I’m sure I didn’t leave such huge gaps in my typing! No doubt I shall lose the lot if I fiddle around editing so my apologies for taking up so much space x

EnergyShifter · 4 March 2023 at 2:04PM

My mood has improved a lot since I last posted - I think it was good to get things off my chest. Plus DS & I have settled down and both of us have caught up with our sleep. I had a really lazy day in the TLC Carriage yesterday - napping and watching Netflix all afternoon - it did me a lot of good! Had a good tidy-round this morning and caught up with the washing and washing up.

Tasks:
Stood over DS to get him to do a couple of frogs- registering for a course & chasing up a refund on his insurance.

IN (running total 49)
0

OUT (running total 255)
256. Length of hose pipe

Thank you for your encouragement Mrs SD & TC77 - you picked up on me being frustrated with myself and quite rightly reminded me to be kinder to myself - thank you.

.

Well Done for stepping outside your comfort zone Muddy Walker - I'm sure your video will be very encouraging for other.

TC77 · 4 March 2023 at 2:08PM

Lost my post!
@Muddy_Walker , well done on doing the video I think people.find watching and hearing about tips easier and take it in more than reading often.
Didn't go to my dad's house. Did MMiM of main food cupboard, multiples now together and looks like I could feed a small army!
Dd2 went for blood test, forgot form so met her part way, her phone ran out so gave me to charge and lent her spare only to find her travel card was with the phone she gave me! Did get test. DD1 had operation Thursday and is worried so trying to get feedback from hospital and off to see flat for her. DD2 hosting 18th fo4 a friend at our house so I need to be out but low key , baking and film for 7 of them as her friend can't have friends round her house. Did some tidying to help Dd2 and hopefully back to help with more. List of 20 frogs written so hope to get through some this weekend!

grandmanerd · 4 March 2023 at 3:18PM

LiverpoolAnne thanks for the suggestion but furniture gliders are a no no. Every time he sits down the couch would glide into the wall (I've spent years training him to leave an air space between the couch and the wall). When I first got my house (bought in 1980, moved in in 1981, finished paying for it in 1982) I had my pick of any of my grandma's furniture, that I wanted (she died during that period).

The couch and chairs were grey with wooden arms and had little metal wheels - not sure how old they were but there was a small tear at the back of one of them where mum had damaged it with her mobo horse, probably as a toddler and she was born in 1935. When OH moved in he never sat down in an armchair but would fling himself backward into it and the chair would zoom backwards until it collided with the wall. DS3 is far less clumsy than he was (his other favourite trick was tearing the bum out of strong cord trousers by getting the pocket hooked on door handles at work) but he does tend to knock things off surfaces just by passing by. The shirt stories brought back lots of memories.

So yesterday, settled for a long slow wash as I didn't want to waste time and energy moving things out of the bath, then used two soft rags (old flannelette sheet) to clean about a third of the bathroom floor by moving them around the floor with my feet.(then took the flannel back to bed with me to thoroughly clean my feet). Also stocked the bathroom bin with 2 packs of toilet rolls as there was only one left in there (the rest hide behind the bathroom door).

Remembered 3 things I'd forgotten doing the previous day - one roll of weed proof fabric outside (entangled in the exercise bike), sprayed the outside of the front door whilst waiting for a delivery and found a file with some important mum paperwork (have been very worried about it, couldn't see how I might have accidentally thrown it away but it's been very elusive.

Finally managed to spray the exposed 2/3 of the mattress and cover with a damp sheet. Took the last drawer downstairs with me (they were originally going to go in my room but it just wouldn't work). DS3 brought 3 of the craft bags and the box down and I brought the last bag later. All 5 of the full bags went out to the bins and 2 more paper sacks full, 2 loads cans and bottles and 4 more rubbish bags joined them throughout the day.

I'd been warned that DS3 and Beloved were watching anime together (so the things I wanted him to do would have to wait) so I went outside. Tried to clear up in the backs (a couple of piles of soil to reclaim and pushing some of next door's plaster/ mortar back onto their property (trying to get it to disappear between the gaps in the brick pile so it doesn't fly about when it gets windy) but then moved all 5 bins (4 mine and one from the empty house) to the car park side of the backs.

Moved 6 x 30 l tubs onto the small wall (raspberry canes and blackcurrant bushes that will be going in the bed on the inside of the wall once I've rebuilt part of the surround -cobble wall). I moved them one at a time using the old walker to transport them, I was lifting them from a raised builder's plank (not the ground) and I sat down after the first two pairs and then after single trips later. The last 2 tubs on the shelf moved to the lower level and the builder's plank is now ready for moving. I'm going to move a row of trees to the outside of the wall (they're in incinerator bins and can be moved rolling them along the rim at the base) to give more space in the yard for moving things around and doing stuff like rebuilding the cobble wall.

Went back inside and we had an hour and a quarter before mum's lodger arrived. DS3 swept the remaining stuff from the 12 square yards in the middle of the room towards me for bagging. He took out any useful items and put them (mainly on my couch but that's problem for another day). He cleared out the remaining items from around the exercise bike - a bin for the shredder. 2 more blankets, another 2 books, more cardboard, some scrap and a platypus. He helped me get the flat packed 'moving' boxes behind the table top.

He then moved the large couch forward, removed the cushions and bagged accumulated stuff (the books, my scarf). He litter picked all the large items of rubbish and then he and Henry hoovered all the crumbs from the inside edges. Meanwhile I went behind the couch and swept out stuff that had been trapped under the couch or stuck in the corner.

I moved my 3 orange trees from the window ledge and put them back outside (they had a long drink later) Then swept and wiped the window ledge. DS3 sat on the couch side by side (I think we had the same stunned looks on our faces). I made myself a couple of wraps to eat, lodger came and went (he's going to arrange for the gas man to come and do his gas safety
check at a convenient time, I asked about the carbon monoxide alarm and he said they'd changed all the ones at work so he had one of the old ones for free).

So 1 pm and done for the day. I dragged my footstool across and put my legs up, I had a large meal mid afternoon, DS3 had a snack, brought my CPAP machine downstairs and as soon as DS3 went up to bed (took his snack with him), I curled up on the couch with a duvet, my laptop, my book and the CPAP machine for if I fell asleep. Watched part of a film until the internet cut out then read and dozed. Tackled a froglet when I woke up a little, then moved back upstairs when I felt ready (quite weak and wobbly)

DS3 had moved the things out of the bath (on and around my bed but not in the way too much) so I had a shower, semi-sorted my bed - left the mattress treatment, put down a layer of rubble sacks so I didn't get wet and then used 2 covers (under and over me). Had a lovely sleep. Was wide awake at 6 am but have dozed on and off since. Going to have a gentle day today (will go downstairs soon as I'm hungry and nibbling my way through a bag of carrots won't work much longer).

I counted 47 for yesterday (I know some of you would see a lot of this as 'housework' but when I'm ill I can do very little and the house didn''t get in this state overnight so it won't get fixed overnight. I'm pleased with my progress, I feel much more like my old self although I am being very careful about how I do things and when it's time to rest. My current total is 726/ 2023 (2nd quarter).

short_bird · 4 March 2023 at 3:28PM

ooh, it's parky!
A quick visit as off out to work at 5.15.
1151-1166: packaging to recycling
1167-1177: assorted rubbish to binbag
1178: 50 emails deleted
1179-1182: 2 bags of rubbish, 2 lots of recycling to ground floor bins
Deferred decisions: 191: 23 minute mission number 4 - again, through more paperwork resulting in emptying the shredder twice.
(Deferred decisions is my term for the stuff that has been previously herded into bags and boxes pending further attention: some folks call them "doom boxes".)

QueenJess · 4 March 2023 at 3:37PM

Moorviews said:

I’m sure I didn’t leave such huge gaps in my typing! No doubt I shall lose the lot if I fiddle around editing so my apologies for taking up so much space x

It's really annoying, but I type as usual and delete all the spaces you put in for paragraphs. For some reason on a laptop/desktop it adds in an extra line space when you have a return, but it doesn't do it on the phone. It's impossible to type like that to start with as I can't see anything!