2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

retiredinfrance

Thanks, MrsSD for my gold star. It just shows that this tortoise can now continue on to the next third and still lots of time before year end. That sounds like the hare talking! I used to be a hare - well the move to France forced that role onto me. I have slowed down through the decluttering of our small holiday cottage here and now steady steady tortoising in France. 

I thought that I would for MMinM declutter my magazines as , tortoise- like , I thought it was one thing for March. Anyway it will take me the month as I start reading them all again. This will be strong arm decluttering. 

Hugs, everyone, and keep safe.

bit_by_bit

Just diving in as I haven't had the energy for more than the day to day stuff. Feeling a bit recovered now. Nothing has gone out of the house but I hope to return a cat box and pass on a car seat in the next few days.

DD an emotional wreck tonight as her boyfriend went back to Canada. 

Thankyou for your last comment Mrs SD. I hope DH is ok now. 

My heart goses out to you @vulpix and MrV. Big hugs until I see you again. 
I hope to be back in again soon but just taking life a little more gently while I work up to the next set of decluttering tasks.

oceanspirit

A few more things from the box put away and a couple of things gone.  A general tidy up, laundry done, lists sorted out from last week and new lists written for the next couple of days.

OH hopefully doing a tip run later in the week.  I am insanely excited about the thought of finding things for him to take.  Oh dear.

short_bird

A quick update before settling down for some telly.
23 minute mission number 5 accomplished resulting in
deferred decisions 192-205: items for the scrapstore collection and a magazine to recycling.
1183-1202: packaging etc to bin
1203-1214: items to recycling
1215: 50 emails deleted.
Now to find a reasonably cheerful film to finish off the weekend. Engrossing will do 

StickyTheStickInsect

Condolences @vulpix, look after yourself and Mr V xx

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, very little done today. I tried to open one of the emails apparently offering free ebooks on my kindle but there are still so many emails it wouldn't let me, takes up too much memory, but it is very annoying to have to keep scrolling past them when trying to delete using my laptop so I have decided to make a folder for them and move them over until I get the number down. As a result my 23mins were spent just fiddling around rather than deleting hmph . I got distracted from my catch up this morning by text messages and then watching a blackbird in the garden that I think is nesting in the rambling rose. I will have to carefully investigate as I was planning on having a cut back near there, might have to wait a while . I sorted out the washing and did a small sm trip on the way to the footy as I realised I had run out of stock pots for the carrot and lentil soup. OH then gave me a list of things to get. Luckily nothing needing the fridge / freezer as they were left in the boot until I got home, put away as soon as I got home. The footy was excellent as we got a result beyond my wildest dreams I think most of us were in shock to be honest
I have watched a couple of Joshua Becker vids and I quite like his style of delivery and he makes a lot of sense plus does give some good ideas although his house is a bit too minamalist for me

@Mrs SD, thank you for my medal, I do keep track in my notebook . I might join you in practicing my handwriting. So much of what I have written in the past years has been on the computer that I could compete with doctors for illegibility

@Madbat60, the dress is fab and I love the fabric, perfect for a summer dress

@Dfw38, another one with parents who hoard things.It makes me so glad I didn't have that issue with my Mum and Dad, don't know what happened with me and my sister we both have too much stuff. My niece has already told me when anything happens to dsis and bil I have to go and stay for a month to help them clear the house . As an idea to help with dds things would it be possible to get some sort of storage for say 90% of their things and tell them once a week anything not tidied away will be removed. It might help them decided what they really want to keep and look after and what they can let go. Obviously anything broken would go and big things like bikes would have to be put somewhere else. I know there are insecurities you are dealing with but you are such a caring Mum I am sure you could achieve this in a sensitive way, better than having dh getting stressed.

@short_bird I have lots of those deferred decisions in various places but I like the name, somehow sounds much better than bags and boxes of stuff

@vulpix, so sorry to hear your news. Hugs to you and Mr V. Even when we know it is going to happen it is still very hard to deal with.

Well that is as much as my brain can remember though I am sure I have forgotten lots so I will say hugs to all who would like one. So rather pathetically, must do better
492 washing sorted
Take care everyone
492/2023

Liverpool_Anne

@Muddy_Walker and @Keiths_Mum love the daffs, aren't they just the perfect thing to cheer up a dull grey day

weenancyinAmerica

Question - do the small family members with too many toys scattered all over have proper storage for their things - not a big toy box where things get mixed together and lost but shelves with places for each item where it can be safe and be seen. Bags for toys like blocks. Hammocks are good for stuffed animals. They need storage supplies just like you do.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks to include MMiM - do this before I go to bed

2. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ I have an acronym - I.R.I.S. being Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off - 

3. Implement a new sleep/wake up regime - start going to bed earlier (target before 2:00 a.m.) get up earlier (target by 9:00 a.m.)

4. Deal with ‘Urgent’ daily mail immediately & the rest at the weekend

5. Don’t put it down, put it away

6. If I spot a mini task deal with it immediately e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

7. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

19:00 Cottage pie is made & in oven + water boiling for vegetables. DSis put in a brief appearance to make a cuppa & has gone back to bed. DH went out for his 2nd walk at 19:06 & was back 19:35, kindly posted my letters on his way round so will catch the first collection tomorrow 👏 19:45 DH & I are having our dinner cottage pie & kale. DSis has been informed that dinner is available & has just appeared. I am leaving her to have however much or little she wants with cabbage as her vegetable option 🙂 Wudupa

772 - 773 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

774 Kitchen detritus binned

Crazycatlady2, when does hubby start his new job - you have probably realised I am curious or should that be nosy 🧐 Good luck with both your list & your deep cleaning 🍀

Oops a daisy TC77 🙊 That is a lot of email storage being used 😥 Perhaps you can make clearing it down an MMiM - 23 minutes a day should make it easier to do rather than sitting down for hours & losing the will to live 😉 An excellent start - almost a quarter done 👏👏 

What an excellent 4th MMiM Dfw38 👏 All organised with military precision & should make school weeks less stressful 🤞

Brie, is the bottom of the drawer bowed? If it is, do you have a hard flat space somewhere that you could lay it out with the bags on top to get the drawer bottom flat again? Might make it easier to fix & more likely that OH will fix it before July 😉😉

Excellent work completing MMiM3/31 roundtuit 👏 Beautiful picture of the newly cleared kitchen windowsill 😊 Mine probably looks like the before picture - very cluttered 😬 You have inspired me to do mine, so another MMiM added to my ever growing list 😉

Great decluttering on your initial foray into the attic QueenJess 👏 but a shame that you couldn’t find what you were looking for ☹️ It is obviously hiding with my balance lamp 😔 If DH has agreed that the attic needs sorting, perhaps he can make a start on his boxes to show willing rather than leaving you feeling so overwhelmed 😔 Re the structures for the wicker baskets, I believe someone has already suggested using in your garden as supports for climbing plants possibly. Excellent decluttering all round  👏 & well done on prioritising dealing with your own health frogs 😊

Excellent decluttering Brie 👏 Fingers crossed that OH can be persuaded to let you put the pots & lids away 🤞 Good luck reconstituting the dried out water colour tubes 🍀

Fayolle, the tea dress made from a duvet was made by Madbat60 - how lovely that she has inspired you to use your duvets to practice making trousers 😊 Maybe ‘Attic Attack in April’ - AAiA to follow on from MMiM 😉 Excellent decluttering using MMiM 👏

Beautiful wreath Dfw38 👏 You are definitely speeding along with your Makes in March 😊 Perhaps if you & DH present a united front you might be able to prune the dcs cuddly toys especially if they are not being looked after - good luck 🍀

Muddy_Walker, is your step daughter more careful with her belongings & items gifted, now?  Sorry to hear that you weren’t feeling too good on Sunday ☹️

QueenJess, sadly no Oxfam near me but I have done an initial investigation & BHF might take the coins - way too heavy to post. Next time I go to Lewisham, I will pop into BHF & enquire. 

Dfw38, any chance of appealing to dcs altruistic feelings 🤞

Excellent decluttering Keiths_Mum 👏 Now that you have mentioned the Sound of Music I have several songs running through my head overriding one being about the lonely goatherd 🤣 What a lovely treasure to find - very dapper 🙂

grandmanerd, poor, poor Platypus 😭 At least you have found him & I hope he is being looked after properly now 😉 Hope the hip isn’t too painful & that the injection will take effect earlier than 7 days 🤞Not too impressed that the taxi firm didn’t know where the hospital was 😔 Hope you enjoyed having the sofa to yourself apart from Platypus 😉🤞

Excellent work QueenJess 👏 Enjoy your 🥉- you have definitely earned it 😊 

daisy_1571, platypuses are so cute but good job it is a cuddly toy rather than real - I just looked up what they eat 😉 

retiredinfrance, you are very welcome 😊 As you have been both the hare & the tortoise, which do you prefer 😉 I love the idea of ‘strong arm decluttering’ so good luck with your MMiM magazine decluttering 🍀

Sorry to hear that your energy has deserted you bit_by_bit ☹️ but well done on keeping up with the day to day decluttering 👏 Hugs for your DD 🤗 I think you need to spend some time in the TLC Carriage whilst you recover & plan your next decluttering project 😊

Great work oceanspirit 👏 Nothing wrong with being excited about finding things to declutter to the Tip - gives you a real incentive to declutter with the aim of filling the car 😊

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏

What a lovely post Liverpool_Anne & some great ideas for Dfw38 😊 Sometimes it is just nice to ‘fiddle around’ - you can learn new things and/or find things that don’t work but haven’t cost you too much time 😊 That’s the trouble with watching the wildlife, it can gobble up so much time 😂 I remember a few years ago DH & I were removing the bricks that we had used to delineate the lawn from the flower borders & discovered colonies of ants - we spent 2 hours just watching them move their eggs 🙊 It was a lovely sunny day & any excuse not to continue moving the bricks was quickly seized upon 😉 We did do better the following day as it was not so sunny & we wanted to get indoors 😉 Yippee to a surprise football result 🥳 

Great ideas weenancy 😊👏

Off to bed now so will see you all later 🙂

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖💐🤩🏅🦸🏅💐🏆 💐🍰🍾🌟⭐️🌟 💐🏅

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 774/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00

daisy_1571

"Platypus Diet

They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their meal"

Hmm, yes I see what you mean Mrs sd.  Best not having that mash spread around the living.   

Daisy xx