2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

vulpix

 Oceanspirit and Flowerpot, I am with you in feeling rough and fatigued. I have got my two photo ID's together to activate an online account and all I need to do is walk to the GP surgery,but I don't feel up to it atm. No car today it is having some scratches repaired.

 I am just having a break from cleaning and DH has hoovered. B!##dy cat! just changed the sheets on our bed and Fomo walked across it with muddy feet. Sheet now back in the wash! It wouldn't rub out with the flannel. Get cats they said,it will be great they said...

 Nothing from our house out other than usual recycling but some things I have just dusted have been given the eye.

 DD1 due to fly from The Shetlands to Aberdeen at 4pm. Extremely high winds there ie 43 where it is 5 here. It is also snowing. The Pilots are amazing and really try to not cancel. All plans will unravel if her flight is cancelled or possibly significantly delayed.Nail biting stuff.

 More stuff from the bungalow taken to bit by bit yesterday. I am so grateful for her help in distributing stuff to various good causes. A boot full of stuff taken to the community centre last night for a fundraiser at Easter. A chap came from the start up charity yesterday and he will take a wardrobe, chest of drawers, double bed, 3 bedside cabinets, 2 occasional chairs, 3 piece suite,coffee tables, lamps,telly,TV stand and pans and crockery. Although I have not dared to even go in the kitchen it is such a mess. He only wants sets of crockery not odd things. That's a job for next week. To date I have emptied the conservatory,2 bedrooms with massive fitted furniture,bathroom and airing cupboard. The sitting room and kitchen are to do. Both are a complete mess. Step daughter has emptied everything out and covered every surface and the floor. Not how I would have done it but hey ho. Oh, I brought home 2 ornaments and a mini ironing board. I do so little ironing I thought I could get rid of the full size ironing board. The ornaments are a carved soapstone elephant with another one inside and a very kitsch 1950's white poodle. I will live with them a while,they may not be permanent residents.We also brought home a boot full of garden ornaments the other day for our neighbour. It hasn't scratched the surface in the garden but SD can sort that out. She is buying the bungalow. Garage also needs more work but not my department. The neighbours will put the bins out tomorrow which will be a good help. The intention was to not go again until next Monday but DH needs to find some photos for the order of service. If we get to go away tomorrow we will have to go via a very large detour.

 I don't know if I said Mr V started at a new job last Monday. He will be working every Saturday from now on doing what he loves. He is frantically looking for a memory stick with a feature on it that he needs. Hopefully it is in the car.

 Right back to it. Vx

 

 

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

So much for seeing you later on Monday 😔

DH did his 11,000 steps (13/31). My MMiM for Monday was some financial paperwork + cleaning the kitchen windowsill. Other than that I did nothing apart from watch TV. Dinner was sausages, mash, baked beans & chopped tomatoes.   The W*l*s sausages have a new & improved recipe which my DSis doesn’t like - & as they are the only sausages she eats now means one more meal off the menu for her 😖 DH & I shared the washing up duties. After dinner DSis & I watched the Finals of The Pottery Showdown - not surprised at the winner followed by DOI - delighted at the winner 🥳 We still remember the year Perri Kiely was robbed 😉 

The milkman finally started delivering milk again - apparently he is having problems used the digital system - large fingers on a small keyboard 😞 Means I will have to use the portal in the future 😉

Tuesday is a bright sunny day & I was up & dressed by 11:00. DH was already gone as he decided to do a longish walk combining it with finishing off a couple of Tube Lines 🙂 

Now I will try to catch up on the cheerleading as I have fallen behind again 😔

Excellent decluttering gettingthrifty especially the insurance frogs 👏 Reading your post about the frustrations of dealing with financial institutions 😖 is a timely reminder of how much my lovely DH does online. This really does need to be the year that I sit down with him & learn how to deal with it all - I am dreading it 😱 😔 I get frustrated & feel stupid as I really don’t understand when he starts with computer speak & whizzes through the explanation. Then he loses patience & the will to live when I have to go through everything half a dozen times taking copious notes. 

Well said retiredinfrance 😊 & I just had to quote you as it bears repeating “EnergyShifter - it’s fine to be ridiculously pleased with oneself - in fact everyone should be ridiculously pleased much more often. Sometimes just getting to the end of the day is enough”

Wow QueenJess over 1,000 emails permanently deleted 👏 Congratulations on your silver medal 🥈🥳

Florenceem, hope you enjoyed your day at home 😊

Oh weenancy - I just want to give you a big hug 🤗 Then a private suite with an attentive & skilful medical team to sort out your health issues whilst all you need to do is concentrate on your genealogy work & writing your book 😊 Meanwhile a team of people would be in your home sorting out the decluttering UNDER your strict guidance & training your roommates in how to help you when you returned home ………… if only my dream would come true 😊

12:23 DH just phoned. Apparently he left the house at 9:00 a.m., caught the first bus to appear & then started on his epic journey of tube trains, buses & trains to arrive at the end of The Metropolitan Line in Amersham 😥 Now walking to the end of the other fork of the Metropolitan Line & heading home. He is being good, drinking his water, stopping for coffee & croissants & resting when needed 😊 The excellent news being that now he is being sensible he has not had any more issues 🥳

Excellent work Florenceem, well ahead of target 👏 I love your bunnies - you are so skilful 😊

Excellent decluttering Dfw38 👏 I hope your DH wasn’t too upset when you reclaimed your ‘measuring’ box 😉 Very impressed that your DCs are joining in with the decluttering & agreed to release toys 😊👏Everything is coming together through your sheer hard work & dedication 🥳 and I had almost forgotten that you are also training for a marathon as well 👏 

Muddy_Walker, sometimes good to have a bit of a shout - clears the air 😅 Sorry to hear that Monday was not a great day for you ☹️ but at least it is over 🙂 Hopefully you are having a better Tuesday & the sun is shining down on you 🤞

bit_by_bit, first things first, I owe you a Gold Star ⭐️ for 28/100 bags which I have just noticed 😉 Always cheers me up when I read about the excellent arrangement you and vulpix have with regards to decluttering 😊 Excellent work sorting out frogs & cleaning 👏 Finding your driving licence & being able to sort it out before it became a cane toad 😮‍💨 

I hadn’t spotted that there were chocolate oranges in the bunnies, weenancy 🙂 Thanks for noticing & mentioning 👏 I have a feeling that if Florenceem made a 100 bunnies they would all sell 😊

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏

DundeeDoll, I used to love hearing about mrpiano (on another thread) so I am pleased to see that you are still in touch 😊 I feel a care package is in the offing 😉 Enjoy sorting your office now that you have your bookends 😁

Lovely to see you 2Scratters 👋 Sometimes the only place to be is in the TLC Carriage 😊 & thanks for making sure the chocolate brownies didn’t go ood 😉😅 Sorry to hear that the funerals were such an awful experience 😥 You would hope that people could & would have the decency to control themselves on such an occasion if only for the sake of the grieving family & friends - I despair 😩 Sorry to hear that you have been having such a tough time ☹️ but reading your post I can see that you are now back with renewed vigour & determination 😊 Excellent work with the sales 👏 & good luck with the listings 🍀 Hope DH’s procedure goes well & that the results are clear of any issues🤞 Sending hugs & a medal 🏅 for picking yourself up & getting back into the fray 😊

Liverpool_Anne, very pleased to hear that OH’s hospital appointment went OK 🙂 Wow, a human being as a traffic warden - just moving you on & not giving you a ticket 🤩 Wonders will never cease 😂 Very well done on resisting the temptation to buy a bag full of books & restricting yourself to the coffee 👏 Also pleased to hear that you found a better cafe & enjoyed your breakfast 😊 Good decluttering when you got home 👏 as it must be exhausting just driving around & trying not to get too lost 😔

13:55 DH just phoned again from Watford Junction - 12,500 steps 🥳 He is feeling absolutely fine & has informed me that his heartbeat hasn’t got above 88 even though he has been walking faster 😊Lovely to hear him so upbeat 😁 and thank you again my fellow declutterers for all your good advice & kind wishes 💐 for all of you 😊

GrannyKate, sorry to hear that your sister is so ill ☹️ although very welcome hearing that your BiL is gradually recovering from his stroke 🙂 Poor dog 😔 do they have a neighbour who could help out with walking the dog? Great work decluttering & dealing with frogs 👏 

Need a break from typing so will be back later 🤞

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️

Decluttering Target 2023: 810/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

Floss

MrsSD, maybe your DH could write you a step-by-step for each organisation? It would save you all the scribbling & him all the frustration 😉

dND

Hi again everyone. 👋

Congratulations to all on their decluttering and hugs to all those who need them too.

RL is rather overwhelming at the moment and whilst I've been able to keep up reading posts lately I will be going AWOL until April.

Hopefully by then things will have calmed down a bit and I can get my head around doing some deluttering and join in with everyone.

Deborah 💜

weenancyinAmerica

Mrs. S_D, I have been planning a "Pretend trip to England and Wales" as a PowerPoint program for one of my classes. The two places I want to include are Amersham and Chesham as I have ancestors from there. I want to visit the museum in each town to see what it was like in the late 1500s. They left in the mid 1600s. Most of my English ancestors left England before 1660, except for the Underdowns who left Kent in the 1750s. I do a lot of early colonial research as a result. 

I managed to clean off the stove top and clean the kitchen sink. Right now the dog is helping Di declutter (she is going to have a lot to throw away after the dog gets finished. The dog has found the crackers, cookies, and empty bottles she stashed. Also found bottles of pills that have not been taken. She needs to stop the refills of the pills she is not using, because the dog doesn't need them either.

Getting ready for more rain tonight. Expecting a lot as it is one of those Atmospheric Stream things meaning it is bringing in tropical air with lots of moisture - maybe 3" is what is projected here. Will need to go out tonight as it is the last in-person class for our Publisher class. Rest of the class will be online only.  Raincoat ready to go.

Two very full trash cans out this today. 

Hope everyone has been having a good day decluttering.

gettingthrifty

Mrs SD - to keep this thread going so brilliantly in the way you do , i believe you are more IT savvy than you think.!
Maybe you could do some very tiny baby steps at a time and build up.  Im currently doing this with DH as he hates doing things by phone, (fails his own security every time .). Ive started by giving him his own password book for his things and talking him through ordering things he knows well ( cycling accessories or tools). 

vulpix

 I am another IT refusenik. I only know how to do the things I am interested in,no more. 

 DD1 missed her connecting flight by 10 minutes. The hold up was defrosting the plane. The airline will put her up in a hotel in Aberdeen and put her on the 6am flight in the morning. She needs to be at our house, logged into an online course at 10am. 😬

 The house is clean and tidy. Just need to pack now. 

 See you in a few days. Vx

 

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

16:30 and I am back 🎉 I had a couple more phone calls from DH updating me on his progress, eventually arriving home 16:05 having been out of the house for 7 hours 😥 When I signed off last time I had intended to potter and/or fritter away my time watching TV 🤣 However common sense prevailed & I tackled the MMiM that is the double cupboard under the sink 😉 I was intending to only clean & sort the top shelf but ended up doing both top & bottom shelves 👏 Took 3 x 23 minutes so have now caught up for my lazy weekend 😉 Everything now clean, tidy & accessible (as per EnergyShifter - “I am ridiculously pleased 😀”) Just need to update my list. Only one almost full bottle of cleaning product decluttered & added to the Tip pile - never did the job it was supposed to 😖 DH has gone for a lie down & DSis is in her room although I have seen her a couple of times today. The good news is that she is feeling better & only coughing intermittently 🙂 

811 Cleaning product to Tip pile

Now I am on a roll so will attempt to catch up with the cheerleading 🙂

grandmanerd, nothing wrong with having a slow week after your hip injection 😊 Especially as I remember you saying it was difficult to sleep on the ‘wrong side’ for you ☹️ For a slow week, you got an impressive amount of work done - crafting, cleaning & tidying, decluttering & even loads of paperwork 🤩👏 I am in complete awe at the amount you get done each & every day 👏 DS3 seems to be pitching in a little more as well 😉 

~FlowerPot~ So sorry to hear that you are still struggling with RL & feeling so exhausted all the time ☹️As you have been feeling like this for so long, I think it might be time to bite the bullet & persevere with getting a doctors appointment 😉 Keeping everything crossed that TPTB will pull their fingers out & sort out a suitable school for your DD. Using up food supplies is definitely decluttering 👏 Sending you lots of hugs 🤗 

Excellent work gettingthrifty 👏

Great work sorting the airing cupboard Wednesday2000 👏 Like you I am wondering when Spring will arrive 😉 although my neighbours cherry tree is in full blossom which is a very cheering sight 🙂 Thank you for allaying my fears that working in the garden might have been hazardous to DH & you 👏 Good luck with your planned declutter of kitchen surfaces 🍀 I do need to sort mine out - another MMiM to add to my list 😔 If you hear a knock at the door, it will probably be me with a bowl & spoon ready to taste test your creamy cauliflower & carrot soup 😂 Excellent decluttering by the way 👏

oceanspirit, sorry to hear that you are also in the ‘unwell & exhausted’ Club ☹️ Hopefully you can get some rest in between medical appointments 🤞 Good work by you & OH getting large items out on the Tip run 👏

vulpix, so sorry to hear that you are also in the ‘unwell & exhausted’ Club with with ~FlowerPot~ & oceanspirit ☹️ I think you all need to spend some time in the TLC Carriage 😊 & let other family members pitch in 🤞 Fomo is definitely trying your patience at the moment 😖 Everything crossed that DD1 has arrived  on the mainland 🤞as you all need a few days away from the unrelenting work of clearing the bungalow 🙏  I think it is all a bit ‘off’ of SD to just empty all the cupboards etc & leave you to do the actual decluttering especially as she is buying the property 👿 Congratulations to MrV on his new job & very pleased to hear that it is a job he loves 😊 

What a brilliant idea Floss 👏 

Floss said:

MrsSD, maybe your DH could write you a step-by-step for each organisation? It would save you all the scribbling & him all the frustration 😉

Sorry to hear that RL is so busy & overwhelming dND ☹️ I will think of you as popping in & out of the TLC Carriage until April 😊 when I look forward to seeing you reporting in that life has calmed down & you are once again on the decluttering journey 😊

A “Pretend Trip to England and Wales” sounds wonderful, weenancy 😊 I hope you are feeling a little better weenancy 🙂 as I know you are very busy setting up for this weeks book sale 🙂 Excellent cleaning work 👏 I hope the husky is OK & that Di disposes of her pills safely. You can well do without a vet visit 😔 Everything is crossed that the rain holds off until you are back home safe & sound 🤞🤞

gettingthrifty, thank you for the compliment 👏 Difference between keeping up this thread & learning new to me IT, is that I am practicing daily AND I enjoy doing it 😂 A great idea for me to get started with baby steps, perhaps when DH has finished his walking challenge 🤔 Of course, that will mean I need to treat myself to a beautiful new notebook 😊 regardless of how many I already have 😂 

vulpix, I really like that description “IT refusenik” Like you “I only know how to do the things I am interested in,no more” Sorry to hear that DD1 missed her connecting flight but at least she is on the mainland 🙂 Fingers crossed that the rest of the journey runs more smoothly tomorrow 🤞 Enjoy your time away & will see you in a few days 😊

All caught up 👏

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️

Decluttering Target 2023: 811/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

Floss

Vulpix, I wonder if SD wanted to be sure nothing was hidden away & to see what she might want, and that's why she emptied every bit of storage? 

Florenceem

I had another day at home after decided no SA today.
Another Church member had tested positive for Covid so it is still in this area.
Been crafting - I do need to make time for this as I enjoy it so much.
It will be a busy day at SA tomorrow with our depleted volunteers.