2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Siebrie

I had a lovely Sunday afternoon: I went to a local museum with two ladies from church. We are roughly the same age, and are all at the end of our tether, with limited social contacts, so it was lovely to connect with others who could understand. We spent 1 hour at the museum and 2 hours in the cafeteria

I have dealt with a few frogs again:

- emailed bank for mortgage solution. Their mortgage offer ends 15 April, but the renovation is due to start only in November! They have already replied that they will get back to me.

- inscribed dd2 in 3 secondary schools. This is an online system where you can state the 3 preferred schools, and then a computer will randomly fill the vacant spaces sometime in May. Belgium has a weird system with popular and non-popular schools, where people actually used to camp in tents in front of the schoolgate to get their child into the school of their choice. This has been replaced by internet inscription, with the computer selecting/matching schools and pupils. It's fair and has a 6-week period to select schools, there's no rush to be the first or have the fastest computer.

- printed instructions for our vacation in Rome, from Good Friday to the Sunday 10 days later I'm so looking forward to it!

- I have plucked up the courage to apply for parental leave, 20%, starting 28 April, for 15 months! Boss is happy to give me the leave and help me apply at the proper authorities, but a bit unhappy that I left it this late. She's right, I did, but I was doubting so much whether I would actually take it. DD2 turns 12 on 29 April, and then I can't take it anymore. I will have to hand in 20% of my salary, and the government will give me about €100/month to compensate, which is nothing compared to what I loose, but the time off will do me and my family good. I will work 4 6-hour days and 4 hours on Wednesdays.

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 

Out of the bath at 14:00, wrapped in towels & DH’s towelling dressing gown. I cleaned the bath & am now downstairs making a hot drink. The weather seems to have got worse  - a lot darker & raining 😔 Whilst I am drying naturally I will do a bit more cheerleading 😉 

vulpix, sorry to hear that you have lost yet another post 😖 Shame you have had to order a new laptop now as I think you might have been trying to hold out until April 😉 Poor MrV - it is always such a chore & so time consuming making phone calls trying to sort out estates 😔 I know when DH & I sorted my dear mum’s estate I got a bit confused & frustrated with the ‘experts’ who seemed, at least to my mind, to make it more difficult & stressful than it should have been 😔 Hopefully the fact that you are ‘donating’ so much stone to the builders might mean that their bill is cheaper 🤞 or have I gone off into my own little fantasy world ……….. again 😂 I think you should definitely hold off on sorting the pantry of doom especially as you will have plenty of mess to contend with whilst the bathroom is being renovated 😉 I am looking forward to seeing the picture of the newly renovated rocking chair & to hearing that both you & MrV have spent some time in the TLC Carriage 🙏 Hopefully you are getting excited about your son’s visit & the thought that most of the boxes etc will soon mean that your bedroom is a nice restful place again 🤞😊 Re the arts & crafts door, if you have the space I would be minded to keep it - at least for a while - until life is calmer & you have the time & energy to make future plans 😉 Btw, not rambling just sorting your thoughts out in a safe place with the added bonus that you will be able to look back & see how you have come 😊

You are welcome Dfw38 🙂 The gruel I provided for your sister is very, very thin - almost like dirty water & I only used a bit of old shoe leather for taste 🤣 Sorry to hear that your children were ill 🤒 but Saturday sounds like the perfect antidote & hopefully you managed to get a bit of rest as well 🤞 I am so very sorry to hear about your dad but grateful to hear that you were with your brother when you visited 🤗 Love the new lampshade in your DS’s room especially the added tassels 🙂

I am dried off now so will get dressed & sort out my hair. DH phoned a while ago - he is just coming back from Heathrow airport as he decided to get the last roundels etc for his Tube Challenge - I think he has now completed the Piccadilly Line & the free portion of the Elizabeth Line 👏 See you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 894/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

QueenJess

Struggling for time today and not done any tidying yet (or my daily photo sort).  Will have to try and squeeze some in after dinner.  Whilst I've been deleting emails, I've discovered another couple of accounts I signed up to in the past that weren't on my password list.  I've requested deletion on those as well.

Digital:

10,806-10,905 - emails permanently deleted

10,906-10,910 - digital files deleted

Physical:

10,911 - notebook (used up and recycled)
10,912 - flower label (binned)
10,913-10,921 - flower pots (garden centre box for recycling)
10,922 - toy (buy nothing)
10,923 - cardboard box (recycled)
10,924-10,925 - toys (charity box)

Florenceem

I popped to SA this morning to collect a lovely diamond painting that a friend did for me as a present for eldest Dd. Friend wasn't there so I couldn't pay her but the diamond painting is now safely in my possession.
Took another 2 bags of books to a charity shop.
Got wet on the way home.
Not much done on decluttering - caring for Mr F is taking up a lot of my time.
Have made some shortcrust pastry and have mixture ready for a fruit loaf when the oven is on.

vulpix

Finished the furniture for our future grandchild. It will be taken away next week. Call me cheap but the chair was free and the drawers £10,paint £6. Forgive me declutterers for I have sinned. I have enjoyed having a rocking chair in the sitting room so I have bought one from fb for £5. My last furniture project,honest. I need to be spending my time in the garden. 

 You are right Mrs SD, Mr V is having issues with unhelpful people when trying to sort his Mum’s estate. A shock phone call just taken. From the bed shop we got our bed from last year. The guys said it wouldn’t go up the stairs so left it with us. Our amazing builders balanced up a ladder and got it in through the bedroom window on the hottest day of the year. That’s why I am happy to give the builder the stone, only worth about £40 I imagine. He treats us well and we treat him well. Bed shop gave us money back as we had paid for delivery and putting together and packaging removal. Nice surprise. 

 Vx

Soontobeoap

@vulpix what a transformation. I love pre loved furniture too and can spend many a happy hour sanding and painting. I even did our stairs a few years ago. It is so much nicer than all of those lovely pieces going to landfill. I am sure that your new grandchild has very happy parents. Furniture like that, would cost a fortune new. I can see every inch of love and care that has gone into it. I think you can count your rocking chair when it is transformed too as it will have been decluttered of its old life and made into a brand new homely feature. 

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 

15:20 DH phoned from Hammersmith - he was looking for the Rik Mayall bench in order to take a photo & took the opportunity to have a drink & something to eat 🙂 I am dressed & my hair is combed through - only took 10 minutes 😉 

895 - 896 Office recycling, cardboard box from DSis - recycled 

897 - 898 Office detritus, bag of polystyrene packaging from DSis - binned

Soontobeoap I second your request to see a before photo of the top garden 🙂

Florenceem, I am not surprised that you were still tired yesterday 😔 although I see you still managed a good deal of decluttering 👏 Please, please take at least a little time to look after yourself not just MrF 🙏 Everything crossed that MrF’s medication starts working soon 🤞

Great work decluttering the shoe cupboard Soontobeoap 👏 I see you have taken the first step to conquering your “addiction” to Pinterest 😂👏

You did have a busy afternoon yesterday Dfw38 🤩 Well done on getting so much done 👏 I need to take a leaf out of your book 😉 I hope I am not being too cheeky if I ask for photos of the items you are making for your DDs 😉🤞You should definitely have a low key week & everything is crossed that the weather is kind - dry & warmish - so that you can get some ‘you time’ in the garden 🤞

Deni_debt-free_dreamer, me too 🙂 With the talent we have aboard the EDT, we could start several businesses 😊 

vulpix, looking forward to seeing the photos of the top garden (thanks to Soontobeoap for putting in the initial request 👏) Yippee to putting the first coat of paint on the rocking chair 🥳

Well done on sorting two tadpoles florianatwobob 👏 You have a full Wednesday on the cards 😊 so sending lots of positive vibes that both issues can be sorted with a single visit from each of the workmen 🤞

Muddy_Walker, sounds like Monday was a good day off work 😊 not withstanding how shattered you were 😉 I imagine you slept well last night 🤞 I think I would have laughed my head off as well “…one of my neighbours laughed her head off when she heard me threaten dog 2 that if he didn’t behave I’d poke his bad toe…” 😂

daisy_1571, Thank you for sharing your experience & suggestions re doggy injuries 👏 I am so grateful to you & everyone else who shares their experience & knowledge 😊 It makes this thread so much more than ‘just a decluttering thread’ 🥹

TC77, hopefully Monday was the last day of work & you can now enjoy the rest of your week off 🤞Pleased to hear that you had a lovely evening out at the theatre last night😊 Please remember to take some time this coming week to give yourself a bit of TLC as well as dealing with frogs & decluttering 🙏

EnergyShifter, sorry to hear that the clocks ‘springing forward’ played havoc with your energy levels ☹️Maybe that contributed to my lack of energy yesterday coupled with my failure to sort out my sleeping patterns/habits 🤔 Excellent news about your smear test 👏 

Great stationery decluttering Liverpool_Anne 👏 Well done on unearthing a few more notebooks - fingers crossed that is the last of them 🤞 I think notebooks & pens ‘breed’ & then hide 🤣 Wishing you good luck finding reasonably priced accommodation 🍀 Sadly you might have to cast your net slightly further afield 😔 The hawk walk sounds wonderful 😊 so I hope the weather is really kind at the weekend 🤞 What a lovely afternoon/evening catching up with your ex colleagues 😊 made all the nicer by the staff at the venue not turfing you out abruptly 👏 

Blue_Doggy, Hopefully a useful & informative post for Muddy_Walker 🤞 I am always amazed at the ‘solutions that are available for all sorts of issues’ 🙂 

16:50 DH home having clocked up 9,000 steps. 

What a lovely Sunday afternoon Siebrie 😊 Sounds like just the antidote to ‘being at the end of your tethers’ 👏 Excellent work dealing with so many frogs 👏 I love reading your posts Siebrie & learning about the systems in place in Belgium especially as they seem better thought out than many of the systems here in England 😊 The school selection system sounds so much fairer 🙂 & far less arbitrary than the English method which appears to be different from county to county 🤔 The parental leave scheme sounds very interesting 🧐 The holiday in Rome sounds absolutely marvellous 🤩 I hope the sun shines & the wine flows (for you at least 😉). Not long to wait 😊

Excellent digital & physical decluttering QueenJess 👏 Fingers crossed that you find the time to do your tidying & daily photo sort 🤞

Ooh, I hope you can post a photo of the ‘diamond painting’ Florenceem, it sounds intriguing 🤨 Sorry to hear that MrF is still so unwell ☹️ Please take care to look after yourself as it sounds like taking care of MrF is almost a full time job at the moment. 

vulpix, the restorations/renovations are absolutely stunning 😍 I doubt any of us would ever call you ‘cheap’ ‘wagging finger emoji’ You might not have spent a lot of cash BUT the amount of work, love & care you have invested is priceless 😊 You have NOT sinned - you need a furniture project to keep you busy when the weather stops you from working in the garden 😊 as I get the impression that you are not one to sit around twiddling your thumbs 😉 Sorry to hear that MrV is having issues with unhelpful people 😔 & 😖 Your builders sound amazing 😻 

I hope the bed shop also gave you some compensation as well for failing to do the job that they had been contracted to do 🤞 although thinking about it you have probably been quite lucky that they have returned any money at all 😉 A nice surprise indeed 😊

Soontobeoap, what a lovely post 😊 Sounds like you & vulpix should be comparing notes then setting up in business together 😉 I think we will have to add a workshop to the EDT 😉

All caught up 🥳

Hugs to all & see you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 898/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

QueenJess

@vulpix the furniture looks amazing... I know where I'll be going for advice if I need to do any furniture projects!

Florenceem

I will take a photo of the painting in the daylight tomorrow.

Day 28

Stamps

Paper x 2

Paper Punch

Envelope 

Fleece x 2

Jumper

Dress

Placemat x 4

Carrier Bag x 4

Label

Paper

Place Mat x 4

Colour Catcher x 2   

bit_by_bit

Thankyou@MrsSD. MiL not well enough to do more than eat a takeaway and blow a few candles out. Lots of cake though. 

Big hugs @Muddy_Walker

Aww shucks @vulpix I don't call that a rest day though  Amazing renovations. You should be very proud.

Great crafting @Soontobeoap

So its been a sort of odd few days. Saturday and Sunday i felt so tired so I took a day off from the CS ( I did have a dodgy stomach on Friday). All the stuff from @vulpix has now been sorted. Yesterday I took about 20 bags of in and outs to the CS plus one of mine.

MiL remained ill over the weekend but did take a cake to church on Sunday -  She regretted it. Totally tired out after and spent the rest of the day in bed.

Yesterday DH and I took a second cake especially made for her 80th round along with the takeaway Chinese she wanted. She never has takeaways so it was a bit of a treat.

Childcare today and tomorrow so not much extra to be done sadly.