2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

roundtuit

CuoD:
Happy Meal light up fish - cs
McLaren Mercedes baseball cap - taken by DS

Other:
Baseball cap on the hatstand- torn so going in the bin

Rxx

vulpix

Hi chums, I have been busy with RL. DD1 and BF are here again. Airport collection, proper meal cooking etc. They have gone now to a festival in Manchester. , staying with her old university friend. We are still churning through MIL’s estate and many photos. A lot have been thrown as Mr V doesn’t know who the people are. There is a great photo of his Grandma and Grandad’s wedding. They look like mobsters. 

 I did rehome the contents of the pantry. Much more than was in the photo. Most has gone in the storage shed. I haven’t gone through the boxes. Some are kitchen things that I will go through when I unpack to put away in the new kitchen. Many are my already reduced Christmas decorations and a few are craft things. I have realised when the pantry has gone I don’t know where to home the Christmas decorations or craft stuff. I didn’t want to use the loft. We are too old for loft ladders. 

 We went to Bury market yesterday. There was a Hong Kong market on. Mostly jewellery and food, an interesting change.

 On the subject of cleaners, I have had one for the past 2weeks. I am fussy like others here but so far so good. ( do you think this is why we all constantly declutter, because we are all perfectionists and get bogged down in the minutiae, never quite getting there?)I do feel guilty as I am capable of doing it myself albeit much , much slower due to being riddled with arthritis. She is half my age and I am happy to give someone work. Mr V employed her after I did my back in a few weeks ago. He will clean if I ask but has selective blindness and lower standards than me! I find it makes us keep tidy. I like the routine of it. If it’s a nice day we will go out so our cleaning had no routine. I think I am far too precious to have a gardener. When it is more established my garden should pretty much look after itself , just pulling up a million tree seedlings every spring. 

 My Mum had a down stairs extension wet room built a few years ago. She very rarely used it because she had nowhere to get dressed that was dry without windows. Plus she found it hard to dry the floor off because of her arthritis so the room floor wasn’t wet when anybody went in to use the loo. It has proper drainage it’s just never totally dry after use. 

 I don’t like bins in the front garden either. Needs must for some people. My Ndn has put his bins out the front. They used to be in the back. The rest of the street keep them in the back. Idkw he has moved them.

 New total 722

 lipstick. Wrong colour  
 Necklace  cushion  
 swingball set
 cross stitch kit  
 6 balls wool
 another evening bag 

 more coming in atm Holiday stuff and stuff for imminent new baby. 
 

Vx

vulpix

Ps. I saw your lovely GD Florenceem. 

 I think Elmo is greatly relieved to be home. 

Brie

I'd say it's too hot to do anything but so far I've washed up, cleaned the kitchen a bit, put the dishwasher on (including all the glasses from the bathroom and bedroom that are only used for water and so are cleaned infrequently).  I've got to contact a friend who wants to declutter a buddleia in a pot that she thinks might be right for an empty spot in our garden.  I'm trying to stop having to do too much in the garden so want good, long suffering shrubs where possible.  I'm hoping that the buddleia with a lavender either side will do the trick for this location.  

I have gardeners rather than a cleaner but do find I need to tidy a bit before hand so they can get on with the difficult bits - like weeding.  Next appointment is Tuesday afternoon so a little bit of work is required but will be done early or late in the day.

pollyanna_26

I had chickepox quite badly in childhood. Then a year or two  later Measles. I remember the measles as I was isolated in my bedroom and my then Dr had told me to keep my eyes closed and stay in bed. A couple of years lster my two younger sisters caught dhickenpox during an outbreak at their school and although mum kept us apart Iwent down with chickenpox again.

I still have faint scars although I'd tried not to scratch the spots but did scratch some on my temples and near my nose.

I used to be covered in camomile lotion but it didn't really help stop the itching.

Of my four children only one had chickenpox. DD2 only three years old when she got measles. She'd just been discharged from  hospital

 the older brother and both sisters were at their grandparents. I'd been decorating the christmas tree and putting up decorations as she always loved Christmas and her siblings did too.

She'd only been home about an hour when her temperature soared and temperature went sky high. I phoned the hospital and they sent an ambulance. When I visited she was under fans to try to bring her temperature down it took some time for her to be able to come home shehas no memory of Christmas that year and eventually was an inpatient in a local hospital. They found a problem with her throat and tonsils so out came the tonsils and she was in the local hospital for a long time.

No one ever got to the bottom of the problem but over the years she had many ear and throat infections . I used to plead with out GP can't you find a liquid antibiotic medicne that doesn't practicaly have children swinging from the light fittings?

She used to favour the Strawberry flavour youngest the Banana in both cases it used to send them loopy.

The description on Mr Fs illness reminded me of the day I'd driven DD3 al the way to Leicester university for freshers day she chose that university as it offered some subjects she needed and nearer ones didn't.

It was a boiling hot day and a very long journey the car was ul of her possessions, a new microwave a lot of my kitchen tools and gadgets plus what seemed to be the contents of my fridge kitchen cupboards and a air number of the lovely big maincrop potatoes I've always grown as they make the best baked potatoes ever.

It wasn't until I got home I discovered the laundry products including the lovely lavender fabric sotfener and other laundry and cleaning productsI used to order from Lakeland  were also missing.

Luckily  she made riends with a lovely girl as soon as we got there. They have been friends for life and dd2 recently had a holiday in Portugal with her.

The weather seemed to get even hotter and the roads were crowded as other parents were also heading home.

I put the kettle on when I got home glad to see she hadnt taken that. There was landline call about half an hour later rom a number I didn't recognise so assumed she was ringing from a phone at Uni . It was the head of year. He said it was getting late but couldI collect dd the following morning. She was never cheeky or a trouble maker so was imagining al sorts of things. She is the image of Carol Decker rom T'Pau so did seem to attract crowds. Her clothes were very Bananarama. Pink jumpsuit that day.

She used to send me emails and photographs of todays outfit. I have them all in an album and al these years later she denies ever wearing that look.

I listened to the head of year.They were sending all the students home the next day. Hopefully parents would be able to collect them. He mentioned a suspected outbreak of a serious illness. I've actually forgotten which illness they suspected but it was something that spread like wildfire and required a lumber puncture to diagnose and possible hospitalisation.

My dd had been fine that day but I rang our then female GP the following morning

She told me to fetch her home and she would come and examine her telling me to keep her in her own room away from the two younger sisters who shared a room and her brother who had his own room.

Dr came once dd was home said Ithink she's ok but she can go to hospital i you are worried. DD1 seemed fine just annoyed at the long two way journey

All students were caled back later in the week.

I'd forgotten about it over the years until Florence posted about MrFs sudden decline. A few times after visiting him she mentioned telling him he might need a punch when the doctors had decided what the problem was and I began to wonder if they'd considered a lumber puncture.

Still can't remember what the students were supposed to have but it involved lumber punctures and hospitalisation.

DD did discover there had been an outbreak of whatever a year or so earlier but no such thing al the way to graduation.

polly

ETA I went for the shingles jab when the surgery contacted me. I had to overcome a fear of needles and have all the  Covid jabs top ups and anything else offered and shinglesi as shingles is very painful and unpleasant.

Having watched the parents abroad who can't get any help for their children and the expectant mums and adults whose only hope has been doctors without borders it feels very wrong to refuse something that could save lives if it were also available to all.

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

Saturday is a bright sunny day & was already 25C at 11:30 when I got up. Didn’t sleep well though as temperature didn’t drop below 18C 😔 DH was up early to watch last MotoGP practice’s & qualifying 🙂 I have my first cuppa, timer on & away I go with the cheerleading 😉

Muddy_Walker, no experience of cleaners but seems like a very practical thing to do 👏 Good luck with your search 🍀 Remember it is a win, win - you are freeing up time for yourself & employing someone 😊 Hope the treatment jab goes well 🤞I love the ‘go forth and multiply’ comment so refined 😉😂

Floss, thanks for sharing 👏 Perhaps you could offer some tips about hiring a cleaner 🙏

GrannyKate, your poor DH & then poor you having to cope with DS1 with chickenpox being alone & pregnant 😔 You would think it would be a no-brainer that DD’s car was a write off 😣 Although I would hope that the insurance company know what they are doing 🤞 When are you off to Scotland? I only ask because DH & I have a trip booked in a few weeks 😊 so might bump into you 😉 figuratively speaking of course 😂

Florenceem, so pleased that you gave yourself some TLC yesterday afternoon/evening 😊 Hopefully you have recharged your batteries & will enjoy today’s table top sale 🤞 

weenancy, sounds like you had a very busy & fruitful Thursday 👏🥳 So many ‘countries visited’ - England, Scotland, Peru, U.S. & Switzerland 😊 Excellent start in the kitchen 👏 but I do hope that, after your appointment with the eye doctor, you can spend a couple of hours at least in the TLC Carriage 🤞 Such a shame that your roommate didn’t realise he could get free transport to medical appointments 😔 & it took you to find out 😔 Sometimes it must feel like you have a houseful of children 😉 Good luck with ‘Mission Kitchen Clean’ 🍀 & I hope that the weather stays cool whilst you are cleaning & decluttering 🤞

Soontobeoap, think it might be ages 70 - 79 🤔 

QueenJess, not surprised that you were irritated 😠 that DH went out for most of the day 😉 So well done on making him responsible for changing the beds & making dinner 👏 Sounds like DS’s room is well on the way to being finished 🥳 & you have sailed past 17,000 items so one Gold Star ⭐️ on its way 😊 Everything crossed that all items listed on Buy Nothing are picked up quickly with no time wasters 🤞 Good luck with ‘your vague plan’ 🍀 If anyone can do it you can 😊 & if you can finally get DH fully on board - no more Friday outings for him until September 😉 - then it should be more manageable 😂 What a lovely result from your clear-out of nail varnishes 🥳 a bit of TLC that didn’t involve making decisions 😊

I have done 2 x 23 minute sessions, so am taking a break to make my 2nd cuppa & fill in the entry form from my magazine. Back shortly - will put the timer on 😉 Just noticed that it has become very overcast & the sun is hiding 🫣 but temperature up to 27C 🥵 

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐,  perseverance medal 🎖️, 🥇 🏅🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 1532/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

short_bird

short_bird, chicken pox twice 😱 

Oh yes: second time, since the (then) surgery were convinced it couldn't be chicken pox at my age (32) and since I'd already had it, they asked me to go in for an appointment... Luckily, I was the only patient in reception.

And thank you for the star!

QueenJess

Sorted out all the furniture for people to pick up this afternoon.  I hope they do as they are now all piled into the hallway.  Got some more tidying/sorting to do for the stuff left in DS's room (mainly on the floor), but may do a bit of it later.  Thanks for my star @Mrs_Salad_Dodger

17,262 - kitchen overstock used up
17,263-17,312 - furniture spare bits (Buy Nothing)

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

2nd drink made. Just had a pleasant conversation with nice neighbour J who is thinking of retiring 😊 dependent on finances of course 😔 I did warn him that he will probably be busier than he is now & will wonder how he managed to fit in a full time job 🤣 

TC77 thanks for sharing your experience with cleaners 👏 Hopefully work will calm down once a few more new staff members are recruited 🤞& with DD1 taking most of her stuff with her soon hopefully you can start on a major declutter & reclaim your home 🤞🙂 Sorry to hear about the hand & wrist issues, that does make life difficult 😔 Also thanks for the advice about taking on a cleaner - very useful information 👏

GrannyKate, as the shingles jab is available from age 70 you could always treat yourself to a belated last birthday present 😉 

QueenJess, thanks for sharing your experiences with cleaners 👏 Great suggestions for both Muddy_Walker & TC77 😊 I particularly like the idea of picking everything up off the floor prior to the cleaner arriving rather than tidying & putting stuff away 🤔🙂 Sounds like DH needs glasses 🤣

~FlowerPot~ poor Elmo 😔 Now he is home, hopefully he will not be so stressed & can have lots of cuddles from his mum 😊 

oceanspirit, what a thoughtful & kind post 😊 Sounds like the ideal holiday oceanspirit - donate clothes you don’t like/wear & buy some that you do like & will wear & having plenty of time to relax & chill 😎Hopefully your long drive will go smoothly 🤞 & OH will have be waiting to greet you with a big hug, a nice cuppa & a lovely meal that he has cooked for you 🤞😊 

Liverpool_Anne, well done on making the most of yesterday’s erratic weather 👏 Judging by the emoji, it would seem you are quite pleased to have ‘lost’ the swiss cheese plant to the heat 😂 I had never heard of a jade plant, so that led to a small trip down a rabbit hole 😉 Beautiful plant 😊 and I have an idea in mind for where I could put one 😉 once the decluttering & decorating is done 😂 Good luck with both the porch decorating & your search for an umbrella/wellie stand 🍀 What a nice thing for OH to do - always lovely not to have to cook when the weather is so warm 😊 Fingers crossed that you are able to get your B12 Jab 🤞

Moorviews thanks for joining in the conversation about getting a cleaner & sharing your experience 👏Using up contents of larder, fridge & freezer is decluttering of the highest order 👏 After all you are not only disposing of packets/tins etc but you are also saving money 🥳

I broke off to have a bowl of soup for lunch & DH has just finished it off 🙂 DH is now 7/7 for the tastiness of his hm soups 👏

Florenceem, I am definitely enjoying the conversation about having a cleaner 🙂 Definitely agree that you wouldn’t find a cleaner beneficial at this point in time 😉 but question your use of the word “fussy” - more appropriate word/s would be “exacting standards” 😊 So much for it only taking 3 days to get the aids fitted 😖 Hope the table top sale has been well attended & earned lots of money for the SA 🤞 

Thanks for the info SuffolkSue 👏

I have started to lose concentration after 2 x 23 minute sessions so will break off here & be back later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐,  perseverance medal 🎖️, 🥇 🏅🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 1532/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

Florenceem

There was a lot of competition for people in town today but our table top sale went well - raised £529.56. It was armed forces day - parade and service at the harbour and a crafter's market in the town centre + an event at the art's centre.
Just going to pop to Asda for the local paper.
Had an email from Mr F today but not spoken to him yet.
Our Ukrainian friends raised £530 with their bakes.