2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

GrannyKate

Morning all.  I've been awol for weekend - long drive but I think we escaped the worst of the weather here up North.  Went to DGS2's 18th birthday - had to believe two oldest DGS now 'adults'. Ate too much but good time and managed to get back in good time. I only took DGD4 with me which I think she enjoyed.

1639 Bedroom 3 all painted and excited DGS4 moved in last night.  More importantly he went to sleep in there on his own.  
1640 New ironing board cover fitted and old one binned
1641 Two t-shirts returned to DGD2 which she left behind 3 months ago
1642 Two more letters of alphabet checked in family history files

A few things to do today but will be back later.

Siebrie

leftatthetrafficlights said:

Floss said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

The chainsaw that was in the cupboard has been removed to the shed but I did find another 5 demijohns too 🤦‍♀️ hopefully I can rehome a few more of them to the charity shops next week- just need to see if the other ones have gone and if they will take any more! 🤞 

Have you tried offering them on Fb marketplace? 

I'm not on social media @Floss (unless these forums count as social media 🤔) so it's not an option for me unfortunately....there are a few more charity shops in a town about 8 miles away so if the local ones can't/won't take any more I'll take some with me if I venture over there.

Maybe the local WI or allotment association will take them off your hands? Does the school or church have a fair?

Siebrie

I spent the halfterm break at my Mum's, with husband and dds. On our way there she called to say she was in bed with a gallstone attack. She no longer has a gall bladder, but apparently, gallstones can still form in the tube that's left. It took 2 days to get over the attack (or for the stones to rearrange themselves?). I accompanied her to the GP's and then the hospital for blood checking. All was fine.

Secondly, the upstairs neighbour has a leaking waterpipe, which was discovered on 30 September, and the plumber only came on 3 November! And on 4 November it was still dripping! It's a slow but steady drip...drip through the bathroom, along the pipes that were nicely hidden by tiles, which are now broken away, through the floor, to the downstairs built-in cupboards, has spread to the parquet floor, and is probably underneath the floor, but we can't access. The bathroom and the adjacent guest bedroom have started to sport black mould! The smell is permeating everything!

I helped Mum take pictures and compose an email to the insurance company. She had already stated her claim, but they asked for information, and Mum thought the plumber that visited her had sent it in. He hadnt.

We found out that my Dad had changed the insurance from 'through an agent' to the slightly cheaper 'directly with the company', but that means Mum has to do everything herself, no help at all at lodging her claim. Mum will change the insurance to go through an agent. The insurance company was kind enough to help out a bit, because she is 87, and clearly didn't know about or agree with Dad's decision.

Husband, dds and I went swimming 1 afternoon, we went to have dinner with one of his friends and his family, I went to the 25-year anniversary of the Alumni of English association of my hometown university (which was fun), the 4 of us went shopping for St Nicolas already (we had written wishlists and drew names).

I helped Mum sort through more of Dad's items, and took 2 plastic bags home. Every time we visit she has a shelf full of stuff for us to go through, that she doesn't want anymore. She will indicate whether she has somewhere it can go if we don't want it, or whether she doesn't know what to do with it anymore. At home, I threw away most of the (discoloured, damaged, etc) content of those bags; Mum can't make herself, so I make the decision for her, out of her sight.

vulpix

 Hi, I do just the same Siebrie with the things my Mum thinks I take to the charity shop. What an absolute trial for your Mum with the leak. Same for the pain. Bit by bit told me about something called  Sphincter of Oddi , I had never heard of it. Look it up,scaring can cause pain as if you still had gallstones. I get it sometimes, it wakes me up.

 Cute photos Mrs SD.

 Impossible places checked out and no curtain. Whatever I did with it, I didn't write it in my decluttering numbers! An excuse for new curtains in the future.

 Mr V is gainfully employed taking up the laminate floor down stairs. Lots of grunting and moderate cursing involved.

 1188. another picture frame-thrift
 1189. Suffolk latch- thrift
 1295. 16 large Christmas decorations- charity shop
 1206. leather hold all- refugee collection
 1207. Arthur wood pot- charity shop
 1208. glass bon - bon dish- charity shop
 1209. summer top, too big   
 1210. new roll xmas wrap from stash- church appeal
 1211. adjustable height stool, sold
 1212. laminate floor. tip. counting as I want to average 4 items per day by the end of the year. Obsessed,moi?

 I am undecided about a towel rail. I had quilts displayed on it. Quilts now in the new drawers. Hmmm

 Good wishes to everyone, espescially poorly people and those in the tlc carriage. 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

A pleasant start to Monday - blue skies, sunshine & a balmy 9C. The last load of washing is in the wm & I have my first cuppa - all before 09:00. Before I went to bed, I remembered to put the ‘sharps bin’ at the end of the drive - sadly it is still there although it must be said that pick up should be anytime between 07:00 & 19:00 so still plenty of time 😉 My new pick on BBC iPlayer is Shetland.

vulpix, I agree that dND is being extremely patient 😊 

weenancy, water & vinegar to clean & prevent mould 🤔 That sounds a lot safer than hydrogen peroxide although I would be a bit worried about the smell 😔 Just wondering if the ‘bank glitch’ was statewide or just a local phenomenon?  Hopefully there was some useful information available at the health fair 🤞It would appear that you are very lucky with your local politicians, just hope that they aren’t too hamstrung by the national level politicians 🤞 Great work at the library 👏 although I see that you probably overworked yourself as usual 😔 Very kind of you to help roommate Di clear emails  😇 I am keeping everything crossed that she can keep going & at least get into the next decade🤞  Hope you managed to get all the clocks changed & that it won’t take too long to become acclimated 🤞Sending lots of good wishes & positive thoughts to your poor friend for a speedy recovery 🤞She sounds like a remarkable lady & perhaps even more determined than you to live life on her own terms 😉 

maggiem, thanks for the information about the ‘brain doc’ 👏 A bit depressing that weight gain leads to a slower brain as well as a slower body 😔 I have bookmarked his name but might be a while before I watch any of his talks 🤨 

vulpix, as long as MrV isn’t too bemused by his medal that he forgets to continue decluttering 😉 You might not have found the missing curtain yet but the upside is that you are finding even more items to declutter & donate 👏😊 Love your pictures of the renovated furniture 😊 especially last years one being guarded by the gorgeous teddy bear 🥳 Sorry to hear that you brought back an extra gift from your holiday 😔 Hopefully you can send MrV out to get the Covid tests whilst you spend some time in the TLC Carriage 🙏 Although I see that because you felt a bit better you decided to forego visiting the TLC Carriage & decided to do some sorting/rearranging in lieu of resting ‘wagging finger emoji’ 

Brie, glad you liked the photos 🙂 It does sound like you are finally winning re ‘Operation Clear Garage Table’ 👏 You have worked very hard & I am looking forward to reading that the garden cushions are safely ensconced in their new home for the winter 😊 It might be worth one letter re your MiL’s pension if you can track down a current address 😉 You never know & every little helps - just to throw out a couple of cliches 😅

A perfect place to stop & hang out the washing 😉 as it is still dry & sunny & the temperature has risen to 11C 🙂 Back later 🙂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2266/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £569.00

dND

Thank you @MadamMim2013 and @weenancyinAmerica; your inputs sent me off looking again. 😁  I've decided on a 3-part approach with the mould.  



Because of the large area to be treated, (ceilings, walls, and floors in 2 rooms), hydrogen peroxide would be far too expensive so I went with the vinegar.

So, first it's the vinegar treatment which I'm hoping will deal with the bulk of the problem. 

After that it's the HG stuff.  It's often quoted as the 'industry go-to', I've used it before and it gives pretty much instant results but it smells and I'm sure it's not good for me or the environment.  It was thankfully on offer in Mr T and will be used for the very difficult places where I want to only, (hopefully), treat once. 

My DDiL uses the "Bang and it's gone" which I think does a good job of removing the black but not so good on the spores.  So that will be great for cleaning and making everything look sparkly again.

First lot of vinegar is down and soaking whilst I attempt to get back to my swimming routine.  When back, I'll scrub and wipe and hopefully move on to the next section.  It's going to be a slow process but every journey starts with the first step. 😁 At least with the dehumidifier running, the mould is growing at a slower rate then I'm treating it.

Well done everyone on their successes decluttering.

Foofoopuppy

Had a clear out of under the sink, used up several cleaning bits doing a general clean. I've been reading along with interest re themould discussion, because our bathrooms suffer from a mould problem, one of which seems to have exploded overnight! 

So I'm trying the vinegar solution first. Then I need to look at getting a dehumidifier, problem is one of the bathrooms has no plugs anywhere near it, so it will have to be one of those dessicated ones, and hope it does the job.

The very wet year we've had doesn't seem to be helping!

Brie

Looks like we may be decluttering the kitchen.....the front had fallen off one of the drawers and having been replaced now doesn't shut completely, door has come off  the fridge (one of those hidden ones), the grill unit in the upper over is slowly descending and is now at a 45 degree angle and (cue trumpet fanfare) the large lower oven has stopped heating up!!  The last bit was discovered last evening after I'd left it warming up to put dinner in and found it was still stone cold after 15 minutes!  It's a fan oven and the fan was going just fine so I know it's not a fuse or something but the heating element.  The question of course is whether we can do anything about this before 2024.  I will be completely happy doing the majority of the roasting etc using the bbq if necessary including Christmas dinner but it would be nice to sort it sooner rather than later. 

Sigh.  I might go out, buy some shortbreads and retire to the TLC lounge....

charlies_tribe

Good morning,  hugs to all who need them. I've been trying to keep up but you've all been so busy.

On Halloween DD2 was doubled over with tummy ache (wrong week) so didn't go to dance. This worked out well for us as the hot water pipe in the bathroom burst and hot water pouring through the kitchen ceiling. Luckily DH was home to stop it. While visiting the DIY store to get the pipe, DH FINALLY got the new plug for the small side of the sink! It can be used again and no leaking into the cupboard when someone forgets. 

Then the girls went upstairs after leaving their TV on standby to give out sweets to an awful smell of burning! The TV went straight outside. Not counted it yet as it's still outside. Luckily had a replacement as DS1 had bought himself a nice new one a while ago as wanted a better quality one for his gaming.

I sorted through a kallax box overloaded with paperwork and 5" of paperwork has gone in the bin or been shredded.

Still not getting through things as fast as I'd like, the blanket on the sofa and the TV seems so much more inviting in this weather.

2154-2157 4x cardboard boxes recycled 
2158 Dishwasher,  collected by scrapman
2159 Door mat, watered by dog 1🙄
2160 Rubbish from table
2161 Leather wallet
2162 Sim card in packaging, got wet from a spilt drink
2163-2167 5" paperwork
2168 Plug parts from sink

Wednesday2000

Sorry to read about the water leaks and the mould problems. We have enough of them in this house since we moved in! We are having the dehumidifiers being picked up next week by the insurance company and then hopefully we can get the new flooring sorted out.

I have just vacuumed downstairs and I did what Dilly suggested in her book and vacuumed and cleaned the sofa as she says that it is a good time of year to do it as we are spending more time indoors. My brother helped my husband move the sofa into the other living room when he dropped us off the other day and I do think it seems cosier in that room. It is a beautiful sunny day today. 

I have just done my to-do list on my new whiteboard. I do have a few appointments over the next couple of weeks. I'm getting my brows dyed (for the first time ever!) and I have the hygienist and my monthly reflexology as well as a rheumatology appointment at the hospital. My husband applied for PIP and he has a telephone consultation booked which is coming up too.

I have just sprayed some cleaning stuff onto my shower so I am about to go and clean it off before I have my shower. I can't be the only person who cleans the bathroom naked!