Simplifying Life

mary43

Hello all !

aril - looks like you're in for a busy weekend - beautiful quotes as always and very true.

mean marie - I think allocating stuff or letting folk have their pick now is a good idea...............helps thin things out and makes sure that people, be they family or friends, get something they really love. I've sent some of my dads 'bits' off to my youngest son -still got loads but both sons are more limited for space than me. My gran made a point of giving various friends in the village bits and pieces she had.............still left us with a load to sort out though. Big Bruv, leading a very 'simplified' life wanted none of it, same with Mums house, so sentimental old me gave it a home of sorts.......some in boxes, some on display but I really must have a go at taking photos and boxing a lot of it up that I've only got because it belonged to someone in the family. There's stuff here I'd never have bought myself.

wmf -you''re right - the thinking about it and starting it is the hard part.........once I can get 'stuck in' I enjoy doing it and love the end result but my trouble is I sit and think about it, other 'stuff' in life gets in the way and I'm back to square one. Never mind..........slow but sure......sure, thats the important bit.

bails - you're no more shamefaced than me who started off with all good intentions, managed to get going and then came to a full stop that I'm trying to convince myself is actually just a 'pause'.

ceridwen - it's just us over easter so apart from having fish for dinner tonight any other 'traditions' like chocolate we're totally ignoring apart from what we've given to grandchildren and ex foster lad - they've all had a 'retro sweet box' with mini eggs included. (Bit of a bribe for ex foster lad in the hope he will come and sort the plaster out thats crumbling off the wall since the earthquake...........he's had a look and reckons he get a lot of fun out of knocking the rest down and re-painting it...........lol I just have to hope that his mental health is improved sufficiently. He's going through a severe depression so has good days,bad days.........bit of motivation just might lift him up a bit, who knows.

Still haven't got the paint tin out to re-vamp my little old cupboard and OH still hasn't finished messing about with the wretched DVD..................this afternoon he will (he says) then my ears will be blaster to the tunes of Paul Weller :eek: Just might make me get the paint out !
But I have printed out quite a lot of history stuff about the town where I was born, sorted it out into my folder and sorted out the copies I send to my friend who loves history and hasn't got a computer. Finished off birthday card for my son -well almost, just have a retirement one to do plus a get well soon one.
So the day so far not totally wasted and its not over yet.

:easter_os

bails

I'm back, twice in one day, rhings must be looking up

I've spent an hour in the garden perparing my veg patch - I've managed to do half of it, so hopefully I'll have the energy to finish it sometime over the weekend. I'm now planning my attack on next month's GC, which I realise is what I've been spending quite a lot of time doing while I've been away from here, so decluttering of sorts (sorting out storecupboards and freezer, menu planning, batch cooking etc).

I'm going to go back to tiny little tasks that I can do each day (or most days) so that I have achieved something, however small. I t may seem that it'll take me forever to do it that way but in fact it'll happen much quicker than thinking about it all, being overwhelmed and so not doing any of it :rolleyes:

Task 1: find 5 books to declutter
Task 2: put books on Amazon/Ebid/Freecycle

Thankyou for the quotes Aril, I always love reading them. And thanks Mary for helping me think it's not just me that struggles x

mary43

Sounds like you've been busy ! I agree with you, achievable goals are the only ones really.....particularly with de-cluttering ot simplifying..........no sense in giving yourself a list of huge tasks to get through and not being able to complete them when two or maybe three will be easier and you'll feel a huge sense of achievement at the end of it.
Right..............back to see if first coat of paint is dry...................:j

meanmarie

Thanks everyone who thought that I should go ahead with my 'division of property'! I don't think that there would be any major rows if I left it until after I die, but it will be nice to see them using things that I have given them...DD1 who is my eldest has already asked for things and when she did I wasn't ready to part so refused ( feel bad about that now, they are only b***dy candlesticks, which are just things!)

bails, I think that the only way I will ever get rid of half the clutter in this house is by taking it very slowly, I could sell furniture, some of which are nice little Victorian things but don't want to do that, will use them instead I think...going to join a restoration class in Autumn to get me started.

Have a good weekend all

Marie

ceridwen

Right...had my browse (I tend to do the same as Mary and "reward" myself with a bit of browsing time after a bit of effort). Back to it - now I've fed my face....the joint springclean/decluttering of a room. Am going round with a wastepaper basket in one hand for chucked things and a bucket in the other for things to give to charity shop and trying to do this logically - ie start at worst point of room and work my way round left to right. Pleased with self so far that my homemade "Flash" equivalent is working out fine - ie borax/hot water/Ecover washing-up liquid/white vinegar and a few drops lemon essential oil.

Now need to think up what I can make up to do as carpet shampoo - all suggestions welcome (I've got borax/vinegar/lemon juice/soapnuts/Ecover washing-up liquid/soda crystals/soap flakes and bicarb of soda and my collection of essential oils). So I'm trying to think up a cleaner for everything from some sort of combination of those things.

Back to it - about 20 books gone one way or t'other so far.

do_it_today!

Hi All :hello:
happy waving to you but feeling more like :mad: I feel like I havent made much progress and most things I try and do I cant complete or get blocked from making progress :mad:
Did 1 hour of cleaning and laundry this morning which was fine :j
did some work on my course :j - but hoped to complete today but thats not the case :rolleyes:
walked the dog in park saw couple of doggy neighbours.
Helped elderly lady a couple of doors down who locked herself out by calling her son to come and let her in...
not got to the allotment :mad:
am waiting for mum to come round -should have arrived about 2 hours ago :eek: but she is probably still in church
Failed tasks
dry washing outside - it has rained
book tickets on line - mac just doesnt want to do it :mad:
contact yellow pages - no reply
locate knob on boiler to check its turned fully
book a plumber
get home insurance through quidco - mac just doesnt want to do it :mad:
oh well... Im going to stop trying to be practical and give myself a manicure instead!!! something I rarely do so why not until mum comes round
I hope you are all making more progress and not getting wound up :rotfl: writing this all down I can have done more than I thought so I guess thats good....

JenniO

Hello all friends on this board. Just checking in to say Happy Easter and after the last couple of months this thread has been on MSE, do any of you feel more calm with your own world or more to grips with it? Perhaps more empowered to take a stand now with what changes in life would be necessary to lead a more simple life.

You don't HAVE to reply but can simply think about it in your own time.

Me, I'm feeling pretty good but do still have days where I feel the outside world is trying to invade my happy little world. That's reality I guess but I try to deal with it and get back to my simpler, happier world when I can.

Take care all!
JenniO

mary43

do it today - don't worry about what didn't get done.......sounds like you've had a busy day anyway and why not have a bit of time for 'you' doing what you want to do rather than what you feel you ought. They weren't 'failed tasks' - they were things you wanted and tried to do and 'stuff' got in the way............weather (we can't control that) people not answering the phone (not much we can do about that either) so don't worry.
Enjoy your manicure...............I've watched one coat of paint dry then decided instead of putting another on I'd make some birthday cards instead and listen to the radio.............productive -the cards needed doing - and relaxing because I enjoy it.

ceridwen - like the idea of home made cleaning stuff that will 'do all'.......can you let us have the recipe.........how much of which ingredient etc. ? and can it be made up and stored in containers or does it have to be made from scratch each time ? Sounds like you've been busier........lot more than me............lol than what's new ?

meanmarie - you're right..............our 'things' are just that.......'things' and if we're not careful they own us, we don't own them. I've had a lot of stuff in the past thats given me pleasure for a time but when I either got bored with it or found something I liked better I tried to either pass it on to someone who would appreciate it or donate it to a charity shop. Big things are harder to do that with and I'm always reluctant to shove things on a skip.......seems such a waste.

At last OH has sorted out his dvd player and my ears were deafened by the sound of Paul Weller !!! Dinner is now later than planned but at least the cats have been fed ...........lol Long as OH is happy ............he's had such a fraught week over such a small thing really. Hopefully, I can finish my cupboard off over the weekend and relax as well

:easter:

Aril

Oh gawd..not her she's back again. Well despite being a bit grumpy today [I think it may be PMT time again...duck for cover:D] I did clean the sandpit and all the toys in it. Even managed to put the bits back together from the small person's gardening kit. All now listed on freecycle....interested parties in everything. Just have to make a decision now. Leave that for tomorrow to give everyone a fair crack of the whip.
Off to the inlaws tomorrow. They live in a huge 5 bedroomed house which is literally stuffed from floor to ceiling with clutter...there's been the same piece of knitting on the bookcase in the spare room for the last 18 years [as long as I've known OH] and to my knowledge it's never moved. It's a salutary lesson in what happens if you never get rid of anything. My sil regularly takes bets on how many days it would take us to clear it if we ever need to- there are 6 children and current bets stand at 3 days plus some and that's with a big skip on the drive and just slinging everything in there:eek:
Aril

ceridwen

Well mary.....I've not yet figured THE all-purpose cleaner that will do everything....give me time....I'm working on it. Its just that - with the ingredients I've listed I figure I shoule be able to make up various different recipes that serve different purpose. I havent yet got round to the boil up some soapnuts with some water that is the nearest I can think of for an all-purpose cleaner - must get to it - as I suspect that would do for machine washing/handwashing/washing me/washing my hair and what I could use whenever these recipes call for liquid castile soap as an ingredient. I have yet to find out on that - just taking a few mini-projects at a time at present.

The "Flash" equivalent I was making up today was:

1 tablespoon borax
2 cups very hot water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon liquid castile soap (I had to substitute with a few drops Ecover washing-up liquid)
10 drops essential oil of my choice (ie lemon)

As I said - it seems to be doing the trick as well as "Flash" - and I'm having to make it up as I go.

Right - back to it - the dustbin men arent going to like me again with the amount I'm chucking (no change there then )