2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Duchess2

Florenceem. Thank goodness there is movement at last for MrF. Infection can have such devastating effects on the body. Lets hope you see a big improvement in a short time. Take good care x

Moorviews

@Florenceem - I am sorry that you and Mr F are going through such a difficult time again; my thoughts are with you. 

I persuaded Mr MV to go through some of his clothes. They seemed to be spreading around and he doesn’t put them away. He was surprised to discover what was in his wardrobe and pleased that he does indeed already have some warm jumpers. My penalty is a large pile of mending as it turns out that he just stops wearing things once there is a problem to fix. Some very old and shabby fleeces are leaving forever so that is some consolation. A tee shirt that has never fitted or been worn will go to the CS. 

I bought myself two new pairs of thick socks. As I put them away I binned the weirdly felted synthetic ones that now feel so horrible. To be fair they must be at least 15 years old. 

vulpix

Florenceem , I am very sorry to hear that Mr F is so poorly. Thank goodness help has been so much easier to access this time. Please take care of yourself. xx

dND, great news about your building work. Now comes the nice bit of prettyfying your home.

 The snow didn't amount to too much, the ground is too warm.

 Home alone from later on, some sorting and tidying is in progress. I have got my Christmas earrings out, I am on a stall at a Christmas fair tomorrow.Rest assured I will be wearing clothes too. I want to paint the Christmas chair red, varnish the oak card index box, finish knitting another hat for the Christmas fair etc, etc. I need to root out my Christmas apron for tomorrow and get some door handles from my tool box under the stairs, find the varnish, paint brushes etc. Sounds easy but everything is packed away tightly so lots to get out then put back again. A downside of living in a small house, but luckily I have a good idea of where everything is. I have even written some things down in a notebook for not easily accessible places. eg what is in the loft, top boxes on the wardrobes and spare room drawers. I should do the same with under the stairs and my corner cupboard in the kitchen.

 Mr V is currently emptying the car in preparation for tomorrows switch over. He is also loading the car with stuff from the tool shed for his son who he will see later. An engraver, a blow torch and a soldering iron.

 I have made another couple of hats which will go to the Christmas fair tomorrow.

 I am still amazed that things are still leaving the house. A trickle, but something goes almost every day. I have listed my mid century sewing box, plenty of interest but no takers yet. Oh , the plastic storage drawers are going to a men's group.

Take care everyone Vx

Fizz2015

Morning, beautiful and crisp here with blue skies. Chanced putting 2 loads of washing on the line. Work keeping me busy.
Mrs_SD I finally listed items on V and sold 6 items to date, its really easy and have local drop off points for the parcels. 
We've just booked a weekend trip to Bath to see the Christmas markets. Never been so looking forward to it. Hotel prices were shocking so staying outside of the city. Other recommendations for festive towns please let me know. 

basketcase

Reading through the posts there’s been some great decluttering and some really exciting news.

 @Florenceem I’m so glad Mr F has had some treatment and hope he’ll soon be better.  I was appalled by the amount of time you were in A&E though.  Is it always like that where you are?  Shan’t say any more, because I’m not getting political!

Please look after yourself as well as Mr F.

WEDNESDAY

Tuesday night was another shortage of sleep night, so Wednesday was another fairly unenergetic (is that a word?) day.  That said, I did grab my old filing box and lay out all the folders.  These were already categorised, but some of them didn’t apply any more – eg I no longer get bank statements.  I recluttered the kitchen table, which is drop leaf, and left everything when I ran out of steam.  Ye gods, there was a lot of it! 

Mind you, I think it looked worse than it was because it included elements of an organisation system (good old Tickle File!), the new metal box and the old box. Plus a yellow Mr S bag (almost literally the elephant in the room!) and an under-the-bed plastic box which contained stationery stuff and mixed CDs/DVDs other bits and pieces.  All of which know made perfect sense when I put them in there “for sorting later”, because they always do…  In other words, Round Tuits.

Mind you again… I seem to have 2 key phrases that pop up regularly in my life:

“You’ll enjoy it when you get there” – I don’t tend go to a lot of social events (including ones I’m actually interested in!)  I say this to myself mostly because I’m a terminally shy person who’s learned to pretend they’re not, partly because I usually do if I can hype myself up to go through the door.

“It’s not as bad as it looks”.  It usually is.  But, if I say it long enough, eventually I’m right.  IYSWIM.

 

THURSDAY

Yesterday was mostly spent in the kitchen.  Tuesday’s stationery might have been a frog, but the filing was definitely a dragon!  I’m beginning to think I should get a suit of armour, complete with a plumed helmet and a lance.  (I considered a white charger, but maybe not in a 1st floor flat!)  The Room of Doom certainly needs a sign saying “Here Be Dragons”.  I keep thinking that one day a tentacle is going to drag me in and I’ll never be seen again!

Dragon Slaying:

• Surprised myself by being quite ruthless!
• Sorted the paperwork into piles using the new categories.
• Repurposed the ‘old’ filing box by moving the Tickle file into it.
• Completely emptied the under-the-bed box, via a couple of “so that’s where it went!” moments.
• Emptied the ‘elephant’ bag.
• Separated stationery items and actually either binned them or put them away where they’ll be used/donated
• Preliminary document sort (eg insurance for cars we don’t have etc)

I’ll ‘soft-file (ie dump into hanging-files as is) the documents today.  I can only stand so much filing before my brain tries to escape through my ears.  I’ll go through them and weed out properly sometime next month.  That’ll give me a fresh start for 2025. 

Physical decluttering:

• One recycling bag general
• One recycling bag admin-based - folders, non-sensitive paperwork, envelopes. Christmas cards etc
• Sensitive paperwork to box for shredding
• One bag general rubbish
• Bag of notelets, cards, tickers etc for CS
• Bag of postcards, for CS
• Notebooks, general stationery and CD/DVD pockets for 4-ring binders for CS
• Part-used notebooks, white Blutak (that’s where it went!), Post-its etc to stationery box
• 5-minute tidies continue
• Use-up tea – ½ pork tenderloin and carrots from freezer, plus tin of potatoes from stores in gravy; plus portion for a lunch

 

NSDs

Wednesday and Thursday were both spend free.  So now 12/15

Muddy_Walker

Helloooooooo
I can’t believe how fast the week went, we’ve been so slammed at work and on half the staff with extra “this is urgent” my life has been eat work sleep…..but it will get better even though I was tempted to hide under the desk with a white flag and an alcoholic bottle of some kind🤣
I have done some decluttering (I vaguely remember a haircut this week) but as it’s supposed to be very very wet this weekend I’ll sort numbers then.  And catch up on house admin. Possibly the ironing….
Hubby has decluttered a tooth so is grumpy and in pain bless him.

Loving “poking a lizard”!
What is a RSJ? I’ve been trying to work it out but not a clue!

take care everyone especially those who are poorly/have poorly relatives and loved ones xxx

retiredinfrance

@Florenceem, glad to hear MrF is being treated and please do look after yourself. I know from MrRif’s sepsis last year that each day of worry go, keeping going , visiting, takes it out of the other half. Please look after yourself. 

@daisy_1571, I totally agree with your post and the suggestions . Surely the SA could step in to ease Florenceem’ s workload at this time of family trouble.? 

Thinking of you and MrF, Florenceem, and sending hugs. 

London_1

RSJ = Rolled Steel Joist goes towards strengthening the bit in the house where perhaps a weight bearing wall was. Usually over a window its a lintel. Weird the things you pick up along the way.

My late brother David was a fixer-upper, and could turn his hand to anything

.He was severely dyslexic but give him an engine to repair or a house to build or practically anything where he used his hands he could do it  He had various businesses over the years from a garage ,two stereo fitting shops, a taxi business , a video shop and built not only his sons house
His son Steve bought a house that was falling to bits, and my brother stripped it back to the bare walls and removed floors and ceilings  so there were just the shell of the place and completely renovated it from basement to roof (replaced the roof as well) he built his own boat, and had god knows how many different cars during his life plus rebuilt a motor caravan, plus ran a greengrocery shop as well,

 His last projects was started in 1997, he bought a tumbled down place in France that hadn't been lived in since 1948 a house (complete with tree growing through the roof, it was virtually derelict)  plus some land and turned it into a three bedroomed detached property with swimming pool

It took him three years, as he was also running a business in the UK so went backwards and forwards via coach on a Sunday overnight and returned to England on the Thursday morning to work. But he did it, then decided to buy the falling down property next door, and did the same to that.

 He taught me so many things about building, decorating, changing the oil in my car, and a tyre, and all sorts of things, and even got me laying flooring at one point when he was doing his renovations .hence why I know about RSJs I can also plaster a wall and tile a loo  
His dyslexia never stopped him, as what ever paper work or accounts were needed doing I would do them for him.

 In fact I often could sign his cheques better than he could and often  did.  We worked together for many years, and sadly he passed away in 2016 and to this day I still miss him, he wasn't just my big brother he was my best friend along with my late husband. He was a bit of a 'Del Boy, a real eastender, but with a fantastic gene for working his socks off, rarely took a holiday, as to him he just hated lying around doing nothing.  
To him building things whether it was a house or a business was the best thing in the world. Then he would sell it, and start another one often vastly different from the one before. 

He's ring me up and say "Sis I've been thinking ", and I'd say  'OK what's the next project Dais ? ' As a little girl I could never pronounce David, and would call him 'Daisy' or 'Dais'. and off we would go starting on something totally different and new 

Last year my eldest grandson Danny's wife had a little girl, and Danny rang me from New York where he lives and said 'Would it be OK to call her 'Daisy' Nanny ?'
 I said yes I think he would be delighted that you call her that, so my third little great granddaughter is a 'Daisy' I hope she has the work ethic of my big brother Daisy and she won't go far wrong

Florenceem I'm so pleased you have got things moving for MrF but you too must take care and look after yourself as you will burn out if you are overdoing it and it won't help either of you.

They say if you want something done find a busy person One of my DDs is like that, and she rushes around all the time, then when she goes to bed she lies there thinking of all the things she hasn't managed to get done that day !

so slow down and let others help you as you help them

JackieO xx

Florenceem

....contd - the Dr tried to find a bed in the hospital for Mr F but none available. So we went home in hospital transport as I couldn't get Mr F's shoe on. Mr F's leg was so swollen - bright red with tight shiny skin. We took home the strong antibiotics.
My friend had saved some dinners for us at SA so I dashed round to get them. Gave him his dinner and put Mr F to bed. 
I was so tired but I thought singing group would be good for winding down so I went to that at 7.30.
I got up after 10.30 am on Thursday. A nurse called but Mr F was asleep so she said they would come on Friday to take blood. It is a home care service for patients who didn't get to stay in hospital.
I went to SA to collect the parcel and took it to the shop.
Mr F was a lot better yesterday - eating and drinking and less confused.
I tested out my back by cleaning the stairs to within an inch of their life. I hadn't been able to clean properly because of the back pain. The surgery physio phoned me while we were in A & E - going to arrange some sessions. There is some Osteoporosis and reduced spaces in between vertebrae.
I have been giving Mr F a capsule during the night so he gets 4 in 24 hours.
Today I had a collection of crockery to return to SA - my friend had also saved 2 helpings of trifle for us. I dropped my trolley off at SA and popped into town to get £500 for C from V sales. In 18 weeks raised £2,500.
I repaired a pair of trousers for my Sil before I went out - they are going to see Dgs in Chicago tonight.
I was busy all morning at SA sorting donations and it is the time of year that people give us cash so I was writing out receipts.
A nurse turned up this afternoon and took some blood and a photo of Mr F's leg. She said I would hear the results of the blood test around 6 but I didn't. So now I don't know if they have discharged Mr F from their care or if they are visiting again.
I needed milk so I popped to the local As.. On my way back past SA - I found a group of Ukrainian ladies ringing the doorbell. It was cold so I said that I would go round the side way and find out why no one was answering the door. The alarm was on so I let myself in and phoned C. The ladies were not meant to be there today. Anyway I let them in and stayed with them until C came to the hall.
The rest of the afternoon was wrapping parcels which I trundled down into town - done nearly 16,000 steps today.
I will sleep well tonight.
I haven't listed on V since Tuesday and have had sales of £107.

Brie

@Florenceem
I remember when I had cystosis or whatever it's called - my leg swelled up something dreadful.  And I remember waking up in the night absolutely shivering and calling out to my OH to get me some aspirin as I knew I had a fever.  Went to the doctor the next day who typically said "well all you need to do is lose some weight".  Silly man as that had nothing to do with what was wrong with me.  I insisted on antibiotics but still ended up with my leg up for 2 weeks while it healed.   Still badly scarred several years on so hoping i never have it again.

Hope Mr F has an easy time of it and it clears up soon.