2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

A few pages back, ~FlowerPot~ requested the rock buns/cakes recipe. Sorry for the delay but here it is 

245g Plain Flour

115g Vegetable shortening, lard or butter - cold & cubed

100g Granulated Sugar + a bit for sprinkling 

1 Large Egg

1 tablespoon Orange Zest OR 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of Orange Extract (to taste

2-3 tablespoons of Whole Milk (we only have semi skimmed)

160g raisins, currants, golden raisins or any combination of the 3 - (we use mixed fruit with peel)

1. Preheat oven to 375F or 190C (or Gas Mark 5 ?)
2. Flour & fat - rub together until resembles breadcrumbs 
3. Using a wooden spoon mix in the sugar, egg & orange zest (orange extract). Begin to add milk a tblsp at a time until a thick, sticky dough is formed 
4. Mix in the dried fruit
5. Recipe states: “drop in rough 3-tblsp portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet” We ignore & choose our own size & add to a greased baking sheet 😉
6. Sprinkle with sugar & bake until the buns/cakes are a rich golden colour 15-18 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet. (Their large ones can be eaten warm with butter) 

Enjoy 😊

MrsSD

Wednesday2000

I just saw this article. ‘Liberating’: readers share their home decluttering experiences | Homes | The Guardian

I just went outside to buy a few bits from Tesco and couldn't believe how cold it is! I just walked to the nearest shop instead. I have come home and put the heating on for an hour. It is meant to be much colder tonight so I will put it on again when the sun sets.

I did finish that Britney Spears autobiography yesterday. It was very sad and shocking, her father seems like a despicable human being! I will either donate that to a charity shop or give it to someone as I don't keep books anymore. Actually, I do have two paper books in the house, one about retirement and one about the menopause as I do refer back to them. I used to have shelves full of books, but I donated them all when I was very into minimalism.

All the rubbish and recycling went out today, but that is about all I've done. I did return some books to Prime reading from my kindle last night.

Brie

Oh Rock Cakes!!!  My MiL used to make those at least once a week and they were always nice.  Except for the raisins/sultanas/currants which I don't really like.  I'll happily look at using dried cranberries instead though.  And love that it's not just a recipe but some personal comments about how you deviate from the original.  I think this is essential when making something that is "you".  

QueenJess

Brie said:

Oh Rock Cakes!!!  My MiL used to make those at least once a week and they were always nice.  Except for the raisins/sultanas/currants which I don't really like.  I'll happily look at using dried cranberries instead though.  And love that it's not just a recipe but some personal comments about how you deviate from the original.  I think this is essential when making something that is "you".  

I always think of recipes as a guide these days and pretty much always deviate!

Dfw38

Started bag 9, hoping to finish filling it tonight. Didn't manage any decorating- feel completely wiped out. I have another large item out - our Xmas tree - the white 'snow' kept coming off and causing so much dust and ziggy kept trying to eat it so for safety reasons it has gone 😊. Ds and I have been watching the clangers while having our lunch..its a good life 🤗

bamboo_socks

I've been off doing other things for a bit and the thread has moved on so much! Welcome newbies, hugs to those in need and well done everyone who's KOKO with the clutter.

I've managed to declutter some packaging that had found it's way into bedrooms. I've also gone through the open cupboard in the kitchen and frankly there's a lot of stuff not being used but isn't all mine to re-home. I've listed some stuff on Vinted, I need to chip away at that bit by bit. I think after the school run I'm going to tackle the shoe collection - shoes are coming in but not leaving, we're swamped!

Moorviews

Mrs SD - I like the idea of orange in the rock cakes. Thank you for the recipe; if I didn’t have so much sweet stuff in already I would be rustling up a batch this afternoon!

Despite the blooming freezing cold, I have binned two pairs of very clapped out leather boots and a pair of leaky wellies from the back porch, also a mouldy bag from the garage. Inside said bag were some tablecloths and lengths of fabric which I have put for washing. I’ll decide what to do with them once they are clean and fresh again. Amazingly there isn’t any mould on them - they have been out there since the winter of 2019 when we redecorated the room that they had been stashed in. I did have a good look at the boots but felt that they weren’t salvageable for any further use. 

letthemeatcake

I've done really well on the decluttering front now there are only two of us. Also going to be a Gran this year for the first time so a load of baby clothes I've been saving for 20 plus years will finally get used.That will lighten the storage currently in bedroom 3 which I plan to use as a dressing room (due to a very small main bedroom) so  will be needing well priced shelving, clothes rail and cubes in the summer sales as a replacement.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks + a weekly Jettison Junk in January

2. Sort out sleep patterns - target bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 9:00 a.m 

3. Deal with mail & email on a daily basis

4. Don’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

5. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter

6. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed 

Wednesday is a dull overcast day & chilly (but temperature is set to rise to 3C 🙂) DH took DSis to a hospital appointment this morning…. on the bike. They left just after 10:00 & were home by 11:45. They were both frozen & are now trying desperately to get warm even though both were wrapped up warmly & had the heated seats on 🥶 I woke up 10:45, got up, came downstairs & put the brisket in the oven having added the sauce & covered with foil. It is beginning to smell good 😋 I have also treated myself & shredded newspapers & brown paper for worm bedding - only emptied the shredder bin twice but now have a fair amount of shredding in a large black bin bag 🙂 

87 Plastic bottle  - recycled 

88 - 89 Shredder bin emptied twice & bagged up for worm food

Dfw38, sorry to hear that RL is so challenging at the moment 😔 Well done on tackling the dcs paperwork & reducing it by so much 👏 A lovely post from vulpix which I ‘second’ - “Dfw38 I am pleased to hear that you are giving yourself some love by wearing nice clothes. You deserve it and it will give you a boost to wear nice things. I am a great believer in having nice clothes to wear. They don't have to cost a lot but affect my confidence massively. You/ we all do so much for others we deserve nice things too.xxx”

GrannyKate, an expensive start to the day 😣 I echo  London_1 - better safe than sorry.

foxandflowers, I am 🙏 that your tyres don’t explode & that you manage to find some £ from somewhere 🙏 but until then please, please drive very, very, very carefully & as infrequently as possible 🙏

Excellent decluttering Dfw38 👏 & a great preventative measure getting rid of the boxes 😊 

D123456789, I am looking forward to hearing more about LO’s decluttering exploits throughout the year as it would be lovely if she could beat last year’s haul of 3 medals 😉 What a great idea - a “quick wins” day 😊 Excellent work - so much done 👏 Good luck with the hoovering & steaming 🍀 I will keep everything crossed that you can ‘persuade’ your DH to release some of his clothes 🤞 The EDT is certainly very long this year - a home away from home 😊 I haven’t quite got into the flow of cheerleading yet but have done almost all the preparatory work to make it easier over the next few months 😉 with the result that I should get to bed earlier 🤞

QueenJess, excellent decluttering, tidying & getting tasks cleared from your To Do list 👏 However, please, please try to make a little time for yourself on your day off 🙏 I understand that you are a ‘woman on a mission’ but a little TLC goes a long way 😉 I will start you off with a couple of large cwtches 🤗🤗

Wednesday2000, very interesting article, thank you 👏 I thinned out my book collection a few years ago but couldn’t ever imagine only owning 2 books 😰 No such thing as “that is about all I've done” ‘wagging finger emoji’ Every bit of physical & digital decluttering gets you a step closer to a clutter free life 😊

Brie, it has taken me years to get to the point of tweaking baking recipes 😉 It does help that DH doesn’t really follow recipes at all - he is quite inventive & very rarely is anything inedible 😮‍💨 

QueenJess, I need to print that out “I always think of recipes as a guide these days and pretty much always deviate!” & put it somewhere prominent 😉

Excellent decluttering Dfw38 👏 For some reason I never got on with the clangers 😅 probably need to watch it with a child/children 🤣

bamboo_socks, nice to see you back 👋 Some excellent decluttering & I love that you are not letting clutter get a foothold in the bedrooms 👏 Good luck with the shoe decluttering 🍀

Moorviews, something to look forward to when the current supply of sweet things run out 😉 Very brave of you to venture out into your garage 😉 it was probably colder in there than outside 🥶🥶 Excellent decluttering 👏 & very pleased to hear that the tablecloths & fabric were mould free even after their 4 year sojourn in the garage 😅🥳

Whilst I have been cheerleading, DH has made a soup using up various leftovers & bendy vegetables from the fridge + several other  bits & bobs from the freezer - finally getting a bit of wiggle room in the kitchen freezer  🥳🥳 

As the oven is on & the kitchen is reasonably warm I think I might just tackle a cupboard 🤨 

I hope everyone is managing to stay warm 🙏

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 

DH Awards:

DSis Awards: 🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 89/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

TheDoolallyDilly

I'm on my way home a bit early after my first day back in the office. It was quite quiet so I managed to do a bit of old email deletion 🤫 - I probably got rid of about 50. I've been searching for specific senders and deleting that way so I don't have to see too many unsettling emails. I've been moving any emails with photos attached to a separate folder so that I can go through them at another time. Feeling quite pleased with myself, and plan to do a bit as and when I can.

Mrs SD yum! I love rock cakes, I must make some again soon.