2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

BridgetTheCat

A bit of garden declutterring today - trying to rescue 2 peonies and an acer that I thought were dead but are now showing signs of life 😀. I put the peonies in the ground and repotted the acer because I haven’t prepared the bed for that yet.

Edit: also posted a birthday card and organised for flowers to be delivered to my mum 🥳

vulpix

Another jam jar collection found in another cupboard and recycled. I obviously have a jam jar problem similar to a useful box problem.A candle used up and jar recycled. Made some iced biscuits just to use stuff up out of the cupboard. In between showers I went out a couple of times and brought some bricks down from the top garden into the gravel garden. I figured little and often would be better than nothing.
I tidied my gift and wrapping drawers, 3 of em whilst looking for a condolence card. Better packed into 2 drawers now. I have kept 2 little boxes for? Lots of knitting and laundry done today. I aim to get up and move about every time there are ads on TV. Just doing that I did over 3,000 steps. My knee isn't better yet from my stunt, trying to get out of the car the other day!

 Vx

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
2. Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m 
3. Continue dealing 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

Sunday was a much brighter day with some sunshine & a high of 18°C, low of 9°C + stayed dry all day 🙂 DH watched the MotoGP races & for once Moto2 race was more exciting than the main attraction MotoGP races. Dinner was a full roast dinner - roast beef, roast potatoes & carrots, green beans, cabbage, Yorkshire pudding & hm gravy 😋 The beef was really tender. Wudupa.

1009 - 1011 Kitchen recycling, magazine, drinks cans - recycled 

1012 Kitchen detritus - binned

YBR, sounds like you had a wonderful day out with your family 🥹 Congratulations 🥳

TC77, so lovely to hear that you & DD2 are getting along so well & that you are enjoying her visit 🥹 Excellent decluttering 👏 & good luck for next week 🍀

vulpix, a pity about the house you viewed but I think you had doubts even before you went to view ☹️ Good luck with the continued decluttering/packing up 🍀 How wonderful that MasterV will have a brother 🥹

Muddy_Walker, fingers crossed that ‘sensible part’ wins & you give yourself more time to build up to working full time 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏 Have fun wearing wide bandanas 🥹 

Great decluttering Rootle 👏

Muddy_Walker, yippee to both the seedlings & the very pretty flowers on your fern 🥳

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 I think the previous orange drizzle cake was spirited away to the TLC Carriage 😉 & very nice it was too 😅 I am sending positive vibes that your operation goes well 🙏  All the facilities of the TLC Carriage will be ready & waiting for you ☺️

charlies_tribe, your cousin’s wedding sounds absolutely marvellous 🤩 Well done to DH for making a balloon arch 👏 Belated Happy Birthday to DS1 🥳

Florenceem, I do hope the antibiotics are finally working for MrF & that his bathroom visits are now only a maximum of 10 minutes 🤞Very pleased to hear that you have treated yourself to a third type of sewing machine 😊 but absolutely ecstatic when I read This “I gave back to a friend a jacket that I was asked to work on - too involved - he can take it to an alteration person.” 🥹 So sorry to hear that you are unwell 😔 I do hope you are managing to get some rest & that you are on the road to recovery 🙏

BridgetTheCat, good luck reviving the peonies & acer 🍀 Happy Birthday to your Mum 🎉 🎂 

Excellent work decluttering jam jars & tidying up your gift & wrapping drawers vulpix 👏 Also very well done on clocking up so many steps even with your bad knee 🥳 

All caught up  😊 Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 💐 💐 💐 🏅🥉🏅 🎂 🌟⭐️⭐️❤️ 🍫🐾 😍🥇🥇 💐 🏆 

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’

DSis Awards: ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2025: 1012/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £228.00

Florenceem

I had a day indoors on Friday as I still felt poorly.
Mr F was spending less time on the toilet - he was taking strong antibiotics three times a day.
Decluttered money to Dgd.
I had an appointment to get my hair done on Saturday - I felt better so went and popped in SA on the way home. M & S had sent a load of strawberries the night before so I took some home - yummy.
I took Mr F out for the first time since Wednesday. I don't like to take him out in the rain in case it makes the ground slippery where there is some mud or leaves. Mr F is very unsteady on his legs.
I managed to order my prescription online which saves me a trip to the surgery.
I went on my own to take in the M&S food in the evening - loads of strawberries again. I struggled to fit everything in the SA fridges and freezer. I did 10,000 steps that day.
Mr F went to Church with me yesterday. I was running around as usual did 6,000 steps.
There was a local combined service late afternoon but we didn't go - I think it would have been too much for Mr F. Instead after morning Church - we had a lazy day.
Mr F finished his antibiotics yesterday - he asked me this morning if we were going to the Dr today - no reason for a visit.

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, well I tried to post yesterday but I lost the post when I failed to notice the battery was low 🙄. Being annoyed with myself I just put it on charge and left it 😁.
The weather continues to be very changeable, grey and overcast with bursts of rain one minute them bright warm sunshine but there was a brisk breeze which seems to have dropped today. 
Not much decluttering done but I have been trying to do a bit of tidying with the odd thing hitting the bin 😁. Despite the weather 3 LDFPA and the kitchen bin and lr bin emptied.
Yesterday I had to go to the sm as we had no bread and I also picked up 2 pairs of summer weight trousers to replace the pair I ripped. Not tried them on yet, I will do that today before I lose the receipt in case they have to go back 😂. I know it's a bit of recluttering but I rarely buy clothes and I do have room in the wardrobe. Maybe 2 pairs is a want rather than a need but I just couldn't decide which colour to choose 😁. 
After the sm trip we went to the cinema to see the salt path. The film was good but I think the book is better. She has written 2 more books which brings them more or less up to date. It is a pretty amazing story if anyone comes across them in the cs.

@Vulpix and @Mrs SD re the dino teeth. After you have cut the big slice out for the mouth use a very sharp knife, we used a craft knife, and score a line from corner to corner of the mouth about an inch away from the opening and a couple of mm deep just through the green outer skin, then carefully remove the green skin so the white is left exposed. Then cut the zig zag for the teeth 😁. The nostrils and eyes were cut in the same way and the eye was half a cherry held in place with a cocktail stick. The eyebrows were a bit of the cut out chunk shaped and held in place with cocktail sticks. Another tip if anyone wants to give it a go, before you start cut a thin straight slice off the base so it sits flat while you are working on it 😁.

@Florenceem, you must be thinking "here we go again" and now you are not well yourself. Please take care of yourself, let the SA know you are not well and someone else take care of all you do there until you have completely recovered or it will take you much longer to recover. Big hugs

I need to pop out to try to get some tiny footballs for the cake decorating so I had better get weaving, I will try the pound shop places first but after that I have no idea 😂. Could be a long day 😁.

Hugs to everyone who would like one

825 - 827 LDFPA
828 kitchen bin
829 lr bin
Take care everyone
829/2025

ETA tried on the trousers and I am keeping them, they both fit despite being a size smaller than the ones I ripped 😁

oceanspirit

Vulpix, your mother’s house may well sell once you have moved in as people find it easier to imagine their furniture etc in it when there is furniture already there.  Somehow empty rooms can seem more difficult to imagine furnished.

More things gone off the reading pile which is finally back to being up to date.  Now need to get emails back on track and the next bag of old paperwork gone through.

Moved some money around this morning, some of which went into savings accounts.  Other admin tasks done.  A couple of frogs on the list for today have thus far been ignored - I guess that’s why they became frogs in the first place 😂.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
2. Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m 
3. Continue dealing 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

Monday is slightly duller than yesterday as the sun is struggling to break through the clouds - high 20°C, low 12°C. After having several outages of the wifi yesterday afternoon & evening, touch wood everything seems to be OK so far today 🤞 Decluttered my iPad storage (gained 5.25GB) as I forgot to do it yesterday. Apart from watching the first two episodes of the final series of The Handmaid’s Tale this is the only decluttering I have done today 😔 Dinner was slices of beef in gravy with mash & peas. Wudupa.

1013 - 1014 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

1015 - 1016 Kitchen & lr detritus - binned

As I am now over halfway to my target I am awarding myself a Gold Star ⭐️ 

Florenceem, I am relieved to hear that you have started recovering 🥹 but please, please try to have a couple more days of doing far less than you usually do 🙏🙏 Glad to hear that MrF is spending less time on the toilet, although I am sorry to hear that he is still so unsteady on his legs 🥺 I am keeping my fingers crossed that now that MrF’s course of antibiotics is finished, he will continue to improve 🤞

Liverpool_Anne, thank you for the instructions on how how to make the melon dinosaur 😊 Not sure I would ever have the patience 😕 Excellent decluttering of laundry despite the weather 👏 Pleased to hear that you treated yourself by buying two pairs of trousers 😊 I hope you managed to get the chocolate footballs for the cake decorating 🤞

Excellent work reducing your reading pile oceanspirit 👏 Good luck with the emails & paperwork 🍀

Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 💐 💐 💐 🏅🥉🏅 🎂 🌟⭐️⭐️❤️ 🍫🐾 😍🥇🥇 💐 🏆 ⭐️

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’

DSis Awards: ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2025: 1016/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £228.00

charlies_tribe

Good morning. Mrs SD, was it good? I've seen it everywhere. It might be my next watch while DH is at work.

Yesterday I tackled the bathroom. We're having a problem with damp in there. Shower curtain binned and replaced. I sprayed all the mold and left it an hour and then scrubbed with a toothbrush  then repeated. It's looking better but the sealant could really do with replacing. DH said it probably doesn't help that some days there's 10 showers, the girls can be in there for half hour at a time and 2 of them have it on Lava setting and make the bathroom look like a sauna.
There's still a lot to do but it looks a lot better.
Today im going to tackle the hall, stairs and landing. I started taking the coats down for washing last night and spotted 1 that can ho already.

897 Bath mat

898 Bath curtain
899 Soap dispenser
900 Spray bottle 

GrannyKate

Morning all.  Weather looks a bit better but we will see.  Gardener has done an excellent job in 'back corner' of the garden.  As usual the garden looks bigger for just removing bushes which had spread out of control.  It was 10 hours work but the money I got from old fridge covered almost all of it.  The elusive fencer has said he intends to come next week - not holding my breath.  Someone else came to look but he hasn't sent a quote yet.  

Lots of advice re reducing stress at pre-diabetic meeting last week so I am trying to spend time on Family History and pottering about which I enjoy.  Weight seems to have plateaued a bit and I have a long way to go.  DGCs being dropped off to take to school in a bit as their mother has to get back home for important thing. DS2 put my new magnetic whiteboard up in the kitchen which I am very pleased with.  I put all 'events' etc down left side in date order - goes to end of July at the moment - stops me forgetting things and I can see at a glance what's coming up.  I really missed the board as it is definitely a stress reliever for me - I forgot my hair appointment a couple of weeks ago.  I have everything on phone and computer but not the same.  

I spent time yesterday cleaning out the computer corner of living room.  It had deep layer of dust and random stray chips of plaster and stone as I have not touched the area since I first came here.  Moved round a bit and got rid of lots of stuff that was 'on show'. I'm going to Mr D to look at some blinds for kitchen - I had thought about shutters but they are very expensive and I'm not sure they fit with my window style.  Waiting on tiler before I post my before and after pictures.  House next door looks to be getting new occupiers as they were here and had keys at weekend.  I know there needs to be some building work done at front.  I had hoped to get fencing done before they moved in but boundary is very clear and I will fence just inside old concrete markers as I believe that boundary is their responsibility but they have loads to do.  I did look at the bungalow but garden was too big for me and has three very tall trees at back (some distance from my bungalow) which I understand they are going to have felled.  Sox will be disappointed once they start work on the garden as there are large areas of 'lawn' with 2 foot deep grass and he stalks through it like a lion hunting insects. 

532 Plastics to SM
533 Fridge freezer sold at second attempt - good prize which paid for gardening
534-7 Four large bushes cleared by gardener - including random rubbish buried in the area and roots - he took it all to tip in three trips
538 Some weeding done
539 Lots of dust and tat removed from computer corner - pile of papers to sort out
540 Old snorkelling set found in garden stuff binned as mouldy
541 Small cube unit in good condition put up for sale by DiL
542 Empty screen protector box (why did I have it) recycled
543 New dishwasher fitted, old one taken away with all packaging
544 Another user booklet recycled
545 A friend visited to help with a computer frog - all sorted
546 Large kitchen clock and white board put on wall by DS2

mehefin

Just popping in!
@charlies_tribe re trampolines .Not sure if you know but if not you need to be aware that trampolines 'bounce' differently depending on their shape. The ubiquitous round ones are designed to bounce the user into the middle so they are generally safer in a garden. The oblong ones are more like leisure centre ones, and the jumper has to control the bounce themselves which is why you always see spotters at leisure centre. It is very easy to go off course. DS used to compete and we eventually gave in and bought a reasonable quality oblong one for the garden, which he spent hours on. The bed was similar to the round ones but the springing and frame was  heavy duty ( and heavy to move too).A 'proper' woven mesh bed trampoline is BIG money, but there are very good ones at reasonable prices for outdoor use.