2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

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

Wednesday is a gloriously bright & sunny autumn day with a forecast high of 17°C & low of 10°C with a chilly breeze which makes it feel 3°cooler. DH woke me at noon as we have a visitor - my nephew T is visiting for a couple of days 😊 He came by train from Reading where he has been staying with his aunt. Since his dad’s funeral on the 15th he has been waiting for the reading of the will & to go through photos of his dad BUT his stepmother (aka WS 😉) has been ignoring him & cancelled an arranged visit as “she was not up to it” The last time T saw her was at the funeral & she has only communicated with him a couple of times by text. Words fail me so I won’t expend any more time on her. I made T some toast as he hadn’t eaten. Lots of chat & laughter once we finished the conversation about WS. As DH & DSis were taking T shopping I gave T some cash.  First stop Battlesbridge Antiques Centre then to a couple of retail parks + DH will do a bit of food shopping - steak & chips for dinner tonight. I was going to go as there is a wool shop in Battlesbridge & I have been commissioned to knit a hat (in rainbow colours) for our great, great nephew R. Sadly the wool shop is only open Thursday & Friday. As you all know by now I really, really don’t like shopping & wandering around shops whilst other people are looking/buying is ten times worse 😱 Although whilst I remember, I have a  confession to make - DH hates going out shopping almost as much as I do so I will take this opportunity to award him both a Gold Star ⭐️ & a halo 😇 Meanwhile as I have the house to myself I have descaled the kettle, cleared the dining room table & extended it, added a tablecloth & dusted the chairs. Then vacuumed. I have also put the wm on a drum clean. DH just phoned & guess what……… the wool shop is open, typical 🤨 DSis is showing T around & DH went for a walk then treated himself to a coffee & a toasted teacake……….. some time later….. the drum clean was finished & rather than leave it at that I thought might be a good idea to clean the rest of the wm 😉 So detergent dispenser removed & scrubbed + the inside of the housing; removed the lower panel & washed that; then undid the water overflow - oops lots of water & a tea towel couldn’t cope 😥……… more time later all water mopped up, inside cleaned of gunk; defluffed the td filter; put everything back together & washed the outside of the wm + the door & door seals. Whilst I was doing that DH phoned again. He was sitting outside in the sunshine watching the ducks & moorhens swimming in the pond. Update on the wool shop, the owners forgot to turn the sign to closed 🙄 so I didn’t miss out 😮‍💨 As an extension of my mention of the blood test I had yesterday I have a ‘lovely bruise’ 😉

Great decluttering Liverpool_Anne especially in the garden 👏 Well done on cheering up your sister ☺️ I loved This “Told her I was coming to stay after Dniece has returned to Bequia and she was very pleased about that, said she was grateful and does appreciate it. When I told OH what she said OH said "WOW just WOW" 😂. I think my Dsis is finally beginning to appreciate my finer qualities 😂 only taken her 70 years to get over the sudden arrival of a screaming baby at the age of 12 😂” especially your OH’s reaction 🤣 Sounds like she is mellowing 🙊 I imagine your DNiece is rather pleased that you will be looking after her mum as it sounded like her dad would be an ‘ineffective’ carer 😉 Enjoy the rest of your day 😊

BlueJ94, all I can say is YIPPEE 🥳 

Will post this now & find something else to do. Hope everyone is as lucky with the weather 🤞 See you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️🏅🏅⭐️😇

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1794/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £469.00

TC77

Mrs SD  the bruise looks sore.i had no idea you could clean as wm  so thoroughly!  I'm with you on the shopping which is why most of my things are from lewisham CS.  Been in office all day and straight out after so no decluttering from me..

Hoping not to fall out with decorators. I know they've used more material to repair windows and expected extra costs but not 25% and also think the painting of windows where joins panes could have been neater.  I hate any conflict etc, ok managing stuff at work but not in home life

Floss

@TC77 why not draft an email / message and sleep on it? Maybe ask for a meeting at yours so you can understand the increase in costs, and you can show the areas where you are not satisfied?

Soontobeoap

I am with you @TC77. I hate conflict too but when you have paid someone to do a something, especially if the price has gone up that much, you do expect a good job.

On that note, and to cut a long story short we have cancelled the fire surround and they have refunded our money!!! Carpenter who has fitted hearth is going to make one for me. No delivery charge needed at all and I know that he will do a good job. He wasn't keen in the first place but having seen what we are going through with it all he has come to the rescue.

Gas fitter came to remove pipe that was sticking up in living room and has now capped it under the floor. So that is another odd bit I have added to the box of stuff left by the plumber who fitted the radiator. We have so much rubbish to get out of this house and will be booking a tip run as soon as we have finished all of the painting.
It's one step forward and 2 steps back in this room. Never known a room like it. 2nd coat of blue finished on one wall today. Removed masking tape between the 2 different colours and it bought the paint with it!! I am not going to lie. I actually cried! We are so tired! (If anyone has any idea where I went wrong I would love to know.) Sounds pathetic when I write it down so I have put my big girl pants on and realized that tomorrow is another day. 

daisy_1571

stbo when your tired i think we all understand the tears, have a hug or two please 🙂 🤗 

Was the masking tape too strong do you think?  You can make it less so by sticking it across your clothes (down leg or over tummy) a few times before sticking to the wall but remember you won't be able to rely on it if you paint over it, try to just paint up to it with a fairly dry brush otherwise it might still bleed underneath.   Or you can get painters tape, blue rather than cream if I remember correctly,  its not supposed to pull the underneath paint off when you remove it.

Hope you get it sorted tomorrow or maybe decide to gave a day off and go do something different,  it will still be there next week

Dxxxxx

TC77

@Soontobeoap wonderful news on the fire surround. Thank you and @Floss.  I had messaged decorator back saying day he wants to come and clean up I'm at work so gave alternative dates and said I know there was more work and material but hadn't expected such an increase so can we go through extra costs. They have done overall a good job, and only have one cup of tea to my ten! 
They work non stop but short days  but seen extra work and extra tins of materials.  
Gives me time to go round and write a list. 
Making a silk purse out of a pig's ear comes to mind . I used to sign off work on listed buildings many decades ago and maybe have too high expectations and getting above myself 100 + years of paint on most windows and 20+ on those I replaced. 
Will be going round inspecting my neighbours window closely  
@vulpix , I hope you're in the tlc carriage with a large G& T or cuppa and big slice of cake x

suzeesu2000

I’m sending everyone a BIG group hug as I think we all need one. Poor Vulpix with her move, MrsSD with her bruise, Soontobeoap with her paint (think I would have cried too) and all the other gremlins scurrying about making a nuisance of themselves, little stinkers. 

Yesterday I washed a basket of white towels and the tea towels. Got them all dried on the lines. By 6pm, everything was in, folded and put away! Way to go me. Managed to change beds as well. 

Today I washed the dark stuff but couldn’t put out as DH went out and he can’t get in or out of the yard on his mobility scooter if there’s washing on the lines. No worries, will wait in the machine until the morning. I also scrubbed the top of the cooker. I have an eye level grill and the top was minging. Took the pan of oil off, emptied and in dishwasher. Another round pan washed and in cupboard. A high level grill thing,  which we have never ever used, in recycling. Only thing on top of cooker now is the steamer which doesn’t fit in the cupboards and I use a lot. 

Next plan is the loft 🙀 badly needs emptying, sorting, decluttering and, hopefully, repacking with a lot less stuff. My plan is to start soon, maybe even Monday.
I'm still putting shovelful’s of compost in bags to go. It’s a slow job but I’m not on the clock so I’m not stressing about it. So long as it’s done by Christmas, I shall be satisfied.
Night night all, I do hope you all have a much better day tomorrow. Sleep tight xx

Soontobeoap

Little update  : - have just contacted decorator friend who says masking tape is not the best idea on walls ( he is also a sign writer so has a steady hand) I will sand down tomorrow and  try again. He has said that he will come around and paint me a straight line if I can't manage it bless him. 

TC77

@Soontobeoap I works have been in tears and off to the tlc carriage.. Great news about your decorator  friend!.

florianatwobob

Ouch that is quite the bruise Mrs SD! While DSis was having her pre treatment scans one of the people prepping her managed to collapse one of her veins! DSis’s veins, like mine, also like to hide.