Dusty's Frugal Fortnights

Thats torn it! Phone call last night from stepson in USA,he and 2 of the kids are coming to visit - coming first week in June,leaving the 8th.:eek::eek:
Normally they give 2 months warning,so when nothing was said in March when he usually informs us I assumed they werent coming this year. I lay awake half the night trying to think of all the things I have to do,masive housework sessions ahead,painting,finding all the bedding etc,thinking of meals,entertainment etc etc etc. Good job I am much improved in the legs department because I have a lot of work ahead.
Cant believe he left it so late to tell us!Guest room has been used as a playroom for 2 years by the grandkids,major packing and rearranging ahead there. Mr Dusty uses the box room as his den,we stacked the bed and mattress behind the wardrobes to give him a bit space as its only 11ftx 9ft. Now we need to drag them out again and stack Mr Dusty's mountains of stuff away somewhere.
And then there is their baggage;they each bring 2 personal suitcases and a backpack stuffed to the brim,and then an extra suitcase each full of clothes for relatives and charity in Africa. The taxi drivers always have a headache trying to stack everything in the vehicle.:rotfl:
Before we could put at least one kid and some baggage at my daughter's,but they are chockablock since my granddaughter and the 2 babies came back,so thats out.One year I put a table in the box room and stacked lots of things both under it and piled cases up on top.and they just had one suitcase each in the bedrooms,but its a tight squeeze.Its a small house and Mr Dusty has masses of stuff EVERYWHERE!
We usually end up moving some of our furniture out on the yard under a tarpaulin just to make some space. Its the logistics of moving stuff about. And imagine if I hadnt already got rid of at least some stuff in my decluttering crusade.Oh boy,my stress levels are rising already! :DLiterally slept only 3 hours last night as I lay till 3 am making mental lists etc.
And isnt it a good thing I started an emergency fund?:T.Its not just decorating,and getting a new mattress etc,but not only do I have to cook for the visitors,(and pretty sure one is a vegan)but also all the family who come to see them.Never seen people eat as much salad and fruit as my stepson,and gallons of bottled water before you even think of what to cook.........

Off to make a start,finding the guest bedding,crockery and glassware,bathroom sets and towels,etc etc etc and see what I need to buy.My brain is scurrying in all directions thinking what I need to do.

beanielou wrote: »

You will be a busy bee then :eek:

:rotfl::rotfl:
I was pretty much stunned into immobility for a couple of days,brain scurrying off in all directions.Have been assessing what needs to be done and decided it will have to be the minimum,I am just not up to doing much,still not fully up to scratch. Yet another water infection,the night sweats(changing sheets every couple of days,good job its been so sunny lately,so I get them out on the line) poor sleep and feelings of anxiety,as if I have a dentist's appointment or a tough job interview ahead. You can know what is happening to you physically and mentally,but overcoming it aint easy.And all those external stressors - Mr Dusty's court case,GD2s stalker issue,dieting etc) - arent exactly helpful either!:)

Had quite a busy day. Of course there was the usual Sunday dinner to make,and did two loads of washing,dried lovely in the sunshine.Mr Dusty is ironing sheets right now!
Also managed to use a damp seal paint on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs. When we had the toilet plumbing emergency a few weeks ago,water seeped down under the floor and made nasty stains on the ceiling below,both in the hall and a corner of the sitting room.It's taken two weeks to dry out,very unsightly. This morning I used the sealant and it looks good even before putting on a coat of ordinary paint.Nightmare using the stepladder though,I cant bear the tenderness of my shins when they press against the ladder. In the end I had to use a chair,nice and stable and plenty of space to stand on.Cant step up onto the chair though,too high for my weak knees,so I still needed the ladders to get onto the chair. Then of course getting up and down and moving the chair along was a palaver,but I did it in the end.(I now have in mind for Xmas someone getting me a three step folding kitchen ladder. I must be shrinking because I even on tiptoes its hard reaching the top shelves in the kitchen cupboards!)
Used the same method of chair and ladder to change my curtains in the living room. I recently washed and ironed all the curtains for Easter,all I did was put the ones from my bedroom,in the sitting room ,and the flowered ones in the guest bedroom,they are perfectly clean. One less job to do,washing /ironing curtains.Did all that while Mr Dusty was away in town. It would have taken twice as long and a whole lot of arguments to get it done:rotfl:.We dont do well working together:D

Doing my usual Monday morning cleaning.done the fridge,microwave,washing machine,and the cupboard doors.Am now off to prepare dinner (roasties,broccoli,carrots ,the brisket is already cooked off yesterday,so not much work)I am going to have a big salad with salmon (3 mins in the microwave,that'll do me ). This afternoon I am off to do some shopping at Wilko,but need to get into town to look in the pound shops for things like paper napkins,paper cups to cut down on washing up and the like.Also need need new wooden salad utensils,Mr Dusty,clueless,stirred something I was frying with it and got it all blackened and not looking good.:eek: I used to like Poundstretcher for kitchen utensils,glassware and the like,fair quality and low prices,but sadly they closed down last year:( So I need to rummage around looking for bargains!
Off to do the veg,then mop the floor,then make my salad.
Hope I can get on later to do my budget,after coming back from shopping.