April

Desk moved over.

The corner of stuff.

Other computer installed.

All this to connect to the internet.

With Ubuntu on it.


8 degrees indoors at 11:41am


Sort of tidy.

The stuff in the loungeroom left to do. Later tonight I think.



Time flies huh?

It seems I can't Flylady AND walk twice a day at the same time. Well, its the concentration really, and the lack of desire for exhausting myself. (The people in another place will tell me i need more fuel, I'm inclined to agree.)

Anyway, with a lot of stuff thoroughly annoying the crap out of me in the computer room and lounge room, I decided that today was a good day to sort most of it out. So, I moved the other computer from the loungeroom, into the computer room. Thankfully that is on a little bench/trolley thing with wheels so that move was made easily. However, where I put it didn't suit me. (in front of the wardrobe) So I measured up the space next to the other desk and decided it would fit THERE.

To achieve that, I had to move the desk over 10 inches or so. Then I had to move the things in the corner OUT. After that, I had to move the other puter into that hole. With that space behind the couch now empty I decided that NOW was a great time to move the modem and wireless router as well! That proved more tiresome than the computer. But I got it all done, reconnected everything, even changing the power board that the laptop is plugged into, coz it has been a bit sparky, and I heard it humming when I was plugging in the modem line.

I've stashed the milk crate full of cottons under the puter table, and filled up another milk crate with the yarn that was floating around, that I am sick of the sight of. They fit under there nicely, and even though it was meant to be a temporary measure, they might just stay there for now.

The stuff that was in the corner, a box of my daughters things and a laundry basket full of baby things, is now under the main table. I couldn't face taking it to the shed.

With that done, I vacuumed the floor. I am hesitant to work out just how long its been since I did a proper job of it.

The surfaces are still a bit of a write off, but it is a heap better than it was at 9am this morning. I need a better storage system for circular needles.

After all that, I weather proofed the screen doors. Plural. Normally (usually around teh end of daylight savings) I take the um..beading? out of the front one only, put plastic up and use the rubber stuff to anchor it in. Today though, because it was so cold, I just used tape. Why I decided to do the back door as well, I am not sure, but I did the same thing to that. Why do I do it anyway? I don't like closed doors. I also don't like the cold, and while this doesn't stop ALL the cold, it does hinder cold air blowing in, while giving me the illusion that the doors are open. :)

When it finally warmed up outside I went out and found the damage last nights vicious frost did to the pumpkins. So I had to cut all those vines up and put them in the compost. One small pumpkin might be too little, but I've brought it in anyway, and rescued the green tomatoes. The compost bin is full now.

Pics.

simplified list

I've read, in various places, that people find the Flylady site hard to navigate. Somehow, I found this link for a PDF that initially lists the baby steps in a simplified manner, then goes into detail. Its not MY list, but its here for reference, should anyone else like an easier format.

Lordy..long time!

I'm not sure where the time went, but I know I was flat out the previous 8 days. That included 4 nights away from home and a trip interstate. I came home knackered. :| Could barely THINK, let alone tidy up. Then I got a cold. Just a little one, but that was enough to suck what bit of life I had out.

Anyway, today, feeling much restored from traveling and the cold, and with it being a public holiday (so no one online to chat to) I got out into the yard for some much needed work. You might remember this picture from August. Well, today I worked to get rid of that, dug out some rough sow thistle, and planted some bulbs I found. I'm not sure what they are, I'm hoping freesias.

The bulbs went into the guttering someone gave me to deter possums. I never got around to using it all for that. I'd found this gutter garden idea in Pinterest a while ago, and decided to plant the bulbs in the guttering.

To get the guttering up, I needed to prune the elderberry that was there (that would be the stick in the original picture). So I did that, found the hay string and started tying up the guttering. I moved the compost bin to put things in as well. The crap in the wire was in the way, so after I got one 'garden' up I dealt with the wire. I sorted things out, plastics in the Chrisco box, vegetation/rottables (cardboard etc) in the compost bin. Tossed the wire out of the way. Wondered how I was going to plant the bulbs with no potting mix and decided to check out the compost, that I didn't think had 'worked.' Turns out it had, so I shifted that to the guttering. I tied up the other guttering and used a different method for planting. The first one I put the compost in first and poked bulbs in, second time I put a layer of compost, bulbs, then more compost.

After all that, looking nice and neat I took the old cage off the lilac, only to find that it wasn't dead. I though I had dehydrated it too much over summer. :| But it has rallied. I poured out some of the decorative white rocks around it, then did the same to the elderberry, and finally shifted all the old catalogues that were in the wire to the bald patch near the fence. I raked up the stuff and poked that in the cmpost as well.

Dug up more sow thistle..in places I could swear I'd just cleared. They grow fast! :P

After I did that, and had lunch, I painted some bits of the hutch that the chickens live in nowdays back together, then I painted the hutch. White. And a bit of the big hutch. Thinking about painting the fence too :D

I spread out the last of the compost and fixed up the wire on the fence.

The chickens were a gift from a friend whos chooks hatched out a pile of chickens. I hope at least two are chooks, and not roosters.

Two gutters up, one full.

Compost

Bulbs.

More bulbs.

Not dead lilac.

Nice and tidy now.

Chickens!

Chickens eating spider webs in the guinea pig hutch

..and kicking out the guinea pig food.

The badness within.

Inspired by my sisters post (7 of the bad), and the one she bounced off (Bad stuff), I am inspired to put some of my badness out there for the world to see.

Like my sister, I am 'quietly anxious.' Things stress me out (omg they are going to cut my tree down!! what ever will I do now!?) Never mind that the tree is all but dead. Thinking about it being cut down stresses me. Need to go a 'different' way? = anxiety. It lodges just there in my chest and sometimes it can take a concerted effort to ignore it or talk myself down.

I am great at ignoring things. Either deliberately or not. Out of sight, out of mind works wonders for me. Should I tidy something up before I am done with it (like that pair of socks I am knitting) it will stay 'tidied.' For months, if not years. I also forget lots of things. Like posting the last pictures of the Photo A Day Challenge here. :s

Despite everything to the contrary, I like things neat and tidy. But...perhaps excessively so. Nicely made bed, with cat prints on it? Totally annoying. And these aren't even muddy prints, just indentations on the fabric. Nice clean kitchen that *I* 'mess up' making a meal in? grr. So, I try to avoid being TOO tidy to avoid the stress of things being messed up. Of course, it's easier now days with no kids or SO's in my life. Imagining a SO in my life will flip me straight into the anxious mode.

I have a great imagination. Good in some respects, bad in others. Until fairly recently I could think about 'going for a walk' in great detail and then decree (from the safety of my bed at 6am) that I had already done it. As with the above statement, I can also imagine a SO in my life and shy away from them, without ever having met them.

I very VERY often say things without thinking (I asked an older lady at the market if she knew how to turn her computer on *imagining* myself to be witty). And on the flip side, over thing what I should say in a particular situation and then spend so long dithering that I don't say anything. To make that a ménage à trois, I rarely say things when I ought to, such as 'no' to any particular request. If I do stand up for myself, then...I'll say things without thinking. :o I lack tact.

I'm a shitty hostess, and guest. If people turn up I almost NEVER offer a drink or bite to eat. Hell, I'll be lucky if the loo is flushed. When I am at someone else's table for tea, I never compliment the cook. I'll do the dishes, or hang out washing without being asked though. Which apparently has been getting on someones nerves. I think I am being 'helpful' (as a way of saying thank you.)

I'm also crap at saying thank you. For dinner, gifts, company. you name it, and there is a good chance I didn't say thank you. I refer you back to the over thinking something, and never saying what I wanted to/ought to have.

I have no faith in myself. I won't TRY, lest I fail. I don't like failure. If I don't try, I *can't* fail. Which, I guess is failure by default, hmm? This is only a brand spanking new realisation that 'erupted' when I was talking with a friend about my license. He didn't get it either.

Like Ilja, I rarely take my own advice. To quote Harry Potter, no one likes a know-it-all, including me..even if that IS me. For the most part though, I can now let people carry on with their totally wrong facts and leave them to it. I'm also happy to let them have their own opinion on things, without trying to make them see it my way (which of course, is the way they should see it in the first place).

I get terribly pissed off when I see/hear/know that people are doing the exact same things I was condemned for, and getting away with it. Mostly it is married couples, which seems to be ok. Be a single mum, and its not. I know whats done is done and there is nothing I can do about the past or 'everyone else,' but it still shits me.

Well, that will do. I need to play with the baby guinea pigs again, coz they are cute as.

Mondays Mission, cont.

So I managed to get the entire space under the bed done shortly after posting yesterday. I did indeed use the rake to haul stuff out. I even took pictures. Unfortunately, while taking the 'before' shot, I did something to the camera and now it wont work. :( When I press the ON button it just clicks. I is very sad. What is worse is that it was a gift, bought overseas.

I could have sworn I took an 'after' shot, but it doesn't appear that I actually did. If the sun is in the right place this afternoon I will take one.

Because it has been so cluttered under there for so long, I have put a tray with rock salt in it under there for some cleansing energy, and I even put a stick of incense under there as well - very carefully.

It feels good.

Mondays mission

I was happily reading on the bed yesterday evening, when, on a whim, I decided to start cleaning up under the bed. No clue why inspiration struck while happily ensconced in a book, but it got half done anyway. I pulled out the old box of videos, and transferred them to the new box from the green grocer. There is the entire set of Trials of Life and another dozen or more of other assorted documentaries.

after tossing the old box aside, I got under there and hauled out other bits and pieces that I haven't touched in years. Some went in the video box, some went in the old box for binning. I vacuumed under there as far as I could reach. Pushed the new box under nice and neatly, slid the skirt box down to it and then hauled out other stuff from the top end, including half of an exploded pillow that I was saving for amigurumi stuffing. Vacuumed under that end and binned what I deemed rubbish.

There is still the other side of the bed to do, and I may well get to that tonight. I'm a bit lost as to what to do with all the books on the other side. Most are 'keepers' - but which I have read so many times I can pretty much recite them. I have two e-readers, so I do not NEED these books, and in all honesty, I am unlikely to read them in the next couple (ten) of years. There are FAR too many ebooks to read instead. I'll never get rid of the Trixie Belden ones. They are way too scarce, and I doubt if they will be ebooks at any time in the future.

Well...duh...How about I put them in the WALL UNIT, which I now have access to? Sheesh. Sometimes I can be incredibly dense.

ETA - that is three boxes now in the bin, and less books than I thought in the wall unit. I can now see THROUGH from one side to the other. There is still the box of fabric to be dealt with, and a pile of miscellaneous stuff at the head end on the other side. I think I will get the trusty old rake out for that and drag it through to this side, coz there is more room to move. NOW is a good time with the light coming through.

A storage solution

I knit, and crochet, so of course I have needles and hooks. These are (mostly) nicely housed in needle/hook rolls that I made many years ago. But, of course, you don't NEED these out all the time. So where to put them? Sure, they roll up nice and tidy, but where after that? I don't have a drawer, or tubs or anywhere sensible to put them.

For some reason, I just had an idea to HANG them up using skirt hangers and then, naturally, store them in a wardrobe or linen cupboard (which has hanging space.)

So simple.

Last weeks Bathroom Missions, and this weeks

Some of these I actually did. Some I didn't of course, but that is mainly because I don't have kids. I do have cats though, so for the kid things that crop up, I think I will try to change those to cat things.

Monday - look up. again, due to spiders, I've done this. I also looked up at the right time to see spots right at the very top of the um..splashback? in the shower. How spots of stuff got up there I don't know. They were scrubbed off.
Tuesday - door knobs, facings etc. I think the door has only been touched once since it was done 'properly' last time.
Wednesday - bathroom vanity. Don't have one, but I have wiped down the sink/cleaned the brush out and washed the mirror. For the record, Pine-o-clean spray cleaner doesn't work well.
Thursday - supply list. All taken care of. I still have enough for six months or more.
Friday - baseboards. This I haven't done as such. I have wiped up the floor where the cats water bowl is - mostly because that was under the mirror and some spray landed there. I need to do it today though, because the cats kindly dispatched a sparrow in the bathroom and left a feathery mess.

This week
Monday - under the bed. Noooooooo...don't make me!!! I'm not up to this yet. there is so much crap under there it's not funny. I might do it on Thursday though, for things to go out in the bin for collection on Friday.
Tuesday - sock and underwear drawer. That was done months ago. There is no need to get in there and do it again. Although, that grey singlet could feasibly go out or be used as rags.

As the house gets tidier I'm feeling emotionally better. Or is that working the other way around? There is a certain amount of..freedom and, I admit it, satisfaction about having a place that is 'coming together.' I don't get up now resenting that I have to make the bed, or that there are still dishes around. I don't resent having stuff on the freezer or the couch. I was resenting that, because I *know* (knew) that fixing it would have only taken a FEW MINUTES. That's all. A few minutes at the end of the day, before 'relaxing' at night. I've timed it. On average it takes me THREE minutes to wash the dishes.

I know there is still a ways to go, but unlike a year or so ago, tidying up (and chucking things out) doesn't scare the crap out of me. I can 'let go' of things and be done with. And people ARE noticing, not only that the house is tidier, but that *I* am also..well..tidier. Right now, instead of sloppy clothes, I have proper ones on. With shoes I can walk out the door and be presentable. This is a significant change. A year ago i would have put of anyone who invited me out because it was too much bother to get into decent clothes and go.

This page on the Feng Shui thoughts about clutter and your home makes a lot of sense to me. I'll get there.

questions and rearranging things

Do you ever get the feeling no one hears you? Or for the purposes of this particular instance reads you? I post things on various sites/boards (such as my 'profile' for the FlyLady group in LiveJournal) and...nothing. Ask a question elsewhere and no one replies, even if it you asked in a quiet thread..or a busy active one. Am I *that* insignificant?

If I DO get an answer to a specific question about a certain thing and it is possible I will get 13 different replies that won't even address the original question, such as 'should I use blue yarn in this afghan?' Not that I have actually asked THAT particular question, but should I ask it the replies will likely not answer the question I asked.

I don't get it. Honestly - (said with an Hermoine Granger inflection).

But..onwards and upwards.

Yesterday I was moaning about the tv that is in here, that I wont use and never will. A friend asked if I had tried Freecycle to get rid of it. I had, and it never went anywhere. They suggested trying again, so I did. And within an hour or so, someone had called to arrange pick up. :D They were coming today, but called yesterday evening and asked if 'now' was ok. It was, and 20 mins later the tv was gone. I now have half a desk back.

Inspired by this extra space, I tidied up the nasty corner, put stuff on top of the wardrobe, vacuumed and put the new cat house where the corner was (pic 2). That thing is HUGE and even though it was 'out of the way' in the lounge room (pic 1), it took up a lot of space.

Now that I'm 'getting there,' I can now think about moving the table that has the OTHER computer on it (known as the deer table), into this room. That table measures 91cm wide. If I shift the desk across another 10cm towards the window, the deer table will fit right there, taking ALL computerware OUT of the loungeroom, with the exception of the modem and router.

Except...where I want the deer table to be...has stuff still. (pic 3) Namely a box of my daughters things, a fan and the laundry hamper with baby toys. Both of these I believe will fit under the table in here...or in the shed. Not that I'd want to put baby toys in a shed with redbacks.

And where can I put the bloody pram? (pic 4) (Ebay sounds good)

Photo A Day Challenge: Days 9 - 18

9. Daily Routine. Followers of the Flylady system will notice this is a 'shiny sink.' Thankfully this is now a part of the daily routine. More so because last night I was going to skip it, and chose not to. There were only a few things to do afterall.



10. Childhood. This is Puddles. I got him when I was born. He has been with me ever since. He is a bit battered now, but he still cuddles me as well as he used to with his head drooping over a shoulder. I seem to recall him having white 'leather' flaps on his eyes. This may be a false memory though.



11. Where you sleep. Right here. Sadly, the wrinkles annoy me. However, while the bed is a good one feng shui wise, the clutter under it isn't.








12. Close up. Some succulent thing called an echeverias.








13. In Your Bag. This is a bag I actually bought, new. Very Indiany, with mirrors. :D that tag is attached to the camera, and that orange thing is a booklet of 'real' paper, and my purse.







14. Something You're Reading. Secondhand Spirits, by Juliet Blackwell on the Kindle. Except, between taking that picture and posting it, I finished the story. :D








15a. Happiness. This one was shadowing me on Saturday and his mum commented on it. :)












15b. Happiness. Two pics for this, coz I don't know where the single pic is. One of the things that makes me happy is these dogs actually being pleased to see me.








16. Morning. This is a usual morning at my place, with 3/5's of the cats out of this picture.







17. Water. Sorry, no trickling streams or flowing waterfalls or even an artistic sprinkler shot. Just reused water bottles with boiled water in them. So while I may look pretentious drinking bottled water, I'm not really





18. Something You Bought. Gemstones. Probably one of the first 'useless' things I've bought since I've been financial. I bought a little bag of them at the Exeter Market for 8$. I think there is a good mix in here and it suits me to have them available to pick and choose from, should I feel the need. They are also small enough to put in my pocket without making a significant bump, like 3 or 4 'proper' size ones would.

last weeks missions

I think it is safe to say I didn't even touch them. (or even the ones from the week before). If I *did* do them, it was inadvertently.

Monday - Look up. I have been doing this, but mostly because of the spiders that seem to be prevalent this summer.
Tuesday - Cabinets. No kids, no dogs. Spills are another matter, but I don't think they needed doing anyway.
Wednesday - Fridge. I did this by accident at some stage. Finding the jar of garlic didn't have the lid on right.
Thursday - Counter tops. There isn't enough counter top to fuss over, and I don't like to let it get cluttered coz the usable area is minuscule.
Friday - Sweep and Mop. This definitely hasn't been done, but I did vacuum the kitchen floor.

I had a visitor here on um..Friday, and they asked if I had been 'cleaning up.' Well..not really, I had just put things away - like the baby toys. The visitor sat on the couch for a change, something visitors cant usually do because it has been so cluttered with stuff. I am pleased to report that some 5 weeks or so after I challenged myself to keep it clear, it still is. The freezer has 'off days,' like today. I've been using it to do things on while cooking on the counter/sink. Which I have to actually go and sort out, and wash the dishes in the sink.

ciao bella

Photo a day, days 1 - 8

1. You. Ok, its not really me. This will have to do, seeing as I don't take pictures of me very often.








2. Breakfast. This is what I have about 300 days a year.











3. Something You Adore. Hand knit [mostly] wool socks. there is something very pleasurable about coming home and putting on a pair. Its like love for your feet.








4. Letterbox. This isn't mine, because mine is boring. I went hunting for it, and photogenic letterboxes are not easy to find!








5. Something you wore. A new shirt. Much brighter in person, and without elastane.









6. Makes you smile. A birthday card, something I totally wasn't expecting, and definitely wasn't expecting from the person it came from. I love the thought that went into it.






7. Favorite. These are my favorite pieces of cutlery and crockery. The fork reminds me of Nan, the knife Pop, the plate eating at Nan and Pops. The cup was purchased on a memorable trip away, and the spoon is my coffee spoon. I don't make coffee with any other one, unless I truly have to. It's even starting to get worn down on the tip.


8. Your sky. Glorious summer day. Actually, it isn't all that bad. Listening to the rain is nice, and because it was darker this morning, I slept in.

Photo a Day Challenge

This isn't much to do with FlyLady or cleaning house, but I thought I would post this here anyway.

I found this, care of my sister, in Facebook, and decided that it is something that I can actually do. I don't think I will actually post one photo a day, but I might post a weeks worth of photos at a time.

Actually, if I was clever enough, I could make this a Flylady photo a day challenge. But a regular one will do.

For now, I am off to take artistic pics for Jan 1 - 5. :)

excess from the linen cupboard

I sorted out the linen cupboard the other day, after finally getting sick of stuffing things in where ever they fitted. Now its all neat and tidy again, with JUST the things I will use (with the exception of the 50 odd flannels). I have only the matching pillow cases for each 'set' I put on the bed. Each set has its own pile as well. The aqua/turquoise sheets go with both preferred doona covers so they can be shifted around. They even go with the doona cover that's on the bed, if I have the bold floral print up, rather than the pinkish stripe side.

The things in the picture are what I pulled out, that I am fairly sure I am not going to use in the coming year, seeing as I don't think I used it in the preceding year, complete with the matching pillow cases. Problem is, I don't know what to do with it all now. It won't fit in the cupboards in here, and I don't want to chuck it out. I already tossed stuff I don't want and won't use. I have a bag full of old towels for Mr D to use for work. The best I can think of for the things on the floor is to put them in the shed. :s

Next picture is the cheesecake. Its gluten free. :D I didn't think too far ahead and bought full fat sour cream for the topping, so it has a stack more calories than I would have liked.

Next we have the dogs I was looking after. Cute huh?

Then we have the cat 'scratching post' (play gym?) that the dogs owners made for Christmas. With a cat on it even. I've seen a couple of cats using it so far. I reckon it will be used more in winter. Its rather too big for the loungeroom, but there is really no where else to put it. Unless I put it in here in the space near the window. Maybe I'll try that on for size. I reckon they would like to be up high looking out of the window. Of course, to do that I need to sort out what is already under the window - a chore I was doing at the start of December. Ah well, better late than never, eh? I can put the fit balls in the shed too. Guess I need to open it up and do stuff.