Day 169: It’s So Much Easier to Declutter Cupboards and Cook a Meal When the Kitchen is Tidy

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

I do love pottering around tidying up but I also love pottering around when things are already nice and tidy, as I can get more clarity of what else needs to be done and have more room to sort things out. As I had cleaned the kitchen and put the dishwasher on before I went to bed last night, it was very pleasant walking into the kitchen for breakfast this morning.

The friendly engineer had to pop round again this morning to fit another part in our oven and he needed to switch it off at the mains. I couldn’t remember where the plug was, and because we had to respect social distancing I had to get him to search through all of the surrounding cupboards, and we eventually realised that it was in the one above the oven. Some of the cake tins had to come out and so I asked him to leave them on the side. Being a cupboard that I hadn’t yet tidied, I thought that it would be perfect for today’s blog.

Decluttering the cake tins cupboard

After the engineer had left, I took the rest of the items out of the top cupboard, and because my kitchen surfaces were clear there was room to sort everything out. I found a pile of instructions for all of our appliances, which really ought to go somewhere else; however, I thought it was best to put them back for now as I want to focus on paperwork another day. I decided to move the cupboard shelf up to the highest notch so that I could temporarily put the paperwork up there along with some cardboard cake boards that we don’t use very often.

I counted seven round loose bottomed tins (where bottoms hadn’t been put back with its respective tin). When I’d finished with them they all stacked nicely into each other even though some of them didn’t match. Not sure why we need that many tins, but I decided to put them back for now as there was plenty of room. We’ll see what gets used. I know that my daughter uses one of them for the delicious cheesecake that she makes. I tend to use the fixed bottomed sandwich tins myself for victoria sponge cakes, so I placed them in the cupboard at the front.

I have got my eye on another couple of kitchen cupboards to sort out later in the week. I am also looking forward to taking everything out of the utility room so that I can start with a blank canvas. It’s only a small area so it needs a purpose otherwise it fills up with clutter very quickly.

At dinnertime

When I cooked this evening, it was lovely starting with a clean kitchen.

I only had to boil some pasta and heat up leftovers but everything we used got put straight in the dishwasher ready to put on before I go to bed. I’ve also just washed up the items that couldn’t fit in the dishwasher which I would usually just leave on the side to catch the next run tomorrow.

I’m feeling positive

I’m confident that we can all keep on top of the kitchen and dining room now, which will allow me to focus on other areas of the house. Let’s see how I do. I’m feeling very positive and upbeat about my challenge at the moment.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Getting organised, Inspiration, Life, working mum | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Day 168: First Geraniums Buds, and a Tidier Dining Room

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Sandra Madeira
First geranium flower appears

I planted some geranium seeds at the beginning of lockdown and I was so happy to see the first bud opening up today on one of the plants that the seeds produced.

Dining room and general kitchen clutter

After I’d logged off work and before l started dinner, I finished tidying one side of the dining room.

Dining room area before and after decluttering

It felt good being able to sweep all the way into the corner without things being in the way. What also made it easier was turning the dining room table sideways. This is just until we find a permanent place for my husband’s easel and paints which are still by the back door.

All that was left to declutter in the kitchen was a pile of papers and other items on the breakfast bar, which I made a start on this evening. I’m getting there slowly and I’m going to try and keep on top of it daily. I had a good routine going before and I think that having my new desk in the conservatory is going to help with this, as I’ll have somewhere to put pending paperwork.

So, the dishwasher has been done and the counter tops have been wiped down. I realised that I was a bit behind with the washing so I put a load in the machine earlier. It’s just beeped to let me know that it’s finished, so I’d better go and hang some of it up and put the rest in the dryer.

Hope you’ve all had a good Tuesday.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, delegating, Goals and direction, Inspiration, working mum | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Day 167: Five ‘Out of Date’ Tins of Soup, Paper Recycling and More Rubbish Exit the House

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Sandra Madeira
Out of date tins of soup

I was looking for a tin of chopped tomatoes to make spaghetti bolognese this evening, and I couldn’t help but tidy up the tins of soup that were stacked next to it. Being in decluttering mode at the moment, I also couldn’t help but check the expiry dates. I couldn’t believe that five out of the fifteen tins were dated last year with ‘chicken noodle’ embarrassingly needing to be eaten by January 2019. I was sure that I had checked the dates towards the end of last year, but obviously not – that’s one of the shelves in the food cupboard that I haven’t got my hands on yet this year. I need to start rotating the tins like I used to.

More Rubbish and Recycling

After dinner, I decided to go through the rubbish bags from my youngest teen’s room, which was the result of the mass tidy up that she did a week or so ago. I knew that it was mostly paper clutter, so I had asked her to keep the bags in the conservatory ready for me to separate out the recycling. It gave me great satisfaction going through separating paper, plastic and non-recyclable items ready for bin day tomorrow.

I sat there listening to an audio book in the pleasant evening temperature, guessing that my daughter must have tipped the entire contents of her desk drawers into the black sack; I literally found stacks of paper containing old homework tests, drawings, notes, cards and other things. I kept back some of the drawings and notes etc. that I wanted as memories, and the rest went into various ‘exit’ piles.

I ended up with a much smaller black sack and lots of paper recycling…

Separating the recycling from the main rubbish

I then went around looking for anything else in the dining room and conservatory that I could throw away. I’ve still not completely removed all of the surplus items from downstairs, but I’m very close. The house is slowly getting lighter.

(Hands up… How many of you thought about going and checking the expiry dates on your tins in the cupboard after reading this? 😀)

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Getting organised, Inspiration, Life, recycling, working mum | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Day 166: The Never-ending Battle of Clearing Clutter From High-Traffic Areas of Your Home, and Motivating Tips

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

This morning I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed again with the clutter. It doesn’t seem to matter how many hours I spend decluttering, throwing things away, recycling and putting things in their place, the space in the high-traffic areas fill up again so quickly.

Take the kitchen and dining room as an example… after going for a walk this morning, I started tidying the kitchen at the same time as trying to cook a roast chicken dinner. I suppose you could say that I spent more time cooking than clearing up, but we have to eat.

I need to get to the bottom of how this stuff accumulates. I had it so under control a few weeks ago. It’s not like we’ve bought much into the house. It must just be that things are just moving around like chess pieces on a board as I declutter other areas.

I decided to make a list of what makes me feel less overwhelmed and more motivated, and then pick something from the list to kick me into action…

  1. Tidy something that’s annoying me
  2. Empty the bins and sort out recycling
  3. Walk around my garden seeing the progress that I’ve made
  4. Talk to my mum and dad whilst I’m pottering about the house, or sit down to Skype them
  5. Exercise whilst listening to audio books or music

My progress today

Some photos from my walk this morning

I had already done point 5 from my motivating list above Exercise whilst listening to audio books or music, which always works for me. After Sunday lunch, I picked point 2 Empty the bins and sort out recycling and this gave me a good start in the dining room.

One whole bag of rubbish out of the house

I was able to deal with the bags of stuff by the back door and add to them by emptying the bins from around the house. This motivated me further and I ended up doing some vacuuming, cleaning and putting items away in their designated places.

At 10pm I actually felt like I had earned a rest. My kitchen and dining room are still not how I would like them to be, but I felt like I’d been productive enough to have a rest.

Being kind to myself and asking for help

I must be kind to myself and remember that this week wasn’t a typical week as it was my husband’s birthday and we camped in the garden for two nights. There was bound to be more to deal with than normal.

I was also very good during the day and had short breaks when I needed to, and also sat down for an hour to Skype my mum and dad. I even had a long chat with lady next door when I went to put some empty shopping bags in my car.

I also need to get better at delegating. The girls were busy all day with homework and but they still helped a bit. I also found a couple of small jobs that my husband could do.

The main thing is that I now have my list above to motivate me to make a start, whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Getting organised, Inspiration, Life, recycling, working mum | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Day 165: More Indoor and Outdoor Plants, and Dinner in the Garden

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

I woke up quite refreshed after the second night sleeping in the tent in the garden. It was quite nice lying there listening to the birds tweeting. I then enjoyed my breakfast in the tent until a house fly took a nose dive into my cup of tea 😀, so I had to go and make another one.

Breakfast in the tent with a fly in my tea

The new indoor plant

Kentish palm indoor plant

After the girls painted the lounge for us a couple of weeks ago, my eldest made a suggestion to buy a nice tall plant and put in next to the TV. She chose a real Kentish Palm and a white pot and it arrived today. It came completely boxed up and I was impressed that email instructions had arrived from the company the day before letting me know how I should care of the plant as soon as it had arrived, due to it being in transit for a few days.

I had to unbox everything and then put the plant in a bucket of water for an hour outside in the shade. It’s now sitting in the lounge and is a lovely addition to the room.

The new outdoor plants

Red salvia plants

As I was waiting in a queue outside Asda yesterday I picked up a tray of six red salvia bedding plants. It was a lovely sunny day today so I spent most of it in the garden pottering about and finding places to put the plants. My husband and I had steak, chips and spinach in the garden with a glass of wine late afternoon. It was very pleasant.

Steak, chips and spinach

There was a fire in the garden next door this evening very close to our fence, and although it’s all put out now, I decided against sleeping in the tent in the garden.

Looking forward to another sunny day tomorrow so that I can get out for a walk and do some more gardening. I also desperately need to do some cleaning inside the house as it’s all getting a bit out of control again.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, Inspiration, Life, Quality time, working mum | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Day 164: 16 Advantages of Holidaying in the Garden, vs. Our Own Experience of Doing So

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

Yesterday’s post is here if you missed it but in summary, we surprised my husband by setting up a new two-room tent in the garden and having a takeaway in it for his birthday. This idea came up due to us being in lockdown and potentially not being able to go away this summer. After all of us spent a night in the tent, it got me thinking about the advantages of camping in the garden; however, when you read it, please bear in mind that we’ve never been camping as a family before 🙂

  1. It’s cheaper
  2. It’s safer
  3. You can use your own wifi
  4. You can use your own facilities (particularly useful in the middle of the night)
  5. You don’t have to take the entire contents of your house with you ‘just in case’; you just pop back into the house
  6. You can plug in an extension lead and use your own electricity, particularly useful for watching Netfix or local news on your computer
  7. You can still be at home to receive your parcel deliveries and for engineers to come round to fix your appliances (see below)
  8. You can have your own local takeaways that you are used to, and enjoy them in the garden on your own plates
  9. You can wash your hands whenever you want, which is particularly relevant at the moment
  10. The children can go back into the house or go for a walk if they get bored
  11. You have an extra room to go and be by yourself in (or hide in) during the day when everyone else is in the house (and there’s still wifi for blogging!)
  12. You can use it as a shelter from the sun, and still be in your garden
  13. You can pop back into the house if you’ve forgotten something
  14. You don’t necessarily need to take any time off work as you’re only sleeping out there, but I suppose you could if you wanted to have days out
  15. You can still water your plants indoors and outdoors
  16. You can choose the days you sleep in the tent vs. in your own beds

You can probably tell from some of the above points that we’re more used to luxury than camping in a field!

Our experience

As mentioned, all four of us spent last night in our new family tent in the garden. Halfway through the night my husband had to go back into the house because our airbed had practically deflated and it was giving him a backache. This also made our backs feel cold, so after he’d gone inside I settled myself down and had more room to spread out (those sleeping pods are very compact). I used my warm fleecy coat as a layer between myself and the floor which was much warmer, and I was looking forward to staying asleep until I needed to start work.

I was woken to the sound of the outer door of the tent being unzipped, followed by a loud and cheery “Morning!” from my husband. It was 6.50am – far too early to be getting up. He’d made tea for us and hot chocolate for the girls, and put up the chairs for us to all sit in the main area of the tent. We couldn’t understand how he was so awake when we were so tired, but we did like the idea of having a hot drink in our own mugs and then being able to go into the house to use our own bathroom and get some breakfast.

As I entered the house, I noticed that the kitchen and dining room were so messy from yesterday, so I spent some time tidying up before showering and logging on for work.

The oven and freezer are now fixed

Our friendly engineer came round this afternoon with the spare part to fix the door back onto one of our ovens. He also looked at an issue with the other oven and fixed the plastic flaps onto our freezer shelves.

Due to social distancing, it was easier to make him a coffee before he arrived this time, and I stayed more than two meters away in the dining room with the doors open whilst we chatted. We are very lucky that we always get the same helpful engineer round from the company each time. He always gives me new tips and advice on all of my kitchen appliances, even if they are not ones that are insured with them. Today I learnt how to clean my hob properly, and how to keep my dishwasher and washing machine running more efficiently.

I’m posting this blog a day late again as our wifi had intermittent service last night due to emergency maintenance.

I think we may sleep in the tent again, after I’ve bought a new airbed! The girls have created a new rule though – no one is to wake anyone up in the morning for any reason 😀.

Until later…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Fun and relaxation, Inspiration, Life, Quality time, working mum | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Day 163: Knowing How to Put up a Tent Can Really Save you Time

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Sandra Madeira
Lockdown birthday in a tent in the garden

I’m posting this a day late because yesterday was manic getting things ready for my husband’s birthday which mostly had to wait until after I’d finished my work for the day. As usual, I took on too much and one of his presents (a two room outdoor tent) wasn’t arriving until the afternoon. He’d opened his other ‘more normal’ presents after breakfast.

When the tent arrived (without instructions) around 3.30pm, the girls wanted to have a go at setting it up in the garden whilst I was still working. Having no experience of putting up a tent, I wasn’t able to offer any guidance apart from ‘just google it’. Let’s just say that it took a few hours and a few arguments and when I did make an appearance outside, I was useless at helping. I just wanted to give up and tell my husband about the surprise so that he could help to put it up.

Once all the frustrations had passed, my daughter found another website that helped with the set up and they both worked really well together (I can’t take any credit). By 6pm, the tent was standing very stable but with a few gaps around the edges in the centre part (as the 2 sleeping pods had ground sheets sewn in). I was so proud of them.

Then we stuck a birthday banner on the tent, put out some chairs and a fire pit (that I uncovered and it looked like it had seen better days) and filled one of the sleeping pods with evening snacks. I then went to collect the Indian takeaway that I had ordered and they gave us a free bottle of wine as a present for my husband which was a really nice touch.

Birthday surprise revealed

We asked my husband to come outside for his surprise. He didn’t have a clue as he’d been asked to stay in the lounge all afternoon and we’d shut all the curtains and blinds. He had been so warm under a blanket in his shorts and tshirt all day. When he walked outside he absolutely loved what we’d done, but he couldn’t stop shivering. He went to put something warmer on and we also got him some blankets.

We sat in the centre part of the tent and ate our takeaway whilst he laughed so much at how funny it was that we were sitting outside in an tent in the cold eating Indian takeaway. He’d joked a couple of weeks ago, saying that as we probably wouldn’t go away this year, we could camp in the garden. He didn’t think we’d take him seriously. To be honest I only had the idea on Tuesday this week and managed to get it delivered quickly.

Being the cheeky husband that he is though, after we’d eaten he said ‘So, shall we put the tent up properly now?’ He showed us how to find proper detailed instructions online, and showed my daughters how to secure the ropes and tighten everything up so that we had no gaps, whilst I popped out to buy pump for the air beds. Unfortunately, my garage isn’t quite organised enough yet and I couldn’t find the attachments to the two pumps that we already owned (this I clutter is costing me money!)

Sometime during the day I also managed to make a cake which I’d forgotten to sandwich together so I quickly finished it off and we sang happy birthday about 10pm.

A quick victoria sponge birthday cake

Then we burned some wood in the firepit but only had it lit for a little while as it was late. Wrapped in blankets, we chatted for a little while and then went to sleep. The weather stayed dry for us which was good.

All in all, I think it was a success. We relaxed and had some fun spending time together doing something different, which was needed. My husband said that his lockdown birthday was definitely going to be one to remember. Maybe we’ll do it again in the summer months.

Until later…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, Fun and relaxation, Inspiration, Life, Quality time, working mum | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Day 162: I Treated Myself to a New Desk and it Was Very Simple to Assemble

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Sandra Madeira
Stages of Setting Up My New Desk

I bought myself a new desk as a treat for working so hard on my 2020 challenge and for getting rid of so much stuff during the first half of this year. I’ve never actually owned a new desk before – I’ve always acquired them somehow. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that, it’s nice to get something that actually fits the space you want and suits your taste. Glass tables aren’t for everyone (my husband isn’t even keen on them) but I wanted something simple and smart looking that would make the room appear brighter and more open. Being glass, I won’t be able to hide anything under it or behind it, so it’s a perfect way to stop me adding clutter to the desk and surrounding area.

The old brown table, that I removed yesterday and am now using as a shelf in my wardrobe, has a special meaning to me and has got me by during lockdown; however, it was time for something more appropriate for my busy job. I’ve been struggling with trying to fit everything on the small table and I couldn’t get my chair and legs under it properly. There never seemed to be enough room to spread out my notebooks and papers but I managed by pushing another couple of small tables together to make a larger rectangle area. The space also never seemed to look clean and clear no matter how many times I moved things about. I think I’ve justified the spend now!

My desk space before and after

It took me about half an hour to put the table together and the only part I needed help with was to lift it upright after I’d added the legs. My daughter helped me with that as the glass is very heavy. The table is extremely sturdy and good quality.

As I sat at my new desk today, I felt so happy and content. I had a lot more room and I also felt positioned better at the computer and everything was accessible. I now need to look around the house for my footrest.

The changes today did cause a bit of clutter to be moved over to the other side of the room (and other rooms) but this shouldn’t be too difficult to sort out over the next few days.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Inspiration, Life, working mum | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Day 161: A Symbolic Photo From My Walk This Morning, and More Progress Made

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

Onwards and Upwards

I’m unsure if I took this photo crooked, or if the fence that I walked past on my morning walk was actually like that. I was about to delete the photo, but stopped because I felt that it was symbolic of the upward progress I’m making on my 2020 challenge, as we approach the half year end.

As well as working and making dinner, I actually had a productive day today and moved a few things forward…

  • I found positions in the garden for the six small fuchsias plants that I bought yesterday. I’m looking forward to seeing them grow and flower.
  • My desk area in the conservatory has been getting messy so I spent a bit of time moving everything out of the way and cleaning the space ready for my new table that I’ll be assembling tomorrow (more on that when it’s all done).
  • I had to put the old ‘sentimental’ table somewhere so I ended up taking everything out of the bottom of one of our built-in bedroom wardrobes and used the table as a shelf. I then put everything back apart from an old set of moveable drawers full of clothes, most of which I don’t wear. I’ve put these in the spare room with the other piles of clothes that need sorting out.
  • I repurposed the moveable drawers to another wardrobe for now, as each drawer is more spacious than the smaller plastic drawers that I was using. It’s made a big difference – I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of doing this before.

As I emptied part of my bedroom wardrobe earlier today, it made me realise that even though I’ve done so much clearing and sorting in the other rooms, I still have tons of stuff to go through and so many more decisions to make. I’ve also moved items including small pieces of furniture from one room to another again. Although it might not make sense to anyone else, it makes sense to me. It’s all about being organised and I’m really starting to feel that.

Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.

Until then…

Sandra

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Day 160: Hedges and Ivy Had a Really Good Cut Today, But They Left the Bird’s Nest Intact

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Sandra Madeira

Another job done that I didn’t have to do myself. I’m slowly learning that I can’t do it all. Dan the hedge man and his helper did a fantastic job cutting our hedges and ivy today. Here they are all overgrown this morning…

Hedges and ivy before the trim

The law says that if they find a bird’s nest they can’t cut through it so he always looks out for these… and guess what… he found one with tiny eggs in. So, we have a bit of ivy still there (slightly higher than the rest), as a home for the birds ready for them to hatch.

There’s a nest in there somewhere!

It’s too high up for me to see the nest but we know it’s there.

The sun came out for the first time this evening ready for me to take some ‘after’ photos of the work done today.

Hedges and ivy after the trim

We are really pleased with the progress in our garden today and it makes it look more spacious front and back. I might just have to get out there this week and tidy the borders and plant the tray of fuchsias that I bought today.

Recycling

After cutting the hedges and ivy, the guys took all the remains away with them for recycling and even took a pile of garden rubbish that had been my ‘dumping ground’ for a while. This has given me an extra space to plant a few things. Very exciting!

Being recycling day tomorrow I spent half an hour folding and stacking all of the cardboard from the clearing that I’ve been doing over the last two weeks. The amount that I put out for collection this evening has made me feel very proud of myself.

Recycling

Until tomorrow…

Sandra

Posted in 2020 Challenge, decluttering, Inspiration, Life, recycling, working mum | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments