One project a day- 2nd thread!

[BlueLobelia]

Welcome to everyone, old hats, lurkers and newbies.

This is a thread where we try and achieve something, no matter how small, a day.

This was the preamble to the previous thread ;

''......many years ago when i was first on MN I started (or maybe just actively participated in, cannot quite recall) a one (house) project a day. It made the most profound difference to my home. The project could be time consuming or not. It could take seconds, minutes or hours. I recall things like changing the lightbulb and lampshade in a hallway table lamp for example as a single day project. One day i also threw away holey and raggedy cushion covers and bought news ones. Little things, that really mattered.

If anyone is interested I wish to start another thread.

Today, as my one project a day, I cleared out my dehydrated and weed-ridden window boxes (2 of them). I put new compost in them and planted them with lobelia (obviously!); red geraniums and some dianthus. I am happy looking out (and in!) my front windows now. :) ''

everyone welcome!

This thread is my therapy too it seems. :)

Morning all.

I’m back on home turf. House is a mess. A real mess. DH is good and kept up with washing etc. but it’s ‘man’ clean rather than how I like it. And as we have had and are having work done and DS went and emptied his uni accommodation there is stuff everywhere!

And then I half unpacked to add to the chaos! Left it all as we went to our neighbours for dinner.

Today I have done some washing and vacuumed the kitchen, utility room and dining areas. Just having a cuppa and then we are going to a garden centre to buy some plants for pots on the patio - what we bought earlier in the year died from a mixture of frost and too much rain. So we are replacing those. Have to buy some Blue Lobelia obviously!

@BlueLobelia - sorry to hear about your dog. We lost one of ours suddenly at the beginning of the first lockdown. Still have one but she is now 11 so not sure how much longer we will have her. Also sorry to read of your husband’s hoarding issues. That must be hard to cope with. I’m messy and have a shopping habit and Dah tends to hang on to stuff but I do periodically blitz and clear stuff and DH is on board with it normally.

We are currently waiting for a shed to be built which will clear some space in the garage and that will mean we can clear some stuff from the hallway and study. And once the bathroom is finished I can clear some stuff from the spare bedroom. It all feels a bit one step forward and two steps back at the moment and we are at the mercy of tradesmen etc. It feels like I can’t do A until B happens and B can’t happen until C happens and C can’t happen until D happens. And on and on and on!

Last week was incredibly busy so while I was making lists, I didn’t have time to MumsNet where one post turns into five and five minutes turns into an hour in AIBU.

I just want to say how lovely it has been to read about your lives and catch up, so to speak, with news about DownUdderer’s dad and Blue’s dog for example. I find it very calming after the mad rush I have had recently.

In my news, I have one cat with cat flu and another with unexplained vomiting. And I am proud to say I have mastered the fine art of getting a pill down a cat’s throat without either the cat or I needing to go to the vet/hospital. I deserve a medal. And possibly a statue.

DH and I had a party for a big birthday at the weekend so I had to get the house guest-ready and prepare food for 20 people. Usually not a problem but this time I changed things up to make individual portions so as to be COVID-safe. No shared picky platters which meant that everything took five times as long. But it was worth it. ☺️ Lessons learned - guests don’t need that many options, don’t rely on DH, buy a bigger fridge, stackable cooling racks from ikea are fantastic and I will buy many, many more before the next party.

Next up:
Immigration paperwork - gulp - this will take a while
Confirm new job got my last email
Check when car registration is due
Start online coursework
Sew chair slip cover (this will take a while too)
Meal plan for the week ahead
Discuss next lesson plan with co-teachers
Tidy up my office
Price up all the home improvements I want to do so I can prioritize and drop some of the ideas that aren’t good value for money

With that in mind, does anyone know how I can hide three meters of big ugly corrugated metal fence? Ideally, overnight? With something incredibly low maintenance? And very cheap?

All I can think of is a fake plastic ivy trellis thing which a) isn’t much of an improvement on a metal fence, b) will become a spider haven and c) I don’t really like.

We have put the new window in today 🎉
And I have prepped the woodwork around the window for painting and removed all the old mouldy silicone from around the window. What a difference!
I’m contemplating starting to paint the woodwork around the window while DH is watching the footie but I paint like nothing on earth and I think it will give both DH and I massive anxiety 😂

DifficultBloodyWoman could you paint it something really lovely? A bright Mediterranean colour or something?

My underfloor is drying beautifully. I was today years old when I learnt that although a dehumidifier works in the kitchen, the percentages when you're running it next to a washing-up bowl are haphazard in the extreme and the best thing to guesstimate how effective it is, is how much water is underneath the loose slate....

I've done some spinning and dyeing today, which sounds very Good Life but it turns things from bags of sheepy fleece into much more storeable and useful balls of wool. I may make a Fair Isle cardi out of them....

I commented on here about a month ago and then fell down a rabbit hole of business and stress
However I have been clearing out at least 1 thing a day. Last night I packed all the baby toys noone plays with any more and have added them to my pregnant friends pile ready for when i see her next

Have sold few bits on vinted and given bags of stuff to the charity shop. Slowly decluttering!

MrsRussell I would do exactly that but we are in a rental with plans to move in 18 months. It is quite frustrating because that is long enough that I want to make things nice and not long enough to justify spending much. I was looking at creating a sort of secondary fence with IKEA applaro wall panels but that still ends up being hundreds of pounds. On the plus side, we could take them with us but then would we really want to? I don’t know.

Spinning and dying your own wool sounds quite difficult. How do you spin it? Is it like the old fashioned sleeping beauty spindle or are their modern techy versions now?

Herewegoagain - I did the same thing but i am finding this thread to be very motivating so I am going to do my best to post often.

Where one post turns into five and five minutes turns into an hour in AIBU

That made me laugh @DifficultBloodyWoman In recognition, mainly. I hope your cats are on the mend and I'm impressed at the injury- free tablet dispensing. I'm quite tired just reading your post!
Spinning and dyeing wool sounds fascinating, and as for the ability to knit fair isle @MrsRussell I'm just in awe! I never mastered any of that sort of thing.

Congratulations on the new window @Sparklynewname!

Welcome back @Peridot1 Your dad sounds like a tough sort and I hope he makes a good recovery. And best wishes to you and yours @DownUdderer, and just hope you're feeling brighter.

Hugs all round as always, perhaps a cyber coffee morning is in order #passes and

I have a day of small but important errands today, and I'm contemplating getting a compost bin. My car also needs hoovering out.

Thank yo for thinking of me @fnib. Now I don't have to worry about my dad I do feel so much better.

We've had air con fitted today! I've got the heat on, it comes out of a ceiling vent! We've never had proper heating in years! We normally just climb under blankets. It's going to be amazing!

So tomorrow I'll sweep, mop and hoover up the dust from where they cut the ceiling for the vents.

I've spent literally months decluttering. Once you get going with it the benefits start becoming more obvious. So I can completely identify with buying more storage boxes! Sometimes more storage isn't the answer. I felt like I was never going to become organized, but I'm really really organized now.

DifficultBloodyWoman, how about hiding your fence with posts with a fabric panel in between - like windbreak fabric or the sailcloth sunshade fabric?

Drop spindle @DifficultBloodyWoman - not even a spinning-wheel, I am very low-tech! (Also, on the matter of cats, the less loose threads there are for CATS to play with, the less temptation there is for textile carnage...)
I've got a little table loom so I might make myself some even more low-tech cushion covers. I'm laughing at myself here cos I've got Radio 3 on, there's some Elizabethan music, and I'm spinning with a drop spindle. It's like the 18th century never happened...

I'm with you @Peridot1 - thing A needs to happen before thing B can happen, the thing is I'm patient with thing A happening although I think it drives DH crazy. BUT YOU HAVE A BAG FULL OF FLEECE NEXT TO YOUR CHAIR LOVE!!! Yes, but I'm working my way through it, and then I won't, rather than just putting it back in a cupboard and there it will stay for another six months taking up space.

In Things I Have Achieved Today, I have sealed the gap between the sink and the draining board, and am currently making an old cat very happy by providing a lap for cuddles.

@DifficultBloodyWoman - what about a couple of planters with trellises? You could plant some quick growing climbers. You can then take them with you or sell them when you are moving?

We did the garden centre trip yesterday. Plants - including Blue Lobelia obviously! - all outside getting a good soaking today ready To hopefully be planted out tomorrow. I ordered a corner sofa set for the patio which is arriving on Friday. I also bought some house plants but DH reckons they mostly need repotting so need to do that at some stage.

It was funny but coming back in to the house on Saturday the first thing I noticed was how echoing it felt/sounded. So I want to soften it with a big rug for under the dining table and i though houseplants would help too. We have tiled floors and floor to ceiling windows and the kitchen and dining area is open plan. We don’t have curtains yet which isn’t helping.

I also ended up in a bit of a shopping spree yesterday. Ordered a new toaster as ours has pretty much died and a new kettle with a filter as we are in a very hard water area. And a friend owns a lovely shop and I did an order for some nice bright ornaments etc. I have decided colour makes me happy so I am aiming to add more colour to the house.

The tiler has appeared this morning so the main bathroom is being tiled. That will be a big tick off the list and will lead to me being able to sort the spare room as all the bathroom stuff is in there.

Today I need to go to the supermarket and start a big master list of all I need to do by the end of July when my sister comes to stay. I will also tidy away all my winter shoes. And catch up on washing.

I think that was a far longer post than needed!

Oh and I am attaching a photo of a couple of visitors to the garden yesterday evening.

Sorry I can’t remember who needed to hide the metal fence... is it paintable and then possible to mount lights and baskets on?
Or could you put a trellis against it with small pots attached all over the trellis? I’m thinking one petunia, viola, pansy, blue lobelia of course and other bedding plants, one per small pot and they will fill fairly well. They can then be taken with you when you move.
Today’s job was a risk assessment and a quick walk along the end part of tomorrow’s small hill walk with some cubs. Just checking for cows.
I meant to say the other day, I try not to buy more storage units. DH used to keep saying we needed to buy more storage when in fact we needed to get rid of some stuff. However, I am in the very fortunate position of having an absolutely huge cupboard on my landing as well as a really big cupboard under the stairs which has a good amount of shallow shelving around the edges.
When we had a new kitchen a few years back, we got cupboards that reach the ceiling. And all the bottom units are drawers except for the corner cupboard which has a carousel. I can only see the bottom shelf and the very front of the second shelf (I’m not short) so I also had space for a step stool to live in the kitchen. The amount of space we have in our kitchen is vast and I love it. Although the top shelf where our car and camping cups has got a little unruly at present so I need to get up on the steps tomorrow and sort it properly. If DH or DS are not in the kitchen when I want one of my travel mugs down, I have been known to use my rings to reach them on tiptoe 😂

Current project is to sort the cupboard upstairs. Building up to it by sorting a lot of random crap that was in there, but still have a way to go before it’s empty, and then it’ll take longer still to sort the books downstairs and free up the Kallax that we will put in the cupboard.

I’m volunteering and tutoring tomorrow, but I could do some small tasks in the gaps perhaps. Sorting the high shelf in the cupboard is an easy win - it’s basically just Christmas stuff that I could sort and rebox, and then clean the actual shelf before replacing. I could put the wrapping paper box and the painting/dust sheet bag up there too.

I might also go through the box of workbooks/activity books as I think I’ve found them all now and it should be quick to decide what to keep, sell or recycle.

I've put away a big massive load of clothes today, I normally put this job off. I've also swept up and mopped plaster dust. Tomorrow more sweeping and mopping.

I ended up helping DS go through his clothes - now have four bags to get rid of. He decided to “bulk up” a while ago so lots of his clothes didn’t fit and he has being buying replacements but all his drawers were full. Hope to get another sorting session in his room today which will mean his room his easier to keep tidy.

Also the last of the stuff he brought back from uni is in the washing machine so once that’s dry his uni stuff can get stored under his bed which will clear space on the floor.

Other jobs I’m planning on today are switching out my winter and summer clothes. Jumpers, pyjamas and gym grear. And shoes.

placemarking as I'm planning to be in bed all day (recovering from jab & sick kids making me feel nauseated)

I did a massive clear out of loft crap last month and sorted lots of Lego.

Yesterday I bought a family wall planner (white board) and a key holder as the hours i have wasted looking for my keys 🙈

Put them up with command hooks once the babies were in bed. Also used command strips to put a photo frame up that couldn't be drilled as the perfect hanging place was just above an electrical socket.
Sold a baby Walker and found an old pair of trousers my son had outgrown and passed them onto nurserys spares box

Tonight i need to the dining table ready for a cold birthday bbq tomorrow with friends

Hope everyone is well.
Lovely sunshine here. Shame I spent most of the day inside at work.
Have potted some plants and hung them on the trellis. Need a few more so will sort that tomorrow I think. Ironing to do when I get home. About to go for a big walk whilst Dd is at dance.

DS and I went and bought the new skirting boards today so they are waiting to be fitted tomorrow evening after work.
Didn’t do the cupboard though!

I did nothing off my list today. Motivation sorely lacking!

Tomorrow is another day!

A solution to the ugly metal fence - DH and I have talked about it and are leaning towards applaro wall panels again. I need at least 3 to make it work, plus plants. I could save money by using cloth or fake ivy trellis in one section. I was worried about the cost but DH has just been offered a new job with a 30% pay rise(!!!) and I will be starting paid work again soon. The upside is we could take it with us when we move and the down side is that we would have to take it with us when we move. We have too much stuff!

I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions as it has given me many more options to consider. Thank you.

Peridot where did you take the photo of the deer?

Today’s to do list:

• Laundry (at least 2 loads)
• Move the dry laundry DH has been ignoring upstairs (I refuse to put it away for him)
• Volunteer work
• defrost mince for dinner tonight
• change the litter trays
• chase my new employment contract

And do some work on the bigger/longer term stuff:

• immigration paperwork
• sewing

@AndddddHerewegoagain my key holder saved my sanity. Why i never thought of having such a thing in days gone by, I will never know! Habits are wonderful things- apparently it takes 30 days doing something to get it ingrained into the subconscious (something like that anyway) Keys on rack, phone in bag, bag on hook on back of kitchen door. I have not lost keys or phone for about 4 years now 😇 You won't know yourself with all that key searching time saved 😀

I've started ironing again! I've not done it bar special occasions since kids were in primary. And that was only uniforms. DH did his own work shirts normally. My DD said who are you and what have you done with my mum, when she caught me doing it the other day. Further exclamations when she saw my neatly dug and weeded border. It's still awaiting plants and I'm not even sure that I'll manage that until next year, but the good habits are building.

@Peridot1 you must be shattered! I hope you had a good rest yesterday.

Best wishes for a productive day to all

@DifficultBloodyWoman - the deer were in our front garden! We are fairly rural and there are quite a few around. Our neighbour in the left is very elderly and her ‘garden’ is very overgrown with fallen fences into the fields behind the houses. I think some deer live in her garden. I saw the same pair this morning in the field at the back which is currently planted with lupins.

@Fnib - yes I did mainly rest yesterday. Feel better for it today.

Today’s job will be sorting my summer clothes. As I was meant to do yesterday!

Can’t do any washing this morning as the plumber is coming to do a few things including levelling the machine.

So I’m doing a quick kitchen tidy and clean and take the dog for a walk and then doing my clothes.