Round-up Part One
Evening all. Hope you have all had a bit of family fun today!
Had a go at round-up earlier - got half way through - dh called me for dinner - pressed wrong button - and it all disappeared. Starting again now ...!!
Orchids and everyone else with ovens in need of cleaning this is brilliant! Good tips from MrsPennyapple too. And if you don't have a dishwasher, soaking shelves and other oven bits in hot water in which you have put a dishwasher tab works well too.
Cuddledup I hope you are bearing up. I'm sorry - I've forgotten which day you said the funeral was on - thinking of you x
Good job on keeping up with the baby-steps Trazzles Hope treatment went well for J today (and that they were all ready for you).
Madwoman your mil is a star - although I must admit I too would be mortified if anyone delved too closely in to my kitchen cupboards and laundry baskets atm. Like Engels said, I always have the urge to help my sisters when I stay with them. When I last stayed at dsister2's house, I cleaned out her huge baking cupboard in the kitchen and did a massive pile of ironing (highly unusual behaviour for me!) and enjoyed it too! Will think about it more carefully next time though as I would hate to have caused her distress!
But as Toffee said - it really is a genuine pleasure to be able to help someone.
Given that it is much more fun to do chores in other people's houses - maybe that is the solution to all our Flying problems!! We just have to locate the Fledgling nearest to us, and do all their chores for them and vice versa!! (Engels - it may be a bit of a commute but I'm sure at a stretch we could do it 
!!) Just kidding ... sadly ....!!
Madwoman glad your friend and her dd are doing as well as can be expected in the circs.
Top marks to Makenoresolutions you seem v. on top of things and organised atm - need to follow suit!!
Silvery how exciting about the car - definitely best way to pass test! Hope you felt better today.
You too Bakerofcakes hope you are recovering.
And you Gossip hope you feel better soon and fingers and toes crossed for test next week. And yes, paint stripping and clearing up definitely counts!!
Toffee yay to reliable men with tweed jackets!! 
And ditto re: needing to get stuck in to kitchen cleaning next week.
Thekitchenfairy Yes it is as simple as that - just follow the baby-steps first until they become second nature (and do 15 mins decluttering in current zone per day if poss). Eating an elephant and all that!
MrsPennyApple/Thekitchenfairy like the sound of that decluttering thread ... must go and find it ...
Lorisparkle sorry - have finally caught up with this thread and see that you are indeed a newcomer. Hope the system is starting to work for you. Many of us on here feel overwhelmed so you are definitely in the right place! Small focused bursts of activity are definitely the way to go. I know it isn't easy when everything needs your attention at once - but Flying will really help with that, I promise. As Engels said, it's amazing what you can get done in 15 mins! And well done for getting the decorations down!
Doublemum arf at scene from The Hobbit. I find this useful and no, I don't have shares in Lakeland!! Hope your kitchen has recovered from pizza-making! It is dispiriting when you have to do everything all over again!
Well done Orchidskeepdying great the system is starting to work for you!
Wewereherefirst hope your Saturday was more relaxing than yesterday! (Doesn't sound like it from your v. impressive lists though!)
Engels Marmite available here too, albeit at exorbitant prices!! V. impressed by your post-holiday lists - v. organised! Hope your ds allowed you to get through a bit of your list today too. [Am also very scared about weighing myself tomorrow if it's any consolation!]
Glad you survived your shift Mercury and wise words about Flying. Keeping the basics going is definitely the key.
Castlelough it must be so frustrating for you being so tantalisingly close to finishing your build. You'll get there soon! And great that your dh has plumbing skills! Hope it wasn't too 
saying goodbye to your dsis.
Poor you LplateFlyer you really have been through the mill. Hope you are feeling much better now. And huge sympathies over that "sinking feeling" upon returning home - I know that feeling so well! Take care of that foot x
Hope your dd2 recovers soon Lilleth Completely understand your rant! I get up first and I always feel guilty about waking the house (dh and dd have no such concerns if they get up early for any reason though!!) Sometimes, trying to please everyone else gets too complicated though, and hopefully, if we do what is best for ourselves, that will work out for everyone else too! Totally "get" your reasoning though!!! And it was good prep for next week!!
Thanks Goth hope applications going OK
I like the sound of your first "list" today Bitchy! Hope you are feeling better
Huge wing flaps to Ellie WhatKatydidtoday
Last visitor departed -although can't really say I have had proper "visitors" this year as they came in dribs and drabs and stayed up the road - not here - as this house not really fit for guests atm, I'm ashamed to say 
. Which just meant we had to do bigger meals - no problem in this house!
Bit of a sad weekend as one year since family bereavement but most of us went to commemorative mass yesterday which was good. Bit of a gloomy start to the year though as dh's parents both seriously ill.
Need to get down to some serious dieting/Flying now. Rest of Christmas cakes and chocs can go over to office tomorrow.
Don't know about you but the year 2013 has a bit of a penetential ring to it if you ask me (or is that just my (shaky) Catholicism coming out?) Really really want to try and buckle down this year, get myself healthy and fit and slimmer, house decluttered and in order, spend less and more judiciously, and try and start resolving some practical problems in the house which have been dragging us down for years.
Heigh ho. Onwards and upwards everyone - one step at a time!
Posting this now in case I lose it again. Back with part two in a minute.