Pre-Christmas House Princessing

[RoseyPeas]

Is there a thread about sorting out house for Christmas?

We had been planning a quiet Christmas and now have relatives coming and while I'm excited to be hosting, the house needs a lot of TLC.

So I want somewhere to record my house and garden princessing achievements. It may be some decluttering, some cleaning, bits of DIY, and eventually doing Xmas decs. Anyone else need motivating?

Yesterday I finished curtain repairs and rehung curtains.
Today I'm aiming to put bark chips mulch on beds in front garden.

Wow @HerkyBaby that’s some impressive decluttering. I’ve only managed one bag which had been sitting on the landing for 2 weeks

Today I spent some time on the garden. Cheerful green planter full of heather, hellibore and violas. DD has done a bright pink planter with cyclamen and violas. Looking more cheerful for Christmas guests.

Very jealous of your oven cleaning man @Nanalisa60

Llamallamadingdong

The company charges £55 to clean a double oven, I don’t need the hop done as it’s clean. hopefully it will look like new when it done.

I think it will be worth every penny and I’m not letting it get that dirty inside again.

Don’t forget that window cleaners also do the insides of windows and large landing mirrors . Mine is booked for the inside as well as the outside just before Christmas.

Oh and am trying out a new brass and copper cleaning product tomorrow for the fireside stuff I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks to a Velcro baby and a stroppy 7 year old I didn't get anything done on the weekend. It poured down with rain too so I couldn't even send DH out in the garden with the older two to sort that out.

But now they're all in work/school/kindergarten and its just me and Velcro baby I will put her in the sling and get some stuff done today!

I just made a list to keep me on track

I ground to a halt.hopping back on the princessing wagon this week.hoping between dreadful weather make some work on massive hedge out side by house and decluttering fronts

Well, my big achievement last week was returning some unwanted gifts. It took me three days to actually get out of the house in time before the school run, but there you go. I did hoover the stairs though!
Today's ambition is a charity shop run...

I am going to barge on in here and have a go, we had a new boiler put in back in the summer which has meant new floors in two rooms (done) but everything is piled in every other available space and it's hard going trying to get straight again!

Today it's draughtproofing in the dining room, all the skirtings were off for the new floor. And have some coving to put up in the kitchen. And shelves, and worktop to sand and replace!
YIKES!

This weekend.. dump run of all the cardboard n crap from the cupboard/loft/hell hole, all my pre maternity (never gonna fit into that after number two) clothes gone to charity. Need to find the address for the place that takes old bras n get that bag posted away. Hall is now stripped naked and half skimmed (we discovered it hadn’t been plastered they’d just put up boards n papered them.. only seems a little odd after what we’ve had with this house). Paints sitting ready to go, we need to get a boarder or something (keeping it basic so as the dcs grow it doesn’t get unfixably ruined by a crayon)

This week.. ds’s big Christmas pressie arrives.. I’ll need to shove it up my arse for storage at the moment. The new wardrobe for us arrives, ordering dc2’s furniture and two trofasts to store the inevitable things they gather. Pack up spare room and all the extra kitchen bits (found a home for them to live another day in)

Next mission.. where the fuck do I keep an ironing board.

Love this thread!!! 🎄

This week so far I've done the clothes rotation for my girls (3 on the 4th December and 6 months) and got rid of the baby clothes that are too small.

Sent 3 bags of clothes and toys to the charity shop and listed some of the more expensive things for sale to get some room for all of the new next month will bring.

Touched up paint in the living room and hall.
Decluttered bedrooms.

I NEED to get in the kitchen cupboards and give each one a good scrub and sort out but that's a job I need to do when DH is off so he can watch the girls.
I'm also thinking I'd like to paint the downstairs loo.

Not much else to do really though, the garden is just soaked so I can't really do anything out there. It could have done with one more cut really.

I say this week so far... I mean in the last week so far🙈

I did the two long walls along the skirtings but cba to heaveho the sofa out for the last one, so that can wait.

Also got the door curtain up so another draughtproofing bit sorted.

and the kitchen store cupboard is sorted too

Weather was too awful to do sanding outside!
Not bad considering we were also out to do a big shop and had all that to put away and the freezer is jampacked!

I was just about to start my own thread but will pile in here instead if that’s ok?

Our house is terrible. Just awful. And we’re half thinking of selling it so as well as Christmas to think of ... there’s possibly getting it market ready (which will need more than cleaning).

I’m going to try and commit to one hour a day. Was less than I do now.

Came in from work today and cleared all the crap off of the stairs, hoovered them and sorted out some of the crap. Also moved all shoes from the porch and hoovered it too. I like starting in the porch and stairs because I think if you can walk into it tidy it feels so much nicer - even if there’s a danger zone waiting for you through the next door.

Spent a couple of hours this evening going through yet more paper clutter. It's years and years worth so it's good to get rid of it.

Everyone on this thread is so inspiring - I really like knowing that other people are doing this at the same time. My house feels so much better already.

@Sortitoutlove good idea about porch. Am going to take a break from paper tomorrow and do porch/entrance.

Porch is a good idea!
We still have bits of cobweb stuck to the bricks from Halloween it's a bugger to get off! Need to get a new door mat aswell.

Stuff is going up into the attic today and I'm going to start on the bits of skirting boards that I don't usually get to.

Could do with defrosting the fridge freezer in the kitchen too! (I hate that job!)

Still manic at work, but I have had some small victories at home today.

Disposed of 1 large bag from previous decluttering session.

Bought and planted up 2 lovely Gaultheria and they are now either side of front door.

Cleared porch of junk.

Feeling pleased with myself

Oh I stumbled across this thread this morning and now I'm hooked! You've inspired me to give my.lounge a thorough scrub and defrost the freezer. I've already sorted through the toyboy and donated a load to a local charity to make room for this years presents, so please do inspire me with what more I can be doing!

Well I did make it to the charity shop on Monday, but no progress since (bar obsessively reading The Organised Mum's Christmas posts...). I've also googled a new bin, but not measured the space to see if it would fit. Not much going on this week that can't be done sitting under a hungry baby...

Painted the sunroom with peacock coloured paint with added sparkle.
Got shower room finished by plumber just one bit of snagging now.
Had living room painted ( first time for many years )
Must defrost freezer .
Make table runner for sunroom table ( it’s where 10 of us ( age range 3-96 ) have Christmas lunch. New theme every year .
Clean windows inside .
Clean disgusting window sills .
Think about repainting kitchen chairs ...they were shabby chic but now just plain grubby and shabby .
Paperwhite narcissi are planted up on sea pebbles in tall glass vases for forest flowers over Christmas .
I am sure there is more .

@Somebodystired sorting through the toyboy - we don't need to hear about that

@DustyDoorframes - I must have a look at TOMM as I keep seeing it referred to on MN. At the moment I'm doing well with decluttering, so I don't want to read anything in case I find out that I'm doing it all wrong!

Yesterday I cleaned fridge - tbh it will probably need doing again before our visitors come, but I hope it will be a quick wipe over then.

Still working my way through cupboards of paperwork. It's not Christmas prep strictly speaking, as I don't expect visitors to be going through cupboards but it does leave a space for sorted things to go.

I've also bought cyclamen and am planning to pot them up today (when it's a bit warmer - freezing here today!)

And we're working our way through freezer meals to make room for Xmas junk food

Wow @Trumpton - you've made some big improvements! Mine all seem fairly minor in comparison!

Ah but I am
1.retired !

1. Therefore no children at home !

It's always hand to have a sort through the toyboy. On a completely unrelated note, I also sorted through the toybox

Like the idea of the narcissi.

Gave the bathroom a good clean today, shelves pictures etc.
Woman's Weekly had advertised offer of two holly trees. I really fancy two at the door. Wonder if I put them at the front if they will get pinched. Otherwise kitchen door which is on the side.I would like to put solar lights through them.