Snow

So, here we are again - it's January, it's snowing & the entire country's gone mad as if this were a complete novelty...

Hellooooo?  I'm pretty sure that winter happens every year in the UK - you know, freezing temperatures, ice & snow?  Yet every winter, people seem to be surprised by it..... And I wouldn't mind so much, but in most places it's not even that deep!! (Yes, there are places where it really is bad, so if you happen to live in one of those places, fair enough, but the rest of Britain, come on!!)

Round here, the weather reports have been warning us for the past week that it's coming- even down to the day it was expected to arrive & it's been pretty much the sole topic of conversation (even down to people lying about it snowing - apparently my village had snow before everyone else!!)  yet did the council bother going out to grit?  Nope....  So when the snow arrived as expected, the roads weren't the greatest to drive on.... (and we're only talking about an inch or so of snow - not feet!!!)

And strangely, while I can understand people panic-buying food, I really can't get my head round panic-buying petrol!!!  I went to buy petrol the other night (cos otherwise I wouldn't have got home) and the petrol station was full!!  Surely if you think the snow's going to be bad then you're not going to be going anywhere anyway?)

People are strange!

Anyway - if you're a fan of snow - go enjoy playing in it; if you're like me & much prefer looking at it (for a brief period of time) than being out in it, stay warm!!

Have a good weekend everyone xx

It's Monday!

Good morning!  How are we all?

I'm fine & dandy, thank you - even more so because unlike the majority of the country, my little corner of the world is snow-free!  Yay!
Mind you, having said that - I've seen pics up on Facebook & there actually doesn't seem to be that much about - just a light dusting in most places.  Enough for chaos to start threatening of course ;p

Tell you what - I'm loving this being child-free during the day malarky - home by 8.45 (would have been sooner but I went to pay the paper bill) & my to-do list completed by 11.30! (of course it is a different story when I'm working an early shift - but then I just shift my to do list  to the afternoon & resign myself to the fact it'll take longer cos I've got my little cherubs "helping" or not!)

So today, other than paying the paper bill I've done the following

Dishwasher emptied, filter cleaned, dishwasher back on
Load of laundry washed & drying as I type
Kitchen worktop cleared
Living room tidied & swept
Bathroom tidied & rubbish removed
Bathroom windows & window sills cleaned
Bathroom mirror cleaned
Bath & basin cleaned (& the plughole cleared of hair - yuck)
Toilet & tiles round the toilet cleaned.

Lunchtime now & omelette calling me!  Work later, then I'm going to wash the shower curtain when I get in from work.

Have a lovely day people & stay warm! xx

My baby isn't a baby anymore

My youngest little cherub (ok - that's a slight exaggeration!) starts school full-time tomorrow.
I've been reminding him for the past week that he didn't go back today when his brothers went back, but, yep, this morning we had a moment which nearly ended in temper tantrum when I took his brothers to school but he stayed at home with Daddy.....

End of one era, start of another - will my house finally be tidy?

Speaking of tidy, today I've managed to

Declutter/polish my dresser

Before
 

After

Clear/clean the sofa (it's a magnet for so much rubbish!)


Before

 

After (the piles in front have come from between the seats - yuk!)
 

Tidy the area in front of the cd shelves

Before

After

Clear the mantlepiece.

Tomorrow, I aim to

Do the normal day-to-day stuff (make beds, empty dishwasher, wipe over worktop)
Clear, sweep & mop the downstairs floor
Clear & organise the shelf unit in the kitchen
Pay the rent, council tax & catalogue bill

I may also have to organise a repair on my oven (or even a new cooker) as mine seems to have exploded today...... (taking out half the electricity supply with it!)

Then I think I'll give myself a day off on Friday!

Some before & after pics!

OK - some before & after pictures from the past couple of days.....  The kitchen looks so much better!

 



 

Kitchen worktop before

Kitchen worktop after

 

Kitchen worktop/sink area before
 

Kitchen worktop/sink area after

 

Sink/window-sill before

 



Sink/window-sill after

 

Under sink before

 



Under sink after

 



Top of fridge & freezer before

 

Top of fridge & freezer after

 



 

Worlds quickest game of monopoly...

Monopoly out & set up, youngest child has temper tantrum, youngest child has warning, youngest child rolls dice, I move our piece, youngest child has another temper tantrum, monopoly put away!!!

It took longer to get it set up than the time we spent "playing" it!!

Anyway, yesterdays to do list is all completed other than cleaning the kitchen window, which I'll move to another day.

I'll put pics up as soon as I can (they're all ready to go - but blogspots being daft!)


Tomorrow, I have to admit I'm not very likely to get anything done as I never seem to get anything done when me & him are both off work together (well, he's off, I don't start till 3).  Although he is taking the boys to the hairdresser at some point so we'll see what we see.

So, to do....

Change beds (inc turning mattresses)
Take rubbish out of bedrooms
Declutter top of drawers
Tidy bedside drawers

Doesn't sound a lot - but there are 5 beds to change plus you haven't seen the state of my bedroom!  It's going to take several sessions in there!

Happy New Year

Hello - I'm back!  I know, I know - you haven't missed me!  But I'm back anyway.  (And I hope you've all managed to find me seeing as how I've changed my URL)

Hope you've all had a lovely Yule/Christmas & a great New Year.

It's tidy-up time after the festivities here in the Draper household.  And boy does it need it....  I've been under the weather the past few weeks & if I haven't had to go to work I haven't been out of my onesie, never mind tidying.....  It's been as much as I could do to sort the dishwasher out.

But thankfully I feel a lot better today, if still slightly fuzzy (& touch wood I'm actually on the mend as there's been a few  times I've thought I was getting better only to be worse the next day...)
I have to admit to not doing a great deal other than 2 loads of laundry & the dishwasher but at least I'm dressed today!  It's a start!

The place really is a disgrace - my lovely Mammy would have had words when I was a teenager (& not pleasant ones either!)  so I really really need to get off my butt.

Thankfully the kids go back to school next Weds/Thurs (depending on the child) - they seem to have been off forever!  And my little Nikki starts full-time!  So that gives me chance to a) start using the Alethea Austin stretch DVD that I bought off my dance teacher & b) make some progress (hopefully) on this place.

I'm also hoping to actually blog a lot more often - partly because (theoretically) I'll have more time & partly because I know I was a lot better at pulling my finger out & getting on with housework when I was involved with forum-land - specifically the Flylady forum...  mainly because I was "answering" to someone!

So I figure if I start posting on here what I hope to achieve the following day, then when I come to do that days post, I can update where I've got up to before posting my next days to-do list (if that makes sense?)

And if anyone wants to start joining in by adding their to-do lists, then feel free!

So here's tomorrow's vague plan of action

Work
Find Nikki's lunchbox (it's somewhere in my bedroom - I may need to call for a search party!)
Clear the rubbish off the kitchen worktop
Clean microwave
Wipe over kitchen cupboard doors
Clear out under sink cupboard
Clean kitchen window
Tidy top of fridge & freezer.

I may even have a play about with the layout on here!

Over to you - what do you have planned for tomorrow?

Back to school

So the kids have been back at school for a week & a half...
That means time for cleaning.  (Sod spring-cleaning - the house needs a good clear out after the summer holidays way more than in the spring!)

Where to start though?  EVERYWHERE is an absolute pit....  I am soooo overwhelmed with it all.

AND I'd like to have the little boys room, the stairs & preferably the living room decorated before christmas... (which would of course explain the bizarre yellow squares all over the stair walls!)

And speaking of christmas - it's time to start thinking about that too....  so far I've got as far as putting together a spreadsheet of who to send cards/presents to...

Ah well - will come back to you when I've got myself a bit more organised!