#but i also want to reorganise a few drawers and stuff this time around

[deltastorm101]

infamous end-of-year-cleanup has begun babes

[lindoig8]

Alice Springs & preparing for our Camel Trek

Thursday, 22 April

We drove the last 150 km into Marla on the Stuart Highway, the first sealed road for almost 700 clicks. We refuelled, although we probably still had enough to get us to Alice Springs. And we had lowered our tyre pressure on the gravel roads so this was the time to bring them up to pressure again because we would now be on bitumen right through to Alice Springs. We also ate our lunch there before setting off on the final section of our trip to the Alice.

We had expected to be stopped at the Northern Territory border for quarantine and Covid documentation checks, but there was absolutely nothing so we just kept driving through to Kulgera and thence on to Erldunda where we stopped for the night. There were a few more birds around the caravan park than at our previous stops, including a pair of Major Mitchells, a few vivid Australian Ringnecks and some Mulga Parrots.

We had another superb dinner at night, using our double-sided frying pan to cook a hearty roast chicken and vegetables meal to celebrate our arrival in the Northern Territory. Interestingly, we still haven’t turned on our TV to watch any DVDs since we left home. We have just read or done puzzles and turned in quite early each night. That will probably change once we are back in ‘civilisation’ again.

Friday, 23 April

We saw a couple of camels over the fence from our caravan after breakfast so took a few photos of them and told them that we would be walking in the desert with some of their brothers within the week – but that didn’t seem to impress them much. And then it was on the road again for the final 199 kilometres to Alice Springs.

We arrived at the G’Day Mate Caravan Park where we have stayed a couple of times before at about 12.45pm – a mere 3065 kilometres from home. We set ourselves up quite comfortably here and despite our resolve to leave all the cleaning and reorganising until after our Camel Trek, we did quite a bit of it during the afternoon. We have plenty still to do, but at least the main surfaces are now clean and most of our gear is accessible and usable if and when we want it. We noted a few more very minor damages to the van, but one important thing I saw when I disconnected the car from the van was that one of the two bolts in the trailer hitch had come loose and fallen out during the trip, leaving only a single bolt holding the van and the (fairly loose) towball hanging at an angle of about 45 degrees from where it should be.

We cooked another excellent meal for dinner and washed it down with a bottle of bubbles to celebrate our arrival at our first formal destination of this trip.

Saturday, 24 April

We had a huge fry-up for breakfast, using up lots of delicious leftovers before we started work for the day.

We had heaps of cleaning and rearranging to do as well as two giant loads of accumulated dust to wash out of our bedding and clothing. Everything was/is smothered in dust. I tried to get some out of our carpets and Heather did a lot of cleaning too, but it even coated everything in the fridge - how it infiltrated the fridge-seals beats me, but every cupboard, every drawer, every surface was reddish grey from its thick coating of dust. We had sealed boxes inside a closed cupboard under the bed and even they were full of dust. We will live with most of it until after our camel trek and do a more comprehensive clean after that. Of course, we will be travelling on lots more dusty roads over the next few months so I am quite sure it is all going to happen again, probably several times.

While the washing was on the line drying, we caught up with the scores of emails that had arrived while we were off the grid, with bills to pay and transactions to post, etc. There is no rest for the wicked and I had quite a bit of reading to do and correspondence to finalise for our next Owners Corporation Committee meeting the day after we get back from our Camel Expedition.

We also needed to restock some of our cupboards so went to the Supermarket during the afternoon too. It was a busy day even if we didn’t seem to have a lot to show for it. But we made a delicious paella for dinner - absolutely delightful! Man, can we do paella!

Sunday, 25 April

ANZAC Day, but apart from recognising it on Facebook, we didn’t make much of it this year. We both had things to do and I am still finding it exhausting to do much without gasping for breath with the lingering dregs of my cold - and a further 10 days later, I still haven't shaken it completely.

I wanted to check out under both car and van for any previously undetected damages and spent an hour or so crawling around inspecting the respective undercarriages. There is no indication of even the smallest damage under the car - what a mighty wagon we have! And perhaps surprisingly, the van is pretty good too. We have invested in a good deal of protective shielding over the years and although the metal guards are bent and ripped in places, it is still doing a pretty good job. It is just the odd stone that misses the shielding and hits something vulnerable (like a plastic water tap or unprotected hose) that does the occasional damage. But I guess a few million stones have hit the protection and it is not all that surprising that the occasional one gets through.

I had to tighten the towball that had become a little loose and retrieve the remaining bolt from the unit so I can buy an identical one and both tasks proved challenging, but I eventually succeeded with both. And we had to cut the padlock off the other gas cylinder so we replaced both cylinders with identically keyed locks. Accessing tools from both car and van and repacking the caravan boot also took time so with several rests to gird my loins again, it was almost lunchtime before that was all completed.

While I was doing this, Heather was reworking a draft I had prepared to nominate one of our Clubs for an award. We actually nominated them for two somewhat similar awards and it would be great if they got one. They really deserve it after their fantastic work supporting their members and growing the Club through the darkest days of the Covid lockdown.

We spent a good deal of the afternoon looking at our photos and writing stuff for our blogs but we went out for a 3-4 km walk in the arvo, just around the local area - basically along both sides of the very dry Todd River.

Monday/Tuesday, 26-27 April

In anticipation of our upcoming trek, we didn’t do a lot on these days. We had a couple of long walks in the area around the caravan park (one with our back-packs on to satisfy ourselves that we could carry the weight) and mainly just did more cleaning and maintenance around the van. We took quite some time packing for our Camel Trek to ensure we had everything we might need, that everything was fully charged and we were ready to take on the challenge ahead of us.

[marwritesgood]

Crossfire | O. Diaz

Pairing : Oscar x Martinez!Reader

Timeframe : Season Two (Spoilers Ahead)

Summary : Spooky and Y/n are at a disagreement over what to do with Cesar, and everyone else is caught in the crossfire.

masterlist

A/N: Y’all didn’t request this. So I requested it for y’all.

*************

Spooky didn't keep things from me. He never did. Not even when he became a Santos and gradually managed to learn more about how the gang ran. He trusted me, just as much as I trusted him.

So, when I found out from Monse that he and the rest of the gang essentially disowned Cesar because of what happened, I was livid. But I also couldn’t help but wonder how long he though it would take before I found out. And whether or not he was hiding more.

“Babe, he’s just a kid,” I huffed.

Spooky and I were parked up in an empty parking lot, eating takeout, just like we did every other day. After bringing up the fact that I knew he kicked Cesar out, he immediately got defensive which led quickly to an argument.

“He’s grown enough to know better,” Spooky grumbled, before aggressively biting into his burger. It was clear, then, that this argument was not going to end well, because I was not willing to back down, and neither was Spooky.

“So, what?” I exclaimed, leaning back against my seat. “You’re just gonna leave him out there on his own? He made a mistake, Spooky-”

“-A really fucking stupid one,” he finished.

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. I hated arguing with Spooky, but it frustrated me even more that he was being so impossible about this. We work so well as a team, but the few times we come to a disagreement, things always got heated really fast.

“You’re being so impossible,” I muttered, furrowing my eyebrows together.

Spooky swallowed his food and kissed his teeth loudly, something he always seemed to do right before saying something he would soon regret.

“I don’t see how this is any of your business.”

My blood began to boil. It was one thing to be defensive about kicking Cesar out, but it was another to make me feel like an idiot for caring about him.

“I cannot believe you right now,” I spat, grabbing my bag strap from the ground, and turning to open my car door. Spooky, however, caught my wrist and kept me from leaving.

“Hey, wait baby,” he whispered, his voice and expression suddenly soft. “C’mon, I didn't mean it like that.... I just... This is between me and Cesar, okay. You don’t need to get involved.”

“I don’t need to get involved, or you don’t want me to get involved?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, baby,” he pleaded.

I couldn’t help but let out a scoff, because despite his weak attempt at trying to take back what he said, it still really stung. And so I was still annoyed at Spooky.

“Whatever,” I muttered angrily, grabbing my bag with one hand and clutching the door handle with the other. This time, Spooky didn’t stop me. “But if something happens to him, because no one was there to protect him- not even his big brother- then... don't say I didn’t warn you.”

I opened the door, and began walking away from Spooky’s car.

“Where are you going?” He called out to me.

“None of your business anymore,” I yelled back, before turning my back on him and walking back to my house.

*******************

“No... No fucking way.”

I was in the middle of doing the laundry for everyone in the house, including Mario’s baby mama, when he and Ruby approached me. Apparently, Ruby was in a slump and Mario wanted to take him to a party at the Santos house to cheer him up.

The only issue was Spooky.

“C’mon, Y/n,” Mario pleaded, following down the hallway and into Abuelita’s bedroom where I placed her clothes back into her drawer. “Spooky won’t let us go unless we bring you.”

“I don’t care, Mario,” I retorted. “You can take Ruby somewhere else, there’s no way in hell I’m gonna go and see Spooky again.”

We hadn’t spoke since we last argued, but we had encountered one another several times since. However, each and every time our eyes met one another, I quickly walked ran in the opposite direction just to avoid him.

It seemed he was now desperate to get me to talk to him.

“What if I pay you?”

I froze for a moment. Then, after placing the rest of my grandmother’s clothes back tot where they belonged, I turned to my little brother and raised an eyebrow at him.

“How much?”

“Twenty,” he answered shortly.

“Thirty,” I responded, as I folded my arms. If I was gonna put myself in an uncomfortable situation so my brothers could party, I was going to at least get my money’s worth.

“Fine,” Mario grumbled, before pulling out his wallet and handing me my money owed, which I eagerly snatched from his hand with a smile on my face.

Until I remembered what I signed myself up for. And my smile immediately faded.

*******************

Normally, I would have felt uncomfortable being at a party with several sleazy gangsters. However, after being with Spooky for so many years, I gained their respect, so much so the other members either treated me like their sister or their daughter.

When we first arrived at the party, rather than getting excited in the way Mario had anticipated, Ruby walked straight to the nearest empty couch and plopped himself down, so I followed him there.

“Why is he doing this to me, Y/n?” Ruby groaned, resting his head against my shoulder. Mario, who somehow managed to already have a drink in his hand, sat on the other side of Ruby.

“I’m doing this, because I’m a good big brother,” he explained. “Now go and have some fun. Have a couple drinks. Have something to eat.... C’mon, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Mario and Ruby stood up at the same time, and proceeded to make the rounds. Before I could follow them, a familiar figure sat beside me and kept me from getting up.

“Hey.”

“What do you want, Spooky?” I asked in annoyance. I had several errands to run, all of which I put on hold so that my brothers could enjoy themselves, and because Spooky wouldn’t let them otherwise.

“I wanna talk,” he whispered, a hint of guilt noticeable in his voice. “Please, Y/n... Give me a chance to fix this.”

He had his arm around me, the way he always did, and he stared intently at me as he spoke. I normally loved the way he made me feel when he did that, but now I despised him for it, because of how quickly it made my heart beat.

“Uhm,” I coughed uncomfortably, before getting up from the couch. “I’m gonna get a drink.”

As I walked away, Spooky stayed seated on the couch. I didn’t need to look back to know that leaving him in the cold stung.

As I poured myself a drank, I glanced back at him and noticed him flaring his nostrils before leaning back and scanning the room with his signature look of stoicism.

“Why are you giving him such a hard time?”

I turned my head and saw Ruby, reorganising the drinks and new food he brought in. Trust him to assume the position of party planner, even for a party he had no direct involvement in.

“It’s complicated,” I replied.

“Sure...” Ruby cocked his eyebrow and glanced at me while he dished out the potato chips and the guacamole. “That’s what you say every time you fight, but it never ends up being all that complicated.”

“Don’t you have other things to be worried about than me and Spooky?”

As I spoke, Ruby’s eyes drifted off. He leaned over to the side, and a smile slowly grew on his face. I quickly turned around and instantly realised why he became so giddy so quickly.

“Yeah... maybe I do.”

As he spoke, several girls around my age walked into the party, all dressed up and wearing heels higher than the last.

****************

It had been an hour since those girls walked in, and after the first fifteen, one had taken it upon herself to sit closely next to Spooky on the couch. Too closely.

When I first noticed, I couldn’t hide my annoyance and Spooky instantly picked up on it. SO, being the little shit he was, he began encouraging the sat next to him, glancing over at me every few seconds to make sure I was watching.

And for some reason I couldn't look away.

“Hey, Y/n!”

My gaze is broken by arms wrapping themselves around my shoulders. I turned around and quickly realised that it was Angelica, a girl I was close friend with right up until she and my brother broke up.

“Oh my gosh, hi,” I exclaimed, turning to face her and hugging her back.

She then began to tell me about what she had gotten up to over the past year. I nodded and smiled as she spoke, but I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering back to where Spooky was sitting, obnoxiously flirting with a girl who didn’t understand personal space.

“It’s bugging you isn’t it?” Angelica laughed, joining me in staring angrily at the two. “Yeah... I don’t like her either. She never quite learned how to take a hint. Or how to keep her hands to herself, and not men who are already taken.”

“Yeah, well... Spooky and I are kinda going through some stuff,” I said sadly.

“Still,” Angelica added, rubbing my back gently. “She knew you were his girl well before we got to this party... I think it’s about time someone put her in place.”

I glanced back to where Spooky and the girl sat. They had gone from obnoxiously flirting to him wrapping his arm around her, and her placing her hand on his chest. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hold my bag,” I muttered, to Angelica. She did not hesitate, which I appreciated, because I was just about ready to throw hands.

After Angelica took hold of my stuff, I began marching over to Spooky and whatsherface, I must’ve looked just as angry as I felt, because as soon as Spooky saw my walking, he immediately pulled his arm away from the girl and even tried to push her off the couch.

“Woah, what the fuck,” the girl yelled as Spooky pulled away.

The second i got close enough to touch her, I poured my cup of rum and coke on her head, before slapping the smirk she had right off of her face. As she held the side of her face I hit, I went to reach for my shoe.

“Next time it’ll be acid, bitch,” I yelled, trying to go for another swing, only to have Spooky pul me back. “So learn how to stay in your fucking lane, and stay the hell away from my man.”

She was quick to scurry away. After she ran off, Spooky let go of me and began chuckling back. I was glad he found this funny, because I was far from amused.

“Go to hell, Spooky,” I spat, before turning away from him and walking out of the party and onto the sidewalk. I should’ve known he was gonna follow me.

“Y/n!” He kept calling my name.

Which only gave me more of an incentive to walk faster.

“Y/n! Hey, c’mon, you know she didn’t mean anything,” he said, matching my pace and walking alongside me on the footpath. I came to an d abrupt stop, and turned so we were face to face. “You’re just really hot when you get jealous.”

“You don’t get it,” I cried, crossing my arms out of frustration. “What you said really hurt me, Spooky. This isn’t any of my business? Who do you think looked out for Cesar while you were doing time, huh? Who do you think took care of him when you weren’t there to do it? Because it sure as hell wasn’t that bitch you had your arm around... God, I care about him, Spook, and you made feel like shit for it.”

“Baby, I-”

“I nearly lost Ruby,” I said. My voice began to break. “I nearly lost my baby brother, and when it happened all I could think about was how I should’ve protected him. I’m his big sister... it was my job to protect him, and I couldn’t... And I don’t want anything like to happen to Cesar.”

“That’s why I called the truce,” Spooky defended.

“Yeah, but what are you gonna do when they end it?” I questioned. “Because you know you they will eventually... Look, whatever you wanna do is up to you... But if you’re not gonna look out for the kid, then I will. And you can’t stop me.”

I pushed past Spooky and made my way home.

****************

It had been several weeks since the party.

Spooky stopped trying to get me to talk to him, and I avoided crossing paths with him altogether. Perhaps I was really awful a hiding how sad I felt about our falling out, because everyone in my house became uncomfortably kind to me. Mario even offered to help me with the dishes when it was my night to do them

“Here,” I said, handing him a newly washed plate so he could dry it and put it aside.

We did this for a few minutes, before he finally broke the silence.

“Hey so uhm...” His eyes drifted off for a moment, and then he put the plate down and turned to face me. “The night of the party... I followed you and Spooky and I heard what you said... about not protecting Ruby.”

“Oh,” I muttered, before awkwardly handing him a newly wash mug.

“You know there’s nothing you could’ve done, right?- That it’s... completely not your fault.”

“I don’t know...” My mind began to trail off for a moment. “It just sucked, you know? Ruby’s just a kid... he shouldn’t have got through what he did and... And sometimes I just feel like I’m doing enough... you know, to protect him and keep him safe.”

Mario dropped the mug abruptly onto the counter, and turned to face me, eyes dead serious. He was normally a goofy, hard-to-take-serious person, so it was alarming how he was reacting. 

“Y/n, how could you ever think that?” He shrieked, placing his hands on both my shoulders and shaking me gently as he spoke. “You gave up going to college, so that mom and dad could afford to send me to one... Don’t even try to deny it, because I know what you got on your SATs. You could’ve easily made it big, but you chose to stay here and help mom and dad with Ruby, and the twins and abuelita, and so I could go to college. If there's anyone in this world who’s looked out for me, and Ruby, and the twins, it’s you. It’s always been you, mana.”

I smiled, and wrapped my arms around my brother. He was a dork at times, but I could always count on him to cheer me up. After letting go, we both turned back to the sink, ready to finish off the rest of the dishes, until there was a knock on our front door.

Mario turned to go answer it, but I quickly stopped him.

“I’ll go,” I whispered. “And... thank you.”

I then turned back around and headed towards the door. Without looking through the peephole, I opened the door and my breath hitched after realising who it was.

“Hey...”

After weeks of not talking to each other, trust Spooky to let his first words to me be hey. I carefully stepped outside, onto our front porched, and closed the door behind me. 

“Hey,” I replied, making him smile. I missed his smile.

“You were right,” he began, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise, because he was never the type to admit when he was wrong. “Cesar and I have a plan, so... So I really hope it works out, but if it doesn’t... I just wanted to tell you that you were right... You’re always right.”

I took a step closer to him.

“And, uhm,” he let out a cough to clear his voice before continuing. “And I shouldn’t have said what I said... Truth is, I’m kinda used to being the only one looking out for Cesar, and I guess... I just didn’t realise how close you guys got when I did time, but... It’s nice... It’s nice knowing that he has you looking out for him too.”

“Of course,” I whispered.

Then I took another step closer.

“And I promise I’ll listen to you more,” he murmured, raising his hand to caress my cheek. “I guess I’m just really used to being the only one calling the shots, but... But I promise I’ll be better if you... If you just forgive me... Please, baby?”

Damn him for always making me feel weak.

[over-a-new-leaf]

self-care 101 (covid-19 period)

Since we’ve rolled round to another May bank holiday, I thought it’d be nice to share some tips with you. As a homebody, and someone who will do absolutely ANYTHING to avoid one specific boring activity, I’ve racked up quite a long list over the past few years. Obviously, I’m no professional - but I find these help. There’s no specific chronological order to these - just pick and choose as you like!

Get out of bed!

Or lie in if you need to. Whatever makes you feel good

Start off the day with some yoga or meditation, or basic stretches

Or pray for a bit if you’re religious

Make your bed: tuck your sheets in, rearrange your pillows, etc.

Brush your hair and tie it up nicely

Pick out a cute outfit - could even be your favourite PJs - and lay it out

Go take a soothing shower, or a bubble bath

Use a bath bomb, get some nice candles if you feel like it

Put on some nice music to relax to

Try out a new hairstyle or style your hair the way you would if you had somewhere to be!

Slap on some makeup, why not? :) 

Floss your teeth, or maybe use that teeth whitening formula you never picked up again after using it for the first time

Pick out a recipe for a hair mask or face mask and put it on

Before doing any of these, make sure they suit your hair & skin type

E.g. if you have frizzy and dry hair, use a moisturising and rejuvenating mask vs if you have sleek, straight hair - use a volume-enhancing mask. Same goes for your skin - evaluate whether you have dry skin, oily skin or combination 

Stick to the recommended leave in time! It can be extremely difficult to get out later otherwise

Or make your own mask! There’s tons of recipes on YouTube and Google :)

Make yourself a nice breakfast

Breakfast smoothies are amazing! A really simple recipe I use contains a few spoonfuls of oats, handful of fruits (e.g. blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes), honey / sugar by taste and yogurt.

Or a nice bowl of your favourite cereal

Avocado toast - there are so many different varieties of this online, and I bet you’ll find that you like.

A fruit salad!

Eggs done the way you like

A full English if you’re feeling ambitious

Workout for an hour or so

This doesn’t have to be really equipment intense or challenging if you don’t want it to be

Some YouTubers I recommend: Chloe Ting, Emi Wong, Fitness Blender, MadFit, Blogilates, Yoga with Adrienne, etc. 

Don’t over exert yourself. Take longer than the recommended break time between exercises if you need to

Grab a new book, or a book you just enjoy reading

You can browse through Spotify for any playlists to listen to while reading - or use a playlist of songs you like

Listen to some music you like

Or discover some new music using Spotify’s ‘Discover’ feature

Preferably something that lifts your mood!

Pick out a recipe you’ve been meaning to try and just make it!

Dance around the house to some music

This can also be a sort-of-workout!

You can try learning a routine

TikTok dances are so stupidly fun

Maybe get a friend on vid-call and learn a dance with them

Make some TikToks

Or duet some on the app!

Get out a new bottle of wine - it’ll make you feel boujie ;)

Or your drink of choice - I’m not big into alc so I usually love a cool mint lemonade or iced coffee

Sit outside if the weather is nice

Or even if it’s rainy! I particularly love rainy days

Go for a walk around your neighbourhood

Do some grocery shopping! It can be surprisingly fun when you’re in no rush - plus, that’s a task off your future to-do list

Go meet a friend - stand at least 2m away and have a chat

Or text/ call your family / friends

Houseparty is great to use because it’s got games that you can play together if you’re not big on talking

Watch that TV series / movie you’ve been trying to get round to

Play with your pet, if you have one!

Do a cute lil photoshoot

Put on a nice outfit and take some nice pictures using the timer

Pictures with your pet

Or take pictures of your surroundings when outside

Or of the new dish you’ve impulsively made

Grab a pretty notebook

Start a bullet journal

Or a diary!

Do some journalling using journal prompts online

One really simple activity I really like is writing out 3 things that made my day :)

If you’re a poet or writer - write write write!

Maybe take the first step towards starting a blog (like I did last week, aha)

Play a musical instrument 

Or pick up something you haven’t played in a while

Try learning some basic chords online

Or just play your favourite music if you’re a professional

Sing along to your music!

Search up some online webinars and virtual events to attend

Lots of professional webinars on LinkedIn, even Facebook at times

Live museum and art gallery tours on Google!

Try some meditation

Headspace is a great freemium app, among others

Use a guided meditation from YouTube

Create a Pinterest account and start making boards

These can be pretty pictures

Or things you’ll have in your future house

Workout routines

Even more self-care recommendations

Sketching

There’s this activity where you put your playlist on shuffle and draw what comes to your mind when you hear each song

Or just search up an image online and draw it

Doodle in your bullet journal / book if you have one

Embroider/ stitch some of your old clothes

Plenty of tutorials online!

You can stitch in some cute images :)

Try a new podcast 

There are so many to explore on Spotify under the Podcasts section

Or watch something on YouTube

Learn something new if you feel like it

Pick up a subject area of interest and search it up on YouTube

You’ll get so many results!

Reorganise your house / room

Put on some music to jam along to while doing this!

Vacuum

Or just tidy all those papers off the desk

Reorganise your drawers

Fold your clothes

Dust any surfaces - super satisfying!

Maybe spice up your furniture placement

Try moving things around - be careful not to strain yourself

Do some laundry maybe

Yawn, but can be satisfying once you’ve done it!

Purge your wardrobe of any old clothes

You can donate them to charities

Or sell them on apps like Depop

Do some online shopping

Be careful not to spend too much though! :)

Download a photoprint app and get some pictures printed

There’s a lot of apps that offer you __ amount of free prints with delivery costs - not a bad deal!

You can finally make a photowall / collage

Try some scrapbooking 

Get out some old newspapers and magazines and cut out any pictures of words that particularly catch your eye

Make pretty lil collages or spreads with them

Reorganise your digital folders

E.g. bookmarks on Chrome

Saved folders on Insta

Email folders

To Do lists

Give them pretty names so you’re more likely to use them in future

Catch up on some much needed sleep 

Afternoon cat naps are actually lovely!

Make yourself some tea or coffee and just sit by the window with some music

Cliché and niche, but makes you feel calmer!

Try some chai recipes online if you’re into relatively milky tea or trying out new recipes

I’m not a big fan of chai ^ which is surprising as an Indian, but my family and friends love it soo

Do something with your family / roommates

Movie night!

Group dinners (even better - themed dinners!)

Or a fine dining wine night (bonus points if you dress up!)

Board games night

Or just games night e.g. charades, Headbandz, Psych (app)

DnD - never tried it but sm people have recommended it!

Make some TikToks

Sit around and chat

This is random but you can make PPTs about things you like and present them to each other - good for shit n giggles :) 

Play an old online game e.g. Fireboy and Watergirl!

Create each other in the Sims 

Organise some friendly competitions :)

Truth or Dare? 

Look at star sign stuff with them - whether you believe or not, it’s an interesting thing to do nonetheless

Do Enneagram tests - extremely interesting and scarily accurate from my personal experience

Experimental cocktails maybe!

Some DIY arts and crafts!

Pitch a tent outside

Or make a pillow fort inside

Speaking of which - pillow fights!

Karaoke night

Or set up your own club - make a playlist, get some strobe lights or turn off the lights and get everyone to switch on their phone flash and just dance around. Get some drinks if you want as well!

Have a BBQ - great to do especially in the afternoons or early evenings!

Have a date night if it’s just the two of you :)

Have a picnic outside

Text someone something nice!

Win-win for the sender and the recipient :)

Great chance to reconnect with someone

Cleanse your devices & social media profiles

Change your profile pictures, bios

Archive / delete some pictures (we’re all guilty of this)

Maybe restart your account if you haven’t used it in too long, have too many random followers or just want to start afresh

Check your phone storage and delete stuff accordingly

Change your wallpaper / theme

Back up old pictures and delete them off your device 

And that’s my list for now! I might add to it later if something comes to me but I hope you guys enjoy this! :) 

Image credits:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/151574343695926876/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/579627414531062674/

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[patrickoweninteriors-blog]

Your Questions, Answered!

If you couldn't already tell, I love organising. Nothing makes me happier than some transparent containers and my label maker. I've been asked some questions about this marvellous obsession that I wanted to share with you!

"Why do you bother to label clear containers, if you can already see what's in them?"

Firstly, everything looks better with a label. Secondly, once the item(s) from the container have been removed or used up, you need to know where to put it again or what has run out so you can re-stock. Personally I try to buy or order more of something when I notice it's running low, so I don't run out!

"Is a label maker expensive?"

I bought my Brother P-touch 90 on Amazon for £19.99, which came with one roll of black on white tape. After that I just used the code on the side of the tape cartridge to source less expensive ones on Amazon. The last batch I bought was x5 cartridges for £15. When I need to upgrade I'm going to try and find one which has black on clear tape more easily available, because that looks better on clear plastic or glass.

"Can you personalise the font and graphics on a label maker?"

Mine doesn't allow you to change the font, but you can add loads of graphics, you just have to Google the pictograph codes (e.g., A1, A2, A3) and it will show you what they look like. Simpler than it sounds and great for themed organising like Christmas and Birthday decorations.

"Where do you buy containers from so they don't get too expensive?"

My containers vary on what I need. Most of them come from Tesco, because they're the perfect size for most household items. I have some from Hobby Craft for jewellery and craft stuffs. Then I have some from various stores on Amazon. The last one I bought was £15 at B & Q to store Christmas decorations, and was probably the most expensive because it had special compartments for baubles and glass decorations. I try to limit how much I'll pay for them so it doesn't get ridiculous, because I really could spend an obscene amount on containers. If you're not quite sure what you need, take a look at The Plastic Box Shop, they have everything on there and its not expensive either.Also, don't be afraid to reuse takeaway boxes. I do all the time! They're perfect to throw some jewellery or small toiletries in when you go on a trip.

"Where did you find your sunglasses trays?"

I bought my sunglasses trays from Amazon, for about £17 per box. They had various size boxes and different collections you could buy but the ones I got were perfect for my sunglasses and lens cloths to go in.

"How do you organise important papers and letters?"

I found a lockable suspension file box from The Range to put all the important things in like bank statements and qualification certificates. They are organised in date order in their individual sections so I can easily find what I'm looking for, and it goes away safely and discreetly so I know all that important stuff is secure.

"How do you know which containers are going to look right, hold the contents properly and fit in the space?"

I am that person that takes half my house into a shop to make sure things fit. If you're buying a box for your hair products for example, take the largest thing with you. Also, make sure you measure everything before you go. I keep a tape measure I got in a Christmas cracker in my car so when I go shopping for these things I can keep it in my pocket and measure everything. I am also a fan of returning. If I'm not 100% sure about a container, I'll buy a few in different sizes and styles to see what looks good. Then I take back the ones I don't want and pick up the right ones. Remember to keep packaging and receipts!

"Does organising things like this take a long time?"

Not really. Once you have everything you need, it's easy to do. And once you've done it, you just have to make sure you keep it that way. No risk of needing to reorganise then! The longest one for me was my wardrobe. Once I had gutted, deep cleaned and put everything back in an organised way, it had probably taken me 2 hours max. Which sounds like a long time. But when you have some music going and you just get on with it it goes quickly and is done in no time. And the results pay off for you!

"What if I can't afford a label maker?"

Then you don't need a label maker! Get a nice pen and some address labels, or even some cute decoupage tape, and write your own in your own style. Or print off your labels and stick them on with glue dots or sticky back plastic! There are loads of cheaper options, I just choose to use a label maker because I'm crazy!

"How do you know where to look to find the right type of storage?"

Once you've done it a few times, you definitely have some favourite places for containers, but sometimes you can spend weeks looking until you find the right thing! My faves are BUYology, Tesco, The Range and Amazon. For baskets, the best place is probably Next Home. For food containers, I live by M&S or OXO air tight push button containers. They last FOREVER, and keep things so fresh!

"My dog's toys can smell sometimes when he's been chewing them lots, what's the best way to store these?"

Well firstly, make sure you clean the dogs toys routinely, even if just with warm water, to make sure they are clean for the dog and to prevent smells. If they still smell badly, bin them! But for containing them I'd say a basket or fabric box, or even a bottom drawer so you can leave it open for the dog to play with them. But seriously, if they smell that badly, just get rid of them.

"My car always ends up in a mess! How can I keep things straight in there?"

I always keep an A4 size plastic washable tub in the boot. I then got some velcro and stuck it to the bottom of the box so it doesn't slide around when I'm driving. I keep wellies, baby wipes, a hand towel, warning triangle, and a bottle of water in there. In my driver's side door pocket I have a car bin so all the pay and display tickets, sweet wrappers, tissues etc go in there. I try to keep my cup holders and phone shelf clear so there is no clutter around. I keep the bare basics in my glove compartment like a window cloth, torch, warning light, tide to go pen and sun lotion. Tip: always keep sun lotion in the car. Your hands get the most sun when you're driving and your hands truthfully tell your age, so look after them.I'm lucky enough to have an armrest which opens so I keep some loose change for parking, some pain killers for headaches, a pen (because I am that person who writes a birthday card on the dashboard in a car park) and a small tape measure. Little things help keep your car tidy and clutter free! 

"I have a home office, and my cables around my desk get tangled a lot. How can I stop that from happening?"

First of all, label every plug or cable just above the plug. That way when you're de-tangling or unplugging, you know which one to go for. Then I would use some cable ties to pull the cords together or clip bulldog clips to the side of the desk to run the cables through and keep them separate!

Keep asking questions on Facebook and Instagram All product links within post.

Image copyright Brother UK Ltd.