HGP 2014 week 8, Kitchen week

[HouseElf]

Week Eight sees us down and dirty in the heart of the home: the kitchen. It's Kitchen Week at the Holiday Grand Plan!

This week, we'll clear the decks for the holiday cooking to come with a kitchen clean-up and declutter. Routing out the year's dirt and disorder gives us a fresh, clean start for holiday cooking to come.

In holiday prep, it's Checkpoint Week and time to make plans for Halloween night.

Ready? Let's get organized with Kitchen Week in the Holiday Grand Plan!

Cleaning/Organizing Area:

• Kitchen
• Kitchen checklist

Holiday Prep:

• Make one batch of Holiday Goodies.
• Make one extra meal for freezer again labeled HOLIDAY MEAL.
• Buy two canned food items from menus (get 2 of each item, one to use and one to donate to food drive).
• Buy 1/8th of TO BUY gifts. Save all receipts, note return policy before buying. Ask for gift boxes.
• Wrap and label packages. If needing to ship, get some shipping boxes now and store packages in them.
• Work at least 1 hour a day on homemade gifts

Checkpoint Week! Evaluate Your Progress:

• If unable to find an item for a person on list contact them or their family for ideas.
• If a homemade gift is not going well, set it aside for after Christmas and decide on another gift.
• Buy pumpkin for Halloween.
• Review costume plans with children.

 

[HouseElf]

Thanksgiving cooking is behind us, so we are ready for the caramel apples, popcorn and cider of Halloween!

Always lots to do in my kitchen, with 3 sons I never seem to have it really clean for long.

Looking forward to getting a good organization going in this room, prep for making holiday goodies for the freezer and preparing freezer meals for the busy season ahead.

My biggest hurdle is organizing pantry items - as our kitchen pantry is currently housing all our outdoor wear till we build a mudroom. Secondly is the baking tools, such as measuring cups and pans - need to find a better way to keep them in their spots once put away!

CHECKPOINT:
all is going well
pumpkins are on the porch and waiting to be carved
no costumes needed, as my boys are too old for being trick or treaters - but enjoy now handing out candy.

 

[Winged One]

I have actually done the kitchen!! We had a slight remodeling job done last Friday, which meant emptying all except 2 cupboards, and cleaning them, and refilling them on Saturday!

I didn't go through the contents as much as I could have to declutter. But I did dump out of date foods and have a couple of items decluttered also. I will do the same in the fridge/freezer this Friday, when the new (American style, side-by-side, with integrated water/ice function!!) one is delivered!!

I have done most of the Halloween prep also, DD has her costume and we have a pumpkin in the house (DD wants another one or 2, which I might get as we will use the inside for eating - but it depends on prices and my clearing out of other stuff). DH plans on carving it with her during mid-term week next week, as he will be on holidays for it.

 

[HouseElf]

Kitchen is a bit of a work in progress still - lots of baking between now and then to complete.

Have made the list and checking twice of needed holiday items for baking, when to complete a recipe from the list, and a routine of cleanup to keep the chaos at bay.