Week 1: September 1-7, 2013

[HouseElf]

Front Porch / List Week

By Cynthia Ewer, Author of
Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Organized

Week One is List Week at the Holiday Grand Plan!

During this week, we kick off holiday prep with lists, lists and more lists.

We'll print helpful calendars and forms for Christmas organizing and begin to create a Christmas notebook.

This week's cleaning focus is the front porch: We'll clean and organize the area around the front door so that our home will be ready to welcome visitors during the holiday season.

Ready to jump into List Week? Let's get organized with the Holiday Grand Plan!

Cleaning/Organizing Area:

Front Porch
Front Porch Cleaning Checklist

Holiday Prep:

Print the Holiday Grand Plan calendars for reference.

Make the following lists:

• Gifts to be given, amount to spend (include family, friends, school, church, etc)
• Christmas card list (computerize it!) Print list and update it, if needed. Decide how many cards are needed.
• Visits to make
• Parties/Entertaining
• Menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, other parties
• Goodies for Sharing/Gifts. Decide how much needs to be made and divide it between the weeks from now through December 1.
• Favorite Meals of Family members for freezing ahead.
• Long-term shopping list divided into: canned foods, perishables for each holiday, linens and dishes, decorations, etc.

Create a Christmas planner notebook to organize holiday planning. This week's printable forms from Organized Christmas include:

Master Gift List
Christmas Card List
Gift Ideas Planner

 

[Lana]

This week I feel that I will accomplish!

We just have a small reset area but a couple weeks ago we did power wash it up when the house got done.

I will put the fall decorations up in about a week or so and change the banner.

I would like to take the 2 light globes down to wash and paint the metal holders.

List I do need to work on and revise.

Thankx HouseElf for starting this.

 

[Sugarplum]

Thanks HouseElf, I was hoping someone would post this!

I only have a walkway to my front door, and it is about 90 degrees out there now. I always spruce up the flower beds closer to Halloween when it is cooler. We need to paint the front door apple green, but have to wait for the perfect weather day. DH had stripped the door and we have the primer coat on it. It faces the west so it gets tons of sun beating on it every day, when it is not raining that is.

I will sweep the front walk, and tidy up any weeds before my company comes next week so I will technically still be doing "front porch" this week.

I created my lists back in April (just copied from last year), so I will go over them now that we are closer to the holidays. I have my notebook all ready.

 

[luludou]

HouseElf, so glad you posted this!

Lists are done but need a little tweaking. no front porch and too early to put away the summer stuff. I will work on more housecleaning and do the outside a little later.

 

[Pigeon House]

My plan is to sit down and make a plan

I have a covered entryway that needs some tlc but it is very hot, very humid,and raining so I need to see how the week shapes up for that. I may need to do the entryway next week if it doesn't cool down and stop raining.

 

[Lana]

Pigeon House, :welcome:

 

[HouseElf]

I think list week is one of my fav - I am a big list girl
Printed the calendars and added to my planner.

Started organizing my menus, shopping lists, freezer meal plans, and adding some of the tasks to my iPad calendar.

Started the clean-up of porches: my kitchen covered porch is clean now, and I have planted mums - replacing the sad looking summer annuals. Added some "honey to-do" maintenance tasks to HIS list before the cooler fall weather finally arrives!

Front sun porch is my task tomorrow! It is supposed to be hot and rain tomorrow, but that's ok as I should be able to take breaks inside and do laundry! lol

It is going to be great ladies!

 

[dreamto]

I accomplished a lot on my front porch today But the Biggies are still to be done. I have to repaint my concrete floor ....peeling paint that I have to scrape YUK. I also have to paint the front door.

 

[Winged One]

This morning, I sat in the coffee shop and made out my lists. So I am ready to begin.

Over the weekend, I did some clearing and sorting in DD's room (clothes mainly) so that is 1 task done ahead of time, and my aim of at least 1 bag of clutter removed from the house per week achieved (can be clothes bank, charity shop, giving to freinds/family, or going to the bin - but OUT of my house!!). Another bag is ready to go next weekend to BIL for his DDs.

I have booked the Santa Train, bought 2 bottles of wine to put away using grocery vouchers, bought 1 (actually 2) gifts, checked gift closet, and also chased a medical appointment for DD. I have also booked a hair appointment for me, I am getting my hair cut on Thursday (last done in April, so waaaay overdue!).

DH emptied out a couple of spent plants from pots, but I didn't get started on the outside space yet (busy weekend). We did clear a fair amount of clutter inside though, and I got a big grocery shop done (internet shopping), which I used the grocery shopping time to reorganise the stored items I have, refill cannisters, sort things properly as I put them away etc.

During the week, I intend to get the outside space cleaned up - front and back patio areas swept, windows washed, tidy beds for winter, empty last of the dead plants from pots, put out compost for good growth next year, and polish doorbell and postbox.

Meanwhile, indoors I have paperwork to sort (arrange a couple of more appointments for DD, send off a couple of letters, photocopy some docs for new au pair, write up list of her duties now that we have timetables, and pay storage unit bill). I need to send a birthday card to DBro, arrange a retirement present for DDad (announced this weekend), and I want to make a small curtain to block light from 1 window in playroom (low sun causes an evening glare).

In terms of festive preparations, I need to get my siblings to do the KK draw, I want to update the presents spreadsheet (once I've finished posting, that is the next job), and do a master crafts list that is relatively realistic in terms of what I can accomplish.

 

[Pigeon House]

Yesterday I got my lists together. What a relief! I was able to go through my gift (keeping) bag and write down what I have and what needs to be done. It was a good thing I did because I have all the items for DD 's stocking done already ( picked up things here and there) but only one thing for DS so ill focus on his when I am out and about through the fall.

Hot and humid and raining today so no porch work but I think it's supposed to cool down mid week.

Cleaned bathrooms today( my Monday chore) and I want to get the kids rooms cleaned up today ( school starts fri for DS and Monday for dd.

I also went through and organized my craft supplies so I can find what I need more easily. I finished some ornaments for my kids and niece and nephew ( I would give the link but I can't figure out how to from my phone. Lol

 

[Farmermom4]

So far this week I have tidied up my front flower beds and pots, and cleaned my front patio area. No porch, but someday I hope...tomorrow I am working on my notebook and lists, that is the plan but I have a grandbaby and nephew (2.5yrs.) to take care of so we shall see!!

 

[Lolwlias]

My deck area won't take too much sprucing up, but I'd like to pretty-it-up somehow & am working on something for that. Tonight I will wash the front door and around the front door.
Windows will be Saturday. There are 5 windows total in the area of the walkway & the deck.
I haven't started on my lists yet, but they will be on-going.

 

[ShelleyW]

My daughters and I are HGP together this year. I started working on my front porch but ran in to a yellow jacket nest on the back porch. Hubby took care of it so I think I will get back out there today. My goal is to have it finished by Saturday.

 

[aggy]

Since I live in an apartment I don't have a porch.

Hoping to work on my patio this weekend instead. I'm looking for some nice patio chairs on clearance.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I got to the porch today. It is such a beautiful day. It felt good to be working outside.

Mary

 

[ShelleyW]

Front porch is done! I bleached the siding and the ceiling of the porch scrubbed the door and window sills . Took down the spiderwebs.Bleached and scrubbed the walkway . I added two new potted plants then mowed the yard. I am so happy with the results. It hasn't looked this good in years! :s:snowman::snowman:

 

[HouseElf]

ShellyW, great job! Step back and admire all your hard work!
Holiday_Mom, lovely day to be outside here too.
aggy, new chairs would be nice.
Lolwlias, hope you had great weather for those windows!
Farmermom4, excellent!
Pigeon House, busy time of year! Keep up the good work.
Winged One, wow you have started out wonderfully - good for you!
dreamto, peeling paint... oh how I have issues with paint! Best of luck.
Lucie, are you enjoying the cooler weather this week?
Sugarplum, an apple green door sounds great! What a nice colour choice.
Lana, amazing how much stuff gets on outside lights, my lanterns were a mess.

Things are going well! The weather has cooled and I have brought in the last of the painting to accomplish inside. I love coming home this week and seeing the colours of fall on my porch! Found two ceramic jack-o-lanterns at Lowes... my husband thought I NEEDED them so he picked them up and sat them down beside my mums. Sweet guy!

Worked in the garden today, pruning the end of the season tomato plants, and cutting the squash vines to the last fruit - they just keep growing and growing if I let them, and need to ripen what they have - not climb over to my neighbours yard!

Beautiful weather here, our leaves are starting to change, and the nights are cool. Perfect for starting the HGP and thinking about our holiday prep!

 

[Farmermom4]

Didn't get anything list related done with the babies on Wednesday! Thursday was a shopping/soccer game day so nothing there and Friday and Saturday was prepping and getting myself to the Farmers Market to sell!! So already starting this next week behind with my list making!! Hoping to catch up this week, skipping market next week, will be out of town for a soccer game, so get a few bonus days, hopefully I won't fill up all the time with canning...good job everyone, sounds like we are all off to a good start, woo hoo!!

 

[Pigeon House]

Overall, the first week went well. I stayed on top of my normal chores and did my planning. My front "porch" still needs doing but the weather was such that it just didn't get done. I did get the lawn mowed ( hopefully last time this year!!). And week two I want to fit in front porch work while kids at school ( finally starting this week!!)

 

[Winged One]

It sounds like everyone is making a great start!!

I ended up not finishing the porch items, but I did make good progress there and I also did a lot of decluttering on a couple of hotspots indoors. We changed all the beds and towels this weekend so there was a lot of laundry. DH chopped up an old pallet (our bike shelter arrived on this over the summer) and it has made enough wooden blocks for about a month in the stove (so eliminated the "buy logs" item for a few weeks yet on my list!).

I did empty out spent pots in the back garden, swept the front and side (will get to the back this week I hope), washed the outside of all downstairs windows, brushed the front door and polished the door furniture and postbox. Indoors, I went through DD's toys upstairs, and we put 3 black sacks into the storage unit (before bringing them to MIL next trip home to either give to BIL or sell in car boot sale). I got rid of a bag of clothes there too, and 2 big bags of rubbish. DH put up new curtain hooks in our room (3 had broken). And I helped as DD sorted 1 tub of things in the family room chest (was all sorts now just painting things). I was hoping for more, but if DD did it herself, that is progress!!

I also chased a load of paperwork, although I still have more appointments to schedule and letters to send. I bought the cards for a bunch of birthdays coming up. I bought the nautical chart that will form the basis of my DDad's retirement present (I just have to find a good framer now to mount it). I got my siblings thinking about joint presents we need to organize. And I got my acknowledgement back from RPSI that we will be getting tickets for the Santa Train (don't know WHICH one yet, but we will be going on one!!).

So overall, I am happy with progress this far. I hope the enthusiasm continues!!