HGP 2020 - Attic

[PamelaG]

Cooler weather makes it easy to check and organize the attic and storage areas during Attic Week at the Holiday Grand Plan!

No attic? Use this week to work on undone tasks, or to tackle a bonus area in the home.

We continue to move toward Thanksgiving in holiday prep, preparing to set a pretty holiday table. Are you working on holiday gifts?

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.
• Make place cards.
• Make 3x5 card for each serving dish, list what goes in it, garnish, how much before dinner can it go in and serving silverware used with it; tape it to edge of dish.
• Be sure all dishes are clean!
• Borrow or buy any additional serving dishes needed.
• Are linens clean and ready? Unfold and verify that all spots can be hidden by centerpiece.
• Buy reusable foil bakeware from party paper place.
• Work on centerpiece.

CLEANING/ORGANIZING AREA: FRONT PORCH​

This week's assignment, from Katie Leckey's Cleaning Grand Plan:

The attic works the same every other room does, except it's probably got mostly stored boxed and old clothes.
Remember what our motto has been?
If you haven't worn it in the last year, and you can't figure when you'll wear it in the next year, get rid of it!
(Donate it somewhere, or throw it out if it's not in good shape.) This can really make a big dent in the storage facilities
And don't get caught with "well, Johnny can wear this when he's 14." Let's be honest, how many kids really want to wear hand-me-downs that are way out of style?
We must swallow our pride (if my daughter doesn't want to wear my wedding gown when she's old enough, I guess I won't get upset!) and get rid of what truly we won't use, and will have no value later on.
(But not that wedding gown! I can't part with that!)
Everyone will have treasures that you can't part with, and that is fine, but set a limit.
As for those boxes, bring a few downstairs and work on them in front of the TV, or at the bottom of the stairs.
The old "can't go to bed cause I can't get past these boxes yet" works nicely here.
Or do it while the kids are at school if you are able.
Once again. ask yourself if you will really use the item again.
If the answer is no, and the item has no sentimental value worth passing to the next generation (and collecting dust!) then donate it to somewhere that might really appreciate it.

 

[Lori K]

Using this week to focus on my office (entire lower level of my townhome). It needs attention, including a carpet cleaning and tile scrubbed. I can't even see the top of my desk. I never really got my files in order when I moved here 3+ years ago, and when I retired last fall, all of my work-office "stuff" just got dumped in here --- and I walked away from it for awhile. I've ignored it long enough and this is THE week!!!!

Monday -- focus on the desktop today
Tues. afternoon (I work in the AM) -- more sorting and organizing
Weds. afternoon (after AM work) -- finish organizing and filing paperwork
Thurs. afternoon (after AM work) -- bookshelves
Friday -- clean carpets in the morning, hang artwork, clear and organize ledge
Saturday -- see if DSIL can install shelf for cable box and update cables (was ordered when I first moved in, but never got done)

 

[housewife2]

my attic is straight did that when i was out from march -june. im working today on my dining room needs a little decluttering

 

[AuntJamelle]

My cleaning efforts for HGP have pretty much come to a halt. We won't be hosting anything anytime soon and I need to focus on getting prepared for our in home celebrations and for things that will be shipped.

I've got 5 types of cookies in the freezer now and the 6th kind is baked and ready to freeze. Type #7's dough is chilling in the fridge.

I'm rapidly running out of freezer space however.

Well meaning neighbor offered my DH some frozen blueberries several weeks back. I was out of the house for whatever reason and DH ended up bringing home two TWO GALLON bags FULL. Frozen into big blocks - not loose berries. No date on the bags. Sigh.

Can I just say UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So now I have these massive things taking up room and DH flat out refuses to not keep them. We actually got into a small fight about it. Unreal.

So now I have to go through the freezers again to see if I can find anything else to purge. I didn't really want to start eating down the freezers right now. We are right on the brink of another lockdown/round of panic buying.

I guess I could can some of them. We honestly don't eat THAT much blueberries. Some sure, but 4 gallons worth? And that is on top on the blueberries I already HAD in the freezer. Like I had time right now to do canning!

OK, moving on. Deep breaths...

I have most of the wrapping done. Need to move on to staging items into the boxes they will ship in.

Need to complete online ordering within the next few days.

Need to figure out what the heck I am buying for our adopted family. It's not all on me, several others are contributing but I haven't been able to take the time yet to go through all the BF ads and decide how best to use the money I've set aside. Online ordering I mean. Want to get the most I can for them.

Need to get the PJ Elves box finished and ready to "arrive"

Need to preload the Advent calendar

Need to review plans for our little Thanksgiving here at home and make sure I've gotten all groceries needed...

I'm almost finished with Christmas cards - need to finish putting on return address labels - but then I have to decide - PHOTO or NO PHOTO this year? We usually wait until the tree is up to take our yearly photo - will have to talk to DH.

Maybe DS can pose with the bags of blueberries.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

My cleaning efforts for HGP have pretty much come to a halt. We won't be hosting anything anytime soon and I need to focus on getting prepared for our in home celebrations and for things that will be shipped.

I've got 5 types of cookies in the freezer now and the 6th kind is baked and ready to freeze. Type #7's dough is chilling in the fridge.

I'm rapidly running out of freezer space however.

Well meaning neighbor offered my DH some frozen blueberries several weeks back. I was out of the house for whatever reason and DH ended up bringing home two TWO GALLON bags FULL. Frozen into big blocks - not loose berries. No date on the bags. Sigh.

Can I just say UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I’m sure you will be very upset when you accidentally burn them making jelly.

 

[Myron's Mom]

AJ,I had to take a deep breath reading your post lol! Sounds like your neighbor needed room in their freezer.
I vote for burning the jelly!