HGP 2020 - Front Porch/List Week

[PamelaG]

Gearing up for the Holiday Grand Plan, we're tackling the front porch this week. Lists and planning round out this first week of the Holiday Grand Plan.

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 planner.

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!

HOLIDAY PREP: LISTS, LISTS, LISTS

• 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 to organize holiday planning.

TO READ THIS WEEK

• To Early to Think Christmas? Start Now!

CLEANING FOCUS: FRONT PORCH
This week's cleaning assignment, from Katie Leckey's Cleaning Grand Plan:

The front porch is an important asset to your home. First impressions are important. If the entrance to your home is a mess, then it doesn't matter how organized the inside is, you're still perceived as a "messie". Assemble your supplies, broom, window cleaner, screwdrivers, paper for lists, trash can.
Start at the front door. Is there a dead rug for wiping feet? Is it savable? Toss it into the driveway for hosing down, into the trash, or into the laundry basket.
Remove everything from the porch that you can. Trash bags, recyclables, kids' toys, those boxes that go to Goodwill. Set things in the grass if you have to but get them off the porch.
Is there a swing? Look at it closely. Are the hinges catching on clothes? Is it a disaster waiting to collapse? A quick turn of the screwdriver can fix that. How about the cushions? If cleanable, put them with the rug for hosing down. If trash, then trash them. Write down "get new cushions" on your list.
Take the screens off the windows. Put them with the rug & cushions for hosing. Using the broom, sweep every windowsill & doorframe.
Sweep down the outside walls. Look up high-are there cobwebs in the corners? Sweep 'em down!
After doing the walls & frames, then you can sweep off the porch itself. Don't forget the steps. Open the front door and sweep off the sill too. Do you need to change the light bulb? Put new bug lights on your list.
Wash the outside of the windows. While they're drying, get out the hose & spray off the rug, screens & swing cushions. Put the screens back on the windows.
Now step back and admire what you've done so far. Look at the mess in the yard that came off the porch. Does any of it belong back on there? Do you have to keep the weekly trash there or can you hide it somewhere else? Toys in the back yard? Perhaps a big bucket for front yard toys? Only you know what can stay there.
Do the hedges in front of the porch need trimming? Either put that on your list for the next nice Saturday or get out your clippers & trim them up now.
Does the front door need painting? How about its screen? New hardware can make a big difference. What about the mailbox? Does the doorbell work?
Write down any fixes and set a specific time to do them. And then do them when the time comes!
As long as you've done this much, go ahead and look at the sidewalks & driveway. Too much junk? Remove it to the backyard. Sometimes it's easier to hose down the driveway than to sweep it
Now go out to the street and really look at what you've accomplished. Aren't you proud to live there now? You should be! Head inside for a well deserved rest.
Don't forget to take that list you made & transfer it to either SHE cards or your planner!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I am so excited to be started on the HGP. I like everyone else is uncertain how this Christmas will look but I am trying to make it as normal as possible and prepare as best I can. It may be a strange Christmas but I WILL be ready.

 

[Lana]

Thanks Pam!

 

[farmerswife]

I will be starting today. I do a combo of the two plans. I love this time of year! Especially right now, this year!

 

[housewife2]

thank you pam

 

[AuntJamelle]

Here we GO!

I don't have a LOT to do on the front porch this year - but I did vacuum the rug, wash and Windex the door, wipe down the light fixtures and hang up the fall wreath...

Need to review the holiday plans today...try to get my bearings...

 

[halimer]

I don't have a front porch! I wish I did!

 

[Lori K]

I’m in a townhome, so my front porch space is small. But, it’s where I do some outdoor decorating and I want it to look nice. And, this gives me a chance to touch up other related things that have been neglected over the Summer. Here’s my to-do list for Week 1:

• Clean the sidelight and transom windows on the outside. -- DONE
• Clean the storm door, both inside and out. -- DONE
• Wipe down the entire door jam between the door and storm, to remove any spider or other webs. -- DONE
• Wipe down outside door frame. -- DONE
• Sweep down any cobwebs from overhead portico. -- DONE
• Sweep porch area and steps. -- DONE
• Trim back overgrown hydrangea bushes (overhanging the sidewalk) that the landscapers, hired by the Association, have failed to maintain this year. -- DONE
• Pull weeds in front garden that the landscapers have failed to remove (there are some large thistles – ouch!).
• Plan out planting of bulbs that need to be planted in the Fall. -- DONE
• Check condition of holiday rugs for outside front and basement door -- DONE (Yay! Do not need to replace!)

On the garage (back) side –

• Spray down rafters to remove any bird droppings from the pigeons and mourning doves that like to perch on the support beam.
• Order bird spikes to prevent future roosting. -- DONE
• Install bird spikes; find a ladder high enough to install (or find someone to do the install.
• Spray / clean AC unit to remove cottonwood and other debris; schedule Fall furnace tune-up for mid- to late Sept. -- POSTPONED (will schedule in mid-Sept for tune-up, so it can be done all at once)

Other –

• Schedule window seal repair – DONE (scheduled)
• Update Christmas card address list. – DONE, except 1 address needed
• Begin menu planning for various scenarios – Thanksgiving (if just 3 or 4, or if full house), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and book group. -- STARTED
• Complete pantry inventory and begin preparation of long-term shopping list, including items needed for food gifts. -- DONE

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

• Complete pantry inventory and begin preparation of long-term shopping list, including items needed for food gifts.

I so need to do this, thanks for the reminder.

 

[PamelaG]

Wipe down the entire door jam between the door and storm, to remove any spider or other webs.

I'll be doing this daily - S is for September and also for Spider - they come out in full force this month!

 

[AuntJamelle]

Front Porch:

[X] Sweep down cobwebs
[X] Wipe down porch lights
[X] Wash door, clean glass
[X] Vacuum rug
[X] Put up fall wreath
[X] Weed flowerbeds/front walk

Holiday Prep:

• Gifts to Give (Continuing work on Christmas Gift list already underway)
• Christmas Card List updated - In Progress
• Parties to host Planning Documents - N/A this year
• Menus for all holidays, parties, etc. - In Progress
• 2020 Baking List, including food gifts - In Progress
• Make Ahead Meals 2020 - In Progress
• Long Term Shopping List divided into Non-Perishable and Perishable
• Update Google calendar for rest of year
• Master Craft List - In Progress, almost done!
• Buy extra grocery items from non-perishable part of Master Grocery List
• Buy at least 1 stocking stuffer - DONE
  

 

[AuntJamelle]

I also just got my Christmas postage stamps in the mail! And my order of pajamas for DS for the PJ Elves box came too - they are washed and hidden for now...

 

[Miss JoDee]

I have spent my morning make a master grocery list by category. I used the Aldi site and my favorites list to help create the list as well as all the lists from you under non-perishable thread. It's still a work in progress but once done such a help. I will sit with DH and we will determine what items to stock. I rather like the idea of only having to shop for perishables. Storage space will be created during HGP.

I am hoping I can talk Dgds into helping me with the front porch tomorrow. If they're not interested I will just do it myself. Their parents have the expectation that they are on vacation and Gma & Gpa are on childcare duty. Nope, Grandma has things to do.

My mother gave me such a fright, a couple of weeks ago she went to Walmart on her own walking with her cane and fell in the parking lot and had to wait for someone to come and help her up. Sunday, she was walking to the car with her cane and stumbled and came close to falling again. There happened to be a table there that she grabbed. DH was trying to help her and she wouldn't let him. She has tried to laugh it off but was having a harder time doing that this time.
She uses a walker and has one in her basement, her living area she roams and in her car. I asked a gal that helps her out to please leave the one in her car near the door so she can use it when she goes out to get her mail. I don't know if she did it or not. I did talk to my sister and let her know what I observed and that I was asking her friend to leave the walker out where she can use it. There is only so much she will let us do for her. "sigh"

 

[AuntJamelle]

Way to go on the master grocery list work, Jody! I am still struggling to complete my menus - so that I can move on to making that list!

Good luck with grand kids vs the front porch!

So sorry to hear about the situation with your mom! That is stressful, I know!

 

[housewife2]

im cleaning my front porch tomo. a neighbors cat always goes and lays in a chair with the new cushions my daughter made. so i have to get rid of cat hair almost every day

 

[Miss JoDee]

Three against 1 in trying to decorate and clean the porch is hard. I finally ended up give dgd 4 some elastic string and beads while I worked with the other 2. The the oldest get jealous when she sees the beads.... they finally tired of it and I carried on. One would come by and ask to help so I would give her a job and she would be off after about 3 mins. I just kept working. It's not done to my liking yet but will have to be what it is for now. After they head home I will was the windows and siding.
The one thing the girls liked the most was cutting the dead flowers from the bushes. It really looks a lot better.