HGP 2021 - Front Porch Week!

[AuntJamelle]

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 Grand Plan Week 1: Front Porch | Organized Home

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...

organizedhome.com

 

[AuntJamelle]

Alright, alright, ALRIGHT!!!! Here we go!!! Week one is here!!!

I don't think we ever decided who is posting what this go round so I just got us started! I got a head start yesterday by powerwashing the siding on the front porch - DH did the mailbox on the street. Boy that thing needed some love!!!

Front Porch:

I love starting the plan with the front porch! I love seeing it looking all neat and tidy and that Fall wreath up makes me HAPPY!!! It means there is an end in sight to the heat!!!

Finished the rest of my items today before the heat got too crazy! Just need to bring down the Fall wreath and hang it up. I would also like to pick up some mums and put them in the two big pots on either side of the front steps. Flowerbeds were weeded recently but could use another go round!

• Sweep down cobwebs - DONE (got them with powerwasher,lol)
• Clean siding (use power washer) - DONE
• Clean porch lights - DONE
• Clean front of door, polish, clean inside door frame, etc. - DONE
• Sweep porch and steps, vacuum rug - DONE
• Wipe down bannister - DONE
• Put up fall wreath
• Clean up front flower beds (deadhead, etc.)

Holiday Prep:

• Gifts to Give - In Progress
• Christmas Card List updated
• Parties to host Planning Documents - In Progress
• Menus for all holidays, parties, etc. (WW options?) - In Progress
• 2020 Baking List, including food gifts (WW options?) - In Progress
• Make Ahead Meals 2020 on WW - In Progress
• Long Term Shopping List divided into Non-Perishable and Perishable - In Progress
• Update Google calendar for rest of year - DONE
• Master Craft List - In Progress
• Buy extra grocery items from non-perishable part of Master Grocery List
• Review DS’s toys and target items to be donated or sold
• Setup manila envelope to hold gift receipts and determine location
• Buy at least 2 stocking stuffers and/or Advent gifts
• Prep list of meds, etc. for illness due to colds, flu, etc. and start to purchase early!!!

 

[Lori K]

So, this is the Week that I tackle not only the front porch, but also the back deck and the garage exterior. I've added the deck and garage exterior washing here because the Garage Week is so late in the HGP that it's often too cold to do much wet exterior cleaning. Here's my PLAN ... Let's see how closely I stick to it.

Monday: Sweep down cobwebs on front porch; discard old planter; insect / spider spray around door (as needed) and put down additional ant traps outside. Wash sidelights and transom window outside, and storm door in and out; wash down door, as well, and clean and sanitize all handles. Inside windows will get done during Entryway/Foyer week; I have a pup and there will always be nose prints, so no need to do those windows twice. Scrub door base sill. Start gift lists, shopping list, and plan food gifts.

Tuesday: Change storm door pressure control thingy; check exterior lights -- front, deck, garage; check doorbell and change batteries if needed. Update Christmas card addresses (can't find my flash drive). Clear deck for pressure washing. Neighborhood high schooler is coming after school to pressure wash my deck and below the deck, so I can install additional bird spikes to keep the mourning doves and pigeons from roosting below my deck. (In case anyone is a bird lover, just trying to relocate them; my deck is over part of my parking area, so no one can park on my slab without having the paint on their car damaged.)

Wednesday: Trim hydrangeas out front, install bird spikes, touch up paint in the front, paint deck as needed, following pressure washing. Plan holiday parties and other gatherings. Update: Nope, will let the landscapers cut everything back. Ladder not high enough to comfortably install spikes, so will need to ask SIL for assistance on this one. Deck rails need painting, but were not dry enough following pressure washing and a heavy dew overnight, so going to let it go for another day or so.

Thursday: Clean deck windows and patio door (outside). Wash down garage slab; schedule seal coating; schedule furnace tune-up; schedule carpet cleaning. Plan dinner menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas, in the event that I host. Start discussions on holidays (who, when, where).

Friday: Wrap up any loose ends; check holiday throw rugs and floor mats and note what needs to be replaced. Garage windows (exterior) and clean garage lights.

 

[HouseElf]

Front Porch:
Our front porch is an enclosed sunporch so I worked inside only today and washed down the windows, ledge and furniture. Curtains & rods clean, floor and lights. Took some extra time to ensure I found all spider nests . Kitchen porch and exterior work will be started tomorrow. Making a list of repairs needed and winterization tasks for DH to help me with.

Holiday Prep:
Gifts to be given list: in progress
Christmas Card list: completed and cards ready to mail once we have holiday stamps available
(Visits and parties: no plans/cancelled this year due to COVID concerns)
Menus for holidays: in progress, likely not much to change but will go over with DH
(Goodies for sharing/gifts: none planned)
Freezer Meals: list and plan in progress! We did order half a cow and almost two dozen chickens for the freezer today, looking at half a pig (need to ensure freezer space) - all from local farms! This will be a big focus for me over the HGP - stocking the freezer and pantry.
Long term shopping list: list and plan in progress!

 

[Myron's Mom]

We are still waiting on our siding to come in. Between that and the dust that will be blowing when they harvest 200 acres of soybeans across the road, I’ll leave the porch for last. I plan to do the sunroom this week. I finished the back hallway, closets, laundry room and main floor bathroom last week.
Holiday prep is coming along. I have one gift to finish, a quilt that needs quilted but my machine is in the shop. I’m about 3/4 done with my gift shopping and a lot of that is already boxed, ready to wrap. Working on restocking the pantry and freezers. Have my cards and stamps already.
The RO system for our water was serviced this month. They will service the furnace this week. I still need to call to get the carpets cleaned. Will check with husband if we need the propane tank topped of for the generator.
Self care: my hair, mani/pedi and massage/ chiropractor appointments are booked through January.
I love this time of year!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I love this time of year!

Me too!!!!
It is nearly Spring and even in lockdown there is so much to be done. I need to get it all done before it gets too hot.

 

[housewife2]

im cleaning off the front porch this evening . hanging my fall flag and fall wreath up. so nice to be starting on this plan. waiting for mums to come in .

 

[HouseElf]

More sunporch and Kitchen porch work today. Tossed a couple old mats and cracked plastic hanging pots.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Fall wreath up!!!

Since this is a light week on the HGP for me I went ahead and got started on next week's list - mainly the windows! Finished all windows and doors in the living room area, front door glass, big mirror in hallway and did all 3 windows in our bedroom as well.

Windows are such a bear of a job I prefer to get them done early on the HGP so when I come to that room I don't have to mess with them! Just have two more large windows left to do in DS room and in the office.

Feeling fairly tired so I may be done for today. Will do more tomorrow!!!

Getting ready to start putting up fall decor as well! I think I will pull it out upstairs tomorrow and sort out what I want to go where. This will be the first year that I have truly decorated our downstairs since it was finished! I hot glued some nautical rope to a dollar store basket and filled it with some fall items as part of the decor on the bookshelves down there:

https://flic.kr/p/2mksafp
It's a start, anyway!!!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

AJ, beautiful.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I will revisit my front porch this week as well as double checking my lists.

 

[luludou]

Too early for us to do front porches and windows, so I switched up some weeks. I did finish the kid's old rooms in the basement last weekend. will probably do the LR in the basement next weekend.

 

[Rose94]

Too early to do the front porch here. I do it later—around thanksgiving to end of October whenever the flowers die back and it’s to cold to sit outside on the back patio.

This week I did the basemen. Had someone coming in to replace the belt on our treadmill so a tidy/cobweb removed was in order. It’s an unfinished basement but have no where else to put the treadmill.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Front porch is done. No flowers ir plants out there as it will start to get hot but it all looks very nice.
Front door mat looks OK but is starting to look a little old. Might look for a new one over the next few weeks.

 

[Miss JoDee]

I got outside today. A most beautiful day to work on the porch and in the flowerbeds. Still have more to do in 2 of the beds. I was able to clean the patio furniture, clean the flower boxes on the deck, wipe the main dirt off the window and some of the siding DH will be cleaning the siding with a special cleaner so it didn't make sense to scrub and rescrub it. The flower bed took a lot of time but looks good now. I would like to get some mums to plant for the fall color. I also but some white vinegar and salt water in the cracks of the sidewalk to kill the weeds grown there. DH did clean the garage siding and 1 side of the house then ran out of solution (30 Second Outdoor Cleaner) So some more to do but will try to finish tomorrow. More weed pulling and redo of an area that was taken over by weeds. Then I will lay down some wood chips and clean kitchen and door windows along with the living room window after DH is done cleaning the siding. Friday I would would like to clean bathroom and dust and mop throughout the house.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

A beautiful day here as well Jody. I moved the patio furniture and swept the paving. I have weeds growing up in between the pavers so will try the vinegar and salt. It looks so much better with the weeds gone. Normally I would be replacing the flowers in the garden beds out there but cannot get to the garden centre at this stage.

 

[HouseElf]

Weather was lovely here today! Work continues on porches (and DH on garden shed). Managed to squeeze in some weeding, shrub trims and deadheading perennials in the sunporch area/front beds before I had to take a nap. Tomorrow I am hoping to do some maintenance on the kitchen porch storm windows (a dining room and a kitchen window face onto this porch) with DH help.

My small café table needs a paint job and we need a new rug for underneath the table and chairs.

Great start to September!

 

[luludou]

Before work this morning started the basement LR (woodwork, walls, furniture and floor). will finish it at noon.

 

[Miss JoDee]

Katrina, The recipe I use is 1 gallon vinegar to 2 cups salt. I made half a batch.
I hope to finish outside today with what I can do. I need DH to finish cleaning the house siding so I can do windows.

 

[Miss JoDee]

I just have windows, light fixture and door to do now that DH has cleaned the front siding. I will move on into the house and start with the front closet and living room as I will be gone to MN next week for 5 days. It is not bad just time consuming doing the woodwork and wiping down the walls and ceiling with the dry mop. I already have it planned out how I want to move the furniture too. Do you have different furniture arrangements for different seasons? I like to cozy things up in the fall winter.