Week Eleven, Garage/Storage Week 2012

[HouseElf]

Week Eleven, Garage/Storage Week, at the Holiday Grand Plan gets us into garage and storage areas.

The waning days of Autumn are a good time to rout out household storage areas, so we're ready to access extra tables, chairs and seasonal decorations. Cooler--but not yet cold--weather eases the job, and we'll feel good knowing that storage areas are clean and prepared for winter cold.

In holiday prep, we look ahead to the Thanksgiving meal, and see to the family's holiday clothing.

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

 

[HouseElf]

The garage is my husbands domian - so I do not enter. Storage area is mine - and boy does it need work. Boys 'put away' Halloween and camping items - and I noticed yesterday that their idea of a clean up does not match mine. It is a small tight space - I am only 5 feet tall and I must hunch, so working in there is not easy.

Holiday Prep
Make one batch of Holiday Goodies. will do later in the week
Make one extra meal for freezer again labeled HOLIDAY MEAL. not yet, too early to cook today - will do
Buy two canned food items from menus (get 2 of each item, one to use and one to donate to food drive). will complete later today
Buy 1/8th of TO BUY gifts. Save all receipts, note return policy before buying. Ask for gift boxes.on schedule
Wrap and label packages. If needing to ship, get some shipping boxes now and store packages in them.nothing is wrapped yet, I like to purchase everything before I wrap
Work at least 1 hour a day on homemade gifts.nothing homemade, just cards
Review and revise menus and other plans.this is a favorite thing of mine to do
Plan table settingneed to start a list of needed items
Plan centerpiece, make as much as possible now (or order it from florist).good idea, need to think what to do!
Reserve any items needed to be borrowed or rented.nothing to do here
Get everyone's holiday clothes purchased/cleaned/pressed.making a list and checking it twice today!

 

[aggy]

I'm glad this week is here as I don't have a garage. Hopefully I can get caught up with the previous weeks.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Trying hard to get caught up from weeks past on the HGP, especially since this week's assignment is one I can easily skip. Garage is all DH and storage areas were revamped over the summer.

I'm still working on Kitchen Week tasks, people!!! The shame!

So last night I talk DH into taking apart the electric stove burners so I can get out the burner pans underneath for cleaning. I was going to use this GREAT cleaning trick I saw on Pinterest. You put each burner pan in its own ziplock bag, add a splash of ammonia, close the bag and let it sit overnight.

Supposedly the fumes in the bag "eat" all the gunk off the burner pans and you just wipe them clean the next morning.

Everything was going fine until I went downstairs to find the bottle of ammonia. The bottle I've had FOREVER. No where to be found! I came upstairs, I checked downstairs again, I looked everywhere.

Then finally, the lightbulb went on in DH's head. He'd used it in this summer's epic battle of the bees - attempting to kill a ground bees nest that had taken residence under our deck.

So much for the Pinterest cleaning trick.

{sigh}

I went to Walmart before work today and bought new burner pans.

But THIS time, I will keep them clean!!! You believe me, right?

 

[kringle]

Hi, guys. I thought I got on here earlier this week. Talk about sidetracked! Thank you for the warm welcome. This week is all about catch up since we don't have a garage. We've been painting the house and have the trim to finish and the shutters to hang today. Looks like a brand new house!

I've got all the blankets and throws done, I'm most of the way done with the I Spy trees and I've started on the hats. Most of what I have is wrapped, cards are out but not started on yet, Christmas letter is started, and I need to get more mailing boxes.

Things to do this weekend: make cookies and freeze, double check wardrobe, decide on table top decor for Thanksgiving buffet, pick up all nonperishable menu items.

Aunt Jamelle, I believe you.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Thanks, kringle!

I am sad to report, however, that the new burner pans DID NOT FIT. AAAARRRGH! So the old, dirty ones are back on the stove. {thumping head on desk in defeat}

Whatever! I'm moving on! lol

[X] Burner Pans cleaned (as far as I'm concerned!)
[X] Kitchen Baseboards cleaned
[X] Kitchen Ceiling Fan dusted/cleaned
[X] Cookbook shelf cleaned
[X] Favorites recipe binder organized
[ ] Clean Kitchen window blinds
[ ] Pull out fridge and vaccuum behind/beneath

Family Room still needs full HGP, including cleaning the silver tea set displayed in there

I have a Dec 1st deadline for all public areas of the house since we have scheduled a holiday dinner party for a group of our friends. Big motivating factor right now!!!

Still working on crafts! Trying to pick up craft supplies still too - will make bigger progress on that next week hopefully.

Trying to do some freezer cooking this weekend. Also have 2 days scheduled off next week to put up majority of Christmas decor (so it is ready for Dec 1st party easily) and I hope to use part of that time cleaning, maybe even freezer cooking. We'll see.



How is everyone else doing?

 

[Winged One]

I have made progress in emptying the freezer to make space for useful stuff for the holiday season. I held a personal wrapping party over the weekend and have more than half now wrapped and stashed. I updated the gift list and have only a few things left to buy (and DH said he'd buy DD's bike to help the Man in Red next Saturday). And I got the house under some semblence of order as well.

There are still hot spots popping up all over, and things to be done on the list. But it is falling into place. And I am hopeful that, for the first time EVER, I will have the shopping and wrapping complete before December starts so I can enjoy the run-up