Week Eleven - Garage/Storage Week

[AuntJamelle]

I can't believe it is Week Eleven already!!! Wow!

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.

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!

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/holiday-grand-plan/garage-storage-week

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.
[ ] Review and revise menus and other plans.
[ ] Plan table setting
[ ] Plan centerpiece, make as much as possible now (or order it from florist).
[ ] Reserve any items needed to be borrowed or rented.
[ ] Get everyone's holiday clothes purchased/cleaned/pressed.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Soooo...this week is a week I sub out on the plan. I should spend time on storage areas, but instead I am going to focus on the downstairs bathroom this week.

The garage and shed are DH's territory!

Attic and basement storage need help but they aren't terrible. I think I'll add a couple of tasks related to them to my list for HGP Catch Up Week.

So! This week's cleaning tasks...

[X] Dust ceiling for cobwebs
[ ] Wipe down walls
[X] Windex mirror
[ ] Deep clean scrub of tiled shower
[X] Clean sink and toilet as usual
[ ] Shine all fixtures
[ ] Dust under sink/Sweep out any dust under sink shelf
[ ] Vacuum

Holiday Prep Tasks:

[/] Make one batch of cookie dough for freezer OR Make one freezer meal or meal component -- I finally have all ingredients on hand to make a batch of our favorite Christmas cookies - Chunky Chocolate Gobs! l also got about 1 lbs or so of cooked, shredded chicken into the freezer last night...

[ ] Buy three items from non-perishable Master Grocery List - Is this a bad time to admit that I have yet to MAKE my Master Grocery List??? Ah, the agony!!! The shame!!! LOL

[X] Buy 1/8th of gifts left to purchase on Master Chr List document - Got a great present for DS this weekend at Hallmark and had a brainstorm on an idea for DH. Making more phone calls today on that...

[ ] Continue wrapping packages (as needed) - HA! Haven't even started yet! I did set up the card table in the living room and put out some wrapping paper, scissors, boxes and tissue. Now I need to buy TAPE!

[ ] Review menu plans (Revise as needed) - Oh I soooo need to do this one!

[ ] Complete purchase/cleaning/ironing of any holiday outfits - Need to talk to DH about family photo we want to do this year! Other than that, our current wardrobes should be fine - and may even be just fine for a photo. Just need to talk about it!

[/] Plan for online sales during Black Friday timeframe – early sales? T-Day sales? - Hard at work on this one too! I heart Gotta Deal's website!!!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

These are the two worst areas of my house. The Garage shouldn't be to hard to do once I get started. But the storage space. ICK. It's under the kitchen and is 4 feet high so you have to bend over to work in there. Very hard on my back but it needs to be done so I can get out the Christmas decorations.

 

[HouseElf]

Cannot work on the garage (it will be torn down next year, and rebuilt)
Storage, it is packed! With everything we cannot put out until the renovations are completed.

Looks like we will have some great weather tomorrow for painting - dh is even taking the day off deer hunting to finish up the porches What a guy!

We will need to work on the enclosed porch windows (15 I think), 2 double tall storms for the kitchen porch windows and the door inside over the next few days. REALLY hoping I will have them up by the end of the weekend!

We are just finalizing locations for Christmas dinner (at my aunts this year), have invited my sister and her familly Christmas Eve (so far no bite), so will ask if she would like to come Boxing Day for Brunch. If she does not want to come Christmas Eve, I will ask two of my friends if they are intersted in coming for a luncheon at our home (they both have adult children - depending upon if they are travelling or if the boys are coming down?)

Either way I have the tentative meal plans in place, and a list of items I need.

We cannot have flowers in the house (cat who is a fanatic flower destroyer) - so need to rethink a little how I decorate. I have never used faux flowers, but will look at Michaels next time I am in town.

Working on the key chains for my gift/card to coworkers this weekend, and would like to start/finish one of the scarves Sunday.

 

[Winged One]

This week, I am determined to catch up on a few tasks that slipped over the past few weeks. Like continuing to sort paperwork in the sitting room and filing the paperwork basket in the kitchen.

I was talking to my aunt last night when I visited my gran in hospital - turns out my MUM had been part of a discussion weeks ago about me and the siblings only buying for our Godparents in the aunts and uncles, and they only buying for their Godchildren. Which had been more or less agreed with the aunts and uncles but MUM decided not to on behalf of the children (all now grown adults and some with fewer resources than others). So more than 6 weeks later, my siblings heard about it this morning (via me) and we'll see what veryone thinks - I expect they'll all be delighted (we've done a KK between ourselves for the past few years, and MUM was very against that too when we first suggested it).

I am also making progress on my Christmas plans, quietly. I will do a lot while DH is away - like arranging where to buy a tree the day he comes home. And I have done a list of things for DD for her advent calendar (some treats, some chores, some crafts and some pure fun things). And a few spare for the Au Pair to use on "I'm Bored" afternoons!

I am glad I had started my planning ahead of time this year though, as work continues as manic as ever, we have a parenting course starting next week (evenings) and DD has a diagnostic playgroup starting the same day (afternoons), DH is away for another 2 weeks in early Dec and my gran is getting visibly older (realistically, may not see Christmas, the littlest thing will carry her off now) - but she is happy and comfortable so that's good, and she IS 92 years old. And we have told my mother (and I presume DH has told his) that we are staying put for Christmas this year and hunkering down as a family for some much needed quiet time. Visitors are more than welcome but we are not travelling until the New Year. I just need to make sure I have all presents for the distant family ready to transport by 18th Nov (when we will probably be down to see the latest addition due then, and likely won't be down again before the holidays).So a couple more to organise in the next few weeks.

Wings

 

[luludou]

Garage is dh's territory and the storage is in the attic... next spring will be the time to do that.. no way are we going in there before Christmas. Anyhow I've asked dh to put up more rods to hang Halloween costumes up there and he won't have time for awhile so it's ok.

I will try to put more stuff in the freezer this weekend and we need to go to costco's in the next few weeks to get some more food.

Gifts - still a few missing mainly for my children but still not too bad

 

[AuntJamelle]

Got a batch of Chunky Chocolate Gobs dough made up and in the fridge...will just need to flash freeze the dough later...

Ordered a couple of small gifts for DS too...

 

[AuntJamelle]

I got the frozen dough into a ziplock and back into the freezer last night. No other progress to report!

 

[aggy]

This is a free week for me. I will use the rest of this week to work on the holiday prep part and try to tie up any loose ends from previous weeks.


( ) •Make one batch of Holiday Goodies.
(X) •Make one extra meal for freezer again labeled HOLIDAY MEAL. I made chicken & biscuits. It's my favorite recipe
( ) •Buy two canned food items from menus (get 2 of each item, one to use and one to donate to food drive).
(X) •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.
(X) •Review and revise menus and other plans. Menu is complete. Grocery list is ready and in my handbag
( ) •Plan table setting I saw a great idea using Dollar Tree items
( ) •Plan centerpiece, make as much as possible now (or order it from florist).
( ) •Reserve any items needed to be borrowed or rented.
( ) •Get everyone's holiday clothes purchased/cleaned/pressed.