Week Ten, Family Room Week

[HouseElf]

As per HGP site:

Holiday Grand Plan Week Ten

Holiday Grand Plan by Katie Leckey
Holiday Grand Plan Printables by Cynthia Ewer

Moving into the heart of the household, it's Week Ten at the Holiday Grand Plan: Family Room Week! We'll clean and organize this central area of family life as we begin to think ahead to holiday visitors in holiday prep. Keep working on those gifts!

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

Deep Cleaning/Organizing Area: Family Room
•Family Room•Family Room cleaning checklist
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.
•Polish silver; clean glassware (baking soda & water). Put candleholders in freezer to help remove wax. Alcohol removes stains from candles.
•Take down Halloween decorations. Put up Thanksgiving ones.
•DO NOT shampoo carpet - partying people spill things.
•Clean/clear library/front hall closet so there will be room for guests' coats. Give unwanted coats to charity. Store other stuff in attic in empty luggage.

 

[HouseElf]

My family room is also my living room etc... so a place where we read, visit and play games. Small Edwardian home, my dining room is twice the size of this room.

We will take down the Halloween decorations tonight after the trick or treaters (really not a lot out there). Thanksgiving is already over for us, so we go right into prep for Christmas focus

 

[luludou]

I cannot touch the LR because dh is working putting up the fireplace in there, painting, putting new spotlights, etc...
But, I do need to make a list of stuff that need to get done for Christmas. Food, appointments, clothing, gifts, etc...

 

[Colleen in PA]

The front hall closet is a MUST DO for me this week! Especially since we're hosting Thanksgiving...need a place for those coats and the air mattress during the day!

 

[horsemama]

My family room is pretty large, and I did this room last week so I could start putting up Christmas there...it's half a level down, the large tree is partially decorated, taking my time at it. I need to work on my wreaths there, one for my Dad's grave and one for my Aunt and Uncle's too. I'm closest, so I take care of that. It sure is cheaper to make my own using the same fake evergreen wreath then buying real each year. I'm sure Dad understands! Found mold on my freezer in the utility room (next to family room), took care of that.

luludou - hope that fireplace is looking awesome!

 

[Winged One]

This week, I need to get myself in gear!! We made the holiday location decision over the weekend - so we are staying put and hunkering down as a family!! Yay!! And we will entertain on Stephen's Day at least, when we will have an "open house" type of tea in the afternoon, which is DD's birthday but it will not be her party (but I will have a cake). So now I can get on with planning our Christmas dinner and that birthday tea. I also need to get my bu*t moving on finishing off the crafting presents - I have a LOAD of sewing to do. At least the house is generally clean, if needing some extra decluttering at this stage.

[x] Clear off dining table paperwork
[] Sort paperwork in basket on dresser
[] Clear off rest of dresser
[] Put away last of winter clothes (Use box to store presents in once wrapped)
[] Clean all airvents upstairs
[] Check smoke alarm batteries
[] Sweep chimney
[] Order coal for Friday delivery
[] Book eye exam (me)
[] Wash dressing gowns
[] Wash my pillows
[x] Organise food for the week

[] Finish 3 crayon rolls
[] Make 5 cushion covers (the fabric I got goes with their sofa - YIPEE!!)
[x] Work on cross stitch decoration
[] Work on knitting blanket

[x] Check master budget/gifts list
[x][x][x][x][x][x][x][x][/][/] Buy 2 gifts
[][][] Wrap gifts finished (I have 6 ready to wrap now)
[] Write 5 cards
[] Clear Halloween decorations
[] Make 1 holiday goodie
[] Make 1 freezer meal
[] Put away 2 extra goodwill foods
[] Consider Christmas dinner - look into a goose for main meat
[x] Start to inform neighbours of "open house" event

I think I will take a couple of days off work in the next week or 2 (not this week as DD is off for mid-term) to dedicate to sewing. I should get the cushion covers, crayon rolls, baby burp cloths and tote bags all done then, which would be a huge dent in the crafting plans.

 

[luludou]

Horsemama - for now it is not looking awesome, dh is still installing it (making holes in the wall), but it will when it is finished

 

[AuntJamelle]

Greetings all!

So here we are, Week 10 of the HGP! Halloween is over and the while the empty candy wrappers blow about, the realization sinks in - just over 50 days until Christmas! YIPE!!!

This is the point in the HGP where I am starting to struggle this year. Balancing work, basic cleaning, laundry, toddler, cooking, feeding the freezer, and misc. holiday prep tasks (shopping, crafting, etc.) is getting a little hectic for me.

DS has surgery scheduled this Friday - simple operation to put tubes in his ears - which is supposed to be very simple and easy - but I'm nervous, of course!

I'm trying like mad to button up Kitchen/Pantry week HGP tasks and get started on the Family Room...but I have a huge batch of Peanut Butter Gingerbread Cookie dough in the fridge that has to be rolled, cut and flash frozen TODAY!

So maybe tomorrow I can start on my Week 10 Tasks! Whew! I'm gonna need more coffee!!!

HGP Family Room Week Tasks

[ ] Dust ceiling, lights for cobwebs
[ ] Clean fans
[ ] Dust mantle
[ ] Dust all shelves, books, columns, etc.
[ ] Polish silver
[ ] Windex all mirrors, windows, French doors, etc.
[ ] Dust bottles (move remaining shot glasses – store in drawer? Donate?)
[ ] Empty, clean and refill bar drawers (re-org, relocate, donate as needed)
[ ] Empty, clean and refill under sink area
[ ] Clean bar tops
[ ] Clean bar chairs, including creases, legs and feet pads
[ ] Clean bar microwave as needed
[ ] Vacuum under cushions
[ ] Vacuum floor
[ ] “Mop” entire floor

Holiday Prep Tasks

[ ] Make one batch of Holiday Goodies - In Progress

[ ] Make one extra meal for freezer again labeled HOLIDAY MEAL

[X] 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 - May not actually purchase this week, but I am going to try and do a return to Target - which since I lost the receipt I'll just get a store credit - which I can save for Christmas shopping!

[ ] Wrap and label packages - Goal is to just setup the wrapping center in the Family Room this week; probably at the tail end of my HGP tasks in that room

[_ _ _ _ _ _ _ ] Work at least 1 hour a day on homemade gifts

[ ] Take down Halloween decorations. Put up Thanksgiving ones.

 

[Winged One]

Aunt Jamelle, is your DS getting grommits? If so, DD had that done a couple of years ago and it was grand. Try to talk to any other mom who has been through it in your area (do they let you go into theatre with your ds while he goes to sleep, what to expect in the hospital before and afterwards, etc) if you can. But the nurses are usually great with kids and want them relaxed and happy going out - in our case, there were 2 kids ahead of a bunch of adults in theatre and they put the kids 1st deliberately with both moms able to bring them in and hold their hand while they went to sleep (DD was distracted by working out how the Dr's set (toy version) worked and completely ignored the mask at her nose). And they usually call the mom's pretty quick to be there when the kids are waking up too, especially littl'uns, so they aren't scared. DD snuggled up on top of me and went back for a little doze, before waking up and wanting food, food and more food. She couldn't wait to bounce out of the place before lunchtime (and we didn't have to stay overnight beforehand either).

I managed to get out at lunchtime today, for a change, and found a shop with a great selection of stocking fillers. I bought enough to do all the stockings I need to do (siblings and significant others), so if I DON'T get crafty things made, I am not under pressure. And if I DO get crafty things made, I can use the fillers for other people or other times very easily.

I also got 3 more bits of my Mum's present - an ice-scraper (hot pink!), a pair of hand warmers, and 2 pairs of thermal socks. I am making an emergency kit for her car, and as she's diabetic, I am thinking of protecting her feet, and things like diabetic chocolate and full sugar sprite to help if sugar levels fall. Only a can of de-icer, bag of kitty litter (for grit/traction) and the chocolate/sprite to go!

 

[AuntJamelle]

Hmmm...not sure if grommits are the same thing as ear tubes? He has had 6 ear infections already this year and they consider putting them in after 3 or 4. I'm nervous about the part of things where I will be separated from him but I know it will be OK.

Thank you for the kind words and info! It means a lot!!!

I did manager to get my cookie dough rolled, cut and flash frozen last night. Everything is tucked away in ziplocks. I have a long flat heavy cardboard box I saved from a cast iron pan we recently bought, I've been using it to store things that might get damaged in the deep freeze.

Right now I have to bags of stuffed mushrooms in there, but I think there should be room for the two ziplocks worth of cookie cutouts too. The bags are fairly thin, so we'll see. I want to be sure they aren't all broken when I go to bake them! lol

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I'm on my second batch of stuffed mushrooms. I'll try to get this batch into the freezer. Last batch just disappeared.