HGP 2017 - Attic/Storage Week

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AuntJamelle

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Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
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South Bend, IN
Cooler weather makes it easy to check and organize the attic and storage areas during Week Twelve, Attic Week.

No attic? Use this week to work on undone tasks, or to tackle a bonus area in the home.

We continue to move toward Thanksgiving in holiday prep, preparing to set a pretty holiday table. Are you working on holiday gifts?

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

http://holidaygrandplan.com/holiday-grand-plan/12-attic-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.
  • Make place cards.
  • Make 3x5 card for each serving dish, list what goes in it, garnish, how much before dinner can it go in and serving silverware used with it; tape it to edge of dish.
  • Be sure all dishes are clean!
  • Borrow or buy any additional serving dishes needed.
  • Buy reusable foil bakeware from party paper place.
  • Are linens clean and ready? Unfold and verify that all spots can be hidden by centerpiece.
  • Work on centerpiece.
 

AuntJamelle

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Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
4,320
2,643
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South Bend, IN
Did quite a bit of online Christmas shopping yesterday! And I picked up foil pans at the $ store, some items for advent calendar as well. And I picked up some presents from Kohls that I ordered online and had shipped to the store.
 

AuntJamelle

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Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
4,320
2,643
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South Bend, IN
Have continued to focus on gift shopping and menu planning this week! Did a BIG grocery shop yesterday and picked up a lot of things for coming holiday meals!

I've been working with my sister to finalize date for their overnight visit and finished menu plans - had to add a breakfast menu since they'll be staying over. Plugged everything into my master grocery list!

Also invited BIL and his girlfriend over for dinner on Sunday, Dec 17th - I'm make a roast and butternut squash and an extremely decadent Reeses PB Cheesecake. She wants to bring some food items as well, so depending on what she comes up with I'll round things out from there.

And I volunteered to bake a dessert for DS's class Christmas party that happens right before winter break starts. I've settled on these cupcakes:

https://stunningcollection.blogspot.com/2016/09/christmas-darling-cupcakes.html

I also talked to meat department last night about ordering filet mignon for Christmas Day dinner - since it will just be DH and I eating it I think we can swing the price this year!

I've also been working on my cooking timeline's for various events. I plan out when I'll be doing what since things start to overlap and get crazy.

For example, in addition to cleaning and food prep for my sister's visit I'll be sneaking in some recipes that are meant to go in a gift basket I'm doing for her boyfriend - some brittle, caramel corn, etc.

I really THINK I've thought of every meal/cooking/baking related event at this point and have it plugged in.

I've also picked up some extra standard pantry items for donating - we're adopting families via my work this year and I'm helping to coordinate the effort - big surprise :)

One family only asked for food!!! :( Just kills me! This is done via the school their kids go to and that a co-worker of mine has kids at - that's how we got involved. I'm going to see how much food others donate first and then go to town!
 

AuntJamelle

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Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
4,320
2,643
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South Bend, IN
Got the upstairs - which is finished so not technically an "attic" under control yesterday and boy does that feel great!!!

Cleaned up all the craftermath!

Organized all the gifts to be wrapped vs. already wrapped!

Used yarn needle to finish off loose bits of yarn on all the dishcloths I knitted and put them with presents to be wrapped.

Put together small shopping bags with handles for DS and DH stockings and filled with items I have so far, also did another bag for advent calendar items - hung them all up in large storage room. Luckily DS is not a snooper yet as far as gifts go! I'll have to be more creative at some point! lol

Finished boxing up misc. Halloween decor items and have a tote ready for Thanksgiving items to go into once it's time.

Reorganized shelves in large storage room, moving seldom accessed items up higher and out of the way.

Reorganized contents of small storage room so that like things are together and I can actually walk in and out of it now without being a contortionist - big improvement!

Put fall/Halloween theme books away - have box of Christmas books ready to grab!

Pulled out and staged all wrapping supplies - I'm happy with how I've got it arranged this year - much better because nothing is in the way - all either under tables or back behind them but elevated for easy reach (the roof slopes down sharply so I have "dead" space behind some of my work tables)

Ransacked all my stashes for potential gifts for adopted family and pulled together a good amount! Had purchased a T-Rex dinosaur years ago but it never got taken out of the box because it scared DS - still works great so that will be for one of the boys in the family! Have some candles, chapsticks, a pretty blown glass ornament and so on. Even a little lego set that should work for one of the kids plus a new rubber duckie for the baby. :) I think I have bottles of bubbles leftover from DS's birthday party last year that I can grab too. And extra little finger LED laser lights. Those will work good for stocking stuffers for the kids! Oh and I have extra glow sticks too - need to look at that in the camping box!

It is a HUGE relief to have that upstairs primed and ready for action! When I pull all the Christmas decor out it is going to be crazy again - but at least it won't be crazy on top of crazy!
 

AuntJamelle

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Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
4,320
2,643
113
South Bend, IN
Wrapped a couple more presents last night!

Also made a quick trip to Walmart and got a hat/gloves/scarf set that I'll add some embroidery to for a quick gift.

Grabbed a cute holiday theme flour sack towel to add to the kitchen theme gifts I've made/collected for DMIL.

And I got some assorted office supplies that I will fill a Mason jar with as a gift for my boss. Highlighters, push pins, pretty paper clips and sticky notes. I'll do some cute tags/labels, use some crinkled paper filler in the bottom of the jar and so on. Should turn out cute!