*Update* Holiday Grand Plan Challenge: Week 5 Entry/Foyer - Page 3

[muttix2]

I'm in too. I'll be back with lists later.

[VeganCupcake]

This is brilliant; I've never even attempted to be this organized in my life! I love it!

I'm not sure what to do with my entryway/porch, so I'm leaving that one alone for this week. But I do have a list of lists to share!

• Local Food to Buy and Preserve
• Christmas Menu
• Gifts to Make or Buy
• Baking
• Decorations to Buy
• Decorations to Make

[LucyRev]

Front Porch:
Rebuild front porch
Switch out light fixture

that is a huge project so I'll focus on the back patio this week.

Back Patio List:
toss out old toys
corral other toys
get rid of broken strawberry pot &
broken kid size picnic table & coiled hose & reel
reattach piece of siding that wind blew off
chop down blackberry vines climbing up filbert tree
mow yard
trim neighbor's pear tree that overhangs
pull weeds from cracks in patio and do something so they won't return.

[mamatowill]

Okay-here is my first list.

Hallway-
-Clear out paper recycling
-Place cookbooks on cleared shelf
-Box of Guiding stuff to Guide House
-take DS's skates to resale shop
-Clean out random papers
-Organize shoes at back door
-Find place for workout bag and shoes

[gmvh]

I'm in!

Yesterday I got our front porch cleaned off, still need a new door mat. I got the bushes around the porch trimmed. Houseplants are still out there but will remain until it gets too cold for them. I also need to mow!

Lists made:
list of lists
card list - emailed folks whose physical address I need
birthday plans for my children
list of holiday decorations to make/add on to
list of parties to host (lots of details to be added!)
list of gifts for children

Reading some of your lists has made me want to get our back yard cleaned up and all of this has caused me to reflect on my group of girlfriends and what sort of celebrating I'd like to try and coordinate with them.

Yea! This is going to be fun - we're starting to have cool mornings and my thoughts quickly turn to the holiday season!

Gretchen

[rosewater]

I'm totally doing this!

I've been trying to get organized and declutter for a month and determined to be ready and organized for Christmas so I can truly truly enjoy it!

[Charmie981]

ACK! This week is disappearing rapidly!!

My lists:
Gifts and budget √ completed
Christmas Card List √ in process
Parties/Entertaining
Menus (Christmas, Thanksgiving, weekend after Thanksgiving)
Goodies for Giving (and who to give to)
Frozen Meals list (love this idea for Christmas eve and the day before Thanksgiving!)
Shopping list
Decorations to make
Supplies for gifts and decorations to make
House projects I'd like to complete before Thanksgiving
REALISTIC list of home to-do before Thanksgiving


We don't really have a front porch, so my porch list is pretty easy:
Wash front door/storm door √ completed
install doorbell
Wash windows √ completed
Clean cobwebs and siding √ completed
turn under and weed front beds (maybe!) √ in process

[dbsam]

I'd like to join too. I’ve been on an organization mission lately and this challenge sounds perfect.

Front Porch
•sand & paint the front door (This was last year’s project!)
•replace burnt out light bulbs in house lights and landscape lights
•wash the windows – around the door only √ completed
•remove or replant pots
•weed landscaping √ completed
•split daylilies, iris, lambs ears, & coral bells
•move coneflowers √ completed
•plant ornamental grasses √ completed
•trim woody shrubs – will have to wait until late Sept
•replace mail box – not really front door but it looks awful √ completed
•install new ‘fish’ landscape light purchased at an art fair
•take down the HUGE spider web I’ve felt too bad about removing √ completed

I probably cannot handle much more than the front of the house. I keep holiday lists in Excel so I think I’ll be able to update them easily in another week.

[kathirynne]

I am so in!

I know I'm starting late, but I'm in.

Lists to make:

*Halloween open house menu
*Halloween open house shopping list
*Christmas gifts and budget
*Christmas gift "request list" (for when others ask what to get for my kids)
*Thanksgiving menu
*Thanksgiving shopping list
*Christmas goodies to bake
*Christmas goodies shopping list
*List of Christmas goodies recipients
*Christmas dinner menu
*Christmas dinner shopping list

To Do list for Front of House
(my budget is really streched at the moment, so all these improvements are things I can do for free)
*Remove spent potted plant from steps
*Tie sweet pea plants to drain spout
*Hose off steps
*Wash outside of front room windows
*Fill in holes in front lawn (don't ask )
*Hose off sidewalk
*Tidy up "firewood storage area"
*Mow grass
*Water lawn

[snowbunny]

I'm so happy so many people are participating! I've been really busy this week so absolutely nothing's been done, but I did take before pics: here and here.

Hopefully I'll have lists complete this evening, some sewing done tomorrow and the bulk of the work on Saturday.

[Charmie981]

How's it going?

I'm taking a break from creating my front flower beds. I've divided the front of the house into 4 days worth of work, so this will continue into next week, but it will make a huge difference in the appearance of our home! I'm so excited . I've also gotten the windows washed and the door washed and I'm about to make DH put the door knocker on the door (buying a doorbell would violate our compact, but we have a fancy monogrammed door knocker).

So, how's everyone else doing?

[wombatclay]

It goes...

The porch is drying off (washed the whole thing!) and we've made two runs to the dump to drop of lawn waste and recycling stuff. After the porch is dry we'll put the chairs, table, sandbox, and water table back.

Dh is off to Lowes to get some more wiring so we can replace the porch light, when he gets back I'll deadhead the flowers and tie up the rose bush. We probably wont get to the door today, but hopefully the ceiling will be painted this evening.

It's been a tough week though...my toddler is "needy" right now and the new babe just doen't want to sleep!

[AngelBee]

Still working out week 1

[Charmie981]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

It's been a tough week though...my toddler is "needy" right now and the new babe just doen't want to sleep!

And that is why we aren't sure if we'll try again . Mine are 4 and 6 and they have been truly helpful with the flower beds, putting bricks from the pile in the back yard into the wagon and bringing them around front, or picking all of the "green" out of the dirt I'm turning up. And when they got tired of being helpful, they just disappeared to play by themselves. I my newfound independence!! I never managed to actually get ANYTHING done up until just a few months ago, so I totally know where you're coming from! It sounds like you've had a productive day/week, nonetheless!!

[wombatclay]

I'm learning to value the "little things" on my to-do list, that's for sure!

[TortelliniMama]

I'm hoping to join in on this soon. Ds's birthday party was today, so this week has been about getting the entire house tolerable, with no time/energy left over for focusing on the far-off winter holidays. I'd love for Christmas Eve to be a lot less stressful than last night, though!

[Steady101]

What a great idea.

[dbsam]

My husband agreed to watch the kids today so I could work on the landscaping in front of the house. (He even completed two things on my list.) Well...I never made it to the front garden. I started on one of the sides and went crazy pulling out almost everything!! I gave away a pickup of coneflowers and daylilies. I love my landscaping wild and full - Now it looks so bare. I just wanted a change. Oh well, I hope he'll watch them again tomorrow so I can keep working outside. I ran to the nursery to purchase a few new things and I even bought coneflowers -- in red instead of the pink I gave away!

[Charmie981]

Speaking of giving away flowers...we got a TON of flowers for my bed that I created today from some friends. They were the foundational plantings in their newly built house two years ago and the builders planted way too close together, so they removed them. We got 18 plants in all, some azaleas and some that DH can't remember the name of, but he knows that they flower little white flowers. I just finished planting them (by the light of DH's headlights!) and can't wait to see how they look in the morning . So in one day, I finally have landscaping in my yard, all without violating my compact . I'll try to post pictures tomorrow when there's enough light to actually TAKE pictures!!

[Charmie981]

Week Two has started. See the new thread here