2013 FOCUS - Thanksgiving First Week - 11/11/2013

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Harriet
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2013 FOCUS - Thanksgiving First Week - 11/11/2013

Postby Harriet » Mon Nov 11, 2013 2:59 pm

Here are Indiana's steps to a first week of preparation for Thanksgiving, from November 6, 2010.

Now that all our rooms are deep cleaned we can enjoy the holidays by just doing maintenance and holiday preparation as our focus.

Maintenance:
dusting
floors
tidying
erasing footprints
cleaning bathrooms
cleaning kitchen
touch up where we see it is needed

Declutter:
Declutter Halloween decorations as they are put away and report in the declutter thread for November.

Decorations:
Decorate the house with Thanksgiving decorations. Declutter any decorations that are past their prime and report in the declutter thread for November.

Planning:
The most effective way I found to plan is to work backward from what I imagine the outcome to be and then put the plan in place to get there.

Picture yourself at the dinner table. Imagine the food, table setting, and décor. If you are having anything before hand picture that too.

Take each food item and write down how long it takes to make, can it be made ahead, and what serving dish you will use.
Once that list is done refine your list by writing a schedule of Thanksgiving preparation. The turkey goes in the oven at (time); the pies can be made on Wednesday, etc.
Don’t forget to add 15 minutes to the turkey time to allow time for carving, a minute, or two for putting the gravy and potatoes in dishes, etc.
Your list should be detailed and ready to go with little tweaking.
Go over you recipes to see if ingredients overlap. As an example onion, can you chop onions for all the dishes at once?
With your recipes, what part of the recipe can be prepared in advance? Celery for the stuffing? Bread cubed and drying on the counter?
Using your recipes prepare a master grocery list. Break your master list into non-perishable items that you can get ahead and perishable items that you need to get right before Thanksgiving.

Invite your guests and get a firm commitment from them ASAP.

Take your "Thanksgiving To-Do" list, and schedule time for each item. You may wish to complete one or two items a day until Turkey Day. Be sure to get the help of your spouse and children - delegate! Work on your personal "Thanksgiving To-Do" list in addition to the items in this countdown.

Stock up on pumpkins and potted mums for decorations.

Check spices and toss any that are past their prime. Add to grocery list.

Schedule hair and manicure appointments if needed.

Arrange for extra tables or chairs.

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