SHEs Organized

sounds delicous.. do you have to poke them for the steam at all.

Holiday Grand Plan by Katie Leckey
Holiday Grand Plan Printables by Cynthia EwerHoliday 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.
•Start addressing Christmas cards and writing Christmas letter.
•Find family photo suitable for inclusion with Christmas card.
•Involve the whole family. Do not seal cards yet, keep them in a box in alphabetical order, as you think of things that you want to say to them pull out the card and add a note.
•Send invitations for Thanksgiving.
•Prepare for special needs-extra beds, babies?
•Buy extra batteries (check gifts).
•Order turkey.

Cleaning Grand Plan Weeks Eight and Nine
Holiday Grand Plan by Katie Leckey
Holiday Grand Plan Printables by Cynthia Ewer

Kitchen Closets: Empty them! Pull everything out. Use trash bags, boxes, etc to sort and redistribute your items. Remember-places would love donations of kitchen items. If you have not used something in a few months, chances are you just will not use it so donate it. Kill the clutter!

Kitchen Cabinets: Tackle one by one if the job seems overwhelming. Start above counters, on one side of the room and work in one direction & when done, tackle cabinets below the counter. Save the under-sink area for last, for me it was the hardest.

Get Rid Of:

•Old, currently unused cleaners
•Cans & Bottles of food over 6 months old unless there is a later expiration date.
•Old cracker/cookie boxes probably stale
•Pans & pots that you don't use, have duplicates of, are in horrible shape, etc.
•Extra serving dishes (store them elsewhere unless you have lots of room) until needed. Donate if you have not used them in the past six months.
Check any open boxes for bugs.

Don't forget to wipe down empty shelves, re-line (if necessary).

If you store medicines in the cabinets, check expiration dates. Verify prescription items with your pharmacist. Throw out medicines that "didn't work", expired or tasted so horrible you won't use them, etc.

Don't forget to empty drawers, clean inside, then replace items. Get rid of duplicate items (utensils) if you can.

Clean all appliances inside and out (refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker--use vinegar once through, followed by several rounds of water-- stove vent, etc.)

Sink: Use a toothbrush to get rid of gritty dirt at faucet. Clean drains, disposal, etc Use favorite cleaner to make "shine".

Pantry: Use same method as for the cabinets. don't forget to wipe down while empty. Try to combine duplicate boxes of things to throw out that which you haven't and probably won't use.

When this is done, you will probably want to dust any appropriate items, vacuum from ceiling to floor, including vents/ a/c ducts, clean any windows, and sweep & wash the kitchen floor (I always do that last!) As far as I'm concerned this is probably one of the hardest rooms in the house. If you have tile on your counters or table, this is a good time to spray them down and clean and reseal the grout.

Be ruthless! Go through every drawer, cabinet, counter. Did you take time to do all that work and sell yourself short? Did your Mama tell you a job worth doing is worth doing well??? Well go ahead an "git": make that kitchen shine. Go through the spices and the cookbooks again. I know there are things you still really need to do.

I do buy my christmas stamps this week
I start writing my christmas labels out (one a day)
I am finding it difficult to get pictures of all of us together as dd21 is in school so I think I will get individual shots and put them on a page.
I also make extra when I cook now and keep for holiday time... then there is no thinking

this cleaning list above for this week and next would have sent me crying and give up as, back then, to empty the pantry would have been a couple day job especially when I had kids and babysat.

when I was buried I remember not knowing where to start. keeping the sink clean (pam and peggy) and counters is important before the holidays. I remember when I started this journey I listened to pam and peggy's tapes on getting my act together (I gave it to myself as a christmas present and hoped it would be a present to myself and my family).
their suggestion: dishes duds and yourself ... keep up with the dishes (I used only paper plates and bowls when I started the procedure so I didn't keep falling behind).

I also started:
tossing each day something from the fridgerator and my round robin in the fridgerator for cleaning.
a daily garbage run through out the house.
I also had a small clear box that I filled with stuff that belonged in another room and made myself put it away where it belonged.

for the holidays I would clean the inside of the stove and microwave too so that as pam and peggy so aptley said "so the fire alarms didn't go off" I have had that happen

now: my cabinets can be gone into at any time. it's bare boned now to what I use rather then dreams of what would be. when I had company two weeks ago and everyone helped me by setting out the food; I wasn't at all embarrassed but really proud.

other things I changed in the kitchen: flour only goes in glass containers, same with baking soda etc. no more moths etc.
and it keeps my quantities limited. I used to have 3 flours at a time... what a waste.

I try to do little things as I go along. Wipe a shelf that is pretty empty. Check for science projects in the refrigerator on garbage night. Couple weeks ago when I was hand cleaning kitchen tile I wiped all the bottom cabinets as I went around. Now I'm waiting for the weather to cool so I can run the self-clean on the oven.

Last weekend I found a tree I liked, 4' pre-lit with those fuzzy ends. Most of the little ones being sold are cheap and scraggly. This one was full and pretty. But, this one was the only one not in stock. I'll keep looking.

I bought one gift for someone, if we exchange this year. Had ideas, but this is not the year for hand-made gifts. Hoping I don't get too many baking requests either.

Harriet I love Pam and peggy's tapes... do you have the Christmas one? I spoke to pam online not too long ago and asked if she would sell a cd of it, she listened to it again and she said they had a great laugh but I don't know if they will remake it.
I listen to it every year (now on dd15's old old child tape recorder).
I donated all my tapes, a huge box, to joy but kept the set.
YOur quilts for christmas sound beautiful.. could you post your pictures of your holiday quilts one day.

hi harmony great work on your kitchen. I had to lol when I read (science projects in the the refridgerator).. I really like that! so happy you found a nice tree. and buying a gift.

hi nancy... tool kit my dmom has: hammer, 25 ft measuring tape, philips/reg screwdriver small med and large, a small container of nails (the little plastic), note pad and pencil, plyers, wrench, allen wrench set, my mom is born organized so she has a few more things but that's what I remember.

my mom for her car has a kit, a phone charger for her phone, emergency phone # and a doctor/medicine list in her purse, a window breaker in her glove compartment, paper towel, kleenex, fire extingusher (a small one), a wool blanket,a white plastic bag, first aid kit, silver blanket, hand warmers in a emergengy, a swiss army knife, cat litter and she also as one of those thing you can toss under the wheels if caught in store, she also brings a new bottle of water in her car and snacks each time she goes for a drive. Yes my mother is born organized, ask me if I have done this... no.

Blessed thanks for taking the time to share those wonderful ideas!
I really appreciate it and I can use that information.
I love the idea of a c.d. / DVD of P&P's hope they can do that,
maybe even from a book on tape.
With technology these days it does seem doable if you had the right equipment!

dharriet... this was the "home for the holiday's" (a 2 cassette tape package).
I kept some of the tapes and I used to get the mailer but donated all those. I used to look so forward to those tapes of the month I'll print some of what they said as the holidays come. I always find it fun.

dnancy I did like the tapes... I wish they could put it on cd.