Holiday grand plan 2010

[blessedw2]

sent Alsatian record to a company that takes old records and puts them on cd's. I made a copy for dmom, daunt, my girls, myself and duncle. I could ask them to make extra for cousins. I will think about it. you can no longer get the non touristy type of music. unfortunatly they have taken the alsatian ways to commercial ways as the language gets lost.

bought Christmas stamps

starting a label a day for Christmas cards (I use sticky labels)

made copies of original art for Christmas (dgrandpere's drawings when he was 12)

[blessedw2]

found out they are making a copy of the "home for the holidays"
ordering listed below

Dear Friends,

In 1987 my sister and I were invited to give a speech on how to take the stress out of the holidays. We spoke to an audience of 500 homemakers who were eager for laughter and begging for information about how to make the holidays happier and less stressful. We spoke for about an hour and forty minutes and offered the talk on two audio cassettes for $25.00.

Recently a SHE from waaay back emailed me and said that her "cassettes" of Home for the Holidays had finally given up and she wanted to replace them. She had listened to them every year going into the holidays to get into the right frame of mind.

I found the master of the speech and Terry and I listened to it on a trip to Seattle. We laughed all the way and I knew I had to bring the program back for you. I have been in the Christmas spirit ever since I listened to those two very young mothers share their hearts with women who want to have joy during the most joyous holiday we have each year.

We now have it available either as an MP3 download or on CDs. I am delighted to be able to offer this laugh-filled talk just in time for you to go into the holidays for fun and with joy. The CDs are just $19.99 plus postage and handling and the MP3 Download is $14.50.

To order Home for the Holidays just go to http://www.innerkiddies.com/site/?page_id=2922

[Nancy]

I was just going to post a link for this read it too!

[Harriet]

blessed, do you think it might have been you who started this ball rolling?

Photographing decor at Christmas: Yes, I'll be taking a few photos because we have not yet photographed the quilt that my 2 grandmothers made together, which will hang for the first time in my LR this Christmas. Reminding me, I need to make a hanging sleeve for it.

Found out that dd30 family is likely to come the weekend AFTER Thanksgiving again, sigh. So I don't know whether I'll put Christmas decor out late or what. I don't mind being the "latest" for almost any holiday except Thanksgiving. It is pretty much one kind of meal, and when everyone's sick of that type of meal by the time they get to you, that's no fun. Dd is suggesting baked spaghetti.

I think we may have Thanksgiving first this year before ds25's or dstepson's in-laws can do it! We'll invite only their families, let them go on to other gatherings after that and forget us on T-day, and let dd30's be a non-holiday visit with decor changed. Anyway, that's a thought.

[Indiana]

That is a good thought Harriet.

[blessedw2]

Pam wrote me and said she may do it but I didn't know until I got the general email.
my copy has been through the ringer. I wish I knew how Peggy is doing. You never hear.

Family Room Week
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.

[blessedw2]

Family Room
Cleaning Grand Plan Week Ten
Holiday Grand Plan by Katie Leckey
Holiday Grand Plan Printables by Cynthia Ewer

Since the Family Room is much like the Living Room, consult the notes from that week as well, to be sure we haven't missed anything! Here goes!

Start by washing the outside of your windows.

Take everything down off the walls, take down curtains etc. Wash, vacuum or dry clean as needed.

Sweep ceiling corners and other nooks in the room - tops of doorways, windows, arches, bookcases, etc.

Wash inside of windows and sills. Polish and touch-up stain on wood.

Re-hang window coverings.

Take cushions off furniture, vacuum thoroughly. Vacuum cushions, checking for wear and turning as needed. Spot treat any stains or shampoo furniture as needed.

Wooden furniture and anything with drawers: Empty, sort, and throw away what you don't really need. Put the rest where it really belongs. Dust/Polish the piece you're finished with, repeat as necessary. Do shelves the same way.

Baseboards - dust or wash as needed touch up scuffs on wood or touch up paint on painted surfaces.

Clean the TV screen. Dig out and sort all the accumulated electronic equipment--games, tapes, camera parts, wires, connectors, etc. Put everything where it belongs and get rid of the rest. (I stash things for a few months in the attic and if they don't miss it then I can dispose of it as I please!) If something doesn't work, take action--if it is worth getting fixed then decide when it can be done. Otherwise just liquidate it now.

Vacuum the entire room. Use a whisk broom to get into those hard to reach areas and around the baseboards if your vacuum doesn't clean close enough. Yes, get help and move the furniture. There may be a wealth of lost treasures hiding under the sofa right now!

Clean/change silk flower arrangements for the season. It is also a good time to clean, trim, and/or repot live plants. They can't absorb CO2 and light through a layer of dust!

Other items needing attention if you have them are:

•Fireplace/mantel/chimney/glass doors
•Lamps - cleaning and/or replacing shade/bulb/wiring
•Light switches (clean)
•Mirrors and anything framed under glass clean it.
Door handles--and the area around them-- if you have little sticky fingers be sure to get the area below them clean too with an appropriate cleaner. Polish the wooden doors and retouch scuffs.

Clean shake/wash/vacuum/take to professional-- any area rugs.

Now is a good time to reorganize the video tapes and CDs, Cassettes etc. If you have not viewed or listened to them in a while, donate or take to a consignment shop or a second hand music store and swap.

[blessedw2]

how wonderful to have a quilt that both dgrandmothers made! really a treasured blessing!
dharriet.

my dsil splits her Christmas and thanksgiving.. 1 year thanksgiving with our family and then the next year with hers. this way it stays equal. my mom has christmas now in florida and I feel bad but girls want to be with all their cousins at christmas and dbro/sil and dd21 still don't get along. my dmom doesn't realize it but she is the reason for a lot ofthe jealousy and problems. example it started with dd15 last week. my dmom is particulary close to dd15 because they spend a lot of time together. My brother was in town with his wife... originally my mom said she was going to take dd15 with but my mom realized my sil was with and told dd15 no. my brother asked dd15 if she wanted to go at last minute not knowing my mom uninvited her. it's that kind of silly stuff that she doesn't realize she does with sil. I think my sil is very unaware of the games like that that are played. dd15 was hurt but dd21 has been through this and so have I many a time all revolving around my mothers very deep affection for my sil. I know my brother is unaware.

[blessedw2]

my binder now has my complete list of people and some ideas and money to be spent.
now to think about hors doevres and food to bring with for thanksgiving and christmas
also about the gingerbread houses.

dd15 and I plan on hanging Christmas lights this weekend if warm (of course not turning on until day after thanksgiving. I bought a light pole this year so that should help us reach areas.

today: plan is to go to kinko's for printing of Christmas cards.

[blessedw2]

bought 2 ornaments for st. nicholas day dec 6 for girls. I will have to send dd21's
finished: candy bought... only will have to wait for gingerbread santa cookies.
bought wrapping paper yesterday