Holiday Houseworks: Decor Storage Week

Did someone say DECORATIONS?!?!

Generally I put up decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving, but DH had an unexpected Sunday off last weekend so we struck while the iron was hot & put the tree up then.

This is the first year since Turtle was born that we've had a tree.  I decided to go with an artificial tree -that's what we had when I was growing up & I actually do have a place to store it when the holidays are over.  I must say, I LOVE having a pre-lit tree!  Maybe some year we will do a real tree, but this will do for now.

Oh look -bubble wrap!

Doesn't look like much

You mean it lights up?

We're still working on the Vanna skills

Adding ornaments was lots of fun!

DH thought that not ALL the ornaments should be hung on the bottom 2 feet of the tree

The final product

At Christmas time, you can find almost anything your heart desires boxed up and ready to give......

Even Turtles!

Just a bit of decorating now to finish, but the rest of the holiday assignments left to do are

• Finish gift shopping
• Mailing domestic gifts
• Charge batteries for the camera

How are your holiday preparations going?

Holiday Houseworks: Dining Space Week

Dining Space Week?  Now that's a treat because my "dining space" is actually a table placed at one end of the living room. (Yes, it looks exactly like the picture above, except completely different) No storage spaces to tackle, the furniture is not worthy of polishing so it is swathed in fabric.  This is going to be a great catch up week for me, so please pardon me while I gloat a bit.  WOOHOO I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO DO THIS WEEK!

OK, I feel much better now.  Mind you, I won't be totally slacking off.  I'll toss the chair covers in the wash and scrub the table down to the best of my abilities.  Maybe I'll catch up on my Christmas cards.  Or maybe, I'll just make more cookie dough to put in the freezer to bake later!

Oh, the endless possibilities..................................




..........such as finding a bunny to dress up and serve us food for my Holiday Soiree.

PS  I did find the source of the shaved soap idea: it was in the November issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray.  I suppose there are some people who have time and the inclination to shave soap with a vegetable peeler for their guests.  But I bet they are all magazine stylists  :-P

Holiday Houseworks: Food Storage Week

It is a good thing I started prepping for the holidays back in September!  I'll admit, the past few weeks I have only  been half-heartedly getting tasks marked off my to-do list.  But now, everything seems frighteningly close

Last week was the cooking space week and I actually got back down to business.  Motivation came in the form of getting the kitchen ready for a BRAND NEW STOVE!  Just a few surfaces to wipe down and we'll be ready for the delivery :)

I thought I disliked the tasks on the bathroom week more than anything.  I was wrong, because now I have to tackle food storage.  This means cleaning the fridge folks!  Because of the dangerous nature entailed with cleaning this appliance, I'll be sure to announce exactly when I'm going in.  Just so  you know when to send in the Search and Rescue team.  If you don't see anymore posts from me, you will know that I lost my battle with the Food That Time Forgot in the unmarked plastic container from the back of the bottom shelf.

Food storage also means tackling my pantry spaces.  Yes, I said spaces.  I have a small cabinet in the kitchen that can be used for pantry items.  I also use the big drawer in the buffet to hold things that don't sit on the shelf easily.  The rest is on a shelving unit in the basement.  And all three are completely out of control.  Organizing it is a daunting task, but I have a cunning plan that just might turn my functional kitchen into a Fabulous Kitchen. 

Stay tuned.....................

The Christmas Pudding, Poster 1928 Giclee Print

Christmas, Christmas Cake is Here!

Ain't she a beauty?

Nothing says "Time to make a Christmas Cake" more than a Black Cat wearing a witches hat. Oh wait, is that just me?

ms. caboo daringly tried to teach Turtle how to crack an egg.  I think we got most of the shell out.  Any "crunch" in the cake is obviously due to nuts.  Yeah, that's it!

 Some Mad Housewife showed up, which really made the baking fun!

This is what Christmas Baking looks like when you have 3 feet of kitchen counter space (even when decluttered).

This is the second cake we made as you can see the wooden spoon in the background already has cake batter on it.  BTW, my wish already came true!!!

It is not to late to make your own Christmas Cake  :)

Holiday Houseworks: Bed & Bath week

I know, I know! I skipped a week reporting on my holiday prep.  What can I say?  It was wardrobe week & I kinda think you already know more about my wardrobe than you want to know.  Besides, it was C-R-A-Z-Y at work this past week & I just couldn't make myself post.  Who would have thought that working with 3-6 year olds on a daily basis would be stressful? Not me, that's for sure. (Note: for those of you running Sarcasm Filter 2.0 [PC/Mac/Linux] or higher you may miss the full impact of the last two sentences.  For optimum experience, stop the filter and reread).

So now onto Bed & Bath Week!!!!!!!

Let me just state this here & now:  I hate cleaning the bathroom. 

Thank goodness there is only one and it is SMALL.

On the downside, there is only one and it is SMALL.  While perfectly adequate at this time, I can easily forsee a future where one small bathroom will not meet the needs of a small family containing a teenage girl. 

For now, the thought of detail cleaning the "fixtures" fills me dread & misery.  Really, the kind of feeling that usually equates "procrastination" in my book.  Except I can't really procrastinate it this week coz next weekend is my weekend away for the half-marathon.  Today is must be the day!

But the other part of this week's goal is tackling the linen closet.  Maybe I should do that instead.  Yup, that's the ticket -DEFINTELY the linen closet.  It is completely out of control and really should take top priority.  The bathroom? Let's face it, its just going to get dirty again so why bother? Now the linen closet has real potential of being organized and STAYING that way between now and the Holidays.  The linen closet it is.......

*The author kindly asks that if you see her today wandering aimlessly with a towel in her hands to please replace the towel with the toilet brush and redirect her to "the smallest room in the house".  Thank you.

Otters Playing in Bathroom Photographic Print

**The Author would like to reassure you that no animals will be harmed during the cleaning of her bathroom.  Thanks you (again).

Holiday Houseworks: Close to Home Week

I shouldn't have done it, but I ran out of time & was left with no choice but to go ahead with the job.  That's right, I decluttered Turtle's toys while she was home AND awake.  Needless to say, we didn't get rid of much.

So I may do another stealth declutter attack in a couple of weeks.  This time when she's asleep.

March of the Toys Photographic Print

The house is looking very festive now as I actually put out some fall decor.  I came across an old Halloween tablecloth I had forgotten about, so I put it on the table.  Turtle was thrilled!  She's not so thrilled with the electric fake jack o'lantern we got from Grandma last year.  I'm sure a visit to a pumpkin patch will be happening soon :)

On one last Halloween note, Turtle has decided she wants to be a princess! So I'll be scouring the consignment shops for flower girl dresses, then see about getting a tiara.  Hey, it certainly beats the Elmo costume she spied last week!


Little Girl with a Toy House Cleaning Kit Photographic Print


What every Montessori child needs!

Holiday Houseworks: Me & Mine Week

By the skin of my teeth (ie everything was done on Sunday) I finished my task list for the Me & Mine week!  Most of the work centered around getting the MBR (master bedroom) in order.  Once again, the adult sanctuary is in tiptop shape.  I was stunned at how much non-bedroom stuff was crammed inside our tiny oasis.  Nevertheless, the stacks of books and piles of clothes have been removed. 


One goal was to decorate the room.  In this case, decorating meant hanging the print I purchased LAST YEAR for our room.  Isn't it lovely?

Eiffel Tower Through Gates Poster

Of course, I need to get a frame first.  The days of using tape to hang posters to my bedroom wall all long over.

One item on the list for this week was ordering/buying Christmas cards.  I'm afraid I just couldn't bring myself to do it yet.  My list is fairly small, so that is being bumped to do at a later date.

My tear-file for holiday ideas culled from magazines has been started (BTW thanks for the great idea Diane!) and I purchased ANOTHER holiday magazine. 

Next is the Close to Home week -looks like Turtle's room is next on the chopping block :-P

Happy Holiday Planning!



 
Boot, c.1955 Premium Giclee Print

PS  Thanks for your patience while I get a new card reader so I can get the pictures OFF my camera.  I've actually got things other than my clothes, marathon training & holiday plans to share with you -honestly!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This House Believes in Santa Art Print

By popular demand (yes, you know who you are) I'm posting before my blogging vacation is officially over.  What to write about? Christmas of course!

Last year I kinda sorta followed the Holiday Grand Plan.  I didn't follow it to the letter, but overall Christmas was a much smoother event than it ever has been before.  This year Organized Home is offering a new holiday plan:  Holiday Houseworks.  I'm liking the idea, so this season I'll give this plan a whirl.

"It's not even Labor Day yet!" I hear you scream with horror.  Let me give you some background information about myself.  Prior to my teaching career, I spent many (15 to be precise) years in retail.  Do you know what working in retail did to me?  Sucked every bit of Holiday Spirit out of me.  I would begin with such hope in my heart each holiday season, but by the time December rolled around, the true meaning of Christmas was a day off.  No more dealing with upset customers because we didn't have The Thing they just HAD to have as a gift when they waited until the last minute to buy it.  By Christmas Day I was too tired to do anything other than sip some bubbly.

Once I left the world of retail I vowed that I would reclaim the Christmas Holiday.  Once again it would become a season of magic and joy.  If it weren't for a couple of health-related dramas the week of Christmas, last year would have been practically perfect.  My goal for this season: to not have to go Christmas shopping at all during the month of December.  I've had enough of Christmas crowds to last me a lifetime!

Want to join along?  Today is the first day of Week One of the Holiday Houseworks plan.  I'm getting my planner together & organizing my "office space".

You can check out the various plans here.  There's a six week plan if you would prefer to wait to start getting ready.  You can also go Cruising Through the Holidays with the Flylady.  At any rate, Happy Holiday Planning!