Holiday Grand Plan: Week Four - the Master Bedroom

(Note:  I'll post my weekly plan and then update it as the week goes on.  I'll keep all of the lists on my Christmas 365 page and also over in the sidebar.  Happy Holidays!)

I am taking part in the Holiday Grand Plan.  It is a system by Katie Leckey and Cynthia Ewer of Organized Christmas where you break down all of your holiday tasks into weekly lists and complete a total home deep cleaning at the same time.

Week Four: the Master Bedroom
This week we're in the Master Bedroom.  I'm going to be honest:  I'm not looking forward to this one.  I have a lot of work to do in this room.

After the summer's bedroom shuffling (and then re-shuffling) this room is pretty disheveled. It is the room I most certainly run to close the door to if I know someone was coming over.


What does it say that I wouldn't want anyone else to see this space, but I'm okay with sharing it with my husband? 


Our shared space should be more than an after-thought or the "catch all" of the rest of the house's stuff. Yet, there are things in boxes and totes from other rooms I need to sort.  Outgrown clothing from the kids I need to donate or add to the scrap pile.  It is a mess.  (There won't be any "before" pictures because I'm too embarrassed to share!  Actually, I decided to go ahead and share.  You guys have seen my dust-bunnies before, right?)

Okay, brace yourselves ...

Yikes, right?

I don't like being in here and it certainly isn't what anyone would call a place to "retreat" from the rest of the world.

Here is what is sad:  none of the things that need doing in this room would take very long.  Put away the outgrown clothes, tackle the mending, wheel the yarn stash back into the closet, move Lucy's dresser into the room she shares with Jillian now, wipe off the walls after the Great Black Crayon Incident of August 2010 (well, okay, that one might take a little while) ... I just don't take the time to do it.  I close the door, leave the room, and ignore it the rest of the day.  

Sad.

The Inspiration
As I said, this room isn't a retreat from the world.  I'd love for it to be though, so that is my main motivation:  to create a place of peaceful retreat for Chris and I, a romantic nest to relax in at the end of the day.

The Assignments
I'm a little overwhelmed.  But, I'm going to do my best to spend one hour in this room every day this week.  

I'm not going to worry so much about deep cleaning specifics at this point.  My main focus is getting the clutter out and reclaiming this room from the mess.  

• make bed every day done MTWRF
• wash blankets done
• flip mattress done
• clear off headboard done
• clear out totes - donate, trash, or return to their proper spaces in our home done
• clean out the closet
• clean walls
• fold hand-me-downs and store on top shelf in closet done
• take care of yarn stash, crafting supplies, and general paper clutter done
• spot clean the carpets
• vacuum done

Decorating Ideas

(I'll update this with my inspiration as the week goes on ...)

Toward the Holidays
 This week's holiday prep:

• make one batch of holiday goodies for the freezer (I'm thinking Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls)
• make one extra meal for the freezer done
• update master gift list done
• purchase 1/8th of "to buy" gifts and any remaining supplies needed for homemade gifts done
• spend (at least) an hour a day on homemade gifts done MTWRF
• get final Halloween costume decisions from the kids and start working on them done
• celebrate Autumn done
• pull together Michealmas book basket, dragon bread recipe, and any other plans done

How are your holiday plans coming along? What is your Master Bedroom like?  A welcome retreat from the world?  Or a room, like mine, that could use some work?