Making Your Home a Haven Challenge--Day 2

Today's challenge included the same basic elements as yesterday's:

1. Refresh your spirit: check!
2. Take time to plan: check! This involved making a to-do list of 10 things or less for today. I still had two things to tackle from my morning routine, so I included those on this list.

• Quiet time
• Empty dishwasher
• Vacuum entry (again!)
  
• Spend 10-15 minutes cleaning in living room
• Vacuum living room
• Make banana bread
• Make granola
• Cut out maternity shirt to sew later

3. Do something! Today's focus is on the living room. So far, I've accomplished the first five items on the list. Actually, I took WAY longer in the living room than 10-15 minutes. It was a BIG mess and I knew I would feel much more peaceful and relaxed if I could get it really clean. So I spent probably 1 1/2-2 hours on it. Well, I do feel more relaxed . . . and more tired, LOL! I really wanted to wash the windows, but ran out of energy. Maybe I'll tackle them later.

And just don't ask to see the kids' room . . . most of the toys moved back in there, and I haven't started organizing them yet. :) But that will definitely be a future project!

Here are the before pictures--this isn't the whole living room, but is the main part, which was the messiest (and don't you love Julia in that apron?--when I put one on, she usually wants one too):


And the after pictures:


And now, I am off to do something fun like cutting out my new shirt! And hopefully tackle the baking chores on my list, as well. Here's hoping for a quiet afternoon and a long nap for the kiddos! :) Don't forget to visit the Biblical Womanhood blog for more details on this challenge!