Monday, December 3, 2007

Making Your Home a Haven Challenge: Day 1

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifI'm following along in Crystal's Making Our Homes a Haven Challenge, and today was the first challenge. From her site:

Today's Challenge:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)

Take five minutes, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and sit down and be still before the Lord. Pray, read a Psalm, thank the Lord for His goodness and blessing in your life.


I didn't go for the tea or coffee she described, but I had a delicious cup of hot chocolate (I love my Ghiradelli mix!) and I read some Psalm 139, then continued where my daily reading had left me in Genesis. What a nice way to transition from work to being at home!


2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)

Today's planning project is centered on a morning routine... Write down five things you want to do in the same order every morning. Keep it simple and only stick to five things. If five things seem overwhelming, start with three. Starting somewhere is better than not starting at all!


Not a problem here, I am such a huge list-maker, but I did take the opportunity to go over my morning routine and see if I wanted to add anything to it.

Currently my morning routine is:
Dressed & ready for the day
Tidy a bathroom
Pray
Go over memory verse
5 minute room rescue
Empty the dishwasher
Read daily devotionals
Read Bible passage

I have fallen out of the habit of tidying a bathroom and doing a 5 minute room rescue every morning, but for awhile I did both faithfully. I'm still working on establishing a morning prayer habit, I'm sad to say. Everything else I do very reliably.


3. Do Something! (5 -15 minutes)

Each day I'm going to be giving you a simple organizational task to complete in your home. And today we're going to start at the very beginning - a very good place to start!

Put on an apron, light a candle, and turn on some uplifting music. Then go to your front door and pretend you are a first-time visitor to your home. Walk in and take a look around. What is your immediate impression of your home? Is it calm and clean or cluttered and chaotic? Take five to fifteen minutes to clean, de-clutter, and beautify your entry area. Do a quick pick up if there are items out of place, mop or vacuum the floor, shake the rug, spot clean the walls, and rearrange things.


No work in my entry today, because by the time I was ready to get started L was home and watching TV in the living room next to the entry. All I need to do in the entry is mop, but I didn't want to bother him by doing it now so I'll wait & try to get to it before he gets home tomorrow. Or at least before he gets to his evening shows.

So instead I took 10 minutes and spent it in the room that most needed some attention: my office. (Why is it always my office that needs work?) My bookcase now does look better, but there is still plenty more to do.

No pictures to share, but someday I may go ahead and see about posting some.

Thanks Crystal for the challenge!

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