Heart and Home Clean Sweep Challenge Day 2

I have to say that I am already exhausted! BUT I'm satisfied in my accomplishments! So here they are - Day 1 Before and After pictures! I think I'm a little sad that the pictures can't REALLY tell the story of all of my hard work! 

After my Kitchen and Dining Area Cleaning! 

Before! 

The pictures can't tell you that my windows are all sparkly and spider-free or that my floor no longer has crusted on cookie batter. Or that underneath everything is as sparkly as the rest of it! But it's all true! :-) 

Even the before picture doesn't explain all that was truly messy with my kitchen! 

But here we are on Day 2 and still pressing onward! Today is another day of cleaning our hearts and our homes! 

Esther brought out some very good points on her blog today but a couple of things she said really caught my attention. She said "Your house is something you have, your home is something you simply create. Our houses are what they are, and our homes are what we make them. " This is oh so very true! I have a house but my home is shaped by the people within it. As mom and wife, I set the tone to my home. We've all heard the phrase "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" and how true this is! But if you really look at it, if this applies to happiness, wouldn't it also apply to contentment, peace, joy, love, harmony, or bitterness, anger, calamity, and discontentment? I believe it does! As I'm participating in this challenge, I'm also participating in another challenge on Women Living Well and her challenge for this week is to make my home sing. So I've brought out my worship cd's and my kids praise music and we've been praising God together. My home has been "singing" praises! My house just sits there. 

So here we go, onto the home challenge, here are the tasks for today 

~ The Living Room and Entry Area ~

*Deep Cleaning (Only if you have the time.)

Ah, the Living room! The room in our homes where our family, resides. (Besides the Kitchen.) 

1. Turn on some music to get you in the cleaning mood.

2.. Begin by picking up the room. Get a basket, and  put everything that doesn't belong, in there. Then put items away. 

3. Gather up all decorations and picture frames etc. Wash and dust these items.

*4. Take down curtains wash or dust off if needed. 

5. Wash rugs and hang them out to dry.

6. Gather any loose fabrics, and wash and dry if needed. (Ex. Pillows, Blankets etc..)

7. Deweb around the ceiling and corners of the room.

*8. Wash the woodwork, and ceiling fans and lights.

9. Wash windows

*10. Organize cds, dvds. All your entertainment area. 

11. Dust all furniture and polish if needed.

*12. Vacuum off furniture or polish (Fabric or Leather Furniture)

13. Vacuum, sweep, polish or mop (Whatever flooring you have.)

*14. Replace curtains and fabrics that where cleaned.

15. Arrange your books and magazines that don't have a place. Under the coffee table or perhaps a basket.

16. Put back all picture frames and decorations back into place.

17. Put on a pot of fall potpourri, light a candle.

18. Sit down and relax!

19. Revel in your BIG accomplishment!


So here are my BEFORE pictures!!! 

Notice all of my DVD's stacked on a pile on top of the TV - my son decided to rearrange them for me. joy. 

General clutter that seems to grow by itself.