The Difference Three Hours Can Make

I rose early, resisting the temptation to snuggle close to my husband and drift back to dreamland. Tiptoeing across the hardwood floor to the kitchen, I squinted at the glowing numbers on our 1980’s microwave. Three hours. That’s all I had. I knew I couldn’t do everything I needed to in that amount of time.

But I could do something.

So I wiped the previous evening’s mascara from my eyes, brushed my teeth, and pulled open curtains to let the morning light softly awaken my home.

Time to work, I told myself softly.

As I hurried, I kept silently echoing a phrase: Love them enough to give them a soft place to land. Focused on that thought, I rapidly waded through clutter, scrubbed counters and swept floors, one eye continually on the clock.

Only three hours.

Here’s the difference:

“Our kitchens are where we pour love into the foods we make, reconnect as a family, entertain guests, sit and linger over coffee with friends, and where many childhood memories are made.” – Davonne Parks, Chaos to Clutter-Free

“Remember that the less there is, the less there is to clean. And, the less stuff there is, the more usable space you will have.” – Davonne Parks, Chaos to Clutter-Free

Wanting an easy success, I tackled the bathroom and hallway next. What you’re seeing on the toilet paper holder isn’t toilet paper – those are paper towels that I tore into fourths. #KeepingItReal

It took exactly 30 minutes to make the master bedroom feel clean and cozy(ish) again. Hemming curtains and replacing the mirror are on my mental to-do list.

And then I decided that, bad allergies or not, it was time for my sleeping beauties to rise and shine.

By this time I was tired and wanted to stop cleaning. But I decided I could push through for just a little longer and do a 30-minute power session in our school/play room.

Far from perfect. But so much better. Three hours (and sixteen minutes). That’s all it took to create a haven, a soft place for my family to land, at the end of a long day.

How would you bless your home if you had three extra hours?

$500 Cash Giveaway

Friends, I am so excited to share with you that housekeeping isn’t the only thing I’ve been working on – I’ve also gotten together with a group of bloggers to bless a family with $500 (Paypal) CASH!

Our hope is that we can monetarily bless a family so they can pay off a bill, be able to have their kids participate in extra curricular activities, begin an emergency fund, or take a little weekend getaway.

For your chance to win $500 CASH, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter –

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends August 25th, 2015 at 11:59pm EDT.  Must be at least 18 years of age.  Selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn.

I’d love to hear – what would you do with an extra $500?