Labor of Love

... do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. 
                                                                                            ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Isn't this a sweet little plate? My mother-in-law sent along one of these in a package years and years ago. Some time later, I was able to find the whole set -- Sunday through Saturday -- on eBay. I'll have to post a picture of them. This one is the cooking one I have displayed in my kitchen -- each day portrays another household chore, and I adore the little saying.

It rings true to me.  I find joy in making my home a haven.

These past few months, it's become so clear to me that I am the barometer of this little family. The better my attitude is, the better everyone else does. The better I manage our little home, the better everyone feels, including me.  (Gotta stick to my routines!)  I really see the difference I make now that the family is under stress, but it's true all the time. 

It's pleasant to me to labor for those I love. I've been thinking of these little plates a lot lately... you know, my days of being a stay at home mom are numbered. Either this job trial will boot me back out in the workforce, or the Sweet Girl's graduating from high school will (only 3 years left -- eep! -- where did the time go?). So, these days of having my full-time work be laboring for my family and home are precious to me.

It's a labor of love.