On my fridge.

The best things in life are the nearest:

Breath in your nostrils,

light in your eyes,

flowers at your feet,

duties at your hand,

the path of right just before you.

Then do not grasp at the stars,

but 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

...just to remind me on days and weeks when the laundry is piled high, bathrooms desperately need scrubbed, and I wake up to last night's dinner dishes still sitting on the counter all crusty, and the baby's been sick and it feels like I haven't slept in days, that this is what life is about. It's not just about the beautiful moments when things are in order and everyone is smiling. There is opposition in all things.

The ebb and flow of life brings challenges and moments of desperation, but that's what it's all about. We remember the good times and the easy times, and focus on our blessings, and keep moving forward, and the trials come and go and we are left stronger and better from them.
And you didn't need me to tell you all of that because you already know it, I was just reminding myself before I go tackle the laundry and dishes and begin my daily fly-killing rampage.

And because every post needs pictures, I'll spare you pics of the mountains of laundry and dirty dishes and leave you with a few glimpses into the sweet moments of everyday life....

A book shared between sisters....

Bike rides with brother.

Spectacles.

 Conversation over a favorite snack of pretzels and cheese.....

Brown-eyed boys

and blue-eyed babies.