Laura Sumpter

Big dreams sometimes come in the darkest of winters. As a young girl, I could often be found on these dark nights watching the images of the beautiful ice skaters move across the television. I sat spellbound as their glittering costumes, and the graceful, rhythmic movements stole my heart.

At the tender age of 7, I was convinced I would one day be a professional ice skater. I could picture myself skating across the ice as the crowds held their breath waiting for my flawless jumps and perfectl...

This post is a part of the Cultivating Home Series. More information can be found on my Facebook Page.

My garden sits dormant right now. Despite the mud-encrusted surface and the cover crop that is interspersed with unsightly weeds and dead life from last fall, there are new sprouts of life.

The rosemary is greening up. The crocuses are reaching for the sky. A daffodil is adding a burst of sunshine. The birds are flitting from place to place. My favorite place every spring and summer is slowl...

I sat at dinner the other night in a complete fog. All around me there was chatter and noise. My three kids and husband were busy recounting their day, asking dad about the latest device updates, and talking about the upcoming weekend plans and their own personal opinions. I was feeling completely overwhelmed and my brain had checked out.
Work had been grueling the past few days. I longed to be able to drop it all the door, but the pressure that was felt and my desire to be successful was pla...

With pumpkin spice in the air, scarves wrapped around our necks, and boots on our feet, we feel the crispness of fall and sense a change in season. As we tend to move more inside, I begin to reflect on the past few months and get ready to spend time teaching my kids about giving thanks.

How to Explain Gratitude to a Child

Trying to explain gratitude to kids can seem like a difficult task. How do you put into words what we hope an attitude of the heart is?

We teach our kids when they are young...

Article by: Laura E. Sumpter “Wait, Mrs. Sumpter! I have something to show you!” The little girl jumped from her seat and ran to her front door. Through my zoom lens, I could see her open the door and run back inside with a giant pot. My curiosity got the best of me, and I

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The past ten minutes seemed like a slow crawl toward doom. I inwardly battled whether to turn around and go home. I wanted to, but knew I couldn’t.
Still raw with hormonal emotion, I felt tears forming in my eyes. I couldn’t stop the stream that was coming down my face by the time I pulled into the driveway.
This destination was the pl...

Hi Sweet Reader–
I am so excited to start this new part of my blog with you!
In addition to regular posts about life and love and Jesus, you will find practical and thoughtful snippets that I am sharing about gardening from my own backyard. Today we are going to make a simple summer bouquet using mint and lavender that you may already have in your garden.
Whether you garden, or not, this will be a relaxing place to learn, watch, and ask questions. Full of fun ideas and interesting things I ha...

As we beautify our spaces, it is often a wonderful surprise to see small creatures drawn to the special treasures we have planted. Today we will look at 6 stunning plants that will attract hummingbirds to your garden space.
During early summer mornings, I often have a hummingbird grace my front flower bed. She spends a few brief seconds enjoying the delicious nectar of a few flowering plants and them flits away.
I am reminded of wonder in details in this moment. Beautiful foliage attracts and...

Read this for three tips on how to combat laundry as a mom.

“One, two, three! Blow!” Her little lips pursed as she blew with all her might. The small hand grasped the slender green stem. The sweet air from her breath brushed my cheek.

We watched in delight as the dandelion fluff caught the wind and slowly sailed away. Some pieces flew up into the blue sky, seeming to wave goodbye to the earth below. Some tiny seeds jumped only a few feet and reconnected with the green grass.

“That was so fun, Mommy. Let’s do it again. This time, you make a wish.” I sm...

C.S. Lewis once said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” The first time I read this quote, I was in the middle of a huge life transition. Just recently I came across this quote again, and yes, I am standing on the brink of another major change.
Doesn’t it seem interesting that God often brings us just the right quote, verse, and song when our very lives are experiencing joy, sadness, frustration, or loss?
It is in these moments that we hear and see the true ten...

Did you ever play the game “Trust”? The “victim” stands facing away from a group of people and is to freefall into the arms of the “trusted” and be caught. A popular game in my high school youth group, but I never could muster the courage to fall.

When I attempted this game, I would instinctively take a step backward to catch myself. Every single time. My friends would hoot and holler and I would laugh at my own inability to trust even my closest circle.

As small children, learning to walk wi...

God allows us to experience the frailty of human love so we will appreciate the strength of His.
C.S. Lewis
I sighed as I picked up the dirty socks and put them in my boys’ hamper and closed their door for the night. Behind that door were two sweet boys who God was slowly transforming into young men, and all I could think about was how irritated I was that they had left their gross socks on the floor for the millionth time.
I scolded myself as I headed downstairs to clean up a messy kitchen. ...

The words dropped like a glass vase shattering across the floor. All I could hear was the deafening tick-tock of the clock and the distant voices down the hallway.
It had been a long, grueling, five months, and I was depleted of decisions and emotion. Every day I prayed for wisdom, clarity, and answers. Initial tests and scans had been held to discuss my unprecedented fatigue, my inability to lose weight, my constant aching legs, and my foggy brain.
I had been through eight iron infusions, co...

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For the Unexpected Homeschool Mom
“Are you excited for school?”
This is the common question I often hear when the calendar page turns to August 1 st each summer. As a mother and veteran teacher, the rhythm of school has been ingrained in my bones and become as systematic as taking the next breath.
But this year, like many, this landsca...