by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
Sunshine warms the body but
encouragement
warms the soul.
E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E-M-E-N-T
We were enjoying a meal, my friend and me. Well, maybe enjoying isn’t the right word. She was struggling to come to grips with possible changes in her life and I was struggling for the right words to say.
And then it happened. Joe, an older gentleman whose family once attended church with ours, approached our table out of nowhere and handed each of us a bouquet of flowers.
The hands that offered us the flowers were Joe’s—the heart that prompted them, however,
was God’s.
Joe bought flowers that morning having no idea how greatly God would use them to encourage a person he didn’t even know. He simply felt prompted to buy and share them with others.
Who could use a little encouragement in your sphere of influence this week?
After all, it’s funny what a few flowers will a do.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
“Lost time is
never found again.”
Benjamin Franklin
R-E-D-E-E-M-I-N-G
S-U-M-M-E-R
I made a lot of mistakes as a mom of two little boys, especially before coming to know Christ. But one thing I longed for as a young mother was to create good memories for my children. Today, I’m sharing three favorite family activities from way back when. Thankfully, rainy days and uncharted roads still offer much fun for children and adults alike.
On rainy days, pull out a lightweight sheet, gather a few chairs, and make a tent indoors. Fluffy pillows, popped corn, and a favorite movie are the perfect ingredients for a gaggle of giggles. Enjoying a picnic-type lunch under the sheet makes peanut butter and jelly taste even sweeter. Now I make tents for the grandchildren and they love it as much as their dads did all those years ago.
Play in the rain! I can’t say this happened often but when it did, it was fun. On days when lightening stays at bay but rain pours in buckets, take the kids outside, stick your tongues out and take it all in, for in a blink they’ll be taking their own children out to play. Trust me.
Explore! On a whim, I’d load up the boys to explore back roads we’d never traveled just to see where we’d end up. Of course, our final destination was located on a very familiar road offering up a well-acquainted dessert, the TCBY Shiver. (Who says I’m not adventurous?)
Your turn! Do you have a favorite activity you share (or shared) with the little ones in your life? We’d love to read about it, if so. Please share in the comment section.
“School teachers are not fully appreciated by parents
until it rains all day Saturday.” Unknown
by Cathy Baker | Tiny House |
I LOVE tiny houses.
So why is an extreme claustrophobic swooning over these minuscule jewels?
I can’t explain it.
All I know is that the cozy tight quarters speaks to me. Or maybe it’s our tiny budget doing all the talking since a real-sized cabin is out of reach.
A part of me would be willing to sell everything and live debt-free on the side of a mountain. Albeit a tiny part, the idea of roaming chickens, farming organic veggies, and a lower stress level for the hubster holds a certain charm.
And apparently, I’m not alone. Many of you have said how much you enjoy my Tiny House Facebook posts {thank you!} so I plan to share a different tiny house each Friday during the February series of LOVE.
I especially love this tiny house with the adjoining studio. Half books, half vinyl. Oh, yes!
So here’s a fun question for a Friday! What would you store in the adjoining room if you lived in this tiny house?
by Cathy Baker | Tiny House |
Tiny houses. I had a fondness for them before I even knew what they were⏤or should I say, what they would become.
Growing up, my family owned a few acres in the mountains. Atop mega tree trunks a tiny tree house was built—complete with bunk beds, windows, and stairs with a rail.
I didn’t realize it then, but those childhood weekends in our tiny cabin on stilts would become the catalyst for a life time of feeling drawn to the mountains. And dare I say, the desire to one day have a simple place of our own to visit on the weekends.
So imagine my delight the day I spotted a Tumbleweed house on HGTV. For the first time, I felt like my tiny dream could possibly become a reality in the future. Some Tumbleweed houses travel on wheels but we hope to ground ours on a sweet patch of elevated land with the sweet scent of Mountain Laurel surrounding it.
With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy. -Lope de Vega
Lazy afternoons, cool lemonade, and a shaded hammock. Summer is the season for dreaming. So what are you dreaming of these days?
Then followed that
beautiful season
Summer
Filled was the air with a dreamy and
magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the
freshness of childhood.
-Henry Wadsworth Long
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
As you know, our oldest son, Brandon, and his wife, Megan, are adopting a little boy from Uganda. Thank you for the many prayers you’ve offered up on their behalf. Many of you have asked about an update, so here’s Megan latest. Click
here to join in the praise!
It’s no secret that our youngest son, Zach, and his wife, Sarah, are
BIG USCS fans (my dad, a Clemson grad, can’t help but wonder where he went wrong. LOL!) — and now, it seems that Piper is also pretty in pink…
and garnet (check out the shoes!)
And one last adorable picture of daddy and daughter:
