Susan, Author at The Sparrow's Home

The 5 best and worst things you’ll face with your empty nest

August 2, 2021 by Susan 4 Comments

Beginning the empty nest season of life can bring a lot of different emotions. But you might find it is more sweet than bitter.

I expected to be the mother who wept uncontrollably when my children left home.

Turns out… not so much. In fact, kind of the opposite.

My eldest son got married last summer, and my youngest just tied the knot in June.

Don’t get me wrong–there have been moments of deeply missing my children’s presence in my home and of questioning my role as a mother now that they’re gone.

But honestly, overall, this empty nesting business has been more sweet than bitter.

Old-Fashioned Peach Cream Pie: A Fresh and Decadent Bite of Summer

July 5, 2021 by Susan 8 Comments

This simple, classic peach pie recipe is made rich with cream. It’s bursting with summer flavor and is easy to make using just a handful of ingredients.

Peaches kind of scream summer, don’t they?

And there’s something about peach pie that is nostalgic just all by itself. Simple flavors and ingredients, dripping with sweet sentimentality.

But this particular peach pie is particularly nostalgic because it’s my Grandma’s recipe. My childhood summers were spent at my grandparents’ lake cabin and there was always something cooking in the kitchen. Always.

Grandma rolled and dried homemade noodles, fried raised doughnuts, made every variety of cookie from simple sugar cookies to her spicy ginger snaps, baked caramel rolls and custards, and made dumpling soup from her garden vegetables.

Would you be shocked to see the amount of time you spend looking at a screen every day?

June 7, 2021 by Susan Leave a Comment

What would it feel like to see an actual accounting of your daily screen time? Would it match what you say your priorities are, or not so much?

Guest Post

I’m pleased to have my friend Jeremy back to share with you today, and am sure you all will appreciate his honesty on this issue as much as I do . Scroll to the end of the post to see more from him.

From Jeremy:

I did something on a whim the other day. I’m not exactly sure what led me to do it, but perhaps it was a combination of the following things:

The angry glances from my wife.
The feeling of disconnect between those around me.
The frustration of never having enough time.
Or maybe it was a simple observation of my son about his dad.

And what was it I did, you ask? Nothing bad, but something that will hopefully lead to a better husband, father and friend.

I downloaded an app for my phone.

Use these questions to break the ice ‘a Skittle’: An easy ice breaker for people who hate ice breakers.

May 7, 2021 by Susan 9 Comments

Low-pressure questions and candy ease tension and set the stage for people to have fun and get to know one another with this easy ice breaker. *Free Printable*

Ice breakers are not my favorite thing.

But getting to know people is not unpleasant. Candy is not unpleasant.

So when I needed to come up with a new way to engage a class in a sharing activity, my mind went to a couple of other things I’ve done before. (Why re-invent the wheel, right?)

I thought of a question activity where folks got to choose the question they wanted to answer. Because isn’t it always the case that when you get assigned a question, you always wish you had the question someone else gets??

And I thought of an M&M Ice Breaker activity that is a lot of fun. Because…chocolate.

Liking both of these ideas, I decided to combine them to create something new!

The beautiful children’s book that tackles loneliness, fear, & the vulnerability it takes to find connection.

April 6, 2021 by Susan 6 Comments

A lovely children’s book to teach kids to reach out to the lonely, encouragement be kind, or just to enjoy reading with your favorite little person.

Every once in awhile you stumble upon something remarkably great.

I was looking for books to use in the literature-based class I teach at a homeschool co-op when I found a book to order that I thought would fit nicely into a theme of reaching out to the elderly, the lonely, especially during this season of separation that we’ve been enduring.

It wasn’t until it arrived and I read it in full, complete with the lovely illustrations that I wept and knew that this was no ordinary children’s book.

This book is not just for those with littles in their lives…trust me.

How to know the ‘next right thing’ to do in these uncertain times

March 1, 2021 by Susan Leave a Comment

In the midst of uncertainty and dark times, where do we look for wisdom to heal our churches that have suffered so, continue to intentionally love people, and improve our own relationship with God?

Guest Post

My friend Aaron Winner is a gifted worship leader and the kind of teacher every kid wishes they had. He lives in Williamston, South Carolina with his lovely wife, Jennifer, and their twin toddlers. Besides being ‘dada’, teaching eighth grade science & social studies, and leading worship at his church… in his spare time, he blogs. I’m so pleased to have him sharing with us here today.

Welcome, Aaron!

Frozen 2. IMHO — The lesser of the two Frozens.

I know. I’ve lost some of your already because – A. You think Frozen 2 is better than the original or – B. You despise or cringe at the Frozen genre all together, much less reading a post that begins this way.

While I could easily fill a blog with an argument of why Frozen is some of the best storytelling of all time, or list bullet points of why Frozen 2 is the lesser of the two, you must know that Frozen 1 & 2 are both staples in our household. We probably watch a little bit (and full disclosure, some days, a lotta bit) of Frozen several times a week because it settles toddler rage, let’s us catch our breath, and gives us snuggle time. With my watch count probably somewhere in the mid 20s, I feel l know both movies pretty intimately. The lines and lyrics invade my subconscious all the livelong day and cause me to chuckle, to feel a bit annoyed, or to contemplate their presence in my mind, as they do today, inspiring these words.

In my most recent viewings, there is one scene still catching my attention after the constant repeat of airplays.