Susan, Author at The Sparrow's Home

You don’t have to emerge from the quarantines as a beautiful butterfly, but what a waste to come out the other side the same old caterpillar you were before

April 2, 2020 by Susan 10 Comments

However it’s coming to us, we’re all being given cocoon time here. Don’t look back after this experience, and wish that you had done more with the time you’ve been given.

They say the five stages of Spring, 2020 are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

That’s a little joke.

But it has been a wild ride, hasn’t it? While I wouldn’t go so far as to call the required self-isolation a gift, I do believe that we should try to learn something from difficult experiences.

I should pause here to tell you that this is not a guilt-trip to make you feel badly that you are staying in the bathroom extra long to get away from your kids or using chocolate as a coping mechanism. Both are valid responses to what we’re going through, in my opinion.

All I hope to do is be a little encouraging bird on your shoulder reminding you of what you already know:

You may look back after this experience, and wish that you had done more with the time you’ve been given.

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

December 9, 2019 by Susan 2 Comments

Jam-packed with salty pistachios, tart dried cranberries and sweet white chocolate, this cookie is the perfect bite. It also looks beautiful on a cookie tray!

I made a cookie similar to these a lot of years ago for a work Christmas party and was told by one co-worker that they were the best cookies he’d ever had. They are kind of the perfect bite…sweet, tart, salty, rich. YUM!

They’re certainly perfect for Christmas with the red, green and white, and look pretty on a cookie tray. I think they’d make a lovely gift, too.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cream Pie

November 25, 2019 by Susan 7 Comments

This light, fluffy chocolate cream pie is made with marshmallows and tastes like a sweet candy bar. Easy to make and no-bake!

Pie is where it’s at.

Pecan pie is the standard at my house for Thanksgiving, but we always have to have an option for the non-nut eaters.

Even my picky-eating kids, who have categorically denied pie in the past love this. (How you can say “I don’t like pie” is beyond me…there’s only about a million kinds of pie, and you know you don’t like any of them??… Sigh, I love my kids.)

They have since decided that some pies…mainly chocolate pies…are okay to eat. God bless pie.

I’m a big fan of French Silk Pie. Rich and luscious perfection if you ask me. However, sometimes you want to make something a bit lighter, but still creamy chocolate perfection. This pie hits those notes.

Think candy bar in pie form, but fluffier.

By the way… if you’re looking for a great French Silk Pie recipe, my go-to is this one from Pioneer Woman ==> French Silk Pie

But today we are foregoing the cup of butter and half hour of mixing to whip up this sweet, fluffy confection.

The filling is pretty quick to make, it just needs some time in the fridge to chill before serving. This recipe will make two pies if you use the ready-made chocolate pie crusts or one deep dish homemade cookie crusted pie.

Have you heard the new Kanye album?…said the middle-aged, white, suburban homemaker

November 4, 2019 by Susan 2 Comments

Why don’t we all share Jesus boldly like Kanye West? Could it be that we are afraid of our flaws and failures being in the spotlight?

Hip-hop is not really my thing. I do have some Black Eyed Peas on my workout playlist…does that count as hip-hop? I’m so uncool, I really don’t know.

Rap? That’s a big no thank you.

So typing Kanye’s new album into a search engine is not something I thought I would ever do. Ever.

But the truth is, this uncool mom has been doing a lot of thinking thanks to Mr. West.

7 Pinterest recipes that are as delicious as they look!

October 14, 2019 by Susan 4 Comments

Finding recipes that you love is kind of exciting, isn’t it? We’ve all had our Pinterest “fails” in the past. These are seven recipes that we tried and loved and I think you will too. Easy and delicious. Big thumbs up on these Pinterest wins!

With my picky kids off at college, my husband and I were excited to make a wider variety of meals, including trying some new recipes. And when I say new recipes, everyone knows that means heading to Pinterest, right?

If you’re like me, you’ve had tons of recipes that you pinned who-know-how-long-ago and just haven’t gotten around to making. You may also have had your share of Pinterest ‘fails’ in the past.

Don’t ask me about the time I tried making oven-baked crispy taco shells. LOL

But by all means, DO ask about the Pinterest wins we’ve had in the last few months. It’s so much fun to try a new recipe and love it!

Do you have a happy food dance, or is it just the ladies in my family?

The latest board games we can’t stop playing

September 9, 2019 by Susan 2 Comments

Our latest list of board games are clever, fun, and kind of addictive! Two of them are great two-person games, too, which are perfect for at-home date nights.

Four games.

All of them are strategy games, although that’s where the similarities end. They really couldn’t be more different.

Before our boys left for college, we got Camel Up and Decrypto and loved them so much we played as much as we could before they left.

Since we’ve become empty nesters, my husband picked up Santorini and Quacks of Quedlinburg and it’s so much fun to have new games that the two of us can play together.

I can’t wait to tell you about these. You are definitely going to find something to love here!