: Life is hard. God is good. We need each other.
Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As we do so, I’ve pulled a couple of lesser-known speeches he gave that impart some important wisdom. Wisdom that reminds us that Dr. King was first and foremost a pastor. Was he a perfect man? Of course not. Do I think that negates any wisdom he spoke? Of course not.
I love shopping curriculum.
When we started homeschooling years ago, I had so much fun perusing and selecting. I was especially excited about history curriculum. My boys had both told me that they ‘hated social studies’. The reason why was that they had studied essentially the same material from kindergarten through 5th grade.
Communities, maps, Native Americans, the colonies, and settlers. Every year.
Because of that, I chose to start our homeschool adventure with a chronological study of history, starting with the ancient world.
I was so excited about the curriculum I had chosen. It had positive reviews, lots of activities, and audio discs to accompany each lesson that were said to engage and delight students.
And it ended up being a perfect example of what has become my favorite thing about homeschooling: If something doesn’t work you get to try something else. (We learned this with our math curriculum, too!)
This is a basic, simple granola recipe that you can customize however you like. Add your favorite combination of nuts or dried fruit. It’s easy & delicious!
I have been making this granola for over 15 years. I found the recipe from a magazine or book that was on the coffee table in a friend’s home. I copied it onto a scrap of paper, and the rest is history.
I like to give this granola as gifts at Christmas time, packaged up in cellophane bags or Mason jars.
Recipes that lend themselves to customization are my favorite. With one basic recipe, you can make loads of different variations. This granola is definitely one of those recipes. Here are some of my favorite additions:
Have you ever thought that it would be cool to make homemade soap, and then immediately wondered what kind of crazy person would actually do that? Well now you know! 🙂
Seriously, though…it’s not hard. Promise.
Here’s what makes soap-making scary, one word: lye.
Start the year strong! Â Be inspired and challenged!
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
One of the greatest rewards in blogging has been discovering new blogs that I likely never would have found.  I’m excited to share a few of them with you today.  And I’m equally as excited to tell you that The Sparrow’s Home has been recognized for a Blogger Award!
Here are the rules of the nomination: