The Sparrow's Home: Life is hard. God is good. We need each other.

Creamy Salsa Guacamole

August 27, 2018 by Susan Leave a Comment

This easy guacamole will be your new go-to for a quick snack, lunch, or side. Creamy salsa guacamole comes together with just a few ingredients.

A perfect avocado is a thing of beauty. I get a little thrill every time I cut in and discover I’ve got one. But I’ll be honest, avocados haven’t always been my favorite.

I really wanted to like them…I just didn’t.

They’ve grown on me in the past several years, though. And now, you’ll find me dishing up spoonfuls of some simple avocado barely mashed with some lime and salt on fajitas, or even just with some tortilla chips. Delish.

And this easy recipe is one of our favorite quick lunches. (And by ‘our’, clearly I mean my husband and I… not my weirdly picky kids).

Food for Thought #39

August 20, 2018 by Susan 2 Comments

Like most summers, we have been on the road a fair amount the past couple of months. Between camps, conferences and such, I have felt a bit scattered at times (more than usual, I mean). 🙂

So it should make sense that I’ve been reading things all over the map lately, too, right? This week I’m sharing articles about marriage, parenting, Christian living, and more. All of them struck a chord with me in some way. I hope you find something that speaks to you as well! Blessings, friends.

So you made a decision to change your life at summer church camp…what next?

August 13, 2018 by Susan 9 Comments

photo credit: Kathryn Fletcher

You went to the classes. Listened to the messages. Sang the songs. And somewhere in the midst of it all, God reached in and tweaked something inside you. You heard Him.

Maybe it was like a lightning bolt to your heart. Maybe it was a tiny seed that He planted and is barely beginning to sprout. It could be a cloudy something that has been in your mind for months, only now it is crystal clear.

Conviction of sin. A call to ministry. Light for the next step. Purpose.

Whatever it is, He spoke and you listened.

Meet cheesecake cups–fresh, fast, and sorta fancy

July 30, 2018 by Susan 3 Comments

No-bake, crustless cheesecake cups are an incredibly easy way to serve up an impressive dessert that everyone will rave about.

This dessert just kind of screams fresh. It’s the perfect sweet treat for spring or summer. Everybody loves it, and everyone can make it their own. I’ve made it for Easter dinner for several years now.

Big hit.

It’s also a winner when you’ve got folks who don’t eat chocolate (I know…weird, right?!) And my picky kids even love this.

Like I said, big hit.

And it’s so stinkin’ easy to make, it’s kind of embarrassing.

Ever wonder if you can learn languages on your own?

July 23, 2018 by Susan 2 Comments

I was compensated for my time reviewing this product/service, writing this review, and hosting the giveaway. As always, all opinions are my own.

What do you do when your child wants to learn a language that you don’t know, and there aren’t any convenient and affordable classes nearby?

We dipped our toes into a number of different languages in our homeschooling. Over the years the boys tried Spanish, Greek, Russian and French. I learned quickly that trying to learn a language, even at an introductory level, without a teacher who knows that language is not super productive.

I knew Spanish well and had studied Russian a bit. And not surprisingly, those two courses went so much better than the ones I didn’t know. We even used a computer program for one course and it was terribly confusing and not intuitive at all.

So when my youngest expressed an interest in learning Japanese, I was kind of at a loss. Japanese?

Food for Thought #38

July 16, 2018 by Susan 2 Comments

Parenting is one of those topics that you just can’t read enough about. Not that you’re usually seeing new or revolutionary information. But the nature of humanity is to forget. Reminders about parenting priorities, methods, ideas and practices are important…I’d even say necessary…in making us the best parents we can be. I’ve especially had parenting on the brain as I recently read a fantastic book on Christian parenting, and used it to teach a couple of workshops. One of the things I have enjoyed the most is hearing parents speaking into each others’ lives in the course of our discussions.

Here’s what I’ve been reading…