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

What Did God See in Mary & Joseph? [Free Printable Lesson]

December 18, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

Clearly Mary and Joseph had qualities that God valued, since He chose them to raise His son, Jesus. Enjoy using this free printable Bible study lesson perfect for Christmas!

Let me ask you this: If you were unable to raise your children, what characteristics would you look for in the people you chose to take care of them?

The passages of Scripture that tell of Christ’s birth have become so over-familiar to us, haven’t they?

I’m teaching our adult Sunday school class this week, and as I was looking for a lesson that wasn’t the same old same old, all I could find was….well, the same old same old. I went back to the beginning of Luke and began to read the familiar words again.

Then the question I asked above came into my head. I realized that out of all the people who have ever lived, God chose Mary and Joseph to raise his son, Jesus. Clearly they pleased Him. Wouldn’t it be interesting, I thought, to look into their character to hunt for qualities that we could apply to our own lives as we seek to be people who please God.

Alfajores: Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

December 14, 2017 by Susan 7 Comments

Alfajores are sweet sandwich cookies filled with Dulce de Leche. They are surprisingly easy to make and decadently amazing!!

Have you boarded the dulce de leche train yet? Thick, rich caramel. Amazingly decadent.

I found this recipe when looking for recipes to make for a girls movie night a couple of years ago. We were watching Evita, and I was searching for recipes from Argentina. These little gems appeared, and I was smitten.

The Tradition of a Family Game for Christmas

December 11, 2017 by Susan 2 Comments

Family games for Christmas are a great idea! Links to lots of games your older kids and teens will love. Start a new tradition this Christmas!

Do you have a family gift tradition? Some families open new pajamas on Christmas eve. Some give a family movie or have a tradition of hot chocolate in new mugs.

We are a game playing family, and so we like to wrap up a new family game to open on Christmas. It started when the boys were quite young. Hungry Hungry Hippos was the first game made a family gift. Over the years our games have grown up with the boys.

If you’re looking for some unique ideas for a game for your family, I’ve compiled a round up here to give you some ideas. While many of these would be great for upper elementary aged kids and older, we got them because they’re games that both teens and adults enjoy playing.

Food for Thought #31

December 7, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

Community. We all like the idea of community, but the reality of sharing our lives with other flawed humans often doesn’t play out the way we imagine. Several articles came across my feeds this week about this topic, and they motivated me to look through some things I’d saved to find more on the timely reminder.

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

How do you repay someone who saved your child’s life?

December 4, 2017 by Susan 19 Comments

Allie is a former neighbor and my boys’ favorite babysitter. She is the kind of young lady who would, every once in awhile, refuse payment, saying, “I just want to bless you.” Her ‘magic’ tricks kept the boys completely mesmerized. (I’m pretty sure this involved her hiding things behind her back and pulling them out with flourish, but what do I know?) My boys are teenagers now, older than Allie was when she babysat them.

And we owe her a debt of gratitude we can never repay. You see, my youngest son is here because of Allie.

Wild Rice & Cornbread Stuffing

November 30, 2017 by Susan 2 Comments

This wild rice & cornbread stuffing recipe is the perfect new addition to your meal!

Does it matter to you if I call this stuffing or dressing? I think that technically anything not baked in the bird is called dressing. However, I associate the word dressing with the gloppy wet side dish my grandma made that I refused to eat. It didn’t look tasty.

So this may technically be dressing, but I call it stuffing. Either way, major yum!

I am a real fan of traditional stuffing. But I’m an even bigger fan of this unique and amazingly delicious wild rice and cornbread stuffing. The slightly nutty wild rice and slightly sweet cornbread make the perfect combination.

If you’re looking for something new to try, I highly suggest this recipe.