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

Brownies! The Only Brownie Recipe You Need: A Perfect Blank Canvas

September 13, 2016 by Susan 4 Comments

These fudgy brownies are the perfect canvas for add ins and customization. Nuts, chips, candies, frosting..the list is endless. And they’re SO easy!

I’ve made a million different kinds of brownies over the years. OK, not really a million…but at least 15. And I can honestly say that I don’t recall a brownie I didn’t like. I mean…chocolate.

For the last few years, though, this brownie recipe has been my one and only. It’s kind of a conglomeration of a few recipes I’ve made. It’s quick and easy, chewy and fudgy. All things I look for in a brownie.

And it is the perfect blank canvas.

Kids Pirate Party

September 12, 2016 by Susan Leave a Comment

I have learned about myself that I need a creative outlet in my life. When I was teaching 2nd grade, I had lots of opportunities to be creative, now one thing I do is host regular, themed, girls movie nights. In between those times, a large part of my creative outlet was my kids’ birthday parties.

I’d like to share a few of them with you, in no particular order, starting with a Pirate Themed Party we had for my eldest when he turned 6. (Six! Excuse me while I have a short mom reflection…my little pirate is now 17.)

Because the party was so long ago, the pictures weren’t digital, so there wasn’t a lot of touching up I could do. And, did I mention that another creative outlet I had was scrapbooking? These pics were glued in scrapbooks, so you’ll notice my attempt at clever editing, I’m sure. Regardless, I hope you get some ideas for your next Pirate Soiree.

DIY Whiteboard Lap Desk for Kids

September 8, 2016 by Susan 5 Comments

I promised last week when I wrote about what you need for your homeschool room that I’d share this craft with you. We made them our very first day of homeschool ever. My boys were entering 6th and 4th grades when we started homeschooling. I wanted for our first day of school to be special and fun. We planned to go out to lunch with dad and get ice cream. And I wanted to do some fun activities at home, too, something to remember our first day by.

One of the selling points of homeschool was that the boys could do their work anywhere… in their bedroom, in the treehouse, on the couch. In order to make that easier, we made these easy lap desks with cushions so they’d always have a surface to write on. As an added bonus, the lap desk surface is a whiteboard.

An Ode to Scout: Life Lessons from the Love of a Dog

September 7, 2016 by Susan 18 Comments

Even a word like ‘unconditional’ doesn’t do justice to the complete, every inch of his soul adoration that a dog truly smitten offers.

No one has ever, or will ever, love me as much as my dog. This is not to demean my husband’s love for me … he totally agrees with this assessment.

Even a word like ‘unconditional’ doesn’t do justice to the complete, every inch of his soul adoration that a dog truly smitten offers. I’m pretty sure if he could speak, what Scout would say to me is, “My whole life is in you…all I am and do are wrapped up in you…my sun rises and sets on your existence.”

After a couple of misses with dogs, we decided to try fostering from a local rescue so we could find out if a dog was a good fit for us. Scout was our first foster. He came from a Kansas City, Missouri animal shelter. Slated to be put down, some blessed soul saw in him the gentle spirit that needed to be someone’s sweetheart. One trip to Minnesota later, he was ours.

Skillet Grilled Corn – Making Summer Last One Kernel at a Time

September 6, 2016 by Susan 5 Comments

Fresh summer corn–so easy! This corn makes a perfect side to serve with any grilled meat, & goes especially well with South-of-the-border dishes.

Did you ever have braces? No gum allowed. No chewy or sticky foods. No corn on the cob.

I had braces when I was younger, and for the past three years we’ve had at least one boy in them.

With corn on the cob off the table we resorted to what most braces-wearing folks do, after cooking, we stood the cobs on end and sliced the kernels off the cob.

And then I decided to introduce my fresh picked summer corn to my cast iron skillet and a hot grill.

Now they’re best friends.

You won’t believe how easy it is, too!

Food for Thought: #4

September 1, 2016 by Susan 2 Comments

Does your family sit around the dinner table and talk about what you’ve read or heard throughout the day? Just us? We frequently find ourselves discussing something that came across one of our social media feeds that day, whether a news bit or something funny.