Two Festive Salads

More than likely you've popped over here from our Instagram Gift Guide- hello!  We thought two new salad recipes would be a great compliment to the gift of our Olive Wood Salad Servers.  So here are two of Sarah's tried and true Holiday gathering favorites!

Citrus Fennel And Avocado Salad (recipe and image from FoodieCrush.com)

SERVES: SERVES 2 AS MAIN, 4 AS SIDES

Ingredients

• An assortment of citrus, totaling about 2½ to 3 pounds
• I used:
• 3 navel oranges
• 3 cara cara oranges
• 2 minneola oranges
• 3 mandarin oranges
• 1 blood orange
• ½ fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
• ½ shallot, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• Reserved fennel fronds

Instructions

1. Slice the peels off of the citrus and place in a bowl or on a serving plate. Layer with thinly slivered fennel slices. Add avocado slices and shallot slivers.
2. In a small bowl, slowly whisk the olive oil into the champagne vinegar until emulsified. Add the honey and whisk to mix. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Pour dressing over the salad and season with more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with reserved fennel fronds and mint leaves.

Orange and Pomegranate Salad with Buttermilk Dressing (recipe and image from BrooklynSupper.com )

A vibrant orange and pomegranate salad recipe topped with creamy buttermilk dressing.

Author: Brooklyn Supper

Recipe type: Salad

Makes: Four servings

Ingredients

• For the dressing
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon shallot, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
   
• For the salad
• 1 large bunch spinach
• 3 oranges, or other sweet-tasting citrus
• 1 large pomegranate
• 1/2 shallot, sliced paper thin
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To make dressing, one at a time, whisk zest, juice, vinegar, mustard, and buttermilk into olive oil. Add shallots, rosemary, and sea salt. Set aside while you prepare salad.
2. Cut very top and bottom off of oranges. Carefully slice off peel, removing white pith while sparing as much flesh as possible. Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices.
3. Pour most of the dressing over the spinach; turn with fingers to coat.
4. Spread spinach on a large platter and tuck oranges throughout. Scatter with pomegranate arils and shallots. Finish with a final drizzle of dressing, a scattering of rosemary leaves, a pinch of sea salt, and several twists fresh pepper.

Enjoy!  And thanks for stopping by.  Leave a comment and let us know if you tried either salad!

#GivingTuesday AND Wednesday!

We hope its obvious, but we LOVE giving around here.  We maybe jumping in late in the day, but here's our Giving Tuesday deal!  Purchase ANY paper bead jewelry item, and we'll donate $3 per item to either Dry Bones Denver or Project Worthmore.  Simply leave a comment at check out about which non-profit you'd like to support.  We love and invest in both and are excited to share them with you!

Here's a quick summary about each group, in their own words:

Dry Bones Denver

In the context of relationships, practicing the way of Jesus, we meet spiritual and physical needs of homeless and street-connected youth and young adults.  We seek to equip and inspire all involved to relieve suffering, facilitate reconciliation, and free the heart to love.

We accomplish this mission through three main areas of focus.  Each part applies to everyone involved in the Dry Bones community.  

Reach
We are freely extended beyond our familiar boundaries in order to form relationships that reveal the God-given unsurpassable worth of all involved.  We hope to create intersections where people from different walks of life cross paths who would not normally meet; here, everyone belongs. (read more on Reach)

Rescue
Within the context of relationships, hope, love, opportunity, and beauty are revealed.  Everyone’s faith grows.  We all get “saved” in exciting and unexpected ways. (read more on Rescue)

Reconcile
The natural response in a rescued life will be the reconciliation of torn and broken aspects of life.  As rescue takes place, many will discover new beginnings, experience deeper faith, conquer addictions, reunite with family, and actively experience the beautiful Kingdom of God.

Project Worthmore

Project Worthmore (PWM) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life of Denver-area refugees by providing cultural mentorship and community supports. Started by Frank and Carolyn Anello in early 2011, PWM began as a makeshift response to the unmet needs of our refugee neighbors. Now as relationships and knowledge of refugee needs have grown, the community response has become an organized effort to serve the vast needs through the heart of our community. 

Be it teaching use of public transportation, registering children for school, going grocery shopping, and/or teaching English, there was always more that could be done but not always enough people to help do it. Abandoning the needs of this community was not an option, particularly when surrounded by such abundance and resources to help address these problems. Increasing awareness of the existence of our refugee neighbors and their needs is an initial priority. Fundraising, recruiting teams from churches and schools, gathering and distributing donations, setting up apartments for newly arrived refugee families and coordinating cultural mentorship teams all eventually became a part of this organization. As PWM continues its work, it is the Anello’s hope that more people will become an active part of this movement that has improved the lives of all those involved.

Thanks for taking a peek at our Giving Tuesday AND Wednesday beneficiaries.  Hop over and shop our paper bead jewelry to make it count....TWICE.  Paper bead styles include Jubilee necklace, Garden Party necklace, Celebrate necklace, Game Day bracelets, Blue Moon necklace, Arrowhead necklace, Charm necklace, all Boho necklaces, Ibaba earrings, and Gold Bar earrings.

You did it!

You did it!

Dear Reader,

We want to tell you of a little dream come true. For 2 years Annie and I have been longing for the Rwandan co-op's school age kids to be in school. We have played around with lots of different ideas for sponsorship and incentive programs. And like anything in life there were pros and cons to all our ideas. Ultimately we want the most kids in school for the most years. But we also want to accomplish that in the most dignified manner, where the moms are choosing the schools, the moms are paying for the schools (in Rwanda, that means tuition, books, and uniforms), and the moms are overseeing attendance and schoolwork. The ladies we work with have had many choices denied them in their lives. We don't need to make more decisions for them. We have striven to listen to their goals and then work together to come up with plans to meet those goals. And for the most part the goals are fairly straightforward- to have enough work to feed their families, to have enough work to pay the rent, to have enough work to move away from abusive situations, to have enough work to pay for school. So this year Annie and I set a business goal to purchase three times more product than ever before, with our eye to providing enough work for the ladies to cover school fees. And the ladies set a goal to make enough to pay themselves a monthly salary that would allow themselves to set monthly budgets for themselves and look to the future with hope and sanity. (Have you ever tired to seriously plan for the year ahead but had no idea if you were going to make plenty or zero? It's really hard). That brings me to the happy ending of Chapter One. This week we celebrated good attendance and good grades, really good kids, and really good moms. We celebrated with cake, mother-student relay races, and cash bonuses (because what kid doesn't like a few dollars in his very own pocket for the very first time?) Thank you to all of our donors and shoppers! We humbly and genuinely could not have done this without you.  And a huge thank you to Jane and Cheryl, our leadership on the ground in Kigali, for making it happen.  And if you want to learn even more about this outstanding group at the More Than Sparrows co-op, you can hop over to this guest blog post about a Typical Tuesday.

We hope that your holiday purchases will be reminders in your home of all we have to celebrate- a season to be incredibly grateful, a season when Hope came to the world, and lives changed through generosity and kindness.  Now get to shopping so we can start 2017 off with even more growth and orders for our dear friends in Rwanda!  ;)  Jump over to the SHE Holiday Guide for amazing tips on having a richer, healthier holiday season.  We're so honored to be featured! https://www.shechangeseverything.com/blog/2016holidayhandbook

And just in case you didn't see the announcement on Instagram , YOU FAR EXCEEDED our goal for our first order with our new partners in Haiti!  We asked you to spend $450, and y'all blew our minds by pre-ordering about $2500 worth of product!  YOU ARE AN AMAZING COMMUNITY, and we are so so very grateful!

Love,
Sarah

A Typical Tuesday

Guest Post by Kristy Marlin

Kristy Marlin spent several years pouring into the women of the More Than Sparrows co-op in Kigali, Rwanda.  We're thrilled to share this insight into a typical work day for them with you!  

At the More Than Sparrows co-op in Kigali, Rwanda, the women work hard many days, but somehow Tuesdays became a mandatory day.  A typical Tuesday, for me, meant walking down the hill just before 8 am.  If I was lucky, I'd meet one of the ladies in the street and we'd banter one-on-one about family, weather, current projects- anything I could produce in the local language as we walked together to the co-op.

When I arrived, there was always a greeting of laughter heard, even at the gate, from the handful of women already there and hard at work= some on goods and some on the housekeeping.  Everyone greets everyone, so I'd make my rounds hugging each lady on the right, the left and then the right side again, checking in with "what's the news?" and "I'm so happy to see you."  Some lingered in the hug, and I knew not to pull away.  This one action of a hug spoke so many words to them.  Love.  Acceptance.  Forgiveness.  Joy.  Peace.  

With pride, one by one, they hold up their work, seeking either affirmation they're doing it right or tips for changes so it will 'make the cut' later that day.  

After all the greetings, I'd head to the rear of the building to the stock room and begin going through their finished products.  They liked when I came early, because It often meant they could make changes before the day officially began.  This is the time I would select the majority of the items we would purchase that day- for The Sparrow Studio orders or for our little shop there in Rwanda.  

I still remember my first day visiting the co-op, how kind yet nervous they were with me, and how much the struggles to produce anything.  After some time, it was not like that anymore!  I don't think a Tuesday passed that I didn't have to pause in awe of the skills they were learning!

After some time, we would start the day.  Those women know how to sing and they LOVED to dance- giving all the praises and glory to God!  We'd spend a good amount of time doing this before we settled in for a study.  Studies varied week to week as we tried to leave them with practical things to take home to implement into their lives.  My favorite part was when we shared praises and requests.  There is a saying that Rwandans have 1,000 faces and they let you see the one you want, meaning they are rarely open and honest with others.  This, sharing, is very unusual in the Rwandan context, and yet these women were willing to lean on each other as they drew closer to God!  We'd spend time listening to each who wanted to share.  We'd take as long as they needed.  "My children are all in school!  Hallelujah!!!"  "I was in the hospital visiting m neighbors second cousins nephew when..."  "Sales are steady!  Hallelujah!!"  "Rent is due."  "I was witched this week because my neighbor is jealous of the co-op."  Then we'd pray and praise God together.  In the beginning it was hard not to be surprised by the things they shared.  In my time with them, I'm sure I went through several phases of feelings- pity, empathy, numbness, doubt.  Towards the end of my time with them, it was more personal though.  I knew each of them by name and had sat in many of the their homes.  I'd seen the faces of the families...their neighbors... I'd been asked to be a stand in mom or grandmother for several who had none.  If you asked, I could tell you specific things about what they were going through and how you could pray for them.  I miss that!

For a while, the women were cooking together to ensure each was getting at least one good meal that day.  They would tally up who wanted to eat and each chip in a bit.  For most, I believe that was the best meal they ate all week!  On days they didn't cook, they always seemed to muster up a friend of friend of a friend who sold potatoes on a stick (delish!) or sambuza (a fried dough with potato and sometimes other vegetables inside).

We'd "talk shop" each week, to see how they were doing with orders and new ideas- if they had questions or needed more explanation on anything, often having to make adjustments on colors or supplies according to what Africa could produce that week.  We like to have new ideas for them each week too!  The women are visual learners, so we often had spent time during the previous week preparing samples of new products for them to feel, measure and grasp the foreign concepts we were teaching them.

I was usually in charge of the books and making sure we agreed on what we owed for that day.  I wish I could say this was an easy task, but when you're buying in large quantities and across languages, there are bound to be some hiccups!  We always agreed eventually.

On a smooth day, one we agreed quickly on the above and the translations were smooth, and there are not tons of life problems to help solve, we'd wrap up around 4-5 pm.  

Just as you greet everyone when you arrive, you say farewell to each as you leave.  I'd make the same rounds as before, only this time to all 34 women.  I'm not going to lie, in ninety degree weather (hotter under the tin roof of the house), with 34+ women crammed into every nook and cranny of this little house, after a full day of working and my brain being on overdrive from hearing and trying to understand the language, I was always exhausted by the end of the day, but my cup ran over!

Help Hope Rise in Haiti

It's time to come alongside artisans in Haiti.

Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti and left us wondering how to help.  The Sparrow Studio has considered working with a cooperative in Port-Au-Prince for several months, and now its crucial to place our first order.  The co-op director for Haiti Design Co, Chandler Busby, encouraged us in this way: 
"Relief efforts are underway and many wonderful organizations are working hard to prevent the spread of cholera, alleviate hunger, and provide clean water and shelter during this time. The road to recovery is going to be a long one. At this time we feel it is vital to remember to give with discretion and think of the long term impact we will have on communities. The Haitian economy is going to be one of the biggest keys to supporting recovery. When you invest in job creation, you're investing in opportunity for people and families to provide for themselves. Job creation provides stability. Stability for families means savings, education, health care, and the opportunity to be prepared for the future."
 

We need your help.

We've mentioned over social media a few times lately that we placed our largest order EVER with our friends in Rwanda, in order to help the mothers afford school in January for their children.  We are SO GRATEFUL for the ways you've already shopped this Fall to help us with that goal!  Because we're still doing the work required for that order, we need you to PRE-ORDER about $450 worth of Haitian product for us to be able to place that order.  And to make it FUN, we are offering some of their STUNNING handmade leather bags at 25% off (that's $50 off the Classic Leather Tote)!  We will not permanently offer their bags, so take advantage!  Your orders will not only enable us to place this initial order, but help us gain the capital needed to make this a long term relationship.  And with that comes more orders for Haiti Design Co and the opportunity for us to design CUSTOM product for YOU.  It's the perfect time for you to email your Mom, Spouse, generous Aunt, and ask for one of these killer totes for Christmas!  And the most adorable Pineapple Horn Bowls are the perfect hostess or teacher gift this season!  We need your orders to be placed (through our website- click Shop and look for Haiti) by October 31 for you to receive these in time for the holidays.  Team Sparrow, we are confident we can all work together to hit this goal of $450!  

For added fun, place an order on the website for any of the Haitian products and we'll ship you a FREE Slender Bangle!  Yall.  Seriously.  Don't miss out!  (And don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter, The Bird Beat, for even more good deals!)