Special Needs Resources: Cerebral Palsy Toolkit

Recently, I came across a glitch on the blog that had caused the requests put through on my ‘Contact’ form to not be delivered to my email anymore. I found several questions and requests. I have made a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page to hopefully answer some of those. One of the requests was to post this special resource.

Finding out that you are expecting can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also be very scary. We know from experience that things can be downright terrifying, especially when faced with the knowledge that your child may have special needs.

Our youngest daughter, Shyanne, was born with multiple diagnoses and health conditions. Before she was even born, the odds were stacked against her. The doctors never expected us to make it through the pregnancy, and things got very scary towards the end when both of our lives were at risk.

It felt like someone had taken our life and made a HUGE jigsaw puzzle out of it, then added some extra pieces in there that had to fit. Every time we thought we were making progress, someone would come along and mix it all up again or ‘find’ a couple more pieces that needed to go in. Her story was complicated, and no one knew what the big picture would even look like… but God did!

He helped us through that very emotional time, and even though we couldn’t figure out how we were going to make it all work, HE gave us a sense of peace. We had to hand it over to HIM and HE put the pieces in place… one at a time, to create a BEAUTIFUL masterpiece that we could have never imagined.

HE made a way when we couldn’t see one, and we have witnessed miracle after miracle in our daily lives… That is why we created her blog:

Sweet Shyanne: The little girl who could

Continue reading “Special Needs Resources: Cerebral Palsy Toolkit”

Special Holiday Meals: Good Luck Meal

Sometimes we feel that we just need a little extra luck, or maybe it is the superstitions of a day like Friday the 13th that makes us a little weary… truth be told, we just need to pray about it. However, a good meal doesn’t hurt either… just for fun, of course!

This is a semi-traditional menu plan that we came across somewhere, and we tweaked it to fit with current-day dishes:

Good Luck Meal

for Friday the 13th or any ‘unlucky’ day

BBQ Pork Ribs

Black-eyed peas, Greens, or a Good Luck Salad ** see below

Hoe Cakes

Pineapple Upside Down Cake


**Good Luck Salad

Pick your favorite salad greens and veggies, arrange them in the shape of a horseshoe, and serve… lol 🙂

A Hobbit Day Celebration with Pictures

Our first Hobbit Day went well even though we had to postpone it once. We had planned to start with Breakfast at 7:00 on Saturday but we had overnight guests and a late night so it ended up being more like 7:45ish.


“Good morning! I’m not quite sure what you mean,” said Bilbo, “but my meaning was that I wish you a good morning, or rather, that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” – Bilbo Baggins


Mr. Awesome got up early and put some meat on the smoker. He put a couple of lamb quarters on too as those would be used for the pot roast later on.

Hobbit Day Menu Plan

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5th Saturday Weenie Roast: A Memorable Family Tradition

Some of our favorite memories from North Carolina were from the 5th Saturday Weenie Roasts that our church would have. It was so much fun to gather ’round an open fire and roast hot dogs (and marshmallows). The kids all played until they couldn’t play anymore, and everyone feasted on the potluck dishes that were brought. It was definitely a time of fellowship that we will cherish forever in our hearts.

We haven’t found anything similar to that here, but I was determined to keep that tradition alive so we would have our own version of 5th Saturdays at home. Sometimes friends and family will join in, but sometimes it is just us, and that’s ok.

An added benefit is that you and your kiddos will get comfortable cooking on an open fire, and that could come in handy during an emergency or power outage!

Continue reading “5th Saturday Weenie Roast: A Memorable Family Tradition”

Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipes for Every Occasion

Did you know that October 4th is Cinnamon Roll Day? Well, they are pretty good, so I can see why they have their own day, but we don’t need a special day to eat them around here. We do have them requested pretty often for special days though as my older kids don’t get to have them as often as the ones who still live at home.

Here are our favorite Cinnamon Roll Recipes:

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Everyone’s Favorite Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls – NO SOURDOUGH NEEDED

Not actual Cinnamon Rolls but close to the same flavor:

Cinnamon Dippers

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Empty Tomb Rolls (aka Resurrection Rolls) and Resurrection Donut Idea