We Did Christmas Different This Year

We Did Christmas Different

As the 2013 Christmas season approached my heart began to break for the traditional way we celebrated it.  I deeply felt that it did not truly glorify our Christ Savior.  I dug deep, prayed hard, and even considered not celebrating traditional Christmas at all.  But every time I imagined the Glory of the Lord shining over the Shepherds, announcing Christ’s birth, my eyes filled with joyful tears and plead to celebrate His birth.

 

The Shepherds and the Angels

Luke 2:8-20

⁸ There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, ¹⁰ but the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.¹¹ This very day in David's town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! ¹² And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. ¹⁸ All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said. ¹⁹ Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.²⁰ The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.

Through prayers and The Word the idea of celebrating a more biblical perspective was born. 

Matthew 2:11

¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

 

Gold represents kingship.  Jesus is a King. (Value)

Frankincense represents Jesus as our high priest.  (Spiritual)

Myrrh represents the prefiguring of Jesus crucifixion—used for embalming.  (Need)

We chose to give each of our children three gifts representing: value, spiritual, and need. 

Carrie - 13 years old  

Loves music  

Has an eye for photography

* Spiritual gift - supplies to design and create a scrapbook to give away as a gift.

* Value - 1967 phonograph (in working order)

* Need - records 

Galatians 5:13

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Not very many 13 year olds have a record player that actually WORKS! 

Hannah - 12 years old

Loves the animal kingdom

Is a bookworm

* Spiritual gift - supply of donations for the local animal shelter (along with donation of her time)

* Value - a reading nook complete with a papasan chair she doesn't have to share

* Need - MORE BOOKS 

Romans 12:4-6 

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith;

 Enjoy your book nook! No more mama fussing at you to get off the couch that way.  It's all yours!

Hallie - 9 years old

A beautiful keeper of the home

Loves to get lost in imagination

* Spiritual gift - All the necessary supplies to host a tea party of her very own

* Value - antique vanity (that she can refinish anyway she'd like)

* Need - princess clothes

Psalms 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

You are a daughter of the King of Kings--a princess! 

Lane - 6 years old

A boy child, growing into a man

Loves to work

* Spiritual gift - A handmade by Dad workbench

* Value - Dragon Castle Form 

* Need - Tools

Ecclesiastes 9:10a

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength

Never lose your imagination! 

Although deep down I knew that non-traditional way we were choosing to celebrate Christmas was in line with my convictions, I couldn't help but worry that the kids would feel a little let down.  But, I had nothing to worry about.  It was the best Christmas ever.  

May you all be richly blessed!  Merry Christmas

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:16

“Once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand”

“Once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand”

Many of us have a favorite childhood book; one that was read to us by a parent, a grandparent, or librarian.  That book kind of sticks with you—forever.  When you think of it you kind of soften for a minute: relax your shoulders, inhale deeply, smell the pages, taste that memory. 

My favorite book as a child was “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams.  Just the sound of it makes me float around on a cloud with a smile on my face.  My mom read it to me, often.  And one year when I was seven years old, I received a real Velveteen Rabbit for Christmas; it was even in my stocking! It had pink satin ears, a pink velvety nose, and a one piece bunch bottom!  He was everything I could have imagined and the only thing I can even remember about Christmas that year.  I was instantly in love and I imagined he was real.  I loved that bunny so much that his ears eventually lost their pink satin and turned to white.  I wore holes in his stitching from all the holding and my mom spent many evenings sewing him up.  And although I don’t have much from my childhood, he is still around. 

A few years ago I gave him to my daughter.  She loved for me to read “The Velveteen Rabbit” to her just as much as I had loved it when I was a little girl.  He now has a few more hand sewn stitches than before and he even has a couple of patches that I sewed on one early Christmas morning after a mischievous puppy got to him.  

Our Velveteen Rabbit sits in our schoolroom now and he reminds me that Real happens over time and not all at once and that sometimes Real hurts.  But Real is always worth the late night stitches and hand sewn patches.

A Tangled Mess

A Tangled Mess

It’s so fun to watch babies learn, isn’t it?  Our little one is at the stage where he is almost crawling but not quite.  He babbles all these adorable sounds.  He sits and digs through his small bucket of toys (always choosing the free, used butter lid over the expensive learning toys), he opens and closes drawers over and over again, he finds his fingers and toes and intrinsically plays with them—it’s just fascinating! Every once in a while he gets stuck, ya know, in a half crawl half sit position, or sometimes he gets himself in a little situation where he is bound to get mildly hurt.  It takes everything I have not to jump up and save him from that board book that he is about to pull onto himself, or from closing that drawer on his tiny fingers, or immediately untangle his tangled legs—but I know if I do he won’t understand the cause and effect r develop the gross motor skills to untangle his own legs.  I know it is for his own good that I stand back and allow him to grow. 

Well today I was sitting at the table, eating this delicious apple crumb desert that my oldest daughter made (it is not a good thing to have a daughter that loves to make delicious deserts and leave them lying around), anyway there I was sitting, savoring this yummy apple crumb and the baby sweetly played under the table at my feet.  Then he got his legs all tangle up in the leg of the chair.  For a long, very long, time he tried to get himself unstuck.  It was painful to watch!  I wanted to just gently move the chair, only by a few inches—that’s all it needed, to help him get out of that sticky mess he got himself in.  But I knew better.  I knew this was important for him. 

I pondered this with every bite of my yummy sweet and then I began thinking about God’s love for us, we are his children, and how painful it must be for God to watch us get ourselves all tangled up in messes.  Often times, we get ourselves deep into it too! He must want to swoop down and save us from ourselves! But just like we, as parents, see the big picture—our children must learn to grow and growth makes them stronger, God must feel this way about us also. 

After a bit of time I got up and gently moved that chair back, kissed my baby on the head, and whispered, “I love you, child.”

Galatians 3:26 - For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Seasons of Rest

Our family recently moved into a season of rest. For a season we decided not to sign up for any sports or extra curricular activities outside of church. We had a few reasons for doing this. The baby probably encouraged this season of rest; had it not have been for his less than flexible personality we might not have moved into this quiet time. But typically with three activity aged kids we would be all over the town, county, and state this time of year and the burdens were already so heavy. So we decided that a time of rest was important and probably best for a short period of time.

I was very worried about it though. Worried that we'd be bored! Being busy is an addictive lifestyle! I was worried that the kids would fuss with each other. For goodness sake, we already home school and spend more time together than most! I was worried about a lack of sense of community since we would be abstaining from many opportunities to interact with our community. And I was worried about other silly things here and there.

But as it turns out--all that worry was for not. And I'm glad we have had this time as a family!

It has been extra special. My children haven't fussed more, in fact, the opposite. They have used this time to press into the heart of The Lord and build relationships with each other and even forged new relationships in the community! (Crazy how God makes that happen). Oh and we haven't been bored! We've been blessed!

If this is something you feel God might be asking you to do, here's a little encouragement! ;)

What’s Working and What’s Not—From Sun Up to Sun Down

What’s Working and What’s Not—From Sun Up to Sun Down

The last two years have been a whirlwind for me and I’ve experienced things as a stay at home mom that I never thought I would; for example it’s HARD—REALLY, REALLY, REALLY (not enough reallies) HARD!  I’ve gleaned from some very beautiful Titus women and put together my list of what’s working.  NOTHING IS ORIGINAL! Really—hijacked it all from The Greats!

1.       Dress for your day BEFORE you leave your bedroom.  EVERY MORNING.  And I mean from bra to shoes!

Dress to be prepared to run out of the door any minute or welcome an unexpected visitor.  I’ve also noticed my children take me more seriously if I’m dressed for my day.  And, if I’m honest, I take myself more serious too.  Not business nice, but not yoga pants and dew rag. (No condemnations here; there have been lots of those days and plenty still to come.)  But generally speaking this is a big help.

2.       Immediately start your first load of laundry!  This means before you even have your first cup of coffee.

 Oh my, I can hear ya now!  I know, I know!  But for me, it’s been a life saver!  One of The Greats has a love affair with her washer and dryer and swears that the sound of these babies purring sets her day.  I’m not quite that in love—but this does make a huge difference in the tone of your morning!  And it’s all about momentum.  An object in motion stays in motion!

3.       Stay in The Word—even if only by small passages or verses!

Back in the day I woke up in the 5 o’clock hour and read my Bible for 45 minutes before I even got dressed (while sipping coffee—oh nostalgia).  But this is just not reasonable during this season of my life.  And Jesus knows we stay at home mamas are weary—especially us with the smaller ones that are still waking up for those nighttime nursings.  Sleep is precious!  Let me say that again—SLEEP IS PRECIOUS! So, how do we keep our swords sharp against the evil one’s schemes?  Meditate on smaller passages or verses.  Write the verses that the spirit sends you in places you are the most, like the laundry room, your school room, your hands (done this), the bathroom mirror etc. 

4.       Meal Plan

Plan meals and stick to it (best you can).  Based on our family’s budget I can shop for two week’s worth of food.  I sit down, make a list of enough meals for two weeks, make a list for all the ingredients we need, and shop for them.  There may be better methods, but this works for us so I’m sharing.  I keep a list of the MEAL OPTIONS taped to the outside of the pantry door.  It is simply a list of meals that we have the ability to make because all of the ingredients are readily available.  So if I decide that tomorrow is a great taco night I set out hamburger meat to thaw.  By not saying M-Tacos, Tues-Beans it gives me flexibility to roll with the day’s punches!

5.       Start Your School Day with Family Devotion

Even if it is a quick one—it puts you all in the word together and starts your day as a family united.  (This is also where you can get more Chunk Word J)

6.       Chores for Kids

We call these ZC’s and PC’s for Zone Checks and Personal Checks.  We have a few times a day that everyone does a PC and makes sure their personal disasters are tidied up and then each of the kids have Zones that they are in charge of.  It helps.  When you’ve got lots of folks in the same quarters all day long it takes work to keep it in check.  Personally I don’t function in clutter—I mean total shut down, can’t do anything; and that’s no good for anyone when the mama is non-functioning. 

7.       Shower at Night

Otherwise you might not get one!  I enjoy, and prefer, to start a day with a shower but that’s not happening these days.  So in order to not be a total skank I must shower at night when my husband is home.  But, coming to bed clean has its advantages—just saying!

8.       Don’t Go to Bed with a Dirty Front of the House

This might be the hardest one because by this time of day you are tired.  I mean leg-numb tired.  So you could always ask your husband for help on this one.  Mine is awesome and most of the time makes sure the kitchen is clean after dinner.  Thank you Lord, because cooking and cleaning 3 times a day, 7 days a week is heavy.  At any rate, it helps tidy up your living areas before bed.  I call our living area the “Front of our Home” because it’s in the front, haha.  And every night (well almost every because, well you get it) but most nights I make sure the front of our home is picked up because tomorrow morning when I walk into the front of our home it sucks to be greeted by a pile of toddler toys and dishes in the sink.  On the contrary it is awesome to walk into your kitchen greeted by a shiny sink!

This is what is currently working for our family.  But the major life lesson I’ve learned since my journey from bread winner to bread maker began is that NOTHING STAYS THE SAME and it’s ALWAYS CHANGING!

From a novice: Some days suck and some days rock!

Sometimes I tell myself that I am somewhat disadvantaged that I began my stay at home journey in the middle of child raising—rather than from the get go.  It often seems that growing into this and alongside my children and family’s shifting needs might have made things a tad easier than jumping into this beautiful mess all at once.  Because even though this is my first year {home}, I always feel (and usually expect of myself) that I should have a better handle on this—especially when I consider that I’m a mother of four.  And, perhaps, adding all of these titles in less than 1-1/2 years is asking for a few gray hairs:  Wife (to a fabulous husband I might add), stay at home mom, new mom (5 months now), and homeschooling mom—uhm, wow, that’s FOUR new titles in a very brief time.  Okay, blog over, now I see why I have struggled!

Just kidding.  But, in all seriousness, I thought I would rock this job.  For the last year it has been a battle, a thorn in my side, that I felt as though this job was over my head—that I simply might not be cut out for it.  I cried out to Father, “Why is this not joyful?” I wallowed in the trenches.  I beat myself up for all of the incompetence I had.  I was broken.  

Ahhh, but see.  God has made me the kind of person that is an all or nothing kind of person.  I’m pretty passionate (if you didn’t know that already).  I don’t do anything half way.  I also prefer to only start a task that I can finish (this is why crafting is not my thing and laundry might pile up since I refuse to start it unless I KNOW I can finish it).  So at the end of my days I felt as if I had accomplished nothing—more notably nothing of any worth.  When it takes you All. Day. Long. to unload a dishwasher—there really was no pride in the finished job!

I also longed for a more even stride in our new life.  Some days would be so fantastic you couldn't make them up in the best book or movie, others so horrid you wouldn't dare let your closest friend see in your home or heart! The roller coaster made me batty, and again, further convinced me of my deep brokenness.

Through some guided wisdom of beautiful, Godly women, I realize that a nice even ride is not reality.  And some days are just downright hard! And other days are simply beautiful.  So my novice stay at home wife, mom, homeschooler epiphany is:  Some days suck and some days rock!

Rather than thinking I’m broken or simply just am not good at this role, I will cherish the days that rock.  I will hold them hostage in my heart and store their energy up for the days that will inevitably be SO MUCH HARDER. 

A Year in Review: First Year at Home

Just over a year and a half ago God set into motion a plan that he had been building a foundation for quite some time—in fact a lifetime.  I was the busy, career-minded, single mother to three very special children.  Then this man visited our church and sat down on an empty church pew, alone.  Six months later we were married! (You can read our story here: http://from-breadwinner-to-breadmaker.blogspot.com/2013/07/our-story-december-18th-2011.html) Just three months after that we were expecting our first baby together! A year in review and I don’t know if I have enough paper to write of all the blessings God has showered us with! But that won’t keep me from trying!

In June of 2012, just a few shorts months after our wedding, Paul and I felt called for me to become a stay at home mom.  This meant living off 1/3 of the income we were accustomed to and not knowing exactly how all the bills would be paid—but knowing that God was the author—he knew; and our job was to trust.  The day after I gave my resignation to my company I found out we were expecting our first baby together! My last day to work in a corporate setting was July 27, 2012.  The months ahead were so much rougher than I expected.  I anticipated jumping into my new job description and rocking it!  This wasn't the case and I struggled finding purpose, intention, and joy as a stay at home wife and mom.  Through many tears and prayers, God began moving me into a place of strength under my new role and I am so excited to say that the last six months of have been a time of beautiful spiritual and personal growth for me and our family. You can read this blog from the end of October about my unexpected struggles staying home: http://from-breadwinner-to-breadmaker.blogspot.com/2012/10/realitythe-transition-is-so-much-harder.html)

The first major miracle God has provided to us is that we haven’t starved!  God always provides.  Yes, there are times when it might look a little bleak; and scary is probably an understatement.  But God always provides!  The basic physical needs of our family are always met through his endless mercies! Yes, living off a little is hard and requires sacrifice—but the rewards are indescribable! God has used this to help Paul and I grow in our faith and become better stewards.  I can make a meal out of next to nothing—that’s God!

The next major miracle God put before us was Paul’s cochlear implant replacement! You can follow this link to read more about that. http://from-breadwinner-to-breadmaker.blogspot.com/2013/07/cochlear-implant-miracle.html But it is nothing short of a 21^st century miracle! And I’m so excited to report that the surgery was a success and to have a husband that can now hear my whisper (compared to before when we communicated using: lip reading, hand gestures, close range, loud voice talking) is indeed a beautiful thing!

An area of significant growth for our family has been the decision to “bring our children home”.  God called us to home school our children and has used this calling to guide us, grow us, and strengthen us!  I can’t say enough positive things about homeschooling and what it has done for our family.  It is truly something you could never possible imagine all of the benefits of unless you have seen them first hand.  My mom visited just before we brought the kids home and 6 months later she returned for another extended visit.  She repeatedly said, “I can’t believe the difference in your family and home dynamic.  It is such a positive place to be.”  The proofs in the pudding, folks! This isn’t the blog post for me to climb on my platform for homeschooling (that will come) but as parents, Paul and I are incredibly passionate about this and beyond grateful for God’s blessing to provide this for our children.

The most recent miracle is the birth of our newest son, Asa.  He is 4-1/2 months of perfection!  We had a very healthy pregnancy and a beautiful home birth that embodied the love Paul and I have for each other.  It will forever be one of the most beautiful experiences of my lifetime: bringing forth a son while being wrapped in the arms of the man that holds my heart.   Here's our birth story: http://from-breadwinner-to-breadmaker.blogspot.com/2013/03/it-was-one-of-those-march-days-when-sun.html

This certainly doesn't cover it all, but it catches some of the bigger butterflies! It has been the greatest year of my life!  I know it sounds trite, but I am married to my best friend, every day is better than the day before, and I am fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a wife, mom, and teacher and our family is united in love and purpose!  

Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness!

Our Story - December 18th, 2011

I gathered the kids quickly, locked the dead bolt on the back door, hustled everyone out the front door, and then reached into my purse to make sure I had my keys before I locked the front door.  As I hurriedly jumped in my front seat, I reached in my purse for those keys I had just felt, and when I found them I realized they were my spare keys to my truck—not the keys to my house.   My heart sank as I began digging in my mess of a purse for my cell--then I realized I didn't have that either.  It was surely with wherever my keys were.  My day went from bad to worse just like that.  I only had one set of house keys and of course no spare hidden in a safe place.

All day I had been wrestling with God.  I was a single mom of three: 10, 7, and 4. I had recently moved and was struggling with mice—of all things, I do not do mice!  My truck was in need of some major repair and barely creeping along, Christmas was only one week away and it was going to be our first Christmas alone.  Only months before had I clearly felt the presence of God releasing me from a broken marriage wrought with abuse and infidelity.  Why, if he had told me we would be okay alone, were we struggling?  This was my argument with God all day on December 18^th, 2011. 

I tried the credit card trick because I had been quite successful at this in the past but to no avail.  I really really did not know what to do next.  As I sat in the driveway in my truck contemplating what to do next I argued more with God.  We were on our way to church for a fellowship evening.  There was maybe an hour left of daylight.  Who was most capable and available to help me break in?  Our vocational pastor was a full time police officer—surely he’d be skilled at break ins—but he also was not very available.  As I thumbed through different men from church I couldn't come up with anyone that I just knew was the right person for the job.  However, there was a man that had recently begun attending our church.  I knew he was available because I was supposed to be his ride to church that evening.  I was reluctant to ask him but I was feeling a little out of options and hope. 

The first time I met Paul at church was November 6^th when I ran into him in the hall, right by the bathrooms, and asked, “What are you doing?”  (I’m not known for my suave)  I was acquainted with Paul from a few years back—work related.  I had also adopted his dog, Dixie, about 6 months prior.  My acquaintanceship with Paul started and ended there.  We come from a very small, rural community—everyone knows everyone—somehow.  Nonetheless, I was excited to see him.  I was always excited to see guests at church.  Our church was recently going through some growth and I was so excited to see it.  That Sunday morning my family and I sat down in our usual pew to get settled.  I noticed Paul was sitting on a pew that was usually empty; he was also alone.  I waited a bit to see if anyone was going to join him.  When I realized he was it and sitting on a lonely pew bench I gathered my bunch and we moved pews!  I purposely sat several seats away from him and placed a few children between us.  I was very modest and concerned about perception.  This went on for a few weeks until I found out he was walking to church.  The weather was turning and not always suitable for walking.  The first time I offered to give him a ride to church, he refused.  The next time—I didn't give him an option.  I think it may have been a Sunday morning and I noticed the weather wasn’t very nice, I sent him a face book inbox that said, I would be there at 9.  He later on told me, he wasn’t even planning on going that Sunday.  I love how God works.  Paul was attending church regularly, but I noticed he was very quiet and maybe a little shy.  Paul was hearing impaired and I worried that he wasn’t comfortable or even worse, people weren’t comfortable with him.  My nature is very much a “make everyone comfortable” one—so I began inviting and almost insisting he participate in the several fellowships we were having that holiday season.  The first was a Thanksgiving Dinner, where I made him eat this delicious cracker dip and he nearly vomited it back up on me (that’s when I learned of his meat and potato, country boy palette), the next was a Christmas fellowship (I didn't force feed him anything this time--for fear of a repeat of the previous dinner), and last that season was the December 18^th video night. 

When I arrived to Paul’s house to pick him up for the fellowship I was consumed with fret.  Mostly for prideful reasons—I wasn’t the kind of person that locked her keys AND cell phone in her house, and let’s say I did, I could usually get myself out of predicaments like this.  Asking for help was not in my comfort zone.  As I examined my options and realized there was only an hour of daylight left, I swallowed my pride and asked him if he could help me.  Even though Paul was kind of hard to read and he rarely showed much exaggerated emotion—he was very kind and always so gentleman like.  I wasn’t surprised when he eagerly accepted my plea for help. 

I decided to leave my kiddos at church so at least they could enjoy the evening—I had successfully ruined mine and Paul’s the way I saw it.  Paul worked feverishly to break in.  Even he couldn’t get the credit card trick to work (made me feel a little better and a little less sucky).  Paul was working up a sweat and I was racking up the guilt.  However, the whole time he was attempting a break in and running into obstacles, he remained incredibly level headed.  Not once did I see him react out of impatience of frustration—I honestly did not know how to respond to that.  The previous men of my life would have had several choice words by now and expressed exasperation at the situation.  I think Paul’s lack of curse words and temper made me feel even guiltier about putting him in this situation.  I convinced myself I had ruined his evening.  Out of desperation Paul decided he would have to drill a hole in my window in order to push the lock open.  I think he could see the look of fear in my face when he said that—so he said, “Let me check the windows one more time.”  Even though we both knew that he had checked all the windows multiple times and I had warned him I was a bit OCD about making sure that they were locked at all times.  The sun had gone down and I was chilly, so I sat in the truck, and I couldn’t help but let the tears fall.  I sat in my front seat crying uncontrollably when all of a sudden I noticed Paul standing in my open front door waving and wearing a huge smile that boasted, “I DID IT!” I was a little shocked.  As I got out of the car I tried to remove all evidence that I had been crying and I joined him.  I listened to him excitedly recount how he was able to get a window, which he knew was locked, open, as he escorted me to the kitchen window as to show off the miracle.  Once in the kitchen I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.   I lost it—and guess what—if I wasn’t the person to lock her keys and cell in her house, I wasn’t the person to cry in front of people—especially strange men!  Paul looked a little uncomfortable about this crazy woman crying uncontrollably, but he reached out and put his hand around my shoulder—I cried even harder.  I can’t even tell you why I was crying.  Maybe because my day had been rough on me, I felt a little broken that day.  I was also beyond grateful for Paul.  Not only had he saved my evening, he did it with a merry heart—for that I was indebted and impressed.

There weren’t a whole lot of words after that.  I took Paul home, stopped for the kids, and then settled in for the night.  Later that evening, after I had tucked all the kids in bed and had a few moments to regroup, I text Paul to say an extra thank you and I will never forget what he text back: It was kind of nice to be needed for once.  That was it—I don’t think either of us slept that night—we stayed up until the wee hours texting about everything you could imagine.  And that’s that—the story of when we first saw each other's hearts!

Cochlear Implant Miracle

Written: October 10, 2012


Paul and I have been saying since day one that we are going to write our story. Well, since I’m sitting in a very quiet hospital room with not much to do (no children need tending, no house work beckoning me, and a husband that only needs my presence right now) I figured I’d give it a start. 

Rather than back tracking and beginning the story from the beginning, I’ll start with the “hear” and now or the relevance of the here and now. Paul was a hearing person until 2002 when a severe inner ear infection prompted an auto immune disorder to attack his cochlear nerves and destroy his hearing. The damage left nearly no natural hearing in his right ear and about 25% in his left. He received a cochlear implant in the right ear in 2003, and combined with a hearing aid on his left to amplify his remaining natural hearing, he functioned at a rather moderate hearing level. 

Unfortunately the implant unexpectedly failed in 2009—leaving only his left ear for hearing, which fluctuates from bad to really bad, regularly. An over the phone diagnostic test, at the time, seemed to rule out all explanations except that of internal device failure. 

In December of 2011 the unfortunate event of me locking myself out of my house led to a beautiful wedding less than four months later to none other than THE Mr. Paul Mattes. Paul’s hearing impairment was never even an issue; in fact it was almost like it didn’t exist—we just naturally overcame any communication struggles that you would expect. But, something never did sit right with me that his implant had suddenly failed years ago and only a satellite diagnostic test was performed to determine the cause. Since I didn’t want Paul to feel like his hearing was troublesome to me, I never pushed it; by that I mean I never brought it up—although it never seemed to leave me peacefully alone. Months after the wedding I still felt God calling me to address it. So I did what every good, Southern, bossy wife would do—I made him an appointment with the leading specialist 4 hours away and told him to go! This is what I knew: I knew that we served a living God that still performs miracles. I prayed for a miracle and prepared for the worse.

The visit confirmed that the internal device had failed. I was pretty heartbroken, but I also knew that God’s will is perfect. Then true to God’s character he did more than I ever imagined. It was determined that we were within months of a warranty period which would cover an upgraded replacement device, the surgery, and all expenses associated with the procedure. MONTHS!!! MONTHS!!! Every time I think about it, I get teary. God never ceases to surprise us and pour his grace on us. That’s just how much he loves us folks!

My plea for you today is to listen—seek and listen to Him—then obey. Our creator loves us boundlessly! I hope that this short excerpt from our story brings you hope, a smile, and shines Glory on our Maker. 

Country Biscuits

Easy County Biscuits

3C Self Rising Flour

2 TBS. Sugar

½ TBS. Salt

2/3C Veg. Oil

1-1/3C Buttermilk or Soured Milk (see below)

1.       Measure and set aside 1-1/3C Buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk on hand, add 2-3 tbs. of lemon juice or vinegar to your regular milk) I never have buttermilk on hand for some reason.

2.       Mix self rising flour, sugar, salt

3.       Pour vegetable oil in flour mixture and use pastry cutter (or fork or hands) to cut in the oil. 

4.       Create a well in your mix and pour in buttermilk.

5.       Mix until all dry ingredients become sticky wet. (it will be pretty wet)

6.       Dump batter on to a floured surface. 

7.       Sprinkle top of batter with flour and begin kneading.

8.       Knead lightly (just until batter is no longer sticky)

9.       Roll out dough about 1-1/2” to 2” thick

10.   Use biscuit cutter  to cut your biscuits (in my case a plastic cup haha)

11.   Bake at 425* for 20 minutes (or until golden brown on top)

**I use about a 2” round cup.  We like big biscuits.  This recipe makes about a dozen large biscuits for us.

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola

12C Oats (whatever is on hand quick, regular, organic)

1-1/2C Brown Sugar

2/3C Froz. Apple Juice Concentrate

2/3C Honey

1/4C Cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1.       On medium heat melt brown sugar, juice concentrate, honey, cinnamon, and salt.

2.       Pour mixture into oats and mix evenly.

3.       Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. 

**Edges have tendency to burn, and the granola won’t seem crunchy enough at first, but will harder as it sits. 

Homemade Yogurt

Supplies Needed:

Crockpot

Candy Thermometer (need to measure 115*)

Cheesecloth or thin tea towel

Colander   

Large Bath Towel

Cooler (large enough to hold your crock pot insert)

Milk (your choice 2%, whole, organic, etc.)

Yogurt Starter (Plain, Greek is my choice)

1.       Fill your crock pot with your choice of milk and cover.  Heat to 115* EXACTLY

(This took less than 1 hour on high in my crock pot).  If you accidentally get too high just cool it       off until you get it back to the needed temp.

2.       When your milk reaches 115* EXACTLY remove a ladle full of your milk and mix with 1/4C of your Plain Yogurt Starter in a separate bowl.  Once mixed well add them both back to your crock pot.  Replace Lid.

3.       Place a large bath towel on your table fully opened.

4.       Remove your crock pot insert and place in the middle of the bath towel.  Wrap the crock pot insert with bath towel.

5.       Place the wrapped crock pot insert in your cooler.  Close cooler lid.  Allow to “cook” for 7-12 hours.  The longer you cook it, the tarter flavored yogurt you get.

6.       When you have cooked your yogurt to your desired flavor, you are ready to strain the whey from it.  Sit a colander lined with cheese cloth or a cotton tea towel in a stock pot that is deeper than the colander itself.  (The colander edges should sit over the stock pot creating a space for the whey to fall below.  Make sure the two of these units together can still fit on a refrigerator shelf)  

7.       Pour your cooked yogurt from your crock pot into the lined colander.  Fold any remaining fabric up where it is not hanging off the sides and stick in the fridge.   The whey will soak into the fabric and will leak onto your refrigerator shelves if it hangs down.  The whey straining process takes all day or night depending on when you make your yogurt!

8.       After about 10 hours or so of straining you will be left with thick, creamy yogurt.  Discard the whey and scoop the yogurt into any container of your choice.  (We use leftover plastic yogurt containers).  Refrigerate for up to 7 days!

**The cooked yogurt consistency before you strain the whey is very thin.  Somewhere between milk and yogurt.

**The strained whey should fill up several inches of your stock pot and is yellow tinted looking water.

You can use the plain yogurt as a sour cream replacement or flavor with your choice sweetner.

I flavor my yogurt with maple syrup and vanilla.  You can add frozen or fresh fruit.  Use the yogurt for smoothies, etc.