Full of Joy

To Our Dearest Friends and Family, Merry Christmas you guys, it's a season for miracles! For us, the main thing we’ve been asking God for is actually becoming a reality. We are finally free to share something we’ve been holding onto for several weeks. Starting January 1, Chuck will officially be working at our church FULL TIME. *Cue fireworks, dancing, and all manner of praise to God!* Chuck began as the middle and high school youth director part-time this past August. A few weeks later, he took on another part-time substitute position as a middle school math teacher. We knew the situation was not going to be a long term solution, so we continued to ask God for ONE full-time job. It has been a year and a half since he’s had a full-time job with a steady income. We never could have predicted all we went through in that time. The one constant we had was a God who never once let us slip. I remember Chuck coming into our room one night saying, “Babe, we have $6 in ou...

The other night, Chuck’s older brother came for dinner. He recently retired from the military, and we hadn’t seen him in almost a year. We had just sat down to eat when I looked to the side and noticed my son bending over the kitchen trash can. It took me a couple seconds to realize he was getting sick. I quickly jumped up after my brain kicked into gear, and ran to him. While glancing into the living room where he had been lying down, I saw another “episode” all over one section of the couch. He was covered in everything he had eaten that day, so I rushed him straight up to the tub. It’s awful to see your kids sick. In the past I have felt helpless to do anything that would actually help them. Not anymore. Ever since God opened the door for me into the world of essential oils and products, I feel empowered. There are several things I can DO to support my kids, and their sick bods now. Last night, I got to wash Jase in our bathtub that has been cleaned with Thieves cleaner- which mea...

At the end of August life felt a little bleak. We were thrilled with Chuck’s new Youth Director position at our church, but bills can’t be paid with one Part-Time job. There was always this tension of excitement for how God had opened such a massive door of opportunity for us, but also feelings of disappointment and discouragement. We kept wondering why He had only provided a part-time situation. One Sunday I was chatting with a friend and she asked how the job search was going. I told her Chuck needed a job, “like two weeks ago”. She then asked if he would be interested in being her long-term sub when she went out on maternity leave. It would be a middle school math position, and was a very attractive option for him. That was the Sunday before Labor Day. The following Thursday, after interviews and observations, Chuck was offered the job! We could hardly believe it. God hand-made these two part-time jobs to coincide beautifully with each other. Chuck can teach math in the morning, an...

Hello All! So glad you stopped by! Welcome to How To Use and Love Your Premium Starter Kit . If you recently ordered your Young Living Premium Starter Kit, and have no idea where to begin- this post is for you. If you have no idea what a Young Living Premium Starter Kit is- this post is for you . If you have been wanting to learn more about essential oils, and chemical-free living-this post is for you. If you’re a follower of the blog, thank you so much for being a part of the journey- this post is for you. I love and care about you, and thoroughly enjoy teaching about a better way for your health and wellness. So, the Starter Kit- here we go! The first thing you need to do when your SK (Starter Kit) arrives is open up every sing bottle of oily goodness. Now SMELL. Mmmmm. If you want to go a step further, put 1 drop of oil in your hands, cup around your nose/mouth and inhale. The scent will reach your brain within seconds, and your brain will love it. Get to know those oils. When som...

Five years old is a pretty big milestone. We've made it through the newborn, infancy, toddler, and pretty much the preschool phase. It makes me so happy to see what a thoughtful, encouraging, generous, kind, passionate, sweet, strong, and courageous boy you are. God has blessed you with the gifts of thoughtfulness, creativity, problem-solving, bravery, and loyalty. Your heart has a joy from the Lord- you giggle all the time and it feels like magic in my heart, every time I hear your laughter. You have grown leaps and bounds these past five years. I have watched you attack your struggles head on, and conquer through the power of Jesus. I'm just so proud of you- for just exactly who you are. You represent healing in our family, just like your name means. You love your little sister so well. Though you are not twins, we get asked a lot if you guys are. I think it's because you two are constantly connected- either by hugging, wrestling, playing, laughing, or just plain being i...

Last summer at this time, we were living in PA. We were deeply wounded, our hearts severed, and the pain we carried so raw it felt like a tangible illness. There were days where a darkness would engulf me, and my body felt physically ill. Going to common landmarks in PA like the Rutters gas station store or the local Walmart hurt like crazy. It was torture to be living there. There were nights I would wake up completely soaked through in sweat, all the way down to the sheets. I'd have to get a dry towel out to lay on, and change my clothes completely. After seeing the doctor, I later found out the extreme stress we were under was causing those horrific night sweats. By the end of August, our house had sold in a matter of two days and we were able to move up our closing date a couple weeks earlier. Our dearest friends in PA came to help us load up our massive moving truck one night.  I remember going to pick up pizza that night for our people, and weeping in the car after pulling ...

When my son was a baby, we went through quite a roller coaster with his health. For weeks, he had back-to-back fevers, with no other symptoms. Even though our doctors meant well, they scared the life out of me running tests on him, drawing blood, doing a catheter to get a urine sample- all things that gutted me as a mother. It was complete torture to watch him go through those miserable, painful tests. His results were usually "suspicious", and they'd want to keep testing, keep monitoring. Meanwhile I was beside myself, drowning in fear. I felt there was nothing I could do for my baby but take him to the doctor, wait on tests, and pray. That all changed the day a package from my dear friend, Misty, showed up in the mail. I opened it to find a roller bottle of essential oils. She wrote me a note telling me she prayed over the oils as she mixed them in the bottle. The instructions went on to tell me to roll the oils on Jase's feet several times a day, and to pray heali...

Last week I was rushing out the door with the kids. My 4-year-old son, in a concerned tone said, “Mama! You forgot your phone!” Quickly I replied, “Honey, Mama doesn't have to have her phone at all times” (knowing it was securely in my pocket). My heart sank. I got that same thought in my head I often get, “I hate phones!” I wanted so badly for my son to believe my phone was not important to me, but he knows. My kids both watch my every move and they know. They know I'm addicted to my phone. “ Digital Dementia”, a term coined by top German neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer in his 2012 book of the same name, is a term used to describe how overuse of digital technology is resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities in a way that is more commonly seen in people who have suffered a head injury or psychiatric illness. Damage to the right side of the brain is associated with deficits in ability to concentrate, short attention, memory span, and emotional disturbances, such as de...

Dubbe Designs is officially in business! We had our launch day yesterday, and it's part time around here. This has been a fun ride for Chuck and I. Although, truth be told, he was up until after midnight on Saturday making sure every detail of our website was in order while I was snoozing up a storm in bed. What can I say, I am my best self when I have my beauty sleep. Please take advantage of our big GIVE AWAY this week. You have until tomorrow, Tuesday July 3 at midnight to participate. All you have to do is swing by  http://www.dubbedesigns.com/  and subscribe to our email list. You just need a name and an email address, which I know you all have. We won't be sending you emails every week or anything, but we are collecting emails so we are able to mail out special deals from time to time. If you win the drawing, you will receive 1 custom made invitation (for any event or party), a flyer, or a graphic for your website. (Printing and shipping not included.) The grand prize ...

Hello World! In a little over a week- Sunday, July 1st to be exact- Chuck and I will be launching our brand new business! It's been a dream of Chuck's since he was a little kid to dabble in entrepreneurship. He has even taken classes on the topic. For the past 9 years of marriage, he has said to me a gajillion times, "It would be so neat to start a side business!" Well, that time has finally come.   Chuck is a gifted guy. He thrives with problem solving, is a creative genius in my opinion, and a talented artist. If you've ever been to our home, then you know any sense of style that exists can be credited to my man. He graduated with a computer science degree and an e-Business minor, and worked in the field for 3 years before diving into full-time youth ministry. Of course over the last 10 years he constantly used his graphic design skills to create flyers, brochures, powerpoint slides, and invitations for all manner of church activities. People regul...

Four weeks ago today (I'm writing this on Monday) I found myself in an ER with dreadful stomach pain and sickness. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. It took several hours until I finally heard a doctor say, "Would you like something to help with the pain?" Once the pain was tolerable, my mind was freed up to wonder what on earth was happening to me? The doctor had ordered multiple tests, but they weren't finding anything. Eventually he came in and said, "Well, I don't believe you have appendicitis but we're going to send you for a CT scan to rule it out." A nurse came and rolled my bed to another part of the hospital. I was flat on my back, covered in blankets, too sick to even think about sitting up and looking around. The nurse asked me several questions, including, "Have you ever had _______ (multiple diseases)?" As soon as she asked, it was like a dart of fear shot straight from her mouth to my brain. I thought, "Oh dear...

After my son had his first seizure at 7 months old (you can read more about that here ), the enemy kicked the door of opportunity wide open. I became more vulnerable as a new Mother, absolutely riddled with fear. That's the moment he barged his way in, and locked claws on my brain. By the time my son had his second seizure and we realized this wasn't going to be a One and Done type scenario, my mind began spiraling into a vortex of extreme irrationality and darkness. It was right around that time I found out I was pregnant again. My son was only 8 months old. As we Mothers do, I faced the challenges of parenting by putting all my energy and focus into caring for my babies, meanwhile neglecting my own mental health. I became dreadfully afraid of public places . Everywhere we went I envisioned bacteria and viruses growing all over everything. I kept my babies home for the majority of the time. My logic was skewed, unbeknownst to me. I kept my kids away from the public and germs,...

My kids (ages 4 and 3) have been asking about Easter for weeks. They are excitedly counting down the days until this monumental holiday because their Grandparents will be visiting all the way from Germany. I have wanted to take advantage of their interest in the holiday and share as much about the death and resurrection of Jesus as possible. I was looking forward to reading them the book, "Tell Me About Easter" by the B & H Publishing Group. As the book promises, the use of "fuzzy friends and sparkly flowers" are used to enhance the book. Although very cute, unfortunately the book only talked about Jesus dying and coming back to life on the last page. I was hoping for a book with a more powerful punch with the incredible message of Easter.

Hello World! This will be the first post in a 3-part series discussing the beast of anxiety. Just today I've been fighting the claws of anxiety that so easily try to latch onto my brain. I have a friend going in for surgery tomorrow, an awkward conversation hanging over my head that has left me replaying it over and over in my mind, plus another meeting coming up with someone that has me all jittery, and I don't even know why. I just finished writing a card to a friend where I shared Psalm 46:10-11 (TPT) "Surrender (relax) your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth...the Mighty Lord of Angel Armies is on our side! The God of Jacob fights for us!" With Truth like that all over the Bible, how can any of us struggle with being anxious so much? I've been in this battle for a very long time- probably close to 30 years- and I know we all struggle ...

We're here! Yesterday marked 2 weeks since we moved into our new (rental) house. The weather was downright awful the day we moved. It started off snowing, then turned to sleet and rain. Ugh. We attended our church service that morning, crazy as it was, because we absolutely LOVE our Sunday morning services and our community there. It's such a bummer if we ever have to miss. During that morning service, afternoon activities were being canceled. Just not the kind of day you feel good about asking a bunch of people to trek out to help you load and unload a big truck. Besides the stinky weather, we also had major Uhaul truck issues. When Chuck arrived to pick up the truck at 7:30 that morning, it wouldn't start. There was no one to be found to help with the issue. Back at the house, as I was drying my hair I claimed Jesus WOULD get that truck up and running and He would reign over our whole moving process. I just believed the day would be covered by His peace, and it really w...