Miracles in the Rough

Well, this past week has probably been the most difficult one we've had to face so far as a family.  As always, God's grace has proved sufficient to get us through.  We have been amazed at the countless miracles we have witnessed God perform in and through this whole ordeal.

Two weeks ago, Tim had injured himself dragging out our dead lawn tractor which had 2 flat tires from the shed.  He had been nursing the injury which had started to improve, but then a few days later, he started having increased pain in the area.  Of course, being the nurse that I am, I instantly checked him out for appendicitis since the area is in the right lower quadrant.  He passed all of the tests for that, so I told him he probably did something that re-injured his tendon.  On Friday night, we felt a pop playing a game at the boys Taekwondo lesson.  That brought us up to the past weekend where Tim started feeling really sick and spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed.  He thought perhaps he had a virus.  On Monday, he was feeling much better and went to work.  By the evening, he was feeling poorly again and was complaining of severe back pain and wanted me to put Deep Blue essential oil blend on his back.  When I touched his back, I recognized instantly that he was feverish.  I immediately thought of his injury and told him to roll over so I could check the area.  I found a large mass in his lower right quadrant that was even hotter than the rest of his body.  I knew things weren't good, but I was thinking he had caused a hernia and perhaps some of his bowel had become obstructed.

He wanted me to go to work and promised he would call the doctor first thing in the morning.  I told him there was a chance the doctor would send him to the ER.  He said he'd be fine.  Sure enough, he was sent to the ER.  The Lord orchestrated the events giving Tim a Christian physician to care for him.  The doctor was assuming it was an abdominal wall hernia and ordered a CT Scan.  When he came in to give Tim the results, it was quite a shock for Tim to hear the diagnosis was Ruptured Appendix.  The doctor prayed with Tim at that point, which was such a blessing to him.  Tim called me right away, and I was able to get my clinical manager to cover me at work so that I could go to be with him.

The biggest miracle in all of this is that Tim is alive and that he is doing as well as he is.  Every doctor who has been in to see him has remarked that he is doing better than most people in his situation.  We think the appendix ruptured Friday night when Tim felt that pop, so he went several days with a ruptured appendix before receiving medical help.  Thankfully, once we thought he had a virus, we were using essential oils to support his immune system.  Tim's body perfectly encapsulated the toxic waste from his intestines in a multi-compartmental abscess that preserved him from going into sepsis or from death.  The doctors put him on IV antibiotics, and the next day they placed a drain to get the infection and toxins out of the abscess.  Tim will have the drain in for the next few weeks until the abscess is fully drained or until he can have surgery to remove his appendix.  He will need weekly checks of the drain and follow-up CT Scans.  Before the surgery, he will also need a colonoscopy.

Our family has done a lot with essential oils and natural supplements over the last two years to support our bodies and help our bodies function at its optimal function.  In addition, Tim did a gentle, natural cleanse in January to clean up his gut and help it be extremely healthy.  Then in March, our family began a cellular healing diet that has really helped our gut to be healthy and helped our bodies detox so that we can be as healthy as possible.  All of these events has allowed Tim's body to be able to function at its highest level helping to preserve his life and keep him from being as sick as he could have been.  We praise God for the perfect timing of all of these events and for the amazing design He has created the human body with to naturally be able to heal and protect itself.

Once the drain was inserted with radiographic imaging while Tim was sedated, Tim got worse with the fever, infection, and pain.  We were warned he would get sicker before he got better, but we never expected the pain to be so terribly extreme.  The last several days have been very difficult, discouraging, and exhausting.  The extra energy I have from being on our diet has tremendously helped me as I stayed overnight caring for Tim at his worst and continued the rest of the week pulling late nights with going to bed after midnight and getting up at 6 and spending most of my awake hours with Tim and orchestrating child care.  Through it all, God has been our strength and calm and our every present fortress.

It would take a long time of telling you all of the "mini" miracles we have witnessed this week between Tim's medical care, health, the ways things worked out with the boys' needs, how God intervened when I had to be in two places at the same time and needed something else from home, and how God brought so many people to our rescue to help us in so many countless ways.

One last miracle I have to share is the fact that through this very difficult week that has been hard on all of us, especially the boys who have spent evenings visiting Daddy in the hospital and hardly having Mommy to care for them, Josh has done extremely well.  With his Autism, Bi-polar, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, something as huge as this whole event has been should have landed him back in a psychiatric hospital.  The last 2 years, he has been able to wean off of 9 of the 10 drugs he took daily because of his increased function through natural solutions, and his final drug is on schedule to be completed by the middle of June.  Josh took this whole ordeal in stride and even had a few perfect days at school despite the drama going on.  In fact, his behavior overall was better than David's.

All of us are emotionally raw and ready for our normal family routine.  Tim was discharged from the hospital on Saturday evening.  He is still recovering but slowly.  He has a long road ahead of him as the toxins continue to drain out of his abdominal cavity, and he anticipates abdominal surgery in about 6 weeks or so.  Through it all, we have confidence that God has all of this under his sovereign control.  He holds us closely in His capable hands drawing us near to His heart.  We are so thankful that we don't have to go through this alone.  We are also grateful for the many family and friends who have come to our aide no matter what our needs have been through this whole ordeal.  God is so good!

Celebrating Success

If you are a special needs family, you understand the difficulty of doing special things in the community as an entire family.  This is a struggle we had dealt with since our boys were a toddler and baby.

Due to his Autism, Josh struggles with sensory overload and anxiety over new places and new routines.  As a result, being in a new and public environment doesn't work so well for him.  Our attempts to have him in this kind of environment usually end up in an embarrassing meltdown and humiliating drama.  As a result, we typically don't bring Josh into community settings, and it's not for the lack of trying.  Every so often, we build up the courage to give it a shot only to be discouraged and disappointed when it didn't go so well.

We got convicted about preventing David from experiencing community outings because of his brother, so we started doing family events with just the 3 of us leaving Josh with a home health aide to care for his needs.  Even though, Josh never really seemed bothered by it or left out, we always felt so guilty having fun without him and feeling his absence deeply.

Since Josh has been doing so much better as a result of our wellness journey and use of essential oils, we decided to test the limit.  We had been doing a few small-scale outings with the assistance of a home health aide and having an easier time of it, but the outings were not huge events.  We decided to press the limits this past Friday and have a family dinner at a Turkish restaurant in Philadelphia then attend a String Quartet concert at the Kimmel Center.  The concert started at 8:00 p.m., which is Josh's bed-time, and usually, he doesn't do well if we mess with that, so this test was huge in many respects.

I am so excited to announce that the evening was a HUGE success!  Josh didn't have any meltdowns.  We had a close call in the middle of the second musical piece when we prevented Josh from lying on the floor during the concert, but he was able to use his coping skills and pull himself together without creating a huge scene.  He loved the outing and has remarked several times how much fun he had and that he wants to do something like that again!  It's great for his confidence to know that he can have a successful outing also.  A second test was the next day because of the extremely late night.  We got home shortly after 11:00 p.m. Friday night (of course, Josh slept the whole way home).  When Josh doesn't go to bed at 8:00 p.m., his behavior is usually terrible the next day.  However, on Saturday, he had a great day despite the many chores (another angst)!

We are praising the Lord for His work in Josh's life and giving our family the chance to be whole and enjoy quality and memorable time together doing special things in the community!  We pray that we will have many more happy and memorable outings.

Waiting for the concert to begin

Results to be Excited About

We have been concerned about Josh's triglyceride levels ever since we had to put him on a mood stabilizer back in 2012.  Within months of starting the medication, Josh's triglyceride levels increased.  At the same time, we were concerned for his LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.  Because of the harmful side effects of these kinds of drugs, we've had to get Josh's Lipid Panel checked about every 6 months to keep a close eye on his levels.  In January 2014, we went into crisis mode because Josh's triglyceride levels skyrocketed to 517, a level that is extremely dangerous for adults not to mention children.  Josh was immediately referred to a cardiologist to make sure his heart wasn't already suffering.  Not only he could have damaged his heart, but he was at risk for pancreatitis and other complications.

At the recommendation of the cardiologist, we started using flax in various meals and desserts to help lower the triglyceride levels.  The cardiologist also recommended that we switch from whole wheat bread to whole grain brain (Did you know that whole wheat bread is broken down in the body just like white bread?  The best kind of bread to consume is whole grain bread if you don't want fast sugars in your body) We also started Josh on a fish oil supplement and tried to get him to do intentional exercise a few times a week.  A re-test in April showed good improvement with the triglycerides in the sense that the severe cardiac and other organ risks were lowered, but his levels were still too high.  We were told that most likely, Josh's low HDL levels (the good cholesterol which help to keep LDL, the bad cholesterol, down) were a genetic issue even though both Tim and I have HDL levels in normal limits.  We were told it most likely will never improve.

In March, we began using essential oils to help Josh with his mood instability.  We had such great results that his psychiatrist started decreasing his mood stabilizer medication.  He went from 1.5 mg daily and did a 0.25 mg decrease at a time over several months until he leveled out at 0.5 mg daily this past Fall.

In August, Josh had a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was put on for Lyme's Disease, and his body went into a heightened period of hives.  Taking his fish oil supplement each morning caused him to break out in hives, so we had to stop the fish oil.

In the middle of December, I started Josh on a trio pack of natural supplements (3 all-natural, bio-available supplements including a multi-vitamin, essential oil and omega supplement, and a cellular restorative supplement) with the hopes of helping his body be healthier, help with his Autism symptoms, and help with his triglycerides.  We saw a huge improvement in his Autism symptoms pretty much right away, but only time would tell if the supplements were helping with his triglycerides.  Due to the timing of Josh's follow up with his cardiologist, we just got his blood drawn last week.  I got the results on Friday and nearly cried out of pure joy!  Josh's triglyceride levels dropped by 200 points!  His HDL also increased by 10 points, and while still below normal, it's so close to being in normal range!

I am so excited about the incredible test results that I just have to share with the world - well at least my friends who read my blog!  Moral of this story - don't ever give up or let what a doctor says keep you from trying.  God is greater than modern medicine, and as I've found out through the natural supplements and essential oils, God's creation is powerfully beneficial for our bodies and health!  These supplements and essential oils don't cure or treat in any way, but they support our bodies to do what God created our bodies to do - Heal and repair itself!

I created a table to make it easy to see the progression of Josh's Lipid Panel results this past year.

If you think I am making this up, look at a few of his test results for yourself!

If you would like to know more about these supplements we have been using for Josh as well as the rest of our family, contact me!

Do You Want a Wellness Revolution?

In light of the fact that World Health is celebrated annually during the month of April, I have joined the efforts of the American Recall Center to spread awareness of medication education and help educate people so that they can make informed medical decisions as they work with their doctors in honor of World Health Day.

As a Registered Nurse, I have seen many adverse side effects from drugs, even those that were properly prescribed.  I have worked with patients who were on drugs to help control the side effects of other drugs.  As a patient, I have had multiple allergic reactions to drugs, so my allergy drug list is quite extensive.    As a mother, I have experienced the pain and frustration of dealing with drug reactions or harmful side effects of drugs as well as vaccines for my two special needs children.  I am not anti-drugs.  If I were, I would need to stop being a nurse.  I am, however, a huge advocate of people making informed medical decisions after doing thorough research on their own before starting a new drug or receiving a vaccine.  The pro’s and con’s need to be weighed thoroughly to make sure the benefits outweigh the costs.  In addition, I am a huge advocate of using natural means to promote a healthy lifestyle to support current disease and illnesses and preventing others from developing.  That is why I became a Wellness Advocate so that I can educate others to take control of their health.

In nursing school, I learned about the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising.  In practice, I am not seeing much of that being carried out nor proper education from doctors about this issue.  America is more about treating disease and illness rather than preventing it.  Doctors are quick to prescribe medications rather than help the person change their health habits.  In addition, it is becoming harder and harder to eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in nutrients because so much of the food available to us is either processed, thus losing its nutritional value, or has been genetically modified causing digestive issues, allergies, and decreased nutritional value.  Fresh foods are contaminated with pesticides, and meats are injected with steroids and antibiotics.  Our bodies are being filled with additional toxins that lead to disease and illness.  Also, in a technological era where we hide behind our smart phones and computers, we are not getting the exercise our bodies need or sun and fresh air to be healthy.  America needs a wellness revolution where we change the way we treat disease and start preventing it.

For me and my family, we have been on our own wellness revolution over this past year plus.

1. We eat organic and locally grown foods as much as possible making sure we are balanced in our fruit, vegetable, protein, grain, and fat intake.
2. We exercise as regularly as possible.  We really enjoy going on family walks or hikes together to not just exercise but strengthen our relationships with each other.
3. We take all-natural and whole food vitamin, nutrient, and omega 3 supplements that were made based on scientific research for what our bodies need.  These supplements are bio-available which means they are already broken down so that the body doesn't have to waste time and energy breaking them down, and the body can use it in its entirety.  These supplements have given us increased energy and stamina, helped us stay healthy and fight germs, and increased our ability to focus and function because our bodies are getting the nutrients needed to function optimally.  For more information, click here and here.
4. We take a pro-biotic that was ingeniously made to give us the maximum probiotic amount with a pre-biotic formula present to keep the probiotics from dying off.  In addition, they are a capsule within a capsule so that they get to the small intestine where they are needed the most.  Having a healthy gut is so important for disease prevention.  For more information, click here.
5. We use Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential oils to support our health and bodies.  Extracted from plants grown in their natural environment and protected from pesticides and contaminants, we use the immune system of the plant to help our bodies be well.  Nature produces it, we use it, and our bodies are able to function and heal themselves.  Because it’s completely natural, we don’t have to worry about harmful side effects.
6. We keep up with our routine wellness visits with our doctors to make sure we are staying on top of our health and addressing issues that may come up as soon as possible.  If a problem arises, and we can’t address it naturally, we will go to the doctor for recommendations but do thorough research before making a final decision regarding the doctor’s recommendations.  If the benefits outweigh the costs, and all alternatives have been considered, we then will take a recommended drug.

This is something that everyone can do for themselves and their families.  It’s time for YOU to make a wellness revolution.  Be empowered and take control of your health.  Start with yourself and your family then join me in educating others to improve health around the world!

If you would like my assistance in starting your wellness revolution or if you would like to get the all-natural supplements and probiotics or essential oils, contact me at cmr1120@gmail.com or 610-286-6777.  When contacting me, use the phrase "Wellness Revolution" to get a free wellness consult.

Finding Grace Through Autism

Another year has come and gone, and here again, I am sitting to write a post in honor of World Autism Awareness Day (April 2) and Autism Awareness Month (April) as we Light It Up Blue for Autism.

Joshua is now 10 years old.  In some ways it's hard to believe that he's been alive for a decade, but in some ways, it feels like it's been forever.  This year has been an incredible year in some ways and a difficult one in others.  Through the good and the bad, I have found God's grace carrying us through.

It's officially been a year since we began using essential oils to help Josh with his Autism, Bi-polar, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD.  The oils have made an incredible difference in his ability to function, focus, and remain stable.  It's been an exciting year of weaning down on his mood stabilizer medication helping to improve his health and weight.  Because of the supportive effects of the oils, we have seen several aspects to Josh and his personality that we didn't realize existed!  We are thrilled to see and know our son for who he really is not what his Autism makes him appear to be.  It's been astounding and thrilling.  God's grace in leading us to choose to use essential oils has transformed all of our lives this year!

This year has been a tough year with Josh's wraparound services which provide him with a Behavior Specialist, Mobile Therapist, and Therapeutic Support Staff therapist (TSS).  We are currently on our 5th provider in 1 year!  We've had nothing but difficulties with consistent staff, proper support at home and school, and proper recommendations.  We just switched last month to the 5th agency and are still without a TSS which is the most critical therapist of the group.  As a result of all of the issues, Josh has been thrown off balance so many times.  His symptoms are all aggravated by the unrest and unknown and frustrating circumstances of providers not doing what needs to be done.  I have been at my wits end trying to negotiate things with the providers and the insurance company.  For once, the insurance company isn't the problem.  They have thankfully been wonderful through this whole ordeal.  Dealing with these issues since November has felt like another full-time job for me.  It's only God's grace that keeps me going during the difficult times when I just want to cry and give up fighting!

After 6 years of therapy to try to get Josh to recognize his feelings and emotions, use his words to describe his feelings and emotions, and then match appropriate coping skills to help him with those feelings and emotions, this year, Josh has finally begun expressing in words how he is feeling and telling us what he or we need to do to help him work through those feelings and emotions.  It's been so wonderful to be able to intervene before a melt-down occurs.  As a result, our home and lives have been a lot more peaceful.  Often, Josh will turn to essential oils to help him calm down.  I was certified in a specialized massage based on science that uses essential oils to bring the body into a homeostatic state, and Josh likes to have me do this massage on him when things get really overwhelming.  We are thankful for God's grace in bringing us to the point where Josh is independently identifying his feelings and asking for or using a proper coping skill.  It definitely makes parenting him so much easier.

Now that Josh is older and more aware of himself and people around him, he is really struggling to accept his Autism and other diagnoses.  We have had to deal with a lot of tears and tough questions: Why did I have to be born with Autism?  Why does life have to be so hard?  Why do I struggle with an angry mood?  Why do I always feel so fearful?  Why did I have to be born?  Why did God make me this way?  How come I keep praying that God will help me get over my anger but He never seems to make me better?  Why is everything such a struggle?  Often we feel so inadequate to have the answers to these hard questions.  We call for God's grace and wisdom to help us get through to our son's grieving heart.  We try to help him understand that God has an amazing plan for His life and that God made him perfectly - there are no mistakes in how God designed him.  We don't understand why some people's struggles are harder than others, but we can be confident that God will give the grace to keep on keeping on.  We call on God's grace to protect our son's faith as it often wavers during these doubting, questioning times.

Parenting Josh has made us stronger, more compassionate parents.  We are more understanding of others around us with varying disabilities.  I can be more sympathetic to my patients and their families because I get what it's like to deal with a child with special needs.  Dealing with a special needs sibling has made David a stronger person.  He is more compassionate, understanding, and patient with other children as a result.  God's grace molding our lives through His design for our family is evident.

Dealing with the times of crisis is extremely difficult.  Thankfully, we haven't had as many as we usually do because Josh is doing so well with the essential oils.  However, because we've had several months of calm and stability, when a crisis does happen, it makes it that much harder to cope with because we finally had a taste of peace.  David has been in therapy for a year now to deal with his trauma and anxiety symptoms related to growing up with a brother with Autism and other challenges.  It's been a tough year for him as he has a hard time talking about his feelings and dealing with the uncertainty and scariness of Josh's crises events.  David is learning to lean on God's grace to carry him through these difficult times just as we have to cling to God's grace to keep taking each day as it comes when we are so emotionally and physically spent.

I am so thankful that God's grace remains a constant when our lives never are.  God's grace sustains us through the good times and the bad.  Often, I find myself singing my favorite hymn "Day by Day" just to remind myself of God's goodness, grace, and strength to get me through each day.  "Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear."

Day by Day by Karolina Sandell Berg

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

To hear a musical rendition of this hymn, go to this youtube site.

When the Shoe Drops

We have been enjoying increased mood stability ever since we started using essential oils for Josh back in March 2014.  Things have been going incredibly well, considering his diagnoses.  In December, we started him on all-natural supplements made with essential oils and saw an even increased improvement and a transformation in him that we never thought was possible not to mention a new side of him that we didn't know even existed.  We've been on an emotional high since December glorying in the calmer, less stressful, and peaceful days.

However, part of me has been continually looking around me waiting for the shoe to drop.  Knowing Bi-polar is not a disease that can be cured (not to mention neither are Autism or Generalized Anxiety disorders), I always knew it couldn't stay this good forever.

Well, the shoe has finally dropped, and it dropped harder than any of us could have imagined, and we are finding ourselves feeling as if we are drowning and struggling to come up for air.  On top of dealing with our son who is struggling with a severe case of rapid cycling in his bi-polar, I have been fighting other battles related to his services and supplies.  I am back to spending my days on the phone with doctors, supply companies, therapy service providers, case mangers, and insurance companies.  I am not getting the things done around the house and with my business because of the unexpected problems that come up on a daily basis.

The carpet has been ripped out from under our feet.  Our minds are spinning.  We are at a loss for how to handle our current situations.  We have lost our biggest support person due to a move.  We are back to that not-knowing-what-a-day-will-hold feeling that we had hoped was an ugly memory of the past.  Having known how awesome it feels to have things going so smoothly and better than ever before makes this set back sting harder leaving a greater bitter taste in our mouths.

It's hard to keep up the faith and not doubt God's goodness.  It's hard to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep our chin up.  It's hard to even pray when our hearts are anguished with sorrow.

Yet God remains our Rock.  His presence remains.  Each day, He gives us reminders of His love and promises and the strength to keep on keeping on.

Two days ago, I was reminded by Joni Earckson Tada in her Pearls of Great Price devotional, "In the midst of your own darkness, there is treasure and riches that could never be discovered in the light of ease and peace.  Needing God desperately will always make you wealthy" as she discussed the truth of Daniel 2:22: "He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him."  I feel in utter darkness, and having been there before, I know the truth of the treasure in the darkness is there, but at this point, I am still trying to find that treasure.

Yesterday, I was reminded about Psalm 23 and the truths that the LORD is my shepherd, that I don't need to be in want, that He makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters, and that He restores my soul.  I know He does these things, but it sure would be nice to feel them at this moment.

Today, I was reminded about Proverbs 3:5-6 and that I need to trust the LORD, not lean on my own understanding.  I need to acknowledge Him, and He will make my paths straight.  I feel as if I can hardly see the path just in front of my feet, but I know that I can trust God to guide my steps.  The reminder that God will make my path straight is encouraging because even if I can't see the path in front of me, I can still confidently take the next step because God won't let my feet slip.  If I keep my eyes on Him, I won't stumble.

Dear Lord, please continue to guide my footsteps.  Help me to keep my eyes on you.  Keep me from stumbling. Help my unbelief!  Thank you for the daily comforts and reminders from your Word.  Thank you for your grace and strength for today.  Help me to be a wise steward of it! Amen. 

2014 Year in Review - A Year of Answered Prayers

 "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" - Psalm 115:1 ESV

 "I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live."  - Psalm 116:1-2 ESV

Our hearts are full with awe at God's goodness to our family over this past year.  We have seen long-prayed for requests answered in wonderful ways.  Thank you to so many of you who have prayed faithfully for us.

David, now 8 years old and in the 3rd grade, is a sensitive, caring, young man who is becoming quite the violinist.  He has been playing the violin for 3 years and got to play his violin in a wedding this Fall.  David is also becoming quite the artist.  He was able to attend an art camp this summer and Saturday art classes this Fall. He is looking forward to continuing art classes this Spring.  As most of you know, David has Primary Immune Deficiency Disorder and has had a rough life of infections, antibiotics for his first 6.5 years, and weekly antibody transfusions the last 3 years.  This summer, his immune specialist trialed stopping the transfusions to see if David's body could produce enough antibodies on its own to sustain health.  David did extremely well and ended up with only one bacterial infection this Fall which was an infection many people were catching, and he fought it well with the help of essential oils and an antibiotic.  After reviewing David's blood test results this Fall, the immune specialist decided that David can remain off of the transfusions and be closely monitored because his body is producing some antibodies on its own, and while far from being within normal limits, it is sufficient enough for his doctor to continue to keep him off of the transfusions.  We are absolutely thrilled about this, and David is enjoying his freedom on the weekends without having to spend 1.5 hours getting his transfusions.  David has had 2 viral infections this Fall, and with the help of essential oils, he never developed a secondary bacterial infection like he usually does. In addition, David has been able to successfully wean off 1 of his 3 stomach medicines and is able to control his stomach pains with an essential oil blend instead.  We hope to wean him off of another by the Spring.

Joshua, now 10 years old and in the 5th grade, is growing tall and is a hard worker.  He is now on his third instrument - the piano - and is enjoying taking piano lessons as well as voice lessons.  He loves to sing in chorus at school also.  He is loving being in the second year at his new school and is thriving in such a supportive environment.  We have seen him make huge strides this year in dealing with his Autism, Bi-polar, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD.  We started using essential oils this past Spring in an attempt to get his bi-polar under control.  It worked wonders, and as a result, we have spent most of the year weaning him down on his mood stabilizer drug which has been causing terrible side effects. There is a chance that by this coming Spring, he will be completely off of the drug.  We are praising God for these oils and allowing us to find something natural and so effective in helping him to maintain stability and function better.  This is a HUGE answer to prayer.  Josh is growing socially and learning to understand his emotions, using his words to describe his feelings and starting to ask for  help with using coping skills. We are very proud of the huge progress he has made this year.  Josh loves animals and nature.  We are hoping to find an animal shelter where he can work with cats (his favorite animal) this summer.

I continue to work part time as a special needs pediatric nurse for Bayada Pediatrics.  I received an award in Bayada's Hero program this summer.  My migraines and headaches have become a thing of the past since using an essential oil blend in the Spring.  By using the oil blend, I have stopped 3 migraines before they fully began and have been able to instantly relieve the occasional headache.  I have never felt better and am enjoying so much more energy and increased health since using essential oils daily.  Because essential oils have so greatly impacted our family, I have begun teaching classes about using essential oils for various purposes to enhance health and have started my own business selling essential oils and making and selling various, all-natural, health and beauty products with essential oils.  For more information about the business, visit  Naturally Essential Health & Beauty facebook page or the Essential oils page on this blog.

Tim continues to excel as a Financial Adviser for The Life Financial Group.  He is growing into a leadership role at his office and enjoys working with his colleagues and clients.  He has continued to thrive in his professional coaching program that he has been a part of the past 2 years that requires multiple trips to CA.  Tim's business and influence has grown substantially as a result of this coaching program.  We are enjoying having him home more as a result.  He is excited about the continued growth God has in store for him in 2015.  I must say that it's also been nice to see his allergies under better control than they ever have been thanks to an essential oil blend he is using.

God truly has been so good to us!  We are definitely excited to be using His creation to enhance and support our health and wellness and look forward to another year of good health.  We are currently praying about taking the boys with us on our next mission's trip.  We are hoping to take one this year, if God opens the door and works out the details.  We were disappointed that the two trips we were thinking we would do this year didn't work out.  We know that God is in control, and He works all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

It is our prayer that each of you know and see God's goodness and faithfulness to you in a big way this coming year!

"Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!"

Psalm 150:1-2 ESV

Peppermint Essential Oil Truffles

These truffles were a huge hit at my essential oils class: Returning to a Natural Healthcare.

Several people asked me to share the recipe.  Here it is:

Peppermint Essential Oil Truffles

Yield: About 36

Ingredients:
1- package of Oreo cookies (original NOT Doublestuff - can use off brand cookies as well), divided
1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
5-8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil (only use a certified pure essential oil approved for ingesting)
1 -16 oz vanilla almond bark or candy melts

Directions:
• Set a long sheet of wax paper over a cookie sheet, set aside.
• Place all but 3 Oreos in a food processor (entire cookie, don't remove cream filling) and pulse until finely crushed (alternately, if you don't own a food processor, you can place Oreos in a large Ziploc bag, seal bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely crushed).
• Pour crushed Oreos into a mixing bowl along with cream cheese and Peppermint essential oil. Using the back of a spoon, stir mixture while pressing it along the bottom of the bowl, until well combined and evenly moistened. Scoop mixture out and form into 1 inch balls (if you happen to have a kitchen scale, they should be about 16 grams - I didn't weigh but used a cookie scoop to get the right size then rolled it into a perfect ball).
• Align on prepared cookie sheet. Place truffles in freezer for 10 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, crush remaining 3 Oreos.
• Melt almond bark according to directions on package. Remove truffles from freezer and dip in melted chocolate and evenly coat then allow excess chocolate to run off. Return to baking sheet and immediately sprinkle tops with remaining crushed Oreos. Allow chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Need to order Peppermint essential oil or any other essential oils?
Contact me!

Recipe Source: Taken and adapted from http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/12/oreo-truffles-two-ways/

Recipe by Christine Russell, RN