On Facebook, we had a little contest. We asked our fans to send in a little story about them and the winner would become our "Featured Fan". We chose to share a life story about a mommy who really inspired us. She has come a long way in life in just a few short years. Her name is Missy Douthit, she is 28 years old, will be celebrating her 6th anniversary this year with her husband - Nathaniel, and they have a beautiful 2 year old - Avonlea. Here is her story::
On May 15, 2009 after just 1 month of trying, we
found out we were pregnant. We were over joyed and so excited to see what this
bundle of joy would be like. On June 9th, 2009 just 3 short weeks later I felt
like our life was turned upside down. My husband was in hotel management and
had been expecting to get a raise....instead he was terminated with just 1
month of severance pay. He tried relentlessly to find a job...unfortunately it
took over 16months for him to find one. During that time we found out that we
were pregnant with a little girl, her name is Avonlea Marie. She joined our
little family on January 14, 2010 and has forever changed my life. Due to our
financial situation I just didn't have the expendable income to buy all the
ADORABLE girly things that I wanted to buy. Hair bows, tutus and all other
pretties fit for a princess were what I had always dreamt of having for my baby
girl, but life wasn't allowing it. So, in July of 2010 I sat down at my dining
room table with some ribbon scraps and a hot glue gun. I was going to make the
accessories I so wanted but couldn't afford. I had never tried to do that
before but I had to try, for her. I was told almost instantly by my family and
friends that I should sell the bows and things I was making. I set up my
Facebook page Missy's Musings and
started sharing my creations with others. I cannot thank the people who
supported me in the beginning enough, looking back now I can't help but laugh
at the little bows and things that I so proudly showcased. I feel that I learn
something new everytime I sit down in my bow room surrounded by my bags of
ribbon, accents, tulle, flowers, and all of my other beautiful crafting
supplies. Missy's Musings ended up being so much more for me than just a way to
provide hair bows and things for my precious girl. It became an income source
when we couldn't find the money to pay bills, buy groceries, gas or anything
else. It became a way for me to channel my creative energies into something I
was proud of and to help be a part of other's memories by providing them with
beautiful accessories. I also could have never anticipated the friendships I
would build with my amazing clients, they are the reason I am still doing what
I love, and I love hearing how my products make their days even
brighter!! In January of 2011 I added another business to my resume, I became an Independent Scentsy Consultant! I had just tried the Twinkle nursery warmer in October of 2010 and used the Newborn Nursery (baby powder) scent and fell in love. I was not the type of person who enjoyed using candles all of the time, but as a mommy I enjoyed the safety that Scentsy offered. Their wickless candles are electric and heated in a special way so the wax is not scalding, if a curious child was to get into the wax it just cools like a paraffin dip and your child and your home are safe. I have appreciated Scentsy and the quality products time after time as I hear of people who have had children who ate their products only to find out the child would be fine, which wouldn't have been the case if they were using something else. I started a Scentsy Facebook page and got to share my love of Scentsy with others as well. Scentsy has provided an additional income to help my family provide for our basic necessities. It was something I was VERY hesitant to sign up for since that meant $99 out of our holey pockets but it was one of the best decisions I made. I more than made back the money I paid for my starter kit in the first month that I was a consultant!!!
My husband ended up going back to school during his unemployment to get certified to teach so we finally were able to lead somewhat of a "normal life", something we felt many days was impossible. I am so blessed because my husband has supported every decision I make, personally and professionally, he is always there 100% behind me, cheering me on. Unfortunately because of our overwhelming debt (we had over $20,000 in credit card debt that had been wracked up over the course of our 16month unemployment) in December of 2011 I had to get an evening job. I often tell people that I wish I had all of the fancy things that $20,000 could have bought, however instead we had food in the fridge, gas in our cars, and bills paid. Miraculously we never paid a bill late...never. There were times when we sold items in our home to get the money to pay a bill that was due, but we wanted to do everything we could to salvage our financial situation as much as possible. So, in addition to the 2 business I ran from home, being a stay at home mom to a 2 year old and all that entails, I started working 4 days a week to provide additional income to help us start paying down our debt. It was a very hard decision for me to make since I didn't want to miss a moment with my little family, especially bedtimes....but it was the right decision for us.
In March of this year I decided to pursue yet another love of mine...photography. I started Missy's Musings Photography and have already had the pleasure of photographing several families and I look forward to the shoots I already have scheduled and even the ones who I have yet to meet yet. Photography is something I have always enjoyed, my poor daughter probably thought her Mommy was a camera lens as often as she had one pointed at her in her short 2 years!! Now I am able to turn that lens and help others preserve memories of their precious families without spending a fortune.
As if running 3 businesses, working out of the home, staying at home during the day and running a household isn't enough, I started selling the Scentsy brand family's newest brand called Velata in May of 2012. Velata has warmers similar to those of the Scentsy line, but their dishes are silicon and made to be used for fondue!! I knew I would be a consultant for them as soon as I tasted my first bite!! Velata has 4 delicious chocolates and they have a variety of warmers to choose from. I love that fondue is now, easy, mess-free and best of all FUN!!! It's an amazing family-friendly way to do fondue!
I am a busy mom, my 2 year old makes sure of it....but I am loving life. I run 4 businesses from home, work 20+ hours a week outside of the home, and am slowly making a dent in our debt. After the last few years, I can focus my eyes on the bright brown eyes of my 2 year old and I finally know what is truly important. I am a mom, I am a wife, I am a daughter, I am a small business owner.....but the most important thing at the end of the day is that I am me.
Be sure to check out all of facebook pages and show her lots of love.
If you would like to visit Missy's Pages, here are the links:
Missy Douthit - Independent Velata Consultant: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Missy-Douthit-Independent-Velata-Consultant/282349145181208
~ JulieGail
~ JulieGail
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