Why I Celebrate Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It's also somewhat controversial. 

Aside from the politically correct trying to make sure everyone says or doesn't say the wrong things during the winter holiday season, working to remove nativity scenes from public displays, etc, just among Christians, you'll find plenty of controversy. 

Should we, or shouldn't we, celebrate Christmas? Given the history, the origins of the Christmas, should Christians even participate in this holiday with such obvious pagan roots? Are we being duped when we think any of the traditions of the season have anything to do with the birth of Jesus?

Growing up, my family opted out of Christmas most years, based on the history and origin of the season. White-washing the tree, saying Jesus was born at this time of year when historically, it is highly improbable at best and pretty much proven couldn't have been, and replacing the pagan feast days with a "Christian" holy day/season that swallowed up many of the pagan symbols and claiming them for Christ- all this pointed to and proved that Christmas had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. It was an invention of men to get more followers into the Catholic church, making it easier for people to accept a new way of life, a new religion. Santa replaced pagan entities, and even eclipsed the place of Jesus in the celebrated season. How could this be something true followers of Christ should participate in and be duped by? This was obviously a clever scheme of the enemy to trick God's people.

Or, was it?

I would never attempt to deny the pagan history and origin of the Christmas season. I fully recognize it. It's history.

So, why would I embrace the celebration of the Christmas season? Why would I teach my kids about it? Why do we have a tree we drag in and decorate? Why do we hang our stockings up?

Because I believe Christmas represents a victory of the light of Christ over the darkness.

The pagan feasts kept during the winter solstice were times of fear, pain and darkness. Debauchery, lewdness, sexual immorality, public lawlessness, etc. were the norm, the 'joy' of the celebrations. Sacrifices made to the pagan god, Saturnalia, were made in fear and hope that the sun would return, that there would be hope in the world. 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, the promised Savior, the Light of the World and the One to set all mankind free from the darkness of sin and death. His life, death and resurrection, made true peace between God and man. To those who believe in Him, He gave the power to become the sons of God, entitled to eternal peace and joy.

The gospel, the good news of Christ came to the pagans. In Rome, through the process of several hundred years, Christians went from being fed to wild beasts in the arenas for the entertainment of the people and dignitaries, to finally being accepted as the personal religion of the ruler of the land. Eventually, Christianity spread to all the Roman Empire. Pagan traditions were replaced, the gospel began transforming the people, the culture, the government. 

Were there problems? Yes. I'm not here to defend the actions or traditions of the Roman Catholic church during those times or since. The history shows many troubling and disturbing times, actions, etc. Much is appalling.

Despite all the controversy, the bottom line is, today, and for many, many years past, the Christmas season has shown the power of the gospel over the darkness. The light of Christ, the true Light of the World, has shown into the darkness. The cultures of the world were changed from traditions of evil to seeking to do good, looking out for the weak and the poor, seeking to remember the Gift, the sacrifice who ended all sacrifices, who took away the fear of darkness, replacing it with an eternal hope, joy and peace. Jesus brought peace and hope to this time of the year. It became a time to seek holiness rather than sin. I call that a win!

If symbols and traditions that used to represent bondage and darkness are now used to proclaim Christ, the hope of the gospel, the Light of the World, I am not outraged. I'm elated. The power of the gospel was shed abroad. Jesus prevailed and set people free. 

Why do I celebrate? Because Jesus was born, lived, died, rose from the dead and lives forevermore. Because the power of the law of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. Because Jesus is Lord over all. Because every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Because He loves us and came to save us. Because I am free.

Adrenal Fatigue and the Trials of Resting

I always feel bad when I think about how long it's been since I blogged over here... Random writings seems to be what I do best.

Just living up to the name of my blog.  Ah, well... 

Been a long lull in the action on the blog and here I am again. Back at my little blog.

So much has happened in the months since I made a post, or thought of it... But most of it doesn't matter right now.

In June, I had a health crisis and landed pretty flat in bed with what we later found out was adrenal fatigue. Flat meaning, I couldn't drive, text, read and stick with what I was reading, or even check facebook. (That's when you know it's serious...no FACEBOOK?)

I was freaking out on my family- my nerves were all out of wack, so any normal chatter, questions, issues, movement, etc just sent me over the edge. Embarrassing then and now, but totally real and impossible to deal with. I'd have to just keep away from everyone most of the time. David was ok, Keilah or Jakin at times, other than that.... I felt so bad but just couldn't help it. (Making jokes about my "poor nerves" in the midst and when I could, apologizing for not being able to be there for them more has seemed to at least keep feelings from being done in, but it has been hard on everyone else, too...)

I was also swelling all over. That was concerning and I didn't know what was going on.

I finally got help from Dr. Patterson in Abilene. I was so thankful to find him. He determined I was dealing with adrenal fatigue and started me on supplements right away to start gently supporting the adrenals. After 2 weeks, I was able to drive. I still had to rest, rest, rest but began being able to text, facebook, and make phone calls. After 4 weeks of treatment, I was able to attend the L'BRI convention, something I thought I was going to have to miss.

I've been back and forth a bit, some days are better than others, but for the most part, I'm gaining. 

Rest is my main prescription and taking care of me by taking my supplements/meds and...... doing as much of nothing as possible. Sounds simple enough, until... you realize you have to figure out how to not go crazy just laying in bed...

Some days, when I feel like it, I can take a walk. And then rest. Staying down is not easy for me, but it does pay off. I can feel it helping. And sometimes, I don't feel it helping, I just have to know it is. 

I've had times I needed to rest before, like after a baby. Nothing before was like this. Resting is a verb, like I wrote about before, fighting to rest, only this time, it is fighting me, Nichola. And it is the way I have to fight to stay sane, keep and regain my health.

I don't feel like I need to rest. With 6 kids and a business to run, it sure doesn't feel like I can do this.

They need me.

And that is why I have to. This is war.

My family needs me, and the best way to give myself back to them is to let them handle everything right now as much as possible.

So, I'm fighting to rest. Fighting by leaving them to it. Fighting by sleeping in. Fighting by enjoying movies by myself.

Now that I feel like it, fighting by blogging.

I'll be posting more here in this season. I've got a bunch of blogs just aching to pour out as I lie here. Adrenal stuff. Family stuff. How we're making it work stuff. Stuff I'm learning about.

If you read all this thanks. If you think about it, I appreciate your prayers.

If you have something going on in your life I can pray for, I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment. If you prefer to email me, peachfarmerswife (@) gmail . com is my email. (You'll have to put it back together, but writing it in code keeps spam bots from picking it up.)

I'll see ya soon with something random.

Nichola http//:peachfarmerswife.blogspot.com

Got Books? Get Your Money Back On Your Books You Don't Need and Get Something You Want!

Finals will be here soon, what are you doing with your books? You know, the ones you paid more for than your outfits for the semester? Good news, you may be able to get up to 80% of that cash back in the form of Amazon gift cards! Try the Amazon Trade-in Program to see what those books are still worth!

Not in school? This program is not just for students, you can trade in any book Amazon is currently accepting. I was surprised at some of mine that are on the list. This could be a great way to declutter your bookshelves and turn those books you aren't reading into cash!


 

What will you use your Amazon cash back for? A new tablet? A new outfit? More books? I'd love to hear what your plans are!

 Nichola http//:peachfarmerswife.blogspot.com

***FLASH SALE ~ REBATE ~ FUNDRAISER***

I am sooo excited! Starting now and running until Oct 31st at midnight, I am offering a $5 rebate on any L'BRI order over $50 or a $10 rebate on every order over $100!! The rebate will be mailed right to you, OR just tell me you want to donate your rebate to the special One Child Matters Christmas Fund and make a difference in the life of a needy child this Christmas! Orders can be placed at http://nfiles.lbri.com/.

Our family has sponsored a child with One Child Matters for several years and we are so happy to be a part of this ministry. You can learn more about the One Child Matters Christmas fund here. https://www.onechildmatters.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=284

My Tax-time Secret!

The most wonderful time of the year is almost here. You know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Taxes. Bah, humbug, on the last one.

Taxes = Sorting receipts. Scouring for data. Unfolding crumpled slips of slippery paper. Scribble. Enter data. Hours. Of. Time. I. Could. Do. Something. Else.

I don't look forward to it. Does anyone look forward to tax time? Maybe accountants get excited about sorting receipts?

But I now have an exciting solution. I found a way out. Of doing taxes?!!? Um, no, but a way out of the laborious task of receipt handling. Still have to file, but I am relieved to be able to relay on Shoeboxed for the bulk of the time gobbling tasks that messing with trying to get my receipts in order requires.



What is Shoeboxed?
Your tax time and accounting miracle. Seriously.

Shoeboxed is the best online platform for organizing receipts and business cards. Customers mail receipts and business cards, which they scan and upload into a secure online account on www.shoeboxed.com. Users may also submit receipts and business cards to their accounts via mobile phone including their iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Very sweet. My wireless HP printer has a Shoeboxed app installed so I can scan receipts and send them straight to my account from my scanner.

Shoeboxed is integrated with all the major accounting platforms, so it works with Quicken, Quickbooks, Wave, Evernote, and more. Oh, and did I mention email integration? Yeah, it does that too. Say goodbye to inbox clutter from online orders.

Shoeboxed also handles business cards and other non-receipt documents.

And then Shoeboxed has these little things called, "Magic Envelopes." And they definitely feel like that. You stuff your receipts in the envelopes, seal it and drop it in the mail, postage paid. These are... amazing. The whole drawer, box, or desk full of receipts disappear into the mailbox. I must confess, I got rather giddy stuffing my envelopes.

When Shoeboxed gets your envelope, they carefully scan everything in, make sure all the data is correct and upload IRS approved pdf images of your receipts into your Shoeboxed account. They will even automatically categorize your expenses into the proper categories.

Then comes the fun part. All you have to do is log into your account and pull the data into your favorite accounting software, or just use Shoeboxed to find all the data you need for all the lines on your tax return. Or give it to your accountant. Done.

As you can see, there are not many reasons to not like Shoeboxed and tons of reasons to get as close to being in love with an service as is humanly possible. I can not describe the immense sense of relief and elation I felt as I loaded my blue envelopes and dropped them in the mail. And seeing everything show up in my account, with no errors, was.... breathtakingly awesome. And getting the data I needed was a cinch.

So, how do you get started? Just go to Shoeboxed.com and create a forever free account in seconds. Take the Premium features for a test drive, which includes the use of the Magic Blue Envelopes, for free for 30 days.

Affiliate Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links to products I use or recommend. This means I may make a commission when you click or purchase something using my links. 
But rest assured, I am not just here to make a buck. I won't link to just anything on the web, no matter how much it pays. If I link to it, I either use and/or recommend it or feel it may add value to my readers. If you ever have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. 
All profits generated from affiliate links on this site are used to help support my family and invest in various ministries. Thank you for your support when you use my links! 

Saving Money On Surgery

Medical bills are hard to save on. Discount medical care, coupons, etc are not really much of an option.

But we learned this week that there is one simple way to save, esp on big stuff, like surgery.

#1 Money Saving Tip on Medical Bills: 

Get a second opinion. 

This week David was scheduled to have surgery under general anesthesia.  A visit to the dr about some growths that looked a bit concerning led to the diagnosis that he needed them removed, one was possibly life-threatening and the other was too painful to remove in the office and would require general anesthesia to correct.

After my bought with cancer and the experience of a second opinion saving my life, we learned that those second opinions are sometimes very important. Esp on the big stuff, like, chemo, surgery, etc.

This second opinion saved us a big junk of change, at least $2000+ if not more. The dermatologist took care of the concerning growth in the office and let us know the other one was not an issue. $156 for the visit.

Even if it is not comfortable, you feel like you might be being disloyal or rude to your doctor, get a second opinion. Once it saved my life, as I was about to receive the wrong chemo agents and didn't know it until I went to another doctor. This time, David was spared a financial strain that we seriously could not afford and the time spent recovering from surgery, etc.

Thankfully, sometimes you can save money just by asking.

What Is This L'BRI Stuff?

I have been busy talking about and sharing my newest venture with everyone on Facebook, around town, etc.

And then this thought hits me... My blog!!! I haven't shared anything about L'BRI on my blog!

I am now a L'BRI PURE 'n NATURAL consultant. I have been a consultant since April 2014 and am just loving it. Seriously having a blast with it. I have never done anything like this before, and didn't know I could be good at it. 

What is L'BRI? (Pronounced, "La-brigh")

L'BRI is an aloe-based line of natural skincare and makeup products as well as some health care products. It is paraben and SLS-free, no drying alcohols, no mineral oils, no glycols and no artificial fragrances or colors. They use only the highest quality ingredients. 

L'BRI was started in 1998 by Brian and Linda Kaminski and is still owned by them. They went from working out of their basement to today, where they are a multi-million dollar company. They still own the company 100% debt free and today have about 5000 consultants nationwide. It is a huge opportunity to hop in on, contrasting with 3 million for MaryKay.

So, why am I doing this? Two reasons. Okay, three.

1. L'BRI changed my skin. Seriously, no way around it. I am, for the first time in my adult life, not dealing with breakouts on my face all the time. It is still surreal to write that, but it is true. I have had strangers come up to me, even in my 20's and 30's and ask if I have ever heard of ProActive. Meant well, lacked tact. For the first time I can remember since I was a teen, I don't hate my skin. I am still amazed at how soft it is and how much it has changed. 

2. I want EVERYONE to know about this!! I am serious. I know that L'BRI is what every woman is looking for. It is amazingly effective, it is safe. And it is affordable. L'BRI is very gentle and artificial colors and fragrance free. Many people with skin conditions or very sensitive skin can use L'BRI. Very few people are ever actually allergic, and in fact, so many who are allergic to other brands, can use L'BRI. If it was on the shelf in the retail store, I would tell the world, "I found it!"

3. I want to make extra money! Yup, just like lots of other folks, things are tight. And I have a list of things that need money to do them. So, me telling the world about L'BRI pays? I'm in! I get to talk about the stuff I love, work and learn from great people on my team, play with and share makeup and skincare stuff that is high end quality at a price that most people can afford, and get PAID to do it? All for it! 

Check out my website for more info! Http://www.nfiles.lbri.com Order 4 weeks worth of free samples for the price of shipping right from my site!

I also have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nfileslbri. Check it out and like the page to stay updated!

So there you have it! I would love to hear your thoughts! Have you ever heard of L'BRI before? And what is important to you when you look for skincare products and cosmetics?