the older I get...

...the more I see the power of prayer.  I just wished I had realized earlier.  From the earliest prayers I remember saying..."now I lay me,"  "God is great, God is good." "Our Father, who art in heaven", to the conversations I now have with my heavenly Father, prayers are our major communication link to God.  Last week, I was asked to pray over a new baby and I have never been so blessed by being asked to do this.  What a privilege!!!!!! I encourage you each to look at your prayer life.  I used to think the Bible verse that said to "pray without ceasing" was just a silly verse and that is really not what you were supposed to do...oh silly me...take it literally...Pray without ceasing.  It is amazing!

blessed

there are days when we just wished we had never gotten out of bed...
for some reason, I have had a few like that lately.  not sure why, because when i look
at my life....i am so blessed. 
it is very easy to get caught up in the everyday mundane rut and overlook all of the blessings
we take for granted every single day.  the little blessings like:
hot water,
air conditioning,
a soft pillow,
electricity,
diet coke,
ice.
those are just the little things...what about the big blessings like:
food,
shelter,
transportation,
freedom,
a job,
a family,
friends,
my dog..
WOW!
now i just need to keep my perspective in focus and stay away from the "world view" and keep my "MeriRobin'sEyes" focused on Christ and see what He would have me to see each day.
And as you pray today, don't forget to thank God for all of your little and big blessings.

faith and blessings....

remember back about a month ago, i wrote about a log cabin I had been dreaming about? 
remember when I checked into this being our next address and it was a "no go" result?

well, I kept praying...

this little cabin in the woods will be our new address beginning the weekend of March 26, 2011!!!

I am so excited that this IS the place God planned for us ... I have finally learned a little something about faith...and trust in His will for our lives. We are blessed and I can't wait to see what He has for the next chapter and I am working on a "name" for the upcoming chapters!
He knows the plans He has for us!  Trust Him!

keep praying.....

wellllllllllllll...just out of the blue on Friday, I decided to call the "log cabin" people back.  Even though they initially said, "no dogs" this time and then we heard it had been rented.  However, it still was showing up on the real tracs rental list so I took a chance and called.  Whoever was going to rent it didn't work out and yes it is still available and they will consider my sweet "gracie".  So Saturday morn we got to go look at my "dream" cabin!  As expected, I loved it!  and after reviewing all of the pros and cons...the pros won!  we are planning on signing the lease on tuesday and will move in at the end of March.  I am so excited that I can just about pop!  Actually, i am "cautiously" about to pop!  lol
The "cons" include (1) no closet in the master bedroom, but it has a jacuzzi...so who needs a closet if you have a jacuzzi and (2) the washer and dryer are the one on top of the other kind...but it is otherwise perfect! 
but I named this post, "keep praying" because no matter how perfect this looks and feels, I just want to make sure I am walking in HIS will and not mine!  Life is changing and I want to follow God's will which is not what I have traditionally done.  So we will continue to "pray without ceasing"!  I hope you will too!

still praying...

once again we are waiting with cautious anticipation...the new closing date is set for the end of march!
so i guess its time to get out of this chair and start packing some boxes.  it would just be nice to be able to label which boxes go into storage and which ones go to the new address.  unfortunately, we just don't have the new address.  so we are praying and for any of our friends reading this blog we hope you are praying with us. 

on my soap box...

Today I had the opportunity to go to Summertown, Tennessee to a place known as "The Farm".  If you don't know about it...google it....

I was able to listen to a talk by a midwife named Ina May Gaskin who is one of the nation's leading midwives.  She has been involved in many, many home deliveries through the years and the experience she brings to the table is so amazing.  I say all that to get to the point of my soap box.  Her experiences, along with the mothers in Haiti, Africa,  and other 3rd world countries;   the mothers who delivered babies hundreds of years ago and all the way back to Adam and Eve...BREASTFEEDING HAS SUSTAINED MANKIND.  I don't think this a a revelation but based on my past 25 years experience, the "amazingness" of breastmilk obviously got lost in translation. 

Now let's look at the facts:
    the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a baby's life and continued through at least the first year of life.
    the World Health Organization recommends it through the 2nd year of life.
    the Surgeon General has made statements about the benefits at regular intervals for the past 25 years and just came out with the Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding urging health care providers (obstetricians, pediatricians, OB nurses, Pediatric nurses...etc...) to encourage and support breastfeeding.
and last but not least, Michelle Obama, Rep. Bachmann and Sarah Palin are all making supportive (?) comments about the importance.
With all of that said....here's what I think...
Number one--I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so if I write something making you uncomfortable,  remember, if you choose or chose not to breastfeed then you are wasting your time reading this and if you care enough to read this then you probably have some kind of feelings about your choice. (my mom bottlefed me)!
Number two--If you couldn't breastfeed because of a breast anomaly or for one of the reasons listed on Joint Commissions reasons not to exclusively breastfeed then again, I am sorry for you and your circumstances.
Number three--The other reasons most women end up not breastfeeding fall into one or more of the following categories:  lack of education, lack of understanding of the importance,  lack of support, and an abundance of bad advice whether it comes from a grandma, a nurse, a dad, a doctor, a political figure or even a best friend.
Number four--I just wish the marketing of the importance of breastfeeding got as much publicity as putting babies on their backs to sleep, or the laws regulating the use of car seats.  Whoever was in charge of those campaigns did a fine job and I wish breastfeeding and the importance of breastmilk could be presented the same way.  Not to say those things aren't important because they are very important but definitely not more important than the benefits of breastmilk.  So if the health benefits of breastfeeding and the hazards of formula could be presented to parents  the same way the importance of "Back to Sleep" and "Car Seat Safety" are presented we would probably have alot more moms breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding is much easier than getting a baby up to a  five year old...in and out of those car seats!
And for those who are saying they don't want to breastfeed because it is just too time consuming or invasive or embarrassing or whatever other reason comes to mind then just go ahead and put your babies on their tummies to sleep and skip the car seat......

And for all of the doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, child birth educators, families and friends who are too "politically correct"  to encourage a mom to breastfeed because of feeling you might hurt someone's feelings or intrude, then please keep your comments to yourself when you look over and see a mom in a car with the windows rolled up, smoking a cigarette, and no one actually strapped in the car seats correctly with bottles of formula hanging out of the mouths of babes!  You might hurt their feelings or get too personal if you tell them those are not acceptable parenting skills. I rest my case....

i just have to laugh...

let me bring you up to date....
     it seemed like everything was in order.
     the inspector came, and found his "list" of things needing to be repaired...
     unfortunately, he found a leak in the attic. 
     (fyi--new roof 3 years ago)
     FINALLY, the roof company called me back and they are coming to check it Friday.
    the appraiser came...
    closing date set for March 9th.
    we still haven't found a place to move to...
    getting a little anxious but not anxious enough to do alot of packing.
    packed up a few things in the dining room...just not overly worried???
    a little out of character for me....
    text today from my realtor....the husband of the family buying our house lost his job today...
    I am so sorry for them.  we know what that is like. 
    bottom line...guess we aren't closing on March 9th.
    Still can't wait to see what God has in store for us!