Something New

Hi Friends...
If you're reading this you are missing the improved site
that is actually still at www.realnetta.com  but it NOT this.
(don't ask me how... my husband & our computer-genius
friends did it!)

Anyway, if you're getting this to your email would you
PLEASE go to my new site and click on the envelope at
the top right of the site.  This will allow you to enter your
email address & start receiving my recent posts.
And make sure that when you get a "confirmation email"
to your inbox that you click on it so that my new posts
can be sent to you!

Thanks for reading my thoughts!
That encourages me & hopefully they encourage you, too!

HUGS!

www.realnetta.com

Life in the D & Mistaken Identity

Mistaken identity sometimes gets the good-guy caught

instead of the bad. Well, at least in the movies, and we just

watched a movie about that last night.

But then today...

- Drove 1/2 hour south of the city with 3 of my kids 

to pick up a my daughter's friend

 

- On the highway home, just a couple of minutes from our house 

I suddenly hear zillions of sirens

- The sight in my rearview mirror makes me JUMP!

- There's about 5 police cars behind & almost beside me!

- Lights flashing! Sirens blasting!

- Where in the world did they just come from!

- Have I been in their way? Was I daydreaming?

- I've gotta get out of their way, QUICKLY

- I pull over. 

- So do they. 

- All of them. Marked cars. Unmarked Cars. Pull over.

- Wait?  WHAT?

- I wasn't even speeding. 

- Officers. Uniformed & in street clothes w/badges hanging around

their necks.

- I roll down my window and stick my head out to hear what he's yelling

- "Roll down ALL your windows!"

- I do.

- An officer cautiously but quickly  approaches my window

- His gun is drawn!

- He looks inside. At me. At the kids, who are as clueless as I am.

- Officers on 3 sides of the car.  Guns drawn!  

- WHAT in the WORLD?

- The officer at my window yells over his shoulder 

that we're "not the ones"

- (I know!  I know!  We're not!)

- At another window an officer asks where I've been & had I been downtown.

- No! I tell him where we were & what highways we'd used.

- He tells me there's a car exactly like mine that is going around downtown

today bashing (or stealing) cars. 

- They tell me I can go

- In a second they're in their cars, leaving

- Just like that.... 

- My heart was pounding. 

- I wish I'd told them I appreciate what they do.

- I wish I'd told them that I'm grateful for their protection.

- I did, however, use this incident to explain to my little boys that we don't have

to be afraid of the policemen because they were working at catching the

"bad guys" and as soon as they saw who we were, they went on.

- Now, this afternoon, I keep on praying for those officers, and for

their search

Grateful to live in the Protection of JESUS!

Grateful that He's called me to live in Detroit!

Wordless Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010

Woodward Ave in Midtown Detroit

on a Sunday morning in the fall.

(This pic on the top of my blog was also taken
in the same area on the way to church a couple
of weeks eariler. What a beautiful drive to church, huh?)


Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday

The Old & The New... Kitchen!

-Last Saturday we moved to our beautiful historic home in Detroit
- Many of you gave us some serious help... and it was so much fun!

- Some others of you are asking for pictures

- Here's a few that tell a snippet of the story of this past week

Kitchen... Before. This house was empty for a year or so.





The horrid wallpaper boarder has been painted over &
rewall papered SEVERAL times..
THAT was a pain.
(Wallpaper is probably made in Hades!)



(If I EVER even consider hanging wallpaper, please read
the following statement to me:

"Dear Netta, make a tight fist. Hold out your arm.
Now punch yourself repeatedly in the head with your
full strength until you remember how much you totally
 hate the entire wallpaper process!")






Primed & ready to paint

The doors were sanded, primed & painted in the grass
and then the garage.



And NOW...
A corner of the beautiful finished product!
(More to come... when I finish unpacking everything!)

BOXES!

Gathering boxes to move is a sport for me!

Not having to buy boxes motivates me.

Knowing that reusing the old cardboard means

new change for me... So exciting!!!!

We move in 8 days.

Tomorrow, some friends are coming to help us Pack!

Not move, yet... just pack!

(Yes, you're jealous of our friends! Be very jealous!

They're A CONSTANT blessing!)

Until a couple of days ago we only had a VERY few boxes.

Then, the shameless dumpster diving & pathetically desperate

text messages were sent (to some of those same great friends).

Boxes have started to arrive! (Thanks, Erika!)

Also, this JACKPOT (pictured below) was discovered

behind Target! (Have I mentioned that I love that store!)

And, cloth carts of cardboard treasures

were discovered during a recent grocery shopping

trip. (below)

We grabbed so many of those treasures that sweet little Zoe

had to carry around the ones that didn't fit into the cart.

(below)

My house... (below) ugh...

But all for GOOD reason!

YIPPEE!!!

And, if you happen to drive behind a store or shopping center

and catch a quick glimpse of a brown-haired lady frantically

yanking boxes out of giant green dumpsters, and a car full of

children carefully ducking their heads so as not to be recognized...

just honk!!!

(and honk LOUDLY cuz that lady is probably shamelessly

talking to herself and saying, "YES! We hit the BOX jackpot!!!")

Moving for the 18th time

Moving kinda makes me giddy.

Change.

Packing.

Purging.

New.

Fresh start.

Since I went away to college I've lived in 17 different

places. Now, next weekend we'll be moving into my

18th. (If you're confused, please see this post)

Lived in 7 states.

Besides my childhood home (where my Mom still lives)

the longest I've had an address is 5 yrs.... a huge record.

Up until that, it was only 3 yrs.

I've filled the back of a red & white striped Suburban to

drive several states away,

carried dressers across a small college campus,

moved across the hall, or up to the next floor,

had a U-Haul, enjoyed professional packers...

etc..

Moved as a newly wed when all my stuff was brand new,

moved in the winter while it was snowing,

moved while 71/2 months pregnant,

moved with a newborn,

moved while my husband was outa the country and once

while he was outa state... etc...

What do I do first? Next?

1. Go dumpster diving for boxes

2. Clean out closets

3. Clean out weird cluttered corners

4. Pack stuff off that hangs on the walls

5. Use my organizer a lot MORE!

6. Adjust & readjust my expectations of myself

7. Adjust & readjust my expectations of situations

8. Continue to adjust & keep deciding to "just go with it"

My best suggestion is to just take a deep breath.

The important stuff really does get done.

Everything else will just fall into place...

or else it just doesn't need to be.

Smile!

Laugh!

Eat more convenience foods than usual.

And MOST importantly...

keep reading The Word & hanging with Jesus everyday!

Things overheard at our house... 2

Back in December I posted a similar blog

I don't promise any deep life lessons...

just a laugh or maybe encouragement knowing that

you're not the only crazy household in the world! :)

(Our family in Barbies! Thanks, Zoe)

________________________________________________

"Is it Sunday today? Please can it be Sunday? I love Real Church!"

"There are no guns allowed in McDonald's!"

"Mommy, how come atha kids have a twicicle & I don't?"

"Mom, let's raise Chickens!"

(I blame Melissa O. for this... hee hee)

"I like food way more than decorating. When I grow up I'm

gunna be really big!"

"You're a piece a work!"

"What? I don't even have a job?"

"What kinda truck is that, Daddy?.... oh... what's a SWAT truck?"

"Where does Jesus work?"

"Well, Honey, Jesus doesn't go to work."

"MoooM, I thought Jesus worked in our hearts!"

"Mommy, I love you. You're so cute & chubby!"

"This is so cool, Mama. I love it. Thank you!" (my heart melts)

1st Day of Real Church Detroit

What a wonderful Sunday morning Real Church Detroit

shared at the Magic Stick on Woodward Avenue!

It's the first of MANY great things that God is

doing in Detroit! So thankful that I get to be a

part of His plan for this city!

You know you live in the city when... Part 2

(Click here if you haven't read Part 1.)

The very first thing you do after you get out of bed each

morning is peek out the front window to be sure that

your car is still there.

You're careful to stay in your house at the stroke of Midnight

on New Year's because your neighbors are shooting their

guns in the air... just cuz they can. (not legally, I'm sure)

When you get a random knock on your door at 1:04 AM

from strangers who then stagger into the street & on to a

another door (probably looking for their own house).

When you LOVE to use your horn because people drive

SO stinkin' crazy!!!! (Horns are not an anger outlet,

they are life-saving tools!)

It's only 6:58AM and the "call to prayer" blasts through

the streets from the local mosques for the 1st of 5 times

each day. Grr.

(I thought they had to wait until at least 8am.)

When you can capture your entire backyard in one photo.

When you find yourself twitching because it's so difficult

to resist the urge to constantly correct other peoples'

grammar usage.

You take your kids to the wonderful zoo filled

with exotic animals from around the world,

& your youngest kids beg,

"Can we please just go see the farm animals."

Your 3 year old puts up the hood on his hoody sweatshirt,

saunters into the kitchen and throws his hands in the air...

"awwh yey!"

Everytime you drive way out into the suburbs & your kids

see lota trees & grass...your youngest kids ask you,

"Are we in another country?"

When your teenage daughter is better at parallel parking than

regular parking cuz street park is all we have!

When it's snowy outside & you have to shovel out the

Street parking spot in front of your house... and then,

knowing that some "less-motivated" neighbor wants to take

your cleared parking spot you "Mark" your spot by

putting a lawn chair and/or plastic milk crate

in front of your house!

When it's really hot & humid outside you really do see

people sitting in the doorways of building on those

same milk crates!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

But, like I said in Part 1 of this post...

When you're out of town & people ask when you're from

and then after you answer them they sorta gasp & then

just stare at you... they stare out of awe, or respect or

pity or just straight disgust that we'd be so foolish to

move our family to that city.

When you totally love this city and the people!

And find it amazing how God has turned His calling into

the desire of your heart.

You know you live in the city when... Part 1

(I've been writing these ideas down for months...

and this is first of two blogs. The statements in here are real,

and the purpose is for entertainment and encouragement

only!)

You know you live in the city when...

Your 3 year old puts a baseball cap on the Potato Head, tips it

sideways and starts to beat box!

When you show up at a McDonald's just as the police

drive away & you find out that there was a huge fight

and two people were arrested.

(This is the point where I say,

"Oh man, I always miss the good stuff!")

During the quiet morning time that you're hanging out

with Jesus you suddenly hear a low rumbly noise...

"boom, boom, kaboom, chaka boom boom." At first

you think maybe your heating system has gone nuts,

then you realize that the neighbors (only feet away)

are playing music... loudly! already!

whatever!

I can just block it out.

When the library is more of a tutoring center

& place to use the internet than anything else.

(Our local library has really kind & caring employees!

I give them huge props for all the ways they help

the kids of this area!)

When you give your 3 yr. & 5 yr. old boys a little toy

farm tractor and truck and they pick it up, turn it

around and then say,

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

When you get text messages from ladies in your church

that begin with, "Wat up?"

When your 3 year old asks you "What's a Driveway?"

When you give money to a person on the street

and then dive into a "You- forgot- to -say- thank-you"

speech after they roll their eyes at the "small amount"

you gave them.

(Where is this sign when you need it?)

When your kids ride their bikes in the alley cuz there's too

many cars on your street & the sidewalks are actually used

for walking.

You're thankful for even a little snow (in the winter) cuz

it makes the views outside your windows much "prettier."

When you're out of town & people ask where you're from

and then after you answer them they sorta gasp & then

just stare at you... they stare out of awe, or respect or

pity or just straight disgust that we'd be so foolish to

move our family to that city.

When you totally love this city and the people!

And find it amazing how God has turned His calling into

the desire of your heart.

Like a 3 year old

This week our church has been fasting & praying...

and I ventured out with my three youngest to attend

group prayer in front of the Detroit Institute of Art (that's

the art museum).

In the car I was prepping my kids:

"We'll sit or walk together. We're gunna praise Jesus

and pray for all sorts of things and people. OK? We

are there ONLY to pray!"

Then, my three year old says,

"I love JESUS, but I'm not gunna pray!"

Moments later he said,

"But don't worry Mommy, I obey sometimes. SOMETIMES!"

(Like I was supposed to find comfort in that!)

Ok, My little guy is only three years old... but how many

"grown up" Christians are exactly the same?

Are you one of them?

When & how much have you prayed lately?

How often do you obey Christ?

-----

NOW... the REST of the STORY...

When we arrived at the DIA to pray outside for our city,

church & team, my little 3 yr. old rocked it!!!

He knew exactly who he wanted to pray for, had

lots of amazingly insightful things to pray about

and had very little trouble staying focused!

Awesome!

What's "the rest of the story" for you?

(now, keeping him & his big brother from climbing into

the fountains after prayer... a whole 'nother story!)

Going Public!

Our church had a big service at the island park (Belle Isle)

in the middle of the Detroit River.

Thanks for loving us & praying!!!

I thought you'd enjoy seeing the slide show.

If the link doesn't work, try it from Chilly's website

at http://www.ichilly.com

JESUS is AWESOME!

Click below...

Pictures of the Baptism in the Detroit River!

House Hunting in The D

We've been house hunting in Detroit (the city... not a suburb)

for 13 months now & have seen over 50 houses. Now we're

currently in the process of buying one... but there's lotsa ducks

that still have to line up. (to coin a corny phrase... hee hee)

Walking through all these bits of history has taught me more

about Detroit, then & now. I've learned lots from our friend,

Tim, who's basically a walking Detroit-Housing-Historian.

Thanks, Tim!

As frustrating as "house-hunting" can be, it serves to enrich

my understanding & love of Detroit!

Here's a tiny sampling of the many interesting things we've seen.

(I've taken an average of 30 pics per house. That's 1500 pics.

Most are deleted, but I saved a few.)

(historic but poorly functioning kitchen)

(elevator, built in 1920's)

(Missing furnaces, water heater, copper pipes)

(bathrooms with nothing in them)

(historic beauty... and secret rooms!)

(Remains of a kitchen in a 5 yr. old house)

(If only the inside reflected the same care as the

outside of this showed)

We continue to pray for GOD's plan...

not our's!