Fail

I think I have a new idea for this bloggaroo. But not yet....I have A LOT of updating to do.

Because this is my first blog back, I have a point to make:

My whole life has been filled with moments where I've thought, "I swore I'd never do this and now I am." Newest moment like this? I seriously text my husband or gmail chat him sometimes to tell him things like Braden finally pooped and it went up his back (this excites me) or Braden smiled and looked at me simultaneously or Braden misses you or Braden's tummy hurts and he needs to poop or I want to take Braden camping for the first time this fall.

I could definitely say more interesting things that pertain to my big-girl-job like how the air and water pollution statistics in Memphis are shocking or how I just learned how people get food stamps or even that I am learning horrific statistics about infant mortality rates in Memphis. I could, but nope. I frequently choose to tell him about our son's gastrointestinal issues and the fact that he is getting so chubby I am counting extra rolls.

I guess moms don't tell their husbands that stuff because they're bored, huh? I think it's because maybe we were designed us to care more about the minute details of our child's life than almost anything else. Weird. And sounds totally familiar....

And by the way. Jed actually likes most of the updates.

Voila!

First thing is first. Who knows how to add an accent mark to the a at the end of Voila?

Second, no one ever told me that putting a nursery together on a budget was SUCH a challenge. Geez! Thanks, mankind.

The story--Last weekend, Jed and I attacked the cute little buffet that Minnie, my maternal grandmother (bc it is very important for you to know that little fact), gave us. It has been in her family for quite sometime and in the first picture, you can see what she did to it over 40 years ago. Our goal was to turn the sucker into something that matched our nursery and that we could use as a changing table. This is what we did:

1. Moved this from Minnie's garage to our back porch. Woot.
2. Removed the awesome 60's hardware.

3. Borrowed an electric sander. Lesson for #3--electric sanders are SO much fun! Christi, a friend of mine, is a pro with hers, and she let me borrow it so that I could sand this sucker down. it took FOREVER, but it was fun.
4. Wiped the whole thing down REALLY good and then painted it the green that we are using in our nursery.
5. Painted a thin coat of white paint and then sanded away. My super hott hubby entered mad artist mode and went to town with a sheet of finer sandpaper while I used the sexy electric sander with fine paper as well.

Oh, and then we added cute glass knobs that I got on MAJOR sale (as in, regularly $4.99 and I paid $.99 apiece) at Target.....now I get to say the word.....

VOILA! (minus the accent on the A)



Now we just hafta get one of those contoured changing pads for the top of it. I registered for one, so I'm waiting to purchase it.

Tata!

The Tree Of Lauren

One of my incredi-friends, Lauren, painted this tree on a friend's nursery wall. I am going to have her paint the same one on our wall except no birds, we are going to have an owl. Jed loves it too, and I'm so excited!
And guess what! Downtown Presbyterian Church begins tomorrow night. We are so excited for the services to finally begin and cannot wait to get started....

The Hoodlum's Room

Jed has been in Bulgaria and Slovenia with Blake and his dad for the last week and so he has not seen this. But he returns tonight and I'm sure he'll be ecstatic (note extreme sarcasm) about all that we get to do together this weekend-approve nursery fabric, register at Target, sign up for a birthing class, etc. I asked if I could plan a Saturday date for us soon (meaning an actual date, NOT doing baby/house stuff) and he wanted to know what we'd be doing. I told him it was a surprise and asked him why he HAD to know, and his response was that my idea of a fun date was doing chores. Ha!

SO I think Mom and I decided on these 2 fabrics. The first will be used for a skirt for the crib, the 2nd for curtains, and we will use brown minky dots for the bumper pads. I am still going to have Lauren paint the tree mural and will show you the one that she just finished for her good friend in the next blog. Yay for choosing!

Holler!

Okay, I know I haven't been on in forever. And, I don't know if this will be the start of my actual blogging again, but I wanted to give a short update and get some opinions (which might take awhile since I probably lost all 3 readers that I even had in the first place).

1. I'm pregnant with a boy and due May 27th. We are beyond excited. Sometime I'll share about that...it's a real long story.
2. My parents are back in their house following the fire, total gutting, and rebuilding of their house. It is BEAUTIFUL! My parents worked their hinies off all day every day for 6 months and it really is remarkable. Sometime I'll have to show before and afters.

SO-I am in the process of figuring out what to do for the nursery. I don't want to go crazy but my mom said she's make some curtains and bumper pads (she's amazing if you haven't figured that out) if I found fabric. I really LOVE owls but couldn't find pre-made bedding with owls I liked and that was affordable (yes, I've seen Dwell Studios $360 set). SO-what do you think of this??

The last picture is my FAVORITE. I also have an amazing friend who could paint some of this on the wall.

OK-that's all the blogging I can take for now, but hopefully I'll come back soon.

05-04 Update

Dear Friends,
Some thoughts on Isaiah 33.
"Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed!"
There really is one who desires our demise. We, modern folk, don't like to talk much about him. We think it unsophisticated and he likes that.
Since the first conversation, now almost two years ago, about the possibility of planting a church I, we, have experienced turmoil. Peace and rest have been illusive, like success or beauty, just beyond ones grasp. I have felt opposition, no I have felt one opposing me. We are not merely planting a church, but one that witnesses the glory of God and His gospel unite the deeply divided races and classes of Memphis. Something, someone hates unity, love, peace, and loves division, restlessness, and hate. There is a destroyer and he lives to destroy us.
"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."
There really is One to believe, but don’t you sometimes wonder? I typically question in times of bliss. The past few weeks have challenged my faith, created moments of intense fear and despondency, but in the end my faith is deeper, more seasoned. Having to reach deeper to find my footing in Him solidifies, even purifies faith. Jesus comes much more into focus in need than in plenty. Being threatened with loss, I have longed for Him more. And He shows himself true, gracious and strong.
“At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up the nations scatter.”
I have never maxed out a credit card limit, until now. As of this morning, three are at their capacity. Fear grips me that I will receive a call and the voice on the other end declare, rather matter of factly, “Mr. Rieves, it appears that you missed an insurance premium payment. You have no coverage for you fire!” It is irrational because our mortgage company demanded and received payment for the entire year at our loan’s closing. However, when you are spending money faster than the speed of light, it is more unsettling than freeing.
I spoke with our insurance adjuster yesterday and told him my fear, “I am spending a lot of money and I don’t want to be left holding the bill!” He responded, “I am not going to let that happen.” I don’t trust him. It has more to do with past experience than his present demeanor. He wields a lot of power. He could get to my file just after an argument with his wife. He could resent the fact I don’t buy my suits at Sears. His daughter could tell him he is the worst father ever. That is how the real world, this broken world, works. I know because I am a husband, and father. I know because my heart resents more than it rejoices over those with nicer stuff.
I long for an advocate who is bad, like Stallone or William Wallace. I want someone with more influence to thunder into the uncertainty of my life using his authority for my certain good. That is how Isaiah got to see God, my God. When the situation becomes unjust and detrimental to His children, His heart is moved and He stands up and my adjuster, I mean, the nations scatter. He brings justice and righteousness to the oppressed. That is our hope and trust and that calms my fears.
“Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One.”
When I am driving, and not on the phone, I picture the open house we are going to have when this is all over. Well, it started as an open house, but now, in my mind, it is a block party. We are going to close the street, invite a band, maybe James Taylor, and I am going to get my dad’s smoker, the one on wheels, and cook pork butts and ribs. Our neighbors, the firemen, those that have prayed, given clothes, money, time and encouragement, even our friends from around the country, will all come and we will have a party.
Some Believers are dry, like melba toast. I hate melba toast and I don’t even know what it is. Is it in the bread section? Paul asked the Believers in Galatia, “What has happened to all your joy?” Joy is different than giddy. Giddy is canned cheese. Joy is sincere, authentic, real, enviable. Solomon said there is a time to cry and a time to laugh. I am ready to laugh.
We really do have a reason to laugh. Even in the face of tragedy and loss. God was gracious to give His people prophets. Prophets declared judgment, but they also spoke of joy and hope. To a distressed people they spoke of a city in which God’s people would enjoy festivals. A city with homes that would not be moved, or destroyed. A city of permanence, that was predictably good.
God gave us festivals and parties that we might taste and long for the more. Like our father giving us a taste of meat on the grill just before he takes it off, our Father gives us parties that we might long for what IS to come. It is hard to experience the goodness of what is to come when you are on the phone with insurance adjusters, or wading through burned out piles of stuff. Parties are like fast forwarding a movie to the end, it doesn’t completely dull one to the tragedy of the story, it, however, does make the tragedy bearable. So I dream of the party, knowing it will not end the tragedy, merely shadow a day that will.
~ Please pray for a church to rise out of this mess. It really is the perfect soil for a gospel church. it is really the only soil for a gospel driven church to grow. Pray it will grow. I continue to speak with candidates for the co, lead or assistant role. I am really curious about two right now. Please pray for God to move and provided the man of His choosing and soon!
~ Pray for all the decisions on replacing all the stuff of our lives and re-build a house. All the colors, tile, flooring, re-designs, etc. need to be firmed up in the next couple of weeks. Not much time for such major decisions!
~ Pray for our hearts. We really do have an enemy and his presence is felt daily.
~ Thank God for His faithfulness. He is answering so many prayers...many we haven’t even prayed.
We are in our rental house near our old house. We are settling a bit, which is wonderful. It helps knowing we will be in this house until the renovations are complete. Please know that we are more than grateful for the support, love and care you all have shown. It encourages us more than you know!
Grace and Peace,
The Rieves

Dad's Update

Dear Friends,
Feel free to pass this on...
I hate short pithy Christian sayings! Tragedy seems to attract these likesugar attracts ants or meat attracts flies. "This to shall pass..." "Theremust me a silver lining in there somewhere..."
I picked up friends today at the Memphis airport. They had a couple of hoursbefore their flight back to Colorado. After loading into the car, we metRachel for lunch. Neither Rachel nor I had time, but having lost so much, wefound ourselves clinging to the safe haven of old trusted, tried and truefriends. We have been through much together, know everything there is toknow about each other and still love.
As we were driving I found myself desperately wanting them to speak into mylife. One way to steer a rudderless ship is to come along side and nudge inthe right direction. I desperately felt my need to be nudged in a truedirection. They did not fail me. They listened as I spoke of the emotionaltoll of the past couple of weeks. They then began to speak of heaven and howphysical loss is true loss precisely because we were made for permanence.There is a sense in which heaven is heaven, not only because it is good, butbecause it is eternal good. Good without the possibility of, say, the goodburning up and away.
After my brother's death I would find myself getting anxious, having troublebreathing, panicking when I was alone. I thought I was loosing my marbles.My friend and counselor explained to me that I was experiencing posttraumatic stress syndrome. After receiving a call that my brother had takenhis own life, my body was anticipating another like call. My body wasresponding as if I would hear something equally painful.
Have you ever seen people hold newspaper over their heads in a rain storm?The paper doesn't survive it very well, nor does the hairdo! Paper wasn'tdesigned to withstand rain. We weren't made to withstand loss. Studies showthat stress, which is always related to loss or the fear of, ages us. Ithink I turned 80 this week. In one year, I have experienced the loss of achurch family I deeply love, the loss of a place that I'm certain is morethan a taste of heaven, much of my strength due to disk injury and surgery,my house, belongings, dog, etc., etc.
What my friends were nudging me toward is good. They were saying, "In lightof all that has happened, you should be hurting and undone." Christians thathave experienced loss need to hear that. Jesus wept because of the loss ofsomething good, a friend. He was affirming the legitimacy of our hurt andpain and I am so grateful for His tears! They justify mine! There really isa time to cry, but only this side of heaven.
My friends also, and ultimately reminded me of heaven. There is a home thatwill not be taken away. There is a community that I will not have to leave.There is a body that will not be injured, age and grow weak. There is aneconomy and a market that is stable and certain. And there is a brother whois the essence of life. And for this I was made! For this I was redeemed!
I picked up a copy of Newsweek in the hotel lobby yesterday. The leadarticle is entitled, "The End of Christian America." I used to fearstatistics like this article cited. "...the percentage of self-identifiedChristians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76percent...people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith hasdoubled in recent years, to 16 percent."
"Oh no," I used to think, "Christianity is failing!" I now know that it isnot Christianity that is failing, but a religion whose deepest insights havebeen short, pithy and anything but Christian. I certainly need more, andJesus gives me so much more. Maybe as I begin to need and believe in theface of my need, others may as well. Maybe as I hold onto a real hope, ahope that holds much more onto me, the hopeless will hope.
That was neither short, nor pithy, but it was utterly Christian. Thank youfriends for the nudge!
~ It is death to have to think constantly about your own needs, to ask forhelp, to receive help... But we are moving into an empty house on Saturdayand must have stuff. Rachel and I set out to buy two mattresses today.Mattresses cost more than my 97 Ford Explorer! Thus, we concluded thedecision was too important to be rushed. We remembered that a family hadoffered a king size mattress and another family a full size mattress. Aphone call later, s friend volunteered to pick them up and bring them to ourrental.
~ The house we are moving into was inhabited by a family whose 4 or 5 yearold son, Shawn, has a brain tumor and has been receiving treatment at St.Jude. This family has five children! I met the family and they offered someof their furniture. They will probably be back in August for another roundof chemo. If our home is finished they will move back in taking the last fewmonths of our 6 month lease. God has put this family in our lives at thevery least to spread the word to pray for Shawn. Please do so!
~ Pray for patience, joy, and love as we progress forward. We need theseand more!
Thank you for praying and for all your encouragement. It encourages me toknow that my ramblings have meant so much to so many. It is therapeutic forme to get the thoughts in my head and heart out!
Much love and grace,
The Rieves