Rebecca will be having her first baby any day now!

It’s an exciting time for a new mother-to-be with a mix of emotions… anxiety, concern, and trepidation while also anticipating with wonder the beauty of the new life growing inside. Adding to the tumultuous mixture is a pending move out east as Taylor prepares to start law school.

It’s also an exciting time for grandpa as we prepare to welcome our first grandson to join the ranks with our first granddaughter, Miss Savannah.

Part of my excitement has been the opportunity to restore this baby cradle. Elisa and I received this as a gift from my parents in preparation for our first child Cody.

There’s nothing extra fancy about this cradle. It’s the kind you can probably buy at Kmart for $99 today. Thirty years ago it would have been even less expensive.

Though not fancy, it was the first sleeping home for each of our children. Cody was the first baby to gently rock to sleep in it. Then Clinton and Brenin both took a turn followed by Rebecca and Leslie Ann.

Then, like many things once precious but no longer needed, the baby cradle shifted into storage where it’s remained for 21 years since Leslie last rocked to sleep in it.

The restoration process was taxing for this grandpa as I had not actually ever restored a piece of wood before. I did help Dad one time when I was a kid stain a wood bunk bed he made for my brother Bobby and I. Staining new wood, I now intimately know, is nothing like restoring old wood.

The unknown factor of the project was mentally kicking my butt and I really didn’t know if I could do it. I eventually delayed enough that Elisa and Rebecca both wondered if I was ever going to do it.

I eventually admitted I need some motivational help. I reached out first to my friends at Bennett’s Paint, Greg Jenkins and his son Ben. Their expert advice got me started on the right mental track, breaking the project down into manageable steps.

I started to believe I could actually do this!

Disassembly was the first step then regluing joints that had come apart. A light sanding followed to prep the wood to receive the stain. Then a thorough dusting including blowing off with an air hose to ensure no minuscule grains of sawdust remained.

Then I started staining.

Well, at least I thought I started staining. What I actually did was open the wrong can and started applying the varnish coat! It took me varnishing half of the stabilization bar before I realized the reason there was no color change!

“Lester, you idiot!”

Unfortunately, this has long been my go-to phrase when I realize I have made a mistake. Fortunately, I utter this deplorable phrase much less than I used to. Something about focusing on telling myself a better story.

Then I got back up and went back to work staining the other wood pieces, making sure I opened the right can this time. I also went to work figuring out how to fix my mistake, which was actually much easier than I anticipated, discovering the varnish only needed to dry then I could sand off the varnish and start over.

This process of getting back up is another part of focusing on telling myself a better story.

The cradle looks really good and I’m quite happy with my work! I like the confidence I experienced doing something new. More importantly, I like the confidence I feel because I chose to change the language I was using and focused on getting back up and figuring things out.

The cradle does look really good. The color is a deep burgundy and I’m excited to show you…

But not yet.

First, Rebecca gets to see it. And then I’ll show you, probably at the same time I show you our new grandson!

In the meantime, here’s another photo of beautiful Rebecca and her beautiful baby bump.

Have a great Monday! Thanks for letting me share!

Les

p.s. Take 13 minutes today to remember the story you most consistently tell yourself is the story to most consistently come true in your life. Create a beautiful, powerful, wonderful story!

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