2, 4, 6....

While dating, we discussed having children.  We both agreed - TWO.  That was the number.  One for each parent; crowd control would be easy.  We thought we also agreed on when to start having these two babies.

Techno-genius was certain, five years.  Having time to enjoy each other, being married, finishing school, working, traveling. Being dinks (double income, no kids).  Waiting five years between the two as well.   That was his plan.

I thought that was what I wanted too.  Saving money, buying a house, taking romantic vacations.  It all sounded right and good.

Funny how things change.  It wasn't long after we were married that I experienced some issues that made me question whether or not having babies was going to be easy or even possible for us.  My view on five years quickly flew out the window.

I decided to 'let things happen as they might' in this area of our lives.  A little more than a year into our marriage, I discovered I was pregnant with our first child.  Do the math  - this falls short of our '5 year' plan.

Techno-genius admits, his reaction to this news was right out of the textbook "What NOT to do When Your Wife Tells You She's Pregnant."  After the first week of shock, however, he came around and was 100% on board and with me all the way.

During my pregnancy that whole idea of "2" babies also morphed.  I just knew I wanted 4.  I couldn't imagine only 2 precious bundles.

My hubby jokingly tells his friends, "you'll lose this battle, so don't even try."  Although he still felt 2 was good, he was fine with the thought of 4.

Things were smooth as we had our oldest - a son, then three years later our first daughter arrived.  Not long after, our second son came on the scene.  Having had a slightly difficult delivery/recovery, Techno-genius wasn't convinced we should try for number four.  Once I had him convinced, we discovered we were having difficulties in the area of fertility.

We all but gave up the notion of another Williams baby.  We parted w/all the 'baby stuff' we had been holding onto. Donating most to an overseas mission program.  As fate would have it, about a month after our crib and other 'baby parafenalia' made it's way across the ocean, we learned baby number 4 was finally on her way.

That was it.  Our family was complete.

Until.... surprisingly we discovered we were pregnant with #5.  Having had so much difficulty with our 2nd daughter, we never even considered getting pregnant would 'just happen'.

Shocked, but thrilled, I knew we couldn't stay at 5.  It's an odd number. We couldn't have an uneven number of kiddos.

Soon enough baby number 6, our kabooose, was making her entrance into our world.

We like to joke and tell people HE wanted 2 kids, I wanted 4.

We compromised and had....... 6.

We wouldn't have it any other way.  All 6 are such precious jewels in our lives.  Such gifts from God.  He knew the number of children we should have and that's what we currently enjoy.

Letting Go is HARD

Recently, our oldest son, whom has always said he wanted to 'stay close to home' when he went to college, announced that he was going to apply to:  MIT in BOSTON - 3000+ miles away; Stanford in California - 1000+/- miles away; The Colorado School of Mines in Colorado - of course - 100+/- miles away; and the University of Wyoming in -- you guessed it Wyoming - 30 miles away.

He's a very intelligent young man.

Why wouldn't he apply to some of these 'prestigious' schools?

He's interested in chemical engineering, so a school like MIT is quite fitting.

Well, this past Fri I spent the morning...... crying!

Not a little sniffle, but full blown sobs which left my eyes puffy and my nose stuffy and my head achey.

Why, you ask?

I'm.   Not.   Ready.   To.   LET.   GO!

I realize that parenting is all about the process of letting go.

It's a God directed path to help us teach our children; aim the arrows in the right direction; then -- when the time is right -- release the arrow; letting it fly on it's own, praying for God's Will to be done.

I guess knowing this is our last year of molding him at home; knowing he'll be venturing out on his own; acknowledging that his time to spread his wings is fast approaching; wigged me out just a bit!

A year is a long time - when you're 2!   At 42, however, with 6 kids growing faster than weeds; a 16 year old entering his senior year, talking about going 3000+ miles away to college; a year seems like a mere blink of an eye.

We don't want to 'hold him back'.

Our intention is not to smother him.

Yet, his well being - physically, emotionally, mentally, and most of all spiritually is our HIGHEST priority.

It's in that vain that I have been and will continue to pray - fervently.

For God's direction.

God's Will.

We want what is best for Jacob.

However, unlike the world thinks, that may or may not be directly related to how prestigious the college is in which he attends.

Even though my mommy heart wants to keep him 'close to home' for selfish reasons (I'd miss him, 3000 miles is a long way to travel to bring a care package or meet for dinner, I wouldn't see him weekly or even monthly - barely yearly), a deeper reason for wanting him nearby is to help him continue to grow into the man GOD wants him to be.

I'm sure I'll have more days of crying.

Although, I pray the days of rejoicing with and over Jacob will far outweigh the weepy ones.

Either way, I'll trust God to lead him where he should go.  I'll pray Jacob's heart and mind are open to that guidance.

When the time comes - fall 2014 - I pray I'll have peace as I let go of Jacob's hands.  Knowing God's hands will slip into that spot; continuing to hold him up; walking along side him; guiding him;  protecting him.

Far better than I ever could.

Through this, my tears of fear and sorrow will turn to tears of joy and gratitude.

Letting go IS hard, but it is also necessary and good.

How have you worked through letting go and allowing your children to grow into the young men and women God intended?

Heavy Heart and Hope

It's with a heavy heart that I write this post.

Today I learned that a high school classmate and his wife, whom Techno-genius and I had the privilege to fellowship with at my 20th high school reunion, just lost their 19 year old daughter to a car accident.

Although we weren't close - had not spoken in 20+ years prior to the reunion; nor have we kept in touch other than 'liking' one another's facebook posts since the reunion, my heart broke for my schoolmate, his wife, and his 5 other children.

I had never met his little girl, Emily, but from what he stated in a post on facebook she was a young lady strong in her faith.  What a blessing.

From hearing this news, it made me pause and reflect on our own loved ones.

How important it is to express our love and appreciation for those in our lives. For the gifts God has given us for this time - as limited as it may be - here on this earth.

How precious children are.  How much MORE precious they are to the Father in Heaven.

How grateful I am - and I know John is - that most of our children -- those with a strong understanding - have chosen to accept Jesus' gift of salvation.  Just as Emily had done.

How much we need to continue to pray and guide our younger children to the knowledge and love of Christ.

It's because of this acceptance that I have hope.  My friend John and his wife Dawn have hope.  The HOPE of seeing their little girl again one day.

This life is not all there is.  When this life ends we have the opportunity for eternal life with our Lord and Savior.

However, the choice to accept that gift is ours.

This morning our pastor preached on Redemption and Grace.  How appropriate for this time, this news.

Jesus shows us Grace by giving us the gift of salvation.

He GIVES it to us.

We don't have to earn it.

It's a G-I-F-T!  

BUT.... we do have to accept it.

God won't force us to take it.

This news, the heavy heartedness I feel for my friend and his family, has also made me realize how important it is to share my faith with others.

More.

Boldly.

We're not promised tomorrow.  Sadly, my friend is living that today.

I know he has HOPE!  I know he has peace.  He didn't wait until tomorrow to share the gift God has given him with his little girl.  She too had accepted the gift that only Jesus can give.

Our days are numbered.

Don't wait.

Have HOPE!

Receive God's gift of grace.

Accept Jesus!

Contest winners

Due to limited entries - I had 2 winners... Cheryl Martin who sent a suggestion of using mason jars for candles and my very own Techno-genius who suggested moving his wife to the 'rustic' mountains, hanging a 'rustic' pot rack, and turning a 'rustic' workbench into a kitchen island.  LOL!

Cheryl, please e-mail or message me a mailing address where you'd like your 'country goblets' delivered.  I have several sets made and will send a couple your way.

Techno-genius, be on the lookout for 'country goblets' to make their appearance at our dinner table one day soon.  :-)

Guess contests aren't my thing.

What sort of contest would you like to see?  Apparently 'rustic' country goblets weren't as exciting for everyone else as they were for me.

DIY - workbench to kitchen island transformation

My first big DIY project in our mountain home:

Transforming a basement workbench into a kitchen island.

Our belongings arrived allowing me to have an island in our open, yet limited-counter-space kitchen.

The movers deposited the piece in the kitchen area so we could 'see' how it fit. If it would really work as we were envisioning.

The fit -- perfect!

It added such a wonderful work space -- not to mention a great additional storage unit for all our small appliances and odd/end gadgets.

Unfortunately, it was still.    A.     WORKBENCH!

The 'workbench' in all it's glory - spills, splats, and all.

The top had spilled glue and paint on it; the frame was unfinished wood with splinters just waiting to happen.

I knew...          it had to be...            painted!

After a little deliberation, research, and pondering I settled on colors.  The base would be red, the countertop granite color.

Off to Ace Hardware to purchase my supplies

First off -- sanding.  

After a little sanding, it's already lookin' better.

All the 'workbench smudge' had to be removed and the rough wood needed smoothed out.


Fortunate for me, Techno-genius had an orbital sander.  Sanding the entire piece became child's play.  Seriously... It was F-U-N!  FUN!

Such a life saver for this project.

Once that was accomplished, I wiped the whole thing down and prepped for painting.

A coat of primer was needed since I was applying countertop paint onto wood and because the frame was bare wood. (Had no desire to paint 16 coats of red paint on that thing.)

Grey tinted primer was used to aid in coverage for the granite colored top and red frame.

Priming was easy.  Not necessarily pretty, but the job was done.

Next up -- the countertop.  Who knew painting a countertop would be so uncomplicated?  Here's hoping it's as durable as it was simple to apply.

(Feeling fairly certain the rest of the kitchen countertops will need to be painted as well.) :-)





Finally the frame received it's first coat of red cabinet paint.  Looks pretty amazing even thought it's obvious it will need AT LEAST another coat.

Not quite the finished product, but pretty close.  Minus the blue taped drawer handles and add a second coat of red.

Unfortunately trim/cabinet paint needed 24 hours prior to painting a second coat.  Slight delay in my progress.

It was still pretty amazing.

What was once a workbench is now an island.  All in one afternoon.... plus about an hour to slap on that second coat of red paint following my 24 hours of waiting.

Oh yeah, Doug has to re-attach the 'foot' that dislodged while Jacob and I moved it out to the garage. ;-)

Do you have a fun DIY project you've done recently or plan to do soon?  I'd love to hear about it.

Yet more excitement

As if starting the day off with a crash of shattering crystal and china platters wasn't enough.

Around 10:30 am, Elijah - who acquired the only minor cut from the glass explosion - came in for a trash bag; tripped up the porch stairs; smashed his leg into the corner of the step; resulting in a decent sized gash in his shin.

The gash, measuring a good 1/2 in wide; 1/2 in high; and almost 1/4 in deep resulted in a call to the pediatrician to determine if stitches would be needed.

Cleaning out the wound, I could tell it was more than 'just a scratch' or minor cut.

He did a bang up job on his leg.

A bruise, already apparent, was growing just above the slash.

The skin looked as though it had been shoved with a trowel up into the corner of the what-appeared-to-be-large fissure.

UUGH!

In general I'm not horrible with blood and cuts, but I'm not non-chalant about it either. :-)

Bandaged up, Elijah was a little 'white' in the face.  (I guess he's a bit more squeamish about the sight of blood.)  A snack cured that.

Still in pain and blood seeping through the bandage with his leg down, I decided it best if he just sat with his leg elevated until we heard back from the doctor's office.

Boredom set it.

Grabbing his book, a solitaire game of chess, and the promise of a board game with Jacob later, appeased him.

Finally the nurse returned our call.  Yes, stitches were warranted.

Off we headed to the ER in town.  Our pediatrician doesn't 'do stitches'.  Go figure.

Three stitches later and we were set.  An ice cream cone from Burger King to ease the nerves (for Elijah) and a diet Dr. Pepper (for mom).

Never a dull moment around here -- even in our simple, mountain abode.

People vs Things

This morning, as I sit in our bedroom chatting with a friend on facebook, the children begin getting their breakfast.  Hearing the happy chatter I grin.  Doug and I are already done with our morning coffee chat and I am having a pleasant conversation with my friend.

Suddenly an uncanny noise of shattering glass and a huge thud erupt from the kitchen.  The boys heatedly discuss who did what to cause such a calamity.

As I scramble off the bed - which takes a bit longer now that my knees seem to sorta 'lock in place' when sitting indian style on the bed with my computer in my lap - I can tell the boys are getting more and more worked up by the event that just transpired.

I walk into the kitchen expecting to see the candy dish from the island shattered with m&m's strewn about the floor.

That isn't QUITE what I discover.

First I see Elijah cowering his way to the living room holding his hand, sitting on the couch, assessing his leg and ankle.

Walking toward him, I call out to Jacob - who at this point is sitting on the kitchen countertop to avoid the shattered glass on the floor - and ask "What happened?"

His response, "I'm not sure.  The platters from up top," pointing up above the cabinets where I store 'extra stuff', "just fell.  Shattering everywhere.  Even the platter in the drain broke."

I go to Elijah and assess his minor cut.  Rattled and a small cut on his hand, but all is well.  Just confused.

Upon shooing all the kids, the cat, and the dog out of the kitchen area to insure no feet get cut, I begin to assess for myself what took place.

I have to take full blame on this one.

I placed all our 'big' serving platters up on top of the cabinets for 'storage'.  They fit, but they are all different sizes so they are a bit 'precarious'.

My guess is every time the cupboards are closed or the counters bumped, the platters shift.

Little by little.

Until today!

They shift a bit too much resulting in their ultimate demise as they plummet over the top and to the floor - nicking poor Elijah, bouncing back into the drain to break yet another piece of old china, ultimately crashing to the floor with a flourish.

My initial thought is, "Oh, no.  All our 'nicest' serving pieces."  Then I remember my boys - who had been under all the crashing pieces of glass.

I am so thankful that neither of them are hurt.

Sure, my crystal serving platter and the china plate that was my moms are broken.

But...... those items - as precious as they may have seemed - are. JUST. THINGS!

In thinking back to some situations we recently went through, God humbles me and I feel so grateful that I have this perspective.

Sure, I want to be careful with the 'things' God gives us.  That's good stewardship.

However, if I allow our stuff to be more important than the 'people' God gives us, that's idolatry.

So, this morning, as I sweep and vacuum up shards of glass; pieces of porcelain; remnants of memories broken in the fall; I smile.

Grateful that our boys, our girls, even our pets and Doug and I, who were no where near the incident this morning, are all fine.

Now I just have fewer items for which to find homes.  :-)

Plus, most important, our children are safe; in one piece; and no yelling for careless behavior came from my mouth.

Priceless.