I Got Braces!

I've been needing braces for years. Unfortunately, braces were not in the budget growing up. So now as an adult I'm finally taking care of something that should have been done years ago. I looked into Invisalign a while ago, but when I was told the cost I decided that my crooked teeth were just fine, thank you very much. However, as the years went on I realized my jaw and mouth just didn't sit right. So I went to the orthodontist and asked about Invisalign. He told me that my getting Invisalign was like "going after an elephant with a pea shooter". Funny guy. Then I was told I would need braces. Yikes! I have a severe overbite, really worn teeth, and a messed up jaw. It's not like I had much choice. So here I am in braces at age 27. I've had them for about four days so far and I'm actually getting used to the things. I have ceramic on top and metal on the bottom. My tongue is roughed up and really sore. I also had to go in to the office yesterday to get the top cleats bent in and some extra glue taken off. The glue had dried to a sharp point which tore my tongue up something terrible. I'm a very picky and sensitive person so for me to have this metal and wires all in my mouth is annoying and frustrating. I'm not much liking it, but at least right now I don't hate it nearly as much as I did just a couple days ago. I went in at 7:00 am on Friday, March 21. After leaving the office later I had a "What the heck did I just do?" moment. I was pretty bummed out. Then I found a site called www.archwired.com. It has been a wonderful help to me and very supportive. I highly recommend it for any adult already in or considering braces.

My tongue is doing better and that was the main thing that was stressful. I'm also getting sick and tired of people asking me what in the world I did this for. Of course, all of those people need braces as well, so whatever. It's hard. I get so jealous hearing others talk about getting their braces off. Heck, I'm only on day 4. My estimate is anywhere between 18-36 months and I won't know which end I'm on until I get further along and we see how my teeth are moving. I also have to get two teeth extracted on top on Thursday. I'm a huge sissy about stuff like this and I'm really scared.

I just keep repeating to myself: "It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it..."

Horton Hears a Retching Sound

So tonight the family and I decided to go to IHOP for dinner. I have this thing lately about wanting to eat there. Of course when we sit down to look at the menu, our girls immediately noticed the pretty picture depicting yummy pancakes covered in pastel syrup and candy, topped with a pretty pink lollipop. So of course they want it. And why not? It looks kid-friendly enough. Now I'm looking at this thing and while I admit it sure is pretty to look at, common sense is telling me--no, screaming at me not to order this item for my girls. So of course, being as I'm a fully competent adult....I order the who-cakes for one and the jo-jo meal for the other. Now the jo-jo meal also comes with ham and a side of green eggs. "Why are the eggs green?" You might ask. Well, that's because some marketing genius thought "Hey, let's make the eggs green by putting creamed spinach in them!". No. Seriously. I'm not joking. Creamed...spinach...in...eggs...for...kids. When the food arrived, the girls oohed and aahed over the pretty display, and immediately snatched up their lollipops. And that's as long as the novelty lasted. My 5-year-old promptly scraped off the colorful sauce and candy and ate some of my normal pancakes instead. My 3-year-old ate some of hers and probably elevated her blood sugar beyond belief. She (wisely) completely ignored the creamed-spinach-egg nightmare.

Who the bloody heck decides to mix creamed spinach and scrambled eggs?? Not only that...but then decides to market them to KIDS!! BLECH!

And the most burning question of all: What was I THINKING?! Definitely not one of my better mom moments.

Baby Quilt

Well, not sure how, but I actually was able to make my baby daughter a quilt after she was born. Believe me, it's not easy to find time for my hobby at all. If it wasn't for my wonderful husband, I'd never get any time at all for my hobby. He's there to watch the kids and make sure I chill the heck out and go do something I love. At times he commands me to go do this. I got this pattern from Singer's book: The Quilting Bible. It was a fun pattern and I may even do it again some day. It got really tedious cutting out all the hearts and prepping them to be sewn on. But in the end it was worth it as the quilt turned out gorgeous. I find quilting to be a great break from garment sewing when I need it. Quilting is pretty straightforward and I don't have to worry about alterations, sewing collars, etc.

A True Artist

A good friend of mine makes some really gorgeous jewelry. She's been doing it for years and only in the recent years has she made a business from it. When I was in the hospital after giving birth to my daughter, she came to visit me and gave me a salvation bracelet that she made. The visit meant a lot to me because my baby daughter was in the NICU and I was absolutely terrified. This bracelet isn't just a beautiful piece of jewelry. It means many things. First of all, it's a salvation bracelet, so for us Christians it represents what Christ did for us. Black is for sin, red is for Christ's blood, white is being made clean through accepting Christ, blue is for baptism, green is for spiritual growth, and gold is for Heaven. For me the bracelet also stands for true friendship. It serves me as a daily reminder that there are real friends out there who will take the time to be there for you when times are really tough.

If you have a moment, you can can hop over and check out my friend's site: Gentle Spirit Creations It's simply amazing to see what talent she has and it's always a joy to look at her creations.

Note: The picture seriously does not do this piece justice at all. I was trying to catch the sparkle of this jewelry. The photos on the Gentle Spirit Creations site are way better.