Miscellany Monday - November 16, 2015: Braces, Christmas Cards, Shoe Boxes, and Our DIY Plans

First one, then two...then three...and now all four of our oldest children are going for evaluations by the orthodontist.

We have wondered who was going to be the lucky first victim one.

Turns out, Noah got to do the honors!



Wednesday morning he looked like this:

And by Wednesday evening - when we had family pictures made - he looked like this:

He has handled it so well.  Jas and I never had braces, but from what I've heard, I am pretty sure I would have whined more.  I am so glad Noah went first, and he has set the bar high.


He will need bottom braces put on also, but they will have to wait for a bit, until the top ones have had a little time to do their work first (otherwise his top teeth would just knock the bottom braces off).



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I - the Procrastination Queen of the World - have set a new record:

Our Christmas cards have already been ordered!


I can't even believe it myself.  This is a full 2 - or 3 - weeks before I usually get that done!

After we took the above-mentioned family pictures on Wednesday night, it was a matter of picking my favorite (two, actually), and then designing our card and placing the order using the vouchers I purchased a couple months ago through Picaboo.  (Picaboo is my very favorite-est site in the whole WORLD for ordering photo books and cards, etc.  And they are always have great sales and selling wonderful vouchers.  Love this site!)

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Yesterday was collection day at our church for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

We had a blast shopping and each of the four older kiddos packing their own boxes.

I should have taken pictures when they were still in the thick of packing their boxes...
the whole floor was COVERED in stuff!

I am thinking this might be the last year that we only have four boxes, as I bet Mr. G will put in to pack his own box next Christmas!

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A precious idea that I pinned eons ago is about to come to life, and I am so excited!

This old entertainment center that we purchased through Craig's List.....

...is about to become a wonderful, used-for-years (I hope!) play kitchen for Gabriel and Abigail. 

While it looks like this right now...

 

...by Christmas morning, it will look (something) like this:

I like to go by the motto: "Why buy it for $30 when you can make it yourself for $100?"  

We are having so much fun planning and buying things for their kitchen...and I look forward to having many, many meals cooked for me in the babies' new kitchen!