Ever since Rich’s surgery, time has gotten away from me.  It seems like the more I want to accomplish, the less actually gets done.  I should be keeping you updated on the videos I’ve made (and there have been quite a few,) but I have a small problem, and one that most of you will struggle understanding.  Since I use a camera with a memory card for videos, I take the memory card and insert it into my laptop to write notes for Rich….for instance, the name of the video, the edits I want to make sure he does etc.   With that being said, the memory cards are inserted and removed from the laptop repeatedly and over time, I broke that unit that the memory card is inserted into….Luckily, there is a way to work around this problem.  It’s called a memory card reader, and it looks like this.

The problem with using one of these, is you insert it into the side of the laptop you are using and as long as it’s inserted, it sticks out the side of the laptop….Herein lies my problem.  I keep forgetting that the card reader is there, and I’ve broken three of these in the last few months…Luckily they aren’t expensive, but why can’t I remember to either remove it when I’m finished?  I did remember that it was there yesterday (when I broke another one,) but placed the laptop beside me in a reclining chair and then sat the chair upright, bending the card reader….It didn’t just bend, part of it is now stuck inside my computer.  I told Rich I broke another card reader, but haven’t broken the news to him that a portion of the card reader is still inside my laptop.  This hopefully won’t be the end of my laptop, but I’m a little bit worried that if Rich can’t safely remove the card reader, I won’t be able to use a card reader on this laptop, making it useless for making videos.

I know, it’s so stupid that I can’t seem to wrap my head around something as simple as taking a piece that’s clearly sticking out of the side of my laptop, and removing it before I break yet another one.  But this is where we are today…Geez….

On a brighter note, Rich felt like getting out of the house today, so we went out for lunch and to a movie with friends.  We saw Ford Vs. Ferrari…it’s long, but a good movie.  There was more car racing than necessary (in my opinion,) but otherwise, well worth going to see.  For some reason it didn’t occur to me that it was based on a true story, with embellishments of course.. It was more activity than Rich was really ready for, and he made it home in time to ice his hip and take a nap.  We might be waiting a while before he’s up for editing another video, as the one he uploaded was too much for him, and the twisting and turning he did to get comfortable while editing, put his lower back out of place, so he’s struggling with that as well.  It’s not easy getting older…Did I mention I turned 60 on the 22nd?  Yikes…

I’m Back!! Rich’s surgery went well and he’s finally been released to edit videos again!! Below you’ll find all of the instructions and products used.

I made my own anti-static pouch by using corn starch and putting it inside two knee highs placed inside each other (after filling the first with about one-two tablespoons of corn starch)..I then knotted them as close to the top of the corn starch as possible, and then cutting off the excess knee highs and discarding them. You can use either corn starch or baby powder, both will work.

The second is and EK Success embossing powder tool and here’s a link to it at Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/t2zn3ya But, I always recommend that you price shop elsewhere so you get the lowest price. This is the only powder that smells…I think it smells like baby powder..

Brutus Monroe Magic Powder Bag link: https://tinyurl.com/y57y7bzk

Michaels Recollections Anti Static Pouch link: https://tinyurl.com/scxv276 (make sure you use a coupon at Michaels)

There are other brands, but I did try to give you a fair comparison.
I used a stamp from Brutus Monroe called Bite Me, link: https://tinyurl.com/y5o9gv97
Brutus Monroe Embossing Ink link: https://tinyurl.com/y4n9n4lh
Michaels Recollections Heavyweight Cardstock (white and black) link: https://tinyurl.com/qpuoowl
Sparkle N Sprinkle Black fine detail embossing powder (now called Glitters Galore) link: https://tinyurl.com/t59zamp

After using the black fine detail embossing powder on white cardstock, the only tool that didn’t seem to work was the EK Success tool. It seems to splatter the powder, even after I started heat setting from beneath the paper.

I used Brutus Monroe’s Icicle embossing powder that I thought was their white….it was not..It’s their clear (and the name leads the average person to believe that, but not me…) Geez!!  I left this comparison in, even though there isn’t much to compare.  At the bottom of this information, you’ll see how I recommend you using clear embossing powder for everything (except silver, gold and copper, as I think they still look best using those colors of embossing powder.)

Nuvo Fine Detail white embossing powder link: https://tinyurl.com/r76rq9g

White embossing powder on black paper…None performed well…all seemed to have similar results.. I decided to try again using Versamark Ink which is the ink normally used for embossing. link: https://tinyurl.com/rnyrmku
Using Versamark with white embossing powder, the Recollections pouch and my homemade pouch seemed to work the best with Versamark.

I was asked about dust and if the tools create much dust...I pounced each tool aggressively on the black paper and I definitely saw dust with the Brutus Monroe pouch and the others I’ll leave to your judgement…

As an fyi, when you use a stamp with a fine line image, the best product should be a fine detail embossing powder, otherwise you’ll get thicker lines (which you don’t want.) You should also use a fine detail embossing powder when working with sentiment stamps, as the letters should be crisp using a fine detailed product.
If you use a stamp with a more filled-in image, I’d recommend using regular embossing powder…..but for me, what I prefer to use for best results, is to use an ink that is the ink color I want the end color to be and then use clear embossing powder over it to make it look like you embossed with that color. You can do this a number of ways…
1. Use a pigment ink or distress oxide ink that stays wet longer and then you can add your clear embossing powder directly onto the ink and then heat set it.
2. Using a MISTI, stamp with any dye based ink in the color you choose, then stamp again with your embossing ink, and then add clear embossing powder.
3. If you are super fast, you can sometimes stamp with a dye based ink and immediately put clear embossing powder over it. If you’ve done it quickly, the powder will adhere, and if you are too slow, the embossing powder will fall right back off and you’ll need to try something else.
4. If you don’t have a MISTI, but have a Stamp a ma jig, link: https://tinyurl.com/rj7vekw, you can stamp with your colored dye based ink and then holding the tool to make sure you stamp in the exact same spot, use your Versamark or embossing ink, and stamp over the same image, then use clear embossing powder over it..

Rich had his first follow-up appointment with his surgeon today, and everything looked great.  Rich told the surgeon about a pain he’s been having in his thigh, and the surgeon asked if he has been overdoing it….What?  Overdoing?  Not Rich……I couldn’t believe it, he answered honestly and said yes, he had been.  The surgeon told him as long as he keeps overdoing, he’s going to continue to have that kind of pain.  In response, Rich asked if he can go to the gym any time soon….I’m not sure if Rich was connecting the dots…If you overdo it, you’ll have pain….so going to the gym seems to run along the lines of overdoing it…but then again, how would I know…I only have six artificial joints to compare to his one….Men…

Instead of going to the gym, I’m hoping to get him on his computer to start editing the many videos that have been piling up over the last three weeks.  I know he won’t be uploading any until the 23rd, as we have plans with friends to have lunch the next two days, and that should be enough stress on his hip….Let’s hope he decides to rest and get back to editing…

Yesterday I got serious about making thank you cards for Rich to give to friends and family for their kindness while he was down with his hip surgery.  I started by using some Ton Stamps, and if you’ve never used them, they make terrific red rubber (and clear) stamps, but I am all about the red rubber floral backgrounds.  They are so deeply etched, and create such lovely backgrounds….I used a bunch of different images, and embossing powders to create richly colored line images.  Even if I didn’t get a perfect image (because I couldn’t tell if I had covered the entire image with embossing ink), I can still use parts of the background and make a card with just a portion of the background used…I’ll definitely be making videos to show you all the ways I’ll be using them.

Today I read a Jack Reacher series book, and then had my girlfriend Lynn’s twin grandkids over for a lesson in etiquette.  Their older sister had been in one of the etiquette classes I teach in college, and thought her fourteen year old brother and sister could use the class, as they’ve been invited to a “dinner party” for one of their friends.  They are required to wear a suit or dressy dress, and the boys are supposed to wear a dress hat.  I can’t imagine how many fourteen year olds would have the necessary clothing, but these two are all about making sure they know what they are doing, and not sticking out like sore thumbs.  I can’t imagine what they will be served at this dinner party, as the birthday boy is world travelled, and spends summers in Greece…I had my girlfriend make a very simple meal for us to practice with, and it wasn’t very successful..These twins could not be more different.  The girl would eat almost anything, and her brother would eat almost nothing.  In fact, our dinner tonight was the first time he’s ever eaten salad.  I’m not talking some kind of crazy salad, I’m talking lettuce and dressing…He’d never tried it before….Then came the soup.  He said he’ll only eat a few kinds of soups, and luckily, he would eat the chicken noodle soup that his grandmother brought, but wouldn’t eat many other varieties.  I had her make a simple chicken dish with pasta, and he ate both of those, but then when we talked about the possibilities of what main courses he might be served at this “dinner party,” he said he wouldn’t eat almost any of them.  I really hope that he talks to the birthday boy before the dinner, so he’s not surprised by what they might feed him, as he won’t eat seafood, steak, prime rib, pork, or any combinations of the above.  He says his family primarily eats chicken, and so that’s what he eats.  Apparently he doesn’t branch out much (OK, at all.)  I told him he’s going to have to eat whatever they serve him, or suffer through a bunch of questions like, “didn’t you like that?”  or “Are you feeling OK” or “Was the food OK?”  I’m concerned that if he doesn’t eat what’s being served, he’s going to offend the host, and possibly not be considered to be included in future dinners, and that would be sad.  I really hope he can power through whatever they feed him, but it wasn’t looking very promising tonight…At least they know which forks to use and maybe that will count for something.

I spent the afternoon shopping with my girlfriend…we started at a craft fair held at the local elementary school.  There were a lot of vendors, but not many new ideas. So many things are repeated year after year, and I love it when people come up with something new.  Sadly, this wasn’t the year for new ideas.  I find more and more of the home party businesses transferring into the craft fair scene.  It used to be that if you wanted to buy Tupperware, you either knew a dealer, and bought through them, or you were invited to a party at someone’s home.   Now they sell primarily at craft fairs.  It wouldn’t bother me if the home party business made up a small percentage of the “crafters,” but now, it seems over half of the vendors are small businesses with no “crafts” involved.  They are the new “Lula Roe” clothing version (can’t remember the name of that company), and the vendor that sells Scentsy home fragrances, and the ones that sell goods made by women in third world countries, and the nail stickers, and Avon, and the lists go on and on.

The big craze continues to be things cut with a Cricut or Silhouette, and this year, it was long, tear-drop shaped earrings made from vinyl that looked like leather…Two vendors sold the exact same shaped earrings, which I thought was odd, considering the many shapes you could make for earrings out of vinyl…

I would like to make a few of the sock gnomes for family and friends….and my twist might be adding an essential oil to the inside, so it has a nice fragrance…I think we’ll try it and see how it works out…you never know.  I’d also like to make some small enough to hang on Christmas trees as ornaments.  I need to come up with some gift themed videos and I’m hoping this will be one of them…Guess we’ll have to wait and see what I can come up with.

I felt I should update you on Rich and his hip replacement surgery recovery.  He continues to do amazingly well, but because of that, is now getting to the point where he thinks he should be allowed to do a lot more than the doctor’s advised.  I was warned by his doctors that this would happen, but hoped Rich would realize that the doctor’s advice might be worthwhile.  They said the more he does in the first three weeks, the longer it delays his healing.  That held a lot of water for the first week, but now, halfway through week two, he’s over it.  We had a big snowstorm today and of course, I couldn’t shovel the driveway…we have nowhere urgent to go, and if we did, there’s not enough snow to stop me from driving through it.  Unfortunately, there also isn’t enough snow to stop Rich from getting the mail (at the bottom of our driveway.)  He assured me he wouldn’t have any issues doing so, after I pleaded with him to stop…

The thing is……he’s never been in a position to rely on others to do things for him, and he doesn’t like it.  He’s also never recovered from surgery like this, so he’s also stubborn enough to try things he shouldn’t, without regard for the consequences.  Luckily nothing happened, but what if it had?  I can’t get him to see that part of the scenario…the one where he’s hurt and I can’t help him.  I realize that he’s being careful when he’s taking these chances, but accidents happen, and then where will we be?  Honestly, I didn’t expect this surgery to be so physically taxing on both of us, and I know he sees that, and wants to help.

We have so many wonderful friends, who have been dropping by with food, which is so kind, and it’s made me appreciate all of them that much more.  Rich’s doctor’s appointment is November 20th, and I’ll be so glad when that’s behind us, as he’ll be allowed to drive, walk, go outside, and enjoy life again….This staying in bed or on the couch is becoming a real problem for him…

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a week since Rich’s hip replacement.  He’s walking without his crutches and already causing problems for me.  I need to tie him down or he might end up in big trouble.  Today, after lunch, my girlfriend and I were going to run errands for an hour or so.  I reminded Rich he needed to get back in bed or I wouldn’t leave and he promised he would.  When I got home, he told me he had decided he needed to run the sweeper since it’s impossible for me to do effectively.  I know I should have been grateful, but instead, I was so angry and frustrated at the risk he had taken.  After all, this morning we took off his bandage for the first time and he got lightheaded, so it’s not like I was over reacting.  He wanted to ease my anxiety over dog-hairy carpets, and instead, made me freak out because I’d left him unattended and he took such a foolish risk.  I don’t think he’ll do that again, but I’m sure in the next two weeks, when he’s supposed to be resting, that he’ll find something else to do that will make me lose my mind.  The doctor warned me that Rich would do this….In fact, he said I should basically tie Rich in place, so he doesn’t overdo it….  I honestly thought he would listen to the doctor, but I guess he thinks he knows best.  Yikes….It’s going to be a long couple of weeks.  Don’t worry, I’ll keep you all in the loop when he tries his next stunt.

I know many of you are thinking I should have appreciated the fact that he wanted to help me….but if he falls and has to have this hip re-replaced, then how do I handle it?

Since we’ve been married, I’ve been the patient and not the nurse, and this roll reversal is taxing, to say the least.  Some parts of it are almost physically impossible for me (like putting on compression socks without his help.)  He’s supposed to have his ice bag on his hip as much of the day as possible, so I’ve been changing ice packs like a mad woman, and trying to stay on top of all of the rest of the household jobs, and making sure he has his meds four times a day and eight different prescriptions.  The dogs have been losing their minds with all of the upheaval, so they’ve been causing problems, jumping on Rich, asking to go outside more often than usual, and terrorizing visitors.

I hope with each passing day that things go more smoothly, and that I can catch my breath….The best I can say at this point, is I haven’t lost my mind…much…

I thought I’d give you a short update on Rich’s surgical recovery.  He took his first shower today and is doing amazingly well.  I slept in yesterday (by accident), and he made his own breakfast and put his pills together to take.  That doesn’t sound like much, but they gave him eight prescriptions, so they are hard to keep track of…I made a big chart and if I didn’t have that, I’d be lost.

Rich hasn’t had a pain level over two since he’s been home, which blows me away, but then again, we’ve kept the ice pack on it and am changing it every two hours, plus giving him pain medication every four hours.  I want to make sure he gets through this first week with minimal pain, as, for me, that’s always been the toughest part.

I’m spoiling him with Mountain Dew and bacon, and friends have been stopping by and dropping off meals, treats, and desserts, so he’s doing well.  I can’t tell you how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends, and if you are one of them, words can’t express how much we appreciate you.

I’ve talked about this wedding for so long, and asked on facebook if anyone would like to see the short video we made of the day…Since many of you said you’d like to see it, here it is..

I picked Rich up at the hospital this morning and we had three of his college friends waiting at our house to help him make it up three steps into the house.  That might sound like overkill, but it snowed last night and things were slippery, and I knew if Rich had any kind of wobble, that there was no way I could stop him from falling.  Yesterday, in the restroom, he looked down, then looked up, and lost his balance (mainly from the pain medicines and the after-effects of anesthesia.  He had a nurse with him then, so I didn’t think it was too big of a stretch for him to lose his balance on outside snowy steps…We are lucky to have so many wonderful friends. They didn’t hesitate when I asked for help, and originally, we’d only asked two men, and then the third said he wanted to help as well, so we had lots of helpers.  They also brought one of their wives (the couple we go to movies with)…and she brought enough food to last us a very long time…There’s a really yummy chicken and mushroom casserole with rice, and a huge pan of pasta, cookies, salad and french bread.  I might have missed something they brought…they are so thoughtful, and we truly appreciated it.  I’d only gotten around to making up the couch so Rich could lay there when his friends were here, and baked a batch of cookies…The cookies were Nestles Toll House that you find in the biscuit area of the refrigerator section of your supermarket.  I bought them last weekend, thinking they’d be a great treat for Rich…..I made them last night so we’d have them for Rich and his friends to snack on today.  So we did and everyone seemed to enjoy them (I always roll the chocolate chip ones in crushed walnuts before I bake them and they seem more homemade, to me.)   As soon as our friends left, the telephone rang, and it was our supermarket and Nestles Foods, telling us that the cookies we’d bought had been recalled and we should take them and the receipt back to the store I bought them….That might be a little tricky to do since we ate half of them…Apparently, there’s some kind of plastic (non-food) in the cookies.  They didn’t have to tell me that plastic was a non-food group, but apparently not everyone is aware of that fact.

They gave the codes of the recalled batches, but I couldn’t read the batch on my wrapper, so called the toll-free number Nestles provided, and was on hold for over 20 minutes, when they disconnected me.  There’s nothing more frustrating than being on hold, hearing that message, every two minutes, telling you to hold for the next available operator, only to hear dead air after twenty minutes, and then nothing.  Of course now I’ve given up on contacting them, because I’m not wasting another 20 minutes on cookies….I’m so mad though, because we ate them before we got  the message, and as I said before, we’d bought the cookies last weekend, so they had plenty of time to contact us before we ate them.  It’s a day in the life of Sandy…..nothing seems to go as planned.

Today, as they were releasing Rich, they decided to tell him that he’s feeling great now, but in a day or two, the pain killer they put inside his hip will have dissipated, and it will hurt like anything.  Good to know, and isn’t it nice that he felt wonderful while he had real nurses around him, and once he feels bad, I’ll be his nurse…Let’s just say I’m not very patient, and after a partial day of nursing, I know why I never pursued the field…I’d rather be his chief cook and bottle washer, and leave the nursing to the professionals…