I have been working like a crazy woman, trying to get the house clean and finish videos in time for Rich to upload them before his surgery.  I feel really guilty that I’ve taken so long to get Halloween videos done, but that’s how I role.  I should hold them until next year and instead, put some other videos up.  I feel badly that Rich has more things he needs to do before his surgery.

I finished the tic tac container conversion video, as well as the embossing anti-static pouch comparison video.  I’m telling you, I’ve been working like a crazy woman in the craft room..I’ve also been busy doing laundry, washing comforters and couch and chair covers for the furniture in the living room..I want to make sure that the living room is as clean as possible, as that’s probably where Rich will be spending a lot (or most) of his time after surgery.

I left a message on facebook, asking viewers if they’d like to see the video I made of our nephew’s wedding.  I should have asked them first if they were OK with the idea, but didn’t.  So until I get permission from them to show it, I won’t be able to upload it.  Rich did a nice job of editing it and adding special effects.  I really like it and hope they’ll allow me to show it.

As for tomorrow, we’re trying to stay busy, so our going to see the new Zombieland movie and have lunch with friends.   I’m fretting so much that my adrenaline level is through the roof…I can’t seem to calm down or sleep.  So if you get an email from me around 4AM, you’ll know I’m not sleeping again….Thursday’s surgery can’t come soon enough.  I hope Rich has a low level of pain like the surgeon is predicting…That’s never happened when I’ve had surgeries (and I’ve had this specific surgery), so don’t really know what to expect for him….Crossing my fingers that it will be so much easier for him than it was for me….

Arteza Discount Code good until November 20th 2019 CraftingforAlmostEveryone7
I used Arteza Watercolor Paper pads 5 1/2 x 8 1/2″ sheets link: https://tinyurl.com/y2dnw3ft
and Arteza Watercolor Premium Artist Paints set of 60 tubes link: https://tinyurl.com/y33b7fvf
Royal & Langnickel round brush link: https://tinyurl.com/yxde9xc5
When I got this set of watercolors, I decanted the tubes into two plastic cases and added glycerin to each of the colors so they wouldn’t crack (and probably didn’t add enough, as mine still cracked.)

I stamped with black ink and used clear embossing powder and heat set it. The image was a gift from a friend and I don’t know the maker, sorry.
I used reds, oranges and yellow colors then dabbed them off with a dishcloth so the colors aren’t so vibrant.
After I finished coloring the flower, I cut it out and added foam tape to the back of it. I stamped a sentiment on another piece of watercolor paper that is square 5 1/4 x 5″ and then used the watercolor paints to make a background. The yellow was too vibrant so I added water to it and brushed the yellow across the whole paper to dilute the color a little..I decided to make a sun ray look from the flower toward the outside and took a flat brush and brushed orange out from the flower…then took a smaller brush and made what looked like rays coming from the flower. I added tear tape to the back of this layer and made a card base that is 5 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ and adhered the layers to each other. I added the flower with foam tape to the top layer, and put another sentiment inside the card. I added homemade Wink of Stella by using Liquitex Irridescent Medium to a little bit of water and brushed it over the flower to make it really glittery…

I can’t believe how many projects we’re getting done around the house in preparation for Rich’s surgery.  I hate cleaning the fronts of my kitchen cabinets, so spent today doing that, and washing dog covers for on furniture.  I’m am so exhausted, and have a big list that I still need to do before Thursday.

I haven’t got any more videos ready to go live (after the one I’m uploading tonight), so need to do some simple projects I’ve been planning on doing.  I don’t know if I’ve talked about my Tic Tac container idea or not, but I want to turn them into pill boxes for myself and friends.  I think they are the perfect size to put in a purse, and am going to cover them with napkins and see how that works.  I might have to try something else, but for now, that’s my plan.

I’m also going to show you how to keep beads on tops…you know how you buy beaded shirts, and wash them once, and the beads come off?  I have a plan to keep the beads attached with glue.  We’ll see how it works.  And lastly, I want to make a video comparing different anti-static powders, to see if one works better than another.  I had a viewer ask about the Brutus Monroe anti-static powder, and I couldn’t honestly say whether it worked better or not, since I’ve always blown the other powders off (which is a big no-no…)   I guess we’ll get the answer soon as to which one works the best, or if they all work basically the same….

Thursday was our trick or treat.  I know that’s odd, but our area likes to have trick or treat on the Thursday before the Saturday before Halloween, as Saturday they have the local Halloween parade and the teachers like to have off Friday because the kids are tired and really hyped up from eating too much sugar…Long story and you probably didn’t really care…  Rich always dresses up as a vampire, and I make bags of candy…and not just little pieces.  I try to give the kids enough to basically bribe them to come again the next year (and tell their friends)…because Rich only gets between 8-10 kids every year.  I wish he’d get more, as he has been doing this since we were young, and we’ve never had more than 15 kids.  One year, two kids came back to tell him he gave the best candy of anyone, and that made his day.  This year, two different groups came to the door and said “I think this is the house” and once he started opening the door slowly, they said “this is it.”  That made his day..It doesn’t take a lot to make him happy…

Friday we went to get my drivers license renewed, but decided we’d get our “real ID” at the same time.  I really thought I’d read the instructions completely, but no, I didn’t have half the things I needed.  I thought if I had my license and my passport, that’s all I’d need.  But they said, “No, you also need your original Social Security card, two proof of residence, and since I’m married, my original marriage license.”  Are you kidding me?  Why don’t they also ask for a pint of blood while they’re asking.  The woman was telling me I definitely need to get one in the future…Why?  Well if I want to go to a military base (and why would I need to do that?) or a federal building (which federal building will I be going to?)   She made it clear I can still go to our local court house and post office…good to know..   I decided to give up on the idea until there’s no option left for me, (or I decide I definitely need to visit a government building.)  In a time when we’re trying to allow people to vote without any ID, it seems odd to me that we’re going to such lengths to allow people into  certain buildings..Just my two cents on the Real ID.  And what’s so fake about my passport that I need all of the other IDs to get a “Real ID?”

Yesterday, I sent back the Instant Pot to QVC, as well as the cookbook I bought to go with it, and am glad it’s gone.  I didn’t have one recipe turn out great…So today I made roast pork and sauerkraut in a cast iron pan in my oven and it was so much easier, and turned out so much better than anything I attempted in the Instant Pot…Life is good again.  The weather has turned fall-like and it’s drizzled for two days, so fall inspired foods make me happy.  I’m also trying to make sure I have the freezer full of things I can re-heat when Rich gets home from his hip replacement surgery this Thursday.  He’ll be home Friday, and I hope he does well.  I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated, but doubt I’ll have many videos up in the month of November, because he won’t be able to edit them until he’s allowed to walk much (and his computer is downstairs…)  Bummer….He’s trying to see if he can upload his editing software to a laptop upstairs, but until he does that, let’s not think about how many videos I won’t be getting uploaded, and concentrate on Rich getting better…I’m hoping that’s the plan…..

Today is our 37th wedding anniversary…Time sure passes fast when you’re having fun.  I’ve got to say that although my health has (at times) been an issue for us, Rich and I have had a wonderful marriage, and I’m looking forward to thirty-seven more years with him.

To celebrate, we went to Erie for lunch, them to Barnes & Noble for some photography magazines for Rich’s surgery recovery at the end of next week…Then on to a couple of other stores where we bought presents for the dogs (they need to celebrate too), then home for a relaxing evening together.

I thought I’d share one more photo from our nephew’s wedding.  This is probably my favorite..I love how Rich put hearts around them….he’s so talented!!  We are hoping that Mike and Melly have a wonderful life together…

Today, Rich and I went to our alma mater so I could practice interviewing with some of the accounting majors that are graduating this spring.  I love being able to help college students on their road to getting their “real job.”   Normally, the accounting students don’t miss their appointments, but today, I had two that didn’t attend.  It’s kind of frustrating, but I was young and foolish once, so know where they are coming from.  It’s too much work to prepare, and they’d rather try it on their own and hope that they can get a job without anyone’s assistance.  It’s a great thought, but not very practical.

I had a long break, so we met some college friends for lunch and discussed how aging isn’t always fun.  Since Rich is having his surgery next week, we talked a lot about that, and how another friend is having a stress test for his heart and another is struggling with serious dental issues.  It’s not easy being green, (do you remember that slogan, maybe from Sesame Street?)  Or getting older…

We got home and Rich decided he needs to make some shelving units for in our garage.  Since he painted it last week, he’s been spending more time updating it, and organizing.   We’ve lived here since 1993, and haven’t done much more than paint the garage inside, so this is a nice change.    The dogs hate the sound the drill makes and have been growling for the last hour…I’m hoping he finishes soon so they can calm down.

I’m off to the craft room to finish another Halloween project.

Below you’ll find the complete instructions for making the card, as well as the products used.
To make the card, I started by using a Purple Onions Design stamp called Happy Halloween Noteblock link: https://tinyurl.com/y6h24kyj and stamped it with Brutus Monroe Embossing Ink link: https://tinyurl.com/y4gl7u8f and the purple glitter embossing powder that I made with Heather when we visited Brutus Monroe. If you want to buy this powder, you need to call Heather at Brutus Monroe and ask for it and she’ll be sure to make it for you…Phone is 412-892-9511.
After heat setting the large stamped image, I cut the orange cardstock to 1/4″ larger than the stamped design, and adhered it to orange fun foam with tear tape and wet glue on the left side of a black card base (Michaels Recollections Heavyweight cardstock) cut to 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ tall and scored on the 8 1/2″ length at 4 1/4″. I added three strips of thin purple satin ribbon (1/8″ wide) to the right of the orange paper adhered to the back with 1/8″ wide tear tape and took one of the felt stickers I bought at the Dollar Tree and adhered it to the ribbons on the front over the ribbons. I added a little wet glue near the bottom under the ribbons so they would lay in place. I added one of the felt witches hats on the inside of the card to cover the ends of the ribbons…and put the Brutus Monroe Happy Halloween sticker on the back of the card.
Laid another piece of the orange cardstock cut to 5 1/4″ tall by 4″ wide on the inside of the card so I have something to write on….
I added Halloween washi tape I had in my stash to the bottom of the envelope and it’s ready to go…

You’re probably thinking I’ve thrown in the towel on writing on my blog, but honestly, I just keep forgetting to do it…Darn..

Today, Rich and I went to the Strip District in Pittsburgh, with two of our friends.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Strip District and think I’m doing something a little on the crazy side, the Strip District is an area in Pittsburgh where you can find all kinds of great stores that sell regional foods.  You’ll find Asian, Mexican, Italian and other grocery stores, plus great restaurants and fun street fair type foods and tons of Pittsburgh team paraphernalia..  We bought some great cheeses and homemade breads, then went crazy buying Italian cookies and cakes..I know we don’t need to increase our waist sizes, but with Rich’s upcoming hip surgery, I felt like we needed a day for fun and to splurge with sweets…Rich loves baklava, and if you’ve never had it, you need to find a store that sells it during the holidays, and give it a try.  It’s filo dough and butter, layered with honey and nuts and it is fabulous.

We even found a bakery that caters to dog lovers, and bought more cookies and dog treats there.  The weather was about 70 degrees, and sunny, so it was the perfect day to spend outdoors.  Our friends love to go to the Strip District, but aren’t familiar with driving in Pittsburgh, so we volunteered to drive.  I’ve spent a lot of time near there for work, so know my way around and didn’t get us lost, which is always a plus.

By the time we got home (around 5PM,) we both needed a nap, as eating that much sugar can make you a little sleepy.  It was definitely worth it, too.

Saturday was our college’s homecoming, and a lot of my girlfriends decided to go.  It was great seeing everyone and as usual, our football team lost by a lot.  If you haven’t seen the Thiel College/Coca-Cola football commercial about how bad they are, that’s our college alma mater.  Rich decided he would put something on facebook to tell a different story..He asked the mascot to have his photo taken with Rich and one of our college friends (who also played football for Thiel.)  Here’s Rich’s post.

Despite what the Thiel/Coca-Cola commercial says, Carl Finkbeiner and I can confirm that the mascot DOES NOT have his costume on backwards.

Rich is the one on the right (if you didn’t know.)

We had a nice day, when it was time to go, I decided to walk up a huge hill to leave the stadium.  Carl walked with Rich and me, and I felt so stupid, as halfway up the hill, I was doubled over and out of breath…Yep, that’s me, the girl that’s so out of shape, she can’t walk up a hill.  Rich wanted to bring the car to me, but I said “No, I’ll be fine.”  OK, I could barely walk all the way to the car, and then on Sunday, I had a bunch of plans to work on some Halloween projects, and was so sore, I didn’t even get dressed.  I’m embarrassed that I hurt so badly, and it was all my fault…or maybe it was my wounded pride…but I am happy I didn’t just throw myself on the sidewalk and give up…That’s one point for me.

Last night, Bella started whining that she needed to go outside repeatedly, and if you’ll remember, Honey had a UTI twice in the last two months, and now Bella has one.  I’m not sure what’s causing them, and $340 later. we had a prescription and not much else.  The vet wanted to do all kinds of blood work, and send the urine out for a culture after telling Rich it was a very common UTI….he also did some kind of ultrasound to determine she had inflammation consistent with a UTI…Rich wants to change vets because he thinks that our clinic (depending on the vet you get) will push for a bunch of expensive tests, and other vets at the same clinic do not…Honey’s UTI cost about half of what Bella’s did, and there’s something weird about that, don’t you think?

We were laying in bed and Honey started to bark, and I wondered if our bear was back because I’d just filled our bird feeders.  So Rich went to check and called for me to come to the sun room….Not only was the mother bear on the outer edge of our patio eating out of a bird feeder she’d knocked to the ground, but she had both of her cubs with her.  I wish it had been brighter outside so I could have gotten a photo of them, but sadly, it was too dark.  Still it was quite the sight….This morning, I woke up to three bird feeders crushed on the ground, plus a suet feeder dismantled and another feeder missing.  Those bears know a good thing when they see one.  The Parkers always are good for a meal or two..Or in this case, three….

Today, I decided to give the Instant Pot one last try.  I know tons of people love the Instant Pot but Rich and I can’t seem to get the hang of it.  We’ve tried several recipes, and none have worked the way they were supposed to.  My last attempt was rice pudding, and if you like rice that’s really under cooked, you would love this recipe.  I bought it online and still have a few days to return it…and I think we’ve given it a fair try and will be sending it back.  Nothing should be this hard to use.  It requires a lot of different pots and prep work that no one ever talked about when we saw the advertisements for this pot.  My sister loves hers and I have no idea how she gets her recipes to come out right, as she just throws things in and sets the timer.  I followed the directions to the tee, and mine came out either under cooked or overcooked, and I prefer the ease of a Crock Pot…No muss, no fuss..and no waiting for steam to escape..

 

Below you’ll find all of the products I bought. I don’t receive any monies for products sold, and recommend you price shop for products I bought at Joann’s..
Embossing Ink  https://tinyurl.com/y4n9n4lh
Magic Powder Bag link: https://tinyurl.com/y57y7bzk
To create the same purple sparkly embossing powder that I made, you can call Heather at Brutus Monroe at 412-892-9511 during their hours of operation, M-F 10-6PM, Sat & Sun Closed
Brutus Monroe cardstock https://tinyurl.com/y59uc5y7
Squeaky Clean cleanser link: https://tinyurl.com/y637ddz9
Create your own ending products: https://tinyurl.com/yyl5b46l
Marigold Aqua Pigment: https://tinyurl.com/y5edxtv9
Glitter Glaze, grape: https://tinyurl.com/yxkfxwhh
Twisted Tree die: https://tinyurl.com/y2utdxk7
Batty stencil: https://tinyurl.com/y2vtwqyc
Sunshine sunflower stamp: https://tinyurl.com/y3tvp9kg
Minnie dog pin: https://tinyurl.com/yywzpo7q
Glitter glue: https://tinyurl.com/y6664xd2
Bite me stamp: https://tinyurl.com/y5o9gv97

Dollar Tree
Felt Halloween stickers: not available online, check stores near you
Halloween adhesive diamond wrap: not available online, check stores near you

Joanns:
Super Fabric Adhesive Link: https://tinyurl.com/y6ojtbrh
Park Lane 12 x 12″ 110 lb white cardstock link: https://tinyurl.com/yxfu8upp