Everyday Crafty Goodness

I’m back at work after taking 3 days off last week for my wisdom teeth surgery.  I’m a little sleepy now probably because I took a vicodin not too long ago (second one today) or maybe I’ve just gotten used to taking 2 naps a day while I was recuperating at home.

The good thing is that the swelling has finally gone down but I’m still feeling pain in my jaw.  I know people could get addicted to vicodin but that probably won’t happen to me because 1) the pills are not even working that well for me and 2) I’m certainly not getting any kind of buzz from them … extra strength my ass.  Oh yeah, and the dissolving stitches are not dissolving so now I have this thread poking at me in the back of my mouth.  Arrrggghhhhh!!!

BUT, I finally made something crafty yesterday (it’s been months since I’ve made anything)!  I made some curtains for my bedroom and I would have taken a picture this morning but my hot water pipe froze overnight so I had to defrost it with a hairdryer and it took a long time.  Luckily, the pipe didn’t burst and I eventually got it to work, whew!  I’ll make sure I leave the water dripping tonight because it’s going to be another cold one.  I’ll post a picture of the curtains tomorrow. 

8:30am   went in to get wisdom teeth extracted

9:00am   drove home with cotton gauze, ice pack, and 2 wisdom teeth in a little envelope

11:40am  novacaine started to wear off.  took 1 extra strength vicodin.

12:10pm  still in a lot of pain so took 3 advils because doctor said I can’t take 2 vicodins at once.

12:30pm  pain’s not going away (mostly from the impacted tooth) after 1 extra strength vicodin and 3 advils … why does it take so long for the painkillers to kick in?

I am NOT a happy camper  :(

I’m getting my wisdom teeth out this Wednesday.  I was going to get all 4 of them out even though only 2 needed to come out.  The oral surgeon said that it’s up to me whether I want the other 2 out or not (hello, why do I have to make this decision, he’s the professional!) and I figured that I should just suffer once and get rid of all of them at the same time.  After thinking a little more about it, I’ve decided to keep the 2 good ones.  It didn’t feel right taking them out when there’s nothing wrong with them.  It’s like throwing something that’s still useful away and I just can’t do that.  Plus if I keep those 2, I might be able to chew with my left side while my right side is healing.   And speaking of wisdom teeth recovery … I’ve been planning on what to eat ever since I learned that I had to get my wisdom teeth out.  I’m actually quite exited to have a few days off.  I’m looking forward to some knitting and maybe making some other crafty projects. 

So here’s my wisdom teeth menu I have planned for myself after the surgery:

congee/jook/porridge with chicken stock and tofu and scallions

Chinese red bean soup

cream of corn soup with egg, carrots, potatoes, peas, and more tofu

sweet tofu (we call it tofu hua) - I need to make the ginger sugar syrup for it because it came unsweetened

I also got a jug of soymilk (the real Chinese kind) for some extra protein

You see a pattern here?  I was thinking about mashed potatoes but with all these yummy Chinese dishes, why bother with mashed potatoes? 

Oh, and how can I forget mint chocolate chip ice cream?  OK, that’s not Chinese but it’ll really hit the spot I think.

I found a guy who was selling 5 gallon buckets of Benjamin Moore paint for $10 on Craigslist.  He owns a painting company and that’s how he ended up with extra paint.  It’s great for me because I’m saving a lot of money.  It’s great for him because instead of paying hazardous waste disposal fees, he’s saving himself money and making a little extra.  It’s great for the environment because now all this paint won’t be sitting in some landfill!

It only takes a little more extra work but it’s so worth it.   Whenever I need something now I look for it on Craigslist (or Freecycle) first.  For instance, my power drill died and I needed one to put up the drywalls for my bedroom renovation project.  I found one on Craigslist for $20.  The guy who was selling it got a new drill so he didn’t need the old one anymore.  It worked out well for the both of us.  I’m sure I’m not helping the US economy by throwing my money at the stores but I’d like to think that I’m helping by doing my share of the 3 Rs, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  :)

MUST.FINISH.PAINTING.BEDROOM.

So in my head I think it should only take a day to prime and paint the room…which means it will take about 3 days in reality. I can’t wait until the bedroom is done so I can move on to my other projects!!