The Bee’s Knees

Hi you guys! I’ve got some good news: soon I’ll have the bee’s knees!

What does that mean, you ask? Well, I had surgery on Thursday, August 4th to fix up my knee alignment. It’s been hurting pretty bad off and on since I tore my ACL back in the fall of 2009 (In a typhoon. In Tokyo. Long story for another time!)

I thought the doc was going to go in and just clean it up and remove some loose cartilage – nothing too serious. Instead I ended up having major surgery. (He said that there was a very remote chance that I’d have it.) It’s called a tibial tubercle osteotomy. Check out this video that explains what it is — don’t worry, there’s no blood or guts, ha ha! Basically the tubercle is a bump on your lower leg bone. The doc cut through the turbercle, leaving the ligaments and whatnot still attached, picked up the bone piece, and then used screws to put it back in where it should be so that everything lines up.

Tomorrow I go back to see him and find out what my recovery time will be like. Hoping that I get to take the brace off, or at least get to bend my knee. The brace goes from just above my ankle almost the whole way up to my hip, whew.

In the meantime, I have a nifty device that J has nicknamed The Ice Robot to keep me company — it’s my new best friend! See those tubes up there that are coming out of the brace? Well, they go to an ice pack that is under all the bandages on one side, and the other side goes into a cooler that pumps ice cold water over my knee area. Ahhhh, I love technology! Yay!

And! Doctors used to use a cast for this kind of surgery instead of the brace. So glad I have the brace, but that means that there’s no place for people to sign it! So, I’d love it if you could virtually sign it by leaving me a little comment — means so much hearing from all of you! (Thanks to everyone who emailed to ask why I haven’t been posting — that really means a ton, too!)

I’ll let you know what the doc says tomorrow! But I have a really great feeling in my heart that everything will all work out and my knee will be great in no time. Can’t wait.

A great catch!

I made this little card for J and snuck it into his laptop bag.  He liked it!

Japanese masking tape is all the rage these days — I got most of mine at Itoya when I was in Tokyo last fall — wish I could go back and load a suitcase full!  But this particular set I found at a home design shop on Saturday here in Austin — you just never know where it will turn up!  I’ve also ordered it from Ginko Papers, some super nice people, and I hear that Happy Tape is another great source.

(Supplies: “you’re a catch” sticker by K & Co, Fabriano notecard + envelope.  Japanese masking tape. I added some glitter on the wings.)

And!  Lest you think Japanese masking tape is just for cards, check out this great Ikea kid’s table makeover by Belinda! And then there’s this little clothespin on a gift bag by Spoonful of Sugar.

What are some of the little things that make you smile?  I’d love to hear!

It’s a squirrel invasion!

J got me this fun squirrel die cut for Christmas.  I needed some quick notecards, so decided to give it a whirl.  LOVE IT!  Here are the insides — one is for J

Going to put it in his lunch box.  :)

Supplies:  Chocolate notecard by Hero Arts + message stamps, patterned paper by Crate Paper, squirrel die cut by QuicKutz.