Tag Archives: Jigsaw Puzzles

Remember When Hodgepodge

Jo has worked on some more questions for us to answer for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Want to join in the fun?

1. What’s your earliest memory?

With this old brain this is a tough one for me. I seem to remember being in front of a wonderful bakery with cookies displayed, a Jewish Bakery, in East Los Angeles. Bakeries always draw me in and that brings me to my biggest first world problem!!

We moved from East Los Angeles to Montebello Gardens soon afterwards and most of my ‘early’ memories are connected with that property. I remember things like an incinerator in the back yard. A cement slab where our new family room would be built where we played jacks for hours. Our first black and white TV, watching Engineer Bill, Chucko the Birthday Clown, Ed Sullivan, The Mickey Mouse Club, and other Disney shows that included the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew? The only books we owned were Bibles and Encyclopedia Britannica. I remember having to sit for what seemed to me hours in front of a bowl of borsch, not wanting to eat it, after everyone else had left the table. Stopping by the seed man after ‘Big Church’ to buy packets of ‘plain’ sunflower seeds that came in brown paper packets and pumpkin seeds that came in clearer paper packets.

I better stop there, you really got my old brain going.

2. What’s something about you today that the old you would find surprising? 

The old me would be surprised that I moved away from the Southern California Beaches to Washington State and now I’ve left the city girl life for the country far far away from the coastal beaches!

3. Do you like to fish? Are you a fish eater? Favorite fish (to eat)? Favorite way to prepare fish? 

You know, I’m not a fan of fish unless it’s Fish and Chips or fish tacos!

4. What’s your biggest first world problem? 

Keeping that bakery weight off is my biggest first world problem!

5. What one word would you use to describe your year thus far? 

Sanctifying. Growing in the Word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit and fellowship of Believers. This is a life long process that got sharpened this year after Greg’s stroke last November and the state of our world. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We got rain on Tuesday and what a wonderful sound that was to wake up to. We’ve had such oppressive smoke filled skies because of fires and the rain should help. Hopefully the rain will fall on all the fires in the region and help the Fire Fighters with their seemingly endless task!

Another good day to stay in and make a dent in the sky of this puzzle!

 

Smoke and Puzzles

All these sets of photos show what our view could be and what we usually enjoy contrasted to what those similar views look like with our smoke filled skies.

As you can guess the air quality is not good for working hard or exercising so I’ve added putting together some of my puzzles to my daily ‘things to do’ list.

 

I finished this one which was very enjoyable to put together.

This next one is a lot tougher and I don’t gravitate to the dining room table as often as with the London puzzle.

This one is of Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland. Hopefully I can face the sky in this one soon.

What’s new in your corner?

Update: I just woke up to the glorious sound of rain! Thank you, Lord. It’s been raining steadily for a while and there are already puddles. Hoping the rain will make a huge dent in the fires in our region and that the rain continues north to British Columbia to help with their fires, too. 

Fun With Gnomes

With the help of my daughter we finished this huge puzzle Saturday the 19th of March. I started it well before and worked on it for a couple of weeks. It was good to have the help of Katie at the end. It was challenging but fun. I like this scene and the shades of blue and green.

Forest Gnomes by Jeff Tift. Item no. 36510

Me and my puzzler.

Oh…the weather outside has been lovely. We even pulled out a couple patio chairs to soak up some vitamin D.

We have a busy week and weekend ahead. How is life where you are?

First Winter Puzzle

Our daughter helped with this puzzle on Christmas Day before everyone arrived for dinner and we put it away. We don’t keep the puzzles out when our dear Grands come over.

When the puzzle is complete I’ll share again.

I’m also working on a Turkey post as they are entertaining us daily here at our Country Bungalow! Coincidence…we had Turkey Chili on Friday, too.

After shoveling, and clearing snow off our roof and snowshoeing I’ve come down with a bit of a Tennis Elbow, ouch. Friday I took the day off from doing anything that involved tension on my right elbow. I’m using some Biofreeze which is helpful.

My kitchen Elf aka Dear filled the dishwasher for me and washed the dishes that don’t go in the dishwasher from the early birthday party we had for Dan and Jamie here on Thursday evening. I won’t be shoveling snow in the near future for sure.

Thankful for a quiet weekend here. What’s happening in your corner?

Peonies and Puzzles

Most of our white peonies decided to be ready at the same time so I scrambled to find containers for them. Our house has a wonderful fragrance from these blooms.

Weekend before last we finished up my London Puzzle, #15 in the books.

Last night we had a thunder and lightning storm and as I look out this morning our pink peonies are just about ready to burst, too. Yikes I’m running out of vases, pitchers and other containers!

Our ‘server’, whoever that is, will not upload any more of my photos this morning so I’ll leave you with these. I’m off to get our car serviced at the local Toyota dealer.

When I came in from weeding the server decided I could upload more photos.

Thankful that our yards got a good watering with the storm in the early hours so I won’t need to water today. I appreciate God’s watering! Have a good day everyone.

Woe to the Internet…

Our kids and grands were over for dinner on Wednesday night and I took this blurry in motion photo of JJ riding in his Maserati with his car phone to match.

The country internets have been very unreliable the last couple of days which made Thursday a good time to pull out COVID-19 Puzzle #15. This is the busy London 1000 piece that my friend Jeanie sent me for my 70th birthday. I’ll try to get it done before I turn 71, grin!

I’m scheduling this post for Friday right now just in case the internet goes out again. This country internet issue is also the reason I will be late in keeping up with your blogs.

Happy Friday to y’all.

Finally!

We were able to finish this puzzle this past Wednesday. I’ve already talked about how difficult this one was. It was very satisfying every time I could get a string of pieces to fit.

This is the day in between. In between Good Friday and Easter. We are looking forward to Easter Sunday and all the joy that celebrating the Resurrection brings!

Loose Ends

The struggle is real. Some progress on this puzzle. It’s a tough one. We congratulate ourselves when we find one or two pieces to fit!

When we finally get the owls done we will move on to this one which was a 70th Birthday gift from my friend Jeaneen.

Looks like a fun one from my favorite country to visit.

My sister Kathy made this for me for my birthday. I love it!

Josh and Laura sent this beautiful bouquet that arrived after we returned from our little getaway in Idaho.

Tonight the celebrations continue with a meal in Spokane with our family except for Andrew who has work obligations. Our newest toddler has not had many restaurant experiences and it will be interesting to see how a fancy restaurant and JJ get along. I’ll let you know how it goes.

We are moving into a busy weekend. If I’m scarce you will know why.

In the Pink Hodgepodge

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions and we rack our brains for the answers! Thank you, Jo!

1. Something little you are loving right now? 

I was tempted to say our little grandchildren but I’ll love them forever not just now. The little thing I’m going with is a jigsaw puzzle. It’s been fun to conquer those little pieces putting them all together to form the whole of the picture. Here is our 11th C****19 puzzle. The 1000 pieces were extra large so the completed puzzle was very large.

2. Red roses or pink peonies?

Pink Peonies.

Red wine or pink lemonade?

Red Wine

Red lipstick or pink polish?

Pink Polish

A cotton candy colored sky or a fiery red sunset?

Fiery Red Sunset

A book-movie-song you love with the word red or pink in it’s title? 

Love is a strong word for these choices I made.

Book: Redwall       Movie: The Hunt for Red October      Song:  When the Red Red Robin

3. What’s something you currently have your heart set on doing-going-seeing-or experiencing?

It would be amazing to walk along the sand at a beach before summertime. We enjoy the ocean beaches in winter. 

4. Who would you most like to have a heart to heart with right now? Is that possible? 

An in person heart to heart with our estranged brother. All things are possible but it would be difficult for sure. For me this would only work face to face, not on the phone or in an email or text. 

5. Write an acrostic for the word L-O-V-E. 

Love–One–Valentine–Exclusively 

Here’s my exclusive Valentine

Now and then…

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of Love…

Missing Piece!

We finished this puzzle yesterday but one piece is missing and we’ve checked the floors and haven’t been able to come up with it. So frustrating.

If you find it, let me know. On the up side this was the first puzzle we’ve put together that was missing a piece. Hopefully it will be the last one we put together with a piece missing.

It was a good day to work on a puzzle since it rained all day and was gloomy outside. We took our car to the dealer and got a glitch fixed so we had to drive into town with two cars. It was too long of a fix to wait at the dealer. We came back home and while we waited we worked on the puzzle.

Just wanted to post a reminder that our Truth from A to Z Bible Verse Challenge will start back up on Thursday of this week. We will be on the letter O. Hope to see you then.