Are you ready for snow...

 I am not, but I always love working snow scene puzzles.  

That being said, I think this is the first summer ever when I have looked at snow photos and wished I could step into the for just a while.  I don't know what the official record is, but I feel like this has been the coolest summer I have ever observed in Indiana.  I am not complaining, though I guess I am some...there were a lot of days it was not comfortable to read outside.

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I had no new info from Sandra today...I did notice their weather is warming back up.  I pray they get their power back on sooner than expected.

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I got the binding made and sewn to my quilt...not just have to flip it to the back and sew by hand.  Not sure how long it will take...I need to make the plunge and try and buy one of the lamps to work by at night  

The latest finish

 This is another Cross and Glory puzzle.  After putting them together, you can easily pick up by two corners and hold it up for viewing.  But that also means it is a slow process to put it back in the box.  The pieces almost have to be taken apart, piece by piece.

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I have been busy today.  The usual house hold things.  And used the leaf blower to blow off the patio.  We had leftover so no actual cooking tonight.  Just warming up.  I don't hate cooking, I hate deciding what to cook.  I think I have said that before.  Several times, though not all on here.

I need to get the boy (Copper) to go outside...in a short time he will be so focused on waiting for his mom to come home...he won't do anything but lay and wait.  

Another finish

 I finished this last week, I think.  You might think I spend way too much time on puzzles.  You would probably be correct.  I need to get something situated to do by hand in the odd moments that I am waiting.  I feel like I spend a lot time waiting on things...waiting for oven to heat up or on the timer in cooking, waiting a few minutes on the dryer to be done, waiting to put laundry from washer to dryer, etc.

I used to always have some hand sewing to do in spare moments.  And for moments I managed to fine.  And I still like hand sewing...I just don't seem to do anything about it.

We just had a storm roll through...it got almost dark for a few minutes, and now the sun is out...for the first time today.  I need to walk out and get the mail before another storm rolls in...unless maybe it really is done.  

Copper's favorite place for a true storm is in our closet...and he spent the worst of it in there.  He is a character...he has eyes for no one else when his mom is home...unless he wants something when we are eating.  He knows I am the one more apt to share with him.

Finished

 Another finished puzzle.  This one was a bit of challenge but still so fun to work.  I have had it out for probably two weeks, but did not work much on it till the past two or three days.  I think I do better if I just pass by and stand and work a few minutes on a puzzle.  But when it starts getting about a third done,  or a bit more, I find myself wanting to sit and sit at one.  It seems like the only time I can sit and sit is at night when the lighting is not good.

We have tried to find a puzzle table that is adjustable height and would love to find one with a BIG board that will hold 2000 pieces.  I think it is going to be impossible to find one for 2000 pieces.  So for now we just use the dining room table.

A finish of a different sort

Remember, you can right click and click on the photo to view in a new tab or window and get a bigger version to see. As you can see the wolf is made of a gazillion different photos.

 I have told the story before of this puzzle...well, actually this is not the one given to me.  My friends husband sent the original and on a note in it, he said to work it or burn it...he did not care which.  Which tells you it was hard.  He always had a puzzle out on their pool table for his spare moments.  

Anyway, I had the original out several years ago, and the door to the bedroom got left open and the cats got on it, chewed up some pieces.  I have no idea why.  But they were beyond use, and knocked pieces everywhere.  Some fell behind the piece of furniture and I just could not move it at the time.  So I put it away and don't know what I eventually did with it.

Needless to say, I ended up getting on Amazon later, and ordering a new one.  And it has sat for years waiting for me to have the time to work it.  And a way to work it without the cats interfering.  I knew if it took my friend's husband a while to work it, it would take me a good while.

I am usually a pretty quick puzzle worker...but I have had this out since I think in February...the last half.  But there were a few weeks when I barely touched it, as in maybe one 20-30 minute session.  And I still had to keep it covered so I could not just pass by and search for a piece.   I did get serious about getting it finished after I finished Lorelei's turtle and spend a good part of my spare time this past 10 days working on it.

I don't know why, but I can do just fine working the lighter parts of the puzzle...but I know it took me at least twice as long to work the dark portions.  But it is done at last.  And I feel like a bird that has just been set free.

The puzzle

 I stayed up to finish this Sunday night...for some reason it really bothered me having it sitting out.  It was one of those where I thought a piece was missing till the last 3 or 4 pieces.  A piece in the Blue Jay.  It had those strange, strange shapes.  Not always interlocking.  And it had some of the smallest pieces in the border that I have ever seen.

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Roger and I got our Covid booster shots yesterday.  His arm is slightly sore.  Mine feels like someone has punched it.  And I woke during the night freezing to death.  I do not feel good... my normal routine is off.  And Roger says he does not feel good.  We could have got them earlier, but I was waiting for a week that was totally free of appointments and this was it...

Hopefully next time I post I will feel like myself again!

A bit of a catch-up

 First I give you grandpup Rosie...Lorelei's little dog.  She just loves her family so much.  Sarah was trying to do some work from home one evening, and could not get any peace till she made Rosie a bed close to her in the office/craft area.

And below is Copper trying to snuggle with Delta.

I think if I were Delta I would be losing my patience.  But she seldom does.

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Roger is still not normal.  He is definitely better than he was for a bit. But wish he could just feel what is normal for him.  

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 Their scent was so strong it smelled up the whole house.  I even wondered was it causing Roger's headache..

I finished this puzzle sometime last week.  It took me forever, but there were days I did not even touch it.  But dark greens are the hardest color for me to work.  

It was one of those with the crazy pieces.  Which normally don't bother me.  But on this puzzle I thought I had lost a piece to the very end.  And we won't mention the time I spent looking and looking for one piece, only to find it UNDER an extra lamp I set on the puzzle for extra light.

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Can you find the car?  I did find it with relative ease.  But have been looking for another photo where I had to have Lorelei find what I was looking for.  I cannot remember where I seen it.  But it was Simon's Cat running with a bunch of Dalmatians.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all....whether you are a friend in real life, or one of my fellow bloggers. Thank you to all who took the time to leave comments. I really appreciate them...

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Christmas was spent with our girls...who can ask for more than getting to spend time with family in the times we live in.

 

My one and only actual puzzle finish this winter.

What is bad is even with it setting over there to work, I still wanted to work jigsaw puzzles on line.  What is your favorite place to work puzzles on line.  Right now mine is Jigsaw Planet.  The positive thing about it is that I can choose the number of pieces.  The negative thing that dislike about it is I cannot set just a plain white background.  Or a plain background of any kind...they are textured, no matter what color is chosen.  

I have also tried Jigidy and I like it...and there is another I used to use, but cannot remember the name of it.  So, if you have tried a site and really like it, leave a comment.

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I took the Christmas tree down the day after Christmas.  Soon as we came home, I unpacked our bags, and started on the tree.  I left out my Christmas stocking...and my nativity set and a little Santa Claus.  I did put up the stocking and the Santa but still have the nativity set out.  I usually leave it out for about a month afterward but not sure I will this year.

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I finally got some tatting needles.  I have not played with it since we came home from the girls.  This was a result of the second time playing with it.   I just got the needles a few days before Christmas and played with it every night for a few minutes.  I got a book to teach how, and forgot and left it over there.  I am not sure it would be any help or not...the little bit I have learned how to do so far has been from watching videos.  I like the idea of it because It does not take up much space to take with me.

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I have only did one little sewing job since being home...Lorelei had received a hoodie for Christmas.  She does not like the cuffs or the bands around the bottom so she wanted me to take them off.  I did do that in a day or two after getting home, and I used my rotary cutter and ruler to cut the edges even.  Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and hemmed the edges.   I am always a bit anxious when doing something to someone else's clothes.  I always experiment with stitches when sewing anything new, specially knits.  All I had to experiment on was a tiny, tiny scrap from straightening the edges from taking the band off the bottom.  But I sure was glad I had that.

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I think/hope we have dodged a bullet.  We were supposed to get snow and ice.  We had a thin coating of ice at 4:30 a.m.  but the rain started later rather than snow.  It is wet, wet, wet...but the ice is gone.  I am thankful for that.  I have to take the Rav4 to get shocks in the morning.  I don't have far to go to take it in...but still I am very cautious about ice and snow.

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I just feel like I don't have a thing to say.  But it had been so long since I posted, I thought I should post something.  

A Finish and a Not so Finished....

First of all I finished this crazy puzzle yesterday I think.

Now look at the next photos...

Look how crazy the pieces are cut.  I don't know if it is cause they are cut this way, or if it is the actual picture, but it was one of those puzzles that I thought a piece was missing till the very end.  For me, the kitty was the hardest part.  Normally the hard part for me is real dark, dark green leaves.  If you work jigsaw puzzles, is there a color or item that you find harder to work than others?

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Now...  you said you didn't mind seeing more of the leaves...

thought I would show you the last three I made.

I have 40 made, but still need to make more.  This leaf project is the 'not so finished' part of this post.

I am still not sure how big I am making it...but  if I wanted to stop soon, I would want at least 2 more leaves to make it 6 leaves wide and 7 leave long.  Or 9 more to make it square.
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I finally took the time and added a patch pocket to a pair of my pjs.    The next time I make a pair I will add pockets.  I do not know why I haven't always added pockets.

As I type this we have snow falling again.  I think it is basically only supposed to be flurries but it sure is cold.

I hope you are warm this weekend and that you have a good weekend.

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Here's Ken Davis again...it is not the one I wanted to find but it is short so just going to use it.

A finish

I finished this today...keep in mind it was only 750 pieces.  And it was an easy one.  As Karen mentioned in her comment on my post yesterday, I don't do the border first.  Well, seldom any more.  I think I have did one, possibly two doing the borders first in the past few years.  The first time I saved the border till last was just to see if I could do it...to see if it would be any harder.

What I found was that it is not a bit harder.  Notice how the sections are worked in the photo below...and then look up above and how they fit together.

I could move them around so much easier without the borders being on.  And I don't think I have ever worked one where I haven't ended up needing to move at least one worked section.  Even when I tried to work them in the area I thought they were supposed to be...

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Roger is done laying down...he laid down about 9:00 p.m....he does not feel good at all.  He had been sleeping in his recliner off an on all evening.  He isn't running a temperature.  I do not know what to think.  And with his stroke, he has a hard time telling how he feels bad.  It is almost more stress than he can stand to try to tell me.  He just says it hits in waves.  It has been a while since he has had a time like this.  I hope and pray that he gets up feeling better tomorrow.  He got up earlier than normal yesterday  and I think a bit earlier today.    So I don't know if he is extra tired or what.  Keep him in your prayers please. 

I done it!

I could not wait any longer...I had been trying my best to wait till at least the day after Christmas but I just could not wait any longer.   I love puzzles of snow scenes best of all....it being Christmas is a bonus.

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Roger is feeling better...but still has not started wearing that hearing aid yet.  She said to wait at least 5 days.  So, when I talk to him, we have to turn the sound off the TV and I about have to about yell for him to hear...but as long as he is feeling good, I will take that.

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We saw this pair of Bald Eagles on Saturday on the way home from Walmart.  Maybe 100 yds from the road.  I was able to pull off thank goodness.  I post a couple more pics over on my other blog.  These were not far from Paris, Illinois.  Believe it or not, we saw another one about 6-8 miles east of these but there was no place to pull off the road.   I cannot believe how many we see.  We may go a month or two and only see one, or even none.  Then it is like we hit the jackpot...I cannot even think how many we have seen in the past month.    When I was a kid, I never expected to ever see one in real life.

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My current read is Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.  I am really enjoying it.

I hope everyone is ready for Christmas...I  think I am...I think I was the latest I have ever been mailing Christmas cards.

A finished puzzle

I finished it at last!  I did better about not devoting every moment to it through the day.  I just would not let myself start that...still,  I spent a lot of hours on it.

That face!  Even though the entire puzzle is very appealing to me because it is sewing related, that face is what forced me to buy the puzzle.  It is a look that could have been taken straight from Bubbie.  There is a certain smugness, while at the same time a contented look.  He is almost always very pleased with life.

And Bubbie definitely likes to be right in the middle of what I am working on, though he did not bother this puzzle--a first in his 11½ years of life.  I have had this puzzle for at least a year, maybe a couple years and have not tried to work it because I did not think it would survive him.

As you can see it has 2000 pieces.  When finished it measured 27½ by 38½ inches.  If you are interesting in seeing the biggest view, Right Click on each photo then click to view in a new tab or new window.  This will give you a slightly bigger view

Jigsaw puzzles

I finished this puzzle today...it is the first I have worked in a very long time.  My problem with jigsaw puzzles is that once I start one, I cannot leave them alone.  They have always been a favorite form of entertainment.

I have not touched my sewing machine today.  But then how could I...I had a puzzle to work.  Roger better be thankful I finished it before he starved he died of starvation!!!!   LOL  I am not quite that bad, but almost.  I did stop and vacuum while working on it, too.

I am in the mood to start another but trying to resist that urge. 
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I got an Otti story for you.

My older daughter was at Lorelei's for Christmas...she was feeling bad and was sleeping on the couch because it felt better than laying flat in bed to sleep.  She had taken something to help her pain and was sleeping soundly.  Keep this in mind.

I didn't know this but Otto likes to go up to the Christmas tree and rub his face in it.  I don't know why...maybe it scratches an itch.  Whatever the reason, daughter heard him.  Then realized she was hearing him over and over and said, "Otto, stop it!"  All this without her ever opening her eyes.

Then she realized it was a constant noise and fully woke up, and there he was with the Christmas lights wrapped around him, and he was straining against them to get to her!  They still have not figured out how the tree did not fall over, but she jumped up and made him back up till she could get the lights worked down off him and he could step out and over them.