Puzzles

https://www.whitemountainpuzzles.com/

If you have older kids, a house full, or just yourself, a holiday puzzle can be very fun.

In the winter of 2018, I put together almost every puzzle in the house. I set up a table in front of the loveseat in the living room and just kept going, one to the next. All variety of puzzles. I was checking to see if they were all there.

I recycled the ones that were missing pieces. I sold all the complete but junky ones. I also sold most of the wooden ones.

I saved a great number of high quality kids’ puzzles.

I saved one 1000 piece puzzle of Mackinac Island.

I think the original puzzle came from Mackinaw Island itself when we were there years ago. I think oldest and I put it together at that time. I think there is a picture somewhere of me working on this puzzle.

The girls (and their friends) and my husband have been putting it together this week. It is set up at the end of the kitchen table. Big advantage of an 8’ table, a puzzle can be set up at one end, and the table is still functional.

We have had 5-6 friends of youngest’s floating in and out of our house this break. Only one or two were here to work on the puzzle, I should have gotten it out earlier. (It might be a lot like card and board games that they only do when they are here.)

It is something I am doing (putting puzzle out over Christmas break) from this point forward. And I am sticking with this type of puzzle that can easily be put together/finished over a few days, with many people working on it. It is challenging with lots of pieces, but totally doable.

I have no desire to have a puzzle out for weeks and weeks. And with the pup, really we cannot have a puzzle out all the time. She would take pieces off the table and eat them.

I ordered three 1000 piece puzzles from the same company (above) today. I ordered from their clearance section of discontinued 1000+ piece puzzles. I had a coupon for free shipping. So I spent $30 total on three good quality puzzles.

Absolutely can find puzzles at second hand stores and garage sales. Also could get into a trading system with neighbors and friends.

So I will have a stash for future years. And I think once each is complete, I am taking a picture of the fact that it is complete and then selling it. So we do not develop a huge inventory of puzzles we have already done.

These puzzles are normally in the $15 plus shipping price range. I think I can sell them for $10 used/complete on Marketplace. And that will recoup my money. (They also could be donated to a senior center.)

Our close friends always put a puzzle out for Christmas break. It was very much a tradition. And I think it is a good one.

This could be a good gift to send to older grandkids or have out for older grandkids when they visit over the holidays. Or have out to occupy kids when older relatives visit and they need to be present and you do not want them to be bored. Everyone could sit around the dining room table while some work on the puzzle and others chat, if you have older relatives who do not like to play games.

So I think this could be incorporated into a lot of family traditions in a very positive way.

The state of my freezer top.

It is much easier to store things IN a chest freezer. But the down side is the top tends to fill. Ours is right outside our backdoor, in the garage. So very easy to dump things there.

For at least a month and a half, maybe two months, the top of the freezer was full of Le Creuset. Full.

I walk the neighbor's dog every week day. This is a beautifully mannered dog beloved by my whole family. The ratio of two families to one dog, actually makes a lot of sense. She is well loved and likes it. She is walked once or twice a day (40 minute plus walks). If anyone is out of town, there is backup. It fills the dog need in my family without bothering my asthma or middle's asthma.


During the fall, we (dog and I) averaged one garage sale a week in our neighborhood. So the dog knows about garage sales. She knows we like them. And she knows she gets lots of pets/attention at garage sales.

One Wednesday, walking, she (the dog) suddenly headed up a driveway. I looked and they were setting up for a garage sale. Not open. The lady smiled and was talking to me as I was pulling out my ear buds and pausing my podcast. She said we were welcome to look.

At that moment, I thought the dog had recognized it was a garage sale and knew I would want to go. Later I found out the woman had yelled "hi" to me, but I had not heard because of the ear buds. The dog, who is very friendly, had heard her and responded.

The people (retired) had just moved into their house. It was a downsize move. And it turned out they were both only children who had lost both sets of parents in the last few years. Most of the parents' stuff had gone into storage. It all had converged in their garage with the move. So it was a three bay garage, stuffed. Like the single bay of the garage was piled to the ceiling.

She asked if I was looking for anything in particular and I said - kitchen stuff. And in particular enamel lined iron cookware.

And she started pulling out Le Creuset. It just kept coming. She asked if I was interested and I said I was, but "how much $$$?". And she said $7. I said I would take it all. But I needed to finish walking the dog and come back with the car and $$$.

I figured she meant $7 each. Which is a steal.

When I got back, she had meant $7 for all of it. A total of $7.

I bought several other things. Future gifts. Other kitchen stuff. The back seat and the trunk of my car,  full.

Her husband was packing my car as I bought. He clearly was in the "just get it out of here" mindset.

So, home, I put all the Le Creuset on the freezer and sent pictures to all my kids, who LOVE Le Creuset. They could not believe the $7. It might be the find of the century. Barring a copy of the declaration in the drawer of an old dresser or something.

 I said youngest got first dibs. Then the other two would have to decide between the two of them.

Thanksgiving week, youngest picked hers and promptly put it away.

Then oldest sat against the door to the house, blocking middle's getaway, and they decided who got what. It was a long and loud debate.

The largest piece, a deep 10" x 15" stayed here. I am the only one who cooks for a crowd, so that made sense.

Head shots - proactive and also would make a great gift

I looked briefly for it, but no luck.

On either Happier in Hollywood (Elizabeth and Sarah)

or on Gretchen and Elizabeth's original podcast,

Elizabeth was talking about the importance of having headshots.

She was suggesting everyone having up to date, professional headshots always ready. And she is talking about a professional photographer. Professional headshots.

We are talking about a resume/application/professional media quality picture of ones self.



The one oldest is using right now is actually from the wedding we attended in Alaska last year. It was taken by a professional photographer btw.

There was a great picture of him in his tux with a bow tie. GREAT picture. It was actually a picture of the two of us. He cropped himself and photoshopped out the background. And that is what he has been using.



For a couple years youngest was using a rejected high school year book picture. It was rejected because she was in a sleeveless blouse. It happened to be a great picture.

This week she called looking for it. I found it in the picture files in our house computer, easily because the files are very organized.

But it is now too dated. Her hair was long then. She has matured in last couple years.



When we see her next weekend (a week from now), we are going to take more pictures. DIY. Because she needs one now.

College takes them, at career days fair, for free, but her class schedule is too full to deal with the line that is always there.

When we get closer to college graduation, I absolutely would consider having professional ones taken. NOTE - that would be a very good graduation gift for kids in your family.



Middle gets a yearbook picture taken every year at her school. And she takes a lot of pictures, so she always has candids. Her boy has lots of good ones because they are dressed up a lot and she always takes pictures or has someone else take them. This is a couple with a large volume of pictures.. Youngest and oldest, not so much.



While I was digging thru picture files yesterday, for youngest,  I sent her other good pictures of herself. Candids which could be cropped and used in different circumstances.

For example, there is a great one of her with the neighbor dog. If she needed a warm fuzzy candid picture for something informal, it would be great.

And there were several pictures with youngest and middle that could be cropped. The problem is the backgrounds. They are not plain backgrounds.

Oldest's picture had Alaska in background (outdoors in Juno) which you would have thought would have been okay, but was not. When the picture was tightly cropped, the background became odd.



I sent a note to someone yesterday saying here is another high school/college/life hint - when you or daughter are dressed up or even just having a good hair and makeup day, have someone take pictures in front of a plain background. And then keep those pictures in a special file (email, pc, phone) so you have them. Do it regularly so you have them and they are up to date.