Posts

Posted on

Seed of Life and Square Petals

I did two more puzzles from Josie Lewis this week. I just love her artwork! Both of these are 300 pieces and come from Buffalo Games.

The circular puzzle is called Seed of Life. It was very relaxing to put together – I found the whole thing just flowed from one piece to the next. The square puzzle is called Square Petals. It was a bit harder to do but still enjoyable.

Rainbow/gradient puzzles are some of my favorite puzzles to do. It is so fun to be able to start a puzzle in one section and just work your way around the puzzle, and seeing the colors all lined up is so pleasant!

Posted on

Week in Review: March 15, 2026

Another busy week in the books! I spent most of the week in the office training a new sales rep. It went really well, and I am feeling good about his future in the job. Now I am back to working from home for the foreseeable future, which is nice.

Michael had a good first week at his job. He was pretty stressed the first couple of days. Tuesday evening we emailed the hiring manager with some questions, and she got back to us the next morning with answers to all of them, so that made him feel better. He was finally able to start asking the person training him some questions about specific tasks as well, so that was good. For him, the biggest difficulty isn’t the job itself, it’s his communication struggles.

Michael also had a birthday this week, turning 24 on Tuesday! I took him out to dinner to celebrate, and he chose Longhorn Steakhouse. It was very good, and we had a nice time. He celebrated with his dad and stepmom on Friday night.

I took my car in for an inspection and oil change and was very happy it didn’t need any additional work. I also went out to dinner with the friend who helped me drop off my car at the mechanic. We had a good time catching up over dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

Posted on

Coastal Harbour

Coastal Harbour is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Georgia Breeze. I did another of her puzzles last year called Garden Allotment and enjoyed it very much. There is something very charming about her artwork style.

This was a pleasure to put together. Ravensburger puzzles are such nice quality, with a matte finish to the pieces and a good thickness and fit. The image is broken up into sections, so after I did the buildings and boats that stood out the most, I worked on the sand and then the water and so on. A few of the buildings were very similar, so those took a bit more time, but overall I would say this not very difficult.

When I finished the puzzle in the wee hours of the morning, I was missing a piece. I tried to check around my puzzle board and under the couch but ended up having to go to bed without finding it. When I woke up and went out to the kitchen, I saw the missing puzzle piece upside down on the floor by the dining room table. I’m guessing it must have fallen off the puzzle board and gotten batted over there by the cat. I don’t really know what happened, but I am so glad I found it!

Posted on

Mushrooms

Mushrooms is a 1000-piece puzzle from Cavallini & Co. It was the oldest puzzle on my to do shelf, so I decided I should finally tackle it. This company has unique packaging with each puzzle in a decorative puzzle tube with a mini poster and a drawstring muslin bag for the pieces. It’s quite distinctive but a bit awkward on the shelf.

The quality of the puzzle itself was good with a couple of issues. I loved the smooth feel of the pieces, but one was bent and wouldn’t lay flat. Also, the image was coming loose from the knobs when I would try a piece and then have to pull them apart if they didn’t fit.

The first half of the puzzle was pretty easy as there are several distinctive sections of different colors. It did get challenging after that and when I got down to the pieces that were all or mostly cream, I had to sort by shape and then try each piece one by one to find the right spot.

I did enjoy the challenge, though, and the finished puzzle is very pleasant to look at.

Posted on

Wicked

Wicked is a 300-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games. A friend gave this to me for my birthday because she knows how much I enjoyed the movie.

It was super quick to put together. Even though there is a lot of green and pink, the shades varied between sections so pulling out the pieces I wanted was easy. It was also a lot of fun to do; I love puzzles that are in a sort of grid like this one.

The puzzle she gave me for Christmas looks very difficult with lots of dark areas, so I’m glad I was at least able to do this one easily.

Posted on

ICYMI: Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler consists of fifteen books published between 1994-2011. The protagonist, Benni Harper, has moved to fictional San Celina, California after losing her husband a few months earlier and is managing an artist’s co-op and art gallery. When she encounters a fellow artist’s dead body, she decides to play amateur sleuth and try to solve the mystery.

I really enjoyed these cozy mysteries. I liked the main character a lot, even though she is quite headstrong, and appreciated the inclusion of the arts. Each book title was taken from the name of a quilt pattern, which I found really charming.

The book names in order:

  • Fool’s Puzzle
  • Irish Chain
  • Kansas Troubles
  • Goose in the Pond
  • Dove in the Window
  • Mariner’s Compass
  • Seven Sisters
  • Arkansas Traveler
  • Steps to the Altar
  • Sunshine and Shadow
  • Broken Dishes
  • Delectable Mountains
  • Tumbling Blocks
  • State Fair
  • Spider Web

Have you ever run across these? Are you familiar with any of the quilt patterns?

Posted on

Week in Review: March 8, 2026

This has been a very tiring week. I was catching up from time spent training at work and feeling stressed about having to do more training next week. I have also been quite anxious about Michael starting his new job tomorrow.

I think he is ready for the job. We went shopping for jeans since they recommended wearing them and he didn’t have any that fit. He hasn’t worn jeans in a number of years due to sensory issues. If he finds them too uncomfortable, he will have to wear his black work pants and hope they don’t get too messed up doing janitorial work. He also has his state ID and social security card in his wallet as well as a drink and a snack to have if they get a break or, if no break, when his shift is finished.

I will be taking my lunch from 9:30-10:30 to take him to work, and his dad will be picking him up at 2:00 to bring him home. His dad is retired, so thankfully he is able to do this. The alternatives are that I do it and extend my work day by another hour or Michael uses Lyft (which would get expensive!)

On Saturday, the registration opened for the luncheon I am helping to plan for mothers of children with autism. Our location is a satellite, so we serve lunch and then simulcast the program from the main site. Last year, we allowed up to 100 moms, but this year we are cutting it to 50 unless our fundraising suddenly shoots up. Yesterday I sent out 50 confirmation emails as well as approved 16 children for childcare. Today I sent waitlist emails to the few additional people who have signed up.

One change that has been made for this year is to allow people to come for the after lunch simulcast program if they can’t commit for the whole day or if they are waitlisted for the lunch. So those people will have the option to still hear the speaker, etc, which is nice.

Last thing I will mention is that I am struggling switching to tray #11 for my Invisalign. I tried both last night and today and cannot get the top one on completely. There is one tooth that just isn’t in the right spot for that aligner, I guess. I am really hoping I can get it on tomorrow.

Posted on

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne – Tomes & Tea book 1

Reyna is one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is a powerful mage, but all the pair wants to do is leave their responsibilities behind and open a bookstore that sells tea. After a couple of years of sneaking around to spend time together, they make their move and flee to a small town where they can follow their dream. 

If you think this book is reminiscent of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, you would not be wrong. Thorne says in her acknowledgments that her book was directly inspired by his work. There are some definite similarities between the two, but Thorne has put her own spin on “leave a life of adventure for a cozy shop” story.

This book has a lot more adventure because there are people who don’t want the two women released from their obligations. There is also a mystery in the town that needs to be solved. I did like the action, but it was the cozy parts of the story that I enjoyed the most–watching Reyna and Kianthe explore their relationship now that they were living together, and seeing how they gradually became part of the town where they had settled. 

All in all, this was a fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series.

Posted on

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Baby, It’s Cold Outside is a 1000-piece puzzle from New York Puzzle Company, and the artist is Ana Juan. I got this one several months ago and was holding onto it until wintertime. It is a random-cut puzzle, which have traditionally been my least favorite to do, but I found this one to be more enjoyable than I expected. I think I must be getting used to the random-cut style because I am considering getting more of them.

I just love this image with all of the adorable dogs dressed up for the cold. I love their outfits and their expressions/personalities. Which one is your favorite?

Posted on

“Library” Books

I love to read books about books, especially ones set in libraries. So when I was challenged by Hopewell’s Public Library of Life to post a list of books about libraries, I got right on it!

Here is my list of 11 books that are either set in a library or feature a librarian as the main character. Let me know if you have read any of these or have any others to recommend.

  1. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams – a story about the power of a mysterious reading list and the friendship that develops between Aleisha, a teenager working at the library, and Mukesh, a widower who visits the library after his wife has passed.

2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – a magic library gives Nora Seed the chance to examine her regrets and discover whether life is worth living.

3. What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama – a special librarian senses exactly what people are looking for and gives the perfect book recommendations to give them the inspiration they need.

4. The Library by Bella Osborne – an unlikely friendship forms between a sixteen-year-old boy and a seventy-two-year-old woman as they rally the community to save their local library.

5. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick – a book of fairy tales with a personal dedication leads a librarian to uncover family secrets that will change her life.

6. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms – a school librarian gets an opportunity to escape her life for a summer and has to decide what future she wants for herself.

7. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson – a library is threatened with closure and librarian June Jones joins forces with others in the community to fight to keep it open.

8. The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore – a librarian who is taking care of her three younger siblings gets involved in a mystery involving a rare book and a cranky neighbor.

9. The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson – a small-town art teacher opens a lending library in her sunroom when the local library closes.

10. The Storytellers by Sue Heath – a library draws four people together through a writing competition (on my TBR)

11. Is This a Cry for Help? By Emily Austin – a librarian returns to work after a mental health crisis only to be faced with protests surrounding book banning (on my TBR)