Woody & Buzz are 70-piece puzzles from Yanoman. I was given these adorable mini puzzles from some friends who got them for me as souvenirs of their trip to Japan. The pieces are tiny, but I love the little Woody and Buzz!
They also got me little cases designed to hold the puzzles. They are clear with glitter and have a carabiner so you can attach them to your bag and keep them with you.
I struggled a bit to get the puzzles inside the cases. But then I used Google Translate to read the directions on the packaging and learned that I was supposed to use the backing card and clear sleeve that were included with the puzzle to hold it together. I should have read the directions first – that would have made it much easier to get it in the case!
I really appreciate my friends thinking of me when they were on the other side of the world and bringing me such a sweet gift! Peanut Butter also checked them out and approves!
Here are some additional pics of the packaging and the individual puzzles out of the cases:
This week was a good one. I took three days off of work and really appreciated the break, especially after having to go into the office and train a new employee for the first two days. That went well, but it took a lot out of me.
On Wednesday, I took Michael for a brain MRI. The doctors want to see if his swallowing issues are neurological given that one of the earlier tests indicated there might be a nerve related problem. He did great during the test. He said the gave him headphones and a blindfold and he was pretty comfortable. After that, we dropped off a puzzle I had picked up for a friend at the thrift store and then we went out for breakfast.
On Thursday, I went for some routine bloodwork. After I took Michael to work, I went to a nearby library that was having a sale. I was mainly looking for puzzles, but I only found one I wanted. Then I went to the orthodontist to get my next set of Invisalign trays.
That was the end of my appointments for the week. I did have some things on my to do list at home, but I spent the bulk of my time watching the livestream from the 2026 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship happening in Valladolid, Spain.
On Friday evening,our friends Bill & Jenn came over for dinner. I made chicken teriyaki and they brought killer brownies (brownie base with blondie top). We had a wonderful time with them and made plans to get together sooner next time!
Today it was back to my usual weekend routine of hanging out with my friend Kim for lunch and a movie at her place and then logging into work for about an hour for some reports I do. I am looking forward to one more day of relaxing before work starts again on Monday.
We have had quite the year with the laundry in our apartment building. Our apartment is on the first floor and the laundry is across the hall, which is quite convenient. There have been two occasions this year where something went wrong with the washer and there was water all over the floor in the laundry room when I went to wash clothes. The laundry machines are provided and maintained by Clean Pay, not by our apartment complex, so I contacted them and they came out and repaired the machine.
I was able to do a couple of loads, but then another time I went and there was an out of order sign on the washer. I emailed Clean Pay and got no response. After a few days, I called them and after being in a queue for about 5 minutes, I got sent to a voicemail. I left a message but got no response. After that, I talked to the apartment leasing office about it and learned that the machines were going to be replaced soon.
We did go to a laundromat one time, but since then we have been able to do laundry at a friend’s house. She has four dogs, and one of them, Darcy, thinks warm laundry is the best thing in the entire world. Anytime he can get in a basket or pile of it, he is right there, as evidenced by the picture above!
One of the puzzle stores I order from offers 20% off for three or more puzzles plus free shipping over a certain dollar amount. When I am very close to the free shipping, I will sometimes add a mini puzzle to my order to get over the threshold. This is one of those, a 100-piece puzzle from New York Puzzle Company. The artist is Loré Pemberton, who has had many puzzles made of her art.
I did this one on a midday break one day and really enjoyed it. This brand is know for its random cut, which I sometimes find difficult in a larger puzzle. This size was the perfect puzzle snack.
This was a busy week. Last Sunday Michael and I had lunch with our friends Mike and Sherry. It was nice to see them as it had been a while since we got together. I also needed to get their house key since I had agreed to feed their cats while they went on a trip. Mike also asked if I could tape the back of a puzzle he had done because he wanted to frame it, so I did that on Saturday.
Here is the puzzle he did and what it looks like with puzzle glue sheets on it.
On Wednesday, my friend Suzanne came over. We ordered pizza and she helped me finish a puzzle I was working on that had gotten to the challenging spots. I was very glad for her help and her company. Then on Friday, my friend Renee came up and we went together to see Shakespeare in the Park. This theater group has been doing free plays every summer for thirty-three years! Renee and I have gone the last three years, and we really enjoy it. The play this year was As You Like It, and it was a lot of fun.
I had orthodontist and eye doctor appointments this week, and both went well. I also helped Michael fill out paperwork for a new therapist and coached him on how to tell his current therapist he wanted to stop seeing him. Michael felt like the conversation went well, and I am so proud of him.
I still get overwhelmed when I am busy or things are very loud, but I’m glad to be better able to handle social things better than I had been.
I had a pretty good week. My boss was on vacation and things were pretty quiet at work, so I got a lot of new products entered. I mostly puzzled in the evenings, other than taking Michael to his social skills group on Tuesday.
Last Sunday, we celebrated Pride Sunday at my church. I took a couple of photos, one of the artwork done during worship and another of the rainbow cupcakes we enjoyed after the service. It was a lovely service.
I had planned to go to Shakespeare in the Park with a friend, but I found out the performances are only held Wednesday-Saturday, so we weren’t able to do that on Sunday. We are hoping to make it before the run ends on the 20th.
My friend Kim came over for lunch and a movie on Saturday. Here’s a pic of her little dog Darcy curled up on my lap during the movie. So cute!
Today is my work anniversary, marking 31 years at my company! I can hardly believe it has been so long!
This week has been pretty eventful. I am still in the process of switching the meds that the psychiatrist changed for me. The new one was delayed by insurance. It normally comes in a capsule, but I have trouble swallowing those, so she prescribed a tablet. They wouldn’t approve it, but they said if I have swallowing issues I could get the liquid. That seems kind of stupid to me, but I’m just hoping it doesn’t taste terrible. I have been feeling better just with the lowered dose of the original med, so that’s progress at least.
My friend Renee and her boyfriend Chris (pictured above) came over on Friday to hang out, and we had a really good time. I overdid it on the carbs and afterwards I was feeling a bit off. It felt different from when I have high blood sugar, so I checked my sugar and it was only 75! I looked it up and it sounds like it was reactive hypoglycemia, which is when your body keeps making insulin longer than is needed after a high amount of carbs. I ate some candy and checked again in 15 minutes and it was up to 130. Later on it started getting low again, so I had some more candy.
The whole incident was pretty scary, but the really interesting thing was that my cat was climbing all over me and nudging me until I woke up fully and got up to check my blood sugar. I had heard about dogs that can smell low blood sugar, but I didn’t realize that cats sometimes do that too. I am so thankful that he was persistent!
I have been puzzling a lot. My follower count on Instagram has been slowly growing, and I just hit 2000 followers, which I am happy about. I took a screenshot to commemorate it:
On Saturday, I went to the puzzling group at a local library – the one I tried out last month. There were about 7 of us there, so we split into 2 groups. Our group did two 500 piece puzzles in the time we were there.
Here are the puzzles we did at the library:
Musical Mermaids by Bonnie White, Bits and Pieces, 500 pieces
Niagara Falls by Eric Dowdle, Dowdle, 500 pieces
Sunday I am planning to go to church and then in the evening Renee is coming again so we can go to Shakespeare in the Park. This year they are doing As You Like It. I am looking forward to both outings, which is a big improvement for me. Hopefully, I will enjoy them both and not be overstimulated.
This week was fairly busy for me. On Monday evening, the committee members from the autism mothers luncheon met at a restaurant for a debrief of the event and some socializing. We had a very nice time and shared some good ideas for next year.
On Tuesday, Michael had some dental work done. His dentist prescribed some medication to relax him, which he took the night before and the morning of. Everything went very well, which was a relief for both of us. He has to go back in a couple of weeks to get some work done on the other side, but he has the meds for that so I think it will be fine.
Michael’s case manager came over on Wednesday for a quick check-in. He is on the list for the state autism waiver, which would entitle him to some helpful services, but there is no way to say when he will be approved. It does by need rather than in order, so it can take a while.
Friday evening my friend Suzanne came over, and we ordered Chinese takeout and did a puzzle. This week, I had also seen a post on Facebook for a puzzle group that meets at a local library, and the next meeting was Saturday afternoon. I was a bit nervous because I have had trouble handling social events for the last few months, but I figured this would be pretty low key and not too loud.
I’m not going to go into the details of the afternoon right now because I am still processing my feelings about it. It was positive overall, but there were some awkward moments on my part that I was really embarrassed about later and even when I woke up this morning. I ended up spending some time reading posts on a Facebook group I am in for women with autism, and that made me feel better. Hearing what people similar to me are going through makes me feel less alone in my different-ness.
Today, I did some more puzzling and also some personal admin stuff that needed to get done. It has turned out to be a pretty good weekend, and I am looking forward to the upcoming week.
This has been a pretty good week. Peanut Butter turned 13 on Monday. He is still pretty healthy, despite his age, which I am thankful for.
In health news, I had my three-month check-in with the orthodontist, and he was pleased at how much movement has happened with my teeth so far. He gave me trays 13-25, so I will see him again in another three months.
I got to spend time with two good friends this week. Renee came over Friday evening and we ate together and played a bit of puzzle chess and then watched a few episodes of Best Medicine. She is a fan of Doc Martin, so I wanted her to see the new American version of the show, and she liked it. Then Kim came over Saturday for lunch and a movie. We get together every other weekend and take turns hosting. We had a nice time.
I haven’t been reading as much lately as I usually do. I have only finished two books in March, both of which were mysteries. I was about 80% done with a third one and then it automatically returned to Libby and I had to put it on hold again! I am currently about 40% done with another one; this one is on my Kindle so I don’t have to worry about it going away, lol.
Michael seems to be doing pretty well at his job. He feels like he has a good handle on the daily tasks. He has had a few awkward interactions with people, but we talk through them and I try to give him suggestions on how to handle them in the future. I know I have my own share of social issues, but I do have the benefit of a few more years of experiences to draw on.
Peanut Butter has been enjoying the winter sun when he can, and he seems to really like my soft winter blanket.
This has been an interesting week. Michael’s dad is retired now and is trying to figure out everything with insurance, which affects us because Michael will be on his insurance until he turns 26. He did get the health insurance squared away, but we are still waiting to hear on prescription, dental, and vision. Michael did see the dentist this week, but it was to get his permanent crown, so the cost was already covered under the initial crown appointment last month, thankfully!
I am on tray #3 of my Invisalign, and that seems to be going well. They said I could leave the trays on an extra day if they still seem tight, but I’m not very good with vague instructions like that. I have taken it to mean that if I can’t get the new trays on, I should hold off on them. So far I have been able to use the new trays on time.
Below is a picture of the puzzles I purchased over the last few weeks of 2025. I am currently on a puzzle buying moratorium because I started the year with 71 puzzles waiting to be done and they no longer fit comfortably on the shelf I have set aside for that purpose. My goal is to not buy any new puzzles until I have my to do list at 50 or below. It will be a challenge for sure!
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I get together with a friend every other Saturday for lunch and a movie, and this time it was my turn to host. We watched People We Meet on Vacation and both really enjoyed it.
In the evening, I went with a friend from church to see comedian Josh Johnson in York. We had a good time. It was a powerful show that touched on some timely issues.
This morning I went to church, which was lovely. I connected with several friends and was very moved by the service. And now I am enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon!
I had a good week overall. I had a few moments when I felt overwhelmed by everything I needed to get done, but there were also some really good things. I had a couple of good doctor appointments, and Michael had some dental work done successfully with the help of a little sedation.
On Friday evening, my friend Suzanne came over for dinner. We usually work on a puzzle together, but this time she needed to get home to help her son with some renovations he is doing to her house so that he can move in with her.
Then on Sunday, my friend Renee, her boyfriend Chris, and her two sons Evan and Hans came over to celebrate Christmas with Michael and me. We had a really nice time. We ordered Chinese food, and I had made a couple of treats that I remembered from my childhood – sour cream cookies and a Heath-inspired dessert bar. We also exchanged gifts, and Renee gave me a puzzle that she picked up at a farmers’ market. ☺️
After dinner, Renee asked to play puzzle chess, and we played two rounds of that. We used a couple of the cereal puzzles I got earlier this year, and we each won one round. Here are the puzzles we did:
This week I only work Monday and Tuesday, and on Tuesday I will be off for a couple of hours to get my first Invisalign trays. Michael is going to stay at his dad’s Wednesday and Thursday night, so I will have a quiet Christmas/birthday and will celebrate with Michael on Friday.
