Tag: Jigsaw Puzzling

Such a Struggle!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous13 Comments

man using laptop on table against white background

I’ve been trying for an hour to set up my new computer and get myself onto my blog, and I gotta tell ya – frustrated isn’t quite a harsh enough word for my feelings. My struggle to get myself to the place where I was logged in to WordPress and able to get onto my site has probably caused quite a rise in my blood pressure. My cardiologist would not be happy.

Anyway, I’m finally here and ready to get today’s post up, and afterwards I cross my heart that I will – at last – get my butt back to the table and start a new puzzle. I need to get myself there for many reasons, not the least of which is lowering my blood pressure back to acceptable levels. 😉

Since I finished the Wizard of Oz puzzle I have not put together any puzzle pieces at all. Anxiety, depression, pain, exhaustion have all played their roles in keeping me out of the puzzle room. And I now find myself overwhelmed by the thought of starting any puzzle larger than 300 pieces.

When I finished the Oz puzzle I chose a 1000 piece collage that was to be next; it sat on the board for a couple of days, then my daughter and I spent the weekend making masks, and then I spent Monday and Tuesday doing absolutely nothing. Now, the thought of starting that collage I’d previously chosen makes me uneasy. I don’t know how to describe it to those who haven’t dealt with anxiety, but it feels awful; racing heart, taking deep breaths and taking them too quickly, a sense of dread, a pressure in my chest, etc. – in short, it really, really sucks.

And so, because of that, the next puzzle will be a 200 piece kids puzzle, and then, perhaps a 300 piece; and we’ll see how it goes from there. You might want to get used to seeing smaller piece counts for a while, because that seems to be as much as I can handle at the moment.

So here’s to hoping I can get used to how this new computer works, and happy puzzling today for all of us!

The Wizard of Oz In Progress

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling8 Comments
The Wizard of Oz by W. W. Denslow – Pomegranate – 300 pieces

I’m starting this puzzle this morning, and depending upon how I feel, it may be finished by the end of the day. 🙂 My son has taken to spending a little bit more time with me in the puzzle room, and he enjoys picking out the “next one” that I assemble. Sometimes I flat out tell him no, but most of the time I take his suggestions because it makes him happy. He’s chosen this puzzle, and it should be on the board in a few minutes!

I have to tell you, as a woman who grew up watching the movie The Wizard of Oz, this image seems quite foreign to me. This is where I confess that I have not read the books by L. Frank Baum nor seen the illustrations by W. W. Denslow – I have only seen the movie. In fact, I have seen the movie A LOT.

When I was young, this movie was shown on television every single year; and every single year my sisters and I sat down in the living room with our parents and watched it. So when you say “The Wizard of Oz”, my memories are of a teenage girl in a blue gingham dress with sparkly heeled shoes, the scarecrow with straw sticking out of his sleeves, Glinda the good witch with her beautiful pink ball gown, etc. That is not what is shown in this illustration from the books, and so it looks very odd to me indeed.

Although this isn’t the image in my mind regarding The Wizard of Oz, I think it’s going to make for an entertaining assembly anyway.

Happy puzzling today everyone! 🧩

Next Up…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling6 Comments
Goodie’s by Janet Kruskamp – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

As of this moment the Storytime Kittens puzzle is still on my board. But once I get a shower I’ll be taking it apart and beginning to sort my next puzzle – Goodie’s. Adorable, isn’t it?

It feels like forever since I’ve gotten my hands into a box of pieces by Ravensburger, and I’m very much looking forward to it! And there’s something about the clean, symmetrical lines of this image that just draws me in. Looking back at the blog, it seems as though it’s been almost three years since I’ve done a puzzle with Janet Kruskamp’s artwork – wow! That seems much too long, and thank goodness I’ll be rectifying that today. 😎

I Didn’t Plan Ahead

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling8 Comments

I may have ordered a few too many puzzles. Oops. I didn’t plan ahead and get a bunch of puzzles all ready to post like I should have. You have my solemn promise that I will get all these puzzles put away, and spend the rest of the time getting all these pictures of completed puzzles off of my phone and onto the computer where they belong.

So the next time I have a bunch of puzzles being delivered (and there will be a next time), you can be assured I will have the posts ready to go so you won’t have to wait an extra day to see what’s been completed here at the House of the Puzzle Addicted Old Lady. 👵💖🧩

**Tomorrow starts the first of four posts of the Animal Selfies, the small shaped puzzles from Cra-Z-Art. And yes, they will all have names and backstories. Ridiculous names and backstories.

😁

Goodies!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling2 Comments
Goodies
A new box of goodies!

There’s nothing like the thrill of finding a newly delivered box of goodies on the front porch! (Or wherever you receive your packages) Apparently this fantastic box of small piece count puzzles was delivered yesterday – but it was after we were all in for the night, so no one found it until this morning. I woke up to a fantastic sight – a box of puzzles sitting on the couch!

Either my oldest son or my husband found it when they were leaving for work at the butt-crack of dawn, and left it for me to find when I woke up today – it’s almost better than that first cup of coffee in the morning! ☕

I say almost because even though I was so excited to see it, I didn’t open it until I’d had my first cup of coffee. I need that first cup to recall my brain from it’s nighttime wanderings back to where it belongs. It would have been impossible to fully appreciate all the fun packed inside without my brain, so I had to wait.

My fantastic friend and fellow puzzle junkie Penny sent me a box of small piece count puzzles, and I think I’ll be starting today with the adorable puppy puzzle on top – how cute are those little guys? So freakin’ cute! The box is mostly kids puzzles that are 100 pieces or less, and two 300 piece adult puzzles; and I am looking forward to every single one of them.

You can’t see it, but I’m happy dancing in my chair right now. 💃💃💃