Tag: Miscellaneous

National Puzzle Day 2024

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous10 Comments

My favorite puzzle ever!

Happy National Puzzle Day to all my fellow puzzle posse members. Today is the day to do whatever kind of puzzles you love; crossword, sudoku, anagrams, word search, jigsaws, etc. – and enjoy!

I usually talk about the people in my life who helped or are still helping me love my jigsaw puzzles. The problem this year is that I’ve already done a National Puzzle Day post about all of them previously. Oh well, I can talk about them all again and let those who are still here know how much I love and appreciate them.

Starting on the left is my Grama (with me in my best 70s pajamas at a sleepover at Gram’s house), who started me off young helping her with her puzzles. She never gave me a kids puzzle so that I would stop “helping” her even though 1000+ piece puzzles are a LOT when you’re so little. But she knew I wanted to spend time with her and that I like working puzzles with her even though I wasn’t very good in the beginning; she taught me to be observant, look at the piece in my hand and really look at the puzzle and see if it was actually the piece I was looking for. She was never impatient with me when I got in her way (and I know for a fact I got in her way many a time), and her love of jigsaw puzzles rubbed off on me at an early age. Miss you Gram. 💟

The next picture is one I’m sure you’ll recognize if you are a regular reader, it’s my beautiful Momma holding up my favorite puzzle ever – the one we did together from a box of pieces bought off eBay. She was my black belt thrift store shopper, my closest and best friend, the original member of the PADS and Puzzle Posse, and the best Meema to her grandkids. We LOVED to puzzle together every week and she was always down to help with a difficult one that was giving me fits, or to laugh over a ridiculous one that was terrible quality and giving me fits. She was the best Mom and my best friend and I miss her every single day. 💕

Next to her is a picture of my darling hubby and my favorite sister-in-law working on a vacation puzzle from last year. My handsome hubby is always helping me puzzle even when he isn’t actually helping me puzzle. He helped build my puzzle boards, made the puzzle table that they sit on, found the best lights for over the table, and will stop whatever he’s doing to help out if something goes wrong in here that makes it difficult for me to work on my puzzles – not to mention, he goes to work every day to earn money and doesn’t care how much of it I spend on more puzzles! He’s a keeper (though I will take credit for a bit of training him in the 35 years we’ve been married) I really did get one of the good ones. 💖

And last, but certainly not least is my beautiful daughter. She’s my new bestest friend and loves to help me with puzzles when she can and is always looking out for puzzles when she’s shopping and sending pics to see if I’ve done it already or want her to pick it up for me. She always listens to my puzzle talk even though she isn’t nearly as interested in them as I am, and reads my blog every day. She loves to work on my bathroom puzzles when she’s here, and it makes me so happy that she wants to share my puzzles with me. I love my Baby Princess to the moon and back and am so proud to be her Momma. 💝

And finally, a puzzle buddy whom I don’t have a picture for, my bestest puzzle pal Penny. Although we’ve never met in person she’s a wonderful friend who always wants to hear what puzzle I’m doing, how I’m feeling, and helps me especially when I’m down in the dumps and want nothing to do with puzzles. She’s the reason I came back to blogging (both times) from my extended hiatuses; she knew when to push and when to back off, and gently nudged me back to the puzzle table because she knew how much they would help me back to some sanity. We’re constantly sending each other puzzles we’ve done and want to share, and at this very moment we each have a big pile of puzzles ready to send to each other. She a fellow PADS sufferer and puzzle posse member, and a true blue friend. 💙

I hope each of you out there has a few puzzle friends or family members in your life to encourage and uplift, or hopefully even enable you to enjoy the puzzles that you love. If not, I’ll be that friend for you. I LOVE to talk about puzzles and answer every single comment made here on the blog, and can talk your ear off about brands, piece shapes, artists, genres, wooden puzzles, cardboard puzzles, old puzzles, new puzzles, thrift store puzzles, etc.

So Happy National Puzzle Day my friends, although it isn’t a day only for our beloved jigsaw puzzles, that doesn’t matter at all to us Discerning Dissectologists. I’ll be spending today with a fun puzzle, and I hope you will too! 🧩💚

Oh Dear…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous8 Comments

The past two (almost) weeks have been rough on this old broad, and there hasn’t been much in the way of puzzling at all. The puzzle on my table has been finished for a few days now, and although the pictures have been taken it’s still there waiting to be disassembled before I can start a new one.

Problem is, sitting at the table and puzzling has been damned difficult with my recent back injury and the added pain is not only tough to deal with, but it also does a number on the mind – at least for me. It makes me want to not do anything at all except find a comfortable position and stay there forever and not have to think or talk or do or deal with the world. NOT GOOD.

I finally gave in and went to urgent care yesterday; got a couple of shots in the behind (steroids and a painkiller) and will be taking steroids for the next week to reduce the inflammation. I’m hopeful it will start helping me feel better at last – to help me get back to my table to enjoy the gorgeous puzzles that are patiently waiting to be assembled and loved.

The next puzzle I do is going to be one that I’m excited about; it won’t be one I choose because “it’s best for the blog to do a _____ type puzzle next”. I need to get back to the puzzle love and enjoy the hell out of whatever puzzle is next, no matter what! 💚🧩💚

2024 Puzzling Goals?

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous11 Comments

Have you set goals for yourself this year? And by that I mean puzzling goals, of course. I used to; I’d set a goal for a certain number of puzzles or pieces, or to try a brand that was on my bucket list, etc. Not anymore.

With all the turmoil in the world and especially in the United States in the past several years, I’ve found it best for myself that I not set puzzling goals at the beginning of a new year. My mental health can oftentimes be quite a struggle, and setting goals that in the end aren’t achieved doesn’t help that at all.

Sometimes I need to “check out” from the blog or puzzles altogether; and sometimes I just want to stop and do nothing because depression is a beast that never gives up. So, no goals for me this year.

My hope, however, is that every day at least two puzzle pieces connect together. Even if it’s only putting two pieces together and my heart isn’t in it I hope that I can fake it until I make it.

How about you? Have you set yourself a puzzle goal for this year? A certain number of puzzles or pieces? To stop buying so many puzzles? To get yourself a wooden puzzle for the first time? To try a larger piece count for the first time? Do tell! I’d love to hear from you. 💟

On a totally different subject, I made the above image SEVEN YEARS AGO! I don’t even remember why, but I wanted question mark and of course whatever the subject I was going on about was related to jigsaw puzzling. So I took some pieces of a colorful puzzle (collage, of course), built a little question mark on my table and took this picture. It’s been unbelievably useful!

I use it on the side panel of the blog to show what I’m working on when the next puzzle on my board hasn’t been decided on yet, or if I can’t find or create a good enough image of the actual puzzle I’m working on. I use it when I ask a question of my readers, I use it when I’m philosophizing about puzzles or puzzling – I use it at least 10 times a year! That may not seem like much, but it definitely is for the blog. The pictures I take almost always are used only once, but this one has been my go-to image for years now.

Just thought I’d share the story of this picture with you, hope you found it interesting. 🧩💚

Happy New Year’s Eve!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Miscellaneous4 Comments

I know we puzzlers are a hard-partying bunch of dangerous, daring dissectologists, but be safe out there tonight everyone! As for myself, I’ll be babysitting my grandpuppies – it’s true, the fun never stops.

There was a time when I stayed up to welcome the New Year, but truth be told a warm bed and some restful sleep is SOOOO much more exciting to me. Yep, I get my thrills while happily unconscious; and I ain’t ashamed to tell you that either!

Best wishes for a safe, happy, and healthy New Year to all members of the puzzle posse! 🎉🥂🎉