Puzzle #19 - Vermont Christmas Company - Streets of Pisa - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #19 of 2023
Finished March 11, 2023

Vermont Christmas Company Streets of Pisa - 1000 pieces

Dominic Davison - This one may be really tricky.  It is the random cut pieces and they are so wonky.  I do not have the border done and probably won't have it complete for awhile.  But hopefully it won't be frustrating.  I do feel like my skill has improved steadily over the last year.  That is fun to think about.  :) This is the smaller size of the Vermont Christmas Country 1000 piece puzzles, which I had kind of been avoiding.  Now I am curious to try to figure out which ones have random and which have ribbon cut.  I know the most recent 550 piece was ribbon cut... need to see if the ones I have liked the best have been ribbon or random and if maybe the larger 1000 pieces are ribbon and the smaller 1000 pieces are random?  Or is the whole thing random?  I like to find patterns and order!  ha!  Will look into it.

Streets of Pisa by Dominic Davison. 

This was a tough one, for sure.  All those wonky shaped pieces were driving me nuts.  Not as nuts as in the past, though, so I am improving.  But I don’t like these really weirdly shaped puzzles so much - at least not in a 1000 pieces.  I don’t know how you can tell with Vermont Christmas Company which ones are wonky shaped pieces and which ones are regular.  I would really like to know that before purchasing in the future.  I prefer their regular shaped puzzles.  Surely they have it marked some way and I just haven’t yet figured it out?   But I did complete this one and it was pretty  I loved the image and the puzzle was good but not a favorite simply because of those wonky shaped pieces.

Puzzle #19 of 2023
Finished March 11, 2023

Vermont Christmas Company Streets of Pisa - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #18 - Buffalo Games Charles Wysocki - Whistlestop Christmas - 500 pieces

Puzzle #18 of 2023

Finished March 1, 2023

Buffalo Games Charles Wysocki Whistlestop Christmas - 500 pieces

Well this puzzle is going together way faster than I expected!  I just started it this evening and am ⅔ done.  Heading to bed since it is late but would have finished in one day had I started earlier.  It is a delightful puzzle.  I forget how I do love Charles Wysocki puzzles.  Again, 500 pieces is probably too easy but a pleasant diversion.  This is my first Buffalo in awhile (except for a couple 300 piece ones I think) and the quality is just fine.  I know I have had trouble before with pieces fitting more than one location but so far that has not been a problem with this puzzle.  Will definitely get back into doing Buffalo puzzles - 1000 pieces.  Very nice experience so far.

A very enjoyable puzzle.  Not hard but fun to do.  Will try another Buffalo 1000 piece after this.  Sort of brought me back to Buffalo puzzles.  :)  And oh, how I love that big poster!!!

big, beautiful poster

Puzzle #18 of 2023

Finished March 1, 2023

Buffalo Games Charles Wysocki Whistlestop Christmas - 500 pieces

Puzzle #17 - Ravensburger - Scenic Overlook - 500 pieces

Puzzle #17 of 2023
Finished February 28, 2023

Ravensburger Scenic Overlook - 500 pieces

It has been a slower puzzle week.  Just put together the border on this one and hope to get back to it this weekend or the week coming up.  So far so good!  I have been wanting to do this one for awhile... reminds me of all our western travels with Mama and Daddy and my own family.  Saw it is by Ken Zylla... I do like his stuff.

Finally sat down today to work on this puzzle that I framed out several days ago.  It was very enjoyable and quick.  Too easy, really, but that is okay.  Hard to find that balance of what I want between hard and easy.  I enjoyed the scene and like Ken Zylla images.  He always has cool cars which I love.  :)  And boy have we stopped at scenic overlooks like this many times over the years!  I respectfully disagree with his 'tourist trap' sign.  Yes, that may technically be true, but I don't mind it.  :D  Wall Drug DOES have great donuts!  And clean restrooms!  ha!  And when you are out west, you WANT places to stop!  So there you go.  :D  This puzzle may even whet my appetite for travel again.  That would be something!!  :)

Puzzle #17 of 2023
Finished February 28, 2023

Ravensburger Scenic Overlook - 500 pieces

The Lazy Genius Way

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi

February 2023 - Well Read Book Club

I read this for my Well Read Book Club and I did enjoy it.  I would have loved to read it at age 25... much of what is in it I guess I had slogged through life and figured out on my own.  But her descriptions and advice are solid.  Wouldn't it have been nice to not have to just slog it out?  :)  Even so, I found myself nodding my head and even shouting 'Amen Sister' more than once!  

She has a clear way of writing and sharing that doesn't make you feel 'less than'.  She continually states that some people like one way and others like another way.  None are wrong.  She just tries to help you determine what is really worth it to you to do deeper.  And how to make other parts of your life less consuming.  Finding that good balance between being lazy or being a genius and trying too hard.  Good points and an engaging book.  Even our roomful of 50+ women found many helpful hints and had lots to talk about.  

Her mantra is "Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't."  I like that! 

This is definitely a great book to give as a gift to a new young Mom.  In fact, I paired a copy of this book with Michelle Obama's The Light We Carry for a few wonderful young women I know.  

Notes/Highlights from the book - 

...but as a self-righteous perfectionist, I was obsessed with keeping score, avoiding failure, and being impressive. Comparison and judgment were par for the course.

When you care about something, you try to do it well. When you care about everything, you do nothing well, which then compels you to try even harder. Welcome to being tired.

Little did I know you can be just as exhausted from not trying as you can from trying too hard. Managing apathy and survival mode takes as much energy as managing rules and perfection.

Our culture is obsessed with being real, but we’ve been using the wrong measuring stick.

I’m all for letting go of perfection, but we’ve somehow conflated order with being fake.

I want to stop judging women who have it together, assuming they have something to hide. I want to stop applauding chaos as the only indicator of vulnerability.

You can be real when life is in order and when it’s falling apart. Life is beautifully both.

Constant decision-making is one of the reasons you don’t have energy for things that matter to you.

Stuff is the enemy of clean, and the more stuff you have, the harder it is to clean your house.

I do appreciate her simple take on recipes - something I have long worked toward.  I love sheetpan meals but admit that some of her tips took my sheetpan chicken up a notch!  (oiling underneath the skin of the chicken and placing the chicken on top of the veggies instead of nestled down within)

Check out her famous recipe here...

https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/change-your-life-chicken

The Light We Carry

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Read February 2023 - Books With Friends

Wonderful book!  I just love Michelle Obama and her ability to be so very 'real' but also inspiring and encouraging.  I have bought copies of this book to give to several others, particularly younger people.  

In The Light We Carry, Michelle discusses some tools she has honed over her lifetime for dealing with anxiety and uncertain times with courage, grace and resilience.  These tools are both powerful and yet somewhat 'simple' - meaning totally doable.  That is the recipe for success.  She talks about, among many other things, The Power of Small (do the first small thing and proceed from there), Decoding Fear (I love her description of being comfortably afraid), the importance of partnering well (I'm so thankful to my own parents for doing this part so well and stressing the importance of that one decision in my own life).  She also gives us a clear picture of her remarkable mother, Marian Robinson.  Oh, how I love this woman!  In many instances she reminded me of my own mother.  While Mrs. Robinson and my Mama had very different backgrounds, there were overlaps that formed and shaped them.  One was recognizing adult behavior that was unhealthy and vowing not to repeat it.  Another was her total practicality and competence.  I laughed out loud about her dealing with the toaster fire.  :)  What a wonderful woman and what successful parenting.

I gave this 5+ stars for sure!

The Light We Carry official trailer (with Oprah)

You can see the full version of The Light We Carry on Netflix at this link...

https://www.netflix.com/watch/81657245

Short GMA interview with Michelle Obama 

Here is the full Robin Roberts (20/20) interview with Michelle Obama and friends found on Hulu. 

https://www.hulu.com/series/michelle-obama-the-light-we-carry-a-conversation-with-robin-roberts-739bd691-d7db-492a-a7b4-8df85d8c5951

The Power of Small - Michelle Obama (excerpted from the book)

The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama (excerpted from the book)

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Read February 2023

This month I read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I thoroughly enjoyed it and especially loved the ‘voice’ of the octopus. It was a pleasant read after the super heavy Tattooist of Auschwitz.

I read this for Well Read Book Club and thoroughly enjoyed it. Who wouldn’t love that octopus? He was so perfectly written - I could picture every scene with him perfectly. About the storyline - yes, I had read some critiques about how there were too many coincidences... but that was just the beauty of this particular story. It was meant to be that way! And I loved all the full circle connections and relationships. And of course I loved the redeeming qualities of the story - I’m a big fan of people getting their lives together and living happily (mostly?) ever after.


Some highlights from the book...

Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.

Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?

She understands what it means to never be able to stop moving, lest you find yourself unable to breathe.

Some trees aren’t meant to sprout tender new branches, but to stand stoically on the forest floor, silently decaying.

Humans are the only species who subvert the truth for their own entertainment. They call them jokes. Sometimes puns.

The Visitors: A Novel

The Visitors: A Novel by Sally Beauman

Read February 2023 

I was in the mood for one of those long meandering books like a good Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy.  But since I have pretty much read all of those, I pulled this one out.  It rose to the top of my selections based entirely on its (mostly) Egypt locale.  I really did enjoy this book a lot, but admit that I took my time reading it.  I even stopped halfway through to finish up my other book club books by their deadlines.  But I really enjoyed all the details surrounding the excavation of King Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.  Having visited that site (and others in Egypt) myself, I could truly picture the area and feel the heat and smell the Nile.  

This book spans the globe with action taking place in England, Egypt and even the US.  The time period of 1922 through the war years provided the ‘epic’ part of the read (that I do enjoy).  :)  And I was fascinated by the character development.  I loved Lucy’s spunk and determination in spite of all odds. 

Coming back to update 3/13/23 - I am liking this book more and more after finishing it.  I keep thinking about it and realize it was a very good book.  

Update again on 7-26-23 - Definitely giving this book a 5.  I just read The Collector’s Daughter based on the life of Eve Carnavon and was so glad I had read The Visitors - it certainly gave more depth to the current book. 

Notes and Highlights - 

bit late, you’ll say – but better late than never, don’t you agree? I always wanted to be a writer – I wrote poems as a girl, you know, and my, oh my, how I fussed over the scansion and the rhymes! Then, somehow, I lost the habit, and all my splendid ambitions went underground. Never, never let that happen to you, Lucy, dear . .

never attempt to come between two people who love one another. Anyone who does that will always and inevitably lose.’

‘How hard it is, being old, too many memories,’

Times change, of course, and what we value – the way we value, alters. How do we decide this is worthless, and that is a treasure? Unless the object concerned is of gold, of course, whose value never declines, whose glitter can never be resisted.

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Read February 2023 - Zoom Reading Circle

Hidden Figures was appreciated by all but was a tougher technical read than many of us had thought it might be. However, all that technical information was foundational for telling the remarkable stories of these incredible women. Their individual stories were powerful and inspiring and I truly do feel that the book and the movie go well together - each offering something to enhance the other. The book gives the depth and the movie highlights the inspirational story and heart. I am definitely going to re-watch this movie soon! And may have to add to the list The Right Stuff, as well!  

(by the way… if any of you have a chance to watch an old HBO miniseries called From the Earth to the Moon - produced by Tom Hanks - I HIGHLY recommend it! It played on HBO for 12 nights back in the late 1990’s I believe and is probably my favorite of all the ’space race’ movies/series that I have seen. Each episode is written and directed by a different team and yet they go together so well to tell the story of all the years of the space race.) Just as an aside…

Book club score - 3.8 

But the movie version received a universal 5 from each of us!  :) 

Article about Katharine Goble Johnson’s death at 101

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/science/katherine-johnson-dead.html