My parents and niece visited us for a little over a week at the end of July. It was so good to have them here again. We cooked a cajun boil and worked on a puzzle. {Completed puzzle picture below} We ordered food at a drive-thru a couple of times and motored over to eat lunch at our nearby park. We spent one day at a small lake south of us. It’s big enough for water-skiing and tubing, so my young adults and our niece played in the water most of the day. It was nice in the shade and I enjoyed watching them. I ordered pizza for carry-out on my phone on our way home and swung through the drive-up window for it. It was very hot and humid most of their visit. We also had rain and it made traversing the dirt-turned-mud roads to our house a bit tricky. It was a very good visit and more memories made. Tuc and Larke gave us a guitar concert one evening and Tucker and Renae played a violin and guitar duo another evening. The three young people ventured to the tennis courts the last afternoon before our Ohio family headed east. It had cooled off and ended up a lovely afternoon for playing.
I’m smitten by these puzzles from Cavallini papers. I’m not a dyed-in-the-wool puzzle lover. I like to work on a puzzle, but get frustrated if I’m not getting anything together. I think perhaps this points out my lack of patience. Hmmm.
However, Cavallini has long been a favorite company of mine. When I saw their new line of puzzles, they were calling my name. I ordered two when I had a chance. It was a bit tricky putting it together. I struggled getting the edge to come out. My daughter is MUCH better at puzzles than I am. She found the problems with the edge and she did quite a bit of work on the puzzle. My mother and I worked on it off and on during their visit. We finished it up a couple of evenings before they left. If I’d had to put it together all on my own, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be finshed yet. 🙂 I ordered puzzle glue at Walmart.com and glued it all together. It’s laying on my guestroom bed waiting for me to decide where I want to hang it. I also need to consider a frame for it. Have you ever glued and framed a puzzle? Any tips?
All-in-all, I’m quite delighted with it!
I started the second puzzle Sunday. It may prove a bit easier, but haven’t decided for sure yet.
My farmer man played a good trick on me and made me laugh. {I’m appreciating any and all laughter we can find these days, for sure.} 🙂
He was in the basement talking to Renae. When he came back up to the kitchen he told me, “I think this puzzle is going to be easier for you to put together.” As it happened, my son had actually said the very same thing when he looked at the puzzle after I’d dumped it out.
Taking Matthew at his word, I agreed, stating, “That’s what Tucker said.”
He continued, “I put quite a bit of the edge pieces together while I was down there talking to Renae.”
I totally believed him. Until I went downstairs later. Spying his handiwork, I laughed out loud. YES, the edge pieces were together. True enough. They WERE connected. But they weren’t fitted properly together at all. Giggling, I went and found my phone to snap a few pictures to share in my Instagram stories. Often, I can call his bluff, but this time I took it hook, line, and sinker. 🙂
Here’s another project of mine that’s a work in progress! I purchased a kit for party hats from Posie by Alicia Paulson, well, a WHILE ago. I truly don’t remember when. I thought they looked fun to try my hand out, yet it’s easy to put off. I’d worked on the first one just a bit soon after the kit arrived. I pulled it back out yesterday and I hope to keep at it here and there. I have four little nieces who I plan to gift them to if they turn out semi-well. Haha!
The kit includes all the supplies which is super for a person such as I! Sometimes I don’t mind gathering needed items for a project and sometimes it can feel completely overwhelming to me.
Some weeks I’m doing good to compile a coherent grocery list and meal plan. Please note I use meal plan very loosely. I’ve never been someone who has every meal planned out every day each week.
Therefore, a kit I could open and go, without remembering I’d forgotten to add sequins to the list and what size black pom-poms did I need, was a-ok!
Felt flowers make me happy and I’m enjoying the colors and combinations and sparkles in this project.
Maybe wanting to update in next month’s Pages and Projects will help motivate me along!!!
Current dishcloths on my needles and a favorite book!
BOOK REVIEW: I was beyond thrilled and delighted when B&H/Lifeway offered Stand All the Way Up as one of their review books. I ordered a copy right away. I’d been anticipating this book ever since I knew it would be coming out. It was one of the rare books that I wanted to re-read as soon as I’d finished. I have been re-reading it actually. Books or movies that make me laugh, make me cry, and make me relate are always, always my favorites. Stand All the Way Up does this for me. Sophie Hudson writes in the best way. She’s funny. She’s kind. She’s encouraging. She shares her stories in such a relatable way. She talks about walking through hard things and addresses a few issues, all in the kindest way. If you want a book that’s easy to read, not too heavy, yet will inspire you along the way, give it a try.
From the introduction called All Manner of Monkey Business to the last page in the epilogue, Perhaps I Should Put Down the Matches, I think the stories will charm you and bring you delight. Sophie shares her opinion of cold-shoulder shirts, her struggle with health issues, and the work and vulnerability relationships often require.
Sophie Hudson’s long been a favorite author of mine. My life isn’t necessarily similar to hers. Many of her struggles aren’t my exact struggles. It’s not the exact same circumstances I relate to. No, it’s the emotions and feelings and laughter and general craziness and mayhem madness life sometimes serves up that I relate to in Sophie’s writing. And the laughter. Did I mention I really appreciate a good sense of humor?! 🙂
Oh, hey! I wanted to show you this planner/journal/diary book I ordered from Papier. You could choose personalization on the front and I happily chose one of my favorite reminders to myself. Delight in the Day. I’m using this book as a planner for blog work, post ideas and ADG related things for now.
See the sticky notes? They’re from Cavallini like the puzzles.
What projects are you working on? What are you reading???? 🙂 We didn’t garden any this summer. This is our third year without a garden and I mostly don’t miss it. A friend blessed me with tomatoes and onions last week, my sister-in-law gave me jalapenos, and I canned a batch of salsa on Saturday. I’m grateful for their kind generosity. Is gardening one of your summer projects?
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
