Reflections of 2025

As the countdown begins, I made a little collage to reflect back on this year. Intentionally, I took flight more often from social media and begun to cultivate a new existence outside of screens.

It wasn't about the gigantic steps in 2025...it was teensy tiny ones with a lot of fumbling along the way.

The hats that I wore in work and play altered in unexpected ways, but I remained what many still call me ("a muse").

My little support nook was of course an extra heartbeat to keep momentum when life got really rough (thank you)and I hope our connections continue to grow in 2026.

Challenging New Puzzles

Well I am sharing our finished Ceaco puzzles from this set of 8 and some thoughts on each one!

🧩300 pieces

The rounded puzzle had a learning curve. For some reason just looking at it completed, reminded me of the lyrics from the iconic musical, The Sound of Music.

🎵Follow every rainbow Till you find your dream 🎵

This one was pretty easy to do!

🧩500 pieces

So many itty bitty details on each cupcake! I was struggling on this one especially the purple - my fav colour. Still fun to work on together and turned out great.

Another challenging one especially the blues!

This one took several days to complete.Some of the different patterns and coloured pieces helped to navigate where each balloon would be placed. Definitely another challenging one but turned out lovely.

A stunning pose. So many little details and to figure out the right pieces to match the pattern and colours, especially around the head.

🧩750 pieces

We finished this 750 piece puzzle. It was extremely difficult and to our surprise, these particular pieces were definitely poor quality compared to the other puzzles. Beautiful scene but quite a disappointment. 

🧩1000-pieces!

Sorting puzzle pieces into containers has become really helpful. Although this one had SO many colour combos that I needed to get more. Also, as you can see, it took up our entire dining room table. lol

Finished!

Our first time working on a 1000 piece puzzle. This was unbelievably difficult at times. Hours could go by and there would be rejoice with "I found A piece!" Glasses on, glasses off... trying different ways to see if a piece fit together or not. Then also wondering sometimes, "is there an actual piece missing?" We get into the groove and then boom, a standstill.

This puzzle really taught us such levels of patience, which is always a great virtue to have in life.

Very happy with our accomplishment.

Puzzled: A New Year Ahead

Our 2023 Holiday Tree

Well hello again to all my readers.  It's been a little while since I last sat down to write a blog. 

Bill surprised me with this assortment of Ceaco Puzzles for my birthday, along with other personal gifts.  I really love all the vibrant colours and the 750 piece scenic one is my favourite. It's ignited some joy that I hope will stay around. We've actually donated several of our other puzzles that we did together, which I hope others are enjoying.  

These will take some time to do, so I'm actually excited to put on some coffehouse jazz music, make a nice cup of tea and sit down and work on these puzzles together over the holidays and into 2024.  Below is what the box looks like.

Ceaco Puzzle - 8 in total!

If I'm going to be totally honest, which is pretty much what you can always expect from me, my inspiration and passion about so many things has dwindled. There's been this void of desire along with on-going fogginess that I can't quite explain that more often than not on most days makes me feel really blah. Not blah blah blah (if you are a fan of Hotel Transylvania, you'll get the reference).  

I know what anxiety feels like and good ol' depression is no stranger either.  However, the feeling is different.  I'm a paradox of thought as it seems as though I am intune with my body, yet I also sense this strong feeling of being disconnected from it. 

I'm now 43, so maybe I'm going through some spiritual shedding.  I don't even know what that means exactly, but the phrase resonates. I also read recently a beautiful quote from writer, Dani Shapiro:"You can start your day over anytime." and that has really stuck in a  positive way. 

A daily reminder to myself and anyone else that might be going through challenges: Eat (balanced/mindfully - treat yourself too) Move (gently) and Rest (recharge). 

As I reflect, 2023 was filled with plenty of lessons as well as blessings.  It was also a pivotal time of honing in on emotional sobriety - my foundation for a happy and healthy existence. 

Living in more calm than entering into unnecessary chaos is a good place to be and what I continue to strive towards each and every day.

A special thank you to those who continue to have their arms open for me, their ears when I need to talk and of course, their hearts. 

~Until next time...

One Piece At A Time: Puzzles

 

The first jigsaw puzzle was created by a British map engraver named John Spilsbury, all the way in 1760's. He created them for educational purposes and called them "Dissected Maps."

By 1909, dissected maps became more widely known as a jigsaw puzzle.  When the Great Depression hit America in 1929, puzzles exploded in popularity. 

Now here we are in 2022, with such technological advances where you can utilize your computer, phone, or even virtual reality to solve puzzles or go old-school and sit down with one for hours of enjoyment.  Honestly, the latter is more my cup of tea to spend quality time with my hubby and get away from screens or to work on bits solo at our leisure.

With the vast amount of puzzles available, you can find wildlife and scenery to abstract art, nostalgic landmarks, and the list goes on. You can even create personalized puzzles using your own photos. 

They can be easily found in local stores and thrift shops, higher-end boutiques and of course, online. Depending on your preference size and image of choice, you can begin with 250 pieces or if you feel you have the patience, 1000 pieces or more. 

My puzzle journey began with Bill bringing home the sloth puzzle (shown above) for me. He thought it would be a fun activity for us to do together while working on my health challenges.  I'm not a very coordinated person, so it took a lot of effort and patience. The movement of my fingers picking up a puzzle piece and being able to focus felt soothing. I did feel a lot of anxiety at first, but slowly that washed away the more I kept at it. There was so much detail in the fur, so although only 250 puzzle pieces, it took many days to piece together, but it was a great accomplishment and raised my spirits. 

There are so many benefits of puzzles. It can improve cognition and visual-spatial reasoning, aids in memory, builds connection (especially if you are doing it with others), helps with problem-solving, and a big one, it can help to reduce stress hormones and increase mood (thanks dopamine!).

There's no time limit or pressure, it's just fun.  When it becomes stressful, then it's time to take a break and return a few hours later, or even give a day or two of rest. 

After we finished this puzzle together, I loved it so much that I wanted to showcase it. We thought it would make a lovely art piece when you walk into our kitchen. 

While it's been a rather puzzling year (sorry, yes a deliberate pun here) especially after being hit hard by covid and dealing with my own physical and mental recovery, there is a real joy to sit down at the kitchen or dining room table, throw on some instrumental music like jazz or classical, and build piece by piece whatever beautiful creation is chosen.

I'm always looking to add to our collection, so let me know any of your favourites by sending me an email or leaving a comment below. 

These puzzles were purchased from:

💜Josie Lewis

💜Thomas Kinkade

💜Eurographics

💜Giftcraft

👉Fun fact: You can purchase Dowdle's, What A Wonderful World - the world's largest puzzle (as of 2022) - It has a whopping 60,000 pieces and is 8 feet tall and 29 feet long.  

As a novice puzzler, I don't anticipate this purchase any time soon!