A puzzling day!

 Oh- looks like I have a new book to add to my list! Thanks for the recommendations! I love the idea of setting a "moving deadline" to motivate you to declutter. 

We just want to make sure that the deadline is doable, or we will end up feeling worse. I would like my deadline to be the end of the year, and I want to get the garage done! It won't take long, and it would be so nice to get rid of all the rest of the detritus. There isn't much, but it's still annoying and seems to get glossed over repeatedly! 

I still have some trips this year, but I should be able to wheedle out some time. I carved out days to visit my aunt, so why can't I carve out one day to do the garage? That's all it's going to take!!!

I have three presentations today, and I've prepared all of them! I almost missed the boat on one. I had forgotten about it, and around 3 PM yesterday, I remembered, OOPS!!! But I managed to get it together, so that is all good. So many of the pictures were ready; they just hadn't been loaded into the presentation. 

These were the two girls yesterday morning as I was finishing up the blog. They were a tad impatient to get out for their walk! Those silly girls! 

MOM - we are exhausted waiting for you!

I left the house early as I had a date with some puzzles. It was puzzle packing day again. It's like being a kid in a candy store, except we were so busy we didn't even have time to glance at the shelves. This is the warehouse anyway, so no shopping allowed. 

The puzzle warehouse

When I arrived, most of the puzzles were already in their envelopes, as a crew had done that work last night. I was on a plane, so I couldn't help them. 

After that, we got all the puzzles (probably close to 2,000) ready to ship. While that sounds daunting, it's not that bad. Several people picked the orders, someone checked them, and then others packed them in boxes. I made the boxes. I'm pretty handy with a tape gun! 

The boxes are almost ready for shipping.

The biggest challenge is deciding on a box size for each order. Some people ordered a single puzzle, while others ordered 11 or more! The problem is that the puzzles are all different sizes!!!!! These puzzles are for the virtual competitions throughout the next couple of months. So the puzzles are concealed in shipping envelopes so the recipient can't see the picture. We put a label on each puzzle to show the date and time it should be opened. 

A LOT of work happens BEFORE we even pack the puzzles. Someone orders the puzzles and has them shipped to the warehouse. They also make the labels, print the orders, and so on. 

And there are loads of events during those months with a maximum of 90 people per event or something like that. These events sell out FAST, within an hour; every spot is gone. It may not be quite that quick, but it's fast! 

This is all for the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association. It's a great organization, and you can participate as much or as little as you want. You can check out their website, and there will be two big events that you can visit IN PERSON next year. 

They have many other events to keep people interacting. You can browse their website to find more. The one thing I like, and that fits my schedule and pace, is the monthly theme puzzles. Actually, it's called the Puzzle Along. 

Here's a list of the themes for the rest of the year and into next year. 

During that month, you put together one puzzle (or more) with that theme. Then get the keyword for the month (not posted until the beginning of the month) and post a picture to the Facebook group. I have some puzzles for the upcoming themes on the list, but I don't think I have a Disney puzzle, so I need to add one. 

Right now, I'm working on the Sweet Treats theme for October. 

My candy-themed puzzle for October

This one is called Candy Party or something like that, and it seemed very hard last week, but I made excellent progress yesterday. I will have to be very diligent today to NOT touch it until this evening. 

If you haven't guessed it, I love jigsaw puzzles. I love finding the pieces; sorting is therapeutic, and, well, it just doesn't get better than that! And a very nice diversion from sewing all day. 

Notice in this one that I have many dishes made, but not the candy inside them. And I swear I can smell candy as I'm working on the dark thing! 

Hmmm --- which one will I pick for next month with Travel Destinations as the theme? 

Well, it's Sunday morning, and did I remember to take that darn bone density pill? I did not. So I decided to take the pill and then wait 30 minutes to eat. It's a bit of a pain, but I need to get my act together. A slight delay won't kill me! But not taking the pill could! 

Someone mentioned in a comment about not going to family events or other gatherings. You know what? Sometimes we dread those events - it could be a farewell, a celebration of life. We think it would be easier, less bother, or whatever if we don't go. You know what? We are doing ourselves a disservice. If we don't think we are "good" enough or strong enough to attend those events, what does that say about how we value ourselves? 

So the next time a friend wants to visit, a family member needs help, or you have something you don't want to do, do it anyway!!! Attending those events matters for our well-being. WE ARE IMPORTANT, and others host these events to show you they care! 

This has to be short this morning; I need to get my butt in gear to walk the girls and be ready for the UFO club. 

Ciao!!!!