Wings, by Josephine Wall
Yet another Josephine Wall puzzle, detailed and intricate as always. Lots of subtle shades and distinct textures. This is a puzzle to do over the course of several evenings, at a leisurely pace.
Unpacking after a move
From the time I’ve first mentioned to people that we were moving, I got inundated with an intake of breath and some variation of “Oh, you’ll be living from boxes for the next year”. I refuse to give in to this attitude. Unpacking does not need to take months! Take control and be done sooner, with less stress.
Puzzle: Best Friends, by P. Govezensky
From the same series as Ladies Night and Apple Picking, this vibrant puzzle is a pleasure to do — it only took me a leisurely two hours from start to finish. The borders between neighbouring colours are well-defined and the textures are distinct in different parts of the image, so the assembly is a breeze.
How to organize children’s clothes
Over the past five years, we have accumulated a collection of several garbage bags chock-full of children’s clothes, from newborn to size 5, three boxes of shoes and boots, and bulky winter coats of various sizes. This is the reality of a mother with more than one child, where the clothes are being used at two different sizes by two children. With the recent move, I have been faced with the need to arrange all of them into some semblance of order. Here is what I did…
Havasu Falls/Pool in the Grand Canyon, Havasupai Indian Reservation
Beautiful, zen scene of water flowing and pooling in rock basins. Waterfalls are one of my favourite subjects to assemble.
Permaculture Herb Spiral
We have moved to a new place at the end of May, which means I have a new garden to shape. I have decided to try my hand at a permaculture herb spiral. The result looks lovely and the herbs seem happy.
Puzzle: Longwood Mansion in Natchez, Mississippi
Simple puzzle due to the number of pieces and the symmetric nature of the architecture. Overall quite an enjoyable puzzle, alas found by me with 3 pieces missing.
Ride the uncertainty
To be resilient in the face of changes, one must let go of the need to cling to familiar and give in to uncertainty of life. Just as with good sex or a good birth, feel the rhythm, follow it, listen to your senses, and ride that wave. Let go and you’ll be more in control and feel more pleasure from the process than if you try to resist the flow. You cannot control life circumstances. You can control how you respond to changes and integrate them into your life.
Bridge, Royale
Beautiful puzzle with lovely play of light, a pleasure to assemble. Composition of the image makes it simple to pick out several horizontal and vertical guides. I have found this puzzle second-hand, with a block of 4 pieces missing.
Be flexible
Many people are under the impression that, once you have children, the days become a never-breaking routine, leaving no space for adventure in your life. In my experience, with children around, the routine can turn into an adventure at any moment. This is where free-form organization and flexibility shine. Let me take you on an adventure of moving with two young children…
Puzzle: Lakeside Porch, by Julian Askins
A lovely painting, this puzzle was very simple given the size and number of the pieces. With the pieces flowing into place, it made for a zen evening.
Choose to leave negativity out of your life
We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. Stress is often multiplied by internal dialogue, self-blame and vivid imagination, painting detailed pictures of what can go wrong. Learn to separate an event from your reaction to it, and control your exposure to other people’s negative thoughts and emotions.
Puzzle: Mixed Berries Collage
From the same series as Shell Game, this deliciously-looking puzzle is a bit more complicated, due to many repetitions of similar colours and texture patterns. The Sure-Lox pieces make the assembly quite enjoyable.
Make move less stressful for kids
We are moving, and this means that for the past month and for the next couple of weeks we are living among boxes, and in constantly changing surroundings. When you have children, adults with hobbies, a full-fledged beading studio, a large library, a network, and a pantry, it makes for quite a few things to pack. A minimalist friend of mine came to visit during the early stages of packing and exclaimed: “I don’t know how you can stand it, I’d go crazy having to live like this for even a week.” Any change in routine is stressful, full of unknowns, and can be downright scary for children. I have come up with ways to minimize everyone’s stress and make the packing more fun.
Puzzle: Tropical Flowers
Vibrant, beautiful puzzle, made simpler by being divided into five smaller rectangular images separated by black borders that serve as vertical and horizontal guides. My four-year old loved helping me with this puzzle, and on his insistence it now adorns the wall above his bed, next to the Shell Game one.
Spring garden start — sprouting seeds
We are moving to a new place this year, which means that I have a challenge and a pleasure to start a new garden. Since early March, I have been sprouting seeds in the basement, under growing lights, so that once we are in our new place in late May, I can start hardening them off and transplanting them into the garden.
Zen Transition to Motherhood for Kindle
My book Zen Transition to Motherhood is now available on Amazon. It looks in detail into the early weeks after the baby’s birth, with resources to let the new mama rest and recover after the birth, and tips on how to set up a meal train, address mama’s and baby’s health challenges, good supplies to have on hand, and ways to relax and enjoy this time. The second part of the book goes into practical matters of harnessing the new routine, getting chores under control, mastering errands with the baby, and handling commitments. The book also includes many ideas for entertainment and rest.
Puzzle: Shell Game
Lovely puzzle – not trivial, but quite enjoyable with a variety of textures and shades of blue and purple. This is one of my son’s favourites – even before it was completed, he has asked that we put it up above his bed where it now resides.
Lots of ways to approach this puzzle: I have started with the large shell, assembling the smaller shells in parallel, and larger pieces of glass, followed by the dried seaweed on the right. After that, it was the matter of filling up every nook and cranny with little pieces of colour and pattern. Slow and indulgent, this puzzle requires a keen eye.
Welcoming spring and fertility
It has been a lovely day this Friday before Easter. The weather has been unusually warm, with a light refreshing breeze, soft sunshine, and birds hesitantly picking at the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder under the watchful eye of our cat. I’ve spent some time replanting potted aloe and various other house greenery and collecting soil from the towers to start various seeds. The kids have been having lots of fun outside for the first time this spring, playing ball, creating Knight of the Realm stories, rescuing available neighbourhood ladybug princesses, and remembering how to shoot a bow.
How to transition to better nutrition
Over the last few months, I have been asked several times to help with transitioning a family to a healthier lifestyle, especially as it relates to nutrition. Generally, the considerations of healthy choices for parents and young children, as well as budget and possible food sensitivities, shape the solution. Below are a few things that have worked for my family.