Puzzles and Plants

I love puzzles and I love plants...

I just scored three new Springbok puzzles today for only $4! Springbok are the best because the pieces are actually substantial and fit together better than most jigsaws. I used to do puzzles when I was little and it always seemed like I had a puzzle out on the puzzle table being worked in between trumpet lessons, track practice and dinner. I got reunited with my love of puzzles when I found out that one of my best friends, Carly Kenagy, and her mom loved puzzling too! I do miss puzzling with them...we did many a good puzzle over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks through college.

I recently finished the hardest puzzle I have ever done. It is a black and white photomosaic picture of James Dean compiled of several smaller pictures of him and or other movie stars from his films. It took me about 4 years to complete...I would start and then put it away and then start again. I finally buckled down and said it's never going back in the box. I had to create a whole new system of puzzling to get it done looking at the bottom left of each piece and sorting them by shape. It was very fulfilling to finish that one! I framed it and it actually looks quite nice.

I am excited about these new puzzles. As you can see there is a picture of Oreo's and milk, runners galore and a nice garden. I think I will start with the runner one since I am in Marathon mode right now. I am sure they will all be fun. I hope there are no missing pieces since I picked them up at a second hand store...but there is only one way to find out!


I also have a love of plants. I have quite a few potted plants and am looking forward to having a huge garden and yard someday that I can tend to and get lost in. For now my little beauties keep me company. In my collection are ivies, coleus, spider plants, french lavender, oregano, dalias, gerbera daisy's, sweet potato vines(to the left) and one jalapeno plant(below right). They keep me entertained and I love adding oxygen and life to our little apartment. I can't wait until some little peppers start growing on the jalapeno plant! I see the little buds starting!

I just planted the sweet potato shoots a week or so ago. I had a sweet potatoe that got pushed to the back of the pile and started sprouting so I decided to take a couple of the sprouts and see if they would grow. Sure enough they did! They are really beautiful vines and add a nice mix to one of the pots I keep in the house.




So there you have it puzzles and plants. Two of the great hobbies that keep me smiling.