LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

I grew up doing puzzles every summer. We’d keep a puzzle on the kitchen table and add to it as we passed back and forth. Then, my family being who we are, we’d keep a tally how many pieces each of us properly completed. And when the puzzle was finished, the winner would gloat. Then we’d go and get another puzzle.

Unfortunately, having a bento box sized apartment, we don’t have a lot of space for puzzles. But oh how I yearned to feel that familiar soft thuddy click of a puzzle piece sliding into place. So last weekend we bought a cheap card table and one folding chair at Target.

And a puzzle. Yes, shut up, a Disney puzzle. But what I really like about this one is that the characters are roughly placed in the geographic locations where their stories took place. So Mowgli is in India and Tiana’s in the US Southeast and the rest of the Princesses are taking part in #occupyEurope.

Naturally, the puzzle we chose is too darn long for the card table, so we’re doing it in halves. When we’re done we’re going to glue it together and forget about it in a closet put it on the wall somewhere.

And then we’ll go and get ANOTHER puzzle!

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And hey, tomorrow around 9:15am EST, could you send me some positive “knock-em-dead, champ” vibes? Maybe hum the awesome beginning measures of “Welcome to the Jungle.” Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-nuh-Dun-nuh-nuh-Duh-nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhn. Thanks, all!

I decided to start making my own rings out of the wire and countless beads I own until I decide what I want. Here is this week’s version…

Gold-tone copper wire and a group of Swarovski crystals = tacky holiday ring bling! The crystals move around as my hand moves.

(Return of the ax murderer handwriting!)

Oh, the ring will come eventually, when I decide what the heck I want. But we’ve been wanting an iPad since the first one came out and even though we seriously, absolutely do NOT need one, I got tired of drooling for an object that people buy for toddlers.

The iPad is sweet. Oh so sweet. This is our Christmas gift to us.

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Anyway, I’m off from the sloggy job today. Here’s the plan…

1) Vaccccuuumm*
2) Make cookie dough for Kristen’s cookie swap tomorrow.
3) Head to Best Buy and maybe Wegmans for lunch and eggnog if it’s not too crowded.
4) Bake six dozen cookies
5) Complete 2 loads of laundry.
6) Find a cute and jaunty way to print out the cookie recipe for the swap.

My “extra-credit” items –

Extra credit 1) Bake the sugar cut-out cookie dough that I have frozen.
Extra credit 2) Find a Christmas gift that’ll get to my Dad by, you know, Christmas.
Extra credit 3) Pick up the family cards at Hallmark. It’s in the same center as Best Buy and Wegmans.If I do this, I’ll reward myself with something at Starbucks.

*If you don’t know how to spell it and are too lazy to look it up, may as well make your mistake with wild abandon, right?