Tag Archives: Puzzles

Evening Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It has been an afternoon and evening of keeping my mind busy. Busy with various activities that can keep the brain sharp and busy. I actually started and finished a logic puzzle or problem or whatever you want to call it. I am very proud of myself for completing a logic puzzle and hope that I can do at least one a week. Logic problems can be a bit challenging which is why I am giving myself a week to do one and that I am surprised that I completed one in one day.

I also have done a handful of sudoku puzzles. I love doing sudoku puzzles and I do at least two a day. Today, I did eleven sudoku puzzles which a lot of them and I feel accomplished doing that many of them. I like the fact that sudoku puzzles keep my mind sharp and help me stay focused.

I also worked on two recovery related workbooks. Workbooks that I am learning new things about myself and recovery as well as new skills to help myself. I also hope to being able to purchase an extra workbook of both of the workbooks I worked on today so, I can have group around them when I get a job as a peer specialist. I am the type of person who will do a workbook before creating a group around it as I want to make sure I know what I am talking about as well as making sure that it could be helpful. Anyway, that two workbooks I worked on have been helpful for me and I know one of them was helpful for a friend as it was suggested by her for me to do the one she did.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Holiday Traditions

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! I would like to inform you of my own personal holiday traditions as it was suggested to me to start my own early on in my mental health recovery. The reason why it was suggested to me is because of some of the unrealistic holiday traditions that were placed on me by my family. No disrespect to my family as I love them very much but creating my own holiday traditions have helped me cope with my family as well helped me cope with my PTSD and depression.

When it was suggested to me by my therapist at the time early on in my mental health recovery the only thing I could think of regarding traditions for myself was comic books. Specifically two comic books that focused on Christmas. In fact the comic books I am speaking of are Christmas with the Superhero’s volume one and two by DC comics.

Over the years I have added to my holiday traditions. I have included the typical traditions of watching movies and listening to music. I have also included with the help of friends of the Jewish faith of spending a night or two or three celebrating Hanukkah with my friends who celebrate it. I am grateful that I can help celebrate Hanukkah with my friends who celebrate it. Besides watching holiday movies, listening to holiday music and spending two or three nights celebrating Hanukkah, I have included the following traditions to my list: reading holiday focused books, doing holiday or wintery focused jigsaw puzzles, doing holiday focused logic puzzles, doing Christmas dot to dot, and doing artwork focused on holidays or wintery scenes which includes coloring and diamond art/painting.

Now that I informed you of what I do for my own holiday traditions, it is challenging to know how my family traditions will change this year and next year due to my mom passing away two days before Thanksgiving. I say this year and next year as this year it is so fresh. I know I will keep some of the Christmas traditions my mom instilled upon me. As far as my dad’s side of the family they will still celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve as one of my uncle’s birthday is on Christmas and celebrate his birthday on Christmas.

I do not have anything else to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out and Happy Holidays, World!!!

The Holiday Traditions I am Creating for Myself

Posted on by Gertie

Happy in the middling of the night from Seattle for those of use who are unable to sleep especially when a cat decides to sit on your lap and will not move for the life of him. I do love my Billie boy though. I am so in love with my cat Billie.

For many people in American culture, spending time with family and/or friends indulging with food and spending too much on unnecessary family drama. Yes, I am guilty of continuously playing this role but my family isn’t getting any yound and despite how dysfunctional they are, I still love them.

On that note I had a therapist that suggested I start my own traditions which I did with some push back. I started by reading A Superhereo Christmas comic books volume one and two and doing wintry and/holiday jigsaw puzzles. I then tart reading holiday books which helps with my tradition. Now I am doing Christmas Dot to Dot ro adults and NO they are NOT X Rated. I am also starting a new tradition this year by doing a Christmas logic problem. Oh lets not forget the artwork of coloring. I love the coloring part of the holidays.

Looking Forward to Laid Back Weekend

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday, World!!! It is the day after Thanksgiving which most American call “Black Friday” due to the major sales retailers have for holidays shoppers seeking the perfect gift. Anyway, I have never liked “Black Friday” nor understand why you would want to stand in line hours before the butt crack of dawn.

On that note, I worked this more and am now off and home enjoying the company of my lovely cat, Billie. This is the time of year I pull out my winter and/or holiday jigsaw puzzles and start doing one or two of them. I also pull out a holiday book to read. I already started on one of my holiday jigsaw puzzles. I am not exactly sure what holiday book I will read. I am going to be coloring a holiday poster.

The weather in Seattle today sucks but it is the “normal” Seattle weather. Even though I currently don’t have a holiday book to read, I do have book that I am reading. So, I think I will make some hot tea and curl up in a blanket or two with my cat Billie on my lap as I read.

In fact I think this weekend is going to be a curl up and read type of weekend. Or at least stay in my pajama’s and do puzzles. I love this type of weather sometimes because it gives me an excuse to read, do puzzles, do art and just hang out in my pajama’s with my cat Billie.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciative from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

A Day Off for Self Care

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I took today off as a mental health day. I just needed to do it for the sake of both my mental health and physical health. I spent a great deal of the day of self care. It was the perfect day to do inside self care stuff as the weather in Seattle has be unpredictable today;

So, I spent part of the listening to music and the other part of the day listening to a podcast about philosophy. The specific music I was listening to was Christmas music and the philosophy podcast that I was listening to was “Philosophize This.”

As I listened to Christmas music or “Philosophize This” I did a multitude of things. The obvious thing I did was give my cat, Billie Dean, plenty of attention. Of course Billie loves all the attention I give him. Other things that I did was art work. Specifically, I colored. I colored various types of mandala’s. Another thing I did was put some jigsaw puzzles together. The puzzle isn’t complete put it is starting to look like what it’s suppose to look like. So that is what I did for my self care mental health day off.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader do read my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I wouldn’t be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great Monday evening. Happy Holidays, and Peace Out, World!!!

Mr. Sandman Forgot to Stop by my Place so I Could Not Sleep

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning World!!! It is 2:34 in morning here in my neck of the woods known as Seattle. My neck of the woods happens to be nothing but concrete buildings and the not the natural woods. It would nice to be some time in nature instead of a concrete forest known as a city. In my cast it would the concrete city of Seattle.

I will be taking a mental health day from work later today. I am grateful that my work is so understanding with needing to take time off. My job is really extremely supportive and I appreciate it. They are big into doing good self care.

I know eventually, I will bet some sleep at some point today but I do have plans to do some good self care stuff. I am planning on listening to Christmas music while I do some art work by coloring color pages that are Christmas pictures. I also plan on listening to Christmas music while putting Christmas/wintery puzzles together.

I most likely will be doing other self care stuff but right now I just want to sleep as Mr. Sandman forgot my place for me to sleep. I just want to sleep. Of course my cat, Billie Dean will be apart of my self care which will be sleeping. He will be playing later when I am not so tired. I think he is okay with not playing right now.

I do not know have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is really appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, does read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!!

A Week till Christmas

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Holidays, World!!! It is hard to believe that Christmas is a week from today. I have of sadly did last minute shopping today and boy were the stores busy as hell which is not a surprise. I mainly still celebrate Christmas because of family. Mainly because my grandpa as he is 91 and wants to keep the family traditions going. In all honestly I still celebrate with my mom and that side of the family because my mom doesn’t very much support and I don’t want her to be alone when this time of year is already tough on her. As much as I’m not a fan of Christmas due to my own shit, I celebrate it because I know how much it means to others and want to bring them joy.

Hell, if I’m honest with myself I have my own Christmas traditions even though I celebrate other holidays this time of year. My personal Christmas traditions that I do just for me is read two comic books call Christmas with the Superhero’s One and Two. I also do two to three holiday or wintery puzzles as I listen to Christmas music. I say two to three puzzles because it depends on the size of the puzzles I do. I also do art work related to Christmas. Specifically, I have some pretty detailed Christmas coloring pages I do every year as I listen to Christmas music. Some of the coloring pages still aren’t finished yet due to me only coloring them during the holiday season. In fact if it wasn’t for a couple of therapist encouraging me to make my own Christmas traditions for just me and actually doing my own traditions, I would be more of a bah hum bugger than I already I am.

On that note Christmas in the Seattle area is my idea of way to spend a great Christmas. I love being able to celebrate Christmas with friends, family and my cat as it rains. Well, it rains most Christmas’s. Seattle has been known to have a white Christmas on occassion.

Billie Dean, my cat will be getting spoiled this Christmas. My grandpa will be cat sitting Billie when I go see my mom’s side of the family and some friends in the Olympia area of Washington. It appears that Billie is well loved by others as he is getting many gifts this year from friends and family just like he did last year. I thrilled that I have friends and family that love my cat, Billie just as much as I do.

Before I end this particular blog post, I just wanted to let you know that I am listening to Christmas music. I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader do read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader reading my blog, I would not be writer my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my hear for reading my blog. Happy Holidays and Peace Out, World!!!

My Coping Skills Box

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! As I sit here at my laptop I’m thinking about my coping and the suggested therapy homework my therapist gave me yesterday during our session. The reason he suggested it is because it is an art project that he thought I would like to do. An art project that would help me in the long run. So, I decided to start making one last night. In fact I just finished and all I have to do is put coping skill stuff that will fit into it. I am happy that the coping skill box was an art project.

An art project that will help me help myself. I am going to be putting two stand alone books in the box. Stand alone books that are known to be what people call “eye candy” or “easy reads” because sometimes that is what is needed. I am going putting both Sudoku and Logic puzzles in my box to help me get out of emotional mind and think wisely. I also will be putting in some affirmations in the box to tell myself. I will be also putting in some cross stitch items as well.

When I need to use my coping skills box, I will have a plethora of choices to choose from. Having choices is always a good thing especially when you are needing ways on what to do when you are coping. Coping with undesired and intense emotions and/or urges.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day. Peace Out, World!!!

Sleepless In Seattle

Posted on by Gertie

It is two o’clock in the morning and I am unable to sleep. I’m blaming the no sleep on PTSD and insomnia. To help me through right now besides blogging is a multitude of things.

Music is one of them. I’ve been listening to some form of music most of the night even when I was trying to fall asleep. In fact everything I have done tonight included music.

As I listened to music, I started out doing some form of art. I did multiple collages. Some of which were poetry related. I also finished a painting that I have been working on. I am thinking about giving it to a friend but I’m not sure because I really like it and want to hang it up in my apartment. I also did some coloring.

Another thing I did as I listened to music was read Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I’m really liking the book. I realized that I’m really getting into the book and had to put it down or else I most likely would be up all night reading. When I realized this I decided to pick up my comic books to read. I, of course, read about four Wonder Woman comics before realizing I could spend all night reading comics all night.

That’s when I decided to start a Wonder Woman puzzle I received as a gift for Christmas from my brother Jay. All I have done right now of the puzzle is the sorting of end pieces from all the other pieces. I do have some of the end pieces put together. I think I would have stuck with it if the stupid fire alarm didn’t go off. In fact I might go back to my puzzle after I’m done blogging.

Thank you for reading my blog. Have a good night all. Peace Out, World!!!