Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

 All across the country, well the World, there is a heat wave.  In the midwest, it isn't near as bad as Arizona, but we are in the third straight day of an excessive heat advisory or warning.  My motto is usually "if its over 90, I'll stay inside".  I'll be honest, I stay inside a lot, but on the bright side, I have plenty to do to keep me busy.  I have a special blog I might get to soon (I would say some point in August), but today I have a few more things to show off including some finished puzzles.  Most have been finished for a while, but I never posted them.  Currently the 2000 piece one is taking longer than hoped, but at least I'd say its over half done.  After its finished it might be time to take a break from puzzles for a bit to sort some cards and scan some photos.

Last weekend my nieces visited and luckily a couple puzzles we recently bought was handy so they finished those before my mom and I had a chance to work on them.  I also introduced them to Ernest P. Worrell, as I showed them the movie Ernest Goes To Camp.  It's my favorite Ernest movie, and even if my nieces didn't seem interested in most of the film, my brother in law did.  So that's a win.  They made a visit because my nephews were supposed to visit, but stuff came up and the couldn't make it.  All this rambling, I guess its time for some pictures.  I also have an update on something I posted last time.  We'll start with the puzzles my nieces finished.

Simple 100 piece puzzles, but that was kind of the point when buying them.  Something to do when the kids visit.  They really liked the Smurfs one (as do myself and many other readers), and my brother in law even explained who they all were.  The cat one is a little more plan than I thought, but still a fun time waster.  Now I'll have to find some for the next time they visit.

I mentioned in the last post that before we went crazy with puzzles, we were hesitant to buy puzzles at regular price, but we did on the trip prior.  I didn't show them last time, so let's see them now.

A 1500 piece for 3 bucks isn't bad and we was already thinking ahead of fall themed ones.  This one reminded me of the back to school time which is approaching fast.  Maybe this 2000 piece one will be done by then.  The other one is 1000 pieces, and its always nice to add holiday themed ones.  Since we will put puzzles together multiple times, its good to have a lot to choose from during Christmas time that way if we don't get to one but every couple years its still doesn't seem easy to put together again.  This one I think will be fun and I can't wait to work on it.  

Here is some we recently finished (the last 2-3 months), and I believe my mom finished the top two before I had the chance to work on them.  I think I did a little bit of the bottom one.  These were smaller 500 piece ones that you would find at Dollar Tree, but they was still fun.  Speaking of Dollar Tree, if you want to work on a cheap and easy puzzle, they have quite a few to choose from, some are even a little more challenging.  A lot of them are 500 pieces but some as few as 24 (a lot of them for kids too).  We haven't bought too many as of late (not since they gone up to $1.25), but mainly because we had a steady supply of puzzles and didn't need new ones.  The pieces tend to fall apart but they are fun for entry level puzzles.

These were a bit more challenging, but both fun 1000 piece ones.  The top one might make the rotation of doing every year or two, I really liked it.  The bottom one was good, but I'm not sure how often it will be done.  Its better suited for the winter months, but we wanted to finish all the ones we haven't done yet, so it was in the rotation.  As I type this I just thought about a couple yearly puzzles that I may not get to this year.  I have a couple panoramic ones of Kaufman Stadium home of the Royals, and Memorial Stadium, home of the Missouri Tigers.  Since we have so many new ones and a couple 2000 piece ones, I don't know if I'll get to them.  Then again, I think I didn't do them last year either.  Well, here's to next year.

In the last post I showed off a doorknob and mentioned it might come in handy.  Well, I'm no handyman, but I finally decided if it would work on the pantry door.

I am glad to say that it worked perfectly, and was money well spent (50 cents, can't beat that).  Even though I know the plate didn't fit perfect, that was more because of the door itself.  Also I don't know if I put the doorknob on the right way, but its for a pantry and the door opens, I don't think it matters.  To answer a question I had, it was indeed a passage doorknob, not a dummy.  I think a brand new one was like 10-12 bucks, so I'm also happy we saved money.  I'm not a handyman, but it feels good to finish a project, especially one we just added to our to do list.

Since it is still hot outside I need to find stuff to do indoors.  Luckily I've got a couple movies to watch, one was from my local thrift shop for a buck, another for free thanks to Disney Rewards.

Step Brothers was never a must have movie, but for a buck on blu-ray, I figured I'd go ahead and get it.  If it had been The Other Guys, I would have got it within a second.  If I made a list of favorite Will Ferrell movies Stepbrothers might be towards the top only because I can only take him in small doses, and its rewatchable.  

The Bears movie from Disney was for a couple reasons.  I like the idea of the Disney Nature movies and I got a couple cheap a year or two ago.  Since this included DVD and digital copies, I figured I'd get it.  Disney Rewards has been very generous this year with free points, and I think this was between 600-800 points.  I think they have given over 1000 free points out this year, so I figured why not.  The only thing I really like is the movies, so I figured it was time to spend a few.  Plus the movie itself gives you a code for 150 Disney points so its even cheaper.  It also builds up my blu-ray collection.  When I opened the package the Elemental postcard was included.  I doubt I watch the movie, but it still looked cool, so I took a picture of it.  I'm using it to scoop up puzzle pieces.

I also just got a CD thanks to Listia.  Another site where it cost me nothing.  I hardly buy on there anymore, but I still build up my points from time to time.  There is a seller who has cheap movies and CDs which I'll watch.  If they stay low I might bid.  I found one that brought back memories, so I went ahead and got it.

Vitamin C was a pop singer in the late 90's/early 2000's and only had a couple CDs.  This was her self titled album, and it features the song Graduation (Friend's Forever) which one of class songs.  I think our official class song in high school was I Hope You Dance from Lee Ann Womack, but this one was also mentioned I believe.  At least I think it was.  I'm getting older, so maybe it was just a song I thought should have been.  Either way it brought back memories so I bid and won.  The seller is a little odd with shipping, but I've learned to live with it.  He sent this in the plastic CD case, but it didn't have the cover to it.  It doesn't affect the CD and all the inserts were included, but I guess it saved a bit on shipping, so I'm not too mad.  If you want to know more about this album, here is the discog's link.

Another CD I forgot to show was one I bought a couple months ago when I got the Baywatch CD.

I ultimately decided to give this to a friend, since he was a big fan of the show.  I did rip the CD before giving it to him, and its actually a really good CD.  The CD was worth it just for the theme song, but it had a nice mix of music, some may not really fit the show, but it was still a fun CD.  I like movie and TV soundtracks.  Here is the discogs link for this one too.

I have some cards to show that my friend gave me, but I think I'll save that for a future post.  I have a few other cards to show, so I'll do a card one then.  Next post might be a long one, and I'm not sure when I'll do it, but it should be fun.  Thanks everyone for reading, hope everyone stays cool and has a great weekend.  I think I'm going to find something to watch, maybe try to find some videos from The National since this weekend is the big card show.  I still want to attend one year, but its looking less and less like that will ever happen.  I still wish it would return to St. Louis one year.  Anyways, thanks and have a great day!

Beyond Puzzled

 I was talking to a friend the other day and he asked when I was going to post next.  Everything I post on here he knows about, but I think he likes reading long form instead of just FB messenger.  As I've said lately, I have to be in the mood.  That said, I've wanted to do a few posts as of late but just haven't done it.  I have a couple I have planned, one with exclusive photos from a few Facebook albums I made last month. I might even spread that out to a few posts, but not promising that.  I came onto blogger a few days ago and I felt terrible.  Usually I will reply to all comments made on my posts.  I saw that I had six comments and then realized I didn't reply to any of them.  It made me feel even worse because these are my regular commenters, and I wouldn't have as many views without them.  So I want to personally thank Gavin (Baseball Card Breakdown), The Angels In Order (The Angels In Order), Fuji (The Chronicles of Fuji), Jon (A Penny Sleeve For Your Thoughts), Angus (Dawg Day Cards), and Brett Alan (who I don't believe has a blog, but is a fervent reader of mine). The comments themselves were motivational and solidified my reason that I never want to fully stop posting because some people actually enjoy what I write.  I would also be remiss if I didn't thank the many other readers who don't comment.  One comment I did want to explore more is Brett Alan's talking a bit about the Baywatch CD and how he confused Joshua Jackson with a few other actors who have sang.  This will give me a rabbit hole to explore on Discogs one day as I try to find new music to check out.

Last post I mentioned Jon and Fuji's posts, and today I'll mention a bit about a couple others.  The Angels In Order and Baseball Card Breakdown were some of the first blogs I read and commented on when joining this crazy ride. What I like about The Angels in Order is that when showing off cards, they are a nice mix of new and old.  1984 Donruss is placed on the same pedestal as 2021 Bowman.  While I rarely comment these days, its always a good read.  The same can be said for Baseball Card Breakdown.  Gavin just recently celebrated 10 years of blogging and his content is just as strong as it was when I started reading it about a year or so after he started. While looking at what I missed, I noticed a post on his card art, and it looked familiar.  I realized that he posted about it on Twitter recently and they are something to see.

I should also mention Angus' blog- Dawg Day Cards.  I will admit I haven't always read his blog, but have seen it a few times.  In fact I just realized I didn't follow his blog, and I have now fixed that.  He has a lot of nice Cleveland Browns cards, and I really liked his tribute post he did for Jim Brown, that had some nice cards.

My reason for posting today wasn't to thank all my readers which I do to close every blog, but to show off a few items I've bought on a recent shopping trip.  I've pretty much retired my Savvy Loot posts because the store has changed so much, but I still go about once a month.  Last Friday I made my way there and bought a few items.  As it turned out, those aren't what I'll discuss today.  The next day they made a Facebook post announcing all donated items (excluding clothes, shoes, and accessories) priced $4 or less would only be 50 cents each.  I was a bit upset since I could have saved about $7 on purchases the day before.  They didn't say how long the sale would last, but I wasn't in the mood to go on Saturday.  They are closed Sunday and Monday, so I thought Tuesday I might go.  I like to go early in the day because the weather is getting hotter and I like to be home before noon when I go places in the morning.  They open at 9 AM but they never announced the sale was still going on until around 10 or so.  By then I didn't want to go.  However they announced the sale would last all week, so I decided Wednesday morning would be a perfect time to go.  Since I went last week, there were a few items I was eying but the main thing was puzzles.  Used puzzles range for $2-$10, and most are $3.  I feel that's a bit much for used ones, but for 50 cents, I'll buy up a bunch.  In my mind I was hoping to finding 20 puzzles.  There wasn't much else I wanted, but still worth a look.  The only downside is I missed 2 full days of the sale, so who knows what is left.  Well, I wasn't disappointed.

After taxes, the total was a shade over 12 bucks.  Not a bad haul.  A couple items I realized weren't what I thought, but oh well, I was more than happy.  Let's look at the other stuff then the puzzles.

The CD spindle was not full, but a few days earlier it was priced at 3 bucks.  PASS!  Today it was marked to 75 cents, which was better, but since it was under 4 bucks, it was now 50 cents.  There was another spindle of DVDs the other day, but I didn't find it this time.  I don't use many blank CDs anymore, but I'll find a use for them.

The Fire cover said it would fit all 7 and 8's, but it doesn't fit the one we have.  No big loss, but I was hoping it would.  Still looks good so maybe I can resale it or something.  Same with the retractable cable kit.  When I grabbed it I was thinking it was something else (or similar), but looking at it now, I'm not sure I have much use for it.  At least I saved a buck on it.

I'm not a handyman, but I do projects sometimes.  The first bag I am hoping might work on a table that has a leg that needs to be held on.  It's not really what I've been looking for, but if it works, I'm happy I spent less then buying a pack of new brackets for it which I've been having trouble finding.

The bottom bag is a door handle.  My mom mentioned the pantry door handle could be replaced.  It's not a major deal, but she's been wanting a replacement because the current one is starting to have a smell to it (you know how stuff lingers on your hands).  I'm not sure if this is a passage knob or a dummy knob (very recently I realized there is a difference), but again, 50 cents is a risk worth taking.  I'd imagine its a passage knob since I don't see why a dummy one would need to have all the extras.

Okay with that out of the way, let's look at puzzles.  In total I fell short of the goal of 20.  There were about 5 we left behind because we didn't care for the look, and another which was $10.  If we went on Saturday there was at least 2-3 more we would have possibly got because we've been eying them for a while.  Oh well, 17 our of 20 isn't bad.

The reason we don't like paying 3 bucks for a puzzle is because recently we started to work on a 2000 piece puzzle and notice it was missing pieces.  None of the border was included, and about a third of the puzzle was gone.  So we will rarely spend more than a buck for a used puzzle (though last week we bought 2).  At 50 cents, you don't get as mad missing pieces.

You ever see that jerk in a store sitting on the floor going through product?  Well, I was that jerk.  However I wasn't scanning items to find resale value (I never do that, in fact I rarely have my phone on me while shopping). No, this time I was on the floor to reach all the puzzles on the bottom shelf.  I believe the first puzzle was on the bottom shelf.  Another 2000 piece, and I'm happy to start working on larger ones.  A goal is one day do a 5000 piece one.  This one will be a nice one to do in the winter.  The second one is a nice one to work on in the fall and a 1500 piece.  I'm a sucker for the older puzzles, especially the Milton Bradley ones, even though the older the puzzle, the higher the risk a piece or two is missing. The bottom I'm not sure when it will be worked on, but it will be fun to do, and looks like an older White Mountain puzzle.  Yes I'm at the point where I know the brands of puzzles.  I got this one because it made me think of my sister Andrea, who if was alive today would undoubtedly look at it and say "BILL! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

When she was very little a rooster pecked her in the behind.  My grandpa got a kick out of it.  Anyways, more puzzles, the first three 1000 pieces each.  They look similar to ones we've done in the past, but are in fact new to us.  The top one reminds me of a live cam on Youtube I look up of North Carolina.

The Life one is 750 pieces, and while it says is complete, I worry because the box was smashed a bit at the top, so I hope its all there. I don't think I've done one from that brand before.  The bottom one is another 1000 piece from Kodak, which I like a lot.  Its very rare we'll pass up cat puzzles, and this was no exception.  Although I have to admit, it looks a bit plain, but totally worth the price, but easy to pass over when it was 3 bucks.

Encore puzzles are usually simple and quick to do, this one looks prettier than most, but odd that its 504 pieces.  Next is a 1000 piece Big Ben that might slide into next in line.  Seems like a summer one, and its similar to a recent one we've done.  Next might be my favorite of the batch.  Its a Guild and 1000 pieces, but the picture is so nice.  After getting home, my mom always cleans everything with disinfecting wipes, and if I had waited to take these pictures, all of them would look so much nicer, especially this one.  I can't wait to do this one.

I was also happy to find a Christmas puzzle.  We have a few, but its always nice to find more to slide into the rotation.  We will redo puzzles, because until recently we didn't have a lot.  Now we have a lot, so redoing them isn't something we have to plan.  That said, we still like having options.

The bottom one I didn't look at too much beyond the picture until we got home.  It appears it not only a borderless puzzle, but has shapes throughout and even pieces shaped like a train that runs through it somewhere.  I'm not big on gimmicky puzzles, but this could be a fun one to work on this fall.

A few more left, and some of these might be more appealing to others I've shown so far.

Usually 100 piece ones are passed over, but sometimes you need a break after finishing 1000-2000 piece puzzles.  I knew my mom would like this one, and it can also be kept on hand when my nieces and nephews visit.  The other one is one we spotted last week, but at only 700 pieces didn't want to pay 3 bucks for.  In fact besides a dolphin one which we've scouted for a few months and was gone by the time we went, this was the only other one we really wanted.  If we wasn't in the middle of a 2000 piece puzzle it would be worked on today.  Our town is having their annual rodeo this weekend and the timing is perfect.  Speaking of my town, that will be a subject of a future post (the one that will incorporate Facebook albums in it).  My town celebrated 150 years last month and I took a lot of pictures.  I saved a few for a blog I call them exclusives.  However that's for another post.

Well a couple more puzzles to go, I saved the best for last.

I spotted the flag one last time but didn't pay much attention to it.  After spotting it again, I grabbed it.  I didn't look too much at it, so when I got home I finally looked at what was on it- stamps.  I'm not a stamp collector, but when she was growing up, my sister Anitra had a couple albums of stamps.  I seems like a cool hobby, but just one I never got into.

Lastly, is one that was a fun find.  My mom asked "why did you get that", and to be honest, it looked fun. Another quick one to finish, and another for my nieces and nephews to work on when they visit.

So overall, I think 12 bucks was well spent, and even picked up a could things I've thought about getting anyways.  Time will tell if all the pieces are there, and I doubt I will post pictures of the finished product, but maybe I will.  I just had a crazy idea about starting an instagram account just to post finished puzzles.  I don't think I will, but if I ever decide to I'll let you know.

Anyways, thanks to all who have read, and thanks in advance if you leave a comment.  I will try my best to respond this time.  If you are a reader and haven't check out any of the blogs mentioned above, it is well worth the time to.  I need to read them more often, but I have them on my blogroll for a reason.  If you have a blog that you think I should follow, leave a comment and I'll check it out.  Thanks everyone for reading and have a great night.