UPDATE: The winner is…Martha Lanham!
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Well, we thought the kids would be back in school today, finally. In fact, we were ready to get them bundled into the car for the trip to town when the 15-year-old slid on the ground and scraped up her arm and sprained her wrist (at least we hope it’s just a sprain), and we came back inside to get her bandaged up. Just as we were finishing with the bandages and splint, the notice came on our phones that they’d decided to cancel school again. It might have had something to do with the school bus in the ditch at the bottom of our long hill. No one injured, but…the bus slid into the ditch! Thank goodness my daughter drives the kids (fights on the school bus necessitated that long ago).

Anyway, the kids are back in their jammies, sitting around the living room with pets cuddled up beside them. We’ve suffered a little attrition to our numbers due to old age and illnesses over the years. We are down to five cats and seven dogs, now. Remember, we didn’t collect all these animals ourselves; we inherited my mom’s four dogs when she passed.

My betta fish passed away from old age a couple of months ago. I did try everything to make him comfortable and to “fix” him, but what I read about how he was acting pointed to old age. I haven’t purchased another. I’ll wait for warmer weather because any fish we get has to travel an hour in a plastic tub to get here. I do miss my fish though. No, you can’t pet or snuggle them, and I’m okay with that. The bunny in my art room stays mostly in its cage because when we open the door, he hops out, looks around, then decides he likes his cage better. He’s not very affectionate. The two cats that hang out with me can be very annoying when they want attention. Having one perched like a vulture on my shoulder isn’t conducive to good concentration, and I hate finding the little bits of kitty litter that stick to their paws on my art table.

But my family has always had pets. More dogs than anything else.

So, my question to you is, what is your favorite type of pet? It’s okay if you say a plant. I get that, too. If you want to share a little story about your favorite pet, we’d all love to read about it! Today’s prize is a $5 Amazon gift card! I hope you enjoy the puzzle!  

UPDATE: The winner is…Margaret Rucci!
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My office is in the basement. No windows, no natural light. I keep a “grow” light on one corner of my desk for my two favorite plants—my African violet and my Christmas cactus. In another space, I have a huge curling spider plant on the floor with another light hovering overhead. Come Spring, when the last of the freezes occur, he’ll go back outside to my covered porch.

Those are the only plants I have. We live in the country and maintain bushes and flowering bushes outside. When I was younger and living in an apartment, my place looked like a greenhouse. I kept Ficus trees, bromeliads, ivy, ferns, potted roses… Not that I had a particularly green thumb, but I did hover over and worry about my plants and tried to keep the cat from peeing in the Ficus tree.

Houseplants are not only a lovely splash of green in your environment, but they also filter toxins from the air. If you’re afraid you’ll kill your plants, get something extremely easy to keep alive like a lucky bamboo plant. All you have to do is give it water and very rarely a little bit of fertilizer.

So, today’s word search contains some of my favorite houseplants. For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me about your favorite plants!

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
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I had “Word Search” on my blog list for today, and with the app open couldn’t think of a topic. So, I took a sip of the coffee I’d poured from my French press…

I LOVE coffee, so it’s easy for me to let my mind drift through all the types of brews, appliances, etc. I did a “stream of consciousness” thing, where I let my mind riff through coffee-related things, and I made my list of words very quickly.

I thought of my grandma and grandpa’s stove-top percolator that I swear made the best coffee on earth. They added evaporated milk and swirl of sugar to make it palatable to six-year-old me. I own a French press (for when I have the patience to wait), an espresso machine (for when I have the patience to clean up after I use it), and a Keurig machine near my desk. Yes, I’m serious about coffee. I have to drink 2-3 cups a day to keep me alert and my mind spinning tales. Of course, at my age, I have to stop drinking it just after noon or I don’t sleep.

Most of the time, I drink my coffee black. But there are occasions when I love an iced, chocolatey coffee. Or a cappuccino or latte. That’s for when I want to sit at the table and chat. It’s a ritual thing, I think.

Anyway, there’s a contest here. I want you to do a “stream of consciousness” list of coffee or tea related things for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun!

UPDATE: The winner is…Steph!
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Every year, the top of my list of New Year’s Resolutions lists LOSE WEIGHT. I always start out like gangbusters but the allure of good food and convenience leads me into temptation. I think this year, I need new resolutions—fresh ones, reflecting more positivity, that I can embrace.

I thought it would be fun to share some of them in a word search. Maybe you can pluck a goal you’ll strive to achieve.

I decided that I miss writing letters, so that went on my list. Even if it’s just a postcard I paint and mail, I will scribble a letter to another human being.

I am overwhelmed with clutter, so I thought I might choose one surface a month to declutter—however small!

I am entering a No Spend January challenge, where I vow to not buy anything, online or in person, that isn’t a necessity. Not because I need to tighten my belt budget-wise, but to see if on-line shopping is an addiction, like my dd says it is. I love online shopping, but I’m curious to see how this challenge will work. Will I go into deep dark depression? Will I save tons of money? Will it spark creativity to make new stuff since I can’t buy new stuff?

My family is pretty adventurous with their food. We do seek out new recipes to try, but I want a more deliberate, try one new dish a month effort.

Those are just some of the things I want to try to make into a new habit or a worthwhile experiment.

Read through my list in the word search below. Solve the puzzle. Then add one thing you think others might want to add to their list of aspirational goals for the new year for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Terra Oenning!
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In keeping with my Christmas Countdown over on Facebook, today’s word search puzzle’s theme is Christmas Tree Ornaments! We all have our preference for dressing up a tree. My granddaughter prefers a more modern and coordinated tree. My dd and I love a cozy, weirdly mismatched tree because we love the ornaments we’ve gathered over the years. The 10-year-old loves her tiny tree that’s decorated with pink pigs—her choice.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me about your favorite ornament!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diana Sallens!
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I packed the 10-year-old’s lunch bag today with the usual stuff, plus an apple. Then I added the one thing I knew would make her smile because she loves them as much as I do—a big fat juicy dill pickle. I’m sure her friends look at her funny, but she’d rather have a pickle than a piece of fruit. Seriously.

I LOVE pickles. Plain ol’ dills, kosher dills, gherkins—but I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE mixed, spicy pickles, too. Have you ever tried Korean kimchi? Yes, you have to get past the fermented garlicky smell (doesn’t bother me a bit!) to get to the yumminess. They do pickles with cabbage, carrots, beets, cucumbers, etc. I adore mixed, spicy Mexican pickles, too. There’s really an endless variety. Then there’s my great-grandma’s chow-chow. She had the best dill pickles and chow-chow ever. Like, to-die-for good.

Let’s celebrate World Pickle Day with a puzzle and a contest!

Solve the word search puzzle, then tell me about your favorite pickles for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Janelle!
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I’m floating on a high now that my book is out! I’m glad that so many of you are enjoying it. I always wonder if I hit the mark. 🙂

In the spirit of the themes used in Gunn’s Mission, today’s word search is for animals that live in the Arctic.