Hello there! Back in May, I took the social part of my Ambassador role to heart, and I threw a 150-guest backyard shindig. Fast-forward to very recently – several months post-party – when I was doing a little yardwork and I discovered a single remnant from the party that missed the compost bin and in doing so managed to delight, but not surprise, me...CONTINUE READING

Hello there! I’ve been seeing those little neighborhood libraries around my neighborhood and thinking how much better they’d be if they had puzzles in them. Naturally, in spite of lacking any real skills, knowledge, or power tools, I thought, “I can do that!” and I set out to make one for my yard. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!…CONTINUE READING

Hello there! I had to take a break from puzzling to “be a parent,” but now I’m back to regular puzzling and my never-ending search of the Puzzle Warehouse catalog for the perfect practice puzzles for my upcoming trip to the world jigsaw puzzle contest.But I want to take a moment to acknowledge some puzzle mash-ups at the Warehouse that are unexpected and some that are just unexplainable. Never fear! I’ll take a shot at explaining them anyway. CONTINUE READING

Hello there! It’s been another month of especially vigorous puzzling at the Puzzle Ambassador’s Residence, and right after pausing my stopwatch to chase the cat up the stairs and grab a slobber-soaked puzzle piece out of his jaw, I had to wonder whether his contributions were actually helping or hindering my puzzling on the whole. CONTINUE READING

Hello there! I made it through my first month as a Puzzle Ambassador (uppercased) and it’s going OK. I did a lot of puzzles on my dining room table, some of them one-handed while fending off a cat. I designed a couple of puzzles on my Photoshops. And I did a lot of digging (too much digging?) into the Puzzle Warehouse website, which has yielded some interesting finds. Most notably, if their collection of puzzles is to be taken seriously, I think a hot air balloon invasion is imminent. CONTINUE READING

Hello there! I’m so. incredibly. excited. to be your Ambassador! It is an honor; and following in the footsteps of Henry Kissinger, Marie Yovanovitch, and all the fine members of the U.S. Foreign Service, I plan to do my best to represent the capable, diverse, and innovative people of this country in my goings on across the world with dignity and grace. Overflowing buckets of grace. CONTINUE READING