Author brilliantviewpoint

Was God testing me?

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Yesterday was an interesting day.

First, I found this Lucky Penny. It’s quite beat up, so I had to inspect it carefully, YES, it was a penny.

The penny put me in a good mood in spite of our cold weather.

I went to the grocery store. I got a basket and headed for the vegetables.

I was approached by a man (homeless?) asking for money.

I was caught off guard. What do I do?

MANY things went through my head. Do I help, but then he will do this regularly “in the store,” not acceptable.

Anyhow, did not offer help.

A few minutes later, this same man approached me again.

WHAT… I thought, “Is God testing me?”

I thought of those fables when the Prince is on the horse rushing somewhere. He sees an old looking peasant woman who asks for help, but really she is a witch who can cast spells. Does he help or not?

This was a dilemma. We do want to help people. I didn’t have any cash with me. Oh, I had my LUCKY PENNY!!

These are tricky situations! That’s why I keep thinking I was being tested…. What do you think?

American vs European candies!

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My girlfriend brought me to the Polish grocery store. I like it, because they have a lot of European products, breads, sausages, jams, red cabbage, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw these little candies. My grandmother always had these in Italy when I would visit her. While their size is small, they give good flavor for quite a while. It’s amazing really.

It made me think of the size of an American candy, See the peppermint one I had for comparison.

I wonder who came up with the idea for such a small candy and such cute wrapping too. How about the production process for wrapping each one. They really are the perfect size.

Let’s ponder that this weekend!

Puzzling… Is this CHEATING?

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I’ve been wanting to do this Disney puzzle for a long time, but 1,500 pieces seemed like a lot.

2026 – It’s the year. I was at a puzzle exchange and “there was the puzzle.” I immediately snapped it up.

Imagine my surprise, when I opened the box, and the person who donated it had left many sections intact. Sometimes this is done, when it is too hard to take the pieces apart.

I have to admit… I was excited versus annoyed.

I did think… Is this cheating?

I mean, we’re “supposed” to do a puzzle from start to finish. Then I thought, it’s winter, I’ll pretend I’m on a cruise. I’ve gone to the game room and the puzzle is sitting there and I just continue working on it.

As you can see, I need to improve my evening lighting. Hard to get clear photos, but you get the idea.

I was able to complete this puzzle in one evening. Disney puzzles are SO MUCH FUN!

We had a snow storm yesterday, so a lot of puzzling and book reading here.

I sure hope Spring comes soon, miss outdoor walking! Too icy to walk outside right now…

You’ve just won a MILLION bucks!

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Something funny happened to me the other day.

I was at the thrift store looking at puzzles. This young woman calls me the “Puzzle Lady,” because I only buy puzzles. Sometimes I only find one. Then she tells me to spend more, so I get rewards back.

I did find some beautiful puzzles, see below.

MY BEST LUCK though came when I was standing in line for check out. I happened to look to my left, it was the men’s section. On a shelf with some golfing stuff was this “1,000,000 dollar puzzle.

What… Was I seeing correctly? It was so amusing. What were the chances of seeing that type of puzzle?

I mean, we just started a NEW YEAR. I felt like I hit the jackpot!

The Universe was sending me a “Good Luck” sign. It was a brand new puzzle too. Of course, it will be FUN to put together, ALL those bills at my finger tips. Wow!

So, I bought my Good Luck charm for 2026!

Here are the others I found, really lovely, in great condition, based on authors.

2026 is off to a grand start!!

Holiday MAGIC!

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I don’t normally pay attention to cars / trucks, but this one caught my eye. The paint job is fantastic. It’s just perfect. A lot of thought was put into the color. Look at the details.

It’s a truck for holiday magic.. Just needs a Christmas tree in the back with some presents.

I recently did this puzzle. It’s so darn cute. We’ve become so casual, I don’t see people dressed like this. In fact, my mother recently went to the Opera, she said it was a shame, people did not dress up at all.

Wishing you all a happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!

The EDIBLE * Snowman *

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You’ve probably seen the snowman in hot chocolate drinks. This was very cute and funny.

But… Have you ever eaten a snowman pizza? In all these years, this is the first I heard of this.

Then there are pancakes…

What other edible snowman have you seen?

Let’s have some fun.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall… Who is the FAIREST of them all?

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I saw this while walking.

My first thought was Snow White and her wicked step-mother, Evil Queen.

Here is picture from afar, then I walked closer.

There’s a story here. Who put this mirror there?

Ponder that on the weekend…

Advent Calendars – A Puzzle one!

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When my children were young, we always had a chocolate Advent calendar.

Well, this year, I learned that there are Advent Calendars in PUZZLE form. Yes, see photo. You do one puzzle a day and by Christmas Eve, you have the entire puzzle scene finished.

As you can see, I got a little excited and kept puzzling. Each day, in this particular puzzle, there are ~50 pieces a day. So, it’s fun and easy.

I really liked this stained glass Christmas scene. However, they have puzzles that are not religious in nature and where each puzzle stands alone. So, this can be for everyone who enjoys puzzling.

Anyone else out there doing an PUZZLE Advent Calendar?