Pic-a-Pix in Labor

I has a baby!

I had a few days of Braxton-hicks labor (baby just pretending to want to be born...). Here is an excerpt from my birth story, the part where I did Pic-a-Pix puzzles galore:

After my midwife appointment, I spent the day at home cleaning, napping, and trying to coach my body into labor. This was a very strange idea, to try to coach my body into feeling pain… it was an interesting experience. I had some Braxton hicks contractions, but nothing that progressed. My husband came home from work, we ate dinner, and then I went with him back to work to try to finish his project. I sat on a blue yoga/birth ball and bounced (supposed to induce labor) while doing Pic-a-Pix puzzles to pass the time. I had mild contractions, -just a tightening up front, really, but it all died off around 11pm. I was having a great time doing Pic-a-Pix puzzles. I probably did 5 or 6, and was getting creative with the colors I was using. :) Midnight came and we went home.

Saturday, 16 February: 11 days overdue:

                Saturday morning we slept in. I had agreed to meet the midwife again at 1pm Saturday if I hadn't gone into labor. My husband and I ate breakfast and went back to his work to continue on his project. I left him there to go to my appointment. My midwife said that if I didn't go into labor today, she wanted to schedule a medical induction at the hospital tomorrow, Sunday. (I didn't want to be induced!!) Baby was still happy as a clam inside.  After leaving the Midwife’s office Saturday afternoon, I took lunch back to my honey and did some more bouncing and Pic-a-Pix puzzles while he finished up. Thank goodness for the Pic-a-Pix puzzles! I really needed something to pass the time, something that would use enough mental power that I wouldn't worry in and out of it. Pic-a-Pix did the trick.  We left around dinnertime. And that evening around 9pm I went into labor! 

Perhaps I should keep those puzzles I did during labor in my baby's birth book, haha.

Tutorial

Want to learn to Pic-a-Pix? Here's a great tutorial to watch!
After watching, you can go to learnpicapix.com and get some free puzzles to try.



Pic-a-Pix the Latest Puzzling Fix from Diane Baher on Vimeo.

Spring Evening Puzzles

Spring weather is here in Edmonton and yesterday it was so pleasant to be outdoors! (It was warm enough to be outside without a coat and bini, that's saying something :)

So last night I found myself wandering around the house with a bit of time. I was looking over a bookcase wondering if there was anything of interest, and wishing I had my Pic-a-Pix puzzles with me. I wandered out to the deck and found one of my sisters there, doing what? Pic-a-Pix puzzles!  I excitedly sat down and began one along with her, enjoying the beautiful evening out doors and the fun puzzling-turned-coloring game of Pic-a-Pix. It was a great evening!

WHO?

I picked up the puzzles again the other day and this one was fun because there was so much background filled in first, but I still had no idea what the picture was!

 The finished project: an owl. :D I like how the eyes and mouth are kind of snow-boarder-punk-ish.

This puzzle came out of a book of them: Pic-a-Pix, the Latest Puzzling Fix!

Puzzle Question: Global N.A.

We've got a fan who's stuck on a puzzle. :


"Global N.A. I've tried twice but can't get past this point. Is it solvable? Part of me says it must be, but the puzzle-doer in me is stumped here. If it is solvable, I'd love to know which row/column/square I need to look at next to move on."


Can anyone help them out?? Try to solve the puzzle and let me know how it goes!

Meet the Puzzle Creator

Diane Baher, puzzle creator and author of Pic-a-Pix the Latest Puzzling Fix tells her story. 

"How did I get to this point in my life where I am creating these Japanese logic puzzles and now marketing my recently published book?  I guess you could say that I have always enjoyed activities that require logic of some form or other.  That’s probably why as a kid in school, math and science were notably my favourite subjects.  I think I am a visual person, preferring to eye witness the steps taken to solve something and appreciating them as I achieve a particular result.  When you think about it, this is basically what a jigsaw puzzle does.  You start with a pile of pieces; begin by doing the easy part – the border, then working with certain colored groups or visually unique pieces, and finishing the sky last.  It all comes together to form that beautiful picture because of your patience and efforts along the way.  This same process is utilized when you do one of my pic-a-pix puzzles.  From coming up with picture ideas, through the compilation of accurate number clues, to testing out my own puzzles, this is something I just thoroughly love to do.  You could even label it an addiction of sorts, but at best it is a healthy one."

Click here to check out Diane's website. On her website you can find instructions, free practice puzzles, and a link to buy the book of puzzles!

If you havn't yet, try out Pic-a-Pix puzzles today!

Puzzling it out...

If you're like me you might wonder what a Pic-a-Pix puzzle is supposed to look like while you're figuring it out. As often as not they don't resemble anything at all until the very end! Because of the strategy of using the clues to color in one box at a time in all different places, the puzzle often takes until the very end to come together. Here is an example of a puzzle I did, at two points during my puzzling it out. Can anyone guess what it is?!?