laundry and legs

We finally picked up a washer and dryer set Thursday. When we first moved down here we didn't buy a set, going to the laundromat once a week wasn't too bad. But that got a little old after a while and when we both started working more hours it was getting to be a hindrance. The last 2 months we were using "Mom's Wash and Fold"  (my parents). Work has let up for me for the moment, and we finally had a time to go looking for a washer and dryer. Did 2 loads so far and works great. Yay for the little things.

Last night's leggy dinner. One of Zachary's favorite foods.

Doppelganger

Queequeg also got some unexpected gifts recently. My parents ran across a window cat bed. After a day being set up, Quee deemed it worthy of a proper napping location. We'll see if she will share it with Diogenes. She also has a painted cut-out that looks very much like her, which we strategically placed near the window bed. I am tempted to add an orange spot below the eye to the cut out to make it even a closer match to Queequeg. It makes Zachary and I do double-takes often. "Get off the counter. Oh, wait..."

An Unexpected Package

How do you know you have pretty cool friends? Getting an unexpected package in the mail containing a handmade Tetris quilt!

 Ben and Amanda sent us one of Amanda's awesome quilted creations. We followed her progress a few months ago, and we have admired it through the Internet. But to have something like that suddenly in your hands, in your house is like having Nathan Fillion stopping by for dinner. :-)

 Such wonderful stitching. And it even has a design on the back side.

I grabbed the first retro gaming controller I could find in our storage boxes. The Nintendo Zapper doesn't work for Tetris, but it is in the right era at least. :-) Thanks again Hilldores!

Christmas

We had a nice Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Day at my parents place, including having a yummy ham dinner and mini-golf. The condo my parents stay at in the winter has a 18 hole putt putt course in the backyard. First time mini golfing in sandals on Christmas, with tornado watches in effect. But we aren't in Wisconsin anymore.

Christmas Eve, after some last minute shopping and cooking, Zachary got out his Christmas present. A rc helicopter.

His crash rate has improved since then. :-) Queequeg is still pretty intrigued by it, but Diogenes wants nothing of it and hides under the bed when its out on patrol. To him, its a flying vacuum cleaner.

Dickens Christmas Village

I like Christmas Villages. A local museum has a very large Dickens Christmas Village on display currently. I wonder how many electrical plugs there are for this display, as most of the buildings are lit. I didn't look under the table to see.

 Our micro Christmas Village display this year at home. My parents found a box of figurines at a garage sale, so now we have a lot more people and critters in our set.

Quee-zilla has been harassing the townsfolk a little bit, not as much as last year though. I have it on our bookcase instead this time and she has a less cluttered path to get to her window and rule her domain. She makes sure at least one person or lamppost gets it every time she crosses though, just to make sure they know she is supreme.

Ship Launch

We attended our first ship launch a week ago. The company I work for held a ship launch and invited employees and their families to attend. Despite being a rainy and muddy day, it was still fun to watch.

Pre-launch, with the ship up on the blocks. The bridge is not attached to the top of the ship yet. The ship is 302 feet long.

 Post launch splash, with the water from the launch pond flooding the yard.

This is what the Harvey Deep Sea will look like after a few more months of outfitting.

And here is a video of the launch. We stayed out of the splash zone.

Seaside and Rosemary Beach

We visited Seaside and Rosemary Beach today, cutesy coastal towns along 30A. Even the Post Offices are charming.