Week One of 2011 - Fini!

And so the year ended with a visit from Bill and Patti and a very laid back welcoming to 2011 -- we had an easy dinner of Stouffer's lasagne around 7:30, then crashed out in the living room waiting for the New York ringing in of the New Year...I made it to 9:30 before heading to bed, B&P lasted til 11, and DH was up until around 2am thanks to the need to monitor month/year end computer activities for work.  Good thing there was a movie on to keep him company, as we all pretty much bailed on him!

Here are my uncooperative photo subjects during dinner...and I still managed to include myself in the shot! 

After a good night's rest, we were all quite a bit more active.  The guys ran to Lowes for project supplies, while Patti and I, left to our own devices, completed a puzzle, played 3 rounds of Yahtzee, then went for a nice walk on the beach after a yummy breakfast courtesy the guys.

Patti & I only made it part way around the beach, as we didn't want to disturb this flock of ducks that were clearly settled in for a bit of a nap. 

So, we walked the other direction :) 

It was a glorious first day of 2011, chilly, but perfect for a walk. 

The guys' project was getting DH's pegboard set up and organized. 

We had leftovers for lunch, Dalmans stayed until 4pm watching the Rose Bowl with us, then headed home.

Sunday was cloudier, but still pretty. 

After quite a bit of discussion on Monday morning, DH and I decided to use the recent floor challenges to make changes to the kitchen and go the tile route.  Contractor Darnell cleared out the laminate flooring, and here is the tile we're going with.

Darnell spent most of the week patching the hole in the wall from the fireplace, then taking up the laminate and prepping the floor for tile. 

Yay!  At least this part of the floor and room is almost back to normal...

I'd left a bucket of water out during the big freeze in November for any wandering critters and caught one of our feathered population enjoying a bath on Saturday morning  :) 

Looks like a little friend standing by, waiting its turn...

I was at the vet by 8:45am to get Angel's stitch removed from the spot on her back where a suspicious bump had been removed on 12/28 - results came back as "basal cell carcinoma" non-cancerous, thankfully.  Got home, then DH and I took a load of former fireplace bricks and detritus to Penninsula Gravel for recycling.  We made one more stop at Lowes just to make sure we got just the right tile, which we decided, we do.  Then home to settle in for watching the unlikely victory of the Seahawks over New Orleans.  Who knew they had it in them?  I checked in at the beginning and end of the game, using the time in the middle to continue plowing through a book I am very much enjoying on my "new" 2nd hand Kindle, purchased from former commuter friend Kathi, who upgraded to 3rd Gen.

Saturday evening, we had the pleasure of joining our friends Paul and Terri Schultz in celebrating Paul's 50th Birthday at the Swiss Pub in Tacoma.  It was mostly a surprise, no thanks to one of Paul's co-workers spilling the beans, and we all had a lovely time! 



Yesterday was pretty loungy...DH watched football while I did laundry and read.  It was quite chilly, so we had the woodstove working steadily all day - very comfortable and cozy.

This weather and time of year makes me want to do nothing more than hibernate, so getting out of bed this morning was nearly impossible...soon I'll start getting anxious for spring and haul out all my gardening books to whet the appetite!  Already, little daffy sprouts are starting to show in the beds...expect a gradual increase in flower shots as the weeks progress :)

Slight dusting of snow at our house this morning, and it was snowing lightly as I walked to the ferry...very pretty way to start the week!

Happy 2011!