Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I did once I got away from the problems at home. We had a great trip out to Phoenix and we had a very unconventional Christmas, but it was a lot of fun and no one was disappointed, particularly once we returned and opened the gifts from the local relatives. Suffice it to say, Grandpa was very good to us this year.

After much fiddling, a trip to Home Depot and another replaced faucet, I finally once again have a working washer and dryer setup. And I love my new machines! They are bigger, better, and work quicker. We finished all the laundry from our family of five in less time than I thought possible. One amazing little fact was the kilowatt hours used by the washing machine as compared to my old one. The old one was less than seven years old but it used 259 kWh/year. The new washer uses 161 kWh/year. I never would have imagined it would have been such a difference. They were both High Efficiency machines but evidently technology has improved considerably and the newer machines are much more energy efficient. Maybe I should see about a new refrigerator?

My tour around Phoenix netted me some very interesting tidbits for my writing muse and many notes have been taken so I don't forget the details. I am returning later this month to assist my mother-in-law when she gets out of the hospital after her double bypass surgery so I will be able to do even more research. The kids and hubby are staying here in Virginia so I expect it will be easier to take my notes without interruptions. In fact, as I think about it, maybe I should schedule a trip every six months or so somewhere for research purposes. Yeah, research, that's what I'll tell them.

Maybe I should get published first. Might help pay for these grandiose plans.

In honor of the new year, I'm trying on a new look for my blog. Let me know if it's too much.

5 comments:

Jennifer Shirk said...

Ah, your blog is very pretty in pinkish. I like it!

And Happy New Year! :)

BernardL said...

Nice look for the blog, and it's good to hear the laundry is back in order. I'm going to look into the energy rating on our old machines. With a substantial drop like you experienced, the new ones will pay for themselves in short order. Breaking through the publishing barrier sure would be nice. After reading about all the delays and editing squabbles following a writer's manuscript sale, the initial breakthrough appears to be the highlight. :)

Anonymous said...

I love your new look! And we bought a bigger washer and dryer pre-Christmas, and I love them. Half the time, and less energy! Happy New Year to you too!

Virginia Lady said...

Jennifer,
I'm glad you like it. I recently decided I liked pink and other red tones, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Bernard,
I intend to find out what the best part is, which of course means I need to get published. :-) It's a good goal for a writer I believe.

Ladonna,
Thanks for the praise and for stopping by.

Jennifer Shirk said...

So... what kind of vacuum do you have?
(I'm still trying to decide on one)