∞

Moving Day

Today the movers will be showing up to move all the big things to our new house! It’s been nearly 9 years since we last moved. It is the first time that our kids are part of the moving process, making it a completely new experience for them.

We have really loved this house and the neighborhood. It’s been a great 9 years, without any reservations.

Tammy and I have watched a couple of episodes of Tidying Up on Netflix. Marie Kondo takes a moment in the beginning of each episode to introduce herself to the house. It’s humorous to see the homeowners in each episode react to her meditatively sitting on the floor doing this. It seems both odd and entirely fitting to communicate with the house.

In my own way, I would like to send a message to our home for the last nine years on Morgan Ave. “Thank you. You have been a great place for our family to grow, have fun, and be happy together.”

∞

UGears Locomotive

Over the holidays I assembled the UGears Steam Locomotive moving model. It was my second UGears project. I assembled the Chronograph a couple years ago. UGears models are very intricate and the working gears, mostly driven my rubber bands, add a fun aspect to them.

The Chronograph was 107 parts and the Locomotive is four times more at 443. I found the Chronograph directions confusing numerous times. The Locomotive was much more complex, but UGears has vastly improved their manuals.

I made one mistake with the side panels, putting them on the wrong side and reversing the text. I realized too late and didn’t want to try and disassemble it to fix it.

The Locomotive has an impressive set of gears. I haven’t had great luck getting the rubber bad “engine” to smoothly move the gears. You use a lot of candle wax as lubricant for the wooden gears, but mine catches too much to work reliably.

Assembled UGears UG460 wooden steam locomotive model with tender on a track, sitting on a wood table near a window. Assembled UGears UG460 wooden steam locomotive model with tender and visible gear mechanisms sitting on a wood table UG460 wooden mechanical locomotive model with visible interlocking gears, sitting on a wooden track on a table

The coal car has doors that rise up when you move the lever on the side.

UGears BR-1104 wooden tender model with open top hatch beside the UG460 steam locomotive on a wood surface

The doors that open and even a retractable ladder are nice details.

UGears UG460 wooden 3D puzzle steam locomotive model with visible gears and wheels sitting on a wooden table Assembled UGears 460 Steam Locomotive wooden model kit on a wood table, showing intricate laser-cut gears and wheels on a small track.

Here is the Locomotive sitting next to the Chronograph.

Two assembled UGears wooden mechanical models on a shelf: a gear-driven Chronograph clock and a UG460 steam locomotive with tender.
∞

Watched Smallfoot, fun family movie. 🎬

Smallfoot animated movie poster featuring a giant white yeti holding a human aloft surrounded by smaller yetis in a snowy mountain setting
∞

Family friends joined us and we beat the Diagonal Alley room at Trapped North Loop. The room was exceptionally well done, highly recommended! 🧩 Room 24!

Group of nine people celebrating after completing a Harry Potter escape room, holding props including lanterns, cups, and a snake plush toy.
∞

My daughter made me the most amazing birthday card! She made a broken laptop out of cardboard and I had to fix it by connecting cables and putting In the “backup email” to unlock her message! It was a puzzle on its own! So fabulous! 🧩🥳

Handmade cardboard laptop puzzle with labeled components, a printed error message, a keyboard sticker, and a Computers for Beginners diagram, surrounded by Christmas gifts.
∞

We went back to Missing Pieces on Thursday and successfully completed the Final Frontier room after failing in November! 🧩

Family of four holding celebratory signs at Missing Pieces Escape Games after completing a room with a time of 50:50.
∞

I’ve now created three blogs on Blot and am enjoying it a lot. I’ve got a “good enough” version of my link blog running there, and just dumped my photo blog in but it needs cleanup.

∞

Our family plays Clue every year on New Year’s Eve while we await the new year, and this year I actually won! 🧐😊

∞

Went to Bohemian Rhapsody tonight and thought it was great! 🎬 Turns our New Year’s Eve is a busy night at theaters!

Movie poster for Bohemian Rhapsody showing a man with a mustache wearing aviator sunglasses reflecting the word Queen, releasing November 2
∞

Played the last of our new Christmas board games, Azul. Fun hidden strategies. Didn’t make sense at first a lot of fun after we figured it out.

Azul board game in progress with colorful patterned tiles arranged on a player board, factory discs with tiles in the background.