Happy New Year!

We hope your Christmas was Merry
and that you will have a
Happy New Year!

By the time you see this image, the treats in Teddy's bag will all be consumed.   Dieting starts tomorrow!

Happy New Year hugs,
Lois

Rudolf Melon

Good morning,

Everywhere I turn I find more art work on board Freedom of the Seas.  Even the culinary team produces fantastic works of art carved into watermelons!

Enjoy,
Lois

Puss in Boots

Good morning,

Look who I found on Deck 11, leaving the Windjammer just after breakfast!  :)

Needless to say, all the children are delighted to have these fabulous Dreamworks characters on board. 

Enjoy,
Lois

Hanukkah Menorah

Good morning,

Here's a daytime view of the Hanukkah Menorah aboard Freedom of the Seas.

Candles were "lit" each evening and at night the lights are quite dramatic.

All the best,
Lois

Live Poinsettias

Good morning,

Those are live poinsettias adorning the bridge on deck 5 of Freedom of the Seas. 

Christmas is so beautiful here!

Enjoy,
Lois

Needlework Update - December, 2012

Good morning,

It has been a very busy month designing and making more knit and crochet items.  I surprise myself when I line up the items I have made since the update last month.  This is a labor of love and is so much fun. I alternate between knit and crochet as well as between large projects and small ones.  This makes life much more interesting. Do you do that when you are creating? 

Above is another set of three Mug Rugs which are also used as Snack Mats, Wash Cloths, Dish Cloths.  I knit two more sets of these and they'll be in the shop in January.

This basket weave scarf is made of pure wool.  So soft and very manly.  ;)  This one was a special order.

The bottle covers are fun to make and are so cute.  This one is in Spring pastels.

Three more turtles all in a row. :)

And another bottle cover in "sea foam."  This one and another like it will be in the shop in January.

Ah, a purple/lavender fashion scarf that will also keep you warm.

Cables! This is also a special order.

This Tunisian Crochet table runner will be in the shop for next holiday season. It was fun to make this for a change of pace, although it took longer than standard crochet.  It produces a very nice fabric for a table runner and will be lovely from year to year.  I worked a reverse crochet border to give it more body and a nice flat edge.

This sweater will also be in the shop in mid January.  It's a gorgeous shade of mint green and is super soft.  It's a light weight yarn so took quite a long time to knit, but was worth it. It is just so pretty.

This is a Baby Girl Homecoming set of blanket, hat with darling princess button on the top, and soft doll. 

And, finally for this month's Needlework Update is this 100% soft wool hat.  It's a special order so is spoken for, but I'll be making a similar one to put into the store in January.

So, what are you making?  I just love visiting other blogs to see the beautiful projects everyone else is making.  As a person who creates I have a true appreciation for the creations of others.


The shop to which I refer throughout this post is our on line Etsy Shop, EvensensProductions.com.  I invite you to come over and take a look at the more than 100 items that we have there.  There is also a link with some pictures in the right side bar.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.  ;)

All the best,
Lois

Royal Promenade Christmas

Good morning,

Here is another shot of the Bull & Bear, the pub where the giant Freedom of the Seas Christmas tree is "hanging out."  This is one of my favorite places on the Royal Promenade, too.  It's fun to sit here and watch the world go by. 

As you can see by comparison with the people in the above image, that tree is BIG!  :)

Vintages, the wine bar, is another lovely place to relax.

But, for those of us who are ice cream fans, THIS is the place.  I was here early so Ben & Jerry's wasn't open yet.

The Cafe Promenade is open 24/7 so you can always stop by for coffee.  Snacks are also available here.  You'll never go hungry on this ship!

 Enjoy,
 Lois

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We hope all of our Family and Friends find the joy and love of the birth of our Savior

 now at Christmas and throughout the New Year.

Christmas Eve

Good morning,

The big day is almost here.  I hope you all will be with your family and friends to enjoy this beautiful Christmas Season.

All the very best,
Lois

A note about the wreath:  I purchased the wreath and brought it on board the Freedom of the Seas where we will celebrate Christmas.  The wreath is displayed on an inside door of our suite in the entrance area.  I will take it home to display on our front door at home next year.  Have I mentioned blue is my favorite color?  ;)

A Big Move!

Good morning,

Sometimes I am so glad I take pictures so I can be sure I am seeing what I think I'm seeing.

A few days ago I took a picture of this tree.  I also used the beautiful ornaments to make my blog header.  I KNOW this tree was on the other side of the bridge, way down at the end of the Royal Promenade when I took those pictures.

Overnight, the tree moved down the Royal Promenade to just outside the Bull and Bear.  That move entailed a big bow (bough?) under that bridge.

Perhaps the tree wanted to drop in for a brew at the Bull & Bear?

;),
Lois

Red Roses

Good morning,

These lovely roses are from our good friend, Jeff.  I am addicted to these gorgeous blossoms.  The first image is taken in natural light...

...and this image was taken with flash.

So very beautiful I wanted to share them with my blog family and friends.  :)

Enjoy,

Lois

Paradise Island Real Estate

Good morning,

Recently, My Honey and I were having lunch in the Windjammer aboard Freedom of the Seas when I noticed some new construction happening on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas.

Those are multimillion dollar homes being built at the end of the island across from the cruise ship port.  The only access is by boat so save a few dollars to buy a boat, too.

Looking further down the island, I zoomed my baby camera to get a shot of the famous Atlantis Hotel. 

Ah, the luxury.... 

It's all quite lovely, but I sure wouldn't want to be here in a bad storm!  At least if you come and go by cruise ship, you can visit during good weather.  When the weather turns stormy, cruise ships will move out of the way and go elsewhere.

All the best,

Lois

Sea Foam Along Side Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

My Honey and I love to stand at the rail and watch the sea.  The image above is the view straight down from deck 4.  The colors of blue and white, the rhythm of the waves, and the reflections of light in the sea foam are hypnotic. 

The weather was quite nice and we had waves of only three to five feet, but still there is a great deal of noise and, of course, that wonderful salt water spray.

All the best,

Lois

Size Matters!

Good morning,

I just have one image today, but it is amazing.  As we pulled into St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies, aboard Freedom of the Seas we could see two cruise ships already in port. 

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship is the white one on the left.  For size comparison, that's Holland America's Rotterdam on the right.

Yes, times-they-are-a-changin'!

Enjoy,
Lois

Freedom of the Seas in St. Thomas, USVI - A Quick Trip Ashore

Good morning,

Here we are back in St. Thomas again.  Time seems to fly out here.  We were docked way out this time so it was a little longer walk to get to the post office to mail a few things back to the mainland.

The beautiful part of the walks, though, are the beautiful flowers.

After mailing a few cards and letters back home we stopped in for a Pepsi, BLT, and fries...

...at one of the local restaurants.

Then, it was back to the "mother ship" and a few hours later off to our next port.

We truly do love St. Thomas.  Everything we could possibly need is right at the port and it's nice to be able to access a US Post Office while we are out here floating around. :)

All the best,
Lois

Views from the Bridge - Port Canaveral

Good morning,

Today's images were taken aboard Freedom of the Seas as she was preparing to sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida.

We could not have ordered a more beautiful day.

There are many restaurants along the channel and there is a web cam at one of them.  You can watch Freedom of the Seas on Sundays by clicking the link at the top of my right side bar.

And, looking aft down the side of the ship, you can see the terminal where all of the guests come aboard.

No, I didn't touch.  When it was time, the Captain safely took this gorgeous ship to sea for another week.

Enjoy,

Lois

View From My Window - St. Thomas, USVI

Good morning,

Today's images are what I could see through my stateroom window while aboard Freedom of the Seas tied up in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

I believe that's a hotel out there, built in the same location as a fort many, many years ago.

There is so much blue out here!

All the best,
Lois

Aqua Theater and Aft Deck - Allure of the Seas

Good morning,

Is that a cute Teddy Bear Captain or what!  I just love this little guy.  Captain Teddy is on the aft deck of the world's largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas.

Today I have the last few images from our visit aboard Allure.  The area in the above image is on the aft deck.

There are restaurants (Johnny Rockets in the image above) and stores.

 There is also a huge aqua theater.  When we were there, there was a floor over the pool, but at other times, there is water in the semi-circle pool and there are fantastic diving, swimming, and light shows.

 As on all other Royal Caribbean ships, there is a rock climbing wall.

 Above is a small child's paradise.  It's a fun place for climbing and exploring.

 This is a bar in the same area.

 It was time for us to leave and on the way out I spotted something else that is not aboard common ships...

 ...an escalator!

I hope you've enjoyed my photo tour of Allure of the Seas.  She's gorgeous!

All the best,
Lois