About this Blog: Bread making recipes, knit and crochet projects, wood working, gardening, digital imaging, travel, cruise ships, Labrador Retrievers, and more....

About the Header Image: Idlebrook Wendy Darling Evensen "Wendy" one of our four Labrador Retrievers.

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Friday, March 31, 2017

The Many Faces of Wendy

Good morning,

Wendy is quick to hop into a chair when we all sit down inside or outside on the patio.

This time she hopped up to get a better view of a cat strolling through a neighbor's yard.
She's such a pretty young lady.  She has plenty of personality, too. 
Oh, pictures?  Sure, I'll pose!
Here's my "intelligent dog" pose.
 Look!  There's an ant on the patio!
 I do get tired of this.
 This is my "very cool dog" pose.
 This is my "awww, I'm so sweet," pose.
 What do you mean, I have "attitude?"
 Mug shot time...
 I'm so pretty.
 OK, I'm finished.  What's for lunch?

;),
Lois

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Color and Aroma of Spring

Good morning,

I love Spring. 

Every day I find more blossoms have opened when I take a walk around our garden.

Enjoy!

Lois

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Waiting at the Gate

Good morning,

Tax Season is hard on our pups.  Here you see Erik waiting at the gate for Catherine to arrive home from her office.  At this time of the year, though, she works late into the night.

Fortunately, we are no longer leaving for weeks at a time as we did before retirement when My Honey worked at sea and I traveled with him.  Now we are here most of the time so the pups aren't alone for several hours every day.  It's easier on Catherine now that we are retired, too, because with us at home she doesn't have to come home every few hours during Tax Season to let the pups out for exercise and to feed them.

Soon, sweet Erik, soon Tax Season will be over and Catherine will keep more civilized hours.

Lois

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Buttercups

Good morning,

Most of our back garden is covered with buttercups this week.  Some people consider these weeds, but since our property is on a slope, we are delighted to have this ground cover in the early Spring to stop erosion during the heavy Spring rains. 

Welcome Spring!

Lois

Monday, March 27, 2017

Sushi Night

Good morning,

Every Thursday is half-price sushi night at our favorite sushi restaurant.

It was important enough to pull Catherine out of her office and away from doing tax returns to go there with us last week. 

Oh, this is so good!

;),
Lois

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Gold Fishies!

Good morning,

Spring is here and our gold fish are becoming more active again.  Although we have a de-icer in the pond throughout the winter, the fish seem very happy when the water is warmer.
Our little self-sustaining gold fish pond is great entertainment for our pups.  No, the dogs don't get in the pond since they've gotten older, but they do love to stand and watch the fish.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Wendy in the Window

Good morning,

I went out on the front porch to take pictures in the sun of an item for our shop.  On the other side of the window was Wendy on Guard.  Wendy is keeping an eye on the neighborhood to be sure no one gets near the house who shouldn't be near the house.
So, this is how Wendy looks from the other side of the french doors from the image that is in my blog header.

Wendy takes her job very, very seriously.

;),
Lois

Friday, March 24, 2017

Salmon and Salad Dinner

Good morning,

We are trying so very hard to eat healthy - at least most nights of the week.

Simple is always best.  This is salmon my honey prepared that we served with...
...a very simple crunchy salad.  The only salad dressing was cottage cheese which turned out to be fabulous.

It was delicious.  :)

We are always looking for ideas.  What is your favorite healthy meal? 

Lois

Thursday, March 23, 2017

All Wound Up

Good morning,

At the end of the day we wind up the pups and put them on the bed until morning.  ;)

Well, actually, we convince them they should gather in the center toward the foot of the bed so we can get in the bed, too. 

What a very sweet security system. 

;),
Lois

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Lab School for our Kids!

Good morning,

So, we were driving to the post office to drop off some packages when I noticed the sticker to the left of the license plate on the car in front of us.
Here's a closer look.  We got so excited!  Xavier University has a school for our Labs!

I'll have to call and get them signed up!

;),
Lois

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

My Side of the Bed

Good morning,

When I was ready to get into bed last night I discovered my space was occupied.  I got a kick out of how carefully they had spaced themselves.

I convinced them to move into the middle so there was space for me. 

We feel very certain that there will not be any intruders in our home in the middle of the night.  Well, none that will survive.

Love those kids.

;),
Lois

Monday, March 20, 2017

Progress on the Bar Recreation Room

Good morning,

We are nowhere near finished yet, but progress continues on our bar recreation room.

Kjell is working on making the bar stools now.  We also have to go get a rug we've already selected and there are other finishing touches to complete.

Retirement is good!

:),
Lois


Sunday, March 19, 2017

Two Lap Dogs on One Lap

Good morning,

My Honey spent a good part of his day in his wood workshop.  When he is using most of his tools, I keep the pups upstairs where they can't get hurt or distract Dad while he is at work.

After dinner My Honey sat down on the couch and two of our three pups decided they would be lap dogs.  It was pretty funny how they were both determined to be there at the same time.

And, to those who asked when I put this image on Facebook a couple of days ago, yes, those are ruler suspenders.  So perfect for him!  I gave them to him quite a few years ago.

Life is good at home. 

Lois

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Chicken Chili ala Catherine

Good morning,

This is a Catherine dish that was quite good.

It's an open-face tortilla meal for those of us who are very sloppy when we try to roll them up and eat them. 

Catherine made chicken chili (aka white chili) and served it on the tortilla with salsa, sour cream, and lettuce. 

Tasty!

It is good to be home.

Lois

Friday, March 17, 2017

Herb Garden and Happy St. Patrick's Day

Good morning,

My Honey and I saw this at Home Depot.  I took a picture to remind us to make one at home.  ;)

It would be a great place to grow shamrocks, too!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lois

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Document Destruction Supervisor

Good morning,

This is my Document Destruction Supervisor. 

I had some documents I didn't want to put in the trash and hated to spend the time shredding them, so I used them to heat the living room for a few moments.

Wendy assisted me and made sure I did it right. 

;),

Lois

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Awww, So Much for the Warm Weather

Good morning,

One day we have warm weather, then the next day this. 

Our Daffs were not happy about our most recent snow. 

Perhaps tomorrow the weather will change again.

Lois

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Wine and Cheese for Two

Good morning,

The weather finally was warm enough to enjoy the patio for a couple of hours. So, here's one glass of wine...
 Here's a second glass of wine....
 Here's My Honey taking a picture of two glasses of wine....
 There's part of our security team (on the right) guarding our two glasses of wine....
 Here's some of my home made bread with some cheese that we enjoyed with our glasses of wine.

What a lovely day!

It's good to be home.

;),
Lois

Monday, March 13, 2017

Big Daffs and Tiny Daffs

Good morning,

More daffs are blooming every day.  These are King Alfred Daffs, a common and very hearty variety.
These are tiny daffs that were left over when I was planting some bulbs in a small area several years ago.  I planted about eight bulbs here along the hedge by the driveway.  They seem to like it here and return bigger and better each Spring.

It's wonderful to watch our garden grow!

Lois

Sunday, March 12, 2017

More Snow!

Good morning,

One day it's sunny and warm, the next day we wake up to this!
As cold as this looks, within the next hour the snow was gone.

Welcome to Cincinnati!

Lois

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Tulip Magnolia Beginning to Bloom

Good morning,

The Tulip Magnolia in front of our home is beginning to bloom.
It is early this year.  We hope the cold weekend will not destroy any of the blooms.

If you're in USA North of Florida, stay warm this weekend!

Lois

Friday, March 10, 2017

Needlework and Wood Update - March, 2017


Good morning,

It's time for the monthly Needlework and Wood Update once again.  Be sure to scroll all the way down to see all the new wood items.

The item above is quite a brain teaser!  My Honey made this Executive Desk Top or Coffee Table Game of quality hard wood so it will provide a challenge for years to come.  What a wonderful gift for the executive in your life, your spouse, your boss, your very intelligent children (it's fun to watch them figure it out), and yourself!  We get a kick out of the one we have in our living room because every time someone comes in, he/she has to try it.  The one pictured above is available in our shop as of this writing.
 
 The Lady Bug Sweater Jacket above and matching hat below are a custom order in child size 10.
They were purchased by a wonderful grandma for a beautiful little girl. 
This month I also made two baby girl blankets and dolls.  One was a custom order, the other I made to restock the shop and is available at this writing.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/512397347/baby-blanket-and-doll-pink-and-pastels?ref=shop_home_active_6
What a beautiful Easter gift for baby!  Click the image above for more information.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/502763208/large-afghan-blanket-green-lovers-hand?ref=listing-shop-header-2
Also perfect for Spring is this large afghan blanket.  Beautiful, warm, cuddly, and the color of Spring.
This is a toilet brush handle or broom handle topper.  Not only is it a darling conversation piece, it keeps your handle from marking the wall where it leans.
This Tuxedo Wine Bottle Cover and Hat is also new this month.  What a perfect table decoration when paired with our bottle dresses and hats available in many colors.
I do love turtles!  This little fellow hatched this month and is in the shop waiting for its forever home.
Also to restock are more luggage identifiers.  Lavender pictured above.
I have personal experience with these.  For only $5 for the set they are wonderful for finding your luggage among all the others in cruise and airport terminals.  I always have one on my carry on to show to the porter who then quickly locates the other pieces of my luggage.  Royal Blue Luggage Identifiers are pictured above.

This pretty wood box is not available in the shop...
...because My Honey made it for me and filled it with chocolate for me for our anniversary.  Awwww.  How sweet of him!  :)
Kjell also made three more security key chain whistles for the shop...
...and, at this writing...
...one is still available in the shop.  These are hand turned of laminated hard woods and have 24kt gold plated hardware.

That's what we have been doing since last month's update.  It is wonderful to be home with family and where we can work on these projects we enjoy so much.  We enjoy making things that others find useful to have themselves and to give as gifts. Don't hesitate to ask if you'd like something made especially for you.

We appreciate you all who shop for gifts and for yourself at EvensensProductions.com and who "favorite" items in our Etsy shop.  "Favorites," sales, and reviews all help to keep our items at the top of search engines.

We also appreciate your "Likes" and "Shares" on our Facebook Page which also help keep our little shop visible on the Internet.

So, thank you for your encouragement!  Retirement is good!  Let us know if there is anything we can create for you.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.  ;)

All the best,
Lois

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