Goodbye 2017 - Hello 2018

Good morning,

2017 has flown by for us.  This is the first year we haven't traveled outside the USA for My Honey's work.  He retired at the end of 2016 and our plan was to stay home for the first year which is exactly what we have done. It has been wonderful being home to enjoy the family, actually live in our home, sit on the patio in the summer, and use our kitchen, not just pass through every few weeks between contracts at sea.

We plan to travel a little in 2018, but only for short periods of time.  Then we'll be back home to enjoy the retirement life right here at home where the heart is.

We hope 2017 has been good for you, too, and wish you all the best for 2018.

Lois

On the Hook Now

Good morning,

On the crochet hook now is a Blue Lovers Afghan Blanket.

I've finished 70 of these pretty squares.  Only ten more to go, then I can put the final rows on on them all that will join them together.  Then the scalloped edge border will complete the blanket and it'll be ready to go into the shop after a photo session.   

What are you making on these cold winter days?

All the best,
Lois

Wendy's New Mr. Snowman Toy

Good morning,

Santa sure got it right with Wendy's Christmas present!  She just loves her new snowman and immediately took it to the dog bed we had moved under the piano while there was so much holiday traffic at the other end of the living room.

Wendy sampled the "carrot" nose right away, but Mr. Snowman doesn't seem to mind and is still smiling.

Wendy brought Mr. Snowman to bed Christmas night, too.  What a sweetheart. 

The celebrations continue!

Lois

Doggie Christmas Portraits

Good morning,

Each year we line up the pups for a picture in front of the Christmas tree. 

Here are Penny (almost 13 years old), Wendy (3), and Erik (8) being very good while we snap pictures. 

The pups were also very good about not bothering the gifts that were under the tree even though there were toys and collars for them wrapped and in those stacks.  Of course, with their super sensitive noses they know what is inside the packages before they open them.

What sweet pups!

Lois

Juleribbe and Bread

Good morning,

This is how the Juleribbe looked when it came out of the oven. It is baked on top of a bed of veggies, but is not served with them.  That crunchy skin is the best part of it all!  In the middle of each piece is a layer of fat that some people eat, but we each discarded, then a thin layer of very, very tender meat.  Yum!

This is the happy chef who made the Juleribbe.  ;) 

I baked a monster bread for the Christmas dinner.  Anything left is great for turkey sandwiches, french toast, and just plain eating.

We're getting close!  I have more images coming from a different camera.

Are you still celebrating?  We are!

Lois

Christmas Dinner with The Grands

Good morning,

We took some of the grand kids to Bucca for a Christmas dinner.  It was fun to have a family dinner where no one had to cook or clean up.

I took a few snapshots before everyone arrived.  On the left is granddaughter, Anna. 

Also, note the fun images that cover the walls at this restaurant.  Love the Nuns at Coney Island on the far wall!

That's grandson David...

...and looking above our heads we saw racks of wine bottles. 

We had a great time together and way too much food.  We took home the leftovers which were yummy the next day while preparing other foods for the Christmas Eve dinner.

Merry Christmas!

Lois

Merry Christmas!

Good morning and Merry Christmas!

We hope you are enjoying this season of peace and joy with those you love.

Today's images of Roatan, Honduras, are courtesy of Martha and Russell who are aboard Liberty of the Seas enjoying the holidays where it is warm. 

Thank you, Martha and Russell!

All the very best,
Lois

The Quest for Juleribbe!

Good morning,

We made a cross town journey to...

...Stehlin's Meats to get a special cut of pork so that My Honey can make a special Norwegian treat for Christmas.

Stehlin's is an old time meat store.  They butcher their own meat and make their own sausage and other treats.

We were here to buy pork, but those steaks sure look good, too!

When we got home My Honey prepared the 11 pounds of pork belly (skin on) with spices.  It will soon be ready to go into the oven.  This is a high calorie treat that we only have once a year.

I'll try to grab an image of it after it is finished if I can get to it before it is eaten.

What are you cooking for the holidays this year?

Lois

Need More Lap!

Good morning,

Catherine needs more lap for her lap dogs. 

And, there's one more dog who hasn't gotten up there yet.

It's good to be home!

Lois

Sleepy Baby - Scared Froggie!

Good morning,

I snapped this picture of our little Wendy sound asleep on the end of our bed.  She likes to sleep with a toy in her mouth and this time I got the biggest kick out of the look on her toy froggie's face as he is held in the grip of her puppy jaws while dangling over the end of the bed..

What a sweetie.

:),
Lois

Christmas Sweater Wreath - Liberty of the Seas

Good morning,

This darling Christmas wreath features tiny knit sweaters.  How darling!

Thank you, Martha and Russell for sending this image from Liberty of the Seas.

Lois

Christmas in the Windjammer - Liberty of the Seas

Good morning,

Here are more images from our friends Martha and Russell who are currently aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.

The ship has gone all out to decorate the Windjammer Restaurant!

There are so many decorations that it takes several images to get most of them.  :)

Thank you, Martha and Russell, these images bring back very warm memories of sailing with you aboard Freedom of the Seas.

All the best,
Lois

Decorating for the Holidays Wherever You Are

Good morning,

My friends, Martha and Russell, are aboard Liberty of the Seas to enjoy the holidays. 

When they came on board they found some other cruise guests who had been there already for three weeks had decorated the Suites Lounge themselves.

They have certainly given the lounge the feeling of home!

Thanks, Martha and Russell, for the pictures.

Lois    

December Sky

Good morning,

It's that time of the year when we spend more time out shopping for Christmas gifts, decorations, and food.  The shopping tasks in our family mostly fall to Catherine and me.  We enjoy going on the "quest" for the items on our lists and it often takes all day for several days to get what we want and need.

We've been very lucky with clear, yet cold weather.  I captured this beautiful December sunset as we left the stores and headed home to a roast beef dinner that Catherine had put in the oven before we left home.

Happy Christmas shopping to all!

Lois

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Good morning,

We have a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" this year and we love it.  Usually we have a tree so big we can hardly get around it.  We got what we thought was a medium size tree this year, then discovered it had a broken trunk when we got it home.  Not a problem.  We had no desire to take it back for another.  We were perfectly happy to cut it off and have a small tree this year.  Our daughter Catherine is the tree artist who makes sure the lights and ornaments are placed properly.

Our Norwegian friends may recognize the Sail Ship Christian Radich in the glass case over the TV.  That was My Honey's first training ship when he went to sea at age 15.  I purchased the completely built model for him for our tenth wedding anniversary quite a few years ago.   Over the years he has had fun pointing out the masts that he climbed and the area of the ship where he slept to our grandchildren.

Everyone gets involved with the tree trimming at our house, but this little elf fell asleep on the couch in front of the fire.

We all enjoyed the evening at home and watched movies together. 

It was a lovely evening!

Merry Christmas!

Lois

A Visit to Big Brother and Road Trip Knitting

Good morning,

This week we took a road trip to Central Ohio to visit my big brother and delivery his Christmas gift.  It's always fun to see family. 

The weather was cold and we were happy the day we had selected was dry, too.  It was smooth sailing both going and coming home.

Of course, I can't sit for a two hour drive (each way) without having my knitting along.  On this trip I worked on a pair of hunter green boot cuffs while My Honey did the driving.  I almost finished the first cuff before we got home so I'm glad I made good use of the time.

I hope you have safe holiday journeys as you visit with family and friends!

Lois

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Christmas!

Good morning,

Last weekend My Honey and I enjoyed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra's Christmas Concert.

Our Cincinnati Music Hall is one of the oldest and most beautiful in the country.  Above you see the back of Music Hall.  We parked in the old WCET garage so had to walk around to the front of the building to enter.  Music Hall has recently been renovated and the pedestrian bridge from that garage has been removed.

This is the front of Music Hall. 

We arrived fairly early so had the opportunity to enjoy looking around to see the renovations before the concert.

The interior of Music Hall has always been so very elegant. 

These images were taken in the Grand Foyer.

And, look who we found here!

 I took this image from our seats in the orchestra section.  In fact, we were in the third row. 

 As with most events, flash images and recordings are not permitted during concerts so I took a few before the concert started, then put my phone away.

 How beautiful our Music Hall looks all decked out for Christmas!

 My final image is of the chandelier.  By the time the concert was ready to start the auditorium was packed for this sold out concert.

Of course, I didn't take images during the concert even though I would have loved to share them with you.  The concert was fabulous.

Catherine, our daughter, gave me these tickets for my birthday present.  Wow, what a lovely and loving gift.  Thank you, Catherine!

Lois