It was bread day again yesterday. The loaves were so pretty when they came out of the oven that I just had to take a picture.
This one is Sour Cream Egg Bread. I look at what I have in the fridge to make bread and that's what I use. I did write down many of my recipes that you'll find under the "bread recipes" link in the right hand column of this blog.
Yum!
Lois
Our Tulip Magnolia is bursting into bloom.
Enjoy!
Lois
Here comes the Spring rain. It comes quickly and is gone just as quickly.
Happy Spring!
Lois
It is such a joy to go outside each morning and be greeted by the aromas of Spring. This is the new blossom today.
This hyacinth is another that has graced our garden for many years. It is a joy to see it return each year.
Happy Spring!
Lois
Kjell won the Top Chef award here again this week with his Norwegian Meat (Beef) Cakes and cabbage in white sauce.
Boiled potatoes are traditional with this meal. I added the applesauce and my home made bread.
We will have to eat more salads for awhile to make up for all of this!
;),
Lois
It was pretty enough to sit outside on Tuesday afternoon this week. Our Miss Wendy always gets into a chair so she can be on eye level with the rest of us.
The funny part is that she can get herself in, but appreciates help getting down because she doesn't want the chair to tip over as she makes her exit.
If we are not around when she wants to get down, she "calls us." Bark, pause, bark, pause, bark, pause (are they coming yet?), bark, pause, (where are my humans?), bark.
Eventually we realize she is requesting human help and go out and hold the chair so she can get down by herself.
Such a funny personality this pup has! She always makes us smile.
Lois
Another type of daffodil has bloomed in our garden today. It's wonderful to see the new blossoms every morning.
Retirement is good!
Lois
I took these pictures while sitting in my chair in the living room. That's our resident squirrel with a half a mini loaf of my bread in his mouth.
Our dogs have stopped getting excited about Mr. Squirrel except when he comes right up to the bottom of the glass door between the living room and front porch and stares at them through the window. Then they let him know they see him big time!
;),
Lois
The pretty little Butter Cups are blooming in the yard.
I just can't get the Butter Cup song out of my head now, but it does make me smile.
;),
Lois.
Today's images are courtesy of our daughter, Catherine. She stopped her car down the street from our home and took these images of a hawk who had lunch in his mouth. Sadly, the image quickly taken with her phone camera is not better quality, but we can tell you that the hawk enjoyed garter snake as his main course.
The day before I saw this bird or one of his close relatives sitting at the end of our porch when I went out of our front door to toss the previous day's bread to the birds. We were both surprised to see each other and his first reaction was to spread his wings, then he flew away. I was amazed at how big they are! Unfortunately, I didn't have my phone camera in my hand at the time so missed that shot.
Wildlife in the city!
Lois
Our daughter and a close friend are very involved with our local AKC dog club and also show their dogs at out-of-town dog shows. The friend picked up her new ride today. My understanding is that this very comfy looking vehicle will be used primarily as transportation for certain champion dogs we know to go to dog shows.
My goodness, some dogs just have it made, don't they!
And, the show goes on!
Lois
I'm having a wonderful time playing with pattern stitches this week.
The item above is the beginning of a lap blanket. I started playing with a variety of stitches and this one just "caught on." I plan for it to be in the shop one of these days.
I'm also working on a "warm browns" large afghan blanket. It was a favorite and has been sold out for quite some time so it was about time I got to work on another one.
Retirement is good!
What are you making, baking, growing this week?
All the very best,
Lois
Kjell took this picture of Elsa last night when she got on the foot rest in front of him while he was watching TV. She stared him in the eye while wagging her tail and gave him the " Excuse me. May I have a cookie, please?" look.
It worked.
;),
Lois
For not being Irish, we certainly did a good job of celebrating St. Patrick's Day!
I bought the corned beef and cabbage and Kjell prepared it in the crock pot. Layers starting from the bottom: potatoes, carrots, corned beef with seasonings, cabbage, beer. Cover and cook on high for eight hours.
Oh, my, this was GOOD!
How did you celebrate yesterday?
Lois
As they say, we are all Irish today. We'll be having corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes tonight for dinner.
We hope you all enjoy the day, too!
All the best,
Lois
This segment of our security system is always on guard, always watching, always listening.
It's very interesting to watch the interaction among our three dogs. When one alerts to a sight or noise, the others come as backup.
As you see in the blog header, Wendy is still in her spot at the front window. Erik is making sure I get a good picture of the whole thing. When I took the picture, Elsa was behind me playing with a squeaky toy, but she was "ready reserves."
;),
Lois
Kjell made these coasters this week for our bar/recreation room. They are cherry wood with walnut inlays with a nautical theme, of course!
He has a video of them on his new turntable on his Facebook page here if you care to take a look.
Very cool!
:),
Lois
This beautiful single Crocus blossom is alone in the middle of the area where we had a pile of logs for more than a year.
Last summer we finally got the rest of the logs split and stacked. I didn't expect anything to have survived in that area, but should have had more faith in Mother Nature.
So pretty!
Lois
Yesterday I spread 80 flower squares out on the dining room table to arrange the color pattern for the next afghan blanket for the shop. I sold the last one shortly after I listed it so have been hard at work to make another.
It will be coming to the shop soon. ;)
What are making, baking, growing this week?
All the best,
Lois
UPDATE: I've finished this afghan blanket and it is in the shop here. Come take a look!
There's a saying in Cincinnati, "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. It will change."
It's truly March Weather Madness here with temps from the 30's to the 70's, a string of sunny days, then a string of rainy days, tornadoes, and in years past, even snow. Today the warning is for those tornadoes.
Of course, we can look forward to April!
I hope the weather is comfortable and you are safe, wherever you are.
Lois
My King Alfred Daffodils will be in bloom in just a few days. I know I can separate the bulbs, but I just love the way they cluster and create a bouquet as they naturally multiply.
More Spring Flowers to come!
Yay!
Lois
The crocus buds I showed you a few days ago are now in full bloom.
My goodness, these are pretty.
Happy Spring!
Lois
On September 30, I wrote a post about a building that was torn down and the new building being erected on the same spot. The original building was the home of Rubel Bakery and the famous Cincinnati Rye bread. I was a friend of the owner's daughter and we visited the bakery from time to time.
We pass this place once a week for a regular appointment. The project is huge with the base of the new building below the level of the bridge/roadway where I was while taking this picture.
I still don't know what the new building will house, but it is interesting to watch the progress from week to week.
More to come....
Lois
It is such a pleasure to go out every morning and see what is newly blooming in the garden at this time of the year.
These little snowdrops have been blooming near our pond every year since I planted them more than 20 years ago. The plan was to have flowers covering the stake in the ground holding the electrical outlet for the pond. I used to have daffodils and tulips there, too, but all that are left are the snowdrops. I'll have to find something else to plant there this year.
Happy Spring!
Lois
Our baby Elsa earned First Place this weekend at her AKC Agility Trials.
Congratulations to Elsa and her trainer/our daughter, Catherine, for a job well done!
:),
Lois - aka Proud Mom
OK, I couldn't help myself with the title.
This happens every Spring just as soon as the ground is dry and the sun is high in the sky. Our Labs just love to go out and catch some rays.
Notice she has her toy with her, too.
;),
Lois
The ice that covered the pond in our back yard has thawed and the gold fish are more active as the weather is warming. I was able to spot five of them through the vines and leaves.
When it gets warmer, we'll clear out some of the leaves, but they aren't bad to have in there, either. The decomposition of the leaves creates heat that keeps the pond from freezing quickly, especially when the night temperatures drop, but day time temperatures are above freezing.
I love seeing all of these signs of Spring!
Lois
After the severe very cold weeks, the ice and snow has finally melted and we are seeing signs of Spring! These pretty yellow crocus are blooming near our lamp post at the front of our property.
I love Spring!
I hope it is beautiful weather wherever you are.
Lois
Good morning,
This month's Needlework and Wood Working Update features new items and some old favorites.
Above is a Nordic Knit Intarsia hat that is extra warm because the unused colors are carried on the inside creating an extra soft and warm hat. $36. More images inside and outside here.
This Flower Garden Afghan Blanket is another very popular item in the shop and is a favorite of my own to make and use at home. $165. More information here. It's ready to ship. If you would like to order a similar blanket with your choice of colors, please let me know and I'll gladly make up a custom order for you.
Update! This Flower Garden Afghan Blanket sold out the day this post appeared. I'm making another - allow 30 days. There are many similar afghan blankets ready to ship now here.
These two face masks were a custom order and have been delivered. We have a variety of colors and sizes of masks and ear savers available here.
This is one of Kjell's projects in his wood working shop this month and is not for sale. It is a turntable for display and photography of items for our shop. He built it all with his 3D printer and wood working tools and wired it to operate remotely from his phone. It's fun to have an engineer in the house.
And, finally, Kjell made a personalized Kennel Tag for a shop customer. Since it's personalized, I'm showing you the one he made for our Elsa. The most recent tag he made was for a bird cage. The tags are $12 each and are available in a variety of colors. More information here.
So, that's it for this month! Both Kjell and I have quite a few new projects in the queue. Come see what else we've made here! Retirement from our professions has allowed us the time we didn't have before to design and create. We sincerely appreciate your likes, comments, favorites, and purchases, too!
All the very best,
Lois
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Catherine picked up a Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake for our anniversary.
Oh, my goodness, this was GOOD!
Thank you, Catherine!
Love you,
Mom and Dad
We've had six days of temperatures above freezing. In fact, the temps have been in the 40's, 50's and even 60's. But, this snow and ice just doesn't get it!
That shows just how packed the ice was for three weeks when the temps dropped near 0 F.
And, yes, Elsa took some toys back outside. That's OK. Now it's warm enough for all of us to play with them with her.
Spring! Where is Spring!
;),
Lois
My, how time flies! The picture above was taken shortly after we were married in the last century.
Happy Anniversary to the love of my life.
Hugs and kisses,
Lois
