Did Someone Order Fresh Venison?

 Good morning,

That picture above was captured on our front door Ring camera.  It was taken the morning after the blizzard when the temperature was -10F out there.

We order about 90% of what we need on line now, so always take a look when we get a Ring motion notice on our phones to see if there is something that needs to be brought into the house.  Catherine orders much of what she needs for her office to be delivered to the house, too, because we are generally here to bring it inside and she is sometimes out of her office at client offices.  When I texted this image to our daughter who was at her office, her reply was, "Did someone order fresh venison?"

 I went to my bedroom window to see if I could see this sweet deer and all I saw were ears and a nose.

 She first nibbled on plants beneath our shrubs around our front porch, then moved out to the growth beneath our magnolia tree.

 She stayed for more than ten minutes so I was able to get some lovely images.  Unfortunately, I was taking them through a window and screen, but I'm still delighted to have them.

Hopefully, you'll be able to see this short video, too.

We love having so many critters in our neighborhood.  We live in the city, so these visits are extra special.

Be safe and warm as you enjoy New Year's Eve!

All the best,

Lois

End of Year Sunrise

 Good morning,

I took this image through my dining room window this week.  We were having sub freezing temperatures and had had a blizzard the night before.  

Although beautiful, it was deadly cold out there.

It took quite a bit of coaxing to get the pups to go outside in the back yard to do what they needed to do.  Of course, they weren't out there very long.  

The fireplace has been keeping us comfy this week!

As the New Year approaches, the temps are rising and the snow should be gone by January 1.  

Stay Warm!  Stay Safe!  Happy New Year!

Lois

Squirrel!

 Good morning,

That's Wendy in the header of this blog.  She's our "watch dog" who monitors any critters - human or otherwise - who appear on our front porch.  

She sits quietly peering out the window until a critter appears, then she goes into action!

 She lets us know in no uncertain terms that there is someone/something out there!

Since we have a bird feeder nearby, we have quite a few visitors.

The funny part is that the squirrels and birds are so used to her that they just glance over, then go about their business.

 There is never a dull moment here and we love it.

:),

Lois

Wendy in Dad's Chair

 Good morning,

Our oldest son lives in Virginia near Washington, DC.  Sometimes he calls and we talk for a long time to catch up on what he, his wife, and twin daughters have been doing.  This year they'll spend nearly a month in Belgium visiting his wife's family.

Wendy is bored by it all, but stays close in Daddy's chair.  She's eight years old, but looks like a little pup.

 What a sweetheart.

:),

Lois

Lost Reindeer?

 Good morning,

We awoke to wild barking by our dogs.  They were inside, but at the back patio door going crazy about something in the back yard!

I went to the patio door and looked out.  Nothing.  I didn't see anything at all.  Then there was slight  movement just beyond our fence and I saw it!

A (one of Santa's rein?) deer was standing in the yard directly behind our own.

Our pups have great eyesight!  The deer was "frozen" in place for the longest time.  I was glad when she finally moved so our dogs would settle down.

It has only been in recent years that we have had deer passing through our neighborhood.  There are many wooded areas so the deer have been able to move down into the city as their natural spaces have been converted for human use. 

Happy Winter!

Lois

Exhausted The Day After Christmas

 Good morning,

Wendy is exhausted after all of the Christmas activity yesterday and the day before.  She's napping in the swivel rocker in our sitting room.  

We all had a wonderful Christmas!  It was especially fun watching the pups open their Christmas presents. 

Catherine made a marvelous meal for all of us on Christmas Eve, then we relaxed Christmas Day.  There were plenty of left overs so we continued to eat well without any serious cooking on Christmas Day.

 We hope your Christmas was just as wonderful!

All the best,

Lois

Merry Christmas!

 

 Wendy and all the rest of us here in the Evensen Household wish you a
Merry Christmas!

 

Watching for Santa

 Good morning,

Elsa is so excited!  She is watching for Santa!  

Soon, Elsa, Soon!

:),

Lois

Santa on a Lamp

 Good morning,

Some people have an Elf on a Shelf, but we have Santa on a Lamp.

There's a story behind this Santa.  I made him while we were aboard Freedom of the Seas while My Honey worked there.  I made Santa to hang on our stateroom door one of the early years there and he became a regular every year thereafter.

I came across Door Santa while going through our Christmas decorations this year.  It just seemed right to give him a prominent spot again this year.

Merry Christmas!

Lois

Sitting Room Companion

 Good morning,

If you own a Labrador Retriever (we have three), you will never go anywhere alone.

This is Miss Wendy keeping me company in the sitting room while I am working on my computer.  She may appear to be sound asleep, but if I get up and move to another room, she will escort me.  

Do you have pets that do the same?

So sweet!

:),

Lois

Client Gift Assembly

 Good morning,

Each year Catherine gets very creative with Christmas gifts for her CPA firm business clients.  It's always a different theme each year.

This year it is an insulated lunch bag.

 Inside the one in the image above are only a few of the items she includes.  In addition to the iced tea and healthy snacks, she includes a freezer cube to keep it all cold, an apple, and cheese and sausage snacks.  It's quite a beautiful gift!  She does all the shopping for this each year and then puts them together.

My job is the fancy bows on the top.  I have a few made ahead in the box in this image.  As soon as Catherine puts the gifts together, I "install" the bow.  ;)

What fun!  

Merry Christmas!

Lois

Birthday Roses

 Good morning,

These pretty roses are from My Honey for my birthday.  We've been celebrating all through the month of December.  Birthdays are great, aren't they!  

:),

Lois

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

 Good morning,

What a pretty shot of the moon.  My Honey took this picture.  It was the following week that we replaced our Ohio Flag.  I'll have to get out there and take a good picture of the moon now that we have the new flag, too.

Happy Winter!

Lois

Waiting Room Crochet

 Good morning,

I spend much too much time in waiting rooms, but I do make good use of my time.

This is a small project - double thick pot holders - that I took along last time.  These are large enough for a man's or woman's hands and also make great hot pads for the table. The red color will be great for Christmas, Valentine's, or any time.  These aren't finished and in the shop yet, but there are some in other colors here.

Come see what else we've made here.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the best,

Lois

Roast Turkey Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine recently roasted a turkey for us all. Wow! 

 What a marvelous family meal!  Turkey and all the trimmings.  I can only take credit for the home made cranberry sauce, bread, and green beans.  Catherine did all the rest of the work.  

Thank you, Sweetie!

Love you,

Mom

Daddy's Girl Has His Back

 Good morning,

I peeked into the "man cave" recreation room and saw Daddy's Girl, Wendy, keeping him company as he worked on his next project.

 She literally "has his back."

 He's making another guitar.  Ah, yes, artist at work!

:),

Lois

Never Throw Out That Old Recliner

 Good morning,

Kjell and I bought new recliners, but couldn't throw out the old one.  This is Wendy so very happy snoozing near the fireplace.

Sweet!

:),

Lois

Christmas Cactus in Bloom

 Good morning,

Our Christmas Cactus is right on time this year blooming in December.  

I have always loved the delicate beauty of these blossoms.

Enjoy!

Lois

Cincinnati's University Hospital Christmas Tree

 Good morning,

This pretty Christmas Tree is in the lobby of Cincinnati's University Hospital.

It's wonderful to see the beautiful decorations!

Enjoy,

Lois

Ground Turkey for the Pups

 Good morning,

Regular readers know we feed our pups a raw diet of fresh human food.

 This is turkey purchased directly from the butcher.

 It comes packaged neatly for individual people servings, but we don't use it that way.

Instead, Kjell grinds it...

...and we package it in containers to be frozen until needed.

Of course, there are plenty of "Lab(rador) Inspectors" while this process is happening.

Yes, the pups get a sample, then the packaged ground turkey goes to the basement freezer until needed.

Our dogs lead a very special life, don't they....

;),

Lois

Elsa in Polka Dots

 Good morning,

Miss Elsa looks darling in her polka dot panties.  

She doesn't seem to mind, either.  In fact, she gets so much attention when she wears them that she gets all excited when we are ready to put them on her.

Sweet!

:),

Lois

Catherine in the Kitchen

 Good morning,

Catherine made a fabulous dinner once again.  This is roast lamb, with all the trimmings including...

 her yummy gravy!

Thank you, Catherine.  :)

Love,

Mom & Dad

Confusing Name?

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me today's pictures.  She was having lunch at a new local restaurant with an unusual name.

The food looks delicious, but I can't help but wonder if the connection of grease on cars and grease on food has anything to do with this.  Nah, couldn't be.

 All the food in the images looks good to me.  I'll have to check it out....

Aside:  In Norwegian, there may be a connection.

smøre bilen = grease the car

smør brødet = butter the bread

"grease" and "butter" sound very much the same.  ;)  

 Hmmmm.....

Enjoy,

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - December, 2022

 Good morning,

This post is our monthly Needlework and Wood Working Update where we show you what we've made during the past month.  That's difficult this month because we have made a few things for gifts that will have to wait to show you until next month after the gifts have been given.  ;)  We've spent a great deal of time on those items so don't have as many other items to show you as we do most months. 

Above is a beautiful, soft light weight blanket that folds corner to corner to become a generous size warm shawl.  $90.  More information and images showing various uses are here. 

This new large afghan blanket is 74"x60" and a beautiful choice for a man or a woman.  $165.  More images and information here.

I've added another Cloche Hat to the shop.  There is a large variety available from $8 here.

Kjell has completed a blues guitar this month.  He likes it so much he is keeping it.  ;)  I understand.  It is gorgeous!  Kjell has many wood items listed in the shop.  Come take a look!

Thank you for your encouragement, comments, likes, shares, favorites, and your purchases, too!  We appreciate your support of our small business since 2011.

We hope you'll check out our shop when shopping for unique items for yourself and for gifts.  Here's the front door of the shop where you'll find it all! 

There is still time or order for the holidays if you order soon!  We ship in 1-2 business days.

All the very best,

Lois

Noisy Birds

 Good morning,

If you look carefully, you'll see some huge birds in the trees above our home.

I think they are crows and if I didn't know better, I would think they are angry birds!

There are 18 to 20 of them.  I couldn't get them all in one image, but you get the idea.  When they swoop into the treetops, they make one heck of a lot of noise.  This generally happens when I have our dogs out early in the morning.  Our dogs just ignore them.

What was really funny, and I wish I had gotten a picture, a couple of the crows came to the ground to examine a dog fuzzy toy that our pups had left outside.  Maybe they WERE angry when they discovered what they thought might be breakfast was actually a stuffed toy.

All the best,

Lois

Sleepy Time Guy

 Good morning,

Mr. Erik was quite comfy all curled up under a blanket near our chairs.  I think his old joints appreciate the warmth of a blanket as much as ours do.

What a sweetheart.  He is the most loving, gentle soul, even though we can tell he is stiff and sore with age.  We give him medications from the vet that seem to help.

Sweet dreams, Mr. Erik,

Love,

Mom and Dad

New Toy!

 Good morning,

From My Honey I received an air fryer for my birthday.  I got it early so have used it already and we love it!

Pork steaks, chicken thighs, potatoes....  They're all terrific when prepared in this.

I'm experimenting with different types of food and seasonings.

Thanks, Sweetie, this is a really FUN gift!

Love you,

Lois