Happy Halloween

 

 Happy Halloween!

This is an image from 2016 taken at one of several of Kjell's retirement parties aboard Freedom of the Seas.  He retired in November after nearly 32 years with Royal Caribbean International.  Kjell is on the left (admittedly looking concerned about the character in the center) and our friend Captain Toni on the right.

The entire post with many more images of this event is here.  It's so much fun to see them all again!

I have a Halloween "funny" to share with you, too.

In the image above Kjell is wearing his dress white formal uniform.  One year Halloween night happened to also be a formal night on board.  As we stepped into an elevator on the way to the main dining room to host guests at his table, a lady in the elevator asked Kjell, "Do you work here or is that your Halloween costume?"  Kjell answered politely, of course, but the best answer would have been, "Both."

Happy Halloween 2023!  We hope yours is safe and happy.  

All the very best,

Lois

Wendy's Kingdom

 Good morning,

I have to chuckle when Wendy climbs into a chair on the patio to watch what is happening both in our yard and adjoining yards.  She gets a better view up in the chair than down on her own "deck chair."

She is so very serious about all of this, too.  She watches activities intently.  Only if she disapproves does she bark. That can include the neighbor moving his trash cans to the street, Elsa and Lily rough housing, or landscapers working in the yard behind ours.  When that happens, she'll bark once or twice, then look at me to see if I am going to do anything about it. 

When she is ready to get down from her chair, she calls her "service human" (that's me) to hold the back of her chair as she jumps down.

Wendy is a very serious young lady.  She's also one of the easiest dogs we have ever had.

Happy Fall!

Lois

A New Low

 Good morning,

Well, look at that, won't ya....  Gas less than $3.00 per gallon.  Go figure.

I hope it's not too bad where you are....

Lois

Work in Process - Pot Holders/Hot Pads

 Good morning,

This week I am working on some smaller items to stock the shop for the holidays.  I have finished the afghan that I showed you last week, but haven't had a sunny day at home when I could photograph it for the listing.  I'm sure I'll get to that soon!

I really like these pot holders.  They are not only extra large for a man's or woman's hands, they are double thick cotton that washes beautifully.  They make great hot pads for the table, too.  We use them ourselves and I've given them as gifts to family members through the years.  I get a kick out of seeing them in use at their homes when we visit.

It's fun to have a few smaller projects between the big ones.  

We already have some of these potholders in the shop in a variety of colors. 

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the best,

Lois

It's Always Something

 Good morning,

It's always something, isn't it....  Yep, we spent more than seven hours yesterday with Roto-Rooter personnel in our basement unclogging the main drain.  The drain wasn't completely clogged, but when we saw it was so slow, we called in the un-cloggers.

All together, four different people showed up during the day.  The gold car is a supervisor who showed up to explain all the other services we could buy while we were at it.  Hmmm.  Nope, don't need them. 

Perhaps today will be better.  At least we know the drain won't be clogged today.

Photo credit goes to Kjell.  :)

All the best,

Lois

The Sun Shining Through

 Good morning,

These Autumn days are so very beautiful.  

Today's image is of the sun shining through leaves in our front yard. 

We are so enjoying these gorgeous days!

All the best,

Lois

Night Visitors

 

Good morning,

We got an alarm from one of our security cameras during the night and found the video above.  Three lovely deer have come to help groom our driveway.  How kind of them!

We enjoy living where we have wildlife here in the city.  I am sure these deer like our property because we don't use any chemicals on the lawn.  

So pretty, aren't they!

All the best,

Lois

Daddy's Pal in the Rec Room

 Good morning,

Lily is enjoying a deer antler in our recreation room. 

The rec room is Kjell's "man cave" where he designs his wood working projects, etc.  Lily blends right into the decor on the futon.  

 Photo credit to Kjell.  

So cute!

:),

Lois

Autumn Leaves

 Good morning,

I snapped today's images while we were on the expressway going about 65 MPH.  I think the pictures turned out pretty well considering how I took them.

 We are enjoying the Fall colors here right now.  We've had some rain that has knocked some of the leaves down early, but there are still plenty of pretty sights to see.

Happy Fall!

Lois

Catherine's Birthday Dinner

 Good morning,

Thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes for Catherine.  We took her out to dinner at Cin City, the Steak and Seafood restaurant that is in a local casino.  The food was excellent!

Kjell and I put our $20 into the slots after dinner.  Catherine did the same and won a $1,700 jackpot!  It was a lovely birthday!

All the best,

Lois

October Morning Sky

 Good morning,

This gorgeous October Morning Sky greeted me when I stepped outside with the pups early in the morning.

Wow, it wasn't so bad getting up early with the pups - this time. 

 ;),

Lois

Happy Birthday, Catherine!

 

Happy Birthday

to our one and only daughter, Catherine!

Work in Process This Week - Shades of Lavender Afghan is Growing

 Good morning,

I'm still working on the same project that I started last week.  I'm now putting the squares together for the Shades of Lavender large afghan blanket.  When finished, I'll list it in the shop.

I am loving the shades and tones of the colors together!  I took the photo with just lamp light while I was working on it yesterday evening.  The colors blend so beautifully that when the blanket is finished and spread out, the color changes will be gorgeous.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Hibiscus at Night

 Good morning,

I took this image last night when I took the pups out for the last time before bed.

This pretty hibiscus is blooming along the fence next to our driveway.  I didn't use a flash;  the only light is from our security lights.

What a pretty end-of-summer blossom.

Happy Fall!

Lois

Tomato Season

 Good morning,

Well, tomato season just wasn't the same this year.  ;)

I tried to grow tomatoes from seeds saved from last year's tomatoes, but didn't do very well at all.  

Sure, I know what I did wrong:  didn't start them early enough, didn't use fertilizer, didn't make sure there was enough water.  Yep, I messed up this year.  

It was a busy Spring and Summer with other things going on in our lives so I didn't do well at all with the tomatoes.  

God willing, there's always next year....

Lois 

PS - Photo credit goes to Kjell.  ;)

Giant Tug A War Rope

 Good morning,

We have so many dog toys around the house that many are put away in boxes for awhile, then pulled back out weeks later.  In this case, the giant tug rope that Catherine bought several years ago was of great interest to Lily when we got it out again.

 Lily couldn't find any of the other pups to play tug with her, so she played with it herself.

 She was fascinated with this thing for quite some time and tried very hard to destroy it.  

If you have similar tug toys for your pups, be sure to only let them play with them while you are supervising.  If they should manage to get the rope unraveled, there is a swallowing hazard.  If the rope starts to become unraveled, just throw it away.

All the best,

Lois

Looks Can Be Deceiving

 Good morning,

Just the same as human children, puppies look so sweet and innocent when they are sleeping, don't they.

Actually, seven month old Lily is very sweet, but not always so innocent.  We have to have eyes on her constantly or she finds something she shouldn't have and proudly trots off with it to take it apart.  Even after we explain "ownership," she often defies us with glee and a waggy tail.

She'll grow up to be just fine, but this pup is certainly enjoying her puppy status right now!  Our other dogs weren't as active as this young lady.  Each one of them is so very different.

Yes, she's sweet and innocent.  Just darling.  Yes, we love her.  But, wow, is she smart enough to get into just about everything the minute we look the other way!

Family fun!

Lois

Begonia Cuttings

 Good morning,

I took cuttings from the beautiful begonia that my oldest son gave to me last Spring.  The original plant has been outside in a container brightening up our patio all Summer.

I hope these little cuttings will survive the winter, grow roots, and I can plant them in the Spring. 

This is such a pretty flower color!  I don't think I've ever seen such a bright orange begonia before.

Are you taking cuttings as the seasons change?

All the best,

Lois

Kjell in the Kitchen Again

 Good morning,

Kjell is getting pretty fancy with his pan fired salmon and potato dinners.  This was fabulous.  I had a huge salad for lunch so this was great for dinner.

What are you cooking up on these chilly Fall days?

All the best,

Lois

Work in Progress - Lavender Afghan Blanket

 Good morning,

Flowers in a delicate shade of lavender are blooming in a box on my dining room table.  As soon as there are eighty of them, I'll have enough to make a large afghan blanket for the shop.  This one will be lovely for a wedding gift, Valentine's Day, Easter, or Mother's Day.  

There are many more blankets already in the shop here.

The weather has started to change here so we've already pulled out our afghan blankets and are using them in the living room and bedrooms.   What are you making, baking, growing this week?

Happy Fall!

Lois

Not Enough Lap

 Good morning,

Lily has decided she is a lap dog, but I have a problem.  I don't have enough lap!  At least I can put my feet up in my recliner which helps, but she's still growing....

She's a sweetie.

:),

Lois

Mr. Cardinal

 Good morning,

Kjell snapped this image of Mr. Cardinal watching himself being watched by those humans with cameras.

Mr. Cardinal was enjoying honeysuckle berries along the back of our property.  

Such a pretty fellow!

Happy Fall,

Lois

Teddy Loves Daddy

 Good morning,

Our friend/Teddy's Mom Erica was out of town so Teddy became Catherine's Office Dog for the week. That was so much nicer than Teddy having to go to the doggie hotel (kennel) with strangers for the week.

 When Cath came home each day this week, Teddy immediately headed for Daddy's lap.  They have been good friends for a long, long time.  Here's Teddy when he first started visiting us in 2016.

Teddy sure is a pretty boy, isn't he! 

So sweet!

:),

Lois

Breakfast for Lunch ala Kjell

 Good morning,

Kjell made breakfast for lunch:  omelet with locally (our patio garden) grown chives and cheese;  baked beans, and my home made bread toasted.

The meal certainly was loaded with protein and fiber!

Thanks, Sweetie, that was delicious!

Love you,

Lois

Lily Loves Battle Bots

 Good morning,

We got a real kick out of this!  I was surfing channels and stopped on Battle Bots.  Lily immediately stopped what she was doing and started intently watching.  We stayed on the channel and she didn't want to miss a thing!  

Of course, there is the noise as well as all the colors on the screen, but usually, our pups become interested in the TV only when there are animal sounds and images.

Battle Bots, if you aren't aware of what it is, is very interesting.  It's a contact sport with machines instead of human or animal bodies.  It takes real engineering skill to build the robots, operating skill to "drive" them, and the "matches" are in a controlled environment where no one can get hurt.  Most of the contestant teams are engineers and engineering students.  MIT and other excellent engineering schools are well represented in the mix.  

We enjoyed watching Battle Bots a couple of evenings ago when we stumbled upon it while surfing channels.  

Lily enjoyed it, too.

;),

Lois

It Is Soon Halloween

 Good morning,

Halloween decorations are popping up everywhere these days.

Photo credit for today's image goes to Catherine.  This is the display in the yard next to her office. Their lawn is quite small, but they have used it to great advantage.

Here comes the fun!

:),

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - October, 2023

 Good morning,

Welcome to this month's Needlework and Wood Working Update where we bring together all of the items we have made since last month's update.

Above you see The Drakkar Viking Long Ship, the first in a group of four.  $80. More images and information here.  Click on the links to each of the images for the stories about the figures.

This craving and the three that follow are available separately, but would make a lovely grouping of four.  All four of the carvings are in mahogany wood.  If you want to display on a table, the stand is sold separately.

 This is the Norse God Thor.  $82.  More images and information here.

 This is Freya Norse Goddess of Love.  $82.  More images and information here.

 And, the fourth in the set is the famous Odin.  $82. More information here.

My crochet hooks have been busy this month, also.  This is a Shades of Turquoise Large Afghan Blanket, $185.  More information and images are here.

 I made one Toilet Tissue Topper this month to restock a very popular color.  $8.  This one is available here.  We have them available in a variety of colors in our Home Living Entertaining section.

This is a pair of large double thick pure white pot holders.  This is another popular item that I am restocking this month.  $20.  More here.

 

And, finally for this month, this hat represents eleven hats that were a custom order that has been delivered.  We have a large selection of these cloche hats/sleep/bad hair day/chemo caps from $8.  Take a look at all of them here.

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

All the very best,

Lois

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EvensensProductions, LLC

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Bread Day

 Good morning,

Yesterday was bread day so the house smelled wonderful.

This week when making bread it has taken much longer for the yeast to rise.  It often relates to the weather and humidity.  The bread is still wonderful, but I have had to add time to both the first and second rise times to make it.

For those of you who make your own bread, do you find yeast rise times differ from season to season and in different types of weather?  I have been making my own bread for about thirty years now and adjust to whatever the yeast wants to do to make good loaves of bread.  I can see why it is difficult for newbee bread makes to bake a good loaf without the experience of dealing with temperamental yeast.

We'll have yummy sandwiches today!

All the best,

Lois

Kalanchoe

 Good morning,

That's a kalanchoe plant on my butler's pantry window sill.  I took the cuttings from other plants I have grown from one received by Catherine nearly ten years ago when she was ill.  I think this cutting is happy here in this spot and will grow into a strong healthy plant.  I look forward to seeing the pretty red blooms.

Do you take cuttings from your plants to grow more plants?  The home where I lived before this one had much more light and spaces where I could grow plants.  I had a "jungle" in our very bright dining room.  Our current home has always been surrounded by tall trees so there aren't many plants growing indoors.

So, all the plants will slow down for awhile now that Fall is here.  I'm actually looking forward to the cooler weather, the glow of the fireplace, and wearing sweaters.

All the very best,

Lois

Elder Statesman Erik

 Good morning,

This is our Elder Statesman, Erik, now 14 years old.

He doesn't move as fast as he once did, but his tail still wags and he certainly enjoys his food.

We love you, Mr. Erik 

We're so glad you're with us.

Love,

Mom

Sisters

 Good morning,

Elsa and Lily have become very good friends and are sharing the doggie deck chair on the patio.

They still get too rough when they are playing sometimes, though, and we have to stop them before someone gets hurt.  As the saying goes, "It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone."

Happy October!

Lois