Stuff

 Good morning,

Kjell has his tools and supplies all labeled in cabinets in his basement workshop.

I got a big kick out of this one!

;),

Lois

University of Cincinnati Hospital Helicopter Incoming!

Good morning,

I took this image through my car window (I wasn't driving) while we were on our way to an appointment at UC Health.

If you look carefully at the center of the image, you can see a helicopter landing on the roof of University Hospital.  

We are so glad we live within minutes of one of the premier health facilities in the country.  

We pray the patient recovers quickly.

All the best,

Lois

Thanksgiving Dinner!

 Good morning,

To accommodate all the family schedules, we celebrated Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday this year.  Catherine grilled the turkey outside and our friend Bill carved the turkey. 

 Of course, the Lab Testers were doing their jobs!  That pup in the center is Penny, Bill's dog.  She fits right in, doesn't she!

 Catherine made so many wonderful dishes that I didn't get images of all of them.  Above are twice baked sweet potatoes. Ohhh, so good!

Dressing!  Ah, yes, dressing!

I made the dinner rolls.  This year I used heavy cream (since we had it available for other recipes) in place of the sour cream I generally use to make smooth, rich bread.  Yum!

This is my plate.  Not very neat, but it sure was good!  There is green bean casserole on the plate as well as turnips and carrots that didn't get in the other images.  Of course, the cranberry sauce I made the day before.

Thanks to our friend Erica, we had yummy pumpkin pie!

Catherine did the biggest job making this dinner.  But everyone else helped, too.  Thank you to everyone!

Love you all,

Lois

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wendy, Elsa, Lily (pictured), Kjell, Catherine, and me.  

 I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving with family and friends! 

Cranberry Sauce

 Good morning,

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  Yesterday I made cranberry sauce and the house smelled wonderful! 

 Of course, two of my advisors were present to be sure I did it right.

I make the cranberry sauce, beans, and buns.  Catherine will makes all the rest for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.  

More to come....

Lois

What do you first see?

 Good morning,

What do you first see in that image?  A lady holding a Canon camera?  I did.

Kjell said this image popped up in his feed on line and it was so cute he forwarded it to me.

I love it!  That Canon camera looks a great deal like our Erik.

So cute!

Enjoy,

Lois

Last Call

 Good morning,

I snapped this image when we took the pups out for last call before bedtime last night.  These are only two of the four we have this week.  We have our three Labs plus Erica's Border Collie while she is at a dog show with her other dogs.

This is a section of our back yard that is very well lit. We have cameras on it, too, so can see the pups outside and also have a record of anyone who might be stupid enough to come into our yard.  We have a sign on the gate:  Warning!  Do not open gate!  Dogs in yard!  The pups will actively defend their yard.  So far, so good.

 So, that's it for another day.  I hope all is well wherever you are.

All the very best,

Lois

Family Movie Night

 Good morning,

 Last night we enjoyed Family Movie Night by watching The Wild Robot.

Lily was fascinated with the movie!  It was so much fun to watch her reactions to the characters and the noises they made.

 After the movie got started Lily climbed onto Daddy's lap to watch it with him.

Precious!

:),

Lois

Catherine's Cream of Potato Soup

 Good morning,

Catherine made her famous crock pot Cream of Potato Soup for us yesterday.

Yes, it was delicious!

It was the perfect thing for dinner on a rainy, busy day.

Thanks, Sweetie,

Love,

Mom 

 

 

Morning With Lap Dog Elsa

 Good morning,

Elsa made sure I didn't get up from my recliner while I enjoyed my morning coffee.  

This is the sweetest, most devoted dog anyone could have.  

Precious!

:),

Lois

Work in Process This Week - Crochet Sweater

 Good morning,

This project is going to take awhile.  It's a crochet sweater for Catherine.  I'm designing as I go to her preferences.  She just loves the yarn so I think we're good to go.  :)

Our daughter Catherine does so very much for us.  In addition to all the things she does at home (cooking, grocery shopping, etc.) she takes most of the shop sales packages to the post office for us.  This sweater is a Christmas gift thank you for so much that she does.

 Are you crafting for Christmas? 

All the best,

Lois

Giovanni Wall Art

 Good morning,

This lovely display is on the wall in Giovanni's Restaurant aboard Brilliance of the Seas.

Uh, does this remind you of some other restaurant?  Cracker Barrel, maybe?

Hmmmm....

;),

Lois

Catherine in the Kitchen

 Good morning,

Catherine fired up the grill last weekend to prepare a lamb leg. I had already thawed out chicken breasts to make over the weekend so she marinated and grilled them at the same time. 

We have left overs for another meal, too! 

The meal of salad, really yummy mashed potatoes, lamb, chicken, and mushrooms was delicious.  But, what made it even more special is it was made by Catherine and shared by all of us.  

All the best,

Lois

Yarn Shopping at the Port

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me these pictures while on her Canadian Fall Foliage cruise last month.

This is where the yarn comes to the port!   

 Of course, she went inside and looked around.  The yarns were gorgeous!  She didn't buy any, but is sure is fun to see this!

Enjoy!

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - November, 2025

 Good morning,

We've been busy since the last Needlework and Wood Working Update.  

Above is a Sorbet Pastels Lap Blanket for all ages.  It's super soft and the stitch texture is warm and comfy.  $60.  Only one available.  More images and information here. 

 Our Brilliant Rainbow Lap Blanket is a favorite!  It's a perfect size for chair, wheelchair, car, or wherever you would like to use it.  Only one available.  $75.  More images and information here.

 This Cloche Hat/Chemo Cap is perfect for cooler weather.  It's double strand, super soft, and squishy so is so very comfy!  It's Large-Extra Large 24"-26" so will accommodate most hairdos, too.  Only $16.  More images and information here.

This is another double strand Cloche Hat/Chemo Cap that will be a favorite this winter and into Spring.  It's 23"-25".  Measure your head at the natural hair line to be sure of size.  $16.  More images and information here.

We have dozens more Cloche Hats/Chemo Caps in a variety of sizes from $8 here.
 

 I've restocked our Navy Tissue Topper.  These are not only lovely to refresh your bathroom appearance, but make terrific host gifts when you go visiting.  $10.  More information and images here.

 We have more Tissue Toppers in a variety of colors in our Home Living Entertaining Section here.

Kjell has been busy designing and making nifty things with his 3d printer.  This is a spring loaded bread bag clip.  I make two loaves of bread in each batch so he made two of the clips that we use daily.  Sorry, this is not in the shop. 

And, finally for this month, that device that holds the solar panel and light to our flag pole was designed and made by Kjell with the use of his 3D printer.  We had a stick-in-the-ground simple light on our flag, but it was stolen a few weeks ago.  Kjell went to work to solve the problem.  To take this one, it will require tools, strength, and time.  Oh, he also added a security camera on the flag pole so we'll have a live video feed if anyone messes with our flag pole.  Such a shame it has come to this....

So, that's it for this time.  We sincerely appreciate your encouragement, comments, likes, shares, pins, favorites, and purchases, too!  We hope you'll shop https://evensensproductions.etsy.com for yourselves and for gifts.  Come take a look!

All the very best,

Lois

Autumn Morning Sky

 

Good morning,

What beautiful skies on an Autumn morning!

 The Northern Lights have been visible in our part of the world for the past few evenings, but we are in the city where there is too much artificial light (street, house vehicle lights) to be able to see them well, much less photograph them.  There are lovely images of Northern Lights this week on Facebook from friends who live further out from our city lights. 

I remember my Dad taking all of us into the country where it was very dark to see the Northern Lights when I was a child.  Of course, we have seen them in Norway, too.   

 One of my favorite original afghan blanket designs is inspired by the Northern Lights:

If interested, more images and information are here.
 

All the best,

Lois

African Violet Rebirth

 Good morning,

This sweet little African Violet was having a hard time this past Summer.  So, I placed her in a window where I could watch her daily and carefully water her to bring her back to life.

I had a great feeling of success when I spotted this blossom!  Soon I'll groom her and put her in a bigger pot.  I don't want to stress her with a move quite yet.

Yes, it's time for winter indoor gardening. 

:),

Lois

Warm Bread on a Cold Day

 Good morning,

Ah, yes.  Warm homemade bread on a cold day.  This one is Light Whole Wheat.

I wish I could share the aroma with you!

All the best,

Lois

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Shopping for the holidays?  Come look!

EvensensProductions.Etsy.com

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It's Just Too Early!

 Good morning,

It's just too early for snow!

Perhaps we'll have a white Thanksgiving.  ;)

Stay warm!

Image credit to Kjell.

All the best,

Lois

Veterans Day - United States of America

 

Veterans Day
United States of America

Thank a Veteran Today and Every Day 

 

 

Tug Mister Bean

 Good morning,

This little tug reminds me of children's books.  So cute!

This is the Mister Bean and crew who were helping cast off lines of Brilliance of the Seas in Sydney, Canada.

Image credit to our friend, Erica. 

All the best,

Lois

Fiddling Around in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

 Good morning,

Here's a fun image courtesy of our friend Erica.  She and Catherine came across this huge "fiddle" while strolling around Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

How very cool!

Thanks, Erica!

All the best,

Lois

Merchant Mariners Memorial - Sydney, Nova Scotia

 Good morning,

This is the Merchant Mariners Memorial in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  

There is a Canadian web site that gives more information about it here:  https://veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canada/merchant-mariners-memorial

Catherine and Erica visited this memorial on their recent Canadian cruise aboard Brilliance of the Seas.  Thank you. Erica, for sharing the image with us.

All the best,

Lois

Wild Life - Sydney, Canada

 Good morning,

I love it.  Erica shared an image of exotic wildlife in Canada.

They do look comfy, don't they!

:),

Lois

Brilliance of the Seas Wing Bridge

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica had a balcony stateroom aboard Brilliance of the Seas that was near the wing bridge.  

It is fun to watch the navigation activity!

Enjoy!

Lois

Celebrity Ship in Halifax, Canada

 Good morning,

Here's another lovely image from our friend Erica. She took it while it was at anchor in Halifax, Canada.

She believes this is a Celebrity ship.

Ah, yes, cruising....

Enjoy!

Lois

Halifax Lighthouse

 Good morning,

What a lovely sight!  The Halifax, Canada, Light House.

I love seeing these pictures so kindly shared by Erica and Catherine.

What wonderful memories of all the years we sailed at sea.

Enjoy!

Lois

Nova Soctia Brewery

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica enjoyed walking around the ports of call while on their Fall Foliage Cruise to Canada aboard Brilliance of the Seas.

What a fascinating old building for the Nova Soctia Brewery.

Thank you for the image, Erica.

All the best,

Lois 

 

 

 

Charlottetown, Canada

 Good morning,

What a pretty place!  This is Charlottetown, Canada.  Our friend Erica took the image while on a cruise with our Catherine aboard Brilliance of the Seas.

This was a Fall Foliage cruise;  you can see the leaves just beginning to change color.

Enjoy!

Lois

Captain's Corner - Brilliance of the Seas

 Good morning,

Regular Royal Caribbean cruisers know that the Captain's Corner event can be different from ship to ship.

Aboard Brilliance recently the Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel Director, and  Cruise Director all met to answer questions.

This is always an interesting event where questions can be asked and answered.  I remember on board Freedom when we were there, it was also pretty funny, too.

If you get the chance, don't miss this!

All the best,

Lois

Happy Halloween!

 

Good morning and Happy Halloween!

Today's image is from the archives.  It was taken in 2016 aboard Freedom of the Seas.

The handsome Chief Engineer on the left is My Honey, Kjell.  The guy in the middle is not only headless, he is nameless.  And gentleman on the right is our friend Captain Toni Calne.

Ah, yes, good times on board!  Kjell's retirement is great.  I was very fortunate to be able to sail with him for the last 20 years of his 31 years with Royal Caribbean.   We miss the people, but we don't miss the job.

We hope you have a safe and happy Halloween!

All the best,

Lois

Cruise Ship Find

 Good morning,

This one is new to me.  For some time there was a "thing" to hide ducks around the ships for others to find.  I haven't seen this character before.

All of this hiding and finding business happened since we retired from cruising nine years ago.   

Interesting....

Lois

Sweaters - Halifax, Canada

 Good morning,

If you forgot to bring a sweater on this cruise, you will certainly have plenty of choices to purchase one or many more.

These are for sale in Halifax.   Since Catherine sent me the image, I didn't get to see the labels to see if they are hand made.  I don't think these are, but they are beautiful.

What a fun itinerary!

All the best,

Lois

Port of Halifax, Canada

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are in the Seaport of Halifax, Canada.

Kjell and I visited this and other ports on this itinerary more than 20 years ago.  There have been many changes!

All the best,

Lois