Chef Catherine

 Good morning,

This is Chef Catherine, aka our daughter Catherine, who prepared a fantastic Thanksgiving meal.

More image to come.  Right now I have to go lie down....

:),

Lois

Home Made Cranberry Sauce

 Good morning,

I just love the aromas of holiday cooking.  

There is no such thing as canned cranberry sauce in this house.  In the image are two pounds of cranberries as they are just coming to a boil in a cup of water.  I let them simmer until they break open, then add a cup of sugar and a splash of lemon juice.  I turn off the heat so the sugar doesn't burn and stir until it is dissolved.  

As soon as it's cool enough, I pour into smaller containers and refrigerate.  I use several smaller containers so I can pull out just a few servings at a time.  

Home made cranberry sauce is so easy and so delicious!

I hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend.  

Oh, yes, it's Black Friday!  Stop by our Etsy shop, Evensens Productions, for truly unique gifts. For 10% off on orders of $50 or more, use code 1224TY10 at checkout. 

All the very best,

Lois

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

  Happy Thanksgiving
from Elsa and her "siblings" Erik, Wendy, and Lily
as well as the rest of us here in the Evensen household
Kjell, Catherine, and Lois (that's me!)

My Assistant Wendy

 Good morning,

My pups don't let us out of their sight if they can help it.

This is one of my main assistants, Wendy, beside my computer chair.  She's always ready to help with any doggie cookies that might fall out of my pocket.

:),

Lois

A Quiet Evening at Home

 Good morning,

A quiet, peaceful, comfortable evening at home is so wonderful.

Here's our Wendy, enjoying a dog's life here in the Evensen Household.

Being at home with the dogs is so much nicer than going out.  I guess that's a sign of age, isn't it....

All the best,

Lois

Work in Process - Beautiful Browns Afghan Blanket

 Good morning,

I'm working on another Beautiful Browns Afghan Blanket for the shop. 

Afghan Blanket season is in full swing and I can't make them fast enough.  That is a wonderful problem to have.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Heated Weighted Blanket

 Good morning,

This is Elsa, my heated, weighted blanket who is also very cuddly and loves to give sloppy kisses.

Elsa makes cold winter nights very comfy.

:),

Lois

Watching the Snow Falling

 Good morning,

Elsa has pushed the curtain aside so she can watch the first snowfall.

So sweet.

:),

Lois

It's That Time of the Year

 Good morning,

It's that time of the year.  

This first snow won't last long.  In fact, in a couple of days the temperature will be in the 60's F again.

Stay warm!

Lois

Honey Suckle Berries

 Good morning,

These are honeysuckle berries and we have plenty of them.  

The birds love them, but they do leave their mark below the branches.

;),

Lois

Catherine's Comfort Food Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine prepared a comfort food dinner for us:  kraut, sausage, loaded mashed potatoes, and spinach.

This was so good!

Thank you, Catherine!

Love you,

Mom & Dad

Fresh Out of the Oven

 Good morning,

The house smells wonderful again today with two loaves of Whole Wheat Bread just out of the oven.

Yum!

Enjoy,

Lois

 

Elsa Shines Once Again!

 Good morning,

Today's images were taken professionally by Game On photos.  That's our Elsa at the dog show at our AKC club last weekend.

 Elsa had two qualifying runs toward her next title!

 I just love those ears and that smile!

Weaving!

Look Mom!  I did it again!

On the teeter...

...and through the tunnel.

We are so proud of our Elsa and her trainer, our daughter Catherine.

Good job!

Love you,

Mom and Dad

Needlework and Wood Working Update - November, 2024

 Good morning,

Welcome to this month's Needlework and Wood Working Update where we gather images of all of the items we have completed since the last update.

Above is a favorite of mine.  This new Black and White Large Afghan Blanket is great for a bed, couch, or recliner.  $185.  Only one available.  Many more images and information are here.

 This Northern Lights blanket and the following two are a custom order for a lovely lady who ordered them for her granddaughters.

 The border colors will allow the girls to tell them apart.

 What a lovely gift from a grandmother who enjoyed watching the Northern Lights with her three granddaughters.

This hat the the scarf below are hand crocheted from the same dye lot soft warm wool blend yarn and make a lovely set.  Or, they can be purchased separately.  This hat is available here.  $40.

 This soft, warm scarf matches the hat above. The color will blend beautifully with any winter wardrobe.  $40.  More images and information are here.

This hand turned Purple Heart Wood pen and pencil set was a custom order that has been delivered.  A similar set is available in the shop here.  $93.  More information and images are here

.  And, finally, here's something Kjell made for himself.  I love this carpenter's pencil hand turned of Bethlehem Olive Tree wood.  

That's it for another month.  Of course, both Kjell and I have more projects in progress in our Wood Workshop and Needlework Studio. 

When you're shopping, we hope you'll take a virtual stroll through our shop, Evensens Productions.  Our items are made in the USA and ready to ship.  

Thank you for your support, encouragement, comments, likes, favorites, shares, and purchases, too!

All the very best,

Lois

Autumn Cheese Ball

 Good morning,

The dog club members certainly do eat well.  This pumpkin-shape cheese ball looks so yummy!

Thanks for the very cool idea, Catherine.

Lois

More Autumn Beauty

 Good morning,

Catherine shared this image with us.  It's a tree in autumn glory on our friend Erica's property.

Thank you, Catherine!  Very pretty!

Love you,

Mom

Love that Sugar!

 Good morning,

They certainly know Catherine well at the Hard Rock Coffee Bar!

Image is courtesy of Catherine.

;),

Lois

Autumn Leaves

 Good morning,

Today's image is courtesy of Kjell.  It's amazing how much beauty is just outside your front door.

Happy Fall!

Lois

Happy Birthday, Don!

 Good morning,

Another birthday!  This time it is son Don's turn. 

 We took him to Ford's Garage for a family dinner.  Although we live in the same county, we're on opposite sides of it so it's a bit of a journey to get together, but so worth it!

Happy Birthday again, Don!

Love you,

Mom

Brunch ala Catherine

 Good morning,

Catherine prepared Sunday Brunch last week.

When Catherine cooks, we only need one meal for the day. It was delicious!

Thank you, Catherine.  Love you,

Mom

Tribute to Veterans

 Good morning,

November 11, is the day we remember and celebrate our veterans every year.

The image above was taken when we were aboard Mariner of the Seas where veterans are acknowledged and celebrated.

I don't know about you, but I get teary-eyed when I hear our National Anthem and hear tributes to those who have served our country to keep us free.

All the best,

Lois

Fire Place Adventures

 Good morning,

The temperature dipped into the 30's F a couple of weeks ago.  When we got home from the post office, Kjell went to the kitchen to make a couple of omelets for lunch while I started a fire in the fireplace.

I took the dogs outside in the back yard and they suddenly went to the gate barking wildly.  I walked over to the gate to be greeted by Cincinnati Firefighters in full gear, axes in hand.  A lovely lady firefighter asked, "Is everything OK?"

"Yes," I replied, with a look of wonder on my face.  Then I was asked if we had a fire in the fireplace and I said we did.  Another firefighter smiled and said, "That's fine. That's where fire belongs."  

The firefighters explained someone must have seen the smoke from our chimney and called 911.  

I love our Cincinnati firefighters.  They were so very kind.  

I just can't get my head around someone seeing smoke coming from a chimney on a cold day and calling the fire department.  We live across the street from a university so have an ever-changing group of people passing by.  Catherine is convinced many of them have no clue that there are fireplaces in many old homes and that they are used on cold days.  

I think Catherine just may have a point....

All the best,

Lois

Texas de Brazil

 Good morning,

We have so many birthdays at this time of the year that we seem to pass each other eating out to celebrate.

Our friend Erica took all of us to Texas de Brazil to celebrate Catherine's birthday recently.

 The appetizer bar would have been enough for the entire dinner for me. 

 Here's he birthday girl herself.  :) 

 And, here's our host, Erica. 

We caught Daddy in a smile!  :)

This is a Brazilian-style restaurant where the food just keeps coming throughout the meal.

And, of course here's a special dessert!

Kjell and I shared this creme brulee.  It was the best we've had since Chops restaurant on board ships.

Happy Birthday, again, Catherine!  Thank you, Erica!

All the best,

Lois

Rice Pudding

 Good morning,

Kjell mentioned how much he enjoyed rice pudding when he was growing up back in Norway.  We started comparing notes and discovered our mothers made a very similar rice pudding.

Since my back doesn't like for me to stand very long, which is necessary to do when stirring pudding on the cook top, I opted for the crock pot.

I placed six cups of whole milk, one cup of rice, 1/2 cup sugar into the crock pot, stirred to dissolve the sugar, set it on high, and set the timer on my phone for 2 1/2 hours.  I stopped by and stirred a couple of times during that time.

The result was fabulous.  Here you see a bowl of warm rice pudding with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon.  A pat of butter in the center finishes it to perfection.

Oh, goodness, memories of the past for both of us!

Enjoy,

Lois

Yummy Raspberry Dessert

 Good morning,

This was so pretty I just had to take a picture.  That's fresh raspberries on vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream.

It was yummy, too.  

;),

Lois

Happy Birthday to Sarah and Sophie

 Good morning,

Last month we celebrated the birthday of our twin granddaughters, Sarah and Sophie. 

 We enjoy eating at a relatively new restaurant in our area, Ford's Garage.  We've been here before and enjoy the food, service, and fun atmosphere.

 

 It was salmon and shrimp for me!

Here are the proud parents of the twins:  Diane and our son, Les.

And, the birthday girls themselves, Sophie and Sarah.

Diane's mother (right) has recently moved to the USA from Belgium so it was such fun she could join us!

I think we were all born with cameras in our hands....

Special birthday dessert!
 

We're so proud of our grands!

And, here's the group shot courtesy of our server.

The Ford theme is beautifully done!

What a great place to celebrate special occasions!  Happy Birthday to Sarah and Sophie!

Love you,

Granny E