Labor Day - USA

 

 Good morning and Happy Labor Day!

Today we celebrate all who work as well as the unofficial end of Summer.  

We hope you had a great Summer and enjoy the day with family and friends. 

All the very best,

Lois

Printer Test Guy

 Good morning,

He looks surprised!  ;)

This is Kjell's first test with his new four color 3D printer.  I like the little red-faced guy.  I think he should be mounted on or near the printer and become the project mascot.

Any name ideas?

Let me know!

Lois

Symphony of the Seas Artwork

 Good morning,

This is just some of the artwork aboard Symphony of the Seas.  As you can see, it's quite large and is viewed from the deck below.

Each Royal Caribbean ship has  unique artwork.  

Just beautiful!

All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Shops

 Good morning,

Catherine did a good job of getting an image of the shops area on board Symphony of the Seas without crowds of people.  If you have forgotten to pack something for your cruise, you can probably find it here on board.

I just love the designs on the floors, walls, and ceilings around RCCL ships.  They are truly beautiful!

 All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Aft

 Good morning,m

Catherine took this image of the aft of Symphony of the Seas. 

Not only does it have the outside feel all the way into the ship, but there are cabins overlooking this area.  

Fantastic!

All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Junior Suite

 Good morning,

I have a few more images from Catherine and Erica's cruise aboard Symphony of the Seas.

The ladies had a lovely Junior Suite with a balcony, of course.

Stay tuned for a few more images of this gorgeous ship.

All the best,

Lois 

 

 

 

 

Chicken for the Pups

 Good morning,

Our pups enjoy a raw diet that we prepare for them from people food.  

Kjell has cut up chicken breasts in preparation of grinding them  

Notice the supervisor in the top left corner of the image. 

 Catherine has purchased several packages of chicken.  Kjell will grind it and we'll freeze it in containers that hold about three days worth of food for the three pups.

 At feeding time ground chicken will be mixed with chopped fresh veggies and oatmeal. It will be served with a raw chicken neck or back.  Sometimes the raw chicken is replaced by ground beef.

Before someone expresses concern about the dogs eating raw chicken, they do not have issues with salmonella as do humans.  Of course, we are very careful to sanitize counter tops, equipment, and utensils as well as our hands!

We switched to this diet from kibble for the dogs more than 20 years ago.  Our dogs' life spans have increased by 50% since the change.  

Yum! 

All the best,

Lois

Kjell's New Toy

 Good morning,

Kjell has a new toy!  This is a four color three dimensional printer.  

I'm looking forward to seeing what he makes with it!

Stand by,

Lois  

Elsa and Lap Dog

 Good morning,

Elsa is so very polite that she asks if she can get on my lap.  Of course, I invited her for a cuddle.

 She does a good job of blocking the TV screen, too.

I love this dog.

Lois

Catherine's Meat Balls Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine prepared meatballs and noodles for dinner and it was so very good!

It beats the heck out of IKEA!

Thanks, Catherine.

 Love you,

Mom

Work in Process This Week - RWB Lap Blanket

 Good morning,

My current project is a red, white, and blue lap blanket.  

The size is great for a baby blanket, chair or wheelchair blanket, car blanket....  There are so many uses for a blanket this size.  When finished, it'll be available in the shop here:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com 

 What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Fresh Out of the Oven

 Good morning,

The house smells wonderful today.

:),

Lois

More Marigolds in the Sun

 Good morning,

The marigolds I'm growing from seed in the pots on the front porch are lovely this year! 

 Here are even more blooming in the afternoon sun.

Gorgeous!

Happy Summer!

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - August, 2025

 Good morning,

It's time for another Needlework and Wood Working Update where we gather images of all items completed since the last update.

Above is a gorgeous Afghan Blanket in shades of turquoise, black, and white.  The stunning design pattern creates a warm fabric that can be used as a blanket, or folded corner to corner to create a super warm shawl.  What a lovely gift for yourself or someone special.  $170. Only one available. More information and images here. 

 This generous size lap blanket in red, white, and green is a gift that will be used by all ages year round. What a lovely gift for the Christmas baby or someone in hospice care. $55. More images and information here.

 This is a large afghan blanket in shades of turquoise.  So pretty!  This one fits on your couch, bed, recliner.  $185.  Only one available.  More information and images here.

This one is something new!  These are gemstone color flowers on creamy white, bordered with an amethyst scalloped border.  Just gorgeous!  $185.  More close up images and information here. 

This full size afghan blanket was a custom order that has been delivered.  This stitch produces a medium weight fabric that is comfortable in all seasons.

And, finally, two cloche hats in medium and...

 

 

...large sizes.  We have several dozen similar hats from $8 available here. 

 

Check out out shop to see the more than 300 items we have available to ship now:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com.  We sincerely appreciate your encouragement, likes, shares, favorites, pins, and purchases, too! 

 

Kjell has been busy with several projects, including setting up new equipment to make items you'll be seeing soon.  He's also been busy working on photography and strumming his guitar.  Check back next time to see what he makes next!

 

 All the very best,

 Lois

Sister Lily?

 Good morning,

No, she hasn't entered a convent.  

Our two year old Lily likes to sit next to Daddy's chair.  

Recently she popped up with the drapery over her head so Daddy snapped a picture.

She looks sweet and innocent here, but don't be fooled!

;),

Lois

More Firewood - Again!

 Good morning,

There is not supposed to be a tree on the top of our garage. 

 If you look carefully above the red propellers of Kjell's weather vane, you can see where the limb is split from the tree.

We've had so many rain storms with high winds that we have been getting a steady supply of firewood all summer. 

 Fortunately, our friend Bill was able to come and clean up the problem.  Thank you, Bill.

I'm actually looking forward to Fall!

All the best,

Lois

Busy Bee

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this image that she took outside a local restaurant.  

The pretty image reminded me that we no longer have glads in our garden.  I'll have to add some for next year!

Thanks, Catherine.  Very pretty.

Love you,

Mom

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

Does that look like an amusement park up ahead?  Well, you're close if that's what you thought.

That yellow vehicle was once at an amusement park, but is now at the front of Jungle Jim's International Market. 

When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a highway fruit stand.  My goodness, how times have changed! 

 Kjell and I enjoy trips here to pick up food from Norway and beyond.  If you crave something from somewhere else, this is the place to find it.

 Of course, you may have to sell some stock to shop here....

 We stocked up on brown cheese and cod roe.  Both are yummy treats from Kjell's childhood.

We were in line to purchase some fresh fish, but it was way too long to wait for our number to be called so we passed.

There is so much to see and buy here!  Check out the Jungle Jim's Website.  Be sure to click around the site to see it all.

Yum!

Lois

Hooked!

 Good morning,

There's a specialty restaurant aboard some Royal Caribbean ships called Hooked.  It specializes in seafood and it appears Catherine ordered something very special!  

Kjell and I haven't tried this restaurant yet.  I'm sure we will the next time we get a chance to cruise.

Yum!

:),

Lois

Crochet Artwork Aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this artwork from Symphony of the Seas.  

What a clever way to include crochet doilies into the artwork!  

Thanks, Cath, I really enjoy this one!

Love you,

Mom

Towel Critter

 Good morning,

Towel critters are special treats left by cabin stewards aboard RCCL ships.

This critter seems to be watching TV.

Cute!

:),

Lois

Izumi Restaurant Aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Izumi is another specialty restaurant aboard Symphony and many other RCCL ships.

We enjoy Asian food, so this is a favorite of ours! 

 Oh, yes, seafood!

Enjoy!

Lois

Johnny Rockets

 Good morning,

Johnny Rocket's is a specialty restaurant aboard Symphony of the Seas and other RCCL ships.  

This restaurant doesn't have stores in our neck of the woods in the USA, so it was new to us years ago when we encountered it aboard RCCL ships. 

 The food is good, however surely terrible for your diet!  It is delivered by singing and dancing servers that add to the fun of dining there.

Enjoy!

Lois

Sweet Treats in the Suite

 Good morning,

These are only a part of all the lovely touches of cruising aboard Royal Caribbean ships....

Yes, these are yummy.

Enjoy!

Lois

Cheesecake at Chops!

 Good morning,

Now here's a favorite of mine!  Cheesecake at Chops Restaurant aboard any RCCL ship is amazingly good!

Thanks for the image, Catherine.  I can enjoy how it looks without the calories.  *sigh*  

Love you,

Mom

Nassau Light House

 Good morning,

This is a familiar sight to many cruisers.

This is the light house at the entrance to the Port of Nassau, Bahamas.  

It was an overcast morning when Catherine took this image which adds to its beauty. 

 Enjoy!

Lois

Main Dining Room - Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica spent a week aboard Symphony of the Seas, but didn't eat in the main dining room this time.  They enjoyed all of their meals in the specialty restaurants this time. 

 However, while walking through an upper deck, they passed through the main dining room so Catherine snapped a few pictures.

That round table in the center is used as the Captain's Table when he or she eats in the dining room.  We have also used the table for the Chief Engineer and guests. 

 The main dining rooms are similar on all of the RCCL ships, except some are much larger than others due to the overall size of the ship.  This dining room is three stories .  

Beautiful!

Enjoy,

Lois

Liftoff!

 Good morning,

Last week Catherine went out on her balcony aboard Symphony of the Seas to call me while the ship was in port in Port Canaveral.

Suddenly, she asked, "Is there a space launch today?"  I see something!  People on board are cheering!

I immediately did a search on my phone and, sure enough, there was a space launch.  It was due the previous day, but delayed because of weather.  

It's nearly impossible to see anything on the video, but still fun to have.

Kjell and I sailed out of Port Canaveral every week for six years before his retirement in 2016. We never saw a space launch!  How very cool that Symphony just happened to be in port when it happened!

All the best,

Lois

Carousel aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Sometimes it is hard to remember you are aboard a ship when sailing with Royal Caribbean.

This carousel is aboard Symphony of the Seas.

How fun!

Lois

Jamie's Restaurant - Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica enjoyed all of the specialty restaurants aboard Symphony of the Seas.  

Jamie's is now in the space where Giovanni's used to be.  Jamie's is a more relaxed atmosphere and is excellent for lunch.  Kjell and I ate at Jamie's aboard Mariner of the Seas. 

 Meals start with marvelous rolls. Yum!

I think the gals were enjoying the food that came after that too much to take pictures of it.

;),

Lois

Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Symphony of the Seas is a huge cruise ship that is one of the newer members of the Royal Caribbean fleet.

 When aboard, you can imagine you aren't even on a ship. 

Catherine and Erica strolled around the ship as soon as they came aboard and were kind enough to send images for us to share.

The walkways, shops, and restaurants give the feeling of being in a beautiful little town

And, of course, as aboard all RCCL ships, there is a casino.  This one appears to be larger than others I've seen.

Thanks for the images, Cath and Erica. More images to come!

 Lois