Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

-------------------------------------

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

Froggie Towel Art

Good morning,

One of the fun things about cruising aboard Royal Caribbean ships is returning to your stateroom and finding towel critters made by your cabin attendant.

I'm guessing this is a froggie.  Any other ideas?

More to come....

Lois

Dinner at Chops - Brilliance of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica enjoy the specialty restaurants aboard  Royal Caribbean ships.  Chops is a favorite! 

 This time she ordered Rack of Lamb.

Oh, my, so good!

Enjoy,

Lois

Lily Update

 Good morning,

Thanks to all who have asked about our Lily following her surgery to remove a very expensive sock from her small intestine.  See posts earlier this month for details.

Lily is doing very well!  It's about a week and a half since surgery and we are having a time keeping her calm.  Her long incision looks great!  

On the 30th, she will have her stitches removed and she'll be able to romp and play again.

Is that doughnut cute or what!

All the best,

Lois

Cheese and Tomatoes Salad

 Good morning,

More good food aboard Brilliance of the Seas.

I love these salads and can eat one for a light lunch.  Nothing more needed.

:),

Lois

Giovanni's Restaurant aboard Brilliance of the Seas

 Good morning,

Above you see the mural in Giovanni's Restaurant aboard Brilliance of the Seas.  

We always enjoyed the Italian food aboard Royal Caribbean ships.  The atmosphere makes it even better.

Thanks to Catherine and Erica for sharing their images! 

All the best,

Lois 

Izumi aboard Brilliance of the Seas

 Good morning,

My goodness, this looks fabulous!

That's a sashimi plate in the foreground and a truffled lobster roll in the background at Izumi Restaurant aboard Brilliance of the Seas. 

 Catherine and Erica report they are having a fabulous time!

Oh, the memories....

All the best,

Lois

Port of Boston

 Good morning,

Cruise ships and commercial vessels share many ports of call.  

This is an image from our friend Erica taken from her balcony aboard Brilliance of the Seas.  Brilliance was just about to sail when this image was taken.

When in ports it is interesting to watch the loading and unloading activity of container ships.

More to come!

Lois 

 

 

 

Pub Aboard Brilliance of the Seas

 Good morning,

This is the pub aboard Brilliance of the Seas. Each Royal Caribbean ship has a pub where it's fun to gather and watch the parade of people going by.

Have fun, Catherine and Erica!

We look forward to seeing your images.

Love you,

Mom