Giovanni's Restaurant - Freedom of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica's first stop on board was Giovanni's Restaurant for lunch.   

 Ah, yes, cruise ship food!  This is Linguine con le Gamberi.  AKA Italian pasta and sea food.  Oh, my....

More to come!

Lois

Freedom of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica have checked into their Jr. Suite aboard Freedom of the Seas sailing out of Miami, Florida.

Freedom holds a special place in our hearts.  That ship was Kjell's and my "home" from 2010 to 2016 when he retired from Royal Caribbean after 31 years.  Of course, Catherine sailed with us many times while we were there so a cruise aboard Freedom is a homecoming for her.  

Have fun, Ladies!  We look forward to seeing your pictures!

Love you,

Mom and Dad

Flying Delta

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are flying Delta.

Any ideas where they could be going?

Watch this space for images from warm places! 

;),

Lois

Air Force Museum Photograph

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are traveling again.  No, not on the aircraft in the image.  That sure looks like an older version of the aircraft used as Air Force One.

Catherine sent me this image that she took at the airport in Dayton, Ohio.  The small print in the lower left corner says it is from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. What fun it would be to visit this place!

At first I didn't realize how big this picture must be.  Take a look at the electrical outlet in the upper left corner.  This picture is huge!  

How very cool!

Thank you, Catherine.

Have a safe trip!  Love you,

Mom

Planning the Next Escapade

 Good morning,

The Pack is having a meeting of the minds to plan their next escapade.

Hmmm....

 I wonder what they are dreaming up now....

;),

Lois

TV Time

 Good morning,

Here's another picture Kjell took while we were watching TV in the living room.  

That's Elsa closest to the camera and Lily.  Lily is getting so big!  She's lost the puppy look and is a big girl now. 

The girls have decided this couch is theirs.  

Ah, yes, another snow day at home....

Happy Winter!

Lois

Electric Snow Shovel

 Good morning,

Our new electric snow shovel came today.  It's a cute little thing and will handle up to six inches of snow.

 Kjell "drove" it past me standing on the back porch so I could take a video to send to Catherine at her office.  Of course, it wasn't intended to use on the packed snow next to the car.

Later Catherine came home and used it on the sidewalk in front of the house.  She said it is great!

Let's hope the arrival of the new device means there won't be any more snow this winter if Murphy has his way.

All the best,

Lois

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

 Good morning,

We got another three inches of snow yesterday.  Just what we needed, right?  It's just enough to have to shovel again all the places that were shoveled a few days ago.  The image was taken an hour before the new snow started falling....

 At least our trash was picked up this week.  We were missed last week and Kjell had to pull the full can back up from the curb.  Not fun since we are considerably "up hill" from the street.  

Stay warm!

All the best,

Lois

Checkup Appointment

 Good morning,

Yesterday was a check up day at UC Health.  

We laugh about people who say they will travel when they retire.  We travel to and from UC Health!  Seriously, we're glad we traveled far and wide before we retired so now we can relax at home.

We're fortunate to live less than ten minutes from the University of Cincinnati and UC Health. 

 This time it was Kjell's turn for a checkup.  This is about one fourth of the large atrium waiting area.  I turned the camera to get a section of the room where I didn't get anyone's faces.

 Kjell's tests were so good that he didn't even have to sit in the fancy chair when we saw the doctor.  We talked about test results, were told to come back again next year, and we were ready to go home.

I love that kind of visit.  Yay!

All the best,

Lois

It's a Ruff Life

 Good morning,

Kjell sent me this image of Wendy (left) and Elsa dealing with their "ruff" life.

They are part of our security system on their chargers.  They look calm now, but don't try to come into our yard uninvited!

I hope you're staying warm!

Lois

Catherine's Potato Ham Corn Soup

 Good morning,

More food!

With all of this snow and cold weather, staying home to make and eat good food has become the achievement of the day.  

What's really fun is using what we have to create new and tasty dishes.  In that crock pot is Catherine's potato soup with ham and corn added.  It was fabulous!  

What is your favorite cold weather food?

I hope you're staying warm!  All the best,

Lois

Just Enough

 Good morning,

Yesterday evening after dinner I got so hungry.  I could have easily sat down with a bag of chips, or opened a bag of cookies....

But., I opted for a few crackers with a taste of cheese.  It was just enough.

I didn't used to have so much self control....

;),

Lois

A Joint Venture Dinner: Split Pea Soup and Whole Wheat Bread

 Good morning,

Kjell and I shared the kitchen for most of the day yesterday.  

We had a great dinner of Kjell's home made Split Pea with Ham Soup and my home made Whole Wheat made with Brown Sugar bread.   

 Of course, the ham bone from Catherine's marvelous ham dinner flavored the soup along with chunks of very tender ham.

 And, the whole wheat brown sugar bread rose perfectly to the occasion.

 Win-Win!

Sorry I can't share samples here on the blog.

All the best,

Lois

Dinner and a Movie

 Good morning,

We continue to have deep snow on the ground.  Some of the roads are clear, but we are still at a Level 1 Snow Emergency meaning we should stay home unless absolutely necessary to go out.

Not a problem.  

Catherine made a lovely dinner and we watched movies together.  I'm still working on a custom order knit hat so all of these hours in the living room are great. 

 We've seen this classic a few times before, but it was fun to see again.

 It's such a sweet story and it was made before even children's movies became political.

After this movie we watched a James Bond movie.  We're getting hooked on all the old movies now.

We understand we are in for more snow next week.  Hmmm.

Stay warm!

Lois

Snow Queen Catherine

 Good morning,

We got nearly a foot of snow a few days ago and no longer have a working snow blower.  Kjell and I are no longer able to shovel snow.  :(

Catherine, however, is our hero.  She shoveled a path up the front steps and walk and also shoveled the driveway.  

Fabulous!  Thank you, Catherine.   

Love you,

Mom & Dad

Snow Day Knitting - Custom Order WIP

 Good morning,

Yes, we're snowed in here in Cincinnati under a Snow Emergency which means we aren't supposed to be out driving around.  I have no desire to go out and ride around in this snow anyway! 

 I put down the blue and white lap blanket I've been working on to make a custom order gray wool basket weave hat.   I'll get back to the lap blanket when this is finished.

Are you stuck at home during this terrible weather in the USA?  Are you enjoying some time to relax at home?

Stay warm!

Lois

Wendy in the Snow

 Good morning,

Kjell took this image early yesterday morning.  Look carefully to see Wendy on the upper level of our back yard.

Yes, the snow was still falling....

 Stay warm!

Lois

Two Big Beautiful Loaves

 Good morning,

While waiting for the snow to start falling yesterday, I made two loaves of bread.  Above you see the dough after the first rise.  I had just taken it out of the oven where I let it rise with only the oven light turned on.  I was preparing to knead it once again, and place it into two bread pans to wait for the second rise.  

 Here it is after the second rise in the oven with just the light turned on... 

 ...before turning the oven on at 350F for 45 minutes to produce two big beautiful loaves. 

Here they are on the cooling rack.  

Should we lose power tomorrow, I've made bread to get us through the next couple of days.  Hopefully, though, we'll keep our power and everyone will stay warm and safe.

All the very best,

Lois

Christmas in January

 Good morning,

We have quite a few scheduling conflicts around the holidays so we enjoyed Christmas in January with son Don and family.  Catherine made all the arrangements and Don took all of us to dinner at our favorite Tokyo Restaurant.

We enjoyed the hibachi this time and I grabbed a couple of images of the chef preparing our food.

 Ah, yes, we enjoyed the whole show of the flames during the preparation.

Thank you, Don, this was a fantastic evening!  The company and the food were fabulous!  Thanks, Catherine, for making all the arrangements.

Love you all!

Mom

Herb Garden Progress

 Good morning,

Our little seedling herbs are slow, but sure.  Actually, I'm not concerned that this is going slowly because there is no way I can plant anything outside right now.  This weekend we are expecting extremely low temperatures and snow so no outdoor gardening will happen.  

This has been a fun adventure with our hydroponic garden.  When I was a child, we started seeds using potting soil in old pressed paper egg cartons in metal sheet cake pans.  They were great because we could plant the entire section of the egg carton and the new seedling out in the garden.

 Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and comfortable (or those friends below the equator cool and comfortable) this weekend.  

All the very best,

Lois

Snow in the Forecast

 Good morning,

We've had very cold weather again this week and now snow is forecast for the weekend.

I've brought in some firewood, but I just can't carry very much any more because of my back.  I appreciate it greatly when family members bring in firewood for me.

It's a funny thing about my back.  It seems we can order anything on God's green earth from Amazon except a new spine....

OK, I know....

Lois

Chair Checker

 Good morning,

Lily is the chair checker when Daddy gets up from his recliner.  

You see, on movie night we had popcorn and there just might be a piece or two of popcorn that he dropped in his chair.   Lily is very good at checking for those things.  Popcorn is never wasted here.

:),

Lois

Favorite Fish Cakes

 Good morning,

Last week Kjell made meat cakes and this week it's fish cakes.

I did a little research here on my blog and find I published his recipe back in 2011 so here's the link if you're interested:  Kjell's Fish Cakes. 

We love this "taste of Norway."

Enjoy!

Lois

Work in Process - Blue and White Lap Blanket

 Good morning,

My project this week is a Blue and White Lap Blanket.  These make wonderful gifts for students so school colors are very appropriate.  When I was looking through my yarn supply for this project, I realized both my University and my High School had the same school colors: blue and white.  When this one is finished, it'll be available in the shop.

 I have a similar green and white lap blanket and many others in a variety of colors and sizes in the shop already.  

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Guitar Dad

 Good morning,

Wonderful sounds are coming from our "library" where Kjell is learning new tunes on his guitar.   

I'm regularly serenaded as I sit in the living room.  I love it!

Retirement rocks!

;),

Lois

Lap Dog Elsa

 Good morning,

This is my lap dog.  It's a good thing I can put my feet up in my recliner so I have more lap.

When we first brought Elsa home I used to hold her in my arms like a little baby.  This is as close as we can get to that now.  

Elsa is my comfort dog.  Whenever I am not feeling well, she knows and is right there with me.

So sweet!

All the best,

Lois

Hi Dad

 Elsa:  Hi Dad.

Dad:  Hi Elsa.  May I help you?

Elsa:  I notice you recently gave a cookie to Lily.  May I have a cookie, too?

Dad:  Of course, you may. 

 

 

 

May I Have A Cookie Please?

 Good morning,

Kjell sent me this image of Lily.  

Lily knows Dad is a soft touch.  Yes, he gave her a cookie.

So cute!

If you have dogs, you know....

:),

Lois

Slumber Party Movie Night

 Good morning,

Wendy (left) and Elsa were all tuckered out during our movie night last night.  Tomorrow will be a day of washing blankets, but tonight was worth it all.  

We watched a movie on Netflix:  We Have a Ghost.  It was a very good movie and one you can watch with your children.

This was fun!

All the best,

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - January, 2026

 Good morning,

Welcome to our Needlework and Wood Working Update featuring items we have completed since the last Update.  

Above is a Large Afghan Blanket featuring beautiful pink and turquoise raised flowers bordered by matching turquoise.  $185.  Only one available.  More information and images here. 

 This sweater was a special project for our daughter, Catherine, for Christmas.  It took longer than usual for a couple of reasons, mostly because I designed as I made it.  It's crocheted with a special gorgeous Lion Brand Yarn.  

 I have enough yarn to make a couple of items for the shop, too.  Above is a cloche hat.  $12.  Only one available.  More information and images here.

And, here's a matching scarf that is so very soft and comfortable.  It will be a favorite for years to come.  $40.  More information and images here.

Kjell has not been working with wood for a couple of months because he had cataract surgery and couldn't take the chance a wood chip or dust could get into his eyes.  He has been busy with his 3D Printer, though!  He made two of these chisel sharpers:  one for himself and one for a gift for our friend Bill who is so helpful for so many things we need done here.  All reports are that the sharpeners work perfectly.

Kjell has started wood projects again.  Some are partially made, others are still in the drawing stage on his computer.  

I also had cataract surgery that slowed me down, but I was able to keep crocheting and knitting for the past couple of months.  Now that we've both recovered, we are up and running with new projects.

We sincerely appreciate your encouragement, likes, shares, favorites, pins, and purchases, too, from our little shop for the past fourteen, almost fifteen years:  EvensensProductions.Etsy.com.  Come take a look!

 All the very best,

Lois & Kjell

Chef Kjell's Meat Cakes

 Good morning,

The house smelled fantastic while Kjell was making his Norwegian Meat Cakes this week.  Notice I started to cut the first bite, then remembered I needed to take a picture.  Also, you'll see my security team leader at the top of the image. I'm not so sure whether she is guarding me or the meat cakes.  ;)

 Kjell's meat cakes contain both beef and pork.  

Here's what he wrote on his blog about the ingredients:

"Homemade Medisterkaker (70% pork and 30% beef), mixed with egg, red onion, ginger, nutmeg, salt, pepper, potato starch, milk, and red wine. Side dishes: potatoes, mashed sweet green peas, and brown sauce with wine. Wine in food reminds me of a few years back when we visited the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. If you can't drink alcohol, you can eat it."

This was fantastic!  Kjell made several dozen so we have some frozen for future meals.  

It's such fun to take turns cooking so we can enjoy so many different yummy meals!

All the best, 

Lois

WIP - Christening Blanket

 Good morning,

This week I'm working on a Christening Blanket for the shop.  This one is a favorite for me to make and for our customers.   It is so lacy and soft.  It will become a family heirloom.

I have finished the large afghan turquoise blanket I showed you last week while I was making it.  I took the pictures for the listing yesterday and will write and upload the listing in the next day or two.  

There are many blankets and other items available in the shop now here:  EvensensProductions. 

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

BLT

 Good morning,

I consider a BLT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato) sandwich comfort food that brings great memories of my childhood when my Mom made them.  

I made mine with my toasted homemade whole wheat bread and was very generous with the mayonnaise.

Yum. Oh, yes, yum!

 What's your favorite comfort food?

:),

Lois

Last Week's Snow

 Good morning,

This picture just popped up in my feed last night.  I took it a last week when cities North of us were getting record amounts of snow.

 We were just lucky!

Last night was even luckier.  We're having a record warm spell for January.  It was 61 F at 11 PM last night.

Last month, we had a very cold December with snow and continuous temps below freezing that kept the ice and snow on the ground and streets for much of the month. 

There's a saying in Cincinnati:  If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes. It'll change.

I hope the weather is comfortable wherever you are.

All the best,

Lois

Wendy's Winter Nose

 Good morning,

This is our beautiful eleven year old Wendy.

During the summer months, Wendy has a black nose.  When the weather turns cold and she spends more time in the house out of sunlight, her nose turns pink.

I think she is pretty both ways.

:),

Lois