Lily's Sweet Innocent Smile

 Hi!  I'm Lily! 

 I have such a sweet smile, don't I, but I got into big trouble recently.  

You see, I really love my family.  I love my family so much that I sometimes bonk them in the face when getting on a lap for cuddles.

I bonked Mom in the mouth about six weeks ago.  I didn't feel a thing because I have a very hard head.  I could tell her tooth really hurt then and continued to hurt until Friday night when she was eating a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.  I know this to be true because I was watching her eat as I always do.

All of a sudden there was a "clink" on her plate.  What could it be?  Bacon doesn't clink.

It seems Mom's front tooth caused the clink.  I must have cracked her tooth six weeks ago and it finally gave way to a BLT.

Of course, it's a weekend.  Mom has a message into the dentist so she can get her tooth fixed.  

I didn't mean to hurt Mom.  I love her.  Mom said I'm lucky I am so cute.... I'm sure she still loves me.

Love,

Lily (Lois' baby girl)

Flag Day - United States of America

 Flag Day - United States of America

 Image taken from car (passenger seat) on the way to Florida in 2024.

Grilled Lamb Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine is our grilling expert.  She prepared lamb leg, buttered cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, and spinach salad.  This meal would rival one in a gourmet restaurant. 

I was a member of the clean plate club!

Thank you, Catherine,

Mom & Dad

Flowers at the Hair Salon

 Good morning,

These flowers outside our hair salon are so pretty that I had to take a picture.  I'm sure the clover is a volunteer.  I just love the color of the purple pansies!

Enjoy!

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

About three times a week I make bread.  Above is how the dough looks after the first rise in the oven with just the oven light turned on for a little heat.  I make bread in batches for two loaves at a time.  

 I use what I find available when I make bread.  This batch is brown sugar and sour cream so is very rich and soft.

Oh, this is good!

Enjoy,

Lois

Oh, no, Mr. Turtle!

 Good morning,

I got out of the car and saw this!  It seems Lily left Mr. Turtle outside and he didn't make it across the driveway.

Not to worry, Mr. Turtle is just fine.  In fact, Lily came out to greet us when we got home and didn't seem to mind at all that Mr. Turtle has been stopped in his tracks.

I'm not sure which is worse for Mr. Turtle, being under the car tire or being the object of tug a war with the pups. 

All is well now,

Lois

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

We took our new car out for a spin and drove up to Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. 

 When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a roadside farmer's market.

 Now it's a complex of stores and entertainment centers.

 It took us awhile to find the Scandinavian section.  They moved it since the last time we were there.

Kjell stocked up on favorites from his homeland, Norway:  fish balls, caviar, and other goodies.

A trip to Jungle Jim's is as entertaining as it is important to find comfort foods from across The Pond.

If you have time and inclination, take a took at Jungle Jim's Web site.  

Enjoy!

Lois

African Violet

 Good morning,

This lovely African Violet is living in the window in our butler's pantry.  

This sweet plant barely survived the winter in our dining room inside the french doors.  I popped the few leaves that survived into this glass dish and wow!   

 I took this image about one week earlier when the first blossom appeared.

It's so pretty I'm sharing....

Lois

Why, Amazon, Why?

 Good morning,

It was raining.  

We have a portico roof over our front porch.   

Amazon delivered packages.  

Amazon left a package outside the covered porch in the rain.

Why?

*sigh*

At least we were home and saw it on our security system so rescued the package before it was soaked....

Lois

Porch Lilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

I planted these lilies 14 or 15 years ago.  I have two pots of them on my front porch and they return each year to delight us.   

 I originally bought two 6" pots and planted one lily in each large planter on the sides of my front steps.

 Each year since then I have done no more than add a little enriched potting soil to the top of the pots.  Mother Nature has done the rest by multiplying and coming back to see us each and every Spring.

 Just lovely.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

At least three times a week I make fresh bread.  The house smells awesome!

It's the little things that make life special, isn't it....

What do you like to bake that is special for your family? 

Enjoy,

Lois

Plotting Their Next Adventure

 Good morning,

That's (clockwise from left) Elsa, Lily, Teddy, and Tuey plotting their next adventure.  

They certainly do keep us busy with their antics!

Dogs are special, aren't they....

Lois

Reuben from Izzy's

 Good morning,

Catherine brought home Reubens from Izzy's and we had a marvelous meal.  Beneath that Reuben sandwich was a delicious potato pancake.

 I first went to Izzy's at their downtown location in the 1960's when Izzy was behind the counter yelling back and forth with the staff and customers.  In addition to fabulous food just eating there was a truly fun experience.

Check out Izzy's web site and if you have time, take a look at their history link. 

 Enjoy,

Lois

Winnie the Pooh Tree

 Good morning,

Our house guest, four month old Tuey, has found our Winnie the Pooh tree.

Our pups have dug out a hole under our old oak tree and think it is all kinds of fun to play in there.  

Tuey has definitely made himself at home!

:),

Lois

Waffle Cakes - Norwegian Style

 Good morning,

Catherine made a favorite dessert for us:  Norwegian Waffle Cakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

The waffle cakes are made with sour cream and are sooooo delicious!  She also uses a traditional waffle iron that makes heart shaped waffles.

So good!

Thank you, Catherine!

Love you,

Mom & Dad

Tuey on the Deck Chair

 Good morning,

That sweet ball of fur is Tuey, only four months old.  He's visiting us and has moved in quickly to the spots he enjoys most.

 Tuey is on the patio "doggie deck chair" where Lily has assembled her collection of toys, wood, and towels she has stolen from the house.

 Tuey moved right in, didn't he!

More to come....

Lois

Brunch ala Kjell

 Good morning,

My Sweetie made brunch.  

I'm a lucky lady.

:),

Lois

Fishies!

 Good morning,

Each Spring Catherine cleans out the gold fish pond in our back yard.  It's part of my Mother's Day present and I truly appreciate it.  I used to do this every Spring myself, but my back has refused to cooperate with such tasks for the past few years.

Catherine purchased a new "school" of fish that will grow up to be fat and sassy on all the bugs and plant material in the pond IF our resident sushi catcher doesn't stop them. 

 Our Lily (see right side of image) thinks the pond is her personal sushi tank so...

 ...we put a milk carton in the pond with paving stones on top to hold it in place.

Now the fish have a place to hide and survive!

I love these images Kjell took of Lily looking at the new "fish house" in the pond. 

This will be a fun Summer.

All the best,

Lois

Sharing the Deck Chair

 Good morning,

I cleared the deck chair of all of the wood, toys, and towels that Lily had collected there.  

There has been so much rain that it was all soaking wet.  It doesn't pay to clear the patio because it has rained every day with only a couple of hours here and there for things to dry just a little.  Then the wind and rain covers the patio with all kinds of leaves and sticks....

As soon as the pup's deck chair was cleared, both Elsa and Lily claimed it.  

We need more deck chairs.  We're going to need a bigger patio.... 

 :),

Lois

First Rose This Year

 Good morning,

I love Spring!  Each morning I go out to see what is new in our garden. 

This is the first rose to bloom this year.  It has been delighting us for many, many year.  I'm sure it's more than 30 years, it could be up to 48 years when we moved in here and I "went crazy" planting roses.  Not many of them have survived all of these years since we spent so many weeks at sea for My Honey's job and I wasn't here to tend the roses, but this one had beautifully survived!

Happy Spring!

Lois

New Explorer!

 Good morning,

We were busy last weekend.  We've added a new vehicle to our "Used Car Lot" of blue cars in our back yard.    

The new Explorer on the right will soon have the Chiefen license tag in a few days when we receive the title to the new car.   

Our resident Chiefen and I are very happy with the new addition.  We are amazed at how many computers are in that car!  

Happy Spring!

Lois

Memorial Day - United States of America

 Good morning,

I took this picture of the moon while out with the pups late one evening.  

The flag, the moon, and the still of the night remind me of how grateful I am for all those who have kept our country free.  Some of those people were my relatives and friends.

We are the Land of the Free Because of the Brave.

All the very best,

Lois

Picnic ala Catherine

 Good morning,

It's a picnic weekend as we remember those who so bravely served our country.

Catherine grilled cheeseburgers and... 

 ...brats which we enjoyed in the dining room.  

We hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you are.

All the best,

Lois

Pink Peony

 Good morning,

The Pink Peonies are now in bloom!  The pink flowers always bloom after the white flowers which is lovely because we have blossoms for a longer period of time in the Spring.  

The only draw back for Peonies is the weight of the blossom.  It takes only a few rain drops or a brisk wind to blow them over to the ground.  

I planted this particular clump of Pink Peonies more than 30 years ago.  We had a huge Catalpa tree in our front yard.  Beside it I placed a wood bench with a clump of peonies on each side.  The tree has been replaced by a lighted flag pole where we proudly display Old Glory 24/7/365.  And, the bench is now gone, but the peonies continue to return and delight us every year.

Happy Spring!  Hopefully, we will enjoy many, many more.

Lois

Teddy on His Throne

Good morning,

Teddy feels right at home when visiting while his Mommy is out of town.  He has his own chair and considers it his throne where he can rule the household.

 

Such a pretty boy!

 

:),

Lois

Doggie Tug A War

 Good morning,

Our pups and their friends are just like human children. 

 As many toys as they have, they'll play tug-a-war with only one.

 Teddy and Elsa are very serious about this.

It's all in fun, though.  There is no growling, just tugs that can go on and on.  That poor duckie stuffie!

Happy Spring!

Lois

Roses from My Honey

 Good morning,

What gorgeous roses from My Honey!  I just love the colors!

Thanks, too, to My Honey's secret shopper, Catherine.

Enjoy,

Lois

Needlework Update - May, 2026

 Good morning,

We've been busy again!  This is our regular Update that features the items we have completed since the previous update.  There's something special that Kjell made for us to keep at the bottom of this post.

Above is a lovely gift for the baby girl!  $65.  More information and images are here.  

 And, for your favorite baby boy, here's a soft blanket with matching turtle toy.  $65.  See more about it here.

 This was definitely a month to make hats!  This Scandinavian Intarsia Knit Hat is new in the shop.  This is one of a kind.  Order now for Fall.  $38.  See more images and information here.

Hint:  It's a great time to buy for Fathers Day and Back to School while these items are available. 

This is also a sampler of Scandinavian Intarsia Designs.  This hat is hand knit of super soft wool blend yarn.  $40.  See more about it here.
 

 Our Basket Weave Stitch is very soft and warm.  It is hand knit in colors of peacock feathers. $38.  Available here.

 Each month I'm restocking our very popular cloche hats that can also be used as chemo caps.  $10.  This medium blue hat is here.  

 This is a lovely soft pink yarn.  $10  See it here.

 This camel color is great for a man or a woman.  $10.  More about it here.

 Our special new Turquoise yarn is so very soft.  $12.  More here.

 This is a pretty Spring yellow color that is also a safety color.  $10.  See it here.

 This is a special warm denim color yarn with flecks of color that add texture to the design.  $12.  More here.  

 This is another special yarn that produces a beautiful textured design.  $12.  See it here.

And, finally, another special yarn for this cloche hat.  $12.  Details are here.

 We have dozens of Cloche Hats and Chemo Caps from $8.  Come see them all here. 

Also completed this time is this sweater for our daughter, Catherine.  It's a little warm to wear it now, but she'll be all set for Fall.   All of these items take time to make, so I work a season ahead to be ready.  

Kjell has been busy designing, too!  This very cool weather vane is in our back yard.  Kjell has a video of it with Spring sounds on his blog here:  https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BDqQgErQ8/

All of our items are made by us in Ohio, USA.  A special Thank You to our Friends for your, comments, favorites, likes, shares, pins, and purchases, too!  

For you very special people, here's a 10% off shop coupon that is good this month (expires May 31, 2026).  Visit our Evensens Productions shop here:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com and use this coupon at checkout:  0526FRIENDS10.  

Until next time!

Lois and Kjell