About this Blog: Bread making recipes, knit and crochet projects, wood working, gardening, digital imaging, travel, cruise ships, Labrador Retrievers, and more....

About the Header Image: Idlebrook Wendy Darling Evensen "Wendy" one of our three Labrador Retrievers.

Click the header image to see most current posts.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

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

Friday, January 9, 2026

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

Thursday, January 8, 2026

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

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Baby Basil is Born (Sprouting)!

 Good morning,

We have baby basil sprouting in our hydroponic garden.   

 This is a follow-up to my post detailing how we set up our Christmas gift from Santa.  

Click here for the original post

Perhaps we'll eventually get enough to use in cooking.  ;)

This is fun!

Lois

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Prime Rib for New Year's Eve

 Good morning,

Chef Catherine prepared our New Year's Eve dinner again this year.  It has become tradition to enjoy prime rib.  Of course, she prepared it to perfection! 

 Caesar Salad with Anchovies (of course)... 

 ...mushroom sauteed in red wine sauce...

...buttered cabbage...

...and, mashed potatoes with plenty of sour cream and butter.

I missed getting a picture of the chocolate pie for dessert.  I'm not so sure I was still able to sit up and hold the camera by then....

Thank you, Catherine! 

Happy New Year, again, everyone!  We hope it is healthy and happy!

All the best,

Lois

Monday, January 5, 2026

Happy Birthday Elsa!

 

Happy 7th Birthday, Elsa!
Elsa had a birthday party at our dog club yesterday!

Thank you, Catherine, for the cake.
Photo credit goes to our friend Susan Ball.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Work in Process This Week - Large Afghan Blanket

 Good morning,

Now that the craziness of the holidays is fading into memory, I'm back to projects once again.

This will be a large afghan blanket that will be available in the shop when finished sometime in the next week and I've had time to photo and write the listing.  

There are many blankets and other items in the shop already here:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the best,

Lois