Happy Birthday, Don!

 Good morning,

Another birthday!  This time it is son Don's turn. 

 We took him to Ford's Garage for a family dinner.  Although we live in the same county, we're on opposite sides of it so it's a bit of a journey to get together, but so worth it!

Happy Birthday again, Don!

Love you,

Mom

Brunch ala Catherine

 Good morning,

Catherine prepared Sunday Brunch last week.

When Catherine cooks, we only need one meal for the day. It was delicious!

Thank you, Catherine.  Love you,

Mom

Tribute to Veterans

 Good morning,

November 11, is the day we remember and celebrate our veterans every year.

The image above was taken when we were aboard Mariner of the Seas where veterans are acknowledged and celebrated.

I don't know about you, but I get teary-eyed when I hear our National Anthem and hear tributes to those who have served our country to keep us free.

All the best,

Lois

Fire Place Adventures

 Good morning,

The temperature dipped into the 30's F a couple of weeks ago.  When we got home from the post office, Kjell went to the kitchen to make a couple of omelets for lunch while I started a fire in the fireplace.

I took the dogs outside in the back yard and they suddenly went to the gate barking wildly.  I walked over to the gate to be greeted by Cincinnati Firefighters in full gear, axes in hand.  A lovely lady firefighter asked, "Is everything OK?"

"Yes," I replied, with a look of wonder on my face.  Then I was asked if we had a fire in the fireplace and I said we did.  Another firefighter smiled and said, "That's fine. That's where fire belongs."  

The firefighters explained someone must have seen the smoke from our chimney and called 911.  

I love our Cincinnati firefighters.  They were so very kind.  

I just can't get my head around someone seeing smoke coming from a chimney on a cold day and calling the fire department.  We live across the street from a university so have an ever-changing group of people passing by.  Catherine is convinced many of them have no clue that there are fireplaces in many old homes and that they are used on cold days.  

I think Catherine just may have a point....

All the best,

Lois

Texas de Brazil

 Good morning,

We have so many birthdays at this time of the year that we seem to pass each other eating out to celebrate.

Our friend Erica took all of us to Texas de Brazil to celebrate Catherine's birthday recently.

 The appetizer bar would have been enough for the entire dinner for me. 

 Here's he birthday girl herself.  :) 

 And, here's our host, Erica. 

We caught Daddy in a smile!  :)

This is a Brazilian-style restaurant where the food just keeps coming throughout the meal.

And, of course here's a special dessert!

Kjell and I shared this creme brulee.  It was the best we've had since Chops restaurant on board ships.

Happy Birthday, again, Catherine!  Thank you, Erica!

All the best,

Lois

Rice Pudding

 Good morning,

Kjell mentioned how much he enjoyed rice pudding when he was growing up back in Norway.  We started comparing notes and discovered our mothers made a very similar rice pudding.

Since my back doesn't like for me to stand very long, which is necessary to do when stirring pudding on the cook top, I opted for the crock pot.

I placed six cups of whole milk, one cup of rice, 1/2 cup sugar into the crock pot, stirred to dissolve the sugar, set it on high, and set the timer on my phone for 2 1/2 hours.  I stopped by and stirred a couple of times during that time.

The result was fabulous.  Here you see a bowl of warm rice pudding with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon.  A pat of butter in the center finishes it to perfection.

Oh, goodness, memories of the past for both of us!

Enjoy,

Lois

Yummy Raspberry Dessert

 Good morning,

This was so pretty I just had to take a picture.  That's fresh raspberries on vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream.

It was yummy, too.  

;),

Lois