The Nest at Finch Rest

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Mr. Finch Rest, my DH

My DH is a successful "suit" corporate guy by day....but by nights & weekends he is a Wonderful Workin Warrior!

He is constantly in motion doing something.......it's actually difficult to get him to ever slow down. (If he didn't enjoy reading or eating so much he never would sit still!)

He really does keep our nest runnin' right! If it needs to be sanded, replaced, tightened, painted, planted, trimmed, chopped down, watered, mended, soldered, loosened, organized, taken to vet, reformatted, put together, built, moved - well you get the picture.

In our neighborhood he is definately the go-to guy. He is the one they come see to borrow tools (many of which he made himself from recycled/repurposed steel!) More often than not he follows them back to their homes to help in whatever they're doing.

He is well liked and respected.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

This is a typical scene around here once springtime rolls around.

I used my super zoom lens so he wouldn't know I was taking them.

Mr. Finch Rest trimming the back verge.

verge¹ (vûrj) - n.

1. The extreme edge or margin; a border.

2. An enclosing boundary.

The word is best used by Gandalf the Grey for sure.

These are nice healthy big 'ole bushes he transplanted last fall from the main garden and moved to the back tree line because they were getting too big. Now he is shaping and cutting them to get maximum fullness.
Gotta love his wearing that silly-yet-practical Australian hat he loves so much! He's had it all the years I have known him and it was even old THEN!

I really really love this guy.

Happy Father's Day to my awesome DH, Mr. Finch Rest.

And to my Pop and my FILLL - rest in peace. I am praying for your souls.

♥

Friday, June 15, 2012

Garden Flowers Bouquet

I am SO enjoying our garden this year! Last year we broke records for amount of rainfall.....rained for 6 weeks without a break...........was so soggy nearly nothing did well. This Spring has been very dry.

We water the gardens and our 9 large and newly planted trees regularly, but do the minimum of lawn watering - you will see in the pics it has a nice golden dry hue to it. We have over 2 acres, and it wouldn't do to water it all during somewhat of a drought. They say it is better for lawn care to let it "rest" instead of only half watering.

Today I am sharing a bouquet of freshly picked flowers from our gardens - some formal traditional, some grown in a wildflower garden section....but they play well together.

This hand painted roses vase is a recent thrifty find.

It's green glass with a milky white interior.

That is a large pot of tomato plants behind it. We only have a couple dime sized tomatoes on it so far.

Such a bright day it hides the vintage doilie under that vase!

The little wicker table was a thrifty score on the cheap! (You have seen it before.) I just love its versatilityand small size.

Newly painted vintage wicker & new rug bringing fresh new look to our covered patio. It changes often and right now I am really lovin' it! (the wicker was a CL find, whoo hoo priced right!!)

Thanks to my DH things are lookin' pretty spiffy in this little space.
He who built the overhead portion of this room - we call "The Zen Room," he who helps make the prettiest of gardens with his pruning, digging mulching and watering, he who painted this wicker to make it prettier for me, he who works so hard (so I don't have to)......

I give you all my love!

Linking:

Home and Garden Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Thrifty Things Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Pink Saturday

Rosegarden Saturday

Masterpiece Monday

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Tea Party Breakfast with Nieces

Oh joy of joys!

I just love when my nieces come to visit!

Last night our 3 nieces and nephew (oldest) spent the night because yesterday was my little sister's 20th wedding anniversary!

Early this morning our nephew and the middle niece had to leave around 8am for orthodontists appointments....which left my eldest niece (next month becomes a teen) and youngest (8) and me just enough time to prepare a pretty BREAKFAST TEA. Unfortunately we didn't have much time because those two immediately after had golf lessons to skedattle off to!

I was busy preparing the food so had them decide together how to dress the table and this is what they prepared. I didn't change anything (ie "straighten" so a few things are "off" and it doesn't matter one bit!

Didn't they do a really fine job?

They chose one of my teacup silk floral arrangements to add a bit of color.

I wish I had thought of letting them cut flowers from the garden.

Oh well, next time perhaps!

Our menu was a simple one of "English Eggs in a Cup," which they want EVERY time they spend the night. We also had fruit (peaches & pears) buttered toast fingers with jam, and 3 chocolate mini doughnuts that their brother earlier this morning couldn't finish. (The two who had to leave without a proper breakfast picked those horrible things for their own breakfast the night before on the way home from our seeing a movie.) Bleh.

They picked out Harney and Sons "Paris" black tea - one of our favorites, delightful vanilla undernotes- highly recommend it! I know I am repeating myself, but worth doing so!

If you have never eaten soft boiled eggs before, try it soon! They're delicious! You needn't have a fancy vintage egg cup, either -use anything (even an egg carton cut up) that will prop up the egg for you.

~Addendum: Brilliant idea from Kathy from Creative Home Expressions! She shared a great idea in her comment below. Butter toast, break it up in bit-sized pieces and put in bottom of a mug. Scoop out all the soft boiled egg onto your toasts bits. How perfect for Breakfast on the Go! Better for you than any drive-thru eats, for sure!
A demitasse spoon works best for cleaning out the egg entirely, fits in the small egg well.

We used vintage Noritake teacups. They're light as a feather. I have 4 of them but unfortunately have no matching teapot or plates. I shall have to keep a watchful eye out for more pieces! Let me know if you know of any available out there!

I do love the green rimmed plates they chose in which to pair these lovely teacups.

EASY EGGS IN A CUP TUTORIAL

Some folks bring eggs to room temperature. I seldom have time beforehand, so I never do so and have found it makes no difference that I can tell. Also older eggs work better so if you are getting close to an expiration date this is a great way to use up eggs and a pretty fun way to get some extra protein.

* Fill a pan with water and put eggs in making sure the water is about an inch above eggs.

* Bring to a full boil.

* Remove from heat, cover and let stand 4 minutes for XLG or LG eggs, three minutes for medium sized eggs.

* When timer goes off (do not let them cook any longer) immediately place in cold water to stop the cooking time. Don't let them get cold though, just stop the cooking.

* Grasp egg firm and gently "whack" with a sharp knife at the thinnest top side about a quarter inch down to "open." Keep whacking and turning until the "top" comes off.

* Put a tiny dollop of butter, salt and pepper on top and serve hot.

We always put the egg cap back on b/c there is egg in it, too, and tends to help keep the egg warmer longer as we are always fussing with tea once the eggs are at the table. it isn't considered proper to do so, but makes sense to us, and is our tradition to serve them that way.

Linking:

Tablescape Thursday

Let's Dish!

Foodie Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Seasonal Sunday

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Birdie teapot on patio

I am so lucky to have found one of the cutest teapots ever!

I mean this little guy is ADORABLE!

He is just too cute to keep indoors too long!

What a perfect reason to take tea outside on the covered patio.

Here is a pretty GW teacup find - has no saucer- but is a nice one for outside - no real harm if broken.

I had two of them, but the other I made into a silk floral arrangement.

This pretty purple stained glass "planter" was given to me in the late 70s by my favorite aunt - my mother's sister. A dear friend of my aunt's made them. I have cherished it for so long! It has a mirror interior and looks incredible with a candle reflecting inside it.

The quilted botanical table pad above is one of 4 placemats I purchased at a local favorite nursey and boutique. I have the matching runner but it has faded considerably compared to this seldom used and never washed placemat.

Thanks so much for joining me for a little "tea garden party!"

Linking:

Garden Party Thursday

Monday, June 11, 2012

Tea - Basically British

On Friday of last week I met up with two very dear friends for afternoon tea at a wonderful tea house called Basically British. We had a wonderful afternoon catching up, enjoying a delicious lunch and being together again.

I seldom take many pictures at a tea house because it is disruptive to us as well as the other patrons. Here are a few, however, to share of our delightful teatime together.

OUR LOVELY TEACUPS

OUR AWESOME MENU

(OH MY, WAS IT EVER YUMMY!)

My favorites were the orange scone and the vichyssoise!

OUR HANDSOME & CHARMING ENGLISH PROPRIETOR

YES THOSE 3 POTS WERE FOR US

AND NOT ALL WE DRANK EITHER!

(We warned him we'd be there a long while visiting.)

You get a bit of a glimpse of my mint green hat in the above pic.

I nearly always wear a hat, gloves and dress or skirt when taking afternoon tea.

We drank a pot of Earl Grey Lavender, White Peach, a Chocolate tea I think (forget name)
and Black Current teas.

Ah- don't you just love using pretty china?

"Basically" a wonderful day with wonderful friends!

Happy Tea Tuesday!

Added note dated 8/16/12 from Basically British:

BASICALLY BRITISH IS CLOSING

When you love what you do, and the people you spend time with, it's ever-so-tempting to keep things exactly as they are. But inevitably, life continues to move on around us, and sometimes it's necessary to move out of our comfort zone back into the mainstream of life, with all its complexities.

Knowing our lease would need renewing at the end of August, we first avoided thinking about it, but as the time grew near, realized that we had to decide between extending our commitment into our golden years, or perhaps exploring what other options life has to offer. So, after days and weeks of debate, we have decided to close Basically British at the end of this month. We regret that this will be totally unexpected news to many of our customers, but the last-minute notification is simply emblematic of how difficult this decision has been. We thank everyone who has supported us and given us so much encouragement over the years.

From our beginning as a vendor at the Second Street Market, to the loyalty and enthusiasm we have been so fortunate to enjoy in the tearoom, we have met wonderful people and made many new friends whom we value greatly. As sad as we are, we have a treasure-trove of memories to which each of you has contributed. Our hope is that you also will take with you many pleasant memories of Basically British.