A Haven for Vee

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Damage Control



These tea cups were sent home with John after a recent visit to his sister. She has been saving them for her niece, John's daughter. She's passing the torch so to speak and I have now wrapped them nicely and packed them away in a sturdy box lest any harm come to them. They are Crownford fine bone china made in England. They will mean a lot to John's daughter because these tea cups once belonged to her grandmother. They are very pretty and look so springy. 


~*~*~*~



The best news outside, beside the greening lawn, is that all plants are up! Rhubarb here. I am looking forward to trying *those scones* that Lovella shared at MGCC recently. It'll be awhile yet.





This is the forsythia thicket. As you can tell, this has become so unruly that after it blooms (I am doubtful that there'll actually be any blooms), we'll be taking this down to four inches from the ground. If there's to be any hope of blooms in future years, it must be done. Yesterday, as I tried to rake leaves, I had myself an Absalom moment by getting caught in the branches by my hair. I had such a time freeing myself and had visions of being there when John came home. Phew! Good thing no enemies were around.

(Edited to Add: The forsythia thicket is no more.)





This is our winter stream running through the ravine. It dries up in summer, but for now provides wonderful peepers noises through the night and lovely flowing water sounds through the day, and probably lots of mosquitoes to boot.


Yesterday, I made *Terri's cookies.* Hmmm...frosting was great! I didn't have amaretto flavoring so flavored mine cherry. John liked them 
a lot — I don't have too many left.


Today, I made *Martha Ellen's Coconut Pie...* I followed directions to a tee. 


Not. =/ 
I think that my pie plate was not the right size. Guess it's oven cleaning for me this afternoon.(It has since gone down to a normal look and I am having trouble saving it for supper's dessert.)


 Outside it's fences and paths...inside a scorched oven... Do you ever get the sense that all of life is damage control?

A happy day and weekend to you!


54 comments:

  1. It does seem like we are always cleaning something up. I think I need to look at the blueberry muffin recipe again. I just got some fresh blueberries at the Farmer's Mkt this morning. Enjoy your day! Hugs, Diane

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  2. Hi Vee. I'm glad you are finally seeing some signs of spring there. I noticed our rhubarb was just poking through on Monday when I raked off the dead stuff. I should try those rhubarb scones when it's ready. The snow kind of hid a lot of eyesores for us too. The corner next to the neighbours is a catch-all and such an eyesore and their house is for sale so that will have to be cleaned up soon! The pie looks delicious. I bought one of those silicone mats to line the bottom of my oven and it works pretty good. Have a good weekend. Hugs.

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  3. Those are two very pretty tea cups. They do make you think Spring. You have been very busy with your yard and in the kitchen. Glad you were not hurt outside with the branches. Be careful. Your goodies sure do sound yummy. It would be hard to not sample them.

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  4. Oh Vee, I do hope the coconut pie taste makes up for the oven cleaning! Yikes! A ten inch pie plate works best for the pie.
    So happy you are able to work outside --I love your little stream. Peepers are one of my favorite spring sounds.
    The teacups for John's daughter are beautiful. Lovely family treasures. Have a great day and don't get caught up in the forsythia! ♥

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  5. Your pie looks delicious (they say the best pies are the ones that bubble over?). I giggled at the thought of you being caught by your hair in the branches - that's happened to me while mowing the lawn - eek! The tea cups are very pretty. Hope the snow we got last night doesn't come your way ....

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  6. It must feel wonderful to see green again! I know you're glad the snow and cold weather has finally left the area.
    We have a thorny bush we call a Wait A Minute that, if it grabs you, better slow down and untangle. It's definitely can give some "owies". Can't remember the name of it. Brain fade.
    Most of my damage control these days seems to be computer oriented. Sometimes I want to take it outside and shot it like the fellow in the news did recently. He had the right idea there. *lol*
    May the Lord bless and keep you. ~:)

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  7. Well, I don't see anymore of the...(shhh...whispering here) white stuff....and I bet you haven't loved the color green more than you do right now...of course you will even more so as more of it is popping up! I have to admit it would have been somewhat entertaining to watch you get out of your little entrapment episode..lol! Those teacups are so very pretty too. And one more thing...I have taken all of the steps I know how to hook up my gmail address to my blog. If you get this comment in your email, will you please let me know? Your reply should automatically come to my new account...aol is supposed to be feeding gmail my email for 30 days, maybe longer. Thanks!

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    1. Hope it works from your side. It did not arrive in my inbox.

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  8. So happy that spring is finally showing herself in your neck of the woods! Hope your oven wasn't too hard to clean!

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  9. Well just caught up a bit with you! Looks like you've been up to some baking...Yum! That coconut pie just looks scrumptious. Sorry it mess up your oven but I have a feeling it will be worth it. How I'd love to pop by and share a piece with you..."grin"

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  10. There is damage control going on at my place now for sure.

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  11. Hi Vee, Your cookies and pie look good. Coconut is my John's favorite. Through all of our moves over the last few years, it seems I always spilled something in the oven to stink up the house before a showing!!! So happy you are seeing signs of spring finally. Here in the south, the pine pollen is very bad this time of year. Forsythia grows rampant here; John and I tackled a big thicket of forsythia for my parents one year. The long stems had re-rooted themselves wherever they touched the ground. We kept falling flat on our faces by getting our feet tangled up. Hope you two have a good evening and think of us when you eat the pie!!!

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  12. Looks like you've been busy baking up a storm, Vee! Wish I could sample each one.….yum! Those teacups are beautiful and I know will be much appreciated.

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  13. Can I come for dessert? Do you have one of those handy-dandy non-stick oven liners? I absolutely love mine. Everything wipes right off. Having said that...mine looks like it need a good 'wiping off' right now.

    Yay...for spring in your part of the world! Guess what...it's turned really cool here the last few days.

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  14. The tea cups are lovely. Sorry, but I had to laugh thinking of you caught in the branches of a tree. : )
    Lots of yummy baking going on at your house.
    Glad your snow is finally gone!!

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  15. Lovely tea cups. Look at those sweet tooth temptations you showed me. Yum! Glad you see the promises of growth at your place and I'm also glad you escaped!

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  16. Those tea cups are a breath of spring and I'm happy to see signs of spring are coming to your area.
    I did see those rhubarb scones on the MGCC site and was nearly drooling. Rhubarb doesn't seem to fare as well here in the south, unfortunately.
    Your recent baking looks very tasty, even the mile high pie :).
    So glad you were able to untangle yourself from the wild shrubbery.

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  17. The cups are very beautiful...I know she will be so glad and proud to get them.
    This time of year, everything outside makes one wonder if things WILL bloom...will look better...and...they will.
    I meant to go to the store for fresh blueberries for Estelle Muffins but didn't get there and now...you have me so hungry for one of my favorite desserts on the planet...coconut pie...in a graham cracker crust...O HONEY...
    slow down with your baking or John and I will start gaining weight.

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  18. Tea cups are such a lovely memento for John's daughter. I'm glad things are starting to green up in your corner. It's been so long, hasn't it? Forsythia can get so straggly - we're thinking of taking ours way down, too.

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  19. Those teacups are just beautiful. What a special thing to be able to pass along.
    I love that you have a little spring rivulet running through your property. We had one on our farm when I was a kid and it was a great source of joy in the spring to me.
    Now i am hungry for coconut cream pie. yum! xo Diana

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  20. I love those teacups! Christopher's wife and her sister put together a tea party for some of their friends recently so I let her choose about ten teacups to keep. She could have any of them that had not been a gift. I do think there is a new teacup collector in the family. My collection began with one gift.

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  21. I had to laugh over you thinking you might still be there when John came home! Ha! That would be my luck.

    The pie looks awesome. I always put everything on a sheet pan. I hate cleaning my oven and it only happens about every leap year. My kids were horrible with pizzas so I use to keep a large piece of foil on the bottom as well. Still, I could be persuaded to clean your oven in exchange for a piece of pie.

    Jane x

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  22. I am all too familiar with damage control! It looks like you even have some DEBRIS going on, too!
    So happy to see that your winter has ended spring has sprung up nortth!
    The tea cups are beautiful and so special. Imagine knowing who has sipped from those cups in years past!
    Wishing you and John a lovely weekend! Keep that hair pulled back when you are rambling around in the thickets!

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    1. I wish it were our debris...it's the neighbor's. Still, because we like the back yard fenced, John will attempt to fix it. I wish him all the best with that!

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  23. I love the pretty flower design on those teacups--it is nice that they will be treasured by their new owner!

    We have a lot of damage control to tackle in our back and front yards. We have had lots of rain the past two weeks and it is marsh. Our yard is at the bottom of a long hill--and flat--so all the run off sits in our grass. We may have to have french drains installed to remedy it. We also still have all our shrubs wrapped in chicken wire to prevent the deer from eating them all winter==we have to take it all off so they can grow. Some shrubs did not survive the winter and will need to be removed. Lots of work ahead!

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  24. That stream running through your backyard is so pretty. I cannot believe how much baking you did! And the teacups are very pretty. xoxo

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  25. Damage control is a part of daily life around here. I think it has to do with the second law of thermodynamics - all things tend toward randomness and decay.

    I loved the image of you caught by the hair like Absalom - thankful with you there were not enemies about!

    Now about those teacups! What a special gift for John's daughter! She will cherish them, I'm certain.

    Deanna

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  26. Well Vee....I think I must bake a coconut pie now. You put me in the mood darling......and Forsythia and rhubarb....promises to be a great spring/summer for you! Now...onto the teacups....what a wonderful and treasured heirloom...I so loved this post!!!

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  27. "All of life is damage control?" Yes, I think you're on to something there! Always, always messing up, fixing up, cleaning up. It's what we do.

    Absalom!! Eek!! Glad you were able to disentangle yourself!

    So did you and John enjoy the pie? (Was it worth the oven mishap?)

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  28. There is always some damage control to tackle! Life would be far too easy otherwise :) What beautiful teacups for John's daughter!

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  29. I always love your photos. The winter creek is so perfect. I miss those sounds of spring peepers. We should hear some in about two more weeks. Coconut creme pie is my favorite ~ oh, pecan pie is my favorite, too! I can't resist either. I would rather eat a piece of either of those than the meal. The algae on the fence is comforting. Don't ask me why I find it comforting, but I always love seeing it. Next spring you'll be glad you pruned the forsythia so drastically. I need to do the same thing to the mock orange beside our front garage. The birds enjoy it so much and I feel that I'm taking shelter from them, but the shrub really needs a severe pruning.

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  30. YAY! You made my cookies! Your cherry filling looks delicious. If you have almond flavoring, that is a good substitute for amaretto. Now I want to try your flavor! Thanks for the link!

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  31. I've been doing a lot of damage control in my yard too this year. We lost our weeping cherry tree and will have to cut it down. Glad you got yourself free of that tree! I had pieces of our weeping mulberry tree caught in mine yesterday when I came in. John's daughter will love those beautiful tea cups!

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  32. Cute post, Vee … your pie looks delicious. That was a recipe I plan to try. I think you're right about the damage control.

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  33. Hi Vee~

    What beautiful tea cups, I can't imagine drinking tea out of something so precious and delicate! What a wonderful treasure.

    Damage control is an everyday happening here - always something to do outside . . . and inside. Does it ever end?!

    Your pie and cookies looked so delicious - I love anything coconut, especially pie! Looks like a great way to start the week-end!

    so happy that Spring has decided to show her colors at your house!

    Hugs,
    Barb

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  34. So good to see that winter has left your area and that things are greening up around the neighbourhood. You have sure been busy baking these days. It looks like you are getting some delicious results.

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  35. Vee
    Does John realize how lucky he is to have a wife that loves to bake?
    If he were married to me he'd have to buy his goodies from the bakery!
    Your DIL's teacups are a treasure I'm sure she'll love having-sweet patterns.
    And hurrah for Spring finally arriving for you, it must feel wonderful to be able to get out of doors again.
    I am hopeful that we will be getting warmer weather here next week too...
    Have a good weekend-Kim

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  36. Oh Vee, it seems to me like I'm always in damage control mode! What pretty teacups, they are treasures, indeed! Okay, your baking is making me want to just hop on over and enjoy a bite or two with you! I do happen to love the area you live in!!

    Happy Saturday!

    Nancy

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  37. Yes, It seems much of life is maintenance! Love that pretty stream running beside your house. Cut off some of those branches and put them in water in the house. Maybe you'll get a few blooms, like I did.
    And those baked goods have me drooling :)

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  38. Damage Control...sigh...yep. Yummy, Coconut Pie. Blessings

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  39. I came here looking for the blueberry muffin recipe and realized I didn't see this post for some reason. I just can't keep up these days. Damage control...heh, I have a lot of damage at my house, but I can't seem to keep it under control! The pie looks very tasty. The last pie I baked was probably at Christmas! Okay, off to find that recipe...maybe I'll at least get some muffins made. :)

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  40. OK...here is my test comment. I will know if it worked or not if it does or doesn't bounce right back! Here goes nothin'!

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  41. Wow, all that baking....can I come live in your kitchen?? :) Your family is extra blessed to have you, Vee! Hugs!

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  42. Why yes- around here it definitely has been a lot more damage control going on....I think it's me, though..:)

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  43. Everything looks delicious, Vee. If there is a cookie with pink frosting left...
    Amalia
    xo

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  44. So true ... I frequently feel that most of life is damage control of one sort or another. Hadn't really thought of putting it that way until I read your post, but you are right! We have been doing what sounded like it would be a relatively simple, straightforward bathroom renovation. Oh! Talk about damage control! On Saturday Mr. T cut and installed the flooring. I wasn't aware going into this (and I admit it was my idea!) that my whole house would be impacted in one way or another. Oh well, it is nearly finished and will be well worth all the trouble.

    The scone recipe looks fantastic. My dad's rhubarb is up, but not ready yet to use. And those cookies! I will definitely be trying those.

    I love these kind of motley posts. Thanks for sharing!

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  45. Yes, I do! Damage control seems to be my lot in life, too. Your cooking escapades are yummy-looking, even though your pie pan wasn't the right size.

    Take care, Vee! Hope everything's under control by now!

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  46. Oh yes! We know all about damage control here at the farm. I feel bad when I do the damage and my beloved does the control part but occasionally... we can each take a turn.

    I wish you could pop over for rhubarb. I've been giving it away as fast as I can because it is not good when I make too many cakes, scones and pies! That results in more damage control!

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  47. Hi Vee! I just became your 500th follower :-) Just found your blog and it's wonderful. You gave me a chuckle about getting tangled in the Forsythia...perhaps because I've done that as well, lol. The tea cups are gorgeous and are certainly a lovely thing to be passed down. Hope all is well for you, have a great day!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  48. There's always so much to do after the depredations of winter!
    That pie - it looks yummy! I love all things coconut!

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  49. Coconut calls my name. Yesterday I bought a small tub of coconut ice cream....my my! That would be a good thing to serve when you need a break from all things that are calling you to do. It's the season to fix it up....we have a bit of a fence fix going on. Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy a nice spot! The work can wait a little.

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  50. The teacups are delightful and the coconut pie looks divine!

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  51. How nice that those precious tea cups are being treated with tender loving care.
    Damage control is an understatement! My shrubs, flower beds and general landscape are a mess. There are weeds all over. It' supposed to rain this weekend so we'll see how much work I get done.
    Take Care!

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  52. I'm coming to Maine! Got a chance to go with my cousin - to somewhere in Maine - to do business with a house they own there. It'll probably be the last chance I get to see the northeast. Yayyyyyy....!

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