Heavy Hearts

We had the discussion this weekend.
Munchkin and Xena are not better.
The Bridge is looming and we are numb.
This last week with my girls will be bittersweet.

The Mama

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~ !

Jeeze Louise, do y'all know how hard it is getting to be to find a picture of Bruce I haven't posted or one that is in a new genre...me either.
Finding the photo is taking longer than composing the post..
Onward.
The back I am happy to say is much better , but not 100% yet so I am being careful and trying to go to bed before  O'dark thirty at least on a school night.
Xena's eye seems to be improving  , but we are both weary to the bone  of chasing the child down or dragging her from underneath the futon or chasing her from one end to the other of the futon before we haul  her out to put the drops in . Even though her eye  is not  100%, I am secretly ( well not so much now it seems ) hoping that we will run out of the drops sooner than later. On top of everything else , this chase is getting on  her nerves and I am hoping that she won't lose any more weight due to spazzing out from it all.

And Miracle of Miracles....
The Teak Trunk arrived yesterday.
It was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so you can imagine my face when we came home last night after the regular " It's payday...time to stop off at Petsmart for the usual.."...and froze on my tracks with a throaty
" GOOD GOD !" ..
There is was..
There I stood, slack jawed as SU proceeded to relate that Patrick ( delivery dude) had called him earlier in the day and that we could expect delivery sooner than later.
Yipes.
SU took a couple of hours off and Voila.
It is in the guest room, under the 20 x 28 charcoal print of Stevie Ray Vaughn..lol.
And of course SU wanted to look at all of the memorabilia in the trunk and after a bit I hate to say I did get a bit po'd.
I just wanted to put all the stuff back in for now,
I understand that this stuff fascinates SU and the common experiences they had between them as Naval veterans was special..
But...I just for now want the trunk in the house.
I know what's in there and I will look at it when I have a chance.
The burden of getting it back home has hung over me since my father died 8 1/2 years ago .
That door in my life is now closed, and I am beginning to finally find some peace.
I hope SU knows how very much I appreciate all his hard work and trust me...this was a stone bitch to coordinate.
As long as he puts all gear back in the trunk,,he can explore to his hearts content..just leave me out of it for now.

Have a great weekend.
Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Happy National Donut Day !

Dammit, now I want a Maple Bar...or a glazed Frosted Coconut...or a glazed Chocolate Cake or a Frosted with Rainbow Sprinkles....or an Apple Fritter...or a Krueller....or all of the above.

' DOH !

Ciao,
Aunty Rolly Polly Pol

Woo Hooo !!!

I was a bad girl today.
Bonnie Raitt is touring right now in support of her new album..LMAO....yes, I still call them albums..
She has not toured or released a new disc ( see I can be taught ) in 7 years due to personal reasons so I have been searching  for the dates.
Especially since Miss Mavis Staples is opening for her on some of the dates.
The Randall Bramnblett Band will be opening for her and while I would have loved Miss Mavis, it's cool.
That's how we discovered Keb'Mo .
Yatzee !!
September 30, 2012 at the Arena Theater here in H town.
Mine.

Bought on line and printed !
Section 7 , Row K .!!

I am going to have to check out the Randall Bramblett Band .



Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Ciao,
Aunty ( Rockin Her Ass Off ) Pol.

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~ !

I'll be posting from the Casa so have a great holiday and please, please , be safe .
Ciao,
Aunty Pol

This Stuff made Me Laugh All day At Work !

Have a Great Weekend

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

RIP Scotty

Personally I think this is pretty cool...and makes me smile.
RIP Good Sir.
Left Click to biggify.
Ciao,
Your fan , Aunty Pol

Totally Stolen

A wave of the spatula to lady Lisa..
It's us dear..it's us.
Hugs,
AP

I May Play In The Kitchen This Weekend After All

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/blueberry-doughnut-muffins/
I know Lady L, I know.
What I loved about this , besides the obvious recipe was the composition of the photograph
I don't know where Jamie found the antique muffin pan and I am sure that Sistah of my Heart probabably has a few ideas  since she is such a pro at yard/tag /vintage shop sales.
I just love the design.
I reminds me of something Grandma Engwall might have had.
Go check out Jamie's blog and the other recipe for glazed donut muffins..seriously..GLAZED DONUT MUFFINS.
It's enough to make a girl swoon.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

A Book Series I Loved !

One of the things that I love about the Kindle is that it affords me the opportunity to expand my options.
I love Steampunk and ran across this series by Gail Carriger.
Vampires, Werewolves , a heroine without a soul ,  Victorian London, corsets and gadgetry that would make Jules Verne proud ?
Friggan jackpot !
The fun part about Steampunk is that when it is  done properly  , it will stay true to the era and at the same time expand the possibilities of all things magically and mechanically delicious.
The series was fact paced and engaging and while not as edgy as some of the other urban paranormal, I knew that after I finished the first one that I simply HAD to download the other 4.
I hope that the series continues and that Mr. Bezos sees fir to expand the genre's catalog.

Go check it out.
And..if anyone has other authors to recommend, other than the fact that I find zombies distasteful and downright icky..please comment if you can and share.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Mea Culpa Little Blog

I'm sorry little blog, I've neglected you dear.
I blame Pinterest .
And Kindle.
And Dragons of Atlantis.
And Facebook in general.
And a lack of anything found to be blog worthy.

So...I put together a pictorial of tomorrows outfit.
Yes, shallow, feckless and vapid of me , I know.
But.....
It's a great outfit.
Ya gotta love the bracelet.
It's from a shop on Etsy naturally and the name of the piece is Dancing Cat.
The jeans are " Not Your Daughters Jeans" .
The tank top is pretty close to the color I have , but mine come come from Tar Jay.
The purse is a steal on sale from Kohls....yeah, I have a thing for purses.
And the shoes are heels..yes, they are white but it is after all Memorial Day weekend so it is allowed.
Oh crap..forgot the earrings..they will be show up below the text here,,akward, I know ..
I can't decide between the large gold hoop, the smaller paisley one with the charms or the dragons.
Anyway..enjoy.

Blogging will resume as usual pdq.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Self Explanitory

It's good to keep a schedule .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Thank You Gracious Guest Type Person

http://savorysweetlife.com/2012/05/mudslide-affragato/
Thank goodness for todays post from Savory Sweetlife.
Reading the recipe and all it's yummy , decadent frosty goodness and exersizing the required self restraint to not lick the screen is all that is keeping me from addressing an issue with a guest of the firm this morning.

" Dear Sir Or Madame"

I regret your apparent mishap with the parking ticket this morning and the ensuing inconvenience to you. It is both unfortunate and regretable that you dropped it in your vehicle in such a manner that you had to suffer the 20 minutes of " digging and rolling around " as you put it in a failed attempt to recover said ticket.

I am more than willing to give you the necessary amount of validation tickets to cover your parking needs, but with out the PARKING TICKET for the reader to scan in the first place , unless you find the PARKING TICKET, you WILL have to pay the fee's in cash to exit the facility.


Jeeze Louise.

Twenty five dollars is an issue considering the attorney's billing rate ?

Imagine that.

Ciao,
Aunty



******    UPDATE : The paragon of gracious deportment was given a full all day parking validation so that no matter how long the vehicular pilates class is, if the God's smile upon her worthy soul, she will have the ability to motor homeward bound to her humble abode. *****

All Of These Things Are Related ~ Yeah, It's A Bit Odd Even For Me !

Now I know that everyone is wondering what the hell Pol is up to here.
LMAO !
All of these things played a part in out weekend.
And a belated " Happy Mothers Day " to all the Mama's out there whether your "baby " is a biped or not.
It was a lovely weekend, a smidge of rain is always welcome on the metal patio cover, especially after last year.
The grill that we have had for ages was at the point of kaput. You know the saying " Drive It Till The Wheels Fall Off ?...yup. One of the wheels was damn near horizontal and we found that we could no longer purchase the lava rocks or new grill racks.
The problem is that we no longer have a truck and seem oddly enough to have a deficit of friends that do not either..in Texas no less.
But....Cajuns to the rescue !
Jere's family came in for the weekend and her brother Kenneth ( Kenny Boy ) has an F250 or some such...a land yacht so to speak...so off he and SU go to Lowes to get the Mama a new grill.
It's shiney and purdy and has a nifty ignition switch button thingy that even I can use....wheeeeee.
No nail shall be sacrificed on the altar of oh Holy Propane.

And of course , there were new roses for the Mama for the flower bed, SU knows not to get me red ones and has a pretty good idea of what will work....so in they went.
The pale yellow one is one of those knockout ones so we shall see and the other is an apricot one so we are done with the replacement of those who chose to be all poopy and under performing and pains and so on .
Hah !

And the deck was discussed and planned and so on . I just might get it done which is nice since I have been wanting it done for 20 years and the patio is after all not just the Ice House, it is MY room, my " Chick Cave. I am going to reclaim every inch of it once it is decked and there will be a small storage shed up against the back fence line when all is said and done so that the Miracle Grow and implements of growth/destruction are not on MY DECK !....And yes..I am going to get a rug out there for it, once the deck is done.

You see, we will be able to do these things once the estate is settled.
It's not a HUGE amount of money as far as I can tell, it's not retirement money, it's more " We can afford a new dishwasher " kind of thing.

And then my husband  surprised me , and I think I in turn surprised him also.
I had suggested that the first thing that we need to do is finish up the will prep.
We can amend it after the distribution(s) as needed.
Then he said something that made so much sense , I immediately had to agree.
" We need to get our cremations arranged and pre-paid for so that there is no issue or hassle when it is time.
Brilliant !
I don't know about you all but this is not the sort of thing that I think about, even in the abstract.
And it needs to be addressed once you reach a certain age.
We have both seen the trauma and insanity of it not being handled.
And then I remembered what Lady Lisa told me a few years ago.
Yes dear, I am finally going to work on that blasted binder.
" What to do when I am dead.".
One stop shopping.
When the documents are, the safety deposit box keys, contacts at our employers regarding insurance policies, where the wills are , who the executors are, where the pension and 401 k information is.

And if the old man messes with me, I'll plotz his ashes in an empty Yuban can. !

Have a great week !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day !

Ok...you have to love " Army of Darkness" as much as I do to get this..to be continued at the Casa.

Ho Hum And All That Good Stuff...

Did you ever have one of those weeks where not a damn thing happens ?
It makes you doubt your sanity.
I'm fine.
He's fine .
The Feline Overlords are fine.
The house is fine.
The jobs are fine.
The garden is fine.
The car is fine.
Friends and family are fine.
No recipes have interested me this week.
No pretties I must possess either.
No snarky pictures.
No rants.
No pithy sayings.

In my life this passes for weird, check the Mayan calender time.
And yes...
I know I am tempting fate.

LMAO !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

If You Look Hard Enough...

Dear Andy Panda Pants,
Your Mama misses you very much, so does Daddy and your sibs.
And YOUR Plumbago is doing very nicely. It has Star Jasmine on the other side of the arbor and I know that you would come in sooner or later with white flowers along side of the purple ones on your hind end, because you always were a stylish sort of fellow.
However.....
Daddy and I are not pleased that you used the Mama's chair along the top underside as a launch pad and scratching post . You tore it up sweetie no matter how many times the Mama told you "No".
So, now the Mama has to go and buy new chairs.
Luckily for you sweetie, I found some and Chrome Depot/Home Decorators delivers...

Give a head butt and lots of purrs to the Grandparents, they are all there now and be good when you are playing with Gumbo and all the others.

I miss you Pooky Bear.

Love,
The Mama.

Yes, It's Only A Matter Of Time....

Yep..sounds about right.
I want to see this  in an OxyClean commercial !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

I'm A Geek ~ 2.0

Yeah !
Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Yeah, I'm A Geek !

May the Fourth Be With You !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

OH Lord, I Have To Make This

http://bijouxs.com/recipe-card/?rid=2000

Oh Lord, ..save me.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Time To Turn On The Oven

http://www.southernplate.com/2008/07/chocolate-pound-cake-with-fudge-glaze.html/print/


I'd been thinking about a pound cake....who knew ?
I'd better hide from a certain young lady in B'more.

LMAO !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

I have to laugh because it seems today that more than a few of the recipes that I get via e mail or from blogs have to deal with out door dining .
Really ?
Lovely idea .

I've even seen it at the local Tar Jay, pretty melamine sets of dishes and service pieces and so on , all in bright springy or neon ( erk ) colors, dashingly displayed like an Easter basket  full of jellybeans.
And the pictures...open any issue of " Real Simple ( LMAO, yeah..) or Prisoner number ..oops.." Martha Stewart Living " and behold.
Feast your peasent eyes upon the glory that is all things cerviche and precious little finger foody bits to throw down your gullet with your Malbec gently decanted into it's proper stemware.
The ants and bugs will thank you later.

Here in the real world, most of us in the Gulf Coast area know better than to dine out doors except for holiday picnics and BBQ's.
We know that mayo based salads are best kept on ice and eaten promptly and that above all else, there must be the proper ratio of ice to beer in the igloo cooler lest  the Fat Tire or Abita lose it's frosty goodness.
Fried Chicken and ribs are the preferred food because we all know it's gonna be messy so we allow ourselves to act like we are all 7 year olds with barbecue sauce on our chins or hands .
We don't use cloth napkins outside when 7 or 8 rolls of Brawny will do just as well and are  reasonably priced at Slammin Sammy's...aka Sams Club.
If it's crawfish, just get over it and get some plastic paint tarps from Home Depot, your Maytag will thank you later.
We don't do fancy desserts because ice box cake or cupcakes are handy to tote and  easy to clean up after.

Now personally, we don't eat outdoors at the casa.
We had a nice patio table and some chairs that while most attractive to look at were an actual pain in the ass to sit in and so we got rid of the damn thing.
The Ice House is small-ish and there is just enough room for 5 or 6 grown folk to sit comfortably.
Everyone has a chair and a small table for their beverage of choice and an ash tray if needed, we rarely need more.
We don 't even entertain out there.
We hang out.
Other than 1 crazy neighbor , we don't bring glass out there and if she breaks her glass, she WILL clean it up, I am tired of this battle....it's her glass, her ass.
We sit, we drink sodas or beer or wine and the snack choice may be limited to what ever variety of Dorito's I have on hand.
When we eat dinner, we eat inside with regular glasses and so on and real napkins.
We know that a meal is better enjoyed with more A/C and  less wild life so we keep it simple.
We have thumbs and above all else...

WE HAVE THE A/C.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

This is what we have more or less in brown by the way,,and our patio is concrete...