I Think I Might Have Enough For Vacation.

Amazon Rocks !

I ordered the 72 count on Friday and got it today.

Now honey, I know you bought me some this weekend but Dude..I can go through that in a heart beat.

And look what I can get by the 6 pack !

Gimme !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

It Happens To The Best OF Us

I have discovered a use for the lanyard that is attached to the inside of my Dooney and Burke handbag/suitcases.

I can attach it to my phone case so that sucker is locked down and easy to find in the rubble commonly known as the contents of my purse...and I am getting better at keeping them cleaned out.


Doesn't everyone have a charger in their desk, purse, car and multi charging locations around their house ...known as our kitchen counters ????

Gee Honey, we're special.

Carry On,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce OF The Day ~ !

Fist they get rid of Burn Notice.

Now it's While Collar.


WAH !


Never fails, if it's a favorite of ours after a few years kaput ( whispering...don't want to put my Gibbs in peril.)


Oh well.


Looks like all of the lesser formed plans that I had in mind for the weekend are kaput. He has to work and by the time he gets by the dry cleaners, I will need to zip to the nails shop and it's supposed to rain so unless I do some planting tonight after work..snerk....it will be Sunday which really may not be to bad since the deck is covered and drains super well....hmm....okay...reshuffle the laundry from Sunday to Saturday...oh who the hell am I kidding ?

I may or may not get some of the planting done but I will be sure to check for water and baby them. I won't likely get the patio furniture hosed off until next weekend but that's okay since I am on vacation for a week starting the last Monday of the month.

I am looking forward to digging in the ground and I do need to cull some books that are still in boxes int eh den so it's a work in progress.


That is..unless I get a raging case of the F it's and do nothing but read Anne Rice .

Nah...lovely idea but I get annoyed with myself if I don't get done what I know needs to be done then I push myself to the point of back issues and then that crap starts.

Me over thinking it again...nah.

Not me.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

OK..This Killed My Buzz About The Necklace - See Previous Post.

USA announced just a bit ago that they are ending " White Collar" after airing the next 6 episodes.

Life without Mozzie ?


That's almost up there with no more Sam Axe and y'all know how I am about my Bruce.

Weeping softly,

Aunty Pol

It 's Here !

The Top Necklace is one that I already had . I love it a ton.

The second necklace is one that I got in today that I have lusted after for half a year.

I know, restraint, MOI ?

I have been collecting Art Nouveau and Boho jewelry for a while and at this point I guess I am a self  confessed Etsy addict.

What I love about Etsy is first, it is dedicated to small business owners who  large hand craft their products whether they be soap crafters, potters, painters or jewelry designers. By and large ,  you can custom order or change specifications for a custom fit. Go to Etsy and search for a shop named Comfortissimo. They are located in Serbia tho with an up date to their page it just says Europe. I have ordered 3 of their Hanna Tunics and adore them. I can specify the bottom length of the tunic and sleeve length in an order and it is custom made for me in the color I pick  for under $45.00 , including shipping.

I have bought jewelry as gifts and can custom order/change earring wires/lengths and necklace length for myself or the recipient.

Looking for Steam Punk..they got it.

Looking for custom leather work..they got it.

Looking for Jenny Parks custom Dr. Mew art work ..she's there. She is the artist who did the Tardis Rainbow Bridge and Black cat picture that I purchased to frame and hang in the house once it is matted.

Yes, some of the jewelry is pricey as I expect when real gemstones are used and I have bought some of that .

I have never had a problem with misrepresentation of any kind and the sellers are genuinely interested in feed back with their clientele.

If you want to see things that you won't find anywhere else and is one of a kind..go to Etsy.

Noodle around, no matter how esoteric, I bet they have it.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Spring Is Here So Of Course It's Time To Run Amok At Home Depot.

It's been a stressful couple of weeks with work issues..oye . No, nothing that I am affected by, participating in or a victim or..I'm just a member of the audience. Unfortunately, a dear friend was not and is gone from the firm, but life marches on.

Anyhoo.............




It's that time of year as I approach my birthday that I take that week off because I can..lol...and one of the requirements that I impose upon myself is to get my voluptuous ass back out to the garden and start the do over. Hence the picture picture above from this months Southern Living.

Container Gardens !

Beautiful to behold, not so much in the execution mode.

We schlepped over to Chrome Depot because I had seen geraniums outside of Kroger so of course I thought " Yee F'g Haw..Chrome Depot will have 'em.

Not so much.

It's early.

Way early.

Oh I got a few . I got the required Rosemary for us and Quintin , he must have his own small pot on the deck to brush up against after all . I got some other mixed plantings such as carnations and Hisself did find my beloved Shasta Daisy's so it's a start...

But, I know that the beautiful pictures of the finished containers will look nothing like mine if I attempt it because frankly it's like cutting your own bangs.

Great concept, tragic results.

The photos are perfect because they have been fussed over, styled and often photo shopped.

Mine can and often have looked as if they were done by a three year old hobbit.

Now Sistah has the knack for doing the most glorious pots of petunias and geraniums and while I adore petunias, I know that after Memorial day, the heat down here will just fry them. If I get one it won't be for the long term, just for that brief time we call Camelot....oops....Spring. My bad.

It's more amusing than annoying that there is no accurate zone for where I live. I think we are an 8 or nine on the standard charts which is just plain wrong.

Full sun...fine.

Full sun/Gulf Coast/South Texas....hang it up, they are just gonna burn no matter how close a personal relationship you have with your water utility provider.


$$$$$$$$$$ Bazinga.

Let the adventures begin.

I guess it's buh bye to the long nails and hello to the short no polish french manicure for now.

Have a great weekend.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

New Pans Again And Something To Put In Them.

Yes, I did buy the larger size of the KA ( King Arthur ) bread pans because I needed them and damn it , I can so I did ...Neener Neener Neener.


Anyhoo, I thought I'd throw out this recipe for Chocolate Bread....yes....Chocolate and Bread..the world is a bright and shiney place.


Yield : 2 Loaves
Oven Temp : 325 degrees
Baking Time : 1 hour 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. All Purpose Flour
2 C. Sugar
3/4 Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
q1 1/2 C. Milk
1 c. Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 tablespoon Instant Espresso Granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water ( optional )
2 C. Semi Sweet Morsels plus 2 tablespoons flour.


Grease and line loaf pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the milk, oil, eggs,vanilla and optional espresso mixture. Beat together at medium speed  until well combined. In a separate medium bowl toss the chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons of flour and add to the batter.

Spoon batter evenly into the 2 pans and bake until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. ( NOTE..I use a metal kabob thingy because they are longer and easy to clean.)

Let cool for 20 minutes and remove from pans to completely cool on wire racks.

I know that the flour dusting of the chips seems silly and or not needed but trust me..they will sink to the bottom of the pans if you don't and will screw up the release totally. If you prefer to use cocoa , go ahead and toss the chips with that. Also, if you don't want to use parchment paper or have run out as we often do, you can use cocoa powder to "flour " your pans after you grease those bad boys down. I often use cocoa in place of white flour if I am using a Bundt pan.

Waving From Houston.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

You, Or I Should Say I Can Never Have Enough Pound Cake Recipes ~ In A Bundt Pan Even !

Bake Time : 1 1/2 Hour.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. Cake Flour

1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour

3 Sticks Unsalted butter, softened.

8 Oz. Cream Cheese , room temp.

3 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 tsp  Almond Extract

1 tsp. Salt.

6 Large Eggs

Beat sugar and cream cheese with mixer until well blended.

Add sugar and extracts,beating until light and fluffy, then reduce mixer speed to low.

Add eggs , one at a  time, alternating with flour and continue to mix until all the flour is incorporated.

Transfer to a butter and floured pan.

Place in cold oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hour until cake tester comes out clean.

Remove from pan when completely cool.

Hmmmm...

Look at what I found on Etsy. No Betty Crocker, it is not the Druzy earring set that I am lusting after and you are right ...I do need to ask about the actual weight of the earrings and with my luck they will be too heavy  for mah lil stretched out piercings .

I do however have a lavender jacket from Chadwicks on the way.


Wheeee , I love Spring.

Now if it would just flippin get here .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

The Real Deal .....Sorta , Kinda , Yeah...Maybe.

Now, anyone who knows me at all knows that I really have no use at all for Tom Cruise. Aside from the Scientology Shenanigans , I've never considered him to have any acting skills at all. I was amongst the many who were aghast when he was cast as Lestat. Almost anyone would have been a better choice.

That being said, I just had to post the picture shown above in order to celebrate the return of Anne Rice to the world of vampires this fall. I am a delirious girl with the release of "Mentats Of Dune" and now " Prince Lestat" this coming fall.

Hisself had given me a Kindle gift card  for Christmas which I still had so I used it and a few shekels of my own to buy the entire set of Vampire Lestat books and all three of the Mayfair Witches.

Gonna have some bitchin deck time this summer y'all.

Happy Friday Eve btw.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Wouldn't You Know, I Need to Buy The Other Pans I Considered,,,LMAO .

http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2014/03/lemon-bread.html#.Ux9MLSSsiSo



I had some nanners that were perfect for baking a week or so ago and so since hisself was out playing golf, Sunday is the perfect time to bake. I have to admit I have missed it more than I should ,  but with all of the renovation we did last year, it wasn't even on the agenda. Now hisself is always giving me grief about amongst other things..." Another Bundt Pan ? Jeebus H Woman, how many do you need ..lol." So there I was digging out the pans when I realized that they were a sorry mess. The 2 - 9 inch no stick had been my late mothers so I have had them since 1981.

And they don 't last forever.

Aside from the dings and the bendy bits, sooner or later the part that makes then non stick will peel off...yummy. And here's the thing, most people don't realize that with non stick, you need to NOT flour the sides of the pan ( even if you do that anyway because your pans may be old and you don't trust the non stickiness promise they made you in the late 70's and 1980's... Who me ? ) and do the bottom only because quick breads need to stick to the sides of the pan to rise up.

There is no yeast , hence the name "Quick".

DUR !

Now , I must have a ton and a half of butter wrappers in the  freezer with some small bits of butter on them. I prefer this to ripping off a hunk of wax paper and grabbing a blob of Crisco. That method is just messy and wasteful cause I always grab more  Crisco than I need...come to think of it though , if I did the pans last ...tah dah..cuticle treatment while the miracle of baking occurs..hey ...I can  multitask y'all.

Parchment paper people...parchment paper .

Reynolds now makes it in sheets that are so easy. hisself discovered this at Kroger thus the world was a nicer place because the thrice damn'd ends of the piece you just tore off don't curl up on your cookie sheets.

And you don't have to go through King Arthur to order the sheets. I love KA for a lot of things..but parchment paper...??

Not so much.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Oh yeah !

Anyhoo I saw this over on  "One Perfect Bite " ,  and I have a rather well developed sixth sense for finding quick bread recipes..some people " See dead people " , I " See recipes "....LOL.

Gonna have to try it .


I guess I need to order the 8 inch pans....gonna need them sooner or later.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Pretty !

I am so ready for spring.

I LOVE when the Bluebonnets and all of the other wildflowers finally arrive.

Thank you Lady Bird Johnson !

I haven't heard how the weather is going to affect the flowers but I am hopeful .Maybe someday I can get Sistah and Double Oh out here for the Bluebonnets, it should be okay for her and the heat...

Have a great week y'all.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Lazy Sunday

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lil dudette is one of the few survivors of the awful cold weather we had. It's very delicate looking so I was really amazed it pulled through. I guess I could water the poor thing ...lol.


Mr. Trejo came by and got almost all of the flower beds mulched, huzzah but weirdly removed some of the dead plants in the pots and also mulched those. I guess I can scrape off the mulch when I finally get to the nursery and re do the pots, it just seemed an odd thing to do but who an I to complain, it's done. He did prune back some of the shrubs like Andy;s Plumbago and the Hibiscus so I really hope that we don't have another freeze. Too early to say tho so fingers are crossed.

Hisself is going to go out with the Motley Crew so I will get a bit done around here but whether I get out of jammies remains to be seen. He did buy a really nice roast beast so yummo dinner !

And tomorrow is Monday..yuck !

But till then NCIS is on for the rest of the day so it's winner winner beast for dinner.

Have a great week.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

 

Alright Alright Alright !

Look what can be purchased March 11'th !

Of this year even ( insert Snagglepuss voice here )

I KNEW there was a reason I saved that Kindle Gift Card .

Shai Halud .

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~ !

Huzzah !!

Finally Friday !!



Once again, the weather has done a 360 on us, it's mild and sunny , so of course I want to run like a bat out of hell to the nurseries more than ever. Digging in dirt is a stress reliever for me but I am going to sit on my hands so to speak until we get closer to the middle of the month .

It was an odd winter, longer and colder down here in the Gulf Coast area than many of us had seen in a long time and I wouldn't be surprised if we get another front.

Le Sigh.

And it's Ro-didio time down here so folks are crazed with the idea of anything and everything fried , concerts and competitions to see who can out buckle bunny all the other Lepus.

I find this to be the most entertaining part of all.

Most of these BB's wouldn't know the business end of a horse if they saw if and by Gawd, if there is an inch of real estate on their ensemble from Cavenders that has not french kissed a be-dazzler I'd be surprised.

You laugh but some of this " Fashion " is just this side of inducing a seizure.

I'll stay happy with plain old jeans and a tee shirt.

Some of the gals I know wear this stuff every day , it's just a part of who they are and I am fine with that, I genuinely appreciate staying authentic to who you are.

As for the others..well...let's be nice and leave it at their admirable attempts to help our countries economy along in these challenging times.

I'm gonna be nice since they took it upon themselves to entertain me....Bless their hearts.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Feeling A Bit Mo Bedder

I had a conversation a bit ago with someone just to check in to see how they are doing and I am feeling a lot better.

It's rough, it's gonna be rough till it ain't but they are all fine so in some part of my mind , I can breathe now.



Carry on.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

For The Husband

This would have been the other option, but sadly , she is actually using it.

Oh well,

The Wife

I Has A Sad .

I has a sad.

I didn't know that I was going to walk into a shit storm at work yesterday.


To put it simply, a personal friend was terminated.


I didn't put it together because sometimes the little gray cells just don't process that way.. The clues were there from a couple of things that I had seen , but I just didn't think anything about what I had seen, it didn't register ....until the three Amiga's ( receptionists ) were called into admin and told the bare bones.

And I promptly burst into tears.

I NEVER DO THAT AT WORK.

I was to say the least, stunned.

I had to explain that my former co-worker was a personal friend of ours for over 25 years, and that I knew that the rumor mill would be  coming to me for details on this shocking event.

I was right by the way.

The now ex and I have actively kept our work life and personal lives separate. Yes, Gordon and I were there at their wedding, the birth of 2 of their children's and our mutual parents funerals.

We've had dinner together, long weekends together and the four of us know more about each other than most people realize because we were that good at keepings things separate at the office.

I will not engage in, endorse, pursue or participate in the rumor mill.

When he chooses to talk to us, he will.

I believe in my friend and not the crap fest that I am beginning to hear.

I miss seeing my friend already.

But, make no mistake, he is still my dear friend...no matter what .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol