Doesn't Matter IF The Glass Is Half Full OR Not, I'm Still Likely To Drop The Damn Thing.

Yep.

We have had rain for 3 days.

The picture above is a mind version of what we have experienced.It was solidly green/yellow from Huntsville downward earlier and I've heard we have more bands on the way.

Thunder and lightening have woken us all up at 4 am and frankly scared the whiskers off of Gracie Marie. the roads are a mess, people are driving crazy. Like throwing a chameleon into a bag of Skittles, they have no idea of what to do except panic.

HINT : STAY THE F AT HOME.

And of course hisself is off this week. I guess he will be able to amuse himself .

It's medical appointment at the Casa for him, Gracie Marie and Southside Johnny so that should be a lot of fun and of course my youngest brother has himself all worked up because of the weather and the fact that we have lawn seating tickets for Jimmy Buffet tomorrow night.

Psst....John...Calm your ass down, I can't control the weather.


Sorry Dude.

On the upside, they found Madame's collar. I hope my brother wasn't too GRRR on the phone with the Vets.

You piss off my Vet, I'm sure as hell gonna be pissed at you .

It is what is is.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Bunting With The Biscoff

Just when you thought you were safe from another dreaded Bundt Cake Recipe..MWAHAHAHA !

Cookie Butter ( Biscoff Spread ) Bundt Cake With Chocolate Ganache .


Cake :

3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Butter - Unsalted - Room Temp.
1 Cup Cookie Butter ( Biscoff)
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk

Ganache:
10 Oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate
1/2 Cup Cookie Butter ( Biscoff)
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream



Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour Bundt Pan

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt . Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar and  cookie butter ( Biscoff). Add eggs one at a time making sure that each egg is fully incorporated. Add milk.

By heaping spoonful add flour mixture to the butter /cream mixture . Mix until combined.

Pour batter into pan .

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before releasing and coating with ganache.


For Ganache:

Heat Cookie butter , chocolate and cream over low heat until creamy.

Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before pouring over cake.


Inhale.


Note:

I use a metal long kabob as a tester for doneness especially with Bundt pans.

Personally, I would serve the Ganache on the side , possibly thinning it out with more cream to keep it from getting all gloppy..or forgoing the ganache completely.


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Back To The Salt Mines

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. I hate the phrase " Happy Memorial Day " because for so many it is not a happy time and seems completely disrespectful to those who sacrificed their lives for this country .

( Steps Off Soapbox )

Onward.

It was an oddly international weekend at Casa de Swamp this weekend..We went to a local Italian restaurant for a belated birthday dinner and as always it was wonderful. One of the things that I appreciate the most about it is that it is not an issue at all to order off the menu, they in fact encourage it . I was elated to be able to order my beloved mussels in white wine and garlic and an currently craving the grilled Brie they served. A quick serve gave me an idea or 3 but damn , it's hard to find one that does not have the jam/preserves on it. Sunday hubbs made French Onion soup from scratch from a recent recipe in the local paper and even tho he is not a soup eater unless he is ill, he said that he really liked it . Of course we had to run out and get some bowls and we all learned that the 16oz bowls only need to be partially filled...aka we got real full real fast. None the less....winner. We're going to keep this recipe in the Fall/Winter rotation.

And now that he is on vacation this week, of course it rains..sideways. It started yesterday mid afternoon and it was really nice to sit on the covered deck to watch it but the longer we were out the the more we saw it intensify..as in sideways rain. The thunder and lightening woke me up about 4 am and scared the whiskers off of Gracie Marie , poor baby. Of course it is supposed to rain more because we have lawn tickets for Jimmy Buffet this Thursday so we shall see. If it keeps on the way it's predicted, they will have no choice but to refund or reschedule.

LE SIGH.

Speaking of Madame, she is doing better and eating normally but I find it interesting that she now walks away from her bowl and later returns to resume the carnage. Previously, we really did call her Hoover because that's what she did in the multi cat household but with competition gone is is more confident and calmer.

Only 2 more days on the meds..thank you Jeebus.

I don't want to think about the process of trying to clean her up..she's a dribbler and prone to trying to spit out the liquids on her bib..

I wonder how much the groomer at the vet charges.


Have a great week.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Our Lil Girl ~ UPDATE ~!

Alrighty then.

Gracie Marie is going to be okay. Dr. Simon called and said that they were able to clear the colon blockage and she used a litter box at the Vet on her own . Her blood panel came back okay with regards to the hyperthyroidism issue but the white cell count was really high due to the infection due to the wound on her chin/lower jaw. She's had saline and antibiotics via drip and they will be checking her blood pressure and the heart murmur on a regular basis. That bit really doesn't overly concern me because she is after all 15 years old.  She has 2x daily oral meds that we have to give her and she will be getting fish oil once a week to avoid another blockage.

She is of course glad to be home but miffed that Uncle John won't let her out.

News flash dear...you are going to be an indoor kitty for now.

I can breathe now.

Her daddy can breathe now.


Ciao,

The Mama.

Our Lil Girl ~ Update ~

Poor Gracie Marie.

It seemed that the sneezy bit was better and last week she was eating a bit more , not her normal hoovering everything in sight but better..until Friday night.

I thought that I had noticed that her lower jaw looked wrong..swollen so I grabbed her which is no big deal because she is not a squirmer at all and had her Daddy come and look at her . She looked like she just felt puny so we watched her that night and on into the day . When I got home from the store , I had been thinking about it so I made an appt for the following Saturday with Dr. Tom over at Parker Road Animal Hospital.

Sunday John came over while Gordy was playing golf for a few hours. He'd been cooped up in his apt. for over 2 1/2 weeks post surgery so he had a ragging case of cabin fever. As we sat on the deck with beverages, he watched her and tried to  the usual spin the kitty which normally she initiates but not this time. First clue. He said that she just looked like she felt puny and we looked at each other and thought " Aw shit."

He was free this week other than a dental checkup yesterday so we decided that I would change the appt and John would run her up to the vet today.

This is how much my brother loves his Gracie. He said that he wanted Gordy to clean the box last night and for me to leave a clean zip lock on the guest bath counter so that he could take a fresh stool sample. He also said that he needed to sniff the box for urine odor ..absence of odor indicates kidney issues. On the way to work Gordy told me that he updated the notes that I had typed up yesterday to indicate that she had not in fact had a bowel movement since Friday night but had piddled. My only response was " So...you were going to tell me this WHEN !!!!????!!!???? "

Anyway.............


Thank you St. Francis  that we didn't wait.

Dr. Simon indicated that she would not have lasted very long without treatment and lasting to Saturday was  out of the question .

She has a complete colon blockage so she has been sedated for an emetic and sub q fluids with antibiotics.  She is also getting a full blood panel to check for hyperthyroidism and tachycardia. John and I agreed that with sedation that she needed to stay overnight and not be home alone. Tomorrow her recovery process will be better and the sedation  will have had a chance to run its course.

The abscess came out of no where it seemed but with a Maine Coon 's long hair it is hard to tell. She has lost a bit of weight, not much but at 15 (  ! ) ..any weight loss can be an issue.


I suspect that when we get her home , she will no longer be allowed any dry Iams kibble or Temptations treats. For the most part her diet is wet and we can and have been advised to supplement her meals with fish oil to avoid any future hairball issues.

Thats the thing..of all the cats that we have had, she is the one that has been the least prone to hairball issues at all.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the blood panel comes back within acceptable norms and that the tachycardia is an aberration of this current crisis.



More as it develops.


Her Mama.

Just Another Manic Monday !

I'm neither confirming nor denying that this has  happened at the Casa de Swamp.

I'm merely stating that it could.


Have a good week....if you want...either way...I'm good.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol .

Sometimes Chores Are A Good Thing.

Top to Bottom:

1. Xena  aka Wooby Diddums

2. Andy Panda Panta

3. Munchkin aka Nee Nee Puddins


I had a bit of detective/housekeeping to do today.

Southside had asked me about the Buffet tickets, specifically when I would get a downloadable e mail for them. I replied that as I recalled I would get that about the 25'th of May for the May 29'th show.

Good thing that I got curious.

I am one of those who have multiple outlook folders for sorting in box e mails and I have one for concerts. It seems that almost the only way to purchase a ticket is online which is fine but you have to remember to move replies and receipts to folders of you want to ever find them or there is a 3 month delay between sale and actual event.

I found the receipt and realized that notifications would be going to my seldom used hotmail so off I went.

HOLY CRAP !

I need to manage that better so let the deletion of the epic amounts begin.

Huzzah, I found the concert advisory and the actual link to print out the tickets so I did and made extra copies since my clan is known for losing their shit in more ways than one.

Feeling very proud of myself I decided to clean up the dreaded hotmail in box and so off I went , creating the needed folders to sort stuff.


And there they were.

My babies in e mail photos that the Daddy sent.


I did create their own folder but decided to throw them in a post here to because they are my babies and that is all the reason I need...plus...my computer at the office is so FUBARED BEYOND BELIEF that I can not save a screen saver more than 24 hours much less photos so there we are.


Mama and Daddy miss all y'all , be good to each other and take care of each other.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol aka Your Mama.

Finally...A More Comprehensive Conversion than I Have Been Able To FInd Lately

http://www.everest.co.uk/products/kitchens/kitchen-cheat-sheet/#.U3KhJehNlUQ.blogger



Ever find a recipe and fall in love with the pictures so much that you start to read the various posts and then follow the author ?

Ever find one of their recipes that you really, really want to try except that it's in UK measurements  and you hate math and then you go cry and get another smoke and beverage ?

No ?

Must be me then.

Anyhoo....slap Mr. Linky for some basic conversions and most importantly to me...oven/cooking temp conversions.



You're welcome.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Who Knew This Was A Thing ?

Who knew this was a thing ?

All y'all know my passion for anything creamsicle.

Real creamsicle.

Like the Bluebell flavor that comes out every summer and I allow my self to have in small doses , fully knowing what it will do to my system.

And white chocolate..lets not forget that part.

Or anything orange, especially combined with chocolate, tho I have to say that I was oddly disappointed in the Lindt Orange Chocolate Truffles, don't ask me why.

Anyhoo..over at Plain Chicken , a blog that I read daily, Miss Stephanie had a post for creamsicle cookies.

And hisself is playing golf Sunday.

Dude..I am soooo doing this.

Check out the recipe and her blog at :

http://www.plainchicken.com/2014/05/creamsicle-cookies.html

Oh and yes we got rain from midnight through about 8 am.

2.8 Inches.

More than we have seen in 2 years.

And..yes..Madame is not happy.

She hates wet paws.

I only hope it washes some of the pollen away.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Just Another Manic Monday .

Actually, for a Monday it's not really been all that bad thus far ...and I say that fully aware that it could go sideways at any given time..whatever.

We were a  bit about the child last week but she has perked up . It seems that she has pollen issues like her mother ( I am NOT making this up ) and I could tell just by looking at her. She wasn't eating nut taking her usual gallons of water ( sparkly clean water at times Mother if you please ) but after a bit of bed rest ..her idea trust me, she appears better.

I can fully understand and have for the most part called a truce with the sinuses. I take my Zyrtec and pay attention to the pollen count...they gently advise me when I need to crash right after work. I no longer fight the ..." No...I'm gonna miss something..", I just DVR the hell out of stuff and crash as needed.

I embrace naps as a luxury now on the weekends. I savor them because I have the hardest time falling asleep unless I am really feeling like crap..when that happens I can and have slept over 13 hours straight and nothing can wake me. You could have a second line brass band and ..nope...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ .

I've spent the last few months being very angry about this self perceived loss of control over my like and it can be overwhelming if you are an A type with control issues and a tad of OCD , but as I have come to terms with the hell that we know as spring allergy season, I have come to realize that this won't last forever and I am not alone in the praying for rain. .


Anyhoo..Hisself had a blast at the annual Art Car Parade..( google it, it's hard to explain other than Art - the more out the the better + the idea of homemade auto restoring..google it...I don't even know where I am going here with this one). The parade draws over 350,000 spectators and I was amazed to learn that the entry that Doug the Brookfield Property Locksmith /Mechanical Building Jedi designed won first place for Corporate entry. And it wasn't that extreme !

And I am  going to make Southsides day since I found a recipe for Biscoff cake in a mug...we do love our Biscoff.


Have a great week.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Happy Cinco de Mayo AKA Boy , Am I Glad This Weekend Is OVER !

If it could go wrong, it mostly did at the Casa.

The weekend started out innocently enough. Lovely weather  and my usual paws and claws run..no big deal . I knew that the shop would be slammed with Mothers Day being this coming Sunday . I am never in a hurry or pressed for time at the shop because this is my time for me so I hang loose Mother Goose. Then my favorite tech that I always book with implies that she may not be there soon so I gently let her know that it she is doing something that makes her happy , it's all cool with me . Unlike the crap with One Allen and Supercuts which I have been going to for cut and color since it opened and they are closing it at the end of the year...GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..but I have a backup thanks to Jere so that will all get sorted.

The days mail is on the dining room table and there it was.

A LETTER FROM THE IRS.

GAH !


I opened it and proceeded to flip mah shit.


To sum it up:

" Yo deadbeat...This is your guvm'nt. Your sorry ass didn't file for 2012 ."

Oh Contrare Mohair, I most certainly did too "


I grab the files , realizing that I have got to get into that top drawer and sort that shit out...and find the copies that I need including the white bit that USPS date stamps when you send certified mail. Can I find the bloody , thrice damn'd green card pertaining to that particular certified mail ?

No.

Every other green card from every other certified mail..but not the one that I need.


After sorting it all out, I made an adult beverage and went out to the deck to wind myself down ...and remembered that Southside needed a return call..which I did...and his news set my ass down.

Surgery..minor but still.

He is fine...but let me explain.

As is his custom, it never fails that Southside Johnny will text me when I am at the shop..indisposed...and thus I let him know where I was ( if not , he will and has in the past blown the f out of my voice mail..so a quick test saves a ton of agita.) . I called him back and he  informed me that he had to have some surgery that Thursday...!!!!!!!!!!!..........but all was fine now. After I peeled myself off the deck ceiling he told me that all was okay and the problem was being treated and he was a big  boy ( age 54 this year ) and since he was sort of sedated at the time ( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) they did the turn your head and cough  bit..no polyps..all good.



Sunday :

I get up and more often than not hisself has been baking something so it's always a surprise.

Cupcakes.

Wheee.!

"What's in the bowl in the fridge honey ?"

" The meringue that broke down."

" Bummer."

He went ahead and made cream cheese frosting and then informed me that Jere had been by because their freezer next door was DOA. She and I personally think Cindy Lou Who left the door open as she has done before but done is done  so mine is stuffed in the garage. Sometimes I think they have more in ours than we do but what the hell.

After a bit he goes to meet up with the Motley Crew and I see that BBCA has the extended directors cut of Dune.starting at 3 pm.

Shai Halud..my day is saved , my groove is on and everything was right in my world.

I do my laundry, dust, hoover, clean the kitchen and mop the floor. Now he had bought roast beast for dinner , Bless his lil heart so I am on it.

Floor mopped..check.
Roast in over...check.

I wondered why my toes were wet as I stood at the kitchen sink cutting up spuds for the dinner/carnage of le beast.

AW SHIT !

The pipe /gasket thingy on the non disposal side was leaking.

AND ON MY NEWLY MOPPED FLOOR !

I figured out exactly where it was coming from because I am smart like that.

Righty tighty..got it.

Or not so much.

Drip...drip.... F  F  F  F

I get the spuds sorted, spuds on the stove, cleaning products on the top of the dryer and towels under the sink .


Hisself looked at it and fixed it but it's one of those dealios we are super alert to now.


Monday never looked so good.

It's gotta get better.

Besides..cats in sombreros for the win !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol