Not One Winner But Two!

 Such a gorgeous day here on the North Forty. I woke up excited this morning because I knew that my giveaway had ended at midnight and I could not wait to have my drawing.

My sister-in-law Sherry came by for breakfast this morning so I ask her to do the honor of drawing the winner of my candy. She drew Ya Ya's name from the wonderful blog Whispering Pines. I am so happy YaYa that I will be sending you some of my chocolates.

It was so much fun having Sherry draw for my giveaway I told her to draw another winner. She gave me one of her beautiful smiles and drew again. My second winner was GPC from another great blog Shedding the wolf.

Congratulations to both of you sweet ladies. Just shoot me an email at maggiemallard888@yahoo.com with your addresses and I will get busy making your candy.

Tonight I also wanted to share with you my brother Gary's little country home that he has been building in Round Top for a while now. It's been a struggle for Gary building this home because not long after he started the building he was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. Since then he has had his cancer come back two more times and is being treated now for lung cancer.

Not only does he spend a lot of his free time on this house Gary has been restoring his wife's house in Indpendence. You may remember the post a few weeks back showing the guest cottage behind her home that Gary restored. It is really precious so which one do I love more is hard to say. Their both too cute.

Since the cancer has come back for a third time they decided to finish this one and put it up for sale. I hope it sells for them and Gary can slow down a little.

I laugh every time I see their two tubs on the front porch. Gary calls them their Cialis tubs. You know the commercial for Cialis where the couple are sitting in the tubs near a lake or is it the ocean. Can't remember exactly which one.

This is the view from their tubs. There are two ponds in front of their home. I only wish I could keep the pond out here on the North Forty looking this good. No matter how dry a summer we have Gary's ponds always have water in them where the one out here drys almost completely up.

The other night I was out side supervising Gary and my brother Tommy on their work and when I turned to go back inside I snapped this picture from the porch. I just thought it was so neat the way the home looked so cozy looking in at dusk. No I was not window peeping!

Look at how pretty Sherry has the table set.

 Don't you love this old Coca Cola machine. I could find a place for it on the North Forty.

I love the small living area. 

Both Sherry and Gary have a gift for decorating.

This is an old antique water barrel that was used at one time on a covered wagon. Wish I could of taken a better picture of it because up close it is really something to see.

I wanted to slip upstairs and show you the bedroom but dinner was smelling good and I thought it would be nice if I helped Sherry with putting it on the table. lol

These cool nights and not so hot days have been delightful.  I just hope our weekend is the same because

  I going to Austin to see my kids. It is the big weekend for my precious granddaughter Kaci's Juvenile Diabetes Walk. She has raised over a thousand dollars for JDF.  What a inspiration she is to me!

As you know I live for my trips to Austin. I love love being with all my kids and I always have the best time.

I hope you enjoyed seeing inside of Gary and Sherry's sweet home. It was fun showing it to you.

Thank you for entering my Candy Giveaway! I wish I could send all of you a box of sweets but I will be having more giveaways in the future so be sure and try again.

Love to All

Maggie

Desperate People Do Desperate Things!

How are you? I hope you had a gorgeous weekend and that the week ahead will also be just as awesome.
The weather yesterday and today was prefect. The temps here have made my chores a lot easier out on the North Forty. A sweet friend on Facebook today ask me when would the weather be cold enough where I won't have to mow. I told her in Texas that is a not question most of us can answer. Our weather changes without notice and pretty often.

Just wanted to do a quick post tonight mainly to remind you that my giveaway ends tomorrow at midnight so if you haven't entered it be sure and leave a comment on the POST before this one for a chance to win some of my famous Chocolate Candy. lol

Tonight I wanted to share with you what I ordered from Bear Wallow Herbs. Most of you know I fret way too much about the cats out here on the ranch. Yep I know I worry too much their just outside cats but their Mom ma drifted up here about five years ago and ever since then I have had kitty problems. Yes I know all about having cats fixed and there would not be the population problem I seem to have about every six months but Mom ma Kitty (name fits her don't you think) has allergies and the vet won't put her to sleep to fix her so once a year I have to deal with kittens except this year she had two litters five months apart. Gee z Marie I can't deal with this.

So I Google contraception for cats and low and behold I find something called Wild Carrot Seed. It is a seed from the flower Queen Anne's Lace. You can buy it from sites that sell herbs or seeds. It's real use is to regulate menstruation and fertility.

Some Women actually use this instead of Birth Control Pills. Amazing at my age that I learn something new every day. Of course, we all know I am way to late to hear about this for my use BUT what about Mom ma Kitty. Yep I read where people use it for cats too.

I know your laughing at me and thinking how silly of me to think this will work but I tell you this ole grandma is Desperate with a capital D so desperate people do desperate things. If she can't be fixed and I can't bring my self to get rid of her I have got to do something. I have tried locking her up in my bathroom once while she was in heat and let me tell you after that horrifying experience I would rather deal with kittens than to do that again.

So in a few months I will let you know if this stuff works. Now to figure out how often and when to give it to her.

I downloaded some pictures of her kittens she had in May. Their I believe all females because male kittens seem to disappear out here a month after their born. I found homes for the litter after these that were born in September. I hated to give them away so young but when I found someone that wanted all of them I told God Thank You and gave them to her.

 

When I walked up on my porch from mowing at lunch this is the first thing I see is one of them in an empty flower pot. Now who could not smile when you see something this cute.

Being lazy at the other end of the porch is another one that looks just like her mother.

And look at this white one. Isn't she a cutie pie.

Here with the white one is Mom ma Kitty!

My question for you is these kittens will be six months old in November. They all seem to have the same allergy problem their Mom has so if that's the case I may not be able to have them fixed. What I am wanting to know if I gave these kittens away to a lady that is looking for barn cats would they try to find their way back home to here. I could not stand to think of these poor kittens lost and trying to find their way home.

What do you think? I think if I kept them and they can't be fixed I would go broke trying to keep buying this herb Queen Anne's Lace. lol

Moving inside you have heard me talk often about my Tinkerbell. She has been with me now for eight years. A friend of mine found her on her front porch when she was only about six weeks old.

Today I snapped this picture of her looking at me while I was eating lunch. I don't know who eats more this girl or me.

Now for the last few months Tinkerbell has had to share her castle with one of Mom ma Kitty's babies that was born a year ago in April.  Billie Sue was hit by a car one summer night and after expensive surgery to set a broken leg she is now an inside cat. I really did not want two cats inside but had no choice. It's been some nights with no sleep with her and Tinkerbell fighting but once in a blue moon I find them snuggling with each other and then I am a proud Mom myself. lol

If someone had told me ten years ago that I would be living in the country alone except for cats I would of laughed at them. Mainly because I thought I had a solid marriage and I was afraid of cats. Now look at me! You just never know do you?

My next post I will announce my Candy winner so be sure and enter. Good luck to all of you.

Also my next post I will take you inside this little country home so see you in a few days.

Sweet Dreams and Love to All

Maggie

Chocolate Candy Giveaway!

Let's have a Give-Away! It has been way to long since my last Chocolate Giveaway.

So let's do it.

If you have a sweet tooth and need some chocolate in your life just leave me a comment on This post and you will be entered in my Chocolate Candy Giveaway.

The winner will have their choice of Chocolate Peanut Clusters in White or Milk Chocolate 

Or My Slap Your Momma Fudge.

Giveaway will End at midnight October 22, 2013.

Let me know which one you want me to make for you!

Sorry I have not been keeping up with you the way I want to. For some reason I am having usage issues with my internet service. It seems the last two or more months I am using too many bytes on my computer. I was on the phone with them for hours this morning explaining to them that something is not right since I am hardly ever on my computer anymore. The lady that was helping me told me to play on my computer this afternoon and they would monitor it and see how much I use in an hour session. 

I explained to her that I was dangerously close to going over and the bytes did not restart til 20th so she agreed to waver any bytes I go over today. Problem is after today I can't use my computer until the 20th.

I can not get unlimited out here where I live and trying to watch my bytes on here is a pain. Hopefully the lady I am working with at Verizon will help me figure out what is going on. It may be that my Smart Phone is using bytes from my Wi-fi and that is not good. That has to be it since I have not been blogging or on the computer much the last few months. 

So forgive me if you don't hear from me until after the 20th when my bytes start over. What a bummer!

Update on Clint and Kaci. Clint is still having some painful issues but I keep praying that they get everything straightened out for him. Kaci is now wearing a walking cast but still using the crutches. Her walk for Juvenile Diabetes is the last weekend of this month so I think they are going to have to rent a wheel chair for her so she can do the walk. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for both of them.

You are such a Blessing in my life which is one of the reasons I am having this Chocolate Giveaway.

Thank you for entering and please even if you have won one of my Giveaways in the past don't let that stop you from entering again.

Good Luck and Love to all,

Maggie

Was It the Calms Forte?

My blogging friends are the best in this world of blogging and are always writing interesting and informative post. Many times after reading one of your post I run into the other room to find a pen and piece of paper to write down what your telling me.

A few weeks back while visiting my friend the Rocky Mountain Woman I read about a pill she had taken that gave her the giggles while attending a very stressful meeting. Giggles are good! Maybe not in a meeting but how many meetings does this ole grandma attend these days?

So I had to find what our Rocky Mountain Woman was taking to release some stress in her life. It was Calms Forte which of course I had no clue what this was but determined to find it.

 I checked at our local Wal Mart and with no luck. I went to our very small health food store and they had one box of this but it was Calms Forte for Kids. Being desperate to lighten up I bought the kids dosage thinking I would just triple the dosage amount on the box.

I was also delighted to see that it was a sleep aid which besides not laughing these days not sleeping is right up there on my list of aggravations. Many nights I toss and turn so much that when I get up the next morning my mattress is almost on the floor on one side. Maybe it's time to invest in a new mattress. haha

That night I could not wait to see if it worked for me. I followed the directions on the bottle and doubled the dosage. Like most nights I grabbed my Nook and settled in for the night. This night I had downloaded Still Foolin' 'Em by Billy Crystal.

Comedian Billy Crystal wrote this book about turning 65. I thought since I have so many darn issues since my big 65th Birthday I thought why not. He might help me with some of my difficult issues of growing older.

Well two hours into this book I am in the middle of my bed laughing hysterically. Seriously I mean it's the kind of  laughter that I am sure if  the cowboy had not moved out last month he would of called me to see what the heck was I doing waking up everyone on North Forty.

I was so loud that Tinkerbell and her new sister Billy Sue ran out of the room in search of a hiding place. The louder I laughed the harder I laughed. It was like I could not control myself. Hysterical in the middle of the night in the middle of my bed laughing out of control.

Finally I settled down and read a little while longer and then slept all night long. First time in months that I had actually slept and honestly I can't remember when I had laughed this hard.

The next morning I ask myself was it Billy Crystal's writing or was it the Calms Forte. The next night I continued the book but much to my disappointment I did not laugh out loud but I did enjoy reading the book.
I have been sleeping better though since discovering these pills.

Since my last post when I am not taking these pills and reading I have been running around with my head off cut off trying to keep up with all the work out here. I have mowed every day and thought I was caught up then it rained again. haha  Monday I started all over again and now have about ten acres left to be caught up,

We have 40 percent chance of rain for the next four or five days which means of course more mowing. I should not complain because God has Blessed us with rain and this last week the weather was gorgeous. Cool in the mornings and sometimes while I was on the tractor I pretended I was mowing property in the state of Maine instead of Texas. Boy can I dream. I still think of my trip to Maine a year ago in September and I find myself wishing I were there enjoying their leaf peeping.

Speaking of leaf peeping last Sunday I was out in the country with two of my Sister-in-laws enjoying the weather when I pointed to some trees and I said, "Oh look there are some trees turning color!"  My sister-in-law laughed and said,"Those trees are dead not changing colors!"  I guess I need to have my eyes checked too.

Linda and I had worked so hard for our sale of the pillows. It rained the big day of the show so we had to change it to the next weekend. It was soooo hot and muggy and we were miserable. Also very disappointed in the turn out and our sales but we had fun making them and plan on selling maybe on line or other places.

I hope you are well and enjoying some fall weather. It is still in the eighties here so when I read about snow some of you are already getting I can't believe it. haha

Stay tuned for one of my Candy giveaways coming soon. I have not had one in a very long time and so I hope this week to do that for you.

Have a wonderful weekend and Laugh!

Love to all
Maggie

PS:
If you have not been to Rocky Mountain woman's site be sure and check it out. Awesome lady to get to know you can find her site Here.