I Fell Off the Wagon

Well, I didn't quite make it to the end of the month!  I failed to blog every day here at MoonCat Farms for Blogtoberfest.  Ah well, I'll try to do better.  In my defense, I've been hecka busy riding my horse and working on this overly cluttered house (1st thing fun, 2nd thing yuck).  We ended up having our yard sale last weekend and I'm still trying to figure out what things are going to the hospice thrift store.  They were so wonderful to Mom and us that I wanted to do what we could to help their organization.

I hadn't planned on blogging yesterday anyway as it would have been Mom's 73rd birthday.  It is still unreal that she's not here with us, I miss her terribly.  I have good days and bad days.  The weird thing is that it is the little, seemingly insignificant things that get me.  Silly things such as wanting to gossip with her about the latest episode of "All My Children" or telling her about the newest trick the chickens have learned.  It's tough, but I take comfort in the fact that she is no longer in pain.

We have a full weekend ahead of us as we're participating in a cattle sorting today and we have Mr. MoonCat's folks here visiting.  If we get done in time, we're hoping to meet my best friend and her family for dinner and then watch her oldest play football tonight.  He's one of the stars of the teams, playing offense AND defense!

Tomorrow we're having brunch with Dad, Cindy & Chris joining the four of us.  I will be testing several recipes from a great new cookbook I was sent to review on my other blog.  Yummy!

Enjoy your weekend my friends.

Half Way There!

I've made it to the half-way mark in my posting for October.  Blogtoberfest is keeping us all hopping coming up with new posts.  It wasn't quite as hard last year as I was only worried about blogging here at the Meanderings.  With the addition of One Book Shy, it's a stretch some days.  Hopefully, you'll all stay with me as I try to complete this challenge on both blogs this year.  Happy Blogtoberfest!

Blogtoberfest 2010

It's baaaack.....

For those of you who weren't with us last year, Blogtoberfest is a worldwide event in which bloggers commit to doing a blog post each day of October.  I was so proud of myself last year for completing the challenge.  I had been in a real slump prior to Blogtoberfest and it really egged me on to sit down and write!

Blogtoberfest is the brainchild of tinniegirl along with her partner in crime, CurlyPops.  These talented ladies keep everyone motivated and do a great job of organizing this fun and productive festival.  It is such a great way to discover new blogs and did I mention, there are GIVEAWAYS??  (Yes, we all know that I am a giveaway junkie ~ cuz, they're fun.)

Anyway, since it is still October 1st, you can still jump on the bandwagon and play along with the rest of us.  Just click on the button above or on either of their blog links.  CurlyPops keeps a running list of giveaways on her page while tinniegirl tracks the participants.

Join in the fun and in the Nascar spirit:   "Bloggers, start your posts!"

~I'll list my giveaway in a later post.  Haven't decided what I want to put up for grabs.

Loot, Bounty, Treasure, Goodies, Prizes PART 1

This 2 part post is all about the giveaway goodness that I have been so very lucky to have won recently. I love to enter drawings (um, duh - obviously). Besides the thrill of winning, it is a blast to discover new blogs to explore. I have found some great places on the web all due to giveaways or blog hops. Please check out the sites of these generous bloggers below and see some of their great work.

Morgaine du Mer is the artist behind this awesome print:

Halloween Party Dress

that I won during the Ghoul's Guild "Trick or Treat" event. Isn't she gorgeous? Check out some of Morgaine's other pretties that I am adoring like Black Cat Halloween Original ACEO below. It reminds me of my Porkchop here at home!

~~~~~

After winning these great earrings from Mad Science Creations, I checked out the great things up for grabs on her site, including this luscious corset. Lots of crafty goodness to be found. ~~~~~
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness (which we all know is an issue I'm passionate about), SewCalGal held a giveaway for this gorgeous fabric. My lucky number was drawn for this: It is a beautiful cotton print that Mom and I will be making a quilt from. She really likes pink so I think it will be perfect for her room. The fact that we can make it together will make it all the more special. SewCalGal has another great site here where she lists lots of giveaways and contests among other things. In fact, I just read her post on what is now going to be one of Mom's Christmas gifts . Go visit her sites and say Hi for me!

Part 2 of this giveaway goodness post will continue tomorrow....

Almost Back on Track

Thank you all so much for the best wishes and prayers. Mom is really touched by all of the good thoughts being sent her way from the blogosphere! When she gets settled back here at home, she asked if she could write something to thank everyone for thinking of her. I told her she could do a guest post any time she wants!!!

She is feeling so much better. They have done a few procedures in the last few days that have really eased her breathing. It sounds like they're going to let her come home on Wednesday. Her nursing staff is the bomb! She has some extremely sweet & caring people taking very good care of her. I am thankful for and impressed by them. She will be starting her chemo next week if all goes according to plan (like that ever seems to happen around here..) But her spirits are way up and she's regaining some of her strength.

I, on the other hand, have succumbed to the crud. I'm hoping it's just a cold and not the dreaded flu, but I couldn't go see her today at the hospital as I was running a fever and have a sore throat. Thank goodness for cell phones as we chatted several times during the day. The Ant has been wonderful in keeping her company as well. She actually spent the night with her on Thursday. She has much more stamina than I do! I think they were really having a slumber party and just trying to keep the annoying man in the room next door up all night. They do tend to giggle a lot when they're together..

I am working on a post for tomorrow to show off some of the giveaway goodies I've been the super lucky recipient of as of late. Between Blogtoberfest and the Ghoul's Guild, I was pretty well spoiled rotten with prizes. Major fun... (I'm going to host another one myself very soon, so keep tuning in!)

And just so I won't be boring you yet again with a "no photo post", here's a shot of Chandler. He seems to be confused as to which end is supposed to be on the pillow....

We Have a Winner or Two!

I have really enjoyed all of the blogging this month. I DID IT! I blogged for 31 days straight (that was almost more than my entire blogging career total) Whoo hoooo...

First of all, I would really like to thank everyone for coming by the blog. I really appreciate you taking the time to check in and leave comments on my ramblings. I try to answer when I get a chance, but am not always able to reply in a timely manner. I do read each and every one and want you to know that it means so much that you hear me and have a response to something I've thrown out into the universe.

Blogtoberfest was a lot of fun, many thanks to Tinniegirl and Curlypops for all of the hard work they did to get this organized. The best part for me (besides being a ziggy piggy with prizes) was getting to meet so many great people online. I am thrilled to welcome several new followers to the blog whom I hope will stick around and see what we're up to next (giveaway alert, giveaway alert). I have also discovered many bloggers who share some of the same wide range of interests and opinions that I do. It's fun finding kindred spirits hundreds if not thousands of miles away. It's a big old small world folks.

I decided to pick two winners because 1) I have been so darn lucky on all of these giveaways this month and 2) because it's my blog and I feel like it! Drumroll please.......

Our two winners are: Leathra and Mother Moon's Message

Congratulations ladies! Please send me your mailing addresses and I will get your goodies out to you this week.

Thank you all for participating and keep it dialed in here for a new giveaway announcement in the very near future!

29 Posts in a Row!! - Blogtoberfest

Can you believe it? I am almost there! A whole month of blogging, EVERY single day...

If you've been with me very long, you'll know that I've been a rather sporadic/spastic/not very regular blogger. Even though I've had a bajillion things on my plate this month, I am so glad I decided to participate in this event known as Blogtoberfest. It has really made me do some thinking and planning for my blog and what I'd like to do with it.

The big bonus for me has been meeting so many new people from all over the world. Some very lovely people have discovered my little old blog and I have discovered several "new t0 me" blogs that I am really, really enjoying. I have also been entering drawings left & right (usually in the wee hours of the morning when the house is quiet).

Because of all of this late night wandering, I've won a couple of drawings - Woo Hoo! Some really cool prizes are coming my way. I will post about them in the next week or so when I can get photos of all my lovely prizes. (Yes, I've been a real piggy with the goodies. But, I will be sharing the blog love and luck with another drawing or two of my own here very soon! Stay tuned...)

(Photo from myevaforeva)

I won these little beauties from myevaforeva . Aren't they cute? She offers a great tutorial on how to make these lovelies as well as many other great projects. Check it out!

In the meantime, it's not too late to participate and maybe win yourself some prizes while discovering some great blogs. You can find a list of drawings being held in conjunction with Blogtoberfest at Curlypops (as well as a lot of fun on her site).

Clutter Busting / Fall Cleaning

I've never been much into Spring cleaning. While Spring is my 2nd favorite season, it is far, far behind Fall. I'm an Autumn cleaner/declutterer. It is my time to muck out and renew mentally and physically before Winter sets in. This year it is doubly important with this major move and household consolidation finally nearing completion.

I'm driving Mom & Hubby nuts as one of my main strategies is that only one box can be brought INTO the house at a time. When it is completely unpacked and PUT AWAY, the next box comes in. It has really been working because the house is presentable (don't look in my lovely, large walk-in closet or the craft room/office yet - they are non-public areas for now anyway). The kitchen was usable the very first day because of this strategy.

I'm trying to stick to the credo of "If it doesn't have a place, it needs to go". It's making me review my priorities as to what is really important and what are just things/possessions. The sheer amount of STUFF that we have accumulated over the years is overwhelming and almost frightening. I am trying to be ruthless in disposing of things and finding new homes for those that still have life left in them. The boxes for getting rid of stuff are starting to fill up.

One of my favorite strategies when unpacking (or doing my Fall cleaning) is to have several boxes labeled and ready for the various destinations as well as a bunch of trash cans. Because of the recent move, I have several more boxes going out than usual, but you'll get the idea. These are the boxes I am currently sorting into, you can use as many or as few as suits your needs:

YARD SALE/EBAY (Since we are basically combining three households, we have a lot of items that are duplicates or things that just need to go away cuz they're ugly, sorry Hubby but they are!)

GIVE AWAY (I actually have some of these broke down into who they're going to: Ant, C&C, animal shelter, donate, etc.)

STORAGE/KEEP (Things such as holiday decorations, re-gifting, photographs, etc.)

TRASH (self-explanatory I hope)

I've always heard a lot about the emotional aspect of physical clutter in our lives. Since we've moved into this new home, I am really starting to understand what they are referring to. We aren't living as slaves to our possessions anymore. I can open closets without wearing a hardhat. I don't have to dig through ten boxes to find one of my many glue guns. The house feels light and open and I really think that is contributing to how happy we are here.

One Word Answers

I saw this on Jo's blog and decided I'd play along. You can only use ONE word to answer each question. (This is especially helpful since I don't have my reunion recap post ready for ya yet and I don't want to miss my Blogtoberfest post for today!)

1. Where is your cell/mobile phone? Charging
2. Your hair? Frizzed
3. Your mother? Sleeping
4. Your father? Cowboy
5. Your favo(u)rite food? Chocolate
6. Your dream last night? Funky
7. Your favo(u)rite drink? Milk
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? Living room
10. Your hobby? Crafting
11. Your fear? Loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Earth
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Rested
15. Muffins? Banana-nut
16. Wish list item? Health
17. Where did you grow up? California
18. Last thing you did? Blogged
19. What are you wearing? Glasses
20. Your TV? Background
21. Your pet? Children
22. Friends? Valuable
23. Your life? Mine
24. Your mood? Contemplative
25. Missing someone? Jeanne
26. Vehicle? Truck
27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favo(u)rite store? JoAnn Fabrics
29. Your favo(u)rite colo(u)r? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Beaker
33. One place that you go to over and over? Dad's
34. One person who emails you regularly? Dortie
35. Favo(u)rite place to eat? Outdoors

Have fun with this and see what answers pop in your head first with each question!

Halfway There - Blogtoberfest

Well, I've already broke my own personal record by posting more than a day or two in a row. I am thrilled that I have managed to make it to the halfway mark in Blogtoberfest and I'm aiming for the whole 31 days. (If you don't recall, Blogtoberfest is a challenge coordinated by tinniegirl and curlypops to get bloggers to post every single day for the month of October. There are A LOT of giveaways also associated with this worldwide event so be sure to check out the participating blogs.

Also be sure to check out my giveaway here, it closes on Halloween - October 31st!


Please Note:
While I don't get to respond to every comment, I do really want to thank you all for sticking with me and actually reading the posts. I really appreciate you and you taking the time to comment on something I've written. It really brightens my day. Thank you again.

(The Hubby is pretty tickled by the great response his post received. I think I may have him convinced to do a (sorta) regular report now. Thank you ladies..)

Sunday Selections

“The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.”

- Helen Keller

Saturday Sweetness - Nutty Spice Cake

If I've never mentioned it before, we had cupcakes at our wedding reception. 300 cupcakes to be exact. 300 cupcakes that I personally baked two days before the big event.

To top it off, we ended up having a "Frost Your Own Cupcake" dessert table due to the fact that everything fell apart the night before the wedding. My friend brought up all sorts of sprinkles and fun decorations the morning of. Between a forest fire, blown tire, cancelled rehearsal, unfinished dress, no flowers delivered, etc. etc. etc., it is a miracle that the ceremony took place at all. But it was perfect, it was us, and we're happily married! (And everyone says they had a blast..)

My point is that one third of those 300 cupcakes mentioned above were from my favorite cake recipe of my grandmother's. She made this wonderful spice cake for me all the time growing up and I couldn't imagine not having it at my wedding. The directions below are exactly as she wrote them for me over 20 years ago and are how I make mine still today.

Note: One of these days, really really soon I hope, we will unearth the camera from the moving boxes and I can provide you with real photos again. My cell phone camera just won't cut it..

Gramma's Nutty Spice Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup shortening

3 eggs

1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking pan, 13x9x2" or 2 round layer pans (8 or 9x1 1/2"). Measure all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Beat 30 seconds on low speed, scraping sides constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high, scraping occasionally. Pour mixture into pan(s). Bake 40-45 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out of center clean. Cool on rack. Use choice of frosting and sprinkle finely chopped walnuts on top.

While you can use any frosting you want, in my humble honest opinion - the one below is the absolute best frosting, ever. I can eat this simple buttercream frosting on graham crackers, out of the bowl, off my fingers, etc. I highly recommend it for this great cake. (You can find it and other variations from C and H Sugar Company . They also have it printed on the boxes.)

Simple Buttercream Frosting

3-3/4 cup (l lb. box) C&H Pure Cane Powdered Sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup butter or margarine (2/3 stick), softened

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy; scrape bowl often. If too stiff to spread easily, beat in a few drops of milk.

You can vary this recipe by adding chocolate syrup, peanut butter, orange peel, etc. Lots of ways to customize and really experiment with changing the taste to suit you.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Top 100 Songs of 1984 - Rocktoberfest!!

* 1. When Doves Cry - Prince
* 2. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
* 3. Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
* 4. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
* 5. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Phil Collins
* 6. Jump - Van Halen
* 7. Hello - Lionel Richie
* 8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes
* 9. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
* 10. Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
* 11. Missing You - John Waite
* 12. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
* 13. Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams
* 14. Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
* 15. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
* 16. The Reflex - Duran Duran
* 17. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
* 18. Jump (For My Love) - Pointer Sisters
* 19. Talking In Your Sleep - Romantics
* 20. Self Control - Laura Branigan
* 21. Let's Go Crazy - Prince & The Revolution
* 22. Say It Isn't So - Daryl Hall & John Oates
* 23. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
* 24. Joanna - Kool & The Gang
* 25. I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder
* 26. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
* 27. Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder
* 28. 99 Luftballons - Nena
* 29. I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
* 30. The Glamorous Life - Sheila E.
* 31. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
* 32. Stuck On You - Lionel Richie
* 33. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John
* 34. She Bop - Cyndi Lauper
* 35. Borderline - Madonna
* 36. Sunglasses At Night - Corey Hart
* 37. Eyes Without A Face - Billy Idol
* 38. Here Comes The Rain Again - Eurythmics
* 39. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
* 40. Sister Christian - Night Ranger
* 41. Drive - Cars
* 42. Twist Of Fate - Olivia Newton-John
* 43. Union Of The Snake - Duran Duran
* 44. The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll - Huey Lewis & The News
* 45. Hard Habit To Break - Chicago
* 46. The Warrior - Scandal
* 47. If Ever You're In My Arms Again - Peabo Bryson
* 48. Automatic - Pointer Sisters
* 49. Let The Music Play - Shannon
* 50. To All The Girls I've Loved Before - Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson
* 51. Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean
* 52. That's All - Genesis
* 53. Running With The Night - Lionel Richie
* 54. Sad Songs (Say So Much) - Elton John
* 55. I Want A New Drug - Huey Lewis & The News
* 56. Islands In The Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
* 57. Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar
* 58. Infatuation - Rod Stewart
* 59. Almost Paradise - Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
* 60. Legs - ZZ Top
* 61. State Of Shock - Jacksons
* 62. Love Somebody - Rick Springfield*
* 63. Miss Me Blind - Culture Club
* 64. If This Is It - Huey Lewis & The News
* 65. You Might Think - Cars
* 66. Lucky Star - Madonna
* 67. Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen
* 68. Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot
* 69. Breakdance - Irene Cara
* 70. Adult Education - Daryl Hall & John Oates
* 71. They Don't Know - Tracy Ullman
* 72. An Innocent Man - Billy Joel
* 73. Cruel Summer - Bananarama
* 74. Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung
* 75. Give It Up - K.C.
* 76. I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters
* 77. I Still Can't Get Over Loving You - Ray Parker Jr.
* 78. Thriller - Michael Jackson
* 79. Holiday - Madonna
* 80. Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us - Ollie And Jerry
* 81. Nobody Told Me - John Lennon
* 82. Church Of The Poison Mind - Culture Club
* 83. Think Of Laura - Christopher Cross
* 84. Time Will Reveal - Debarge
* 85. Wrapped Around Your Finger - Police
* 86. Pink Houses - John Cougar Mellencamp
* 87. Round And Round - Ratt
* 88. Head Over Heels - Go-Go's
* 89. The Longest Time - Billy Joel
* 90. Tonight - Kool & The Gang
* 91. Got A Hold On Me - Christine McVie
* 92. Dancing In The Sheets - Shalamar
* 93. Undercover Of The Night - Rolling Stones
* 94. On The Dark Side - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
* 95. New Moon On Monday - Duran Duran
* 96. Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling
* 97. Magic - Cars
* 98. When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
* 99. Rock Me Tonite - Billy Squier
* 100. Yah Mo B There - James Ingram & Michael Mcdonald

I'm sure you're wondering WHY I would give you this great list? Well, as I mentioned during my KEVIN BACON / FOOTLOOSE lovefest, my 25th High School Reunion is in 2 weeks and on top of all of the other THINGS going on in my life, I'm on the committee! I am currently (during the wee hours of the morning) working on our music list for the evening and thought I'd share some nostalgia from the 80s with all of ya! I took the liberty of highlighting/bolding the artists and their songs that I was fortunate/unfortunate as the case may be, of getting to see live in concert.

I will admit that Night Ranger is still, to this day, one of my favorite groups! What is fun about this is that I saw them, Pat Benatar, and Rick Springfield all last summer in concert (along with several others that aren't on this Top 100 list). They were mostly all still great.

Long live 80's Music..

Monday Madness - Giveaway Alert!

As if I don't already have a full plate, I've decided to host another giveaway! I am holding it in conjunction with the fun that is Blogtoberfest.

Pretty simple stuff (for the most part). Since I am also participating in a Homegrown Swap with some of my i-friends in the Herbal world, I think that is what the prize will be. We haven't completed the swap yet, so you will just have to wait with bated breath to see what you win! I will tell you that the majority of the ingredients/supplies are "homegrown" and that herbs may or may not be involved. I have some other "homemade" goodies that will probably get dropped accidentally into the box as well. I do like surprise giveaways... Clear as mud? It's a mystery to me too.

Now for the particulars, there are 4 ways to get entries in the drawing:

1: Leave a comment and tell me : what your favorite flower is and what part of the world you hail from (I will ship internationally - so ALL are welcome!).

2: Follow my blog.

Bonus: If you are already a follower of my blog before today (Oct 5th), you will receive an extra entry (on top of the one above) in the drawing! Just because I appreciate you sticking with me.

3: Subscribe to my newsletter.

4: Blog about my drawing, I will give you another 2 entries. Just be sure to leave another comment with the link to the post.

That's pretty much all there is to it. I will draw the winner on one of my favorite days, October 31st. You never know, I may just have to have more than one prize! I'm having too much fun..Be sure I have a way to contact you if you aren't a blogger. I hate it when someone wins and there is no way to tell them how lucky they are! I will ship internationally so ALL ARE WELCOME!!

Blogtoberfest 2009

Well, I stumbled across this last night and decided it would be a great way to get my act in gear and start blogging with some regularity. (It's not like I've been reclining on the couch eating bon-bons, mind you...) Now, that we're starting to settle in to the new house and we're getting back to a more normal state, I think I can try to commit (myself to an asylum?).

This blogging festival was created by Cathy (tinniegirl). Bloggers participate by posting every day for the month of October! (You can find a list of these brave blogsters by clicking on the button at the top or on tinniegirl's link.) It is a great way to really challenge yourself and share. I'm looking at it as a way to get my mind back to what is important to me and the family. I have some thoughts on different things I want to write about in the coming month. Many of these are subjects I haven't covered before and hopefully won't have too many of you scratching your heads saying "What the heck?".

I will also be doing a giveaway sometime during the month - I just haven't decided what or when..or how? If you go visit the fabulous blog Curlypops , you will find a list of some of the participants who are also having giveaways! Lots of fun to be had by all. I'm looking forward to seeing what so many bloggers will be coming up with to talk about on a daily basis. Hopefully, I will keep up the pace! Until tomorrow.....