2009 December | Dimes2Vines

2009 in Review

I was privileged to participate in the group writing project sponsored by Daniel Scocco at Daily Blog Tips. The topic was 2009 in Review and there were 90 participants. My post “My Top 40 Frugal Living Tips for 2009” was published in the General category. Other categories include: Blogging and Social Media, Business and Marketing, Cooking and Parenting, Lifestyle, Writing and Education and Technology and the Internet. If you are interested there are some good articles worth the reading from many different perspectives.

Christmas Lights

Our children really enjoy decorating for Christmas both inside and out. Even though our rental house is small and on an out of the way country road, they were not deterred. They outlined a portion of our house’s profile with lights. Not many other people may see it, but we enjoy it.

Last night we made a drive to the near-by, small town to look at the Christmas light displays. There is nothing like it to increase your festive spirit, especially when viewed with a van full of children.

The highlight was a house and yard whose many strands of blinking lights were choreographed to musical selections. As you pulled up to the house, a sign instructed you to tune your radio to a particular frequency. Their private, low-power station broadcasted chosen songs to which the lights blinked, flashed and faded. It was fabulous! Since we were one of very few viewing (it being a weeknight), we sat through almost two whole sets. From then on, as we pulled up to another house really decked out with lights, our younger boys would ask us to “turn it on” too. They thought all extensive light displays should play to music – wouldn’t it be neat if they did!

Staying Fit - The Never Ending Battle!

Staying fit is definitely a never ending battle, a lifelong challenge. Several people have asked me recently, what I do to stay fit. As you can read here, I have and still do enjoy several different forms of exercise. I still love bicycling on my trainer and do it frequently. The primary program I use now is the Chalean Extreme. I purchased the Chalean Extreme last January with Christmas money that my mother gave me. I admit, this was not a frugal purchase. But, taking into consideration, the cost of a gym membership, the gas and time to get to a gym, it has been a worthwhile investment.
The Chalean Extreme is a 3 month program which is divided into circuits. Each Circuit is a month long training program involving three days working with weights and two days of cardio.

The first phase is the Burn Circuit. This phase is geared toward revving your metabolism. The goal with each exercise is to do 12 repetitions. When you are fatigued to the point of not being able to do a single rep more, this is called “failure”. This is the point you desire to achieve. This shows you have lifted heavy enough. Toward the last few exercises, you “get extreme baby!”. That means, that though you have reached failure, you eak out 3 more ultra-slow reps with the goal being to build muscle. It is muscle that allows an increased metabolism enabling you to eat more without weight gain.

The second phase is the Push Circuit. It is geared toward building muscle so as to burn fat. Three days a week you lift heavier than the previous month and two day a week are again cardio. Your goal in this circuit is 8 reps per exercise pushing your limits beyond what you think yourself capable of doing.

The third phase is the Lean Circuit. It is in this phase that the girls and I noticed the most visible results. You are still lifting with heavy weights but your “extreme sets” are with each exercise rather than as in previous circuits, only the last few.

The girls and I went through all 3 circuits in Jan., Feb. and March of this year. Each of us dropped a size in our jeans! Then, the vineyard work picked up with a lot of hoeing and we felt as if we were getting enough exercise with just that! We started back doing the Chalean Extreme in October and again are enjoying the hard work of a good exercise program. We are in week 3 of the Push circuit and looking forward to moving into the Lean circuit week after next.

I decided to purchase directly from Beachbody for the complete program including bands that are very effective (my daughter uses). Along with the 6 DVDs including 15 workouts, I also received a body fat tester, a thigh toner band, the Fat Burning Food Guide, the Muscle Burns Fat Guidebook, a motivational CD and a Healthy Eats Kitchen Makeover DVD. I have been very pleased with the customer service I have received. They have a lifetime warranty (for an additional charge) which for me, with little ones is helpful in replacing scratched DVDs. I would recommend, if you purchase from Beachbody, remove the DVDs from the folder they come in and place in them in a DVD holder. I did not do this and it has been the source of several scratched DVDs for me!

Whether you are looking for a Christmas present or a new workout for the New Year, I can recommend the Chalean Extreme from personal experience. The 10-Minute Trainer and the P90-X, I can recommend on the word of people I trust. If you are not completely satisfied. Beachbody offers a 30 day money back guarantee.

There are other programs available from Beachbody that I have not personally tried but have heard good things about.

My son and his wife like the 10 Minute Trainer. I look forward to trying it later.

If you have 1 to 1-1/2 hrs to train, you would probably like the P90-X program. I have heard that is the ultimate in extreme workouts! Maybe sometime in the future – I love a challenge!

I was not compensated for this review and the opinions are my own. I purchased the Chalean Extreme for personal use. Dimes2vines is a paid affiliate of Product Partners, LLC.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women Giveaway!

Just like chicken soup is comforting when you are sick, so are the devotional stories found in Chicken Soup for the Soul; Devotional Stories for Women. This book contains 101 devotions that are meant to be read on a daily basis. To be honest though, I have found them so interesting and encouraging, I sit and read several at a time. The stories speak to women and their needs. Each devotion gives the reassurance that as women, we are not alone in what we are experiencing. In our busy lives, it is easy to forget that other women are going through the same things that we are. The stories include inspiration, encouragement, and humor. Chicken Soup for the Soul does a good job of helping you see God in life’s daily events.

One of the author’s, Susan Heim, has generously offered a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul; Devotional Stories for Women to one Dimes2Vines reader.

4 Ways To enter:
1. Leave a comment telling why you think you would enjoy this book.

2. Follow me on twitter @dimes2vines and leave a comment with your twitter name.
( If you already follow on twitter, leave a comment letting me know you do.)

3. Subscribe to Dimes2Vines via email ( in upper left sidebar) and leave a comment letting me know did.
( If you already subscribe, leave a comment letting me know you do.)

4. Tweet about this site and this giveaway and leave a comment with your link.

This Giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on 12/21/2009 at 9pm. The winner will be selected at random, posted here at Dimes2Vines and notified by email. Please make sure to leave contact information in your comment.

I received a free review copy of the book but no other compensation was given for this review. This did not bias my review and the opinions expressed are my own.

Golden Moon Tea Review

I was privileged to be selected to review five sample teas from Golden Moon Tea. I must admit that as a devout coffee drinker, I do occasionally enjoy a hot cup of tea. This was definitely true of the samples I received.

The flavors I tasted were English Breakfast, French Breakfast, Coconut Pouchong, Sugar Caramel Oolong and Tippy Earl Grey. They were packaged in silver foil packets and contained loose tea. I was not prepared for that – my tea ball is still in Alabama! Staying true to my frugal lifestyle, rather than buy a tea ball, I steeped the leaves in a cup and strained them with a strainer. Ingenious right! Seriously though, a great cup of tea was produced.

There is a lot of interesting information on their site about the history of, brewing and different types of teas. Especially of interest is the brewing instructions so as to avoid bitterness. If you enjoy specialty teas, they are definitely worth a look.

As a favor to my readers, Golden Moon Tea is offering a 10% off code: Dimes2Vines which is good thru Jan. 1, 2010.

I received samples for this review but no other compensation. This did not bias my opinion and the views expressed are my own.

Homemade Salsa

Our family loves chips and salsa. One way I have tried to cut expenses is by freezing chopped tomatoes from our garden to use in making homemade salsa. I just made the first batch substituting the frozen chopped tomatoes for the canned tomatoes and its tastes great! The only other change I made in the following recipe was to leave out the tomato paste. This recipe is so easy and is plenty thick without the tomato paste. I hope you enjoy it!

Homemade Salsa

2 – 28oz cans tomatoes 1 Tbsp salt

1 – 6oz. can tomato paste 1tsp cumin

1 large onion 1 tsp black pepper

4 jalapeno peppers 1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Cut jalepeno peppers in 1/2 and microwave for 40 seconds. Scrape seeds out of 1/2 the peppers.

Blend 1 can tomatoes and cilantro.

Blend all other ingredients and mix together.

Adjust the amount of peppers you scrape the seeds out of to adjust the spiciness of the salsa.

*** Freeze the remainder of the cilantro bunch for future batches.

Must the

The “terrible two’s”! We have all dreaded the time when our adorable toddler turns two years old for this is the onset. Some children come into this stage sooner than the age of two and others a bit later. Needless to say, they all do it. But, what exactly do they do? They make messes, which others must clean up, they get into things and they throw tantrums. Our society teaches that the “terrible two’s” is normal. Must it really be as it is labelled?

Around the age of two, children begin to realize and exert their own will. They discover they are independent from their parents and do not necessarily need to follow the parent’s directions. Their new found independence revolves around their ability to move around more freely (walking) and a growing ease of coordination in mechanical movements.

Awareness is the first step to taking “terrible” out of the “terrible two’s”. The messes that toddlers make can be minimized with more attentiveness. Reduce opportunities for them to be made by placing items out of reach -also known as “child-proofing” your home. Being aware of the child’s increased mobility and curiosity, will not only help cut down on the unnecessary clean-ups but also helps protect the child from hurting himself.

Throwing tantrums is probably the most common characteristic of the “terrible two’s”. Dealing with them, again involves awareness. Not necessarily that your child is in the “terrible two’s” stage, but that your child is learning to be his own person. You may have to be more creative in directing his energy, setting boundaries and being consistent.

Changing our expectations as parents is the second step to taking the “terrible” out of the “terrible two’s”. Much of how our children behave is the product of what we expect. If we expect the “terrible two’s”, complete with tantrums, that is exactly what we will get. If, on the other hand, we excitedly anticipate the growth and development of our child’s personality and will, our perspective will change. No longer will this important stage in our child’s development be labelled as “the terrible two’s”. It will become the start of a life long learning process for us and the child. Building a relationship with your child during this stage yields many rewards, present and future. It is time to stop accepting what our culture calls normal. Raise your expectations and enjoy your toddler as he grows, develops and learns to be an adult.

Texas Sunrise!

One of the beauties of living here in west Texas are the sunrises. I am sure we had the same in Alabama, but you could not see them for the trees! I am constantly amazed at the beauty and splendor of God’s creation.

How To Make Yogurt

Yogurt is something our family really enjoys. Once I discovered how easy it is to make, our consumption definetly increased! Before we had Buttercup, to give us fresh milk, the most economical way to make yogurt was with powdered milk. When using powdered milk, I would mix the milk according to the package instructions and proceed with the recipe. I used store bought yogurt with active cultures as my starter. For larger batches, just remember to maintain the 1/2 c. starter per 1 gallon of milk ratio.

Homemade Yogurt

1 gallon whole or skim milk
1/2 c cultured plain yogurt starter*

Heat milk over medium heat to 180F. Allow milk to cool to 115F – 120F. I place the pot of milk into a sink of cold water to speed the cooling process.

Once the milk has cooled, add starter and stir well.

Pour into steralized jars. I steralize my jars by placing 1/2″ of water in each jar and microwave until the water boils. The steam from the boiling water steralizes the jar. When removing jars from the microwave, be careful, they are hot!

Wrap the jars in a bath towel and place in a warm, out of the way place for 6 – 12 hours. I wrap the jars, place them in an insulated cooler and leave overnight.

Unwrap the jars and refrigerate. The yogurt will separate if not chilled before using.

Save 1/2 c. to start your next batch.

* Starter can be store bought yogurt as long as it states “contains active yogurt cultures” on the label. Starter may also be purchased from The New England Cheese Making Supply. I have used both successfully.

** After several batches, the culture may not be as strong and the consistency of the finished product may not be as thick. When this occurs, I simply start with a new culture.

Educator.com Review and Giveaway

This Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for participating.
Congratulations Buttons and Bows!

As a home educating mom, I was pleased when asked to review the Educator.com program. I admit I was a bit skeptical but pleasantly surprised at the quality of what I found. At educator.com, it is possible for anyone to learn from the best scholastic content on the web. They cover high school and university topics in math, science and computer programming.

Their goal is to provide you with everything you need to succeed in your courses. By providing the best instructors in a subject, creating a one to one learning situation and affordable pricing, they are well on their way.

Highlights of the program, in my opinion are:

A search engine and detailed syllabus to locate when in the lecture a topic is covered. This means that you can go right to the point in the lecture that is of interest.
Detailed notes with each lecture.
Multiple examples are worked out and explained for each lecture.
There is an interactive student comment section, moderated by the professor, to assure that each question is answered.
Learning is possible from the comfort of your own home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The program is self-paced with unlimited access to all courses. Students may watch and re-watch lectures.

Systems requirements are clearly stated on the website. They also provide free sample lectures for each subject provided. This is especially helpful to see if you are happy with the speed and performance of the lectures when viewed with your internet connection.

If you are a parent of a high school, home school, or college student, you may want to take a look at educator.com. With a subscription price of $24/mth or $175/yr., it is priced far less than a traditional tutor. Having the added benefit of 24/7 availability from the comfort of your own home, It is worth checking out.

Educator.com has generously offered one Dimes2Vines reader a free 3 month subscription!

There are 5 Ways to Enter:

* Leave a comment telling me which is your, your child’s, or another person’s most difficult subject.

* Blog about this giveaway and link to this page. Don’t forget to leave a comment and your link.

* Subscribe to dimes2vines via email or RSS Feed (in left sidebar) and leave a comment letting me know you have.

* Follow @dimes2vines on twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.

* Tweet this sentence: {Win 3 months of educator.com #Giveaway @dimes2vines http://tinyurl.com/yzug6l6} Leave a comment with your tweet link.

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each of the above entries with email address or other contact information in case you win. This Giveaway will end 12/19/09 at 9pm and is open to U.S. residents only. The winner will be selected randomly and posted here at dimes2vines.

I received a free trial subscription to educator.com for the review but no other compensation was given. This did not bias my opinion and the views expressed are my own. A special thanks to The Product Review Place and Educator.com for providing me with this review opportunity.