This Giveaway is Now Closed! Thank you all for your comments and participation.
Congratulations: Donna K!
A moisturizer which gives that healthy sun kissed look!
Sun Sauce Moisturizer with a touch of Sunless is a light everyday moisturizer created for all skin types. Sun Sauce is a blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and is enriched with ingredients found in the finest cosmetics: Hemp Seed Oil, Monoi Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, and Shea Butter.
How does it work? Dihydroxyacetone know as DHA is a simple carbohydrate often derived from fermenting glycerin from sugar cane or beets – it is a naturally occurring fruit sugar. When applied to the skin, DHA reacts to your bodies’ amino acids producing a pigmentation change. The resulting tan lasts 4-7 days and fades gradually as your skin exfoliates.
I found Sun Sauce to be a light and sheer moisturizer with a faint but pleasant scent. It left my skin with a natural sun kissed look. With summer approaching quickly, the time for shorts and sleeveless shirts is also soon to be here. Knowing that ultraviolet rays can have such damaging effects to the skin, Sun Sauce is a great alternative to sunbathing. Sun Sauce offers the natural color of a suntan without the skin damage.
You May Purchase an 18 oz bottle of Sun Sauce at SunSauce.com for $20.00.
You May Win It! I am pleased to offer one Dimes2Vines readers an 18 oz bottle of Sun Sauce Moisturizer Touch of Sunless. This giveaway will end on March 13, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter and/or Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Visit SunSauce.com and leave a comment letting me know which other product you would like to try.
Extra Entries:
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a bottle of Sun Sauce for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place and Sun Sauce for this opportunity.
This Giveaway is Now Closed! Thank you all for participating.
Congratulations: Krista W!
Math, math concepts, numbers, estimating, measuring – do these words cause stress?
“Adventures in Mathopolis: Estimating and Measuring” coauthored by Catherine Weishopf with Karen Ferrell, and Linda Powley encourages problem solving skills for children grades 3-5. ” Adventures in Mathopolis” transforms math into a fun exercise with its humor and cartoon illustrations. As children read the story they encounter one math problem after another.
The four main characters are:
- Lostis Marbles who is the number loving mayor of Mathopolis. Unfortunately, he usually gets them mixed up until two superheroes come to his rescue.
- Elexus Estimator quickly estimates volume, height, weight and other quantities.
- Maverick Measurer who believes accuracy in math is all important.
- Acer Eraser who erases numbers in Mathopolis causes all types of problems.
My son is ½ finished reading and working through “The Adventures in Mathopolis: Estimating and Measuring” and is actually enjoying it! In addition to reinforcing math skills, he has also learned new problem solving skills. “The Adventures in Mathopolis” capitalizes on a child’s enjoyment of an adventure with superheroes. Intertwined in the adventure are applicable math lessons presented in a nonthreatening way. If your child enjoys adventure books, Mathopolis is a great way to learn math skills while having fun reading.
You May Purchase books by Catherine Weishopf, Karen Ferrell, and Linda Powley through Amazon: 
Estimating and Measuring (Adventures in Mathopolis)
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow: Fractions and Decimals (Adventures in Mathopolis)
The Great Polygon Caper (Adventures in Mathopolis)
You May Win It! I am pleased to offer one Dimes2Vines readers a 2 volumn set of the Mathopolis series: “Adventures in Mathopolis: Estimating and Measuring” and “Adventures in Mathopolis: Fractions and Decimals”. This giveaway will end on March 13, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter and/or Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Leave a comment letting me know who you would like this book for and why.
Extra Entries:
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a copy for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place and Catherine Weiskopf for this opportunity
Swagbucks is celebrating!
In honor of their second birthday, I am thrilled to offer my readers who have not signed up yet for Swagbucks, a special code which will give 60 Bonus Swagbucks! It is case sensitive and good from Thurs. Feb. 25, 2010 at 6 am PST until Thurs. March 4, 2010 at 6 am PST.
The code is: DIMES2VINES
Swagbucks is ready to celebrate and they want you to join in the fun! If you are already signed up, they will be doing a LOT of swagcode giveaways with plenty of opportunities to earn free bucks today, Feb. 25! Also, starting today, any swagbucks in your account will be multiplied by 10 as will the prices of items at the swagstore. This will enable them to offer swagbucks to users in ways never before imagined! If you have 45 swagbucks in your account, you will now have 450! The Amazon Gift Card which was 45SB will now be 450SB. Prices are not being raised just multiplied along with your bucks.
If you don’t know yet, Swagbucks is a totally free search engine that awards “bucks” randomly. These bucks can then be redeemed at the Swagstore for great prizes including electronics, gift cards, apparel – the list goes on! My personal favorite is the $5 Amazon Gift Card. I think it gives the most bang for the buck!
The celebration also includes:
- The launching of Swagbucks.com 3.0 with special features and tons of Swagcode giveaways through their blog, twitter, and facebook.
- Earn swagbucks by viewing their special “No Obligation” offers.
- Earn swagbucks by downloading the toolbar and being logged in through the toolbar. Downloading is easy to do and I find that having the toolbar at my fingertips, makes searching with Swagbucks even easier and more convenient.
- Launch of the Swagstore Portal: Previously they had a dozen on-going sweepstakes (called Swagstakes) at any given time. Now with the lauch of 3.0 there willl be dozens of Swagstakes running at all times! Tentative items offered include: $100 Amazon Gift Cards, Sony 25″ TV, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod Touch, Rachel Ray 10pc Cookware set and much more!
Head on over to Swagbucks and join in the celebration, download the toolbar and start winning!
Coupons to stockpile – do you stockpile when you can?
One item large families use a ton of is …. you guessed it – toilet paper! I hate spending money on it because, well, you just flush it! Like so many things though, it is definitely a necessity. That is why I stockpile when I have a great coupon. In the Sunday paper on Feb 7th there was a coupon for $1 off any white cloud product which expires 4/7/2010. Our Walmart has the 4 pack of white cloud for $2, making it only $1 after the coupon. If you have not used coupons before or are new to couponing, read Coupon Basics.
This is an example of a coupon I will buy and still save quite a bit. If you did not receive it, it is available on ebay. But, with John doing the paper route, I now have the leftover inserts that did not sell. So, I was able to buy 26, 4-packs of white cloud toilet paper for only $0.25 per roll!
For more information on coupons, read Coupon Sources and Coupon Organization.
With savings dwindling and the house in Alabama not selling, we have gotten creative in generating income! My husband has taken a paper route. Yes, he has gone back to his childhood days, except now, on the paper route, he is driving a car instead of a bike. He and our oldest daughter get up before dawn, about 3:30 am, to faithfully deliver the papers to our little town. This has become special father/daughter time for them. On the weekends, the other children alternately go with them in twos to help with the inserts. They started with one paper route to fund her college and added a second and longer route when it became available. This second paper route is stretching our living expense money. Talk about creatively generating income!
This paper route has become part of our frugal living family adventure! The other children love going on the weekends. The only problem so far is car sickness. When rolling a paper to put a rubber band it on it – you must not only look down ,but, keep looking up, or otherwise…
Do you take the paper? If so, do you tip your carrier? We did not receive the paper so I had never thought about this before! It is amazing to see how nice some people are. Everything from money, cards, cookies and a ham have been left in mailboxes as tips! Many people have special requests as to where and how they want their papers delivered. If you are one of these, please understand that every special detour not only costs time but also money in gasoline! Whether you have special requests or not, consider that your carrier is up and out, way before the normal hour to get you your paper, on time, 7 days a week – no exceptions!
My husband, with his chemistry background has turned these routes into a science. He has determined the most efficient route both for time and gasoline. He checks weather to see if bagging is necessary because they too (like rubber bands) cost money which comes out of the profit.
It is easy to take for granted the people behind the scenes. I definitely have thought more about those who provide me everyday services, such as, mailmen, trash collectors, UPS deliverers … you know the ones who serve you. Yes, these people get paid, but often the base pay is not that much. Even so, a tip of any kind will brighten their day and show gratitude.
This Giveaway is Now Closed! Thank you all for participating.
Congratulations Tabathia!
Probiotics for children!
EvoraKids is the first probiotic-based, all-natural oral care created to promote and maintain healthy teeth for children 3-10 years old. Available in the tasty Wild Very Cherry Berry chewable tablets, EvoraKids includes Oragenics patent pending ProBiora3 technology.
ProBiora3 is a blend of three beneficial bacteria. These probiotics effectively compete with certain harmful bacteria for both nutrients and space on tooth surfaces.
EvoraKids reaches where toothbrushes and floss cannot, into the crevices on the chewing surfaces of teeth. According to the American Dental Association, 80-90% of cavities in children occur on the chewing surfaces! Since children tend to eat sugary foods and often have not learned the importance of good oral hygiene, the bacteria causing tooth decay (Steptococcus mutans) thrives in young mouthes. EvoraKids helps combat this!
Our children love the taste! If I do forget to give EvoraKids, no fear, they remind me! While we do not eat a diet high in sugary foods, I am all for taking extra steps to insure healthy teeth.
EvoraKids will be available worldwide through mass retail and pharmacies as well as online. It is available now at EvoraKids.com for $19.95.
You May Win It! I am pleased to offer one Dimes2Vines readers a 30-day supply of EvoraKids.
This giveaway will end on March 6, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter of Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Leave a comment letting me know what strategies you use to get your children to brush their teeth. This is the first and mandatory entry.
Extra Entries:
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Follow EvoraKids on Twitter
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Follow EvoraKids on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a 30-day supply of EvoraKids for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place for this opportunity.
Our new house – can you see it? OK, I know I am asking for some imagination but eventually it will be beautiful! We have been talking about staking the house site and we did it. It overlooks the vineyard and eventually (Lord willing) will be surrounded by vineyard as we expand. If you look carefully, you can see 4 white arrows pointing to the stakes at the 4 corners of what will be our new house.
Think Italy, Tuscany, wine country with rolling hills – maybe forget the hills since there are none here – quaint, picturesque, you get the picture. If all goes according to plan (and they are always subject to change) the house will be one story with basement, stucco and have a metal roof which looks like terra-cotta tile. I think for landscaping we will use cactuses (since I won’t have to water them!) surrounded by pebbles.
For now, the plan for the house is to begin digging and building the basement. It will be a walk-out basement, meaning that three sides will be covered with dirt leaving only one side exposed. I never thought I would be so excited about living like a mole.
When completed, the basement will be slightly bigger than the house we rent now. Once the house in Alabama sells, we will finish the upstairs.
This will be the view from the front porch once the whole house is completed. Now, in winter the look is so different than what it will be in the summer. Though the vines have no foliage and are bare-looking, they have their own beauty even now. Once we expand 10 more acres, the vineyard will be up to the house.
Just to be on our own property, so close to the vineyard is exciting to plan towards. Even if it does mean living like a mole for now!!!!
One way I have stretched our budget is through the use of Swagbucks. What you see pictured below came in the mail and was purchased using Amazon gift cards bought with Swagbucks! I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage you to think about items you already use or items you would like to purchase that you could possibly get for free.
If you are not familiar with Swagbucks read more here. Basically, it is a free search engine (yes, it is really free – no catches!) that awards “bucks” for your normal daily searches. To make searching with Swagbucks even more convenient, simply download the toolbar. Swagbucks are awarded randomly and can then be used for purchases at the Swagstore . The $5 Amazon giftcard for 45SB, in my opinion, gives the most bang for the buck! As a bonus, you will get 3 Bonus Swagbucks just for signing up! What are you waiting for?
If you are a bread maker and use wheat gluten, Amazon has the least expensive price when you set up an automatic delivery order. With this automatic delivery, you are given a 15% discount and free shipping! You also have the flexibiltiy of choosing the scheduled timing intervals and you will receive an email before the scheduled delivery with the option to cancel if necessary. Using my gift cards earned with Swagbucks, I no longer have to pay for it out of pocket!
Much has been posted about monetizing your blog – a lot of good advice given. One resource that I have found particularly helpful is an absolutely free ebook: Make Money Blogging written by Daniel Scocco. It covers the basics of blogging from the importance of content, consistency in posting, blog design, networking to monetizing your blog. Daniel clearly explains the how’s of monetizition. If you already have a blog or are just thinking about starting one, I would highly recommend this great resource. Just go here and sign up for his free newsletter. He will send you a link to download the ebook. I enjoy receiving his emails and find them filled with a wealth of information.
Scams: Avoid them using common sense!
As many of you know, it has been two years now since we began our lifestyle change adventure. Our house in Alabama still has not sold. As a result, we are tightening the belt, so to speak, even more so. One thing we are in the process of doing is trying to sell our boat. We used the boat for water skiing at least every other weekend in Alabama! There are many fun memories of family times together centered around that boat. But, realistically, we have not used it since bringing it out here to west Texas. There are three main reasons: expense, time and lack of water in close proximity.
We have the boat listed on Craigslist and have had quite a bit of interest. . We are waiting on the Texas title and are very deliberate to tell people. Most are willing to wait and we are taking it on a first come first serve basis. One interested party brought back memories of a scam I fell victim to. This particular lady wanted to purchase it without the title, paying cash and having only a bill of sale until the title comes. My husband assured her that we are honest, we trust us - but should she?
Many years ago, I was also naively trusting of a seller. He was selling a beautiful commercial stove. I went to look it at it alone (mistake #1), payed for it in full (mistake #2) and made arrangments to pick it up in a week (mistake #3). Yes, you guessed it, there was no stove when we went to pick it up! What a scam! The seller filed bankrupcy and I was left without my money and no stove! Sad, but a good lesson learned.
Unfortunately, in this day and time, people are not always as they appear, scams are everywhere. Craigslist even has scam warnings on their site attesting to their prevalence. I am not saying to distrust everyone. But, use caution, common sense and seek counsel (take someone else with you/get a second opinion). If an opportunity seems to good to be true… it probably is!
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Grab My Dime! 
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About Me 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has been challenging to say the least. I have had the opportunity to take a crash course in frugal living and become a real farm girl - complete with milk cow and chickens. I have learned the importance of health from the inside out, "traditional" cooking and cod liver oil!
I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have. |
