2010 May | Dimes2Vines

Love2Link Giveaways 5/31

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Link your Giveaways below!

Don’t forget to enter these great giveaways:

101 Things I Learned in Culinary School – 3 Win! (5/5)

After you have linked up below, be sure to visit the Linky List for more great places to link your giveaways and enter to win some great prizes!

Linky List

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I am continuously updating the list of great places with giveaway linkys. Please let me know if you find a new site or a problem with the links listed.

Today, Friday, is MegaSwagbucks day again! This means the odds are higher to win the big bills! Of course there is no guarantee that you will win, but they do guarantee to award over 400,000 in Mega Bills!

If you have not already, sign up with Swagbucks (you get 30 bonus SB for signing up!), and begin using it as your search engine for your normal internet searches. The difference is, Swagbucks are awarded randomly for searches. These Swagbucks can then be redeemed at the Swagstore for merchandise from electronics, t-shirts, gift cards and much more. My favorite is the $5 Amazon.com gift card for 450SB. I think this is the most bang for the buck!

There are other ways to win also! Download the toolbar and it is at your fingertips! Swagcodes are periodically sent out in emails through the toolbar. Swaghunts are announced when a code is hidden somewhere on the site and you follow clues to find the code. There are also Special Offers to complete for Swagbucks.

Special Offers are available for many items from freebies to those which require a purchase. Yesterday, I took the time to complete a couple which interested me. American Greetings has a trial offer which pays 246 SB. Netflix also has a trial offer which awards 850 SB. I have the option to cancel before the end of my trial offer if I choose, and retain my Swagbucks. Check them out!

Hurry Up! Review/Giveaway

This Giveaway is Now Closed.

Congratulations #27, Birdie S.

Hurry Up is the new, fast paced, dice game from Random Line. Players compete to get the highest score but the clock is ticking so you better Hurry Up! Each challenge must be completed in 30 seconds. If you make it in the alloted 30 seconds, you not only get the challenge points but also add up the total of your dice for additional points. What happens if you don’t make it in 30 seconds? Sorry, no points!

While this game is stated to be for ages 8 and up, I found that even our younger children enjoy it with help. Because of the 30 second time limit, Hurry Up! held the attention of the children without their getting bored.

You May Purchase It! Hurry Up! is available from Random Line.com for about $15.00 including shipping.

You May Win It! I am pleased to offer one Dimes2Vines readers a Hurry Up! game. This giveaway will end on June 12, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hrs to respond or another winner will be selected. 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.

Mandatory Entry: Visit RandomLine.com and play one of the online demos – Leave a comment letting me know which one you played.

Extra Entries:

**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.

**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.

**Follow RandomLine on Twitter.

**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.

**Become a fan of Dimes2Vines on Facebook.

**Become a fan of RandomLine on Facebook.

**Leave a comment on RandomLine’s Facebook page – may be as simple as “great idea!”

**Mention this Giveaway on your Facebook.

** Enter my other giveaway.

**Comment on a non-giveaway post and leave a comment here telling which one.

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 Hurry Up! game for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

101 Things I Learned in Culinary School Review/Giveaway

This Giveaway is Now Closed – Thanks for participating!

Congratulations to all three of our winners:
#38 – Elana
#86 – Nancy
#62 – Ed

Culinary School – what comes to mind with those words? Le Cordon Bleu? World renown chefs? Julia Childs?The movie – Julia and Julie? Unattainable?

Culinary Professor, Louis Eguaras from the California School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu Program, a former White House chef who as cooked for foreign dignitaries as well as many celebrities, brings his knowledge to you. In his very interesting book, 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School, tips from his years of experience hold the reader captive – 101 tips to be precise! Not only is this intriguing but also educational!

Here is a quiz from the tips in 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School:

In Kitchen Lingo what do the following mean: “In The Weeds”? ”Make it Cry”? “Down the Hudson”? “Check the Score”?
Rate the sales of the following cookbooks in order: “The Joy of Cooking”, “Better Homes and Gardens” and “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook”.
What is the most popular meat in the world?
Why is the chef’s jacket reversible and double breasted?
What is the difference between how cookware and bakeware is measured?

The answers to these questions are just a few of the interesting tips I learned from reading this book. We had a family quiz and my husband was able to rate the sales of the cookbooks and several others figured out what “Make It Cry” meant! I would never have guessed what the most popular meat in the world is! I now also know how to properly hold a knife!

You May Purchase It! “101 Things I Learned in Culinary School” may be purchased at local bookstores for $15 – $18.

You May Win It! I am pleased to offer three Dimes2Vines readers a copy of “101 Things I Learned in Culinary School”. This giveaway will end on June 5, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hrs to respond or another winner will be selected. 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.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment stating your favorite cooking tip.

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.

** Enter my other giveaway.

**Comment on a non-giveaway post and leave a comment here telling which one.

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 of “101 Things I Learned in Culinary School” 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.

National Consumer Panel Openings!

I just received an email stating that the National Consumer Panel has openings!

Are you familiar with the National Consumer Panel? It is a national organization made up of people like you and me that provide information by what we purchase. These opinions help manufacturers and retailers decide what products to produce and improve. If accepted as a member, you will be sent a hand held scanner. After returning home from shopping, you or a family member simply scan the bar codes of the products purchased. Then weekly, you send them your information.

What are the benefits? You will earn points that may be redeemed for name brand merchandise including, electronics, household items, jewelry, toys and more! You are also earning entries into their sweepstakes. And, you are making your opinions count!

To join, simply fill out the information form on the NCP website. You will know after submitting the first page whether they are accepting in your area or not. Always before when applying, I received the message after the first page, that there were no openings in our area! I am making progress! This time I received the message after completing the whole form, that I was placed on a waiting list and will be sent a scanner when selected. The form is 5 pages and took no more than 5 minutes to answer all the household information. I am excited to see what happens!

Stella & Dot Bridal Boutique

Stella & Dot has a beautiful collection of picture perfect styles for that special bride-to-be on her day. And, do not forget: the mother-of-the-bride, mother-of-the-groom, flower girls, and guests.

Don’t neglect any aspect of the most special day in a girl’s life. From the heirloom pieces to the little girl’s pearl accessories, Stella & Dot has is covered.

Internet Security

Have you checked your computer security lately or have you become slack? It is so easy to think that would never happen to me! Why take the time and thought to worry over something that will never occur. After all, who would be interested in me, my identity or my computer?

The answer: Hackers!

Often, it is nothing personal and many times is an automated program. Often, the culprit is merely trying to gain pageviews for a certain web site to increase the google pagerank by redirecting the visitor. If it is identity theft, the culprit stands much to gain – from money, investment information to credit card numbers. It is definitely well worth the time it requires to protect yourself with easy to perform computer maintenance.

Think about the security of your computer:

Passwords – are they strong? A strong password contains not only letters (both lower and upper case) but also numbers and symbols. In addition, don’t write passwords down anywhere and do not have your computer remember them. Be sure to choose something other than family birth dates, address, phone number or other common combinations of such information.
Install and activate firewall software. Keep all software updated!
Install and activate antispyware. Keep all software updated!
Run antivirus software and keep it updated!
Beware of emails that sound to good to be true.
When buying online, designate one credit card to use for online purchases. Many credit card companies now offer a virtual number for a one time use, take advantage of these.
Be careful when sharing personal information online, especially in chat rooms or forums.
Do not give account information unless you have initiated the phone call or online request (ie. gone to the official website yourself, not being redirected from an email).

Unfortunately, sometimes no matter what steps are taken, leaks occur. Not to long ago, I received a call from our credit card company asking to check some unusual charges to our account. Thankfully, they did check as we had not make the purchases in question – over $500 worth of purchases! In fact, the card in question was still in my purse! When I questioned the security agent about how it occured with the card in my purse, he replied that often, thousands of combinations of numbers are tried until the culprit finds one that works. In this case, I had used the credit card for online purchases but was unable to trace the point at which the card was compromised. Remember, never give out personal information over the phone. The agent gave me the last 4 digits of the credit card but never asked for my account number or any personal information.

Use common sense and take the time to protect yourself.

I understand that these steps cost more time, but in the long run, they could save a lot more than time!

Pruning and Training in the Vineyard

Pruning and training in the vineyard is the consuming work during the spring and early summer of the year. With 20 acres of grapes, there is plenty of work for everyone! First, the dead wood must be cut out. Because of the wind here in west Texas, I have not taken any pictures of pruning.

Now, we are training the varieties from the 2009 planting. If the vine has gone dormant and weathered the winter well, it is just a matter of cleaning up the new buds. This is done by popping or cutting off the new buds so all of the energy for growth is directed toward upward growth. The first priority is to get the vine up to the cordon wire. Then, the growth is directed laterally in two arms going in opposite directions.

In the picture below, you can see a vine which was planted last spring (2009). It was trained last year. If left unattended, a grape vine will make a bush. To train a grape vine, the most vigorous and well oriented or straightest sprig is selected and taped to the bamboo. A 4 ft piece of bamboo supports the upward growth until it is tall enough to reach the horizontal wire or cordon. The vine pictured below had not made it to the cordon wire before winter came.

Now you can see the same plant pruned. The vine is up to the cordon wire with one arm which is taped to the south. Taping the first arm toward the south is done for a couple of reasons: it makes the vineyard uniform and also the strongest arm is facing into the wind – our winds here in west Texas are predominately from the south/southwest.

Here you can see a vine being taped:

We use a tape gun which uses green tape and staples. The tape can be pulled so that loose loops are made so as not to inhibit the growth, yet tight enough so as to hold the vine. If the loop is taped too tightly, the tape will girdle the vine and cause death.

Last week we completed the initial training of 5 acres of Aglianico and 5 acres of Montepulciano which we planted in 2009. An additional 5 acres of Roussanne, also planted in 2009, were hurt by late spring freezes. We will begin training them next week. This week we are going back through the Montepulciano re-taping the new growth.

Needless to say, a lot of hours and a lot of sunscreen are going into our family vineyard!

Restaurant.com: New Promo Code!

Save 80% Off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert
Use code: FLAG
Pay $2
Valid 5/31/10.

Restaurant.com offers deep discounts by partnering with many restaurants across the country. These are certificates to help your dollars go farther! Just like stores, restaurants want your business.
I have bought them and they really are legitimate deals!

So, if you have a favorite restaurant or there is a new one you have been wanting to try, now may be the time! Just click on the link above, type in your zip code to see the participating restaurants in your area and purchase the desired certificates. Once purchased you are able to print and use immediately!

These are great for a date night!

God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. They are all ours and we still love each other after 26 years! Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama (with paycheck) to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas (no paycheck yet!) 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 hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have.