Have you heard the song, “These Boots are Made for Walking” sung by Nancy Sinatra, 1966?
That is what our now, two year old thinks about the birthday present her oldest brother and his family gave her – A pair of bright pink croc boots.
She absolutely adores them. For starters, she can put them on herself. She may have them on the wrong feet, but it doesn’t stop her! What could be better?
The problem – she does not want to take them off!!
Paired with her new purse, she is definitely a fashion statement and ready to go.
I think we have a Fashionista on our hands!
For those of you who have not had personal experience with the item pictured above, specifically, the mouse trap, more power to you!
We, on the other hand, know the joy of hearing the quiet but telling “click” which signals victory! I love a movie line from Galaxy Quest spoken by Fred after he blows up the rock monster, “It’s the little things in life!”
While living in the country has distinct advantages, one problem is the mice. Being surrounded by cultivated fields, in an older rental house, which does not seal well, we periodically have mice problems. They especially seek shelter after the farmers plow and harvest. (I’m sorry girls – I told the world our secret problem!)
If you have never had the pleasure of setting a mouse trap, the first step is to smear peanut butter on the plastic cheese piece. I don’t know who thought of making a plastic swiss cheese piece – they obviously have never tried to catch a mouse! Mice are not stupid. They know real food and real food smells. So, after experimenting, the mice here in west Texas prefer peanut butter and the plastic swiss cheese piece is where you put it.
After the trap is baited, you very carefully pull the wire thing, that looks like a squared off u, back and latch it with the staight piece of wire. It can be a painful operation if it “clicks” on your finger. Even if it doesn’t “click” on your finger, it scares you half to death! It always amazes me how my fear of the “click” is so disproportional to the pain it actually inflicts!
Once the trap is set, you VERY gently place it in a high traffic area. High traffic, that is, for mice, not people. How do you know where the high traffic area is? You will know by the droppings they leave behind – which is probably how you knew you had mice in the first place. Otherwise, VERY gently place it where you think they are, and … wait. We normally set ours at night because that is when they seem to visit.
To date, our record is 6 mice caught in our kitchen in one evening!
It’s the little things!
Finally back to the land of the living! Our internet was knocked out by the thunderstorms which included rain, thunder, lightening and hail. This year we have had 36 inches of rain! That is three times the normal yearly rainfall! Four and a half inches fell in one night. Now, this would not be a big deal in lower Alabama, but here in west Texas, it is a major problem. Streets were flooded and just plain messy. Many crops have been hurt or destroyed.
Most of the chickens were huddled together in the cow palace. But, one, it seemed, needed some time out with its beak to the fence! I think a better time could have been picked. She must have decided so also, because not long after this picture was taken, she too ran for the safety of the cow palace.
The hail was the worst. Had it happened a couple of weeks earlier, we probably would have lost our grapes. By the time the storm was over, the ground was almost covered with pieces of hail ranging in size from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter.
The saddest thing, though, was the next day driving around while on an errand. The farmers around us had dug peanuts the week before and they were laying on top of the ground drying. Now, being so wet, the peanuts must dry quick enough so as not to rot and be a total loss.
The cotton was much the same story. If it had already been sprayed with a defoliant, much of the cotton bolls were lost in the hail. If it had not been sprayed, some of the cotton had weeped out of the boll, had mud splashed up on it, or had the possibility of being stained by the plant itself from all the water. Any of these sceneries bring a considerably lower prices to the farmer.
While we only lost about 1/3 of the foliage from the vines, others lost so much more. It is a stark reminder of how truly temporal this world and the things in it are if we set our hopes upon it.
13 “I set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
14 And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.” Genesis 9:13
In Good Girls don’t have to Dress Bad, Shari Braendel gives a style guide for every woman. Shari helps you determine important issues from your body type and dressing accordingly, to the colors which best compliment your skin, hair and eye colors.
What does it matter how I dress? As Christians, we should make sure our dress reflects who we are – a child of God, created in His image. The way we dress our temple says something about our character. Certainly, our inner beauty and character are the result of our relationship with the Lord, but He even addresses outward attire. The Proverbs 31 woman is clothed in fine linen and purple. It boils down to the fact that we are the Lord’s representatives on this earth. There is definitely a balance here. To quote from Shari,
“If your idea of beauty is based upon what we put on, rather than our relationship with the Creator of beauty, we’ve got a problem …. When we feel precious , redeemed and loved by our Saviour, we won’t need to impress with ostentatious clothing, jewelry or handbags. Instead, we’ll find an appropriate way to dress to reflect what’s going on inside us.”
Does your appearance reflect who you are on the inside? Shari offers a free color analysis to help determine which colors enhance your natural beauty. She also has a wardrobe plan list to help you build your wardrobe with mix and match items. The goal is to have your wardrobe filled with only the items that you like, which fit you well and in colors flattering to you.
I am not a clothes horse (and NO, you may not ask my husband’s opinion on this!) ) but I am a sucker for a “deal”. Therefore, I, and I suspect many of you, have a lot of clothes that you neither like nor feel good in. So, even though many of my clothes have been good deals, they really are not, because, they sit in my closet.
Good Girls don’t have to Dress Bad is a book every Christian woman should read. Shari is both encouraging spiritually and practically. I am having my daughters read it and we are discussing it chapter by chapter. After all, it is a mother’s responsibility to teach their daughters how to dress modestly and in a way which is becoming.
How does this book help you financially? Now, you will shop with a purpose. You can go shopping with the wardrobe plan list as an inventory of what you have and what you need. Armed with your most flattering colors (you may purchase color swatches after taking the color analysis) and knowledge of the styles best suited for your body type. You do not need to make impulsive, unnecessary purchases!
Shari is part of the Proverbs 31 ministry and has become one of the most sought-after Christian speakers across the nation. A fabulously fun fashionista, she is the host of the popular What to Wear Christian Women’s Conference and conducts fashion shows on modesty for teen girls. She also has an encouraging blog, A Beautiful Place, which I encourage you to visit.
I am in no way affiliated with Shari Braendel. She does know who I am because we have emailed – she is such an encourager! You may purchase Good Girls don’t have to Dress Bad online or at your local bookstore. I purchased mine through amazon using Swagbucks, so, there was no money out of pocket!
Our oldest daughter is engaged! We knew it was coming and were not surprised but are certainly pleased. I feel like the Lord has answered our prayers in sending her a godly young man. The official proposal (with ring) was October 4th.
Since our son-in-law-to-be had never seen Father of the Bride with Steve Martin, we watched it together (muting a couple of scenes for the younger children) the following weekend. If you have ever seen the movie, you will remember it is told from the father’s perspective. George (Steve Martin) and Nina’s (Diane Keaton) daughter Annie had returned from studying in Rome for the summer. At dinner that evening, she announces she met a man in Rome and they were to be married. George’s expressions as he remembers Annie as a pig-tailed little girl are priceless.
Our pig-tailed little girl certainly has grown up into a godly, beautiful lady. OK, I realize that I am bragging but she is my daughter and, after all, aren’t mothers allowed to that every now and then?
Planning is well underway as the tentative date is January 15, 2011. She has already found a dress. I am not at liberty to disclose details as they might fall into the wrong hands! But, I will say, it is white and I had to choke back tears several times as she tried on different dresses. She is definitely not that pig-tailed little girl in my memories any longer.
The day spent dress hunting really impressed upon me the privilege of motherhood. As a mother, you pray, seek the Lord as you go through the daily routine of life, teach, comfort and the list goes on. Sometimes in the throes of daily life, it is easy to lose focus. I mean to lose sight of what is most important – our children themselves – and not just the “list” that must get done.
In the blink of an eye, you turn around, they are grown and leaving home. Whatever the path the Lord has for them, be it marriage or career, our time with them is so short. Make the most of it!
After my homemade whole wheat bread recipe post yesterday, I thought I would answer some questions regarding the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine. I read and appreciate each email I receive – thank you.
I would first like to say that I am in no way affiliated with Bosch or other websites that I will point you to for more information. I merely want to share with you a product that I enjoy and feel is well worth the money.
The Bosch is a mixer, blender and a food processor. It truly is an all-in-one kitchen appliance. After our second machine died in February of this year, 2010, I purchased a new machine from Pleasant Hill Grain. Believe me, I checked around for the best price and they had it! Pleasant Hill has several packages available, each including the base and mixer. You have the choice to stop there or add the blender, food processor or both. They even periodically bundle a special to include a grain mill. Free shipping and no tax are also benefits they provide.
We bought our first Bosch over 20 years ago. I am now on our third machine. Each has lasted approximately 10 years. I do not remember how much I paid for the first one, but our last one cost $359.00. I did not purchase the blender or food processor as my old ones still work well.
This is my favorite kitchen appliance – well, I really like the dishwasher and microwave too! I (or one of the children) normally make a 4 loaf, batch of bread one or two times per week. That is not to mention the blending and chopping/slicing with the food processor that we do. Our machine really gets a workout!
The warranty offered by Pleasant Hill is 30 day satisfaction guaranteed. After that, they direct you to the customer service department of Bosch. The motor and transmission are guaranteed for 3 years. Our new machine, after a couple of months, started making a high pitched noise. After our other machines had lasted so long, I was a bit concerned. I called Pleasant Hill, who directed me to the customer service department of Bosch, because it was over the 30 days. To make a long story short, they replaced the motor with a brand new one and, they were very nice about it!
You can read all the details at the Pleasant Hill Grain Bosch Universal Plus Mixer page.
There is nothing like fresh, homemade bread right out of the oven. Spread a slice with butter and honey – Mmm! you can not stop with just one slice!
We have been making our own bread for years. I use the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine which does an excellent job kneading the dough. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do. I start with wheat berries and grind my flour fresh, but this recipe works well with store bought, whole wheat flour.
Whole Wheat Bread – 4 loaves
Place in Bosch (or mixer of choice with dough hooks) and mix:
4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp dough enhancer (Dough Enhancer Recipe)
5 c. warm water
1/2 c wheat gluten *
After mixed add:
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. honey
Mix well and add:
3 Tbsp yeast
Add more flour (about 7 cups) to make a semisoft dough. Add slowly allowing to mix thoroughly after each addition. I add flour until the dough just begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Then, knead 3 minutes. This gives the gluten a chance to develop.
After 3 minutes, turn mixer off and let dough sit for 20 minutes.
Knead 5 minutes.
Pour a little oil on the counter and place dough on the oil to rest for 10 minutes. I spread the oil around a bit with my hand. This not only keeps the dough from sticking to your counter, but also your hands as you remove it from the mixing bowl.
It is at this point that I must remember to make sure the dough is far enough on the counter and out of reach of little hands.
Shape the dough into loaves. I divide the dough into 4 equal parts, form each into a loaf and place in pans prepared with a nonstick spray. From the first picture you can tell that I do not spend a lot of time making sure each loaf is uniform in size and shape! Other bread makers in the family are better at this. I have never claimed to be a perfectionist, actually, I am more of an instant gratification personality. It really does not matter though – each tastes very good!
Cover the pans with a towel and let rise for 40 minutes.
Bake at 350F for 30 – 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the pans and allow to cool, unless of course, you want to indulge in fresh, hot, honey-butter and bread!
*Gluten flour – I purchase mine using amazon gift cards I receive through Swagbucks. I found the best price to be had by setting up an automatic shipment – you can cancel at any time.
The fruit is off the vines and at the winery. Everyone is breathing a big sigh of relief!
Friday we did our final machine harvest of the year, the Aglianico. The day began with the bins being delivered at 2 am. John and the boys met the trucker at the vineyard to unload them. The actual harvest began between 5:30 and 6 am. It is amazing how different the vineyard looks and feels in the light of the stars. It would have been romantic if there were not so much work to be done!
I won’t bore you with the technicalities again – you can read “Our First Machine Harvest” for a few more details. I would like to show some pictures though, so you can see the difference between harvesting in the dark and in the daylight.
Our oldest son drove the harvester again and this is the beautiful view from the top. 
Hopefully you can see the grapes dropping from the arm into the chase trailer.
I would love to share with you the sweet flavor of the Aglianico grapes. The brix on these reached 25 meaning they are at 25% sugar – that means, they are wonderfully sweet!
Once the harvest was complete, the bins were loaded into the truck which has returned from another vineyard’s harvest.
There were some precarious moments with the loading, a couple of “almost” mishaps, but thankfully, no bins were lost and no serious injuries sustained.
As you can see, John is very serious minded while moving and loading the bins. Each bin can hold up to 1400lbs so there is a lot of danger.
There was also much speculation as to the total ton-age we were shipping off. We ended up with 14.5 tons which is very good for third leaf vines.
As I watched the truck pull away, I was reminded of a children’s book I have read so many times, “Follow That Truck”. The book follows different trucks, from log to milk trucks, on their journey from picking up the raw product to delivering the sell-able goods. I wanted to follow that truck! Instead, we celebrated by making (and eating) doughnuts!
I just love having fresh flowers on our dining table. What I don’t love? The price!
Roses and especially yellow ones are my absolute favorite. When living in Alabama, I had several rose bushes including yellow ones. Unfortunately, the humidity made spraying for insects and mildews mandatory. I was not always consistent with spraying, so, while we had some roses, I finally decided they were too much trouble.
My answer: Zinnias.
Zinnias are a flower which grow with very little care and the more you cut the blooms, the more they bloom. And, they will keep blooming until the freeze kills them. What more could you ask for in a flower? They also come in many colors including yellow, red and orange. I have found that the seeds from Wal-mart grow just as well as those from more expensive nurseries.
If you like fresh flowers and do not have a green thumb, give zinnias a try. They really are an underrated flower.
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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. |
