I have not posted the last few days because we have no internet! Tonight, we are visiting our oldest son and his family for dinner, so, I am taking a few moments to let you, I am still here.
Since it is so economical, we have VoIP (voice over internet phone), which means, we also have had no phone this week. Our home has literally been very silent this week (if you disregard the children’s voices, the dogs’ barking, the cat’s meowing and the parakeets cheeps). No telemarketers, no pleasure calls, no ring-a-dings of any type!
Our internet provider is currently working on the problem and I hope to be back full force sometime next week with pics of our new house,the vineyard in the winter, some economical ways to redecorate and add pizazz to your home interior and more.
Have a great weekend!
Ebates is starting the year off with Double Cash Back on select stores – what a way to start 2012!
I posted quite awhile ago about the “Ebates Sign up Bonus”. In addition to the $5 Ebates credit, if you sign up now, you may opt instead to choose from several gift cards: $10 Barnes & Nobles, $10 Home Depot, $10 Target or a $10 Magazine.com.
What is Ebates? It is an online cash back shopping site, working with over 1,200 stores to give cash back and coupons to you. They get a commission from the stores when you make a purchase and instead of keeping that money, they share it with you! Joining Ebates is free. And four times a year they mail you a big fat check, or transfer the money to your PayPal account if you’d prefer.
Like I always say, “you have to spend money to make money, so, the more you spend, the more you get back!” Seriously though, if you shop online, why not get a rebate for it?
Ebates has a nice referral program also. You receive $5 for each referral who signs up using your unique link (found under the “Tell-a-Friend” tab) and then makes a $20 purchase within 90 days of joining. Try it and if you like it, why not tell others. Help them earn money on their online purchases also.
2012 is starting out with some great ways to save!
Below is a list of available samples and coupons that you may be interested in checking out.
 
I would like to share with you a site that could very well save you money if you order books online.
The Book Depository is a website that I have used for a while now. I am very pleased with it and want to share it with you. They offer free shipping worldwide! Free shipping, combined with their everyday low prices, has made for money savings for me.
If you have been reading Dimes2Vines for any period of time, you know that I am a comparison shopper. Ordering online is certainly no exception. It has been my experience that The Book Depository prices beas other sites and I have my books in 7 – 10 days.
*The above links are my affiliate links. I appreciate your using them, but whether or not you do, I want to help you make the most of what you have.
I received an email from Jim, a reader who had purchased a Bosch Universal Plus. He had questions about my Whole Wheat Bread Recipe. He asked what type of yeast I use and where I purchase dough enhancer. I thought these questions might be of interest to others.
The most economical place in our area to purchase yeast is Sam’s Club. It is the Fleischmann’s Instant Yeast and costs $4.68 for 2 – 16oz bags. Once opened, I transfer the yeast from the bag to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It lasts for a long time!
While you may purchase dough enhancer, the most economical is the following homemade recipe:
Dough Enhancer
3/4c. lecithin powder or granules (available from health food stores)
3 Tbsp. pure vitamin C powder
2 Tbsp. ground ginger
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
Use 3 Tbsp. of dough enhancer for a 4 loaf recipe. Adjust the amount when making more or less loaves.
Time leading up to and following harvest has certainly flown! We harvested the Roussanne, Montepulciano and Aglianico successfully and with much help from family and friends. Because of the extreme heat which causes problems with the harvester, harvesting began anywhere from 10pm to 3am. Before dawn there is an amazing beauty in the vineyard. Lit up by the harvester, with the stars shining overhead, it is an atmosphere made for romantics!
Given the hard winter, unusually high summer temperatures and drought, we had very good yields. Praise the Lord for His provision!
Although we began work on the house as soon as the vineyard work slowed, we still found time to glean the vines for our own wine-making fruit! Remember the “I Love Lucy” show when she and Ethel stomped the grapes with their feet? Well, everyone got in on the action:
From children:
To grandchildren:
Everyone wanted their feet to be a part of it:
Note: Every pair of feet which stomped were properly cleaned and disinfected. However, according to our grape consultant, micronutrients provided, whatever the source, actually help the yeast!
If you remember, we had begun an insulated concrete form (ICF) house. Working on the house which overlooks the vineyard consumed our time once vineyard work was finished. Each morning we packed lunch and dinner to take with us. We even carried school work to the new house and studied in our bedroom which had become the makeshift dining room. Naps were taken in the boy’s bedroom on a rug with blankets. Doing all the work ourselves not only saved quite a bit of money, but has also provided many learning experiences, as well as, great memories.
During this period, I have had a very difficult time physically. My rheumatoid arthritis decided to rear its ugly head. It was aggravated by two plus days of texturing all the walls with sheet rock mud to give a stucco look. Anyway, I am excited about dietary changes that have made an amazing difference and look forward to sharing them with you in the new year.
We moved into the new house the weekend after Thanksgiving (I will be posting pictures soon). Slowly and surely, we are getting settled. Everyone is looking forward to our first Christmas here. Our traditional trim the tree party was a success and our tree appropriately trimmed!
Buttercup handled the move without a problem. The chickens on the other hand have dropped their egg production by half. Squiggles and now our new dog, Bob, are also glad to be here on a permanent basis and not have the 1/2 mile walk one way to work everyday!
While we have not actively been working on the house recently, it is so nice to look over the vineyard and see it in the distance.
Much of the house is complete. All but a couple of pieces of sheet-rock have been put up and the last pieces are cut. We even started mudding it. Once the sheet-rock is finished, we can paint it.
The ceiling will be tongue and groove wood which I plan to white-wash so that the wood grain still shows through. Finally comes the finishing with bathroom tile and fixture, as well as, kitchen counter top and fixtures. Oh, and don’t forget the lights, ceiling fans, shelves and trim!
I guess that sounds like quite a list of unfinished items, but in light of what has been completed – we are almost done!
If you are like me and love your coffee, be it morning, afternoon or night, you also enjoy biscotti. But also like me, you might not enjoy it as often as you would like because of the price. Besides that, most recipes are too involved and do not turn out quite right. Here is a wonderfully easy and good recipe. I will first give the basic recipe and then some variations.
Pecan Biscotti
1/4 c. butter 1 whole egg white
3/4 c. sugar 2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla 3/4 c. chopped pecans
1 whole egg 1 egg white beaten (to brush on top)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix butter, sugar, salt and vanilla.
Add egg and egg white – mix well.
Add flour, baking powder and nuts. Stir well adding a bit more flour if needed to make a sticky but workable dough.
Form dough into a long log about 3/4 inches high and 2 1/2 – 3 inches wide and 15 inches long. Brush top with beaten egg white.
Bake in preheated oven 350F for 30-35 min.
Remove from oven and after a couple of minutes, lift log off pan to cutting board. Cut into bars about 1/2 inch thick.
Place bars cut side up on cookie sheet and return to oven. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes longer.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Variations: I have used all white flour and also used half whole wheat and half white flour.
Substitute maple flavoring for vanilla.
Add 1/2 c. dry fruit such as dried apricots to batter.
Any nut may be used such as hazelnuts or almonds.
“Time is so everything doesn’t happen all at once.”
Frank, Late for Dinner
Do you ever feel like everything is happening all at once? I sure do. Life is a whirlwind!
John and I went to a grape grower’s/wine maker’s meeting last week and toured several wineries. While the speaker’s topics over the two day period were interesting, our main purpose was to network – meeting other growers, winery owners and wine makers. Since we have another 15 acres of grapes coming into third leaf next year, it is important to meet those interested in our varieties. And, even if they are not necessarily interested now, things can always change!
Work on our house had been put on hold while the vineyard was put to sleep for the winter. (That means, compost spread and rye planted between the rows of grapes.) But now the windows for the house will be delivered today (Mon., Nov. 14). After they are installed the house will really be dried in and ONLY the septic system, plumbing, electrical, sheet rock and painting need to be done! I am not so sure we will be in by Christmas but I am remaining optimistic 
Our oldest daughter is getting married on January 15 and it is coming quickly. Those plans are also moving right along – thankfully! After checking with several caterers, we decided to do the reception dinner ourselves. As we were coming to that decision, I spoke at length with a friend and former caterer here in the area. And stemming from his encouragement…
We decided to go into the catering business too! So, in my spare time  that is what I will be doing. We purchased a 20′ x 20′ building to used as our commercial kitchen and moved it this past weekend to our land. The friend made us an offer for his catering equipment and we will pick it up when we finish setting up the building. It will be interesting to see what doors the Lord opens.
Frank said in the movie Late for Dinner, “Time is so everything doesn’t happen all at once.” What do you do when time flies and so much is happening that it becomes a blur?
Stay focused on what is most important!
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!
|
Grab My Dime! 
<a href="http://dimes2vines.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac339/dimes2vines/newbutton.jpg"/></a>
|
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. |
