 With Buttercup having freshened ( when a cow gives birth and her milk comes in) she is now giving 8 gallons of milk per day. In addition to drinking it, making ice cream and butter, I have been making cheese daily. This is a good thing, as we had almost depleted our supply. Last year, we ...  While many people have been harvesting from their gardens for a while now, ours is just beginning. Yes, I have missed fresh squash, tomatoes, beans and ... But, with all the vineyard work, I am thankful to have a "late" garden! We have harvested enough zucchini and yellow squash for vegetable enchiladas - Mmmm! The beans and ...  You know the saying, "All work and no play makes Jack (in this case, John) a dull boy." Well, I can't have that! So, below is the picture of a very happy man. Why? - you might wonder. Not only is he making his own beer, but he is making it using the rye that we ...  With Buttercup giving 8 gallons of milk per day, I am not going to the vineyard everyday right now. I am at home making cheese! I normally have the two youngest with me so, when I go, they go. When we do go, as you can see, it is very tiring, perhaps exhausting is not even ...  Although we are looking excitedly toward harvest which will begin the last of August or first of September, the work is not yet slowing! John spent several days last week plowing between the rows of vines. Rye was planted between the rows last fall to help hold the soil from blowing in the wind. This ...  As you can see, the grapes are getting larger compared to the pictures taken a little over a month ago. It is exciting, to say the least, as we watch the progression. The second wires have been raise so the vines appear very flat on the sides. They are being held up by the wires for support. With ...  Leaving the vineyard yesterday for lunch, our oldest daughter almost stepped on the snake in the picture! Thankfully, he (or she - I didn't ask which) was not poisonous. But, I must admit, in my opinion, the only good snake is a dead one! We did not kill him because as some family members pointed ...  When we decided on a lifestyle change in 2007 and purchased land here in west Tx for a vineyard, 65 acres of it had been farmed in cotton. This had been done by the common practice of farming in a circle with an irrigation pivot in the center to water the crops. Because the orientation ...  This is a picture of the front seats in our 15 passenger van. They look harmless don't they? Well, on Friday and Saturday they did not smell harmless! It all started on the way to Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day. When the van door was first opened, there was a slight smell which we thought was due ...  This past Friday, July 9, was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. If you went dressed in full cow attire (from head to toe) you received a free combo meal. If you wore a cow accessory such as a cow print hat, purse, vest etc. you received a free entrée. As you can see from the picture, ... |
     
 
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 definitely been challenging. Besides frugality, farm life and simple living, I have learned the importance of diet, quality of food and traditional cooking. Through the GAPS diet, I am successfully reversing my rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and food allergies. I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have as I share my life with you. 
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