 The wood for the interior walls and framing were delivered. The events subsequent to the delivery sure brought back memories. Home Depot gave us the best price so, it was a no brainer - we went purchased from them! Everything was delivered on a semi and unloaded without a problem. The children were so excited to ...  For the floor of the basement, we decided to seal and paint the concrete. Our house in Alabama had a clear seal on the basement floor which we liked and it held up well. We chose the same type to use here in west Texas. It is a 2 part epoxy coat which rather than ...  I may be biased, but aren't those grapes beautiful? I wish you could just reach out and pick one, pop it in your mouth and taste the sweetness! There is nothing like tree (or in this case, vine) ripened produce! How about a close up? This may seem strange but I had to get used to eating our ...  Puppy love - isn't there a song about it? For us, it is evident whenever our corgi, Sophie, has puppies. They are so cute and lovable! With the litter born Aug. 4th, there are 3 tricolored males and 1 red female. They are now 21 days old and I will be putting an ad in the paper ...  In the height of the summer garden produce, this is a family favorite. I usually use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash. I will give the vegetable recipe and then the chicken variation. I usually quadruple plus this recipe - I really like having leftovers! Vegetable Enchiladas Ingredients (Serves 5) 4 c. zucchini/yellow squash combo 2 c. sour cream/yogurt ... As we start a new week, I can not help but look back over the past one. Actually, I am still tired from it and plan to recuperate this week! August is a big month in our family with 4 birthdays (with 12 mths in the year, you would think things could be spaced a bit ...  I am so thankful for coffee and this morning was certainly no exception. I always feel like a new woman after my first cup of the day! We worked until after dark last night and then came home to eat so we had a late night. But, today, the cement truck is coming at 1:00 ...  I have been giving step by step progress of our first floor house construction using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). I am truly amazed at how fast the wall go up. As you can see at 10:00 am Thursday we have 2 courses done. With the concrete scheduled to be poured at 1:00 Friday, we still have ...  For those of you who are new, we have just begun the first floor (basement) of our new home which will overlook the vineyard. We are using the Rewards Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) and were able to finish the first course or layer yesterday evening. We chose the Rewards ICF not only for their insulation ...  We picked up the door and window frames to be used with the Rewards Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) today. John and the children began assembling them immediately. It is amazing how easily they are put together. The 16 foot pieces were cut to size and then screwed together with sheet-rock screws. Of course, there are always mechanical difficulties! Corner braces ... |
     
 
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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