Author Archives: explorenewness

a NEW book review

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12years

Hi all!  I LOVE book recommendations!…so when my good friend suggested I read Twelve Years a Slave, I got right to it.  (By the way, it’s available on Google Books.)

I liked this book simply for the historical aspect.  In the back of my mind (the very back)….I knew there were some free black men and women who were kidnapped and sold into slavery, but reading this book brought me a NEW awareness of this despicable-ness.  What an awful, awful injustice!  It was bad enough, in that day and age to have slavery – but to purposefully inflict it on legally free men and women was so, so wrong!

It is just sooooo hard to imagine people’s thought processes of the 1800’s!  It makes me wonder what laws are on our books and what we are doing today that, in a hundred years from now, will be looked on with disbelief!

There is also a movie coming out, based on the book.  I think it’s rated R, so I’ll probably pass on seeing it, but read the book!  (If you already have, let me know what you think!)  I thought the beginning and the end were excellent…the middle was a little slow though. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Have a great day!  Read or DO or learn something NEW!

a NEW Thursday Thought

Image

sunriseovercornfield2

Happy Thursday!  You’ll notice this photo is lacking snow and ice.  Yup, I’m tired of the snow and ice…so I browsed through my archives for today’s Thursday Thought post.  This photo was taken in Nauvoo, Illinois this past summer at about 6am one fine morning.

Have a great day!  Do or Learn something NEW…and remember to forget the mistakes, headaches and heartaches of yesterday and start again…because today is a brand NEW day!

another NEW culinary term…aioli

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brussels

Today I learned a NEW culinary term: aioli.  A month or so ago, I researched and posted a list of 100 culinary terms.  However, I guess I need a more extensive list because roux wasn’t on there, and now aioli wasn’t either!  I’ll keep looking for a more complete glossary of culinary terms to share with you.  BUT, today I did learn that ‘aioli’ was a garlic flavored mayonnaise.  So I after I found that out, I thought the name of this NEW recipe I tried was a little redundant:  Crispy Brussel Sprouts with a Garlic Aioli.   Am I Right?!?   It should probably just be called Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Aioli Dip!!!  {Or am I being overly picky?}

This NEW recipe was really quick and easy to put together.  I first got the idea to make it at Sew Many Ways.  I think it’s a pretty (and nutritious) appetizer!  Try it out!

brussels2

miscellaneous NEW stuff

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herbss

I realize I haven’t been posting much lately!  Life happens…ya know?!?  So, what’s NEW?  Well, a bunch of minor, miscellaneous STUFF!

The photo above is my NEW indoor herb garden that I got for Christmas.  I LOVE it!  Since I keep it in my pantry, I pay MUCH MORE attention to it than I would if it were outside!   I started it exactly one month ago…and the dill is going wild already!  I can’t wait until I can actually harvest enough to use! I’ve been psych-ing myself up for harvest time by pinning ideas…check out my ‘Fresh Herb Recipes’ board on Pinterest.  I have dill, cilantro, chives, two types of basil and parsley. Fun!…and if I photography any food dishes, it’ll be nice to have fresh herbs on hand to make the photos more interesting, right?!

Have a great day!  Do or Learn something NEW!….and if you need a good laugh, check out this funny   hilarious video.  {I about cried, I was laughing so hard!!!}

NEW extension tubes

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daisybud2

Happy Wednesday!

How do you like this little daisy bud?   I recently bought a set of extension tubes for my camera and today I finally got a chance to try them out!  I think I’m gonna LOVE them…and the price compared to a bona fide macro lens!!!  Today I picked up a bouquet of daisies at the store…{I was WAY toooo tired of the winter gray’s I’ve been shooting lately!}…and tried out the tubes on them.  FUN! It really brightened my day!  Here’s some more shots of the little beauties:

daisycollage

Hope you all have a terrific day! Do or Learn something NEW!

Linking to:

Weekly Top Shot

NEW photos of my week #39

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snowandswing

I finally went out shooting yesterday morning….it was 9 degrees!  Brrrr!

steamystream

I like how the frost by this little stream gathered on one side and not the other.  You know, I’ve gotten into a little habit of trying to learn something NEW based on some aspect of my photos lately….so today I researched some interesting NEW tidbits about frost.   I learned about Hoar Frost and Advection Frost.  Who knew there were different categories of FROST!!!?!! :o)

Have a great day!

I’m sharing at:

Finding Serendipity and Ni Hao Yall

a NEW Thursday Thought

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foggytreequote

So, of course, we should appreciate the adversity we face through our personal ‘storms’ and realize we are establishing deeper personal roots and a more firm foundation…even though it can be terribly HARD sometimes!

Do  or Learn something NEW today!

a NEW birthday surprise

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pearls

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Last week was my birthday, and my sweet hubby gave me a BIG surprise!  He’s been telling me (for years now) that he likes me to wear pearls and that one of these days, he was going to buy me the ‘real deal’!   Well, yes, you guessed it!  He did it!  They are gorgeous and I’ve learned a few NEW things about pearls (HERE…gotta love Wikipedia!)

Also, did you know any of these ‘Pearl Lores????

* Pearls have the powers of love, money, protection, and luck.

* Pearls were dedicated by the Romans to Isis and they were worn to obtain her favor.

* In early Chinese myths, pearls fell from the sky when dragons fought among the clouds.

Have a great day!  Learn or Do Something NEW!