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Author Archives: explorenewness
a NEW class for the NEW year
Well, it’s a NEW year and I’m taking a NEW class! I’m excited! The class is on how to do family history. I LOVE doing family history (as my previous post mentioned) and I’ve already taken a LOT of classes on the subject, so I’m hoping to learn something NEW!
{I can’t wait for the day when teachers can scan your brain cells to see what you already know, and then go ahead and teach you what you don’t know! Ha! Someone please get busy on that invention, RIGHT AWAY OK?!?!!! :o)}
Everyone MUST should visit The Thinking Closet and check out the journaling she did about her ancestors! SO FUN!
Also, I thought I’d share a list of ways to start working on your family history. Family History DOES NOT just mean names on a pedigree chart!
1 Think about your ancestors
2 Celebrate important dates in the lives of your ancestors.
3 Make a family calendar of these important dates
4 Make plans now for how to pass on family heirlooms and documents
5 Copy documents of your family for each child as they leave home
6 Gather and label old photographs
7 Visit cemeteries where ancestors are buried, record headstone information
8 Start a timeline for each of your children
9 Write about a typical day in the life of you, your spouse, or your child
10 Keep trip journals when on family vacations
11 Record family stories and legends
12 Write a paragraph about every living relative you personally know
13 Frame and display photos of family members and ancestors in your home
14 Index your journals. List important events and where they can be found (page numbers, or dates)
15 Create a map and pinpoint locations of your ancestors and their migration
Is there something on this list you could start with? Have a terrific day and learn or do something NEW!
a NEW recipe (sourdough bread)
I recently tried something NEW! I made sourdough bread for the first time in my life! It’s not that I hadn’t wanted to try it before now….but it’s kind of hard to make sourdough bread without a sourdough starter…and I just didn’t know where to get one! Well, a neighbor taught a class and gave all the ladies a starter. So now I can say I’ve done it, and seriously…it’s sooooo easy! The teacher of the class referenced Breadtopia.com, and I have to say, that’s a great site. They even explain how you can dry your starter….THEN I had an idea! Do any of YOU want to try making sourdough bread, but don’t have access to a starter? WELL! I’d be happy to send you a bit of dried starter! Just send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I’ll send you a starter. Then just go to Breadtopia for instructions on how to revive it and wha-la! A Sourdough Starter!!! Just email me at explorenewness at gmail dot com and I’ll give you the address to send your SASE to! Fun! Just be sure to let me know how it turns out!
Have a good day!…and do or learn something NEW today!
NEW Photo of the Week #13
I thought I’d experiment with a few B/W photos. However…since our frozen world around here doesn’t seem to have much more than a lot of white….this isn’t too far off the original! Don’t get me wrong though!….I LOVE living where there are four distinct seasons and the VARIETY which that brings! Although I have to admit, the older I get, the winters aren’t quite as welcome as they once were :o) Have a good week everyone!
learning something NEW (bento)
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I learned something new a few days ago….I love, loVE, LOVE learning NEW things! Although sometimes I wonder if I’m the last person on the planet to ‘learn’ certain things. For example, I don’t believe I’ve heard the term ‘bento’ before. I didn’t know there was actually a word to describe those cute kiddie (or otherwise) little meals! Have I been living under a rock? How did I suddenly learn this term? Well, Kathy from Eclecticlamb ‘liked’ one of my posts…so I visited her site, and Wha-La! I learned something NEW! Thanks Kathy!
ben-to [ben-toh; Japanese ben-taw] a meal, usually served in a lacquered or elaborately decorated box that is divided into sections for holding individual portions of food.
Pinterest has lots of ideas to start with:
I used to have some divided plastic containers….hmmm, where are they? If I find them, I think I’ll try to create a bento of my own! Learn or DO something NEW today!
a NEW way to send birthday cash
Happy Friday! Well…although my son is turning 21 (yikes!)….he is out of state and really only wants money….so this is what I’m mailing him! Noise makers, candy, twisty straws, crete-paper birthday streamers…AND cash. Trust me!…when the cute-sie HAPPY BIRTHDAY label gets put on, it’ll look adorable…kind of like this:
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AND the birthday boy will wonder how I magically stuffed everything through the small opening at the top, right? (Click on the source for a link to the tutorial). If you’re sending cash as a gift, try a NEW and different method! Have a great day!
NEW thought on Thursday
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a NEW DIY project – (second-hand table to subway art)
Hi all! Well, if you recall from my last diy furniture make-over post, I mentioned that I had leftover supplies. So! here’s my latest endeavor. I got this old table from a second-hand store and it sat in my basement for a few months while I decided what to do with it! I kind of wanted something like this from The 36th AVENUE:
…BUT nothing wonderfully creative came to me. So I decided I’d just make some subway art out of it….some positive affirmations for my family (as they rest their feet on my table as they watch TV! :o) It was more time-consuming than I thought it would be…but it’s something NEW and different! Here are the process pics.
Paint the top black as well as anywhere else you want the distressed black to show through.
Draw LEVEL lines and start placing your vinyl lettering ‘affirmations’ wherever you want them (randomly organized)….is that an oxymoron???
After the lettering is placed where you want it….paint over everything and while it’s still a bit tacky, pull off the vinyl to reveal the color underneath. TIP: The seam ripper (from your sewing kit) is a GREAT tool for this!
Try something NEW today!
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NEW Photo of my week #12
As I left for my Sunday shoot this morning, I mentioned to my hubby that I hoped to get some good shots from the car! So when I returned, he asked me if I had to get out of the car. The answer was…..yes……once! I love, loVE, LOVE these statues of children! To me, they express the joy that children are in our lives! I thought it was interesting, since these two statues were in totally separate locations on my Sunday shooting drive this morning! Best wishes for a great week ahead, everyone!
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a NEW type of gift “basket”
I wanted to show you a VERY clever idea! This is a gift “basket” which my husband received from some co-workers at Christmas-time. Sometimes baskets are just as expensive as the items you put into a gift basket, right? So I thought this was a GREAT NEW idea! The silver ribbon coordinates really well with the tin-foil and obviously the “basket” didn’t cost much $$! I’m going steal this idea soon! The items inside where sugar waffle-cone bowls, ice cream toppings and sprinkles etc. The tag said, ‘Just Add Ice Cream”. Clever! I love it!
Explore Newness 