Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Fish the whole family loves

We are trying to incorporate more fish in our diet...and last night we tried this new recipe, from my Lone Star to Five Star cookbook.

Madeleine ate all her broccoli and finished off the rest of the broccoli, but she wouldn't touch the fish. And then I gave her a bite. And she cleaned her plate. That's typical. Something new on her plate, so she doesn't want to try it. But when she does, she usually devours it. Silly girl.

Everyone loved this fish...so give it a try!

Balsamic-Glazed Tuna
Balsamic Glaze
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Tuna
4 (6 oz) tuna steaks
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cups sliced green onions

For glaze, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and mix until smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Keep warm.

Sprinkle tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Grill tuna (on gas grill or cooking-sprayed grill pan) and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or until done to taste.

Remove from heat and and place tuna on serving plates. Spoon glaze over the top and sprinkle with green onions.

Serves four.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

drumroll, please...

Anyone curious about the winners of the giveaways?

The afternoon tea giveaway goes to comment #11: Kristian and Katy (posted at 3/24/11 8:44:00 pm).

The favorite things giveaway goes to comment #20: Stephanie (posted at 3/26/11 11:18:00 am).

And the scrapbook giveaway goes to comment # 22: Jamie Long (posted at 3/26/11 12:39:00 pm).

Ladies, these boxes are all packed up with somewhere to go, so please email me (neweverymorning2@gmail.com) your address, and I'll make a trip to the post office this week!

Thanks to everyone who entered...I had a lot of fun reading your comments. I'll have to have some more giveaways in the future!

See you tomorrow with a new recipe!

Monday, March 28, 2011

please don't forget...

to enter the three giveaways below...they end tonight at midnight!

Someone asked in the comments about international shipping. I don't mind shipping internationally on the scrapbooking giveaway or the favorite things giveaway. But since the "afternoon tea" giveaway contains some food items, which are also heavy, I'll keep that giveaway limited to US comments!

And on the topic of giveaways, The Pleated Poppy is having one today too! You can enter here for a chance to win one of four $25 gift certificates to her store! She has such cute stuff for sale.


How cute are these fabric colored notebooks? I love that blue and white damask one and the green and white chevron! You can see more detailed pictures here!

Hope you're having a great Monday...

Friday, March 25, 2011

a scrappy giveaway

I have to admit, I never thought I'd start scrapbooking. But about 8 years ago (while pregnant with Hadleigh) I did. My first project was quite an undertaking...I surprised Brent with an Air Force career album, beginning with his AF Academy days up until the present. (I must admit, that album needs updating now!)

It's been downhill since then. I've found a hobby that I love. One that allows me to be a storyteller with words and pictures for our family. One that also gives me a creative outlet.

And believe it or not, scrapbooking was how I found out about blogging. Ali Edwards mentioned her blog once in an article in Creating Keepsakes Magazine. I looked it up...found links to Jenni Bowlin and Kelli Crowe.

Then I found Rhonna Farrer's blog and The {21} challenge. I wanted to join...but needed a place to share pages I created. And so, I began New Every Morning.

Lately, my crafty posts have been few and far between...but I'm hoping to share more...scrapbooking as well as some other creative endeavors we do here at home.

So...for our last giveaway, I thought it was only appropriate to give away some of my favorite scrapbooking goodies!

Included in this giveaway:
  • My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose Mabel "Play" Layered Chipboard
  • My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose Mabel "So Sweet" Buttons
  • Jenni Bowlin Vintage Navy Alpha Stickers
  • Studio Calico polka dot background stamp (roughly 4 x 6 inches)
  • Studio Calico $5 gift card
  • 2 yards each of Divine Twine bakers twine in Oyster Grey, Blueberry, Airmail
  • 2 yards each of The Twinery bakers twine in Peapod, Pink Sorbet, Charcoal, Caribbean, and Lemondrop
Can I tell you how excited I am about that airmail twine?!?!?

If you'd like to be entered in this giveaway, please leave a comment with your name and share one of your favorite hobbies. Comments will be accepted through Monday, March 28 at midnight EST.

Thanks for sharing this "blog anniversary" week with me! Make sure you've entered the other two giveaways below...I'll make an announcement of winners on Tuesday afternoon!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

"a few favorites" giveaway

One thing I love about blogs are the tips, tutorials, and favorite finds that people share. And when you ask a question? Blog readers are a wealth of information!

Over the past few years, you have given me mascara recommendations...opinions on furniture...and I hope you've enjoyed ideas I've shared with you.

So here's a few of my favorite things to share with you:

my favorite chapstick...Burt's Bees Lip Balm

my favorite Lollia handcream..."Wish" fragrance

my favorite spot for a good latte...Starbucks giftcard

my favorite way to keep track of lists...a purse-sized spiral in a fresh-green woodgrain

(one of) my favorite magazines...a one-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens

If you'd like to be entered in this giveaway, please leave a comment with your name and share one of your favorite things. Comments will be accepted through Monday, March 28 at midnight EST.

Thanks for stopping by today! I've got one more giveaway tomorrow...and don't forget to enter yesterday's here!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Mmmm....and a giveaway!

It's no secret here that I enjoy cooking...and that I love to bake. I started Recipe Wednesdays a few years ago in an attempt to share some of our family favorites with you...

Some of my favorites (and your favorites) that I've shared with you???


And I've definitely learned over the years that recipes need pictures...Brent will tell you that often, dinner waits until a proper picture has been taken!

I have plans to give the blog a little facelift soon, and I hope to have all recipes a bit more organized and accessible for you!

In this house with two little girls, we have lots of tea parties...I adore baking for tea parties!

So I thought for the first giveaway, I'd give a few gifts from my kitchen to yours...ones that are favorites of mine...and ones to help you with your own afternoon tea!

Included in this giveaway:

Simplify Lemon Curd...it's delicious. It definitely challenges some of the freshest lemon curd I've sampled!
Tazo Earl Grey Tea...my favorite choice all day long. (And perfect for making Earl Grey Lattes!)
Next Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Apricots...a perfect addition to a tea tray...or for snacking anytime!
a Pastry Blender...for making melt-in-your-mouth scones
and a one-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens, one of my favorite publications for choosing delicious and taste-tested recipes!

(Sorry...the assorted china pictured stays on my shelves!)

If you'd like to be entered in this giveaway, please leave a comment with your name and the name of your favorite recipe. Comments will be accepted through Monday, March 28 at midnight EST.

Thanks for stopping by...hope you continue to enjoy the recipes shared here!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Five years

Five years ago, I remember contemplating this blogging thing. Intrigued. A bit unsure. But five years ago I dove in. And since then I've been sharing with you...sharing things I find interestiing and helpful and fun...sharing a love of cooking and food...sharing some of my crafty pursuits...and sharing a bit of what my life looks like...

So on that note...

Five years ago...

she was my wild, wiggly, sensitive, and dramatic joy. She was being potty-trained. She loved being outside. She didn't say a lot verbally yet...but she made up for it with her facial expressions and affection.

Today, five years later she is almost seven-and-a-half. She's in first grade. She is energetic, reflective, outgoing but also very shy, creative, compassionate, and generous. Her big heart humbles me. She would live outside if she could. She has lost eight teeth. She's a whiz in math...and finds reading a worthwhile challenge.

Five years ago...

he was all smiles. A textbook baby. Snuggly. Our "chubby buddy". He lit up whenever Hadleigh would come near him. He was a sound sleeper and already making "boy" noises.


Today, he is five and a half. He loves legos, quoting favorite movies, building forts, Star Wars, wrestling Daddy, shooting his bow and arrow, and telling us stories. He has a big imagination...a sensitive spirit...a knack for drawing...and he's an encourager and a great helper. He's excited about learning to read and is making good strides towards it. He loves his sisters...but enjoys time with his friends.

Five years ago...

we knew someone was missing...

Today, our ladybug brightens our hearts. She is three and a half. She loves jewelry, dress-up, and has strong opinions about what she wears (dresses, please!) She is artistic, affectionate, loves animals, has a servant's heart, and a determined will. She is learning so much so quickly...she's like a little sponge. She is a delight and growing up way too quickly.

Five years ago, I chose the name "New Every Morning" for my blog...because Lamentations 3:22-23 was the verse I clung too. At that time, I was potty-training, nursing, and still learning to navigate life as a mother of two. (I still thought that grocery shopping with two was impossible-ha!)

Today, the verse still encourages me.

It is still timely for me. I think it always will be. Today, life looks like teaching first grade, Pre-K, and occupying a three-year-old at the same time. It's juggling, every day, the have-tos (school, home, cooking, cleaning, loving & guiding, church), the get-tos (teaching a CC class, gymnastics, speech, playdates, time with friends), and the want-tos (reading, scrapbooking, phone conversations, dates with my sweetheart). All those are a privilege...though some I relish more than others!

Five years ago,

I thought my hands were full!

Today, I know they are...but oh, how my heart overflows.

Five years ago,

a family of four.

Today, five.
Five years ago,

I think this was my first "about me" picture. I was still in my twenties. I wasn't quite sure if anyone would ever read this blog. But I began...

and today, I'm thankful I did. I love going through the archives occasionally...and remembering things I'd forgotten. Seeing posts that reinspire me. Finding recipes that I've lost print copies of. Whew.

Today, I'm in my thirties. Enjoying these years. I'm finding that my days are more full than ever. But I still have things to share.

So thank you for taking a few minutes periodically through the years to read here. To share with me.

The rest of the week, I'll be sharing some giveaways representing the things I enjoy blogging about most: food, things I like, and scrapbooking (one of the main reasons I started the blog to begin with.) So please check back each day the rest of this week and enter to win some fun goodies!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Not exactly the Monday I had planned...


After a weekend of icky colds, Brent and I woke up at 5 am in a Nyquil-induced zombie state to a sick-to-his-stomach little boy.

He was followed by both sisters about two hours later.

Needless to say, the morning was spent with a selection of favorite movies...while Mommy rested in between playing nurse.

The worst part? It's probably our fault. I think it was related to our dinner last night. (There will be no more shrimp for our little ones for a long time. I think they have some sensitivity to it.)

The good news is they're all on the mend now.

As for this cold...

But, in more exciting news, tomorrow marks my 5th anniversary of blogging! So I have plans for the blog all week long...and several giveaways...so come back tomorrow!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Spring Green.

I think spring is just around our corner.

The trees are flowering...our cooler days are mixed with warmth and sunshine...and the produce section of my favorite grocery had sugar snap peas. My favorite veggie.

And yes, we're all wearing green today too!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Indulgent.

I was quite happy to take advantage of Starbuck's Petite Treats promotion! Did you?

And what do you think of the new logo?

I have to admit...it will have to grow on me. I'm not usually a fan of change (anyone who knows me well can attest to that!) I think I prefer the old logo...but I'm quite pleased with the new treats.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Our Spring Break

While Spring Break is officially next week for our part of the state, we decided to break from homeschool this week...especially since Uncle Alex & Aunt Katy and Uncle Michael were visiting! It was the first time any of us had seen Michael since he returned from his trip to Ecuador...after missing him for over a year, it was great to get to hug on him!

(Little Miss Madeleine is a ham for the camera unless we want a posed group picture...sigh! This was the best we got.)

We spent lots of time outside...and even had our first picnic of the season!

Nathanael was beside himself...two other males all day long all week...we have a no-wrestling-sisters policy...so Nathanael usually is dying to wrestle Brent by the time he gets home from work. I think N's uncles got quite a workout!

More outside time...we mainly hung out at home...though we did make a record number of trips to our local gelato shop! Mmmmm.

It was really special to have "adult time" with my little brother and sister...though we were really missing Matt being here with us. We stayed up way too late each night talking...and it was worth it...they are memories I will keep for a very long time.

 

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