Monday, October 22, 2018

Thoughts About Genealogy -- How Much is Enough?

 I dabble in all sorts of things, none of it very well but I am diligent.  One of my pursuits has been my working on my family tree. 

Family history has always been a popular "thing" in my father's side of the family.  The family was fairly historic and it was something the family was very proud of.  There really wasn't a whole lot of research to do as it was pretty much already done, I just had to add to it a bit.

My mother's side was a different story and back in the late 80's she decided she would like to know more about her family so off I go to "discover" her roots.

It hasn't been easy but with I knew a few snippets of information and with the help of some distant cousins I learned a bit more and was gifted with some old photos.

The person I started with was my great-grandmother who was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England.  She moved with her family to Wales when she was about 9 years old and then, as an adult with children of her own she immigrated to the US.  My grandmother lived with my g-grandmother at one time and she told me a few things about her.

The one thing that I learned about my great-grandmother (she had a  name, it was Dinah) was that she was very religious and refused to be photographed.  So, you can imagine how surprised I was when my cousin sent me three photos of great-grandmother Dinah.   Well, I felt I had to share with other members of the family.

So, long story short Dinah has been copied, mailed, emailed, put on Ancestry.com and put on facebook and I can honestly say I feel awful about it.  We all wanted to know our foremother but have we all been terribly disrespectful of her wishes and beliefs? 

I feel she would be appalled at the whole thing if she knew and she would probably hate us all! 

So, how far is too far to go with genealogy?  At what point does the research and sharing become an invasion of privacy? If the person is deceased does it really matter anymore?  I worry about things like this.

Personally, in the case of Dinah, I think we have overstepped the line. 

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Apologies

Yesterday I  posted about wishing people would comment when they visit my blog.  Then, today, I set out to do my daily blog reading (yes, I really DO do it every day) and it became glaringly apparent that I was visiting and not commenting!

 Talk about awkward!

So, I set out to make it right and I decided that if I visit a blog, I will make a comment, even if it is only "hi".

I need to be more thoughtful.

My bad.

I am back to making cards and delivered my granddaughter's birthday card and I dropped off their Halloween cards to be given to them by their mother so I didn't have to worry about remembering to mail them.  I still need to deliver Bean's. 

I went shopping for some card making supplies today and am very put out with the selection as it is very meager.  Hobby Lobby is still the best place for stamps and dies and ink.  However, I did stop into Wal-Mart and bought two packages of card stock.  One was Neenah that is recommended and the other was Georgia Pacific which is also recommended.  The GP is considerably heavier so I will have to experiment.  I think the Neenah will be used to  print out digi-stamps for coloring.

I then went to Michaels with my 50% off coupon and bought a 24 set of Polychromos colored pencils.  I love the look of the copic markers but they are too rich for my blood especially since I don't know how well I would do with them.  And, I like pencils.  So, I hope to do some coloring later on this evening.

I purchased a Tim Holtz ruler as well and it is due to be delivered today -- yes, on Sunday -- and I hope it helps me cut things a little straighter.  I have a double astigmatism and sometimes it shows!  It is getting late in the day  and it hasn't arrived yet so not sure if I will see it or not.  Hopefully I do.

So, in the future if you see a shy little "hi" in your comment section it is just me stopping by for a read.  And, hopefully I will be able to share some more cards here soon.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Comments

I have been blogging for a long time -- not sure why but it appealed to me back in the day.  It still appeals to me and I love for people to visit.  It appears that people DO visit but I don't get any comments.  I would love to hear from  you if you do visit -- just a shout out that you were here. 

Thanks!

Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor





Just look at this cover -- how could you not be drawn into this book.  Everybody knows that I definitely judge books by their covers so it was a no-brainer that I would go for this one.

It is the  story of Elsie and Francis and the Cottingley fairies circa World War I.  It is also the story of Olivia, modern day Ireland.

The stories are beautifully interwoven and it is one of those books that is hard to put down. 

I will warn you, however, that it is a tear jerker.  I never cry over books but I did over this one.

I definitely recommend.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Catch Up

It is Monday.  It is raining and it has turned cold.  At least, to me it is cold.  The low last night was supposed to be about 45 and the high today is supposed to be 48. Not sure what happened to fall but it seems winter has bullied it's way into our lives a little early.

So, I haven't been up to much, really.  Trying to tame the beasts known as Messy House and Moving Boxes.  It appears that I am winning.  It is a slow battle but I am determined.

I have been spending a good deal of time in my craft area.  I inherited all of my mother-in-law's art supplies -- and they are plentiful -- as well as my father's supplies -- not quite as plentiful -- but it all needs to be organized and I have been working toward that goal.

I have also been  under a lot of stress lately so I have been turning to crafts to help me deal and escape.  I decided, after unpacking lots and lots of craft supplies, to turn back to doing some card making.  The fiddly nature of the  process forces me to concentrate on just that and not on other things.  So, I thought I would share some of the things that I have been doing.





I am new to this and I don't pretend to possess the sophisticated skills that many of the card makers possess.  But, it is fun, it satisfies a bit of desire for creativity and it is useful.  So, on I will go -- at least until I use up some of these supplies which will probably take about 25 years.

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Saturday 9


Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Unbreak My Heart

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! 

Saturday 9: Unbreak My Heart (1996)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Songs like this are enduringly popular in part because each of us has had our heart broken. Give us the name of a heartbreaker from your own life.

There were two -- Charles and Michael.  It is a toss up as to who was the best heartbreaker -- they were both pretty stellar in that department.

2) Toni Braxton sings that "nights are so unkind." What did you do last night?
 "Blindspot" and I surfed the net looking at cardmaking sites.
 
3) While this song has Toni singing the blues, in real life her love life is happier. Now aged 50, she's engaged and has been sporting a diamond on her left hand. Do you believe that a bride is ever too old to have a big wedding?

I think a bride can have whatever sort of wedding she wants.  I had a fairly large wedding but I wanted a small, intimate wedding.  I was quite taken by the description and photos of Barbara Bush's wedding last week -- very nice.  But, I was also taken by the few photos I saw of Princess Eugenie's wedding yesterday -- I loved her dress.

4) Growing up, Toni Braxton's parents severely restricted how much TV their children could watch each day. Ironically, today Toni and her sisters participate in a reality TV show on the WE-TV network, so TV cameras are a big part of their daily adult lives. What TV show do you try not to miss?

I always watch "Days of Our Lives" and have since 1975.  Recently I have made it a point to never miss "This is Us".

5) She is prone to dry skin and applies Kiehl's Hand Salve to her hands and arms throughout the day. Tell us about a product you're brand loyal to.

I use First Aid Beauty and MooGooUSA

6) Toni admits to being "a bit of a germaphobe," and always maintains a supply of hand sanitizer and wipes. What is always on your shopping list?

Not really a germaphobe but I think I should be so I am going to try to remember to carry hand sanitizer with me.

7) While she is not shy about her body, and has worn revealing outfits on the red carpet, Toni Braxton refused a 2011 offer from Hugh Hefner and Playboy to pose nude. What's the last thing you said "no" to?

Ice cream.  I said no to ice cream.  

8) In 1996, the year this song was popular, Mattel introduced a Star Trek Barbie and Ken set. Have you ever fantasized about space travel?

Uh,no.

9) Random question -- Would you (or did you) invite an ex to your wedding?

No.

 


Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Monday, October 08, 2018

Sometimes I Think I Am Losing My Mind .....

I have been going through a bit of a stressful time recently.  My husband is having sleep issues and my mobility has been not- so- good for the last year with a lot of pain and clumsiness.  I am not sleeping well for sure so maybe fatigue is the problem and not that I am getting trippy.

However.......

We moved into this house just about a year ago.  It is a comfortable house and works well for us even though it needs some work that we are gradually getting done.  It isn't behind a wall with a security gate but I haven't felt unsafe here at all.  I haven't heard odd noises or sensed odd things until the other day -- twice it seems like I have seen something move out of the corner of my eye.  It is like a white blur.  The next day I walked into the bathroom and found a penny laying on the floor.  Finding things on my floor isn't anything new -- I could vacuum and sweep every single day -- but a penny, on the bathroom floor, out of nowhere.  It struck me.

Then today the hubs and I were at the neighborhood office supply and I got tired of standing in line so I told him I was going to the car.  I was aware of a person behind me - a female, very attractive and well spoken.  She said hello and asked me how I was and I explained my sore knees and how the weather changing seemed to bother them and we chatted as we walked to my car.  I thought she was going to get in the car next to mine but when I got to my car she asked my name and I told her and she told me hers -- Autumn Joy -- and she asked if she could pray for my knees.  I assured her she could even though I find these sorts of encounters to be awkward but she was so nice and seemed so unthreatening that I wasn't really uncomfortable.  So, she said she would and I thanked her and got in my car completely expecting her to get in the car next to me but she didn't -- she turned around and walked back into the store. 

It all seemed a bit surreal to me -- she sort of came out of nowhere and seemed to be completely focused on me and our conversation and when it ended she just went back in the store.  I don't think she was a store employee -- I didn't see any signs of that -- and I don't really know where she came from but she made and held eye contact through the whole, short encounter.  It felt very strange, indeed.

So......you know what I am thinking, right?


Sunday, October 07, 2018

Re-Invention --- of Moi!

Every so often, when I least expect it, I change.  I don't always see it coming, sometimes it is a surprise and sometimes it is like a big weight has been lifted off me.

Right now the biggest change is that I have quit wearing most makeup.  I never wore a lot but as I have aged I have worn more trying to regain my youth.  Ok, you can quit laughing now, it wasn't THAT funny.  It is something that has been coming on gradually.  I have been omitting steps a little more at a time until here I am -- a little eye makeup and  a little lip balm -- bam! I am done.  I love it.  With that said, the skincare routine has been upped which has made such a difference.  I am very comfortable with my decision.

I have also morphed into wearing a formula wardrobe.  I read a blog written by a woman who does this and it makes sense.  Of course, she is tiny and attractive (and has also quit wearing makeup -- yes, her blog influenced me) but her approach is very do-able even if you aren't tiny and attractive.  So, my colors are black, white, gray and navy.  Throw in some splashes of turquoise and red (I love to carry a red handbag) and I am good.  But what makes it different for me right now is I am looking for thin t-shirts.  This is new for me.  I normally wouldn't wear something like that but I have a Girl Scout jersey that is thin and it feels so good so I thought......yeah, a new me!

That isn't all that has changed.  I am finally taking time, again, to do some of the things I like to do -- like card making!  I finally got all my supplies organized and I sat down to make my oldest granddaughter a birthday card.  She has now reached double digits and likes to dance so this is what I came up with.






So, what do you think?  I have another done that I will post at a later date.  



Friday, October 05, 2018

A Bit of a Rant -- Sorry

I watch the news first thing in the morning.  Clearly my first mistake of the day.  However, it is very informative.

Apparently every woman in the world has had some sort of a negative, sexual encounter that has left her scarred and damaged.

Apparently every male is a rapist and has an addiction of some sort.

It seems like everybody has been wronged by somebody else and is looking for restitution -- everything that happens is somebody else's fault and nobody has any responsibility for their own well being.

I don't recognize the world we live in anymore.  Nothing feels normal.  How did we get here and what can be done?

I know, just don't watch the news first thing in the morning.

Update

 Ok, so we visited our cardiologist yesterday to get the lay of the land for the Hubs.  Seems there is an issue with one of the grafts from ...