My Flip Pal Project

I had envisioned using the Flip Pal as the sharpest tool in my onsite research kit.  Totally for book nerdy geekoid uses, oh let me count the ways!

Wracking my brain to come up with something artsy-crafty has almost put me in a coma.  I did not inherit the Martha Stewart gene from my mother, much to her chagrin.  However -  I did have my mother in mind when I finally came up with this home made gift for her.

Lately, the first sentence out of my mother's mouth has been - "I don't see enough of you!"  Mother lives a mere 2 1/2 hours away from me and I really need to make an effort to spend more time with her.  So this is where my brilliant, oh so clever idea for a gift stems from.  My mother wants to see more of me.  Well, with the help of my little friend Flip Pal, I am going to create a one of a kind gift that I'll bet never, ever occurred to Martha Stewart.

THE  INGREDIENTS

1  legal size piece of paper, a paper doll figure pattern,  6 little photos of me ( I suppose you could substitute a different photo, but it wouldn't mean as much to my mother), a couple of festive-colored garments of your chosing - I chose a green velour jacket and a  red sweatshirt that my mother made me take home the last time I visited with her. ( Bonus points for  using something with  sentimental value.), red and green markers and glue.

LET'S  BEGIN

Fold the paper in half lengthwise.  Then fold the paper accordian style 2 inches in width.

Trace the doll figure onto the folded paper.  Draw the lines for the hands and feet all the way to the edges of the paper.  Next cut out the doll through the whole thing taking care not to cut in the red "x" area as shown above.  When you are finished cutting, stretch out the paper.  Do you have something that resembles this? :

If you answered yes, then move along to the next part.  If what you have isn't even close, then talk to me after class - there are support groups to help you with this kind of thing.

OK, here is where the Flip Pal comes into play.  To make dresses for the me-dolls, I first scanned the red sweater and then the green jacket, printed the scans and then cut out hourglass shapes  for dresses.   

THE FINISHED HEIRLOOM MY MOTHER WILL CHERISH FOR ETERNITY

I am going to tie a ribbon to the donuts on the ends of the hands so Mother can hang me practically anywhere she choses.   I think this is a huge step up from the reindeer ornament, don't you?   

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Flip-Pal which means that when you click on a link, graphic or text, and then purchase from them, I receive a small referral commission. Flip-Pal provided me with an evaluation scanner to participate in the Simple Gifts Blog Hop, which I will not be required to return.

Be sure to visit the other participants in the Flip Pal Simple Gifts genealogy blog hop:

Drusilla Pair
Find Your Folks
http://www.findyourfolks.blogspot.com

Marian Pierre-Louis

          Marian's Roots and Rambles

                    http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com

Caroline Pointer

For Your Family Story

http://www.4yourfamilystory.com/blog.html

Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Nutfield Genealogy

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com

Nancy Shively

Gathering Stories

http://nancyshively.blogspot.com

Julie Cahill Tarr

GenBlog

http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com

The Results From the APG Election Are In!

Association of Professional Genealogists Announces Election Results for Executive Committee, Regional Directors and Nominating Committee

Kenyatta D. Berry Elected APG President

WESTMINSTER, Colo., November 9, 2011−The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG^®) today announced election results for its 2012–2014 executive committee, as well as for nine regional directors and two new nominating committee members. Kenyatta D. Berry of Santa Monica, Calif. was elected president. Berry, a genealogist, entrepreneur and lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in genealogy research and writing, served as APG vice president during the last term. She will succeed Laura G. Prescott of Brookline, New Hampshire.

“I am honored to be elected and excited at the depth and breadth of experience represented by our incoming officers, board and committee members,” said Berry. “APG made great strides during the last administration, growing to more than 2,400 members, adding new Chapters and expanding internationally. I look forward to continuing the important work of this organization.”

Kimberly D. Powell of Pennsylvania was elected APG vice president. Powell has been writing and blogging on genealogy for About.com since 2000. She is the author of several genealogy books and currently serves as a member on the APG board.

Janice S. Prater of Denver, Colo. will serve as secretary. Prater is the editor of the International Society of British Genealogy and Family History’s quarterly publication and is treasurer for the Colorado Chapter of APG. APG treasurer will be Joan Peake of West Virginia, a certified public accountant and the president of the Great Lakes Chapter of APG and the Fayette Ohio Genealogical Society.

APG members elected the following regional directors:

West region: Jean Wilcox Hibben, CG, is president of the Southern California Chapter of APG and the Corona (Calif.) Genealogical Society, secretary of the Genealogical Speakers Guild. Joan A. Hunter, MLS, CG, serves as Librarian General for the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, and is a past president of the Oregon Chapter of APG.

Midwest region: Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed., fulltime genealogist and lecturer and president of the Genealogical Speakers Guild. Jay H. Fonkert, CG, is a fulltime genealogist, lecturer and writer and a founder of the Northland APG Chapter.

Southeast region: Alvie L. Davidson, CG, is a Florida-based private investigator and circuit court qualified expert, specializing in missing persons and genealogical applications of investigations. Michael Hait, CG, is a professional genealogy researcher, writer and lecturer who currently serves as vice president of the National Capital Area Chapter of APG.

Northeast region: Debra Braverman is a professional genealogist in New York City, specializing in due diligence for trust and estates matters, and 19^th–21^st century New York research. Michael Leclerc of Massachusetts is a genealogist who most recently served as director of special projects at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

International regions: Michael Goldstein of Israel, traces roots worldwide, specializing in family reunification, heir searches and Holocaust research.

Elected to one-year terms on the nominations committee are: Jana Sloan Broglin, CG, a director for the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and Debby Horton, professional genealogist and web designer.

About APG

The Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents more than 2,400 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy and history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada and thirty other countries. APG is active on LinkedIn, Twitter (www.twitter.com/apggenealogy) and FaceBook (www.facebook.com/AssociationofProfessionalGenealogists).

Media Contacts:

Kathleen W. Hinckley, CG, Executive Director,
Association of Professional Genealogists
P.O. Box 350998, Westminster, CO 80035-0998
Phone 303-422-9371, fax 303-456-8825, email admin@apgen.org

Corey Oiesen, Communications Officer

Association of Professional Genealogists

Email: corey@genealogyheroes.com

APG is a registered trademark of the Association of Professional Genealogists. All other trade and service marks are property of their respective owners.

Thank You Flip Pal Fairy Godmother and an Apology to the UPS Man

The fine people at Flip Pal have revealed the names of the genealogy bloggers selected to participate in SIMPLE GIFTS - A BLOG HOP that will run from November 4 to November 25, 2011 using the Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner.

There were 7 bloggers selected and they are all wonderful choices!

Drusilla Pair
Find Your Folks
http://www.findyourfolks.blogspot.com

I just love this photo of Professor Dru!

Marian Pierre-Louis

          Marian's Roots and Rambles

                    http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com

Caroline Pointer

For Your Family Story

http://www.4yourfamilystory.com/blog.html

Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Nutfield Genealogy

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com

Nancy Shively

Gathering Stories

http://nancyshively.blogspot.com

Julie Cahill Tarr

GenBlog

http://genblogjulie.blogspot.com

Each of these ladies has a style so uniquely their own and I can't wait to see what they bring to the gift creating table. I am so thrilled to have been chosen as one of seven genealogy bloggers to receive a Flip Pal for evaluation and to  take part in the challenge to create simple gifts and holiday decorations using the scanner.

One of the requirements of participating in this Blog-Hop is to document my adventures with the Flip Pal.  Well my adventure began even before it arrived at my house.  Here's the story: 

  My neighborhood has its own regular UPS Delivery Man or so I have been told by those who have actually seen him.  This guy is a Ninja and his usual M.O. is this:  He usually will show up before noon.  I can hear that truck when it's 3 blocks away and  I start to sprint down the hallway towards the front door.  I only make it halfway when I hear the doorbell ring - one long, two short and one long - that's the UPS Ninja's morse code notifying me that there is a package on my porch.  By the time I get to the door, all I can see is the white smoke blowing out the truck's tailpipe and the faint grinding of gears as the Ninja makes his getaway.  

So . . . after I was notified that my Flip Pal was on its way to me, I used my mathematical skills to calculate  the  ETA  of the UPS truck pulling up in front of my house.  I filled a thermos with coffee, grabbed my sleeping bag, my netbook and my camera and set up camp under the stairs of my front porch.  I was able to get one photo before I crawled out from under the stairs.  It seems that I scared the bejeesus out of the guy when I came our whooping and hollering with my camera.  He tossed me the box, got back in his truck, slammed the door shut AND locked it!  Some Ninja he turned out to be, scared of a crazy lady doing a happy dance on the porch.

I'll bet that his Fairy Godmother looks like this:

I'll be back to share more of my adventure later this week!

Dear Flip Pal Fairy GodMother

Dear Dahling Flip Pal Fairy Godmother,


So what is it with your family lately?  Your sister, the SLIG Fairy Godmother deserted me in my time of need (blogger contest for tuition waiver).  Your cousin, the IGHR Fairy Godmother (Birdie Holsclaw Scholarship), is pretending like she doesn't know me.  Are you going to bail on me too??????


I really need you to shake the magic wand and shower me with fairy dust.  I am going to attempt to create a Christmas Family Tradition again this year.  If you will recall, the previous two years were freakin' train wrecks, complete disasters and obvious FAILS.  Please take a moment to refresh your memory.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  It's not like I'm going to Salt Lake City or Birmingham in the next few minutes (Oh Hell Yes I am pouting)

My Quest To Establish A Christmas Family Tradition - First Year

My Quest To Establish A Christmas Family Tradition - Second Year

2nd Year  Fiasco

Pretty pathetic, huh?  So now I am sure it is quite obvious why I need that Flip Pal to try and make the third attempt at Creating A Christmas Family Tradition the charm.   The possibilities are endless if I were to have one of those cute little scanners.  I have visions of family history projects for Christmas dancing in my head.

Hugs from your ever loving Genea-Goddaughter

Sheri

(Ahem, that would be Sheri Fenley, the one who lives in Stockton)

The San Joaquin County Obituary Indexing Project Is A Go!

All the hard work of the Coalition of the San Joaquin County Obituary Index Project has finally paid off.  FamilySearch Indexing agreed to partner with us and thanks to Devon Ashby, our project is up and running.  Devon, who is the project coordinator for FamilySearch Indexing, went to bat for us and got our project pushed through.  A big "Thank You" goes out to  Cath Trindle from the California State Genealogical Alliance who put me in touch with Devon.


The project is up and running and waiting for volunteers like YOU to "pay it forward" with a little bit of your time and talent.  If you are already an indexer with FamilySearch, you will find our project under the heading - 


US, California, San Joaquin County - Obituary Index File, 1850 to 1991


If you want to help with the project and are new to the program, there will be a training webinar tomorrow - Wednesday, October 19th at 2:00 pm Pacific Time / 5:00 pm Eastern Time.  It will be recorded for later viewing if you can't make the session tomorrow.  Contact me for the link and instructions for  the training webinar via email at:


sherifenley@gmail.com


For background on the coalition and the project,  I direct you to a post I wrote earlier which you can read HERE.

To The SLIG Fairy Godmother

Christy Fillerup,  who is the Head Honchess of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy,  announced that they were having a contest for bloggers and the prize is a waiver of the tuition for the upcoming SLIG 2012.

Like so many of you, I have to watch my spending. The way the economy has affected the budget at  Camp Fenley, I am  left with only being able to attend one big event per year.   However, if the SLIG Fairy Godmother shakes her wand at me and some magic dust comes pouring out giving me the opportunity to attend tuition free, then I will find a way to make an airline ticket and hotel reservations appear.

I almost did not enter this contest because I didn't know what to say that hasn't already been said.  But here it is - 30 minutes until the deadline and I have had an epiphany!

For the last month I have been stripping 12 layers of paint off newly found doors for my kitchen cabinets.  There were none when we moved in 3 years ago, or so I thought.  I found them in our newly discovered basement.  Remind me to tell you that story sometime!

Anyhoo, I have come to the realization that whoever said  "the right tool for the job  makes all the difference in the world" wasn't just blowing smoke up my skirt.  The 12 layers of paint were layered like strata - an oil-based olive green, then a water based brown, then another oil based robin's egg blue and so on and so on. So I had to use a combination of chemical strippers and constantly change the blades in the scraper.

Well, I think that SLIG is a tool for the professional genealogist.  If I were to attend, my research skills and knowledge of the holdings in the Family History Library would get the workout I need in this area of my skill sets.  At a first and quick glance, the courses seemed to be like ones offered at IGHR however after looking closer, I was wrong to make that assumption.

There is one course in particular that I am dying to take:


COURSE 10:  Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum


I have never seen a course like this offered anywhere.  As one might expect, the course was filled practically overnight.  But there is a waiting list and if I were going, I would add my name to the list.This hands-on course is an opportunity for advanced genealogists to put their research skills into practice. Participants will work on at least five complex genealogical research problems—a new one each day. Each case will require careful evidence evaluation and/or additional research to solve. The objective is to give each student experience in conducting research on complex problems, analyzing and correlating evidence, and reaching conclusions. The research problems will be varied, offering students the challenge of stretching their mind and skills in directions that their research may not normally take them.

Another choice :


COURSE 9:  Advanced Genealogical Methods


Students in “Advanced Genealogical Methods” will learn how to use and assemble evidence to rediscover ancestral origins, identities, and relationships that have been forgotten in the passage of time. The course will address advanced use of evidence from a variety of genealogical records and research in populations for which the usual records are in short supply (including female, enslaved, and impoverished ancestors). Students also will learn how to develop written proof summaries to show their conclusions’ accuracy and create a credible record of their findings for present and future generations of family historians.


Tom Jones is the instructor for this course and I am sure that this class is not for sissies.


One final choice I would make would be:


COURSE 7:  Principles of Effective Genealogical Librarianship

Now I know what you are thinking, "Sheri, you are not a librarian."  No I'm not but taking this course would educate me in the ways of those magical people and their secret coded language and the hidden rooms where they keep all the good stuff!  (Our librarian here in Stockton thinks she is a Harry Potter character so I have learned to humor her)

So with 5 minutes to spare, here SLIG Fairy Godmother is my entry to the contest.  The End.

UPDATE:  Congratulations to Annaleise Taylor Dearinger who has won the contest.

It Is Time For My Annual Halloween Video!

It's October and faithful readers of this blog know what that means . . . .    That's right!  My Annual Halloween JibJab Video!


This year I have made two for your viewing enjoyment  The first, star the "Saints" - authors  from the blog THE CATHOLIC GENE.   Donna Pointkouski, Craig Manson, Lisa Alzo, Steve Danko and of course ME!  (The other "Saints" from our blog - Jasia, Smallest Leaf, Cecile and Denise Levenick will get their own video as soon as they send me a photo of themselves )

This second video I made because I really like Zombies.  Randy Seaver, Bill West and Thomas MacEntee make great ones!  Caution for the squeamish -   A few limbs are torn off bodies and there is lots of gratuitous blood just like a true Zombie movie should have.

HAPPY  HALLOWEEN!

Genealogical Writing Opportunities & Contests

I have come across so many opportunities for writers to shine and show their stuff.  I have compiled a list just for you  because I am all about sharing, caring and giving.  You're welcome.

The Southern California Genealogical Society GENEii  Family History Writers Contest is now open to everyone.  There are two categories with six cash prizes of $25 - $200 Entries must be received between November 1 and December 31, 2011.  FAQ's and how to enter can be found HERE

The Connecticut Society of Genealogists literary contests are underway.  There are two different contests.  Entries for both contests are due by February 15, 2011.  Winners for both contests will be notified by April 1, 2012.  There is some serious prize money at stake here - $250 to $1000!  You can find full contest rules and entry forms HERE.

Family Tree Magazine is looking for another genealogy newbie to blog about their experiences.  Last year's winner - Nancy Shively - was such a hit, they are doing it again.  To apply for the job click on over and fill out the application HERE.

The National Genealogical Society Annual Family History Writing Contest has a deadline of December 31, 2011.  The person who compiles the most outstanding family history will receive an expense-paid trip to the next NGS Family History Conference. The benefits include travel to and from the conference, hotel accommodations, conference registration fee, and a complimentary banquet ticket.  Manuscripts meeting the requirements will be submitted to the editors of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) for consideration and will be placed in the NGS Library.  
Contest rules and how to enter can be found HERE.

The Pinellas Genealogists Family History Writing Competition deadline  is October 31, 2011.  For rules and a lists of prizes visit their website located HERE.

BCG Education Fund - Donald Mosher Memorial Award for Colonial Virginia Research  deadline December 31, 2011 - This competitive $500 Award funds scholarly research on colonial Virginia topics in the following categories:  family genealogy, immigrant place or family origin, and publication of obscure or difficult Virginia resources.  To learn more, click HERE.

Do you know of one I missed?  Please let me know in the comments section.

In Which She Is Published For The Very First Time

It's been a red letter day for me here at Camp Fenley.  This morning I met a fellow geneablogger for coffee here in Stockton.  Jacqi Stevens, who is the author of A Family Tapestry, lives right here in Stockton.  How could that be?  A geneablogger living here right under my nose and I didn't catch the scent?  Well she had been flying under the radar, but now that we have met she will be  more visible.  Got her to join the San Joaquin Genealogical Society and have her hooked to become a member of DAR.  When we met at the coffee shop it was the same old story - we immediately hugged each other - felt like we'd been BFF's since forever.  We yacked and yacked and before we knew it 3 1/2 hours had passed!

As if that wasn't enough good vibes for one day, when I got home I found that my article I wrote about my SIL's family has been published!  My very first article to appear in a print magazine!  I can't stop dancing around and  whoo-hooting long enough to even tell my husband what I am so excited about.  He just shook his head and said he was going fishing and he would see me tomorrow.  He sees this kind of behaviour from me all the time  so nothing fazes him anymore.


My article entitled "David Nathan Walter:  Jewish Pioneer of San Francisco"  has been published in The California Genealogical Society's magazine "The Nugget."  Oh there are other articles in this edition also.  Amy Coffin has the cover story about RootsTech 2012.  You can read about that and others by heading over to the California Genealogical Society Blog.  Tell them the Whoo-Hooter sent you!

My First Article Over At The Catholic Gene

By now I am sure that everyone has heard about the new collaborative blog called THE CATHOLIC GENE.  
From the "About Us" page of our blog:

The Catholic Gene was founded by a diverse group of friends who share two common things: a love for both genealogical research and the Roman Catholic faith.  Most of the authors were “born Catholic” and  some came to the faith later in life.  Some aren’t actually Catholic but appreciate the faith as much as the rest of us.  We hope that this blog will provide readers with useful information about the Catholic faith and genealogy.

The Catholic Gene’s mission is to present various aspects of the faith of our fathers…and mothers.  But we’re genealogists at heart, so we’ll present the faith as seen through the eyes of a family historian.  Whether it’s details about ecclesiastical archives,  our ancestors’ churches, vintage photographs, personal reflections, or lives of the saints in genealogical records, The Catholic Gene will offer something for everyone.

You may now  be excused to click on over and read my awesome tribute to St. Vincent de Paul.