Happy Birthday To My Little Kris-Mouse

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTOPHER!

Twenty three years ago today I gave birth to my youngest son. He is currently my favorite son (I have three) because my oldest turned thirty one this past summer and I didn't like how old that made me. Having a child that is twenty three is so much more do-able so he has moved into the number one spot!

Kristopher was a tiny baby (6 pounds) and having him so close to Christmas I called him my little Kris-Mouse.

Me and my Kris-Mouse (c) December 1987

Kristopher has always seen the world a little differently than his two older brothers. He sees life as a great adventure. When he was three years old, he somehow crawled out his bedroom window in the middle of the night to take a stroll through the neighborhood. I had no idea that he was even missing until a knock at the door woke me up. A neighbor was standing there with Kristopher asking me if perhaps I was one son short. Kristopher had on his cowboy hat and boots and Ninja Turtle underwear and that was all. He had his Batman flashlight with him so he did not see what all the fuss was about.

I think that this is Kristopher (c) 1991

Kristopher is the only one of my sons who showed any artistic talent. He once drew a mural on two walls in my living room in only one afternoon with his crayons. He also showed some promise as a psychic at an early age. One day he came up the driveway with a shopping cart. In that cart was a puppy and a bag of dog food. "Look what they were giving away for free at the store Mom!" I wasn't pleased. I had told him only a couple of days previously that we could not have a dog in our little 2 bedroom apartment. "I even named him . . .his name is Chance." Well I ended up getting my brother to take the dog. He asked Kristopher why he named him Chance and Kristopher replied, "Because fat chance my mom was going to let me keep him."

One more proud moment I must share with you about my Kristopher. He is the only one of my sons that kissed the banana slug at 6th grade science camp.

I love my son with all my heart . . but Kristopher my dahling boy, you are twenty three years old. Let's go look for an apartment for you big boy!

Love,

Your Mummy Dahling!

December 2008

Holiday Edition of Shades, The Magazine

As you may have heard and seen by now, my column "The Year Was" has been included in the magazine "Shades of the Departed". Shades is the masterpiece of the footnoteMaven and I am so honored to be a small part of her endeavour. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, put your feet up and be prepared to ooh and aah over each and every article in this stunning edition of "Shades - The Magazine"

Me and Gloria Are Both Feeling Good!

And I am pleased with myself. Last night, my ProGen 1- Group D met for the last time. 18 months ago I made a committment to myself and to the program to become a better genealogist. There are about 25 of us in the first ProGen Study Group. Brave souls - this was truly an experimental adventure. We had a good idea of what we wanted out of this program but since nothing like this had been done before, we had no idea whether it would work or not.

Well, let me tell you how great an idea this was - Four additional ProGen Study groups have been formed and another in the making. Ok, I can hear you asking, "What is ProGen?" Well here is how the ProGen website defines who we are:

"The ProGen Study Groups are organized to encourage professional and aspiring genealogists to put into practice the principles found in Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. This program employs an innovative method of collaborative learning focused on developing genealogical research skills and business practices.

Each month group members study one or two chapters of Professional Genealogy and complete a practical assignment relating to the material. They meet online to discuss the topic in small group discussions. Members review each other's assignments and offer constructive feedback. The study program covers all of the chapters in the book, including research procedures and business practices. This program requires time and commitment, but provides a unique opportunity for constructive feedback from colleagues."

18 months have just flown by. This program has been one of the best investments of my time, time that I barely have enough of. All of you know by now how important a genealogical education is to the serious genealogist. There is no cost, but it is a good idea to have a copy of the book for your reading and practical assignments.

A Quick Public Service Announcement

About a month ago I came down with bronchial pneumonia and still can't manage to shake it. Just when I think I am over it, WHAM it hits me again.

Just a reminder to take care of yourself during this hectic holiday season. Slow down, take a breather, you'll enjoy the holidays much more if you are 100%.

And now back to your regular scheduled blogging.

SNGF - My Celebrity Look-alikes

Randy Seaver has come up with a quick and easy way to have some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. Here are the directions to this week's mission:

1) Go to http://www.myheritage.com/ - you don't have to be a registered member to use this feature. Click on the "Celebrities and Fun" tab.

2) Click on the "Celebrity Collage" tab, and then on the "Create my Collage" button.

3) Upload a photograph with your face (or another person's face) to the site (the face must be at least 100 x 100 pixels) and click on the "Run face recognition" button.

4) Select a collage template, and the faces (up to 8) to go into the collage template. Click on "Next" and "Preview" your template, which should bring up the template for you to review. You could click on "Save" and it would go off to your selected social networking site.


Well I have to tell you that I have been told I look like Barbara Eden, Ashley Judd and Gidget but not the celebrities this program came up with. While I am pleased as punch and extremely flattered, I find it highly unlikely I'll ever be mistaken for Raquel Welch.

Somebody Likes Me!

Julie Wingate author of the delightful blog "Banjos and Baby Dolls" thinks that I am worthy of the Kreativ Blogger Award that is being passed around Geneablogger land. Julie has now become my new BFF.

In return, the awardee must give back 7 and 7 - Reveal seven previously unknown things about yourself and then pass the award to seven other bloggers.

Seven things about me you may not know:

1. I do not like chinese food

2. When the last of my 3 sons moved out of the house I vacuumed naked just because I could. [youngest son has since moved back home so I don't vacuum anymore]

3. One of my mantras - "Never Pay Retail"

4. I am terrified of snakes

5. I am a firm believer in karma. Even if I don't live long enough to see it in action, I am confident that what goes around comes around (and usually bites you on the butt)

6. I am a night owl.

7. I hate to cook , I'd rather clean toilets than have to be in the kitchen

There, seven things I'd bet you never would have thought about me. I now pass the award on to the following blogs:

Brenda Dougall Merriman

footnoteMaven

West in New England

Consanguinity

What's Past is Prologue

Life From The Roots

AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

The COG and Me

The 83rd Carnival of Genealogy

What the COG Means To Me

Dear COG,

I know that I haven't been as dedicated to you as I should have been. Writing an article for you twice a month really wasn't too much to ask. It was the least I could have done after all you have done for me. You held my hand when I was taking baby blogger steps giving me the strength and courage I needed when I decided to just jump in feet first. You continue to give me the opportunity to share my stories with others who actually read my posts and take time out of their lives to leave a comment or words of encouragement.

I promise to do better this coming new year. I promise to guest host a carnival next year to give your Hostess with the Mostess - Jasia - a much deserved break. And lastly I promise to spread the word and encourage others to participate.

Your GBFF (Genealogy Best Friend Forever)

Sheri Fenley

ps. enclosed please find a "Get Out of Hell Free" card, not that you'd need it or anything, but it adds a nice touch to the spectacular apology I just wrote to you don't you think?

The Educated Rabbit

OK , OK, so perhaps threatening to pull people out of hats wasn't the best way to draw attention to the Graveyard Rabbits. After some quiet time to reflect on this dilemma, I am ready to try a different approach:

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That's right I'm over at the Graveyard Rabbit Association. I write a column (disguised as rabbit, of course) for the Graveyard Rabbit Journal where I educate you - in, uhmm , well, graveyardy- cemetery things.

Like for instance, I'll bet that you never, ever in your wildest dreams thought a headstone could be cleaned like THIS .

Oh yeah, I have you hooked now, don't I!

A Nice Thing or Two - SNGF

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun came and went but I still want to play. This week Randy asks us to share something nice a fellow genealogist has done for us in the past week or the most recent we can recall.


There are two people that I am long overdue in thanking for going above and beyond the wild blue yonder.

Gary Deen in Des Moines County, Iowa is a shirttail relative of mine who has on numerous occasions gone to the State Library and obtained family records for me. He never asks for anything in return (although I have begged him to let me return the favors). Gary is the webmaster of the Des Moines County Genealogy Society website and has done a top notch job of redesigning the site recently.

Ginger Smith in Raleigh, North Carolina went way, way, far away out of her way to obtain estate files and wills for me at the North Carolina State Archives not too long ago. Knowing that I was practically salivating, waiting to see one in particular - she scanned and emailed it to me so I wouldn't have to wait for the mailman to deliver it with the rest of the papers. Ginger is the author of Genealogy By Ginger blog , GenealogybyGinger Weblog and The Smith and Fox Family Blog.

Don't Make Me Have To Pull You Out Of A Hat!

That's my new line I give to people when I find out they aren't Graveyard Rabbits yet. I am truly surprised that some people still haven't heard about the Graveyard Rabbit Association. Are you one of them?

From the GYR website:

"The Graveyard Rabbit Association is an association dedicated to the academic promotion of the historical importance of cemeteries, grave markers, and the family history to be learned from a study of burial customs, burying grounds, and tombstones; and the social promotion of the study of cemeteries, the preservation of cemeteries, and the transcription of genealogical/historical information written in cemeteries. There are no dues or fees for becoming a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits. "

In plain English a rabbit is someone who has a blog devoted entirely to cemeteries, tombstones, burial customs, etc. Some Rabbits go out and take photos and upload them to their blogs, others do transcriptions of headstones. Some adopt one cemetery in particular while others cover an entire county or state. Bottom line - it's all about preserving and learning.

GYRabbit Membership Requirements

A. You must start a blog devoted exclusively to articles about cemeteries, grave markers, burial customs, the study of cemeteries, transcriptions of tombstones, or the preservation of cemeteries.

B. Your membership blog must include a statement in your banner that you are a member of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits and display the association's logo.

C. The articles you post at your Graveyard Rabbit blog should be about cemeteries, grave markers, burial customs, and information relating to burying grounds or specific gravestones.

To join, simply click here and follow the directions - tell them that I sent you.

Once you are an official Rabbit, then I can feature you in the "Meet A Rabbit" column that spotlights new Rabbits as a way to introduce you to the world.