March Madness

This week my baby turned "Double-Digits". It's amazing how fast they grow up!

I also celebrated my 4th year of blogging. Where does the time go? I took a trip down memory lane and revisited the beginning of my blog. It would be several months till I would get a real comment (other than from a friend). I even made up a 2nd ID on Blogger so I could see what a comment would look like. Even though I only did this once, I still feel a bit sheepish.

This past year I've cut back a bit on my blogging but I am hopeful I will keep the blog alive for at least 4 more years.

Spring is here!


Today I started to work on my garden. I spend a short time cleaning up some of my beds. I also planted some dill, peas, lettuce, spinach, and swiss chard. My onions are popping up as well as my strawberry plants.

I have a ways to go in cleaning up, fertilizing and preparing the soil for planting. I plan to take a few small sections at a time so I don't get overwhelmed. It will be another month or so until I can start planting the rest of my crops. The temperatures are bouncing between the 60's and the high 20's.

I posted a few pictures on my photo blog of some early greenery. It is always fun for me to look back on the different stages of my vegetable garden and flower beds.

Speaking of beds, I have three beds to get filled with boys.....

Happy Spring!!!!

2010 Mid-June Garden

Lost & Found

Almost 13 years ago I became an "Adult Orphan" when my father passed away at the age of 72. My mother had preceded him in death by 5 years. I remember an overwhelming feeling of loss. Not only did I lose a parent, I suddenly felt the loss of a resource of my family history.

When my parents were alive, I never thought much about my ancestors. I knew if I ever had a question about my heritage, my folks were a phone call away.

A few weeks ago, I watched Rosie O'Donnell trace her Irish roots on "Who Do You Think You Are?" with my youngest son. Afterward, I was badgered to go visit the sponsor of the show's website, Ancestry.com. I signed up for a free 14 Day trial. While Colin thought we'd instantly receive our family tree, complete with famous relations, I knew there would be a bit of work involved.

I spoke with both of my uncles ( my mom's brother and my father's brother) as I was getting started. I was surprised at how little they knew about their aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents.

The Age of Information
On Ancestry.com's website, I found a distant relative's family tree which helped fill in some of the blanks on my tree. I also was able to view census records for my grandparents as well as some of the great-grandparents on both my side and my husband's family.

I amazed both of my uncles as to how much information I was able to find in a short time. It was fun helping jog their memories and to help fill in the blanks.

I never thought of myself as a history buff. I now have a new hobby. Although my 14 days are now up, I have just started finding out "who I am".

The nice part of this project is that I was able to help add to the data bases of Ancestry.com. In return, even though I no longer have access to their records, I still have an account and can continue working on my family tree.