My memory is seriously failing me. Last week, I realized I had “misremembered” the origin of the punch-needle rugs my mother made in the mid-1960s. This week, I was all set to write my post on the topic of “taxes.” It would be an easy write – I had all of my tax returns since […]
Read MoreOkay – this is admittedly a real stretch for this week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks blog prompt, “Maiden Aunt.” I was struggling to think of who I could write about, not having any maiden aunts. In fact, I have no aunts at all anymore. Nor are any of my siblings “maidens.” So – I […]
Read MoreIn March 1959 we were living in a two-story garden apartment in New Haven. I had just turned 4. One sister was not quite 3 years-old and the other had just turned 1. My mother was exhausted from running up and down the stairs all day and insisted on moving to a new home – […]
Read MoreI could have used this story for last week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge as it truly ended up a story about luck. But, since most people would consider losing the top floor of their home to fire, it fits this week’s theme of Misfortune, pretty well. Julie Chen with Meg and my mom Those […]
Read MoreThis week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic is “Lucky” – in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. I was planning on writing about how lucky I have been “employment-wise.” But then I discovered March 14 was National “Write Your Story” Day. I remembered writing a lengthy autobiography as part of the Genealogy Do-Over I started in 2015. […]
Read MoreUPDATE: It was recently brought to my attention that I made a big booboo. I inadvertently left out one of my sisters-in-law. I make no excuse (because I don’t even know how I forgot!) just a huge and apology. In honor of Women’s History Month, the prompt for this week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is […]
Read MoreIf you follow my blog (or know me at all!) you are aware that I am THE KEEPER OF THE FAMILY TREASURES! As I mentioned in my post about family heirlooms, this is an awesome responsibility that I don’t take lightly. As part of my Genealogy Do-Over in 2015 (sponsored by Thomas MacEntee of High Definition Genealogy), I created an inventory […]
Read MoreMy mom used to say she wasn’t hoarding stuff, she was “holding it” for us. She referred to herself as the manager of the family “museum.” Since her passing, I have inherited that role. I’ve tried to be diligent about tracking who has what and where our treasured items are. A situation this past week […]
Read MoreJust a short post – been a very busy week!! Valentine’s Day is not one of my favorite holidays. I feel it’s best suited for “young” love and kids!! So – I struggled with what to post for this week’s 52 Ancestor challenge. I decided to share the first Valentine’s Day cards I ever got – […]
Read MoreI really wasn’t too keen on this week’s topic for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge: Favorite Name. I have previously written about the importance of the WINCHESTER middle name in my husband’s family. I am not comfortable posting information about living relatives that might encourage ID theft. Therefore, I won’t write about why my sister […]
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Who We Are and How We Got This Way 