tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24519475698326408012024-03-13T07:43:09.099-07:00AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My DescendantsWeekly journal prompts to help you document your life and the lives of your ancestors for future generations.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-63820964278974279562009-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:002009-01-18T11:19:30.360-08:00Journaling Responses to "Week Forty-Three: The New Year"Here are what some other bloggers had to say about their childhood memories of The New Year:<br /><br /><a href="http://allmybranches.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/the-new-year/">The New Year</a> by Wendy Littrell at <a href="http://allmybranches.wordpress.com/">All My Branches</a><br /><br /><a href="http://anotherdaywithdonna.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-years-memories-traditions.html">New Years Memories - Traditions</a> by Donna Wendt at <a href="http://anotherdaywithdonna.blogspot.com/">Another Day with Donna</a><br /><br /><a href="http://detourthroughhistory.blogspot.com/2008/12/very-special-day-new-years-day.html">A Very Special Day - New Years Day</a> by Cathy at <a href="http://detourthroughhistory.blogspot.com/">Detour Through History</a><br /><br /><a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/12/miriam-over-at-ancestories-2-stories-of_30.html">New Years Day - Spent and Spending</a> by Thomas MacEntee at <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.looking4ancestors.com/looking4ancestors/2008/12/30/new-years-eve-traditions.html">New Year's Eve Traditions</a> by Kathryn Lake Hogan at <a href="http://www.looking4ancestors.com/looking4ancestors/">Looking4Ancestors</a><br /><br />My own is <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-new-years-memories.html">My New Year's Memories</a> at <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/">AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors</a>.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-14914334639668744702008-12-28T02:00:00.000-08:002008-12-28T02:00:01.847-08:00Week Forty-Three: The New Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwoUZtSqI/AAAAAAAAEbY/WFrmFvP7c4s/s1600-h/j0440265.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 237px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwoUZtSqI/AAAAAAAAEbY/WFrmFvP7c4s/s320/j0440265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284675788227824290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It's hard to believe that it's time to ring out the old and cheer in the new. It's also time to write about your New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and New Year's Resolution memories!<br /></div><br />*Do you remember the first time you were allowed to stay up and see in the New Year? How old were you?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwpB0nO-I/AAAAAAAAEb4/vIJrdwkNFg0/s1600-h/j0313826.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 230px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwpB0nO-I/AAAAAAAAEb4/vIJrdwkNFg0/s320/j0313826.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284675800420269026" border="0" /></a></div><br />*How did you and your typically spend New Year's Eve during your youth? Did you go to a Watch Night Service and participate in communion and prayer? Did you watch the ball drop in Times Square on television? Did your community have a fireworks show?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwpN6vTtI/AAAAAAAAEbw/Q1ibp3uq9Tk/s1600-h/j0309665.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 173px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwpN6vTtI/AAAAAAAAEbw/Q1ibp3uq9Tk/s320/j0309665.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284675803667189458" border="0" /></a></div></div><br />*Did you have first-footers, mummers, or bang pots and pans on your front porch? Did you wear party hats and use noisemakers?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwopg3WcI/AAAAAAAAEbg/96yo8FkOCEI/s1600-h/j0309596.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 232px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwopg3WcI/AAAAAAAAEbg/96yo8FkOCEI/s320/j0309596.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284675793894988226" border="0" /></a></div><br />*If New Year's Eve involved feasting of some kind, what were the usual fare and beverages?<br /><br />*How do all of the above compare to the way you celebrate New Year's Eve now?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbxbSCgzxI/AAAAAAAAEcA/nLvdRFoE134/s1600-h/j0430786.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 194px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbxbSCgzxI/AAAAAAAAEcA/nLvdRFoE134/s320/j0430786.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284676663766994706" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What about New Year's Resolutions? Did you make any when you were younger? Do you make them now? How well do you keep them? Was there any year when you really did a fabulous job at keeping them? What were your goals and how did you keep them?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbytsr8sFI/AAAAAAAAEcI/LaI8yVgO2w4/s1600-h/j0423004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbytsr8sFI/AAAAAAAAEcI/LaI8yVgO2w4/s320/j0423004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284678079669383250" border="0" /></a></div><br />*How did you typically spend New Year's Day in your childhood and youth? Did you visit family and friends? Did your family host an Open House? Did you watch the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game or another favorite sport? Or did you go to your favorite ski resort?<br /><br />*How does it compare to the way you spend New Year's Day now?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwo002noI/AAAAAAAAEbo/XyslkilXHc8/s1600-h/j0309664.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 165px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVbwo002noI/AAAAAAAAEbo/XyslkilXHc8/s320/j0309664.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284675796931616386" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Are there any special customs from your heritage that are integrated into your New Year's celebrations?<br /><br />*If you celebrate Christmas or another seasonal holiday before the New Year, when do you take down the decorations and put them away?Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-63746283240389558662008-12-14T12:35:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:35:54.081-08:00Week Forty-Two: Writing about the HolidaysThis time of year everyone is busy with holiday preparation. The Genea-Bloggers have been doubly busy keeping up with all the carnivals, memes, and Saturday night games. So rather than post more journaling prompts that might possibly overwhelm our genea-blogging elves, I'm going to encourage those of you who do NOT have a blog to take a look at some of the writing events in which the Genea-Bloggers are participating, in order to get some ideas on what to journal:<br /><br />The theme for the 61st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/12/carnival-of-genealogy-61st-edition.html">"Traditions"</a> and the theme for the 62nd Edition will be "Three Wishes". Jessica Oswalt is doing something similiar for the 14th Edition of the <a href="http://jessicagenejournal.blogspot.com/2008/11/13th-edition-of-carnival-of-central-and.html">Carnival of Central and East European Genealogy</a>. What sorts of traditions have endured in your family? What new ones have you started? What do you hope will be passed on? If you could have three things that belonged your ancestors as Christmas or holiday gifts, what would they be?<br /><br />Do you have a favorite Christmas or holiday photo? Who would you give copies to? This was the idea behind footnoteMaven's yet-to-be-published 8th Edition of the <a href="http://shades-smileforthecamera.blogspot.com/">"I Smile for the Camera" Carnival</a>, aptly named "Stocking Stuffer."<br /><br />The footnoteMaven started a tradition of <a href="http://www.footnotemaven.com/2008/12/footnotemavens-christmas-tradition-of.html">Blog Caroling</a> last year, in which each blogger wrote his or her favorite carol or holiday song. It's been renewed this year. What a great idea! Write about your favorite carol, its history and author, how it became your favorite, and what memories it revives when you sing or play it.<br /><br />Tim Abbott of Walking the Berkshires is getting ready to put together the <a href="http://greensleeves.typepad.com/berkshires/2008/12/call-for-posts-cabinet-of-curiosities-12.html">12th Cabinet of Curiosities</a>. Do you have any odd ornaments, decorations, or heirlooms? How did you happen to inherit or come to own these?<br /><br />Speaking of decorations, have you left a record of your decorated home (present or past) for future generations? Denise Olsen of Moultrie Creek is hosting the <a href="http://moultriecreek.us/creek/?p=442">Christmas Tour of Blogs</a>. This would make a wonderful scrapbooking/journaling combination for non-bloggers.<br /><br />Are you of the Jewish faith? Then visit <a href="http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.com/">Schelley</a> or <a href="http://transylvaniandutch.blogspot.com/">John's</a> blogs for creative ideas to share your celebrations of Hanukah.<br /><br />And if all these ideas aren't enough to inspire you, then I recommend that you visit either <a href="http://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=8077536894458666315&searchType=ALL&txtKeywords=&label=Advent+Calendar+of+Christmas+Memories">Thomas</a> or <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas">Jasia</a>'s blog to view the wonderful Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, which they put together last year. There are 24 prompts to keep you busy writing and scrapping!Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-52500258467599567942008-12-14T12:01:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:06:48.384-08:00Journaling Responses to "Week Forty-One: Fall"There were a couple of excellent responses to the Fall theme and I'm including them here, along with my own:<br /><br /><a href="http://allmybranches.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/autumn-in-my-mind-word-prompt/">"Autumn in My Mind - Word Prompt"</a> by Wendy Littrell at All My Branches<br /><br /><a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/12/miriam-over-at-ancestories-2-stories-of.html">An untitled post</a> by Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family<br /><br />Mine is <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-finally-getting-around-to-answer-my.html">"My Favorite Season"</a> posted at my other blog AnceStories: The Stories of My AncestorsMiriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-48985393916923847582008-11-30T11:42:00.000-08:002008-11-30T12:32:15.871-08:00Week Forty-One: FallFall--or autumn--is nearly over in the Northern Hemisphere, and many have already seen winter weather. However, the Winter Solstice doesn't begin until December 21st, officially leaving us with three more weeks of <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> favorite season!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLznOR8BMI/AAAAAAAAEQY/8o_oRgKNBIE/s1600-h/j0438974.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLznOR8BMI/AAAAAAAAEQY/8o_oRgKNBIE/s400/j0438974.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274545968778052802" border="0" /></a></div><br />*How do you feel about fall? Is it a favorite season, or do you prefer another?<br /><br />*What are your favorite fall activities (indoor or out)?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzo1SMa_I/AAAAAAAAEQg/0zoeul7KXe0/s1600-h/j0430737.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzo1SMa_I/AAAAAAAAEQg/0zoeul7KXe0/s400/j0430737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274545996427979762" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What are your favorite fall sports (to watch or play)?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzpb6kVMI/AAAAAAAAEQo/1tUGrQXlm2w/s1600-h/j0439511.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzpb6kVMI/AAAAAAAAEQo/1tUGrQXlm2w/s400/j0439511.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274546006797866178" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Do you have a favorite fall outfit to wear? Corduroy slacks and plaid flannel shirt, a cozy sweater, etc.?<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0JinVOzI/AAAAAAAAERQ/7M3vQYUK8gM/s1600-h/j0384867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 202px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0JinVOzI/AAAAAAAAERQ/7M3vQYUK8gM/s400/j0384867.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274546558352046898" border="0" /></a>*Do you have any particular household or garden chores that you regularly do just in autumn?<br /></div><br />*Have you ever gone leaf peeping?<br /><br />*What observances of nature do you regularly watch (birds flying south, squirrels preparing for winter, etc.)?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3sc31QWI/AAAAAAAAERw/oH6e5yKMG4A/s1600-h/j0402361.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 161px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3sc31QWI/AAAAAAAAERw/oH6e5yKMG4A/s400/j0402361.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274550456640946530" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What flowers that bloom during this season do you especially like?<br /><br />*Do you visit any orchards, pumpkin patches, or corn mazes?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3l1t9ggI/AAAAAAAAERo/gBl6wCRixQU/s1600-h/j0384864.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 174px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3l1t9ggI/AAAAAAAAERo/gBl6wCRixQU/s400/j0384864.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274550343051346434" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What about the local fair?<br /><br />*Do you do any kind of harvesting or food preparation (canning, drying, smoking)?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzmGGuXMI/AAAAAAAAEQI/gPM2J0_hXIc/s1600-h/j0316902.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 201px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzmGGuXMI/AAAAAAAAEQI/gPM2J0_hXIc/s400/j0316902.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274545949403667650" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What about hunting?<br /><br />*Do you do any kind of fall traveling, other than holiday travels?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0I8yN3tI/AAAAAAAAERA/iR1HiCQSAic/s1600-h/j0422850.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 161px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0I8yN3tI/AAAAAAAAERA/iR1HiCQSAic/s400/j0422850.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274546548197154514" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Which is your favorite fall holiday, and why (Hallowe'en, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, or others)?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzmC0iigI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/dF--EPfGHFM/s1600-h/PH03653I.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 144px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STLzmC0iigI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/dF--EPfGHFM/s400/PH03653I.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274545948522088962" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What are your favorite fresh foods that are in season at this time? Favorite fall recipes or beverages?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0JKSULqI/AAAAAAAAERI/sO0kPcP6oHs/s1600-h/j0400449.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 197px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL0JKSULqI/AAAAAAAAERI/sO0kPcP6oHs/s400/j0400449.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274546551821446818" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Share favorite memories of fall from your childhood.<br /><br />*What do you least like about this season?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3lAQ111I/AAAAAAAAERY/pjEVMIIIevA/s1600-h/j0438772.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 203px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3lAQ111I/AAAAAAAAERY/pjEVMIIIevA/s400/j0438772.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274550328702130002" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the fall? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during summer?<br /><br />*Do you have any hobbies that you take up during the fall months?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3lyA1nvI/AAAAAAAAERg/3Foyyz9pGRU/s1600-h/j0439466.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 151px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/STL3lyA1nvI/AAAAAAAAERg/3Foyyz9pGRU/s400/j0439466.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274550342056779506" border="0" /></a></div><br />Decorate your journal with photos of yourself and/or your ancestors enjoying autumn or harvest. Dry colorful fall leaves between pages of a heavy book, such as a phone book, and use them in your journal as well.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-45044364236947286822008-08-06T08:08:00.000-07:002008-08-06T08:13:23.091-07:00The Genea-Bloggers' Picnic Has Been PostedBill West of West in New England has posted <a href="http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2008/08/welcome-to-picnic.html">"Welcome to the Picnic!"</a> He asked genealogy bloggers what kinds of picnics they remembered from their childhood. I added some more questions in <a href="http://ancestories2.blogspot.com/2008/07/week-forty-geneabloggers-picnic.html">"Week Forty: The Geneabloggers' Picnic."</a><br /><br />There are 20 picnickers, each with their own picnic baskets and favorite foods. My submission, <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/08/picnic-time.html">"Picnic Time</a>" is here.<br /><br />Enjoy the reads!Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-66441841184838213292008-08-03T18:26:00.000-07:002008-08-03T18:34:06.962-07:00Another Break!I'm taking another break from posting journal prompts for AnceStories2 because I'm going to be very busy in the next few weeks with...well! I can't tell you just yet! It will spoil the surprise! Just check in tomorrow morning at my <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com">AnceStories blog</a> for a Very Special Announcement!<br /><br />And as soon as <a href="http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/">Bill West</a> posts the Genea-Bloggers' Picnic, I'll link to it.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-89923435439994949412008-07-27T09:16:00.000-07:002008-07-27T09:17:05.038-07:00Week Forty: The Geneabloggers' Picnic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SIyc69REFmI/AAAAAAAADA8/iuV1zIcaHag/s1600-h/j0422789.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 220px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SIyc69REFmI/AAAAAAAADA8/iuV1zIcaHag/s400/j0422789.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227725804162782818" border="0" /></a><br />OK, I lied when I hinted that I might post another prompt mid-week. Truth is, there's been so many carnivals lately, it was overwhelming to think of coming up with more ideas...and then finding time to write about them, too! (What's a carnival? It's a little like these writing prompts, but on a much larger scale. Go <a href="http://100inamerica.blogspot.com/2008/07/carnival-of-genealogy-52nd-edition-age.html">here</a> to see the latest edition of the Carnival of Genealogy to get an idea. There are about a half-dozen more that I participate in!).<br /><br />I thought I would share with you an idea by Bill West who blogs at <a href="http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/">West in New England</a>. A while ago, he featured the <a href="http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2008/02/genealogy-on-parade.html">Geneabloggers' Parade</a>, with genealogy bloggers writing about what things they would enter in a genealogy parade. Now Bill invites one and all to the <a href="http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2008/07/geneabloggers-picnic.html">Geneabloggers' Picnic</a>.<br /><br />*What food does your family serve at picnics?<br /><br />*Are there traditional foods or family recipes?<br /><br />*Is there one particular relative's specialty you wish you could taste again or one perfect picnic day you wish you could go back and relive?<br /><br />Here's more ideas I came up with:<br /><br />*You could expand to write about family reunions, past and present, and what kinds of foods were/are brought to them.<br /><br />*You could add what dish everyone loved to eat, and which one people were sneaking off to scrap into the garbage so they wouldn't hurt the cook's feelings!<br /><br />*Is there a picnic basket, old ice chest, a BBQ grill or camp stove, a special dish (physical, not recipe) or picnic cloth that's been handed down in the family and used for decades at picnics, potlucks, or reunions?<br /><br />*Is there a favorite campground, park, home, or meeting place where picnics or reunions regularly occurred?<br /><br />*What about unwelcome guests like ants, mosquitoes, and yellow jackets? Raccoons, anyone?<br /><br />*What favorite picnic or reunion photos do you have, especially ancestral?<br /><br />*Beverages served, games and activities played, stories told...all contain memories that future generations will someday treasure, <span style="font-weight: bold;">if</span> they're left for posterity!<br /><br />The deadline is Friday, August 1st. If you have a genealogy blog, write your memories there, then contact Bill at lunacy2<span style="font-weight: bold;">AT</span>mindspring<span style="font-weight: bold;">DOT</span>com. You don't have to have a genealogy blog to participate, of course. You can choose to write your memories offline in a journal, or your choice of media. If you would like to publish your memories online, but don't have (or don't want to have) a genealogy blog, e-mail your writing to me at kidmiff<span style="font-weight: bold;">AT</span>gmail<span style="font-weight: bold;">DOT</span>com by August 1st, and I will post it here on this blog and send Bill notification so he can link to it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Next week: Get out your hammer, paint, and wallpaper...we're remodeling!</span>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-25139804297247513412008-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:002008-07-27T08:46:39.181-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Nine: Summer"We had some great responses to last week's prompts! I even heard from a fellow genealogy society member who journals off line! She brought up some good points about copying and pasting my prompts while trying to eliminate the images on the blog. I will address these later this week.<br /><br />First of all, we have faithful Thomas of <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a> with <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/07/summertime-and-living-is.html">"Summertime and the Living Is..."</a> Next is Apple of <a href="http://appledoesntfallfar2.blogspot.com/">Apple's Tree</a> with <a href="http://appledoesntfallfar2.blogspot.com/2008/07/summer-time.html">"Summer Time."</a> It's been a while since Jasia of <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/">Creative Gene</a> joined us, and her post is <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-cant-resist.html">"I Can't Resist."</a><br /><br />I have been wanting all week to write my own post, but this weekend was absolutely crazy, and the busy-ness spills over into the early part of this week. So please forgive me if I hold off on posting a new set of prompts; I want to write my own responses, and then we'll move on!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">UPDATE:</span> My post is <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/07/celebrate-summer.html">"Celebrate Summer!"</a>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-59809383638198517832008-07-13T02:00:00.000-07:002008-07-20T16:38:12.074-07:00Week Thirty-Nine: SummerNo doubt about it, summer has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere! This season tends to be a favorite for most people; however, there are a few who prefer a different one, or perhaps just plain don't care for summer for reasons such as heat.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/celebratesummera1.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*How do you feel about summer? Is it a favorite season, or do you prefer another?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/lazydayssummera1.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What are your favorite summer activities? Do you enjoy being outside, or would you rather curl up with your air conditioner?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/funinsuna1.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Do you have a favorite summertime sport to participate in or watch?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harriscountryhome.com/DonnasDilemmas/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summerblink.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What is your typical summer outfit?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joyfulmotherdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/ocean.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Do you take a summer vacation? Where do you normally go, and what kinds of activities do you do there?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.berryhollow.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summeramnblinkie.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What is your favorite summer holiday, and why?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.geocities.com/expatpalette/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/watermelon_expat.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What kinds of summer foods or drinks do you enjoy?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buttercup-graphix.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summermagic.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Share some favorite memories of summer vacation from when you were a child.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/lifebeacha1.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What is your least favorite thing about summer?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summerdazea1.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Do you enjoy summer storms?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mommyfeet.freeservers.com/Mommyfeets_Blinkies.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summerheat.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What is the hottest summer temperature you remember experiencing?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://home.no/buflod/sider/blinkies.htm" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summer.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Do you have a memory of a cool or cold summer? Has it snowed on the Fourth of July in your area?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wagsouth.com/blinkies/index.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summertime.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the summer? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during summer?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://graphicgard.topcities.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/summer_blinkie.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*What summertime hobbies do you pursue? If you are a genealogist, do you travel to ancestral locations during this season?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://graphicgard.topcities.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/kidmiff/Summer%20Blinkies/Lighthouse_blinkie.gif" border="0" /></a></div>*Do you have any summertime photos of your ancestors? Check out the <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/06/carnival-of-genealogy-49th-edition.html">49th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy ("Swimsuit Edition")</a> for great stories and photos of genealogy bloggers' ancestors in swimsuits and summertime wear.<span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Blinkies from: <a href="http://clik.to/pinkyblinkie">Pinky Blinkies</a>, <a href="http://www.harriscountryhome.com/DonnasDilemmas/">Donna's Dilemmas</a>, <a href="http://www.joyfulmotherdesigns.com/">Joyful Mother Designs</a>, <a href="http://www.berryhollow.com/">Berry Hollow</a>, <a href="http://www.geocities.com/expatpalette/">ExPat's Palette</a>, <a href="http://www.buttercup-graphix.com/">Buttercup Graphix</a>, <a href="http://www.mommyfeet.freeservers.com/Mommyfeets_Blinkies.html">Mommyfeet Blinkies</a>, <a href="http://home.no/buflod/sider/blinkies.htm">Kari's Blinkies</a>, <a href="http://www.wagsouth.com/blinkies/index.html">Blinkies-2-Go</a>, and <a href="http://graphicgard.topcities.com/">Marsha's Graphic Garden</a>. Click on each blinkie to go to its creator's site. Some websites may no longer be in existence.</span></i>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-85213539122952686512008-07-12T08:39:00.000-07:002008-07-13T08:51:59.213-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Eight: The Doctor"Tex, who blogs at All My Ancestors, wrote <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/2008/07/07/the-doctor-a-medical-history/">"The Doctor: A Medical History."</a> And Thomas of Destination: Austin Family posted <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/blogspot/PRqY/%7E3/331957120/doctor-no.html">"Doctor, No!"</a> I got a good laugh at Thomas' comment, "How about lawyer and indian chief to complement this theme?"Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-8444896615718490952008-07-06T09:12:00.000-07:002008-07-06T09:12:18.772-07:00Week Thirty-Eight: The DoctorFollowing up on the medical/health theme from two weeks ago, we venture into more memories:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDs4ceySxI/AAAAAAAACy4/8knxNXcx038/s1600-h/j0337244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="108" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDs4ceySxI/AAAAAAAACy4/NiJXLVQbG-0/s200-R/j0337244.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="153" /></a></div>
*Who was your doctor or health practitioner when you were growing up?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDuXjypGzI/AAAAAAAACzg/BQS_A2uvA7s/s1600-h/j0409770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="94" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDuXjypGzI/AAAAAAAACzg/oe-peCiAB8s/s200-R/j0409770.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="142" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
*How often did you go to the doctor? Every year for a check-up, or just when you were ill?<br />
<br />
*Did you have a lot of illnesses as a child? Or were you fairly healthy?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDtJpVrWJI/AAAAAAAACzA/n-mSav9iOrw/s1600-h/j0422272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="141" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDtJpVrWJI/AAAAAAAACzA/PZyTa5O-b5w/s200-R/j0422272.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="141" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
*Did you have any injuries (broken bones) or surgeries? Have you ever had to be hospitalized?<br />
<br />
*What specialists did you have to see?<br />
<br />
*Did you have to see an optometrist and/or wear glasses?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDthDwOXzI/AAAAAAAACzI/sp4EHM061xg/s1600-h/j0422196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="101" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDthDwOXzI/AAAAAAAACzI/xgm8oQ7JZhY/s200-R/j0422196.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="151" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
*Was going to the doctor a pleasant or unpleasant experience? Share both your most unpleasant and your favorite medical memories.<br />
<br />
*As an adult, how do your current medical experiences compared with those of your childhood?<br />
<br />
*Do you still see the same doctor?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDtumajRcI/AAAAAAAACzQ/VrNqZ2rmhZg/s1600-h/j0405208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="146" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDtumajRcI/AAAAAAAACzQ/VWiU4redtYA/s200-R/j0405208.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="83" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
*What kinds of health problems are prevalent in your family? Are there any genetic diseases of which your relatives should be made aware? How have you attempted to avoid these risks or diseases?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDuH_AR0tI/AAAAAAAACzY/0UO_TPuV0e4/s1600-h/j0337245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="101" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SHDuH_AR0tI/AAAAAAAACzY/uvBmpkD1CjM/s200-R/j0337245.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="143" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
*Are there any doctors, surgeons, specialists, nurses or other health practitioners in your family, or in your ancestry?<br />
<br />
*Are there any stories about certain medical problems or injuries, or about interactions with medical practitioners that have been handed down through the generations?<br />
<br />
Craig Manson of <a href="http://geneablogie.blogspot.com/">GeneaBlogie</a> <a href="http://geneablogie.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-surgeon-generals-family-history.html">blogged</a> about the Surgeon General's <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/">Family History Initiative</a> and how to use the <a href="https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/">"My Family Health Portrait"</a> feature, which is a wonderful tool to use and print up to take with you to your next physical exam. The Surgeon General has urged people in the past to ask questions of their family members during holiday gatherings to uncover and keep track of potentially genetic risks.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Next time: Heat Wave! It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and we'll be sharing our favorite summertime memories.</span>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-77895487327715191452008-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:002008-07-29T08:45:45.691-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Seven: The Dentist"There were two genea-bloggers who posted their responses to "Week Thirty-Seven: The Dentist." They were Thomas MacEntee of <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a> with <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/fistful-of-teeth.html">"A Fistful of Teeth"</a> and Tex of <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/">All My Ancestors</a> with <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/2008/06/25/dental-health-family-adventures-and-memories/">"Dental Health: Family Adventures and Memories."</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">UPDATE:</span> Kathryn Lake Hogan of <a href="http://looking4ancestors.blogspot.com/">looking4ancestors</a> posted <a href="http://looking4ancestors.blogspot.com/2008/07/visiting-dentist.html">"Visiting the Dentist"</a> on 28 July 2008.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-62051457199789664572008-06-22T18:04:00.000-07:002008-06-22T18:04:41.283-07:00Week Thirty-Seven: The Dentist<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm back from my hiatus and appreciate everyone's patience through the last few weeks. A recent visit to my dentist prompted my idea for the following questions:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF70v9SeQ0I/AAAAAAAACts/rGL3G3nwYEY/s1600-h/j0406701.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 136px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF70v9SeQ0I/AAAAAAAACts/rGL3G3nwYEY/s400/j0406701.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214874523284685634" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*Who was/were your childhood dentist(s)? Was he/she your family dentist?<br /><br />*Did you like or dread going to the dentist? Why?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71CJsTayI/AAAAAAAACt0/WY7ttXGhWEk/s1600-h/j0385814.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 148px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71CJsTayI/AAAAAAAACt0/WY7ttXGhWEk/s400/j0385814.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214874835851897634" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*Did you ever have cavities as a kid, or were you one of those cavity-free kids?<br /><br />*Did you ever need oral surgery or braces?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71bfcpVpI/AAAAAAAACuM/yC7C8Cic9-I/s1600-h/j0410157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 137px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71bfcpVpI/AAAAAAAACuM/yC7C8Cic9-I/s400/j0410157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214875271188534930" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*Did you ever knock a tooth out (accidentally or on purpose)?<br /><br />*What was the tooth fairy tradition in your childhood home? If she visited your house, how much did she pay per tooth? Did she find the tooth under your pillow or in a glass of water?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71LZxMiyI/AAAAAAAACt8/t2yWWQmbbFk/s1600-h/j0409553.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 137px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71LZxMiyI/AAAAAAAACt8/t2yWWQmbbFk/s400/j0409553.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214874994786208546" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*What was the worst dental exam or procedure you had done?<br /><br />*What is your favorite memory of the dentist?<br /><br />*How have your adult experiences at the dentist compared with those of your childhood?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71TlctQ4I/AAAAAAAACuE/Xi0e6oCywbg/s1600-h/j0424377.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 203px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71TlctQ4I/AAAAAAAACuE/Xi0e6oCywbg/s400/j0424377.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214875135360451458" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*Do you still have the same dentist? Why or why not?<br /><br />*If you have children, what is/was the tooth fairy tradition for them?<br /><br />*Have you had to have dentures or bridgework?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71fh41lEI/AAAAAAAACuU/pshIq9ihZ4A/s1600-h/j0337249.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 146px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SF71fh41lEI/AAAAAAAACuU/pshIq9ihZ4A/s400/j0337249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214875340563125314" border="0" /></a><br /></div>*Describe your oral health history and relate your opinion as to the causes behind your good or poor oral health.<br /><br />*Are there any dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, dental technicians or assistants in your family tree?<br /><br />*Are there any stories in your family history about going to the dentist and the kinds of treatments experienced in the old days?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Next week: Open wide and say "Ahhh!" We're going to visit the doctor.</span>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-67456795412182019192008-04-20T10:06:00.000-07:002008-04-20T10:18:27.546-07:00Taking a BreakI am taking a planned break from writing prompts for two weeks. Although I have the ideas, I just haven't had the opportunity to write them. I was down to a computer-and-a-half these past two weeks. For some reason (and this happens every now and again), my laptop can't access anything at Google: Blogger, Gmail, Reader, etc. These are the features that I probably use 80% of the time I'm online. I could access most other websites, such as Ancestry, etc. but I mainly use my laptop for blogging while the family uses the desktop. Because my laptop is older and slower with a smaller monitor than my desktop, we use the desktop for online gaming (son - Runescape), offline gaming (daughter - Sims), and downloading music and videos (husband). Trying to compete for computer time on the desktop with the rest of the family, especially on the weekends when I try to get a lot of blogging done and schedule my posts, just did not work out.<br /><br />Now my laptop is doing just fine again (I shake my head as I write this), I am crunched for time. My next online genealogy class begins Tuesday, I am working on a website for a genealogy friend, and I'll be making a presentation on researching military records for the Family History Conference held at the Colville, Washington Family History Center next weekend. Also, <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/search/label/Scanfest">Scanfest</a> will be next Sunday, and will take up a good deal of time that day. Additionally, I am in the middle of a daily post on my Civil War ancestors and relatives at my other blog, <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com">AnceStories</a>, a blog that takes precedence over this one. I also write and maintain the <a href="http://ewgs-spokane.blogspot.com">blog</a> for my local genealogical society.<br /><br />As the school year wraps up, I may need to take other breaks, since my duties as a parent and a school district staff member intensify and increase. Please bear with me. Once my summer vacation begins (June 14th), I will have more time to be consistent again.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-87347095278274360982008-04-20T10:00:00.000-07:002008-04-20T10:06:32.864-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Six: My Computer"Thomas at Destination: Austin Family has written about his computer experiences at <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-computer.html">"My Computer,"</a> while Robert Lord left a few words about his first computer in the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2451947569832640801&postID=3698717769796966593">comments section</a> of the post to the last journaling prompts. I have been wanting to write about my own early computer experiences and the evolution of the technology in our home, but ironically, my laptop was having some issues and so I was limited to the amount of time I could be online and blog! I still plan on writing about this later, and will update this post when I do.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-36987177697969665932008-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:002008-04-13T10:00:37.978-07:00Week Thirty-Six: My Computer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bs-_bOVNI/AAAAAAAACPE/nI73tsU6t1Q/s1600-h/j0433062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 130px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bs-_bOVNI/AAAAAAAACPE/nI73tsU6t1Q/s320/j0433062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185592587885368530" border="0" /></a><br />If you're reading this, you're using a computer or a device that can connect to the Internet, such as a cell phone or other electronic device. And chances are, you own this device, unless you're reading from a public computer or work computer. Technology changes so quickly that it's not unusual to hear someone recall a computer they owned five years ago with the same sort of fondness that they would mention a favorite car from 30 years ago. Let's take a trip down memory lane and talk about your first personal computer, or perhaps your first experiences with computers (if you don't currently own one).<br /><br />*Tell about your first experiences with a computer? Did you take a computer class in school or college, or perhaps as a part of work training? What kind of computer did you train on? What was the purpose of your learning or training?<br /><br />*If you use computers at work, tell about the various types you've worked with.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsYfbOVLI/AAAAAAAACO0/BWwDXX-dgMU/s1600-h/j0433098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 89px; height: 138px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsYfbOVLI/AAAAAAAACO0/BWwDXX-dgMU/s320/j0433098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185591926460404914" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What was the first computer you ever owned (brand)? What type of operating system did it have? How much RAM did it have? How big was the hard drive and processor? Do you remember what type of backup it had (floppy disks, etc.)?<br /><br />*What about its peripherals? What type of monitor (brand, pixels, size) did you have? What about the keyboard and mouse? Did it have speakers?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_brgfbOVII/AAAAAAAACOc/-O_6z4eUs4A/s1600-h/j0402148.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 100px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_brgfbOVII/AAAAAAAACOc/-O_6z4eUs4A/s320/j0402148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185590964387730562" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Did you have a printer? What kind of ink did it use? Did it print on single sheets or use continuous feed?<br /><br />*Tell about your first internet experience. Unless you've recently joined the technology age, you started out with dialup (and may still use it, depending upon what is available and affordable in your community). What was the first speed of dialup that you used? Who was/were your provider(s)? Do you use broadband now? What type (cable, DSL, etc.)?<br /><br />*For what did you mainly use your first computer?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bshPbOVMI/AAAAAAAACO8/o3QEU3yhVSc/s1600-h/j0433180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 82px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bshPbOVMI/AAAAAAAACO8/o3QEU3yhVSc/s320/j0433180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185592076784260290" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What did you love about your first computer? What did you dislike? What about each of your consecutive computers?<br /><br />*Tell about any crashes or hard drive failures you have experienced.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsDPbOVJI/AAAAAAAACOk/1iGcFO4bJoU/s1600-h/j0437246.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 81px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsDPbOVJI/AAAAAAAACOk/1iGcFO4bJoU/s320/j0437246.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185591561388184722" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />*How did you discard former computers?<br /><br />*Share the progression of your first computer and internet experiences through your present ones. Compare and contrast.<br /><br />*What is on your wish list for your current computer situation? Is it a whole new system? Some jazzy peripherals?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsOvbOVKI/AAAAAAAACOs/32RdDYSQZ1o/s1600-h/j0433070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 79px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bsOvbOVKI/AAAAAAAACOs/32RdDYSQZ1o/s320/j0433070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185591758956680354" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">To read the favorite hardware, software, and websites/blogs that genealogists and family historians use, you may wish to read the <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/03/carnival-of-genealogy-43rd-edition.html">43rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Technology</a>, which was posted 4 Mar 2008.<br /></div></div>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-28715267311516676462008-04-12T11:01:00.000-07:002008-04-12T11:06:52.223-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Five: Spring"Take a look at Thomas' response at his blog, <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a>, titled <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/04/spring.html">"Spring."</a> I love the photo of the flowery hat, and he and I share a love of asparagus as one of our favorite spring foods.<br /><br />Spring, alas, is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> my favorite season for a myriad of reasons, which I explain in <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/04/spring-not-my-favorite-season.html">"Spring: Not My Favorite Season"</a> over at my genealogy blog, <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/">AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors</a>.<br /><br />Stay tuned for "Week Thirty-Six: Computer Memories," which will be posted tomorrow.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-15688413837538190282008-04-06T02:00:00.000-07:002008-04-06T02:00:00.153-07:00Week Thirty-Five: Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTgfbOVCI/AAAAAAAACNs/_vx_NWn7Vx8/s1600-h/j0399922.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 162px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTgfbOVCI/AAAAAAAACNs/_vx_NWn7Vx8/s320/j0399922.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185564576108663842" border="0" /></a><br />Spring has finally sprung, despite the fact that Old Man Winter '07-'08 keeps trying to keep his hold on the Northern Hemisphere. For many, Spring is a favorite season, full of flowers, birds, butterflies, and bees. Some have favorite sports that begin in Spring. Others (like myself) are ambivalent toward Spring, because although the days are getting lighter, longer, and warmer, they are marked by mud, pollen allergies, and schizophrenic weather.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bS3fbOU-I/AAAAAAAACNM/3Ft2cxKAavk/s1600-h/j0177863.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 81px; height: 122px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bS3fbOU-I/AAAAAAAACNM/3Ft2cxKAavk/s320/j0177863.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185563871734027234" border="0" /></a></div><br />*How do you feel about Spring? Is it a favorite season of yours, or a least-favorite? Why?<br /><br />*What are your favorite Spring activities? Do they include gardening and yardwork? House repairs or touch-ups?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bYZvbOVHI/AAAAAAAACOU/JjUj9WyN8Qg/s1600-h/j0423136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 120px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bYZvbOVHI/AAAAAAAACOU/JjUj9WyN8Qg/s320/j0423136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185569957702685810" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Do you have favorite Spring flowers or blossoming trees?<br /><br />*What are your favorite Spring sports, either as a participant or as an observer? While basketball is wrapping up in March Madness, baseball, track and field, tennis, and golf are starting up in schools across the nation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bUEfbOVFI/AAAAAAAACOE/USzJO_nUMU0/s1600-h/j0435899.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 112px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bUEfbOVFI/AAAAAAAACOE/USzJO_nUMU0/s320/j0435899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185565194583954514" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Here in Spokane, Spring is welcomed with such community events as <a href="http://www.bloomsdayrun.org/BloomsdayHistory.htm">Bloomsday Run</a> (one of the largest in the nation) and the <a href="http://www.spokanelilacfestival.org/index.html">Lilac Festival</a>. Does your community have Spring events, and what is the extent of your participation?<br /><br />*Do you have a regular Spring cleaning time? When is it and what does it include?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTHvbOVAI/AAAAAAAACNc/LjsjTeAmqqA/s1600-h/j0386134.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 78px; height: 118px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTHvbOVAI/AAAAAAAACNc/LjsjTeAmqqA/s320/j0386134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185564150906901506" border="0" /></a></div> </div><br />*What are your favorite Spring holidays? Easter or Passover, Mother's Day, Earth Day, Memorial Day are a few.<br /><br />*What are some of your favorite foods that are in season during Spring?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTsPbOVDI/AAAAAAAACN0/OY6f392i3ms/s1600-h/j0422201.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 77px; height: 116px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTsPbOVDI/AAAAAAAACN0/OY6f392i3ms/s320/j0422201.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185564777972126770" border="0" /></a></div><br />*Ah-choo! What do you like least about Spring?<br /><br />*Do you have favorite memories of Spring Break from your school or college years?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTXPbOVBI/AAAAAAAACNk/-oiydZlgfKI/s1600-h/j0399505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 81px; height: 123px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R_bTXPbOVBI/AAAAAAAACNk/-oiydZlgfKI/s320/j0399505.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185564417194873874" border="0" /></a></div><br />*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the Spring? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during Spring?Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-73863832812509998282008-04-05T02:00:00.000-07:002008-04-05T02:00:00.954-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Four: Holy Days of Spring"Ever the faithful journal-keeper, Thomas MacEntee of <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a> has posted his response to the last set of journal prompts, <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/03/holy-days.html">"Holy Days",</a> on his blog.<br /><br />I also did some browsing through some of my favorite genealogy blogs and came up with the following list of Easter memories and traditions. Even though they weren't written for the journal prompt, I think that by reading these, you may get even more ideas on how to share your Holy Days of Spring memories.<br /><ul><li>Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie shares <a href="http://blog.geneablogie.net/2008/03/easter-sunday-albuquerque-c-1960s.html">"Easter Sunday, Albuquerque, c. 1960s."</a></li></ul><ul><li>Jasia of Creative Gene wrote about attending this year's Easter Mass in <a href="http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2008/03/polish-pride.html">"Polish Pride."</a></li></ul><ul><li>Lisa of 100 Years in America wrote about a Hungarian tradition that takes place Easter Monday in <a href="http://100inamerica.blogspot.com/2008/03/hungarian-easter-monday-weather-showers.html">"Hungarian Easter Monday weather: showers!"</a> Easter Monday was also a holiday celebrated in Ireland, and she tells about this in <a href="http://small-leavedshamrock.blogspot.com/2008/03/joyful-easter-monday-to-you.html">"A joyful Easter Monday to you!"</a> on her Small-leaved Shamrock blog. Lisa also shared two traditions from Eastern Europe: <a href="http://100inamerica.blogspot.com/2008/03/easter-traditions-decorating-eggs-and.html">"Decorating eggs... and fighting!"</a> and making Croatian Easter bread in <a href="http://100inamerica.blogspot.com/2008/03/doing-your-easter-baking.html">"Doing your Easter baking?"</a> Both these posts are on her 100 Years in America blog.</li></ul><ul><li>Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist <a href="http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/2008/03/long-standing-easter-tradition-is-still.html">highlighted an article</a> from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Pittsburg </span>(Pennsylvania)<span style="font-style: italic;"> Post-Gazette</span> about how the long-standing tradition of blessing Easter baskets is still being faithfully observed. She also shared her traditional Slovak Easter breakfast in <a href="http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/2008/03/happy-easter-i-received-this-lovely.html">"Happy Easter!"</a></li></ul><ul><li>And John Newmark, who often writes about his Jewish heritage, shared this sentimental post, <a href="http://transylvaniandutch.blogspot.com/2008/03/easter-bloom.html">"An Easter Bloom,"</a> about a flower his great-grandfather picked and gave his daughter (John's grandmother) on Easter Sunday in 1926.<br /></li></ul><br />It's always interesting to see the diverse ways in which holidays are celebrated within the same country by people of the same religion. Our culture, family history, and geographic location influence us all in many ways, and it is simply fascinating and fun to see that as we celebrate our holidays!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I realize it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted a prompt. I've put together a new one that will post tomorrow and have already started working on next week's. Blogger in Draft's scheduling feature is a godsend, helping me to plan and work ahead!</span></span>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-13336893722805762182008-03-16T10:43:00.000-07:002008-12-28T09:21:39.708-08:00Week Thirty-Four: Holy Days of Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0QhSKOuI/AAAAAAAAEcY/k3KKLfYV6QU/s1600-h/j0407485.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 156px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0QhSKOuI/AAAAAAAAEcY/k3KKLfYV6QU/s320/j0407485.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284890883648010978" border="0" /></a><br />Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 marks the celebration of Easter for most Christians (Eastern--commonly known as Orthodox--Christians will be celebrating April 27th), and sunset on Saturday, April 19th will be the date Jews will commemorate Passover. These are undoubtedly two of the most well-known spring holy days, although other cultures and religions have their own as well.<br /><br />*How did your family traditionally celebrate its holy day? Did you attend worship services? Which kind (Good Friday service, Sunrise service, etc.) did you traditionally attend? Did you family approach this holy day with a lot of reverence, or was it secularized?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0u8TfvAI/AAAAAAAAEdA/A_GQplqTciE/s1600-h/j0433271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 192px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0u8TfvAI/AAAAAAAAEdA/A_GQplqTciE/s320/j0433271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284891406297447426" border="0" /></a><br />*What foods did your family eat during the meals celebrating your holy day? What special preparations were involved? As a child, did you help prepare any of the meals or dishes?<br /><br />*Did you receive or give any gifts or treats as part of the celebration?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0QtNxx0I/AAAAAAAAEcg/YtSfSWcPvI0/s1600-h/j0408888.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 165px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0QtNxx0I/AAAAAAAAEcg/YtSfSWcPvI0/s320/j0408888.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284890886850856770" border="0" /></a><br />*Did you wear special or new clothes?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0RIhmJMI/AAAAAAAAEcw/GpdHTnuka4g/s1600-h/j0409567.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 228px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0RIhmJMI/AAAAAAAAEcw/GpdHTnuka4g/s320/j0409567.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284890894181737666" border="0" /></a><br />*What kinds of decorations were created or put out for this holy day?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0RHqj36I/AAAAAAAAEco/g3l0KKS2Z_c/s1600-h/j0409040.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 242px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0RHqj36I/AAAAAAAAEco/g3l0KKS2Z_c/s320/j0409040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284890893950902178" border="0" /></a><br />*What year stands out in your mind when you think back through your life of all the Easter/Passover/other spring holy day celebrations you participated in? Why? What was special/unique/different about that particular one?<br /><br />*Did you participate in any community events surrounding this holy day (egg hunts, etc.)?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0Rhzh7EI/AAAAAAAAEc4/tCRlINefhnY/s1600-h/j0411764.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 152px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0Rhzh7EI/AAAAAAAAEc4/tCRlINefhnY/s320/j0411764.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284890900967844930" border="0" /></a><br />*Do you have any favorite hymns, religious or secular songs, or other music?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0veLbbHI/AAAAAAAAEdI/dRqhnnZPl1k/s1600-h/j0433430.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 198px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/SVe0veLbbHI/AAAAAAAAEdI/dRqhnnZPl1k/s320/j0433430.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284891415390415986" border="0" /></a><br />*How do you celebrate this holy day now in comparison to when you were a child?<br /><br />Don't forget to share favorite photographs of you and/or your family celebrating this holy day!Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-53621942230683976922008-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:002008-03-16T10:16:42.140-07:00Journaling Responses to Week Thirty-Three: Laughter, the Best MedicineHere are some posts by other bloggers who've responded to last week's prompts about <a href="http://ancestories2.blogspot.com/2008/03/week-thirty-three-laughter-best.html">Laughter, the Best Medicine</a>:<br /><ul><li>Tex knows a lot about humor; in fact, she once wrote a dissertation on it! Her post is <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/2008/03/09/ancestories-laughter-the-best-medicine/">AnceStories: Laughter, the Best Medicine</a> at her blog, <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/">All My Ancestors</a>.</li><li>I love Colleen's title for her post: <a href="http://omchorations.blogspot.com/2008/03/ha-ha-ha.html">Ha! Ha! Ha!</a> You can read it at <a href="http://omchorations.blogspot.com/">The Orations of OMcHodoy</a>.</li><li>You've got to see the fun and wacky photo Thomas posted on <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/03/make-em-laugh.html">Make 'Em Laugh</a> on his blog, <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a>. Having participated in <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/search/label/Scanfest">Scanfest</a> with Thomas, I <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> he has a wicked sense of humor!</li></ul>If you have written a response to this prompt on your blog (even if it is long after the time it was originally posted), please let me know, and I'll add a link to your post. Remember, they don't have to be written in order; you can pick and choose as you like.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-63975371465306100972008-03-11T07:08:00.000-07:002020-06-27T08:58:11.024-07:00Great Lakes Dunes Featured on Stamps<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R9aQ1RYCOFI/AAAAAAAACAM/FMA2lP004dE/s1600-h/medium_dunes_stamp.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/03/dunes_stamp.jpg" src="https://bp3.blogger.com/_RjxkeLg6mns/R9aQ1RYCOFI/AAAAAAAACAM/FMA2lP004dE/s320/medium_dunes_stamp.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">(click <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/03/dunes_stamp.jpg">here</a> to enlarge)<br /></span></span></div>
I'm a big fan of stamp collecting. Although I haven't done so since I was child, it's one of those ways like coin collecting, reading biographies of historical characters, conducting science experiments, and creating works of art that expand a child's mind and can be a lead into learning more about one's own past. A number of years ago, the United States Postal Service began a series of a large block of stamps that highlight various ecological habitats found around the U.S. According to <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/03/stamps_feature_dunes.html">this article</a> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Muskegon</span> [Michigan] <span style="font-style: italic;">Chronicle</span>, the "glorious sand dunes that line portions of all five Great Lakes are about to get national exposure," while being featured in the 10th installment of the Nature of America educational series.<br />
<br />
This announcement caught my eye for several reasons: the first, stemming from my childhood hobby of stamp collecting, and the second being that Michigan is an ancestral location for me. But I have more than a passing interest in the Great Lakes dunes than just that they are a wonderful natural feature. You see, my parents met while both their families were camping at <a href="http://www.silverlakesanddunes.com/">Silver Lake State Park</a> 47 years ago this summer, and their first date was taking a motorboat ride across Silver Lake, then walking across the dunes from Silver Lake to Lake Michigan! I thought it would be a great idea to buy a block of these stamps and preserve them in a scrapbook to use as a creative prompt to write about how my parents met, so that generations to come would know their story.Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-27210154914545187932008-03-09T13:14:00.000-07:002008-03-09T13:46:32.734-07:00Week Thirty-Three: Laughter, the Best MedicineA while ago, I was working away at my laptop, when my teenage son's belly laugh floated down the stairs from his room where he was watching one of his favorite television shows, Family Guy. Immediately, I flashed back to my childhood and heard my brother's own childish belly laugh echoing in my memories, from the weekend mornings when I would try to sleep in and he would be watching Saturday morning cartoons in the living room directly below my bedroom. I thought about how my son's chuckle imitates both my brother's and my sister's, and how my daughter has a very unique outright laugh (it almost sounds fake!), although at times I hear her paternal cousin's giggle or her paternal aunt's chuckle when she is amused. My sister-in-law and my mother-in-law share the same "ha-ha!" and my husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law sound alike as well.<br /><br />Now that nearly all my grandparents are gone, I can tell you that one of the sounds I miss most is my maternal grandmother's merry laugh, and my paternal grandfather's knee-slapping that accompanied his guffaws after telling a good joke. I can't remember my maternal grandfather's laugh or even a memory of him laughing out loud...maybe because he was a quiet man. I know that my dad and his mother have similar laughs, and I wonder that if I could be transported in time, which ancestors <span style="font-style: italic;">they</span> would sound like.<br /><br />Ancestral photographs and documents may tell us who someone looks like in the family, or what similar habits or occupations were passed from generation. But sound--people's voices and the way they laughed--are not things that often get recorded for future generations. Yet, they could tell us so much about ourselves and our families!<br /><br />*When you laugh, who do you sound like? Your father, mother, a sibling, or other relative?<br /><br />*Who in your family giggles? Belly laughs? Chuckles? Guffaws? Knee slaps or does some other large physical act while laughing?<br /><br />*What other members of the family have similar laughs? Query the older generations and ask them "who in the family has your grandma's (or grandpa's) laugh?"<br /><br />*Who has the most unique laugh in your family, and why?<br /><br />*What kinds of things did your family laugh or joke about?<br /><br />*What best describes the style of humor in your family (dry, wet, ironic, silly)?<br /><br />*Did you ever have tickle fights?<br /><br />*Who were the practical jokers in the family?<br /><br />*What private jokes did you have as a family? What key phrases were giggle starters?<br /><br />*What do you remember about your own children's first laughs when they were babies? What silly things did you do to get them to chortle?<br /><br />*What books, magazine, or cartoon strips were favorite humorous reads in your family?<br /><br />*What comedy television shows or movies were favorites in your family?<br /><br />*Do you ever play games that get your family giggling up a storm? (Our family plays Balderdash with my brother-in-law's family every year while camping at the lake for a week...it's our favorite group activity, mainly because we get so darn silly while playing it!)<br /><br />*Do you have digital recordings, videotapes, audio tapes, or home movies with family members talking or laughing in them? I'm a fan of Susan Kitchen's blog, <a href="http://familyoralhistory.us/news">Family Oral History Using Digital Tools,</a> and she has lots of good tips for preserving these recordings. Perhaps you should plan to do some recording at the next family gathering!<br /><br />*Besides preserving audio recordings (and perhaps posting them on your blog!), you can post photos of family members cutting capers, laughing, or joking around. If you don't have a blog, you can add these photos to a scrapbook and post your responses to this prompt. You could also add quotes about laughter from the Bible or other sources to your journal, scrapbook, or blog.<br /><br />And now, it's time to do a little giggling yourself! Watch the YouTube video below! For more great baby laughing videos, go to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> and enter "baby laughing" in the search engine.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5P6UU6m3cqk"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5P6UU6m3cqk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2451947569832640801.post-11568253326633483492008-03-09T12:21:00.000-07:002008-03-16T10:07:22.714-07:00Journaling Responses to "Week Thirty-Two: Honoring Our Leaders"I apologize for dropping out of sight the last two weeks. I've barely been keeping my head above water, and things have eased up just a bit, enough for me to try to get back on track. I wanted to let you know about some terrific responses to the last set of journaling prompts, which have been published on genealogy blogs:<br /><ul><li>Elizabeth from <a href="http://littlebytesoflife.blogspot.com/">Little Bytes of Life</a> posted <a href="http://littlebytesoflife.blogspot.com/2008/02/week-thirty-two-but-week-one-for-me.html">"Week Thirty-Two (But Week One for Me): Honoring Our Leaders."</a></li><li>Thomas at <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/">Destination: Austin Family</a> wrote <a href="http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/02/honoring-our-leaders.html">"Honoring Our Leaders."</a></li><li>Tex posted <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/2008/02/20/presidents-daylate/">"President's Day...Late"</a> at her blog, <a href="http://allmyancestors.com/blog/">All My Ancestors</a>.</li><li>My own post is <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/02/honoring-our-presidents.html">"Honoring Our Presidents"</a> at <a href="http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/">AnceStories</a>.<br /></li></ul>I enjoyed reading these, especially discovering which president each person felt was the greatest leader for our country.<br /><br />As a side note, I encourage you not to feel that you have to write any of these posts in a particular order, or that you need to "catch up." They are numbered for my convenience only. You can write from any prompt at any time, and if you have a blog, post them whenever you wish. In other words, it's not like a carnival with a specific due date. If for some reason, like the last two weeks, I'm unable to get prompts published, I encourage you to take a list at some of the other prompts you may not have written to, so far, and use them instead. The idea is to get you to write about your own life and your ancestors' lives to share with future generations. Feel free to come up with your own prompts and write to those, too!Miriam Robbinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12021845886261585678noreply@blogger.com0