The Day After...

Yeah I know.  Alot of people call today, the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.  I guess I'm different, I see the potential here that alot of people won't.  First of all, I don't have to be out shopping, I'm pretty much done with that.  Second of all, while all of you are out shopping, fighting crowds, growling about parking spaces, I'll be here, warm & cozy, probably with my cup of peppermint tea, surfing ancestry and working on my family history!  Later we'll break out the turkey day leftovers.

So for today, I'm going to leave the blogging to the die-hard bloggers, and I'm going to enjoy my day, surfing ancestry and the other sites I use; hanging out with the grandkids & husband!  After all isn't that what the holidays are all about - families??  I'll be back blogging about my finds from today on Monday. 

Be sure to take some time out during your busy holiday season for yourself!

Happy Researching!
Karen

Wordless Wednesday - Almost

Our daughter, Amanda, summer of 1986.

Treasure Chest Thursday

Treasure Chest Thursday is all about family heirlooms, things passed down that you value and cherish.

A few things to remember when I share this with you... one... my family kept very little. Family heirlooms are few & far between. Two... my idea of an heirloom & yours are probably a world apart. This is proven by the fact that one of my cherished heirlooms is this little red football.

Some history - I have three uncles on my mom's side - and I have special things I remember about all of them. They are all still living in Bradenton, Florida - Richard, Herman and Gary. Crazy they are! But each special to me in his own way.

This heirloom I am going to share with you is from my uncle Herman. The photo's below are of a young Herman Phillips all dressed up & going to the yearly football banquet, Palmetto High School, Manatee County, Florida, 1959. Also there you see a photo of him in his uniform and a copy one of many of the newspaper clippings showing his involvement in the football team.

Homecoming, Palmetto High School, fall of 1960, those little red footballs were tossed into the crowd. They had the name of the high school, the year etc on the side. A certain young football player got one of those footballs and presented it personally to his first niece, ME. He is amazed that still today I have this football. It sits on my desk, the lettering on the sides long worn off, but the memory of the hunky young football player who thought it important to get one of those for his niece will remain with me for as long as I walk this earth.

My grandsons see it on my desk and once in a while one will manage to get hold of it and run off, but it always comes back - to reclaim its special place on my desk & in my heart.

Do you have a special family heirloom? Have written about it in your genealogy software so that those who come after you know the significance of it?

Happy Researching!

Karen

Thanksgiving...

The turkeys are all running for cover - the grocery stores are all packed and the mailbox is full of ads for shopping the day after Thanksgiving! Can you believe its ALREADY Thanksgiving?

Can't speak for everyone reading my blog today but it just seems natural to me to especially counting our blessings this year.

• 3 healthy active grandsons
• my mom, age 72 is still healthy and enjoying her life
• Mark still has a job at Ford despite all the job cuts at Ford earlier this year
• Both of the kids are still employed & healthy
• Everyone in the family has a roof over their heads & the heat is on
• No breast cancer!
• Life is good, we are blessed and for that we are especially thankful!

My Thanksgiving wish for each of you reading this blog is peace & happiness for you & yours this Thanksgiving holiday. I won't be blogging tomorrow - I plan on spending the day enjoying the day with my family. After all isn't family one of life's greatest blessings? After all we do research FAMILY history!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Karen