Tracing our Roots

Pumpkin pies, cranberry sauce, Turkey, laughter filling the kitchen as Grandma and Mom would share stories of family. It was never long after the deserts and Rum balls were being made that someone would bring out the photos, the notebooks of family history to share with us little ones. Passing along family memories of love ones long gone. 

Sharing our roots was something that had always been a holiday tradition in our home for generations. To me it was something that was as natural as walking, never did I ever consider something so fun to be a career. In the past year since my dear Grandma's passing, I have been verifying information, receiving photos from my Aunt, and had a few mysteries that popped up here and there. Then I realized, this had gone from being a hobby to me becoming a genealogist. No longer was this just a past time hobby for me, but that I wanted to help others discover their genealogy.

I became more involved in Findagrave.com, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, and want to become certified in genealogy. This was fun on all levels, helping others, and meeting other people. It wasn't the stressful paralegal setting, or business setting I was accustomed to. I love it and am excited to not only expand on Tracing our Roots, but helping others discover their heritage. 

Finding time

Wow, took me longer than I thought to get back to the blog. I always seem to get distracted on other projects, or just designing the blog.. Well I am finally happy with the look, still adding some of my most favorite money savings links to my blog. These sites are so helpful and I just love talking about them. When we relocated here seemed like a new world was opened to me. A world of saving money, something that my grandma always expressed but was near impossible at our last place. So these sites would have been something she would have loved dearly.

www.freecycle.org- this site will have a post all to it's own. But right now I will say that being a packrat myself, this site has been a great way to get rid of things without the guilt of trashing good stuff and polluting the earth. Reduced my carbon footprint :)

www.pinchingyourpennies.com- this site was first given to me when we moved here. I was too new to the whole forum networking thing. So when I rediscovered it last summer, I was kicking myself for not sticking to it before. This site has some great women on it, that research the local area's for the best sales. They are so wonderful, not only do they find local deals, but also internet deals.

http://thethriftydivas.blogspot.com/- the title says it all.

http://www.wickedcooldeals.com/

I will continue to post different sites, saving money has really helped our family reach our goals and get things that I would never have bought unless it was on sale.

My first Blog

I have been working on "perfecting" my site for weeks now and realized that unless I stop procrastinating-this was never going to get done. So my first post is about my grandma, and the praise she received on the ceramic Betty Boop Doll she made me. Besides the purpose of this blog isnt for strangers, but for family and friends. They already know I am far from perfect and treasure my family. So please be patient, the site is still under construction-will continue to add photos, stories, and recipes.

Grandma's art

There were many things my grandma loved about life, and she was a very talented woman craft wise. She always made lovely quilts, cute paintings, and even started working with ceramics. She made me a beautiful Betty Boop ceramic doll years ago, and I was so sad when we moved and the foot was broken. In my research to get a price for the insurance company, I received this email from someone who makes, sells and collects these dolls. His thoughts on the doll proved that my feelings were not bias at all. Betty Boop was grandma's favorite cartoon, and I watched many old Betty boop cartoons with her when I was a little girl.



Subject: Re: betty boop replacement
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 11:22:32 -0500

Dear Dawn,

I can give you the benefit of my years selling these items, and the thousands of web sites I have visited to find the highest quality figures.

First of all, it is hand made, and one of a kind. Secondly, it is made of ceramic, while most comparable figures are made of polyresin. The size is also quite nice, matching up with our Betty Boop at the Beach figurine, which sells for $149.00 on eBay or in our stores. Last of all, it is an heirloom. All of these factors would contribute to a higher value.

If I were selling it myself, I would put it somewhere in the $95 to $185 range, depending upon condition and detail.

I ran this past my supplier in Holland as well, and he agrees with my evaluation. It looks to be a very nice piece, even though the flash photo bleeds out some of the color. (In other words, I feel it would look nicer in person.)

I hope this helps you with the insurance company, and you may certainly use a copy of this email to assist you.

Wishing you all the best,

Randall