Happy New Year!
I hope everyone is settling into the swing of things. It was a really good end of the year. Fun, family, rest and good times. It is nice feeling blessed going into 2013...
So what is on everyone's plate for the new year? Do you ever have those times in your life where you feel you are either putting pieces of your life puzzle together or you are creating, scattering and looking for them? Well....with the passing on of my Dad late last year and the coming together of other circumstances, I feel like it is a time for putting the pieces together. And so decided to share at the beginning of the year some personal projects to get underway.
The thing with loved ones passing on and leaving behind their whole lives (my Mother has also been gone for 2 years now...) is that it overwhelms your life with work, treasures, sorting, blessings and decisions. Some good some melancholy but much filled with special graces and gifts I will always be thankful for. Finding things you forgot or may never have known about, can be great too and a bit bittersweet. Having said all that ~~ it is time to get to work. :)
I have two important things I would like to do. I want to put together a family history. There have been forms of this done by others in my family, but I need to put together this legacy gift for my kids, with my own touch to it. You know what I mean. I also would like to put together a family recipe book of sorts....so many things you just never want to forget. Memories are heavily tied to scents they say, and FOOD is #1 on the list. :)
I am still sorting out the decisions. Do I do a family tree? Photo albums (both digital and hard bound) do I scrapbook? Do I do a combination of all three? Daunting, yet exciting. :) As I get older I think one of the best things we can pass on to our kids is WHO they are and WHERE they come from. On some level, in everyone's life, to feel fulfilled, we need to come to terms with this in our own lives. Everyone. It brings peace. Both the good and the bad. I think it is one of the attractions to the show Downton Abbey. Why would so many be drawn to a family, steeped in old tradition? Because I think deep down we all know that one of the important rules of life is (and what the British has done so well for centuries) know thyself! Especially in modern thinking, you may want to forget it, run from it, change it, but eventually (if we desire)....it comes full circle and that is good.
I believe identity crisis' can lead to BAD decisions anyway...so, enough on that and back to work...
I love, love, love all of the old pictures we have gone through and found from my parents ~ grandparents. Many I haven't seen in years or forgot were even taken....amazing. Technology has blessed us with preserving like no other time in history.
What fun ~ huh?
Mom ~ as bridesmaid. Love the dress, love the colors.
This is a picture my Dad had of his great grandfather (grandpa) Valentine Sobie. My great~great grandfather, my kids great~great~great grandfather obviously ~~ and so on. Love my Dads handwriting at the bottom of the pic. If you haven't tried www.ancestry.com you should! I believe I found him listed, with name and birth (approx. 1853) with Detroit, MI listed ~~ how many Valentine Sobie's would there be? ;)
When looking for ideas for compiling recipes of course Pinterest almost never lets me down! This handy dandy recipe binder download with printables, may come in handy. http://pinterest.com/pin/231020655855613687/
I actually found this binder in the clearance @ my local Barnes & Noble. Susan Branch thinks of everything! :)
How about this sweet family record printable page found on Pinterest?
Many great ideas, glad to get started and I will make updates through the year on my progress. YOU and my blog can help keep me on track.
Bye ~ bye for now ~~~ :)
.jpg)
?
