My Memories Freebie Friday

My Memories is very close to the 10,000 Facebook Fans and giving out the iPad2. Be sure to visit their site. Also Every Friday they offer a new Freebie layout. A little something to add to your scrapbooking, cards, or any creation you make with my memories.com Here are some layouts I have used in the past for preserving the memories of my relatives.

Great Grandma Ula Akin Durbin with baby

Nancy and Dora Coffee

Four Generation photo of Nancy Ola, Ula Mae, Ola Mae(Grandma) and baby Theresa.

Great Grandfather and Grandmother Raymond Durbin and Ula Mae

Meeting Distant Relatives

I have written about how I love Facebook. Not because of Farmville, or CafeWorld, but for all the re-connections, and discoveries I have found. My Grandparents had divorced before my mother was born, so the most I knew about Grandpa's family was just names and dates. Other than pictures the people behind those photos were a mystery to me. Well as soon as I got up the courage to get on Facebook the first person I searched for was my Grandma's sister in law. I knew that my mother had been in contact with her in the past. Why not see if she was also on Facebook. Well she was and we have had a very nice friendship. This summer during our Las Vegas Trip, my family was able to visit with her Daughter, Sandra. My family really enjoyed sharing our vacation in Las Vegas with her. 

Recently she started a blog of her own, highlighting her business. Her blog is Hard Times Auctions, much better than Storage Wars. I wish her the best on her blog and hope others will check it out.

Researching your Genealogy

There are a few days left with Ancestry.com free weekend. Ancestry.com is a great place and the largest resource for Genealogy. However, there are many different sites to find this information; some may have more information than others. Here is a list of the various links, and their benefits.


Ancestry.com: the largest and oldest site that has forums that allow researchers to share information between each other. Ancestry.com also interfaces with its Genealogy software Family Tree Maker 2011 PLUS Deluxe Family History Toolkit Bundle at Ancestry.com. RootsWeb General Search is also connected to Ancestry.com, and is a free option. The amount of resources you can achieve on Ancestry is limitless. Search Military Records, Historic Newspapers Online, Social Security Death Index, Adjustable Surname Search Link, Search Birth, Marriage and Death Records including Obituary Collection .

WorldVitalRecords.com is another Utah based subscription research site. It offers many of the same benefits as Ancestry.com. It is the host company for Family Link, also known as We're Related on Facebook. The link that us Genealogists use to link up our family on Facebook.

OneGreatFamily, Archives.com, are also paid subscription sites. Not as large or as old as Ancestry.com.

There are some really useful Genealogy sites that are free, FamilySearch.org, RootsWeb General Search.

There are also volunteer organizations where you can seek the help of Genealogists in the local area's that your ancestors lived. RAOGK.com, is a really helpful site, one that I volunteer for. I also follow Cyndi's List, her site is full of useful information and easy to follow.


There are many sites out there to research your Genealogy. Some are paid subscriptions, some are free. I personally am leary of most the free sites that have been popping up. How secure is their information, is that data verified information? RAOGK, Family Search, and Cyndi's list are the ones I trust the most if you are going the Free route. I know that those sites are secure and verified links.

Facebook bridging the gaps in Genealogy?

When Facebook came out I really didn’t have any interest in the latest craze. Then as more and more family were joining, I found it actually very beneficial. I could chat with family who are in other areas of the world, and share photos. Facebook has completely replaced the old school emails and forget snail mail that could get damaged or lost. I have found lost relatives who have helped fill in gaps in my research, relatives that have done years of genealogy work and shared their findings with me.

Finding people on Facebook isn’t hard, at the top in the search button type in a name of someone you know is still alive. No matter the age, unless they are under 13 yrs old they are most likely on Facebook. Send them a friend request, not a blind request, but one with a message explaining who you are and why you want to be friends. Sometimes you will already have a friend(relative) in common and Facebook will suggest you may know them.

Originally from my Tracing Our Roots WordPress Blog.

Make it in Minutes

Make it in Minutes

Treat your Neighbors to a batch of homemade goodies at the holidays. In many communities, it’s a the traditional way of being neighborly. Present your treats in Roxanne Buchholz’s amazing “Holiday Cookie Bucket” made from a 12 x 12 scrap page, template 37815 and you’ve got a memorable and personalized gift that lets your friends and neighbors know how much you care. The template makes two, so here’s how to make both in moments:
 

 
1.    Personalize the template if desired. “From Our House to Yours” can be changed to say “From the Smith Family” or “From Andy and Ann Smith” or any other greeting you’d like to share.

2.    Print the number you need, remembering that each page makes two buckets.

3.    When you send the page to print, request UV coating at checkout to give the labels extra protection from cookie crumbs or grease.

4.    Purchase “gallon size” clear plastic buckets from the craft store or online.

5.    Cut out all pieces using sharp scissors.

6.    Using a tacky white glue, scrapbooking adhesive roller or a glue stick, attach large labels to front of buckets and circles on the lid.

7.    Punch holes in tags as marked.

8.    Using 4-5 inch lengths of ribbon, yarn, inch-wide fabric, or even holiday colored curling ribbon, tie with double knots onto handle as shown.

9.    Fill with homemade cookies and deliver to the neighbors. Yum!