A to Z Book of Me Challenge N is for Notes and Nemesis

Notes :  I do write notes.. in fact I usually write lists, and then write a list for my list.

When it comes to Genealogy, and I find something say on Ancestry,
I will grab whatever is handy, be it a scrap piece of paper, or an envelope from
a bill and write on it.  I have so many of these, and some were written years ago,
I have them with my other family history things.
There is no rhyme or reason to it all, and some I have the same information
written down a couple of times.
Some of it, I don't understand anymore, which isn't good, because when my children
go through all of this, when I am no longer here, I am sure it will just get thrown
out.... even though I have thought about this before, I still haven't done anything
about it...
I'm thinking that this will be a good summer project to get started on :)

Nemesis :I kind of knew what this meant, but not really when it came to
Family History.. so here is my take on it...not sure if it is what it really
means or not.
My Nemesis is time.... I am trying to find time every day to write..
I'm trying to find time to organise my family history..
I would like to have my Family History written down for my children or grandchildren
to maybe read one day.
I am also trying to find time for ME... does that sound selfish ?
I find that in the rut of every day life.. I have no time for myself , to do
things like just going for a walk.
One of the reasons I am giving up working, is because I am feeling more
and more that I need that time... so in the Summer I am hoping to do some
" me " things... selfish or not.
Does that make sense that my Nemesis is time ?
I hope so...

A to Z Challenge M for Methodology

Do I have a method to doing my Genealogy ?
If not, it can be chaotic....
OH DEAR !!!
I am always looking for ideas, so I don't feel like this... so I can learn some good
methods to doing it, and storing it etc.

I do have my own webpage for my family tree, and do try to keep it up to date.
I do a lot of my research on Ancestry, Family Search, and have also gone on
Scotlands People to try and gather as much information as possible.

If any of my family went through some of my things.. quite honestly they
wouldn't know what to do with it all.  I have notes here and there, with dates
and names etc.

I have a tree on Ancestry and Family Search, but both are not as up to date
as they should be... something that I need to work on...

I'm full of good intentions...

A to Z Book of Me Challenge L is for Learning and Love

Learning...
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember , involve me and I learn.. Benjamin Franklin

There is so much to learn in doing our Family History...
First, we have to learn where to start / how to start.
We have to learn how to keep it and save the information that we have.
We can learn things about our ancestors that we never knew before.
For example... I had a couple of uncles and also a great uncle who told me
about my Grandmother ( Norah McCulloch ).
Because I didn't know her growing up, every bit of information I could
get was wonderful to me.
I learned that she loved to sing, and when the family went on a bus trip
somewhere, she would be the life of the bus, with her singing  etc.
Of course everyone could join in, and a good time was had by all.

I heard from my Aunt Helen, that her mum,  my grandmother ( Agnes McGowan )
was a tall, well made woman. So I could kind of picture in my mind, what she
could look like... and also.. maybe that's where I get my height from.  :)

Love : So many kinds of love.
There's the love we have for our parents, for our children / grandchildren, our spouse,
our friends.
We can have a love for reading, or for exercise ( I wish ), or for the mountains
or the ocean.
Love is a warm feeling that can reach the tip of our toes, to the top
of our head.
Love can be, infatuation, unconditional,  romantic, we can have tough love
or puppy love.

When it comes to my family history, I have felt a deep love or connection
with my ancestors... I can say that I love them and mean it.
I love my family.. my extended family.. its my nature to love... I dont know
who I inheritated it from, but I'm glad that I did.

Love is ... what gives you a smile from ear to ear..
Love is... far away people, you call friends

A to Z Book of Me Challenge K is for Keepsakes and Kiss

Keepsakes...  I already mentioned about how close I was to my Gran...oh
how I loved her.  When my Gran died, my dad sent me her bible... it is something that I
still cherish now.
I also have the last card that my dad sent me for my birthday.

I love to see his writing and remember him.

This past Christmas, my son and his wife gave us a framed picture..In it
were our grandchildren's hands.  There hands will never be that size again.. it
has their ages on it, and it says : From Firm Roots Grow Beautiful Leaves.
The PERFECT gift to have given me  :) and a real keepsake..

Kiss..... My first kiss would have been from my parents.. and maybe even

my Grandparents as well.  :)

I remember when I was a wee girl... my dad would kiss my forehead,

even now, if someone kisses my forehead, it makes me feel

warm and safe.

I remeber my Gran would kiss my cheek as she gave me a hug.

My first :" real " kiss would have been from... well

that would be telling.. hehe

Was it romantic ?

I would have to say it was.

Was it from someone special?

It absolutely was...

A to Z Book of Me Challenge J is for Judgement and Jewellery

Judgement... Its human nature to judge someone, but we shouldn't be doing that
at all...  Who are we to judge another ?
I know I have been guilty of this very thing, but as I have got older, I am
really trying hard to not do that.  When I walk imperfectly !

There was a time when I questioned why my Mum would just leave.. to leave her
children, because I knew I could never do that... never !
There are times when I sit and think, and still sometimes do this again.
This is bringing up feelings in me as I write.. I feel like like that wee girl
again.. I remember her leaving.. I remember my dad crying and begging her
to stay... but she didn't.
It was hard growing up knowing this, and not judge her

I do want everyone to know that I love her, I
have always loved her ... I forgive her, and I am
still human, and I'm trying hard to not judge.

There are things when we are doing our family history, that we find out things
about our ancestors.... but it is not our job to judge them... it is our job to
accept them.. they are ours.. we are entwined with them.. we are theirs,
they are ours.

Jewellery... I inherited a ring from Ken's Aunt, that I have since passed on
to another family member.
I have a purple brooch that belonged to my Grandmother ( Norah McCulloch ), that
was given to me by an aunt.
I will try and take a picture of it and put it on here....

A to Z Book of Me Challenge I is for Informants and Individual

Informants :  I wouldn't be as far as I am now in my Family History, if
it was'nt for the fact I have had people tell me information that they knew.
Of course, I also have to follow up, and still look up and find more information myself,
bur how important it was to get the information in the first place, to get me started.
Having someone share their information or knowledge with you is so, so important
for a number of reasons... the number one reason being, that maybe they were
there, so know first hand that the info they are giving you is right / true.

We are all INDIVIDUALS... we are all in our own way unique....
Just in our own families, we can all be so different.
Mt three boys are all completely different.. alike in some ways, but
very different in others.
My oldest son was always outgoing as a child, and very hyper, whereas
my middle son was quieter, shy in some respects.  My youngest son, he
had some of each of his older brothers in him... he is also the most stubborn.
A couple of my boys walk like my brother Andrew, but they never met him..

Its the same with our ancestors, they are each individual and unique
in their own way.
We have each of our ancestors running through our veins, but we are
also an individual.... we may have Grandpa's eyes, or our Mum's smile,
but we are our own unique person... be proud of us.. be proud of you  x

A to Z Book of Me Challenge H is for How and Holidays

How ?

How are things different now from when my ancestors were growing up.. well, they
were born before Television, video games, Penicillin, Washer and Dryers, computers,
frozen foods,  you name it :)

When I think about how they lived, I envy them in some respects... life was
simpler, but in many ways, life was also harder.
Can you imagine washing everything by hand... I have done that... soooo much easier
to just  throw everything in the washing machine.

When I first started working on my family tree, I relied on getting information
from my family, or I had to go to a family history centre to look things up.
I know that I dont appreciate the fact that I can sit in the comfort of my home
and work on my family history... the magic of computers !!


Holidays :  I don't know what kind of things my ancestors did .. I would imagine
they would go to the seaside, or something similar.

As a child,I can remember going to the Isle of Man with my family for a holiday,
We also went to Blackpool, or on a weekend we went across the water to Dunoon
or to Millport, or even just down to Largs.

I cant remember all the details of the trip... but what I remember is the feeling...
I know I loved that family time together..