Silhoutte Giveaway!

Little Birdie Secrets

I have entered a giveaway for a Silhoutte digial cutting machine. I never win these things, but it doesn't hurt to enter, I guess. Would be totally cool to win.

Jylare Photography

My family is planning a reunion in So Cal in June 2011 for my grandpa's 80th birthday. A photographer in Orange County, Jylare Photography, is having a give-away for a free photo session and I hope we win! It would be so wonderful to have great pictures of the whole family together. I don't remember the last time we were together...most of us made it (minus 1 sibling+family) for grandma's 80th birthday. The last time must have been grandpa's funeral (other grandpa) in 2000. Having the 6 kids spread out so far and wide has made it difficult. So...I hope we win!

Click here to see Jylare's gallery.

Memorial Day

We planned to visit 2 cemeteries where Kevin's family is buried. We had never been to them and tehya re very close. The first cemetery, Oliphant, is only about 7 miles away and it was really great. It is a small, side of the road county cemetery with no paved road, only a wooden post with a painted sign which says “Enter”. Kevin drove on the grass on well-worn markings and we got out to do our searching. I had printed out list of many names we were looking for and wrote the last names with a Sharpie on small index cards for the girls so they could help, although Kevin is the one who seemed to find everything.

This cemetery had many direct ancestors.

 

This is Jane Maddox Gott, born 1800, died 1873. She is Kevin’s 4th-Great Grandmother.

 

This is Willis Gott, Jane’s son, born 1823, died 1910 (these people lived quite a while I think), and his 2nd wife Sarah, born 1834 died 1918. Kevin’s 3rd-Great Grandfather. We are descended from his 1st wife Marie who should be here but I don’t have a picture of her, so we should go back. Good thing it’s close.

Thomas and Margaret Gott Stewart, Marie’s sister and brother-in-law. Kevin’s 4th-Great Aunt & Uncle.

 

Here are other Gotts in the cemetery; Eliza, Ettie, Norah and Selecta. I don’t know how we’re related but I’m sure we are.

GET THIS: We were taking pictures and standing next to a marker, I think it was Thomas Stewart but I have to go back to make sure, when an older couple came up to us and the gentleman said “That’s my grandfather.” So we talked a bit, his last name is Olinger, he said there are Gotts everywhere around, we introduced the girls, and they left. I didn’t get a full name, a picture of him, nothing, and yes, I am KICKING MYSELF. Someday I will learn to be a little more forward.

The 2nd cemetery was Center Point Cemetery. When we arrived they were just finishing a service, heard “Amen” to the prayer, a gun salute, and heard Taps, then the color guard led the procession down the street. It was nice to witness that on Memorial Day morning.

This cemetery is quite large and I had no idea where anything was. That wasn’t a problem at the last one, but it was definitely a problem here. Kevin did manage to find most of them.

 

Rev Edward Heverly, born 1871 and wife Alice born 1871. She is the daughter of Margaret Gott Stewart. Kevin’s 2nd-Great Aunt.

Artie Stewart born 1874 and wife Ophelia Stewart born 1871. He is the son of Margaret Gott Stewart. Kevin’s 2nd-Great Uncle. (Artie  Stewart and Alice Heverly are siblings.)

William H Beaman, born 1826 and his wife Margaret born 1824; the only Beaman on the whole trip. We came across this and I didn’t know how we were related but I took a picture of it anyway. William H Beaman is Kevin’s 3rd-Great Grandfather! I know, a direct relative I didn’t even realize it at the time. We usually stop talking about the Beaman line at John Riley Beaman, and William is his father. Awesome. He wasn’t on my list of names I was looking for and I couldn’t place him in my mind, and it’s not listed in any documents I have or online that he is buried here. I may have made a discovery!

We are hoping to go to Rock Rapids sometime to see more Beamans, but it will have to be an overnight trip and we have to find other things to do. I have NO IDEA how the girls will last so long in the car. Luckily, I do have exact descriptions of where everyone is:

Beaman, Cora 1872--1935 Block 08 Lot 45 Space 11
Beaman, Ella 1880--1951 Block 03 Lot 01 Space 09
Beaman, Gerald 1871--1935 Block 08 Lot 45 Space 12
Beaman, John Riley 1848--1924 Block 08 Lot 54 Space 06
Beaman, Mary 1847--1912 Block 08 Lot 54 Space 05
Beaman, Samuel 1893--1951 Block 08 Lot 45 Space 09
Beaman, Walter 1873--1917 Block 03 Lot 01 Space 10

It still doesn’t mean anything to me, I will have to get a map of blocks & lots etc from the cemetery office. But it should eliminate wandering.

We had a wonderful Memorial Day and this was such a great experience. It’s a huge blessing to be so close.

In other news, we have been working so hard at clearing out Grandma Beaman’s house and Mom & Dad watched the girls twice for us over the weekend so we could help. Kevin & I and Dennis filled up a dumpster largely by ourselves on Saturday – now my left hand can’t grip anything. But we did get John Riley Beaman’s Bible (Kevin’s 2nd-Great Grandfather), Grandpa Beaman’s Bible, and a few other sentimental items. Oh! And a shoebox full of OLD documents, like a fire insurance policy from 1887, a newspaper subscription receipt for 6 months for $1.00, a contract to put 5 horses up for a $100 loan, etc etc etc., 2 original wallets full of stuff like laundry receipts from 1933. And it’s MY job to go through everything. Although, I trust myself much more than I would anyone else, so it’s ok.

To Lois & Dewey, our newly found cousins:

Here are some of the photos I thought you might like to see, although you probably have copies of all of them: This one has a banner “Merry Christmas at Beaman’s: but no one is identified. 

John Riley & Mary Jane Beaman’s Wedding picture; and 40th Anniversary picture.

John Riley Beaman & Sarah Penn. I don’t know who Sarah Penn is. Both are Opal Houts.John Riley & Mary Jane Beaman Family. On the back is written: Back Row, Left to Right: Willis, Nell, Elisha, Grace, Walt Beaman Front Row: John R Beaman, Mrs John R Beaman, Gerald R Beaman

   Waldo Elisha Beaman, and WEBeaman Family, wife Nellie Alvena, sons Donald & Eugene. 

Willis Beaman, and Willis & Wife Anna Katherina Katt  Walter Lloyd Beaman, wife Ella Opal, and oldest 2 daughters Hazel & Zelma. 

These are the only ones I have that are identified as any Houts or Jennie Grace Lovella Beaman – but I am only halfway through 1 box of 3.

Feel free to send anything you have on Beamans this way.

Ancestry

I wrote before that I have been scanning in photos and doing some family history on Kevin's side since his grandmother's passing two months ago. I found that after six or so generations his family tree had been done by someone else (with holes, of course) and that it kept going back, and back, and back.

While determining which line to work on to fill in the holes or missing information, I thought it was fun to just press the back arrow millions of times to see how far back some lines actually went until they stopped. This really is time-consuming since the site gets slow when it begins pulling so much information. Two weeks ago I went back as far as I could to … 1090. Like, that’s half-way to Jesus’ birth. That’s insane.

Today, I followed a different line. I kept going back farther and farther. And farther. And farther. And waiting and waiting. I finally stopped at… BEFORE 100. That’s what the submitted date was. I have firm dates of 89 for Queen Tunathal of Leinster of Ireland, and Alaric I King of Visigoths of 345, King Guindomar d’Alemania of 295, etc. Bunches of Kings and Queens. Gunderic King of Burgundy, Dagobut I King of the Franks, etc.

So I was pretty excited. When the girls came home from school, I showed them that we were related to King and Queens, and Claire was way stoked. Then she said “And we don’t even live in a castle and we’re not rich! How rude!” We looked up castles in Ireland and decided we should go there someday since lots of the royalty was from Leinster, then I told her how fitting it is that she has an Irish name, Claire Eileen. I’m Irish and I guess Kevin is way Irish also.

So – who are you related to and how far back does your pedigree go?

Still Working On It

The project that is my entire house purge/organization is continuing. I had no energy and felt horrible for a week plus, so I am a bit behind schedule. However, I got back in the game yesterday with our linen closet.

I should have taken a “before” picture, but probably wouldn’t have posted it even if I did. I could hardly close the door. I couldn’t find any washcloths behind the falling-over-blanket-pile, and most of the towels were hidden as well. It was horrible. Just too much stuff!

So after taking everything out, deciding what we need and what we don’t, this is what I decided could go:

7 towels, 4 complete twin sheet sets, 12 random pillowcases, 1 king comforter, 1 child sleeping bag, 3 crib sheets, 6 child/lap blankets and a few receiving baby blankets.

 

Bryn loves the space; this closet is her preferred hiding spot.

This is the closet now.

It’s hard to see, but I also labeled each spot – pillowcases, twin sheets, washcloths, towels, etc. I would really love to make boxes for the washcloths and sheets from these instructions but I doubt that is going to happen. In my spare time, haha.

I also labeled drawers when I cleaned out the girls’ bathroom two weeks ago:

These drawers are: toothpaste/floss; clips/barrettes; and toilet paper.

These drawers are hairbands & scrunchies; headbands & bows; and bandages/light bulbs.

It is so good for me to label things – for me. So when I put things away I am focused and reminded not to drop items in the nearest place, but to put them away where they belong.

Tutorial ~ Diaper Clutch/Changing Pad

Welcome to my first tutorial! I have seen tuts for a diaper clutch (one here and here and here) but not a fold-up changing pad with a pocket for wipes & diapers. I wanted to make one and this is how I did it:

Supplies:

• 2 – 12x26 coordinating fabric
• 1 – 12x26 piece high-loft batting
• 1 – 13x13 piece for pocket
• strip velcro
• 1/4 yd fabric binding

1. Quilt together the 12x26 pieces of fabric, wrong sides together with batting the middle. I chose a traditional criss-cross pattern to quilt. You can clearly see that my marks and my actual sewing don’t line up, but once the marks are washed out no one will be able to tell they are off. I did use my quilter bar attachment with my open-toe walking foot for the first time which was a huge help.

(stock photo of my attachment)

2. Attach the pocket. Since dimensions of wipe containers vary, and some are quite thick, I made the pocket 1” wider than the changing pad to allow for bulk. Pin the pocket on the quilted changing pad with small folds.

3. Baste together.

4. I think rounded corners look great, so I used a small salad plate to mark corners on each side of the top then cut out.

5. Now comes binding! I did it kind of as described here – except they machine stitch both sides and I hand stitch the second side closed separately. I need to try the new way someday. Notice that I also sewed the binding to the wrong side accidentally! I should have sewn it to the outside so the part that is visible would be neater. As you can see, I didn’t hand stitch the rounded corners well at all.

6. Then I folded the changing pad to see where the top would hit the bottom and marked that for the velcro closure. I put the soft section on the inside in case the baby’s head would come in contact with it. And for some reason I liked 3 small sections instead of one long. The rough loopy part is one long section.

That’s it! Very nice gift, I think.

       

Spring Cleaning

I LOVE spring cleaning. For one thing, the new-improved weather gives me energy I have been sorely lacking the last few months of winter, and for another thing, I love throwing stuff out. I also love our annual city-wide garage sale which I don't always participate in, but I have 3 years total on-and-off. I plan on doing it again this year.

So far I have cleaned and sorted:

Alaina's closet

Alaina's toy shelf & baskets

Bryn & Claire's closet

Bryn & Claire's dresser

underbed organizers in B&C's room

dressup box

Barbies

board game closet

computer bookshelves

When I sort, I have 3 boxes: keep, trash, and garage sale. By the end of this week I will attempt to get through:

Linen closet

Polly Pocket dolls

both upstairs bathrooms medicine cabinets & under sink storage

In the next few weeks I will hopefully get through every room & closet & drawer & shelf above ground. I do not want there to be any corner in the house that I haven't gone through. The master closet and kitchen scare me the most but I'll do it!

Easy Peasy Baby Quilt

I forgot to post this when I did it. Last month was an important baby shower (good friend + professional interior designer = important fabric choices) but since I was just called as Primary President I knew I wouldn’t have time to do a fabulous quilt from beginning to end. But I wanted to do something hand-made. What to do?

I was inspired by my favorite website of all: Sew4Home. They re-do an entire room every few weeks, then each day they give step-by-step instructions for each project in the room. (I am going to do these shower curtains!!!) In their nursery room, I saw these easy blankets and knew they were the answer for the upcoming baby shower. I was in love with the fabric on the 3rd baby blanket on the right and wanted it, but with no local fabric shop carrying the designer line and no time to order, I had to go with something else. This is what I did:

 

One yard of fabric for the top, one yard of minky dots for the back and fabric for binding. I did need to do a bit of quilting for structure, so I echo-stitched each large green flower with light green thread. I wasn’t sure if I was going to stretch the minky on the back or not, but it turned out beautifully and I was really really happy with it.

Last Week

Kevin’s Grandma Fern Beaman passed away on Sunday Feb 28. She was taken to the hospital on Thursday and he spent Friday evening and all day Saturday there with her and his family. It was very difficult for him to watch her deteriorate by the hour, but I know he would have rather been there than at home.

Grandma's visitation was Wednesday night and though it was a difficult evening, I was amazed at the people that came. I spoke a long time with a lady from Rockwell who sat at the same potluck table with Great-Grandma for 10 years while they both worked there and they did Rockwell retirees events and such together. There was a steady stream of people at the beginning but by the end the room was constantly packed.

The funeral was Thursday and the girls were apprehensive about the open casket, but were okay with it. Grandma looked very nice, and Kevin said it was good to see her body resting at peace since she was so sick the last days of her life.

Grandma taught the 4-year old class at First Assembly of God for THIRTY-FIVE YEARS - and that was just at that church - she taught in Mason City before that. It is estimated she taught 4-year-olds for around FIFTY years. There was one year she deviated and taught the teenage boys, but that didn't last long and she went back. Can you imagine? She definitely did good works in her life and served where she knew best.

Afterward we went to the cemetery where Kevin was a pallbearer and they said a few words, prayed again then we returned to the church for a nice meal. Then we spoke with extended family and had the opportunity to discuss genealogy with some Wheelers (Grandma’s maiden name). And speaking of…

Kevin’s dad immediately informed me upon arriving at the visitation that I was assigned to scan Grandma's photos. Since I said yes, I have been in her house and have a better idea of what that entails. She has about 8 dressers on the second floor; every drawer is crammed full of photos, as are every dresser and bookshelf on the first floor. Many are travel photos with pictures of Alaskan mountains and St Louis train stations and such that I don't need to scan. But, I do need to sort through them all to determine this. Dennis gave me 2 garbage bags full of photos and I have finished sorting through them. I made 3 boxes; don't need (travel photos, too dark or too blurry); scan first (oldest through about 1950); and scan second (more recent). By far the most photos were the toss pile, but the others are adding up. And this only scratches the surface.

I took 2 old albums with photos from the 1800s to very early 1900s. They are all in exquisite shape. However, they are not labeled and neither of Grandma’s children have any idea who they are. Kevin suggested we put them and others on a photo sharing site so other family members can comment on each photo as to who they might be. Kevin is so smart. While scanning I was able to find one name written on the back of a baby photo. So we have 1 clue.

One of the many photos from the first 2 albums. I am so enchanted by this baby bottle. Also it’s one of the only ripped ones and I had to repair it right away. Aren’t I great? :)

This is the only name in both albums: G. L. Arthur

I love scanning & repairing old photos but this project will take a while. I don’t know where it will fit in, but I will find room for it. My quilts will have to take a back seat I think.

We miss you, Grandma.