First String for Fall!

Sorry we're so late in coming. We would like to announce to arrival of Hannah Svedin. Weighing in at 8 lb 14 oz and measuring at 20 1/2 in. she is a perfect fit for our growing team. She came equipped with short dark hair and the amazing ability to sleep through anything. And she's a cuddler!!! I can't believe she is almost three weeks old. We'll get some more pictures up as soon as we can. We had a crazy time at the hospital and didn't have a chance to take any cute pictures while we were there.

Seeing The Everyday

Today at the doctor's office I found a magazine all about seeing the joy in the everyday things we do that build character and relationships. When I went to the website: seeingtheeveryday.com I found this lovely video and I thought how well it portrays my live (minus the clean child and the beautifully soothing Jane Austin era music). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My Other New Hobby

I'm taking an online class that just happens to be free. I started in January and should be done learning all kinds of awesome quilting things by December when, hopefully, I'll have a new beautiful twin size quilt for my growing toddler, I mean preschooler. 

She loves the quilt Grandma made for her, but pretty soon her feet will start poking out the end of it while she sleeps.

Here's the link to the class if you're interested:

http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Craftsy-Block-of-the-Month/50

Sorry I didn't share earlier. I've just become aware of how cool it really is.

She did it again

Everyone needs a friend like mine. She is so talented it's inspiring. She is very thoughtful, and she's always helping me out in areas that I'm seriously lacking in. Last night she sent Matt and me on a date to a football game as she watched our children, and then she took cute cute pictures of Jilly-bean. Now I have something awesome to put in my new family picture frames. And they match M.E. Lou's cute pics. Hurry for wonderful friends.

PS: September is National Sewing Month and Sharon has some great stuff up on her blog to celebrate all month long. Go check it out.

Growing Up

My little girl is not a baby any more. How darling is this picture that my friend Sharon took. M.E. is trying to tell us things in full sentences, especially when she's upset about something, she is runny and climbing like a little monkey, and she just spent her first few nights on a big girl bed.

She has also fallen off her bed in the middle of the night a few times. I'm not surprised, being the daytime mover and shaker that she is. You can't keep a wild thing still, even when it's sleeping.

My New Mini-Hobby

 

One night a week Matt goes to youth night and enjoys his new assignment as deacon's quorum adviser. After the girls go to bed and before Matt comes home sometimes I have a little time on my hands. So I do a little indexing.

If you've never heard of indexing, that's a name for taking information off public records, like marriage certificates and census records, and record it in a computer program so that the information can be more easily read and researched. This makes family history research much easier. And indexing itself isn't that difficult either. I can index a record with 40 names on it in about 30 minutes.

Indexing has been around for more than a decade, but what got me started was the release of the 1940 US Census and the incredible interest in family history work around my new neighborhood. My neighbors all told me how easy it is. They also told me a few other things:

The US government has an agreement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to index the whole 1940 census in less than a year. What a challenge considering all indexers for the Mormon Church are volunteers.

If the deadline isn't met, the indexing work will be sent to private companies to do. This will not only cost the government (I mean the tax payers) extra money, but it may also mean that the records will not be free to be public when the work is done. Now, isn't family history so much more fun when you can find what you're searching for for free.

And the last thing. You don't have to be part of the Mormon Church to index records. You just have to go to this link and sign up. And like I said, even an hour a week can make such a difference.

Winning The Race

MaryEllen runs everywhere she goes.

We never know what she's running for until she passes us and giggles like she's just won the prize.