21 December 2011

Hanukkah at Home - The First Night

Scenes from our house on the first night:










Happy Hanukkah to those who are celebrating!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Music - Miracle

The singing sensation, the Maccabeats, from Yeshiva University in New York is back with another uplifting Hanukkah song. With lyrics and music by Matisyahu, here is Miracle:

Doesn't it just make you happy? Here is the original by Matisyahu himself: 



Happy first day of Hanukkah to those who celebrate the Festival of Freedom!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!


Read all posts about Hanukkah


This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories at GeneaBloggers. Today's prompt is: Christmas Music: What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?


19 December 2011

Hanukkah Bling - Temple Israel Hanukkah Celebration


Yesterday we lit candles in celebration of the approaching Festival of Lights.




The kids brought their Hanukkah menorot (plural of menorah) to Hebrew School and then joined their families for the candle lighting. How cute is this purple cat?



I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the different styles of menorot on display. This one is perfect for New Hampshire.



A kosher Hanukkah menorah has eight oil or candle holders in a straight line and a ninth one placed higher than the rest. 




A Hanukkah menorah should be beautiful, but other than that can be any design, material or color. 




Many people make their menorot. It's perfectly kosher.



Simple is beautiful too.


My son received a new Hanukkah menorah this year from his Aunt. Guess what he loves to play.


Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah. Temple Israel will celebrate again when they unveil a new outdoor Hanukkah menorah, a sculpture by Portsmouth artist, Sumner Winebaum. The entire Portsmouth community is welcome. 


Temple Israel was the first Jewish temple is New Hampshire and has been in the current building for over 100 years. The building was purchased from the Methodist community. 


Happy Monday!

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!





18 December 2011

Scrapbook Sunday - Heritage Ornaments

Blog stalker is at it again. My secret obsession has been copying (again) Caroline Pointer at For Your Family Story. She used her Flip-Pal mobile scanner to create some unique heritage ornaments and I had to try them...with my own twist of course. Here are the supplies I used:

Supply List Below
The ornaments were tricky to find. The sympathetic and certainly not sarcastic gentleman at Michael's told me that next year I should start earlier. Really? However, I did find them online at Sunshine Discount Crafts. Make sure you get the glass disc ornaments and not the glass ball ornaments. Your fingers will thank you.

Step 1: Use a foam brush to Mod Podge one side of the ornament and sprinkle liberally with a very fine glitter. I used copper Martha Stewart glitter. Let dry.


Step 2: Print 9-12 photos on a piece of plain printer paper. Grab a circle punch (2 1/4") and cut out the faces. With a foam brush, Mod Podge the circle to the other side of the ornament. It worked best when I made a circle of Mod Podge, pressed the paper into it and smoothed it as much as possible and then finished with a coat over the top of the paper. Let Dry.


Step 3: With foam brush apply Mod Podge to the still bare glass areas up to the edge of the photo and sprinkle with the same fine glitter. It's okay if it goes all over the photo. You are going to clean it off later. Let dry.


Step 4: Clean the glitter off of the photo using a stiff foam brush. I used a stencil brush. 


Step 5: Is tricky. I used foil tape around the edge of the photo. It creates a nice frame and hides the messy edge between the photo and the glitter. Ribbon would work nicely for this purpose as well.

Step 6: I painted a thin coat of Stickles Rock Candy over the photo to add a little dimension and a little more bling. Mod Podge also makes a glitter version that would have the same effect.



The photo is of Bubba and my grandma. I love this picture of them and think my cousins will too! Thank you to Caroline for giving us this neat heritage project.

Happy Scrapbook Sunday Night!

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Heritage Ornaments Supply List
2 5/8" Glass Disc Ornaments
Glossy Mod Podge
Stickles Rock Candy or Glitter Mod Podge
Pictures Printed on Plain Printer Paper
Fine Glitter
Foam Brushes
Paint Brush
Foil Tape, Cord or Ribbon
2 1/4" Circle Punch



Scrapbook Sunday - Scrapbooking Time

Good morning readers. It's a beautiful, quiet morning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I don't have to rush off to the barn first thing today. Usually my daughter and I leave just after first light and return around Noon on Sundays.


Today is different (better) because my oldest daughter returned from college on Friday. She is an equestrian too and will happily head to the barn with her sister.


Before they go, the three of us are baking Hanukkah sugar cookies. Then MJ and I will head to Temple Israel for a community Hanukkah party while the girls go riding. I think I will even have some time for scrapbooking this afternoon.


How about you? What are you doing today? Shopping, baking, wrapping, partying....? Or, are you creating a project for Scrapbook Sunday? 


The newest member of the Virtual GeneaScrappers posted her title page for the Family History Album Class from JessicaSprague.com. And wow! Yvonne from The Adventures of Garrett Squared has just upped the ante at our scrapping table. You have got to see it! I am trying very hard to not feel inadequate. (I will not compare. I will not compare.) If you have time, head over and welcome Yvonne.


For today and the next two Sundays, we will have a free for all theme for Scrapbook Sunday. If you have time to create a scrapbooking project or page related to family history, post it. Beginning in 2012 we will get back to a regular schedule. 


Later today, I will post the ornaments I have been busy creating over the last few days. Plus, I've got a Hanukkah layout to share. Here are a few things that caught my fancy for scrapbooking time in the paper world:

 
 
 

16 December 2011

May Your Hearts Be Light!

The end of darkness approaches. Four nights till Hanukkah, six days till Winter Solstice and eight days till Christmas. May your hearts be light!






Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

15 December 2011

Advent Calendar - Grab Bag - Hanukkah Treasures





Five nights till Hanukkah!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!



This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Today's prompt is Grab Bag: Author's Choice: Please post from a memory that helps you remember Christmases [or holidays] past. 

14 December 2011

Hanukkah at Our House - Wordless Wednesday



Six nights till Hanukkah!

But who is counting?

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!




13 December 2011

The Question - The Ask and the Answer


We have all gotten THE QUESTION. You know the one. It goes something like this: “Could I have a copy of what you have on the Smith side of the family?” It stops you in your tracks because you wonder what your cousin is really asking. Does she want you to send her the three binders containing all of the documents and notes you have compiled? Or, does she simply want a flash drive with all of the files labeled Smith?

The Ask 
Because it is not all that simple to collate and hand over your blood, sweat and tears research, your first step is finding out the answer to this question: “What does she want to know?” In this case, my cousin would like any more information before Sarah Murtagh, grandmother of Bubba whose surname was Smith. The person is specific, but the any more is still rather broad.

The Answer
What you do next is up to you, but here is what I suggest and what I will post here on my blog as an example. In lieu of grilling her further and because I don’t want to turn off any family member asking about our family history, I propose to answer this question: “Who were the parents of Sarah Murtagh?” If my cousin wants to explore back in time before my great, great grandmother, then a documented piece giving her the next step would be the most helpful. The question is specific and giving her the answer is doable. 

As a genealogist or family historian, have you gotten the question from a family member? How did you handle it?

On the flip side of the question, have you been trying to figure out how to ask your relative about the research she is doing on your family tree? Decide what you would most like to know, and then ask the question. Make it as specific as possible, such “Who were my great grandparents?" or "Where did great grandfather John Smith live in 1920?” Your question will let her know you are interested in her family research and will probably lead to her sharing more information than you ever thought you wanted to know. 

Happy asking and answering!

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!



11 December 2011

Scrapbook Sunday - Blog Page to Scrapbook Page

On December 2, I was interviewed by Thomas MacEntee on GeneaBloggers radio. It was a lot of fun and I am grateful that I got the chance to do something exciting and new (at least for me). On the show, I mentioned that it is easy to create a scrapbook page from your blog posts, even if you don't think you have digital or technical talent. Yesterday I gave you an example of a simple scrapbook page created with Microsoft Publisher. Another even easier and more available option is Microsoft Word.



This Microsoft Word scrapbook layout uses the images and text from my blog post about Texas Road in October 2010. The large block on the right is a standard text box shape in Microsoft Word. I recolored, resized and added a shadow to it. The pictures were cut and pasted. The titles were simple text editing. If you can copy, paste and tweak a bit, you can do this too. 


Would you like further instructions and ideas for using your blog content to create scrapbook layouts? Give me a shout and I will put together the details, although, really it is super easy! You do not have to have major digital talent to do this.


Off to work on my Family History Album pages. I am adding the stories of how each of the couples met, including my own story. Have I ever told you how I dreamt about my husband the night before I met him? And I wasn't even sleeping on a piece of wedding cake. 


Happy Scrapbook Sunday!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Traditions

The most important Hanukkah tradition is lighting the candles. This is why most Jewish people do not decorate the exterior of their homes. Nothing should diminish or outshine the light from the Hanukkah menorah.


We light the candles 
  • to recognize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one
  • to remember those who have fought for our freedom
  • to celebrate the freedom we enjoy to worship however we choose
This YouTube video explains how to light a hanukkiah, or Hanukkah menorah. Menorah translates as lamp and can refer to many different types of lights, including one with seven branches. A hanukkiah has nine branches. 



After being lit, the hanukkiah should be set in a street facing window or doorway so that all can see its light. No work (i.e. dishes, laundry, etc.) should be done while the candles are burning. Having done both, I can share that sitting in a darkened room by the light of the hanukkiah has a similarly peaceful feeling to sitting in a room lit only by a Christmas tree. I love that about the December holidays. Peace and light are integral to many and make these dark days so much more bearable. 


Eight nights till Hanukkah! 


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!


This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas MemoriesOther Traditions: Did your family or friends also celebrate other traditions during the holidays such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Did your immigrant ancestors have holiday traditions from their native country which they retained or perhaps abandoned?

10 December 2011

Saturday Stars: Family History Scapbooking for 10 Dec 2011

Have you been busy creating a family history masterpiece? Consider sharing it tomorrow for Scrapbook Sunday. Need inspiration? Head over to the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2011, where you will find daily blogging prompts. 

You can easily turn your blog posts into scrapbook pages. I recently experimented with Microsoft Publisher:


What programs have you used to create your digital scrapbook pages? Please list in the comments below to help your fellow readers, who are looking for recommendations.

Without further delay here are my picks this week for Saturday Stars in Family History Scrapbooking:
New to Me Family History Scrapbooking Supplies
Family Tree Paper - Memory Lane By TPC Studio
Memory Lane by TPC Studio available at A Cherry on Top


 
 
 
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