Looking to The Way We Were . . .

This week had an ominous start with a call from my sister. I took a few moments to reflect "outback" and that helped a bit. Throughout the week the contents of the call came back into my consciousness. There were a few other calls as well to clarify details.

So far the drought has not taken the above blooms . . .

Julie Diane Swanson Barnett -- 1958 - 2014

She was my Mother's sister's daughter -- my cousin. She, a sister to Charles and a mother of Kelly, Kenton & Matt.

I only met Julie a few times, the last time was at a get-together at my sister Marilee's home in Barrington. Julie was the young mother of a growing family at the time.

We are all saddened by her passing. A poignant remembrance is given by her cousin, my nephew, Craig Rot:

There were services held in the Chicago area on Friday, May 9, 2014.

From the Mailbox

This week I received  several requests for information regarding several of the trees that I maintain. I responded to all of them, but one I will do more research on and include in next week's post.

The response has to do with folks from our tree and their Civil War service -- we are still celebrating the 150th anniversary of that war (1861-1865) so I will post a couple of examples of the latest details for some
HILES Civil War participants.

Dates Next Week

There are many folks celebrating next week! And I want to say a special "Happy Birthday" to my son, Chris who turns 44 next week. And to a Grand Nephew, Dayton as well.

Then not to be outdone my brother Marv & his wife Nancy, celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary -- congratulations to them!

There are many others who may be closer to your branch as well.

Webinar(s)

This week as scheduled I attended the really popular webinar presented by Thomas Kemp who gave us insight to some of his experiences throughout his 50 year climb within his family tree. He had a great story to tell since his climb began before the start of the internet and in the days of snail-mail and microfiche and card catalogs . . .

Next week though will be another opportunity to learn about "photo apps" for all of our devices delivered by Maureen Taylor and hosted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars:

I can't get enough photo management help these days as I am inundated with snaps . . .

What was for Dinner?

Choosing the dinner menu is sometimes tough i.e. to come up with something maybe a little different but also something that will be enjoyed by both of us AND maybe provide leftovers for another meal.

We decided to try our hand at making pizza at home -- one more time . . .

From the top left and around. We started this time with a store-bought thin crust. We used dough last time and while the flavor was good -- the crust was not.

So we picked our toppings -- cheese, pepperoni, sausage, chicken, mushrooms, red pepper, tomatoes, onions, a bit of garlic and sauce.

All in all, it was way better than the last time, but still not quite like a pizzeria pizza. We have restocked and will try again. I am not sure how to make it taste more like "a King Arthur's Special", but we'll try . . .

Little Litter Lovin'

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Mother's Day! And here is a peek at one happy mom:

                                                                                                              (from GDB)


That was a bit of our week -- burgers are defrosting for tonight -- see you all in a few!