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Family Tree Detective

By on December 6th, 2010

Whenever I get bored with the family tree I seem to discover something really interesting that captures my attention.  Over the weekend, I relented and decided to try the Ancestry.com two week free subscription.  I try never to do such things.  Because I tend to forget to cancel and spend a bunch of money that isn’t necessary.    The public library has a subscription.  But going there with an infant sucks.  And it doesn’t just suck for me, which I could stand.  It sucks for everyone else in the library, which is just bad manners.

Enrique and Concepcion Eclavea's home prior to WWII - 1941

Enrique and Concepcion Eclavea's home prior to WWII - 1941

I have discovered that there are Eclaveas, from Tayabas, Philippines, where my great grandfather was born, right here in Georgia.  I fancy that I will call them. But being a freak about such things, I still haven’t managed to get the courage to call my really nice, elderly aunt.  So I can hardly figure out how I’ll call complete strangers and say, hey, are you related to Lucio Quinto Eclavea?  Maybe I can get my much friendlier cousin John to do it.  lol.  He’s awesome like that.  I would say he even called me.  But I’ve established that even deer are not afraid of me.  So probably not an amazing feat.

There are more photos and documents that survived WWII than I imagined.  I was under the impression that the entire village of Dededo, Guam burned to the ground.  But apparently, my grandparents home did burn to the ground.  But not every relatives home burned to the ground.  And some of them managed to preserve a few photos.

I checked out a book about the Philippines from the library. And in the first chapter it tells me that in the late 1800s, Philippino revolutionaries were banished to Guam. This fits the timeline of the family oral history that Lucio Quinto Eclavea left the Philippines for Guam because his father was involved with the revolution. I’ll see if I can find a link. Fascinating stuff this genealogy. Who knew the Eclaveas were better than a Sopranos episode?

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Cluster Genealogy

By on November 28th, 2010

In my typically obsessive manner, I have been researching the family tree and doing as little else as possible.  I had begun to tire of it when I discovered the names of my great-grandmothers sister.  That led me to more previously unknown family members.  And voila, I was sucked back in.

Great Aunt and Cousins

Great Aunt and Cousins

It’s easy though, to be interested in a project when there are others working on it and encouraging you.  That’s how I feel about it anyway.  Several cousins are really involved.  There are now 857 family members names on the tree and about 79 who have logged in.  I don’t know how many are regular visitors to the site.  But it is definitely a family project.  I especially love the old photos.

It turns out that traditional genealogy is when you begin with yourself and research each direct ancestor back in time in a linear fashion.  What we’re doing is called cluster genealogy, where you pick a common ancestor and work down every branch of the tree. I started with my great grandfather Lucio, and great grandmother Tomasa – the link between me and the cousins who originally contacted me.

I told DH I could not image doing it any other way with this part of the family and he rolled his eyes and groaned.  lol.

Back to cluster genealogy vs regular genealogy.  I think it is interesting to find ancestors and investigate family stories.  But I think it is even more fun to actually meet live people.  We spent Thanksgiving with cousins I had never met before.  They have lived in the same metro area the whole time I’ve been here.  I would not have found them had I not looked at all the branches of the tree.  Or more fairly, I put them on the tree.  But John, who is a far better extrovert than I am called and said he saw that my phone number is in Atlanta.  I cannot express to you how much I enjoy hearing the Guam accent again.

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Lost Scissor Quest

By on November 27th, 2010

The quest for the lost scissors has begun.  I am still unpacking.  And at this rate, I’ll be unpacking until Summer.  I have found most of my sewing supplies.  And I even managed to make a new pouch for DD-1.

Unfortunately, I have not found my nice sewing scissors.  I made due with a cheap pair that I keep in a travel box, for when I’m trying to kill time while waiting on DD6.  Yes, now she’s six years old!  Of course, now while I wait for her I’m occupied with her newborn sister.  So I don’t need any kind of travel box.

I’m hoping that the search for the missing scissors will motivate me to keep unpacking.  It’s often boring.  But it is also like whatever I find is brand new again.  This morning I found a nice pair of pants in my sewing stuff.  They don’t need mending.  So there is no reason at all for them to be there, except that we just stuffed things in boxes to save them from the floodwater.

DH and I have traded spots.  My sewing stuff is now downstairs.  And his computer stuff is supposed to go upstairs.  Right now however, I am still clearing that area out.  And it needs paint.  I was painting it when my grandmother became ill and haven’t managed to get back to it.   Anyway, he’s not really moved in there yet.

UPDATE:  I found the scissors and busted out several more baby carriers in a mad rush of sewing.  It is fantastic to have several of them.  There are always at least two in the hamper.

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Ring Sling Nursing

By on October 28th, 2010

This is DD in the ring sling.  If you can ignore my lame photography and messy mirror, you can probably understand why people don’t always notice if I’m nursing her.  She looks just like this, except with her head turned.

Cradle Position in Pouch

Cradle Position in Pouch

I call all of the baby carriers a pouch.  Because it reminds me of kangaroos.  But this one is actually called a Maya Wrap or a ring sling.  I really couldn’t get anything done without it.

In theory, I could nurse her in the carrier that is actually called a pouch and is just a folded piece of fabric with a curved seam.  But I’ve never been able to master that.  I think that you might need to have a looser pouch.  And I don’t want a looser pouch.  Because the ones I have are already loose enough that DD can stand up and thrash about in if she’s really determined.

Anyway, I nearly always take this style baby carrier when we’re out in public, since I can breastfeed the baby in public without much chance of exposing myself.  Although, DD is getting into that irritating phase where she wants to nurse and she wants to look around at the same time.

Baby in Pouch

Baby in Pouch

I love the pouch style carrier.  If I had more time, I’d make five more of them.  Pretty much one or more of the baby carriers is always in the wash.  DD gets sick on them constantly.  Of course, if I had time to make five more of them, I probably wouldn’t need five more of them.

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Refrigerator Cleaning Not According to Plan

By on October 27th, 2010

Last week I cleaned the refrigerator.  It required way too much time.  But I did it anyway.  One day I cleaned the drawers and shelves.  The next day I cleaned the baskets in the door and the door and outside. The drawer breaking was definitely not part of my plan.

Refrigerator Parts

Refrigerator Parts

Actually, it wasn’t the drawer itself that broke.  But the cheap plastic parts that hold the gliding pieces in place.  I think they were already broken, or very weak.  Because I didn’t hear the snap of breaking plastic.  They just rolled out when I was putting the drawers back in.

Dirty Refrigerator

Dirty Refrigerator

Nasty huh?

I tried to clean the refrigerator a few times while I was pregnant.  But I never got further than one basket or shelf at a time.  So we messed it up much faster than I was cleaning it.

I usually clean it out with diluted vinegar since it’s non-toxic.  But I’ve recently become a fan of Simple Green.  It doesn’t give me a headache.  Yay.  So I used diluted Simple Green.

Clean Refrigerator

Clean Refrigerator

I did not get in there with a vacuum, old toothbrush or q-tips.  So it is actually not clean to my specifications.  But I have a newborn and a five year old.  So I’m willing to accept imperfection.  It is at least, far more sanitary than it was before I cleaned it.

I left the broken bits on the counter for DH to find.  He handled this remarkably well.  I thought he’d get upset.  But he didn’t.  He just said, ah well, it is ten years old.  Then he managed to take out the drawer and bottom shelf and put them back in so that they weren’t slanted.  I’m not sure what he did, since those pieces were broken.  But it worked.