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I know you all have been wondering what the heck I have been working on this month. Especially during the Corona Virus Lockdown. Yeah, you probably aren’t. But, I have been really busy and spent my time getting things done around here!

So Many Things to Do

These past few weeks have been crazy around here. I am trying to finish up the last home improvement projects and am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are a few minor things to finish up and then I will be able to start posting the details, as well as the before and after photos.

Here is a sneak peek at my Linen Closet. The baseboards were hideous and yellowed from age I am guessing. I removed them, bought and cut new ones at Home Depot, installed, and painted them all by myself! It’s such a great feeling to take something and make it prettier!

Take a look at the first five posts in my downsizing series: Part 1 – Our Latest Adventure, Part 2 – There’s A Lot of Painting, Part 3 – Master Closet, Part 4 -Pantry Makeover, Part 5 – Kitchen Grout Renewal

Backyard Projects

Todd is working on finishing the patio cover and deck project. What a difference expanding the deck has made. He added speakers, lighting, tongue in groove cedar panels, finishing touches, a drain, a gutter, and he finished staining it! The end result is so beautiful!

Thank goodness April 2020 had so many more days than Ever Before! Lockdown proved to be a great time to catch up on many things on our to-do list. And, staying home took away all our previous excuses.

We “Live” On Our Patio – Year Round

I am so proud of the work he did on our outdoor living space. We will definitely be spending a lot of time with friends and family out there. And, extending the deck provides a lot more protection from the late hot afternoon sun. Motorized sun shades help greatly to keep the temperature down too!

Ancestry Research

I am in the process of posting my handwritten family sheets to my Surname Research Page on my website. This is a huge project that needs to completed quickly. As soon as they are on my site, I can really dig in and start doing some deeper research. I know, I am such an ancestry geek!

Initially, I figured I would upload what I had, and go back and fix it later. But, those of you who know me, know that is not possible! So, I had to put my research blinders on and just make sure that my family sheets matched what I have in my tree on my Ancestry account.

Time Consuming, but Worth It

This took a little bit of time, and I did go down a few rabbit holes. Which my daughter, Jessica, said it isn’t really a bad thing to head down those holes sometimes. I know she is right because I love researching our family history, it is my passion and my calling. All in all, I uploaded about 28 family sheets. There are many more to add!

The links to the Surname family sheets uploaded are Cook, Daniels, Fritz, Gerlach, Germain, Kenaly, McColl, McDermott, McDonald, McGovern, Mitchell-on Todd’s side, Myers, and Redden. Take a look and see what information has been updated! We could be cousins.

What’s in a Name?

The spelling of one’s last name seemed to change often and without reason. Perhaps, some had their reasons. Who knows? One of my relatives actually had an alias during the civil war. That will be an interesting research project!

In any case, please keep in mind that there could be several variations of the spelling of the last name. For example, here are some variations of Kenaly: Keneally – Kennally – Kenneally; see what I mean!

Family Upload Project

My dad gave me a lot of photos in August and I spent several hours editing and repairing them. These are being uploaded weekly to my website and Facebook, so my family can see them.

Looking through these treasured memories is a lot of fun. It’s so nice to look back into the past and see their lovely faces. I relly enjoy getting to “spend time” with loved ones that are no longer with us.

Sharing these special memories with my family has been so much fun. Phone calls, emails, and Facebook comments from family members are priceless. April 2020 will be long remembered for this reason alone.

You See – It is My Calling!

My brother, Mike, officially dubbed me, “the family archivist and researcher”. It’s a role I take very seriously and enjoy tremendously. In fact, the photos I got from my dad, were actually my Grandmother’s. She kept the cards and photos we sent her throughout the years.

Think about that for just a minute. The cards, with handwritten notes to her about the goings-on in our family’s lives.

One Very Special Card

One card, in particular, really stands out among the group. Cards sent by my dear sweet cousin’s wife, who suffered from cancer. She won her battle with cancer. However, the surgery removing the tumors caused issues that put her in a wheelchair. Sadly, her cancer diagnosis came a few months after her youngest was born.

She had to learn how to write with her left hand because she could no longer write with her right hand. She was one of the strongest women I ever knew.

And, even though she spent the rest of her life confined to that chair, she was a wonderful mother, a sweet woman, and very kind-hearted. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago.

Now, the kids are all grown up; her youngest is 24 years old. Seeing their mother’s handwriting on their birth announcements and notes has been so wonderful for them. I am so happy I have been able to share these precious memories. It warms my heart greatly.

Backyard Gardening

Flowers, although not really considered “a necessity” during this time, actually are for me. There were lots of beautiful flowers at our previous home, and I really want a lot of the same flowers here. Especially since our new home has really nice flower beds begging for a new life.

I ordered several Canna and Daylily bulbs online, from Home Depot. The bulbs arrived a week earlier than I had planned. Shipping during April 2020 has been challenging.

Bulbs are Easier to Plant!

Thus, I immediately sorted and planted them. Planting bulbs is much easier than planting whole plants! I wish I knew that so many years ago!

The Cannas were planted just behind the palms, and the daylilies in front of them. We also planted three blooming Calla Lillies, as well. Just seeing those bright pink Lilies makes me so happy.

Cannas and daylilies spread and come back every year with more plants! Which is why they are so wonderful. Several of them are starting to sprout and I am super excited! Our yard is pretty as it is, but flowers will make it absolutely gorgeous!

Creating our Own Oasis with Palms

Driving home from our trip to Lake Charles last month, we stopped in Houston at a Garden Center. We bought a couple of King Palms to plant in our yard. These are Todd’s absolute favorite palms in the world! The trunk is different from other palms, as it is green and smooth.

He planted them on the Southside of the yard, along with a nice Mexican Fan Palm that we picked up at Lowes before the lockdown. I hope they like their location and grow nice and big!

King Palms typically don’t do well in the North Texas area. When the weather turns cold, I plan to cover them with a clear plastic tarp. Attaching the tarp to the fence so I can create a makeshift greenhouse. I sure hope they survive because they are really pretty palms.

Golf Course Living

Backing up to so many trees on the golf course has been wonderful. I hadn’t realized how much I missed trees until we moved into this house. We have two lovely large trees in the front yard that my office window looks out to, as well as the guest bedroom.

Todd’s office faces the golf course and he sees all kinds of activity in the trees. Squirrels, hawks, and birds. We often have ducks and geese squawking as they fly overhead.

Our Own Little Eco-System!

Little lizards live all around our house. They are anole lizards and not geckos. Green and brown anoles run around us all day. One appeared to have something white stuck on her. As it turns out, she was actually shedding her skin and eating it.

Eating their skin provides them with lots of nutritious minerals. Interesting, yet a little odd. But, that is life in the world of nature. And, of course, shedding allows them to grow larger.

Face Masks for Staying Safe

Something I never imagined I would be making this month is face masks. I found some great sites for patterns and am part of a group making masks to donate. I have yet to donate them, but it is on my to-do list. There are a lot of different types of masks to make, and they are in high demand. If you sew, see if you can make these masks for the folks in your healthcare community.

Living through this pandemic is so strange, the month of April 2020 will be remembered as one of the longest months ever.

Some of our friends contracted the Covid-19 virus and a few sadly have not survived. It is so surreal; I keep waiting to wake up from this terrible dream and have things be normal again.

History Always Repeats Itself

My genealogy research takes me through pandemics throughout history. One of our families was almost totally wiped out by Cholera in 1826. So scary and sad! Alzina Huldah Chappell, Todd’s third Great Grandmother, was only three years old, and her sister, Almira was just an infant.

Please stay home, stay safe, and let’s knock this virus out of here. So we can get back to “normal”; whatever that looks like in our future.

Enjoy,