Alabama Tracks

George Santayana once said, “Those who forget the past, are condemned to a repeat it.” Mr. Robertson quoted this in 9th grade American History and Government. It was a class that gave me my love for history. The word out was that he had his PHD but was teaching junior high because he liked it and had been there forever. Either way, the man was hard but incredibly knowledgable. He was the teacher that everyone hated, who told you that you had a test the night before, and the one who appeared so cold but down deep you knew he was a real person. Mr. Robertson had a flair for the “finer” things in life. I often wondererd if that was why I liked him so. Regardless, it was in 9th grade that my love for history began to flourish.

That quote has shaped part of who I am and what I beleive. It’s true and applicable for government, politics, and at present, family history. When Joel got me the Family Tree Maker I was happy but I really wasn’t sure if I would be able to go very far. After all, everyone you talk to about ancestry says that it can be very detailed and you have to have a bunch of information. I was intrigued but still skeptical. It wasn’t until I started using it and documenting everything that Gigi dictated to me that it became interesting. I talked with Aunt Carol and Uncle Keith who interned talked with Grandpa and found out stuff about our ancestors changing their last name and having babies on the boat. How fascinating. It became a huge puzzle at that point. I was caught, hook line and sinker!

Once I found the census records showing Prosper Duchene, the daddy of Clara Duchaine (note the spelling change) I was completely enthralled. I hit a jackpot. Since that first night, I have been amazed at how quickly the information has come to me. There is part of me that wonders if I have it correct but then I go back and retrace my steps and it appears to be so. I’m so looking forward to getting the papers and the pictures that mom and Gigi have to help support my findings. Currently on both sides of the family, I have gone as far back as 1660. Mind you that is just with names and dates and places. I have not found personal information about many of them other than Grandpa Sig’s mom was a seamstress and it was his parents that came over to the US. I have not found blue blood yet but then at this point, I just have a bunch of names. I am curious to start looking into why everyone came to the US when they did. Was the potatoe famine going on and did it affect Sweden, Belgium, and France? Was it just the thought of making a new life? I know we have come from a long line of farmers and mill workers. Working with your hands seems to be a valuable trait passed down in our family.

I hope to continue my searching today. It’s been amazing how quickly time will fly. Joel probably did create a monster with the software. I now am beginning to get the desire to go in search of graves in Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Sweden, and Belgium. The desire to know more about our ancestry and the mother countries is growing faster and stronger than I ever thought possible. It is my hope that I will be able to one day pass down the information and instill the belief that knowing where you come from helps in determining where you will go. And maybe catch others in the family, HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER!

Random things from the last… monthish

• We finally purchased a digital camera. We’ve been having to live within our means for the last year or so and our desire for a camera was sooo great. In the end God has rewarded our faithfulness. Not only are we within our means but we were able to use bonuses to get what we wanted and not have to settle for something less. We’re both happy with what we got because neither of us had to sacrifice to please the other. We’ve gotten a few other things on our “wants list” but far and away the camera was our largest desire.
• I’m finally done with the shopping cart at work. Well, done enough. There’s always bells and whistles to be added later.
• Dirty Santa can be a dangerous game. Especially in the hands of some people (no, not me). Nuff said.
• Normally Lilly is our photogenic cat. She sleeps in the cute positions everywhere. But this Christmas it was Flala all the way. When strange people enter the house both cats wind up under our bed. But Flala overcame her “cattiness” enough to sit in the living room with us. Part of this was due to the fact that we had a fire in the fireplace. Lilly has never experienced fire before but Flala lavishes in it. She flopped down in front of it and layed sprawled out most of the time. Made for one heck of a picture.



• Not content to stop there Flala began to play with Gigi. Gigi had one of those dangle-on-a-string toys and Flala just ate it up. I don’t think she’s ever played so much with someone she’s just met. Lilly only managed to come out late in the weekend and even then it was brief.



• Erin once again made her fabulous prime rib. She was worried it would turn out like The Turkey(tm) did (first time fantastic but never quite the same again) but it was just as superb as last year’s. I do believe we have a tradition going. And, true to Erin, it’s an expensive one.
• It’s not often I had hit a grand slam but Erin’s been on this kick about family trees. And it just so happened we were going to have 3 generations under one roof. So I got her Family Tree Maker (powered by Mormons). Her initial reaction was “Oh, that’s nice” but 6 hours and at least 4 lenghty phone calls later to Michigan I knew we had a winner. Who cares that the other 2 bombed? Nobody knows how often Babe Ruth struck out, just how often he hit home runs. Even now she waits for me to get done so she can go right back to it. I think I’ve created a monster…
• We used china for the first time ever. See picture below. Chris and Erin went nuts over the table but it looked great in the end.



• There was no work done this weekend. Well, what I could forbid Erin to do at any rate. I did get her to put off laundry for a whole half an hour. But now she’s hooked on the family tree thing. Maybe it is a good thing after all…
• Andrew called me today asking if we could bring the Gamecube. Kid’s got the shakes bad. Maybe I can help him out with some Katamari… It helps Erin at any rate.
• Despite all the chaos this year we had a really good Christmas. I was worried it would be something drab or down but it really shaped up well. We had her family and visited mine and it really didn’t depress me like it has in the past.

Well, I must go, there’s things to work on before Friday and Knoxville. Alas, work meetings are making for late driving for us.

As my sister has so eloquently written about, we have all tried to experience Christmas without the focus on the superficial. I don’t know that my experiences have been as pictureque as hers, but if this one weren’t so painful, it would hilarious. I tried to relax on Monday night with a cup of hot chocolate coffee while watching a Christmas movie by tree light with my husband. I shifted trying to get comfortable and spilled half of my cup of coffee into my lap, down between my legs. “HOT! HOT! HOT!” was all I could scream as I frantically tried to pull of my pants. My legs are burned though not blistered. As of today, I’m doing pretty well. You can tell where the burns are but they don’t hurt like they did Monday night and into Tuesday.

Yesterday we had our Christmas party for work out at a local hotel. She Crab Soup was on the menu and boy was it good. Better than the chocolate chocolate cake. After lunch we had our Dirty Santa game for 71 people. Talk about a long game. I ended up with a frog lotion dispenser. Not the best gift but it sure wasn’t the worst thing that came around. We enjoyed ourselves and to make it even better we were allowed to go straight home afterwards which ultimately gave us about an hour of paid time off.

Last night we had the department director’s Christmas party. I really wasn’t looking forward to it but I ended up having a great time. We were served banquet style fried quail, bbq shrimp, beef tenderloin, asparagus spears, mushroom rice, salad, and cheesecake catered by Jubilee Seafood. It was fabulous. We sat at a table with Mike and Beth Tidwell and Mr. Newby (our president) and ended up talking the majority of the time about how we met and how Eharmony works. We laughed and carried on until around 9:30. In the end I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong which is what I was most fearful of.

Tonight I’ll spend the evening cleaning the house and preparing mentally for the meals that are to come. Martha is on tonight so I’ll watch that as well. We finally got Joel’s life insurance policy taken care of without the sleep apnea upcharge. They did nail us with an upcharge now that he is officially 28 1/2 so they consider him 29 and in the next age bracket. Truth is that if the doctor hadn’t dragged his feet in writing the “he’s cured” letter we would’ve paid $5 less a month. $5 is better than the $15 increase we were looking at so I ought to be thankful. We also wrote the huge check to one our credit cards last night completely wiping that one out. What a relief! Headway is being made.

I will have lunch tomorrow with a staffing agency rep who is single and is in a similar boat as I when I started Eharmony. Most of our lunch is supposed to be talking about Eharmony with a little of work thrown in for good measure. I’m looking forward to our conversation. I believe this is starting to turn into a small ministry. I by no means am an expert, just one that it worked for. I hope I can be an encouragment to her.

So maybe tonight amidst the cleaning and prep work I will be able to enjoy another cup of coffee by tree light but not wear it this time. Truth be told, I’m looking forward to another cup. Maybe I’m a glutten for punishment. I’ll enjoy it either way.

Not having known Pastor Brady during my adult years and only hearing of him through others, I’m sure my heart is not as saddened to hear of his home going as others. What my heart is feeling is a great deal of gratitude for the impact that this godly man has had on our family in so many ways. When Mama told me about his passing yesterday I had to ask for further details so I could share it with Joel. I felt ashamed at first. After all, this is the man that was so instrumental in my parents salvation, their marriage (not to mention the others within the family) and their general development as Christians.

As I told Joel about this man, I couldn’t help but be so thankful for the time that he took with my parents when they were my age and how that time has so greatly affected my life. Without his guidance I know I wouldn’t be where I am today, much less the rest of my family. I guess this is one of those circumstances that one never knows how far reaching their actions go until they reach eternity. How blessed we each are to have known this man and be receipents of his ministry. Now that I’ve had time to think through everything, I consider this man to be part of my godly heritage. Not of my blood heritage, but my heavenly heritage. How blessed we are.

The morning started with the cat sleeping on my legs taking away my ability to move and go back to sleep. 8:30 wasn’t bad but I really had hoped to sleep until 9:00. Knowing I had a mountain of cooking and cleaning to do today, I decided to get up and start the day leaving Joel in bed until 9:00. I like Saturday mornings because I don’t have to have the tv on first thing, I can sit and have my coffee and quiet time and then get started on normal chores before he even wakes up. It gives me “my time.”

So I started my day. I had my coffee, quiet time, and started to reply to emails that I hadn’t done in 2 weeks. 1 batch of cookies are already done (note to self - don’t half the chocolate crinkle recipe - they don’t turn out nearly as well.) 3 more kinds to finish today and then my baking will be complete. I had Friday off from work so I spent the day shopping and baking. I’m trying 2 new recipes, Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheels and Peanut Crescents. Both I think will stick around as favorites.

Belle Zora and Joanna will come this afternoon to get help on monogramming the baby blankets for our Sunday School class. Joel and I will put up lights on the house finally. We had all but decided not to do it this year as we don’t have an 11 foot ladder and I don’t like him trying to climb on the roof, but I found a reacher at the store to help put lights up so I think we’re going to give it a try. Why buy another reacher when I hated the necessary evil in the first place? Oh, my original one is in storage somewhere with Mom and Dad and now that my pride isn’t so much an issue in that area - I need it.

Joel and I watched Polar Express for the first time last night. We absolutely loved it. I think this is a movie that I will definitely want to watch each year. We saw Narnia last week and thought it was great as well. There are still many movies out there that I’d like to see but I don’t dare broach the idea until after the Christmas spending is over. Three years ago I never would have thought twice about spending $200 shopping in one episode. Now, I cringe.

The recipe for my turkey sandwiches were requested so I’m going to go ahead and give it out.

1 loaf ciabatta or French bread (14 - 16 inches long, ends trimmed.
Pesto Mayo - recipe follows
1/4 cup Craisens or Dried cherries
3 Tablespoons coarsely grated Parmesan
1 pound sliced baked turkey breast
2 cup chiffonade Romaine lettuce

Cut the bread in half lengthwise. Spread mayo on both sides of bread to taste and add cranberries or cherries across both slices. Top the cranberries with a light layer of cheese and arrange the sliced turkey evenly over the cheese. Top with lettuce. Top with other layer of bread. Use toothpicks to secure and slice for individual servings.

Pesto Mayo
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup light toasted pine nuts
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup mayo (store bought or homemade)

In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper and puree, scraping down the sides as needed. With the machine running, add teh oil through the feed tube and process until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the parmesan and process for 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly and refrigerate. This will keep for 3 days refrigerated. Yields 3/4 cup.

These sandwiches yielded me the compliment of: “You and Holly should start a catering business.” I don’t know that I would go that far with my ability but it was definitely nice to hear. Baking maybe but I don’t know how good I am at everyday fair.

I finally finished Lily’s stocking this morning. I glued the whiskers on last night and allowed them to dry. Today, I sewed over the glued to make a nose. This stocking doesn’t have the bell fringe on it like Flala’s but Lily has already found the whiskers to play with. She’s really coming into her personality. She is an attention pig to say the least now days and she is into laying in my palm tree pot and sitting in a box in the living room. I can’t bare to throw the box away because she likes it so. It’s been funny because Flala doesn’t bother that box. She doesn’t try to eat it or sit in it. She seems to know that her box is in the office and that one is Lily’s. Keeping them out of the tree has been a challenge this year. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I had a real tree. It would probably be on the floor by now several times over.

Everything is just about done for me. A few more cookies to do, tins to put together and deliver, two more parties to attend (1 for the general work group and then another one for the directors at work,) and meal planning is in the works. Most of all, shopping is finished! I’m ready to see my family and spend some quality time with each of them. Seeing the kids picture yesterday brought tears to my eyes. “My kids” are growing up so fast and I feel so out of touch with day to day happenings and likes and dislikes. It’s been an heightened emotion for me as I have tried to shop for stocking stuffers. I take comfort in the fact that I know I’m not alone in my feelings and the distance will be shortened in a few more days if only for a brief time. I’ll relish in the time I’m given.