Family

Happy Father’s Day Just wanted to say that I am privileged to have a good father and mother who instilled in me the values needed to make it through life. For that I am very grateful. Were they perfect? Of course not. Parenting doesn’t come with any instruction book. I think we mainly learn how to be a parent from the way that our parents raised us. I have met several men whose fathers were lacking and did not pass along the skills of a father to their son. Their fathers were not there for them, were terrible role models, or were even abusive. Yet, in spite of their childhood upbringing, these men became wonderful fathers and husbands. I have tremendous respect for men that have overcome obstacles such as these. Thank you for reestablishing the example for the next generation. ...

My wife has been on a quest for her perfect salsa. This one comes pretty close the the Mexican restaurant style we like. Ingredients 1/2 cup white onion - roughly chopped 1 clove garlic - roughly chopped 1 jalapeño - roughly chop, remove seeds and ribs 2 14.5 cans fired roasted diced tomatoes 1 pinch sugar 1/2 t salt 1/4 t ground cumin 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves juice from 1/2 lime Instructions Add onion, garlic, jalapeño to food processor. Pulse to desired chop. Add fire roasted tomatoes, spices, lime juice and cilantro Pulse to desired finish consistency. Taste with a chip and tweak salt, lime juice, or sugar as needed. Remarks Fresh cilantro can overpower the salsa for me. So, start easy and add more to your liking. ...

This is one of our go to recipes for an easy meal. One nice thing is that you can be creative with the vegetables. Ingredients 32 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables 1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese shredded 1 can cream of celery soup 2/3 cup sour cream 1 small onion diced 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted (1/4 cup) 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed Instructions Place vegetables, cheese, soup, sour cream, onion, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Stir ingredients to combine and mix well. Spray 9" x 13” casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread vegetables mixture in casserole. Melt butter in large Pyrex measuring cup. Add crushed crackers. Stir to combine. Sprinkle cracker crumbs over top of casserole. Bake at 350° for about 45-60 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Remarks NOTE: Any kind of vegetable assortments will work for this recipe, including fresh veggies or leftovers! ...

It is good to be thankful and grateful every day of the year. I am truly grateful for blessings above and beyond what I deserve. In this season of thanksgiving, I hope that you will take some time to reflect on your blessings and perhaps share your thankfulness with others. Here are just a few of my thoughts. I am thankful for my family. I have parents that taught me good values and set an example of loving and caring for others. I am blessed with a wonderful wife that cares for me. It is a joy as our love for each other deepens and matures. Children, grand-children, and now great grand-children fill our lives with humor and happiness. ...

Hurricane Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama on September 16, 2020 as a category 2 storm with 105 mile per hour winds. As the storm moved inland, it passed over our travel trailer on its trek northeast. We went to my in-laws to have a more secure location to weather out the storm. We returned the next day to check on our trailer and it had managed to survive the fierce winds. The only damage the trailer sustained was a broken signal light. ...

After importing a GEDCOM file of my family history into Gramps, I noticed the place names were really inconsistent. I didn’t like how they looked. So I decided to clean them up, which led to a new way for me of handling places. This change does take a while, in fact, I’m still not finished with updating all my places. But, this method is so much better that it’s worth it. ...

One of my goals is to get back into doing family tree research. That means getting organized! I have quite a bit of information collected over the years. This includes GEDCOM data from using previous genealogy applications. Yes, I know, ancestry.com is highly recommended for doing genealogy research. I’m just not willing to pay the prices they are asking to use the service at this time. Maybe if I get serious about doing research and have the time (like when I retire) then it would be worth the price to me. ...

Years ago I did basic genealogical research on my family tree. My plan has always been to revisit the research when I had more free time (as in, being retired). A friend of mine recently recommended findagrave.com. I checked it out and was so happy with what I found there, it has renewed my enthusiasm for family research. How to Find a Grave Find a grave is basically what the name sounds like. It is a way to find the grave sites of family members. The information is built from contributions by over a million users. It was started by James Tipton as a way to engage in his hobby of visiting the gravesites of famous people. ...

Save this sweet deliciousness for a special occasion. It is nowhere to be found in any healthy eating regimen. Ingredients Cake 1 box pound cake mix 2 eggs 1 stick butter - melted Topping 1 package of cream cheese (8 oz.) 2 eggs (again) 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 box powdered sugar pecans - chopped Directions Mix pound cake mix, 2 eggs and melted butter together. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix the cream cheese, 2 eggs, vanilla and powdered sugar (reserve 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar). Spread on top of the first layer. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Sift reserved powdered sugar over the top.

On the way to our recent family reunion, I was thinking about genealogy and those that had passed on. They were not famous or wealthy, there was never a great inheritance handed down. They were simply decent, loving, hard-working people. Somewhere along the line, they left everything behind, family, friends, and country to make a new life in a new land. But there has been a legacy handed down to our generation from our patriarchs. My wife claims that there is a certain kind of hair texture that predominates my family. The men tend to hang on to their hair and early morning bedhead is our curse. But, our legacy is more than genes passed from one generation to the next. I think our legacy is one of love. I don’t see my extended family very often, but when I do, I feel that deep connection between us. ...