Book editing

Finishing up the book editing.  This has been quite a process. It's the first time I have worked with others to edit and finish up one of my books.  I have learned a lot in the process.  It is much harder to work with other people.  I prefer to work alone.  However, I have gotten more done and found more mistakes, therefore have a cleaner product in the end.  The book is richer for the experience and so am I.

My cousins keep asking if they are nagging or becoming annoying but they aren't.  They email me or post errors they find and I go in and correct the book.  Then we do the process all over again.  It is time consuming and tedious work but with fresh eyes looking it over it makes it so much better.

I would recommend working with others when putting together a family history book.  Don't get offended when someone finds mistakes in your creation.  You wouldn't want "your baby" to be riddled with mistakes and typos.  You want it to be clean and accurate, so take a deep breath and ask your cousins to edit, add and give input to your projects.  You will survive and be thrilled with the end project.

What a wild ride this has been.  Along the way, I have learned so much more about my grandparents on my mother's side, and been guided through a maze of new family on my father's side. Overall a good decision to include rather than work this out by myself. (Hard habit to break)

Thank you to all that have helped!  You have been amazing an thank you for your patience with me through the process.

End of summer 2012

Wow, where did the time go?  It's fall already. Sad to see summer gone.  I was enjoying the warm days.  Not sure if I am ready for coats and cold weather.  Certainly not ready for heating bills and slippery roads.

I have been working on editting the family history books.  There have been many late nights and oodles of changes. Have enjoyed seeing  all the new photos popping up on the facebook page and in my email.  Floods of memories being triggered and played out with each new photo.  It would be wonderful to go back in time and enjoy those moments.  (Taking a better camera with and making sure it was focused would be helpful too)

The leaves are beginning to fall off the trees in our yard and that marks the beginning of the raking project that lasts until the end of spring.  We have fifteen large trees and they shed their leaves all month, leaving a thick blanket on the ground.  It looks lovely, but is a lot of work to remove so the grass and rocks and plants survive.

Erin's room is done again.  Her new Birthday computer and second monitor in place.  Now she has a real command center and a computer that will play her Sims games.  The room looks really good and she is enjoying it.

I have updated the links on the family history 2011 page of this blog to the new editted family history books, so take a look and let me know if you find any more areas that need adjustment.  If anyone wants a PDF copy let me know.  Don't buy the books, as one they aren't finished yet, two there are lots of sales coming, three I will give a PDF copy to you  if you ask.

Bon Voyage to Summer............and hello autumn!

Smartest skunks ever!

They seem to know where we are at all times.  If I go to bed at 5 am, then they show up at 6:52 , If I go to bed at 4 am then they show up at 4 am and 58 seconds.  Really this is soooo weird.

These

Think this one might be pregnant as it is a big too chubby compared to the others we have filmed.  but don't know if it is the angle of the camera.  I hope it is just the angle.

This is the latest spotting yet.  Nasty as this is the time the dogs and people are out.  This might be a difficult encounter if they keep this hour in their schedule for eating our yard.  I HATE skunks!

Finished is never finished

The best way to get input for a project is to announce it is finished!  I have had an enormous amount of information now that I have finished with mistakes in print.  Isn't that the way it goes?

Back to the drawing board and fixing all my errors and researching disputes of facts. 

I love genealogy and love when new information comes together.  This has been a great day for that.  I added so much to my files, and found information that I wouldn't have found on my own. Love it!

Family is such an important thing.

Anyway, my previous post of finished books, turns out to be a lie.  They are not done.  Being revised and we'll see where it goes from here.  I did put the links on my family history page in 2011 posts if you want to take a look.  Let me know if you see any corrections that still need fixing.  Don't know when it will be finished.  Will keep you posted.

Family History Books finished !

I wanted to finish the books I started on our family history.  Time always gets away from me.  I finally got them printed.  I did rush in the end as Shutterfly sent me an email to say they were changing sizes and formats so anything I had in those sizes needed to be finished by the 10th of September.  Well that was a fire to my behind.  Then they added a 40% off incentive and free ship for orders over $30.00.  Ok, couldn't pass those up.  I ordered one of each.  Hopefully they aren't riddled with spelling errors, and the low resolution photos won't look too bad.  I will check out these and then decide if I want to order more for Christmas or start them over in a fresh look.  I am never happy with the things I create.  I can always find a better way once they are done.  Story of my life.  But at least I will have something in print and can relax for a minute about them. 

Still have a few more books to do.  Want to do one on my parents and my husbands parents then one on me and my husband.  That should be enough for awhile.  Crazy when you get working on them.  There is never enough time and you always want one more photo or document.

I linked the finished book to my first post of family history so look back in 2011 under family history and you can look at the books I have finished so far.  Let me know what you think.  If there are errors and there are bound to be, let me know what you find.  I apoligize upfront for any mistakes, or bad spelling.  I tried but spell check doesn't fix everything.  LOL.

Skunks - summer of 2012

I haven't written in a long time. Not that I haven't thought to, just that I wasn't sure if I should.  Sometimes life is tough and sometimes it is best not to spew when it's happening. Once something is said you can't take it back.  You know the situtation.

Getting to this point in life you would think I would be wise and experienced enough not to be affected by the drama of others.  Ha, not true.  When it comes to family it is a different thing.



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Skunks:

I HATE skunks.  We live in the country and this isn't the first time we have had a problem with skunks.  In the past we just stayed up at night and hunted them. Not a big deal really.  Shoot them when you see them and be done with it.  Not this year.

These skunks are smarter than me.  We joke that they have a mole working with them or hidden cameras on us.  We have been trying to hunt these skunks but no luck.  We bought a camera and put it on the tree at night to get an idea of when they are coming in so we could stay up and shoot them.  We thought we had a good idea as the time hack on the photos were between 1 and 3 am.  Ok, we set up and were ready.  We stayed up until 4 am. But no skunks.

 The next day when we retrieved the camera the  photo showed they came out at 4:00 and 58 seconds. We missed them by 58 seconds! Seconds!  Ok, so we watched them with the camera through the next few days and then set up a night when hubby didn't have to work the next day and stayed up til 6am.  Not one skunk.

 If we go to the upper yard, they dig in the lower yard.  They are one step ahead of us.  This has been going on now for 2 months.  Still, we have shot not one skunk.  Our lawn is ruined and we are frustrated.

 

 

We left a spot light on the shop all night and from the photo you can see it didn't stop them one bit.  So light or no light they still come!

 

 We have set live traps, and they dig all around the traps and poo beside them. No luck. Baited with fish, marshmallows, peanut butter, chicken. Nothing works. Willing to take suggestions. ARGHHHHHHH..... I HATE skunks.