Boys Day Out!

Bubby has been dying to take one of his buds to his Ducky and Grandma's house to explore, so since Spring Break was this week we took off!  It was supposed to be a perfect day - sunny and in the 50s.  Ok, so it was perfect, but not in those ways:) 

It snowed!  Not just a little, but big fat flakes that started an hour after we got there and lasted for a couple of hours.  It was beautiful!  We didn't let that slow us down though...

  Bubby and his buddy went canoeing.  They had a blast!  They stayed on the water for about an hour.  Even transported Mookie around too:)  No trip to Ducky's is complete without going for a ride (or 2 or 3) in the 4wheel Ranger which the boys even talked Ducky into letting them "drive" (holding the wheel).
  We had to come inside to get dried off and warmed up, grab lunch and a cupcake break...

Shorty and an Oreo Cupcake!

Oh my goodness!  Billy Vanilly cupcakes are yummy!!!

Play a game of hide and seek...

Mookie and Shorty after being found

And then head outside for more adventures of finding a forgotten well...

It was only 6 foot deep, but nonetheless cool!

Toppling trees with our bare hands to make a bridge across a ditch...

The finished bridge

We even had time to stomp thru the puddles...

Of course, when we took off from our adventure the sun came out.  But we couldn't have asked for a more perfect and fun filled day!  Thanks Ducky and Grandma!

The gooey aftermath:)

A new adventure

My Mookie

  This last week we've embarked on an adventure of a different kind.  A food adventure.  Here's a little bit (ha! ok, a lot of) background.  Almost 2 years ago Mookie had a severe allergic reaction, to what we think was a type of pasta we had never had before.  Her eyes were puffing up by bedtime, and by morning her whole face was swollen.  I called the doctor and got an appointment that same day.  By that afternoon when we went, the swelling had gone down, but as a precaution the doctor prescribed an epi-pen.  We went to Sonic, grabbed a snack of cheese bites and a fruit slush and then ran some errands.  About an hour later, on our way home she broke out in hives. Since there wasn't any place to stop on the way, we waited until we got home and I gave her some Benadryl, but within 5 minutes she wasn't able to breathe and we had to use the epi-pen (I NEVER want to do that again!). 
  We went to the allergist, got tested for the obvious allergens that were in the pasta, but nothing.  So since we had no idea what was the cause at that point, we could either test for everything, or watch and see if she reacted again. As a precaution we followed a baseline of Claratin and Benadryl as needed, with our spare epi-pen in emergencies.  So we waited, fearful of everything and nothing at the same time.  Within a few months, she started breaking out in these horrible rashes.  All over her body, on her back, on her legs, arms, and legs, and face.  We went to the doctor about it, certain it had to do with the previous reaction.  The verdict - contact dermatitis (something in a plant oil, etc...).  It continued for almost a year, 2 separate episodes, but we never could find a cause.  A specialist did tell us that even the oils in grass could affect a person if they were allergic.  The question to me was always why did it just creep up after the severe reaction?
  One other thing we've been dealing with was intestinal issues.  Mookie's always had some, but it never was problematic.  I won't go into the gory details on the previous stuff, but about a year ago, she started complaining about her back hurting, increasing in intensity from occasionally to daily and then her tummy started hurting on top of it.  We would mention it to the doctor occasionally at other visits but of course it would go away and therefore forgotten.  In the fall, we went to the doctor just for the tummy and back problem.  It was decided it was constipation and so she put us on a diet of high fiber and water and a Rx.  It did not go away.  In December we went back, and were referred to a GI specialist that we waited until the end of February to get in to see.  In that waiting time, the other problems did not get better, and her head started to hurt (occasionally and then daily).  I have never been so thankful we homeschool.  Her school work has been suffering so much over the last few months due to her not being able to concentrate for the pain that a structured environment would have not worked.  The big blessing is being able to be flexible, let her be in her comfy clothes, lay in her bed and do work and do it at her own pace. 
  At our specialist appointment, they were still focusing on the constipation (which is a major thing, don't get me wrong), and they didn't look at us like we were crazy when we brought up the allergic reactions in conjunction with it - very soothing for a momma who is sad that her kiddo is feeling bad!  They tested her for Celiac's as well as other things - all came back normal.  Told us to do a "clean out" of the GI system and then continue taking the Rx and call back in 2 weeks. 
  We get home and do the "clean out", but after a couple of days, she's feeling worse instead of better:(  On her bad days I will go back to my notes and start Google-ing symptoms, etc...  It's the researcher in me and it makes me feel like I'm doing something to help her, even if I don't find anything new.  This time looking at my notes I was reminded of the time we were at the Children's Discovery Center and while we were there had some Deja Blue water and within an hour Mookie broke out in hives.  So, I restart my search with the water, looking for additives.  I find an article that says that Deja Blue has the highest concentration of TTHM (a nitrate) of all the bottled waters out there.  A place to start!  So I start Google-ing nitrates and allergies.  I don't find an exact match of symptoms, but feel I'm on the right track.  I follow bunny trails of MSG, and TBHQ and wind my way into salicylates.  This one makes me stop.  Mookie has had over 3/4 of the symptoms listed, not all at once mind you, but off and on since that first experience (and some even before).  The kicker is that salicylates are found in fruits and aspirin as well as natural preservatives.  Since our visit to the doctor in December, she's had Mookie drinking Plum Smart to help with her GI issues.  So in all actuality, if she does have this salicylate allergy, the Plum Smart was hurting not helping (which was evidenced by how she was increasingly feeling). 
  We started altering her diet during the middle of last week.  Let me tell you, it's hard to find things without salicylates!  Mookie loves fruit and that's he hardest of all.  Pears are safe, but they need to be very ripe.  Those darned things are everywhere!  I am on a new adventure to make most of our food from scratch.  I've always wanted to do that, I just have a big motivator now:)  Even cutting back on salicylates seems to be helping.  She isn't hurting with head, tummy and back all at once anymore.  We make a big deal of "only 2 out of 3", etc... :)  Her zip is coming back, feeling bad can really get you down.  Now my little huggy, smiley, and giddy girl has returned even for brief periods of time - I'll take it!  This might not be our answer, but I'm hopeful.  We're going to follow up with our allergist if it's looking like the culprit after a few weeks (I guess it can take 4-6 weeks to get the things that your body deems toxic out of your system).  Praise the Lord for doctors who listen and even the internet:)

Churches, Revolutions, and Empires

When I received Churches, Revolutions, and Empires 1789-1914 by Ian Shaw from Cross Focused Reviews I was excited.   Being a lover of history and recently interested in the roots of our Christian Faith, I eagerly dove in.  Shaw did not disappoint.  This book was chocked full of wonderful facts and background of this crucial part of our Church’s history.  I can’t wait to go back through and re-read and pick up tidbits I missed.  One of my favorite quotes in the book was: “The rich Puritan heritage of the New England colonies was rooted in the piety of the early British and European Protestant settlers, and included a deep-set fear of return to the religious oppression from which the founding fathers had escaped".  I think that this statement really emphasizes the importance of our religious foundation in America. It also makes me wonder if having a little of that fear isn't beneficial to protecting our religious freedom.

David Livingstone

  I was also especially interested in the section on missions and how each branch of the church handled missions and how that either furthered the Gospel or hindered their efforts.  It was neat to learn more about individuals that I had always heard about but not taken the time to look deeper at.  The one that especially caught my eye was David Livingstone since Bubby had taken a liking to his story when we came across a little blurb about him on a school worksheet.  This man sacrificed comforts, his family, and pretty much everything, all for the love of God and sharing that with the people of Africa. 

  This book did an excellent job of weaving the story of Christianity during this time period.  Mr. Shaw showed how crucial an era this was all over the world and how people from different walks of life all strived to spread the gospel despite conflicts and barriers they encountered.  Thanks to Cross Focused Reviews for providing me with a copy of this to review! :)

It's in my blood

  A little over a year ago, Ancestry.com had this great deal for members - they wanted people to try out their DNA matching for free (limited availability).  My mom and I had been talking about trying this for a while, so we jumped at the chance!  Normally the test ranges from about $130 - $200 depending on membership/special offers.  I submitted my DNA (filling a vile with saliva) so we could do both my folks' DNA at once.  I must say it has been a pretty interesting experience.  At first since it was a new program through Ancestry, I didn't get a lot of matches.  However, it did tell me what my ethnic background was, which in and of itself was cool!

I was not surprised by the British Isles percentage.  I was at the Scandinavian one though until I realized that some of my blond haired, blue eyed German ancestors were probably of Viking descent :)  The "uncertain" intrigues me!  They clarified that saying the more data they gathered might eventually clarify this category.
  When you do eventually get matches to your tree, they are classified into what kind of "cousins" they might be, the majority falling into the distant cousins, but actually I have over 30 right now that fall into the 4th-6th cousin range. It will show you this little graph to let you know which ethnicity you share:

Best case scenario you can look at their tree and see what names you might share as well as the locations:

Now, I have not had much luck with looking at the trees.  Sometimes I might recognize the surname, but who's to tell if that's the one you actually share more immediately?  I personally prefer the map.  It shows tear drops for your tree, the "cousin's" tree as well as one for areas you both have an ancestor from.  If you click on the shared tear drop it will show you the individuals from both trees from that area - that is the most helpful!
  Just this week I had 2 hits that were cousins I totally recognized.  One was a gal I had been in contact with years before.  Her tree (as well as mine) is private, but I recognized her name and knew her connection - her ancestor and my ggg-grandma were siblings.  Yay!  Here's pictures of them:

Joshua Jordan

Louisa Jordan Camp

  Also, Ancestry sent me a hit where a 4th-6th cousin had a match to a name in his tree!  Awesome!  When it does that, it shows you a little graph on how you are related to that person.  So, it didn't hold any groundbreaking information on either of them, but it made me rest assured that this stuff really works! I can't wait to see what more it kicks up:)

Tangled Tree Thoughts: The Important of Being Earnest

  It's been forever ago since I've read the Importance of Being Earnest, but from what I do remember it was about mistaken identities. I figured for those who are trying to research their family histories, I would walk you through some past and present struggles with names that have and are perplexing me.
Grandma Margaret Emma Talady is a problem for me.  For one thing, in the census records I have for her, she goes by either Margaret or Emma, or Emily.  So, the obituary I found the other day helped confirm that she was indeed the Emma Taladay that was married to Civil War soldier Frederick Kariger.  It also confirmed that she was born in Connecticut, Hartford to be exact.  Now, that has always been a question for me.  How she jumped from CT to Will County, IL (Chicago area) was a problem - not unheard of, but a stretch.  So after I found that I started searching anew on the internet for fresh ideas.  I found a site for Tolliday/Talady researchers that had census records for people by that surname (and all variations) for all time periods and states.  I found a Henry Toloday living in Licking County, Ohio with a daughter "M.E." right age for my Margaret Emma.  Hmmmm....  Ok, so I do some further searching.  There is a Hartford township in Licking County.  Now, I've run across this before.  According to family lore, ggg-grandpa Lafayette Mauzey was supposed to have been born in Richmond, Virginia.  Turns out, his family was FROM Virginia and he was born in Richmond, MO.  Pretty easy explanation - the town that is reported is assumed to be the state capital of the state the family was originally from.  Since then I've learned to broaden my searching.  After searching all evening I finally find that Henry Toloday ended up in Blackford County, Indiana where his known son Laban lived in the town of Hartford.  More interesting is that Laban's first son was named William Henry, which is what Grandma Margaret Emma's first son was named.  To add another level of intrigue, Henry's known daughter Nancy's first son was named William H.  Ok, that's just downright weird now.  Circumstantial.  Without a will in hand, I'm stuck.  It all fits - kind of.  Sometimes that's what we genealogists have to go on and sometimes be content with until we find that final nail in the coffin so to speak:)
  Another mystery that has re-emerged is also on Hubby's family.  His ggg-grandma Mary Ida Lopossa (pronounced Low-possee) Patrick.  Now she was born about 1865 in Indiana (census info).  The problem was and is that brothers Jacob and Joseph Lopossa both had daughters named Mary born about that time.  According to all info I've found Hubby's Mary was the daughter of Jacob.  I'd been tracking down a lead and contacted a gal whose George also was the son of Jacob.  She told me that our Mary was not the daughter of Jacob.   Ok... I go back to the drawing board.... It all brings me back to this picture...

Joseph Lopossa family, Mary is front row 2nd from the left

  Although this picture is not in my possession and I have not seen an exact date for it, I doubt that the Mary in it is ours.  Ours died pre-1901 in the flu epidemic along with her husband - this is according to family lore as well as some guardianship papers dated 1901.  The woman in this picture looks too old to be about 35 which either of the Marys would have been ca. 1900.  So,  I think I'm secure in believing that Jacob is our Mary's dad.  Do I know definitively?  No.  But, I'll be content for now anyway:)
 

Field Trip Friday: Orphans and the CCC

  So what do orphans and the CCC have in common?  Nothing except the Orphan Train Museum in Concordia had a traveling Smithsonian exhibit called "How we Worked" and their museum as part of that had a special Civilian Conservation Corps exhibit of which the CCC in Kansas is Daddy's speciality.  We used the opportunity as our next Friday field trip:) 

in front of the museum

  Nana (Daddy's mom) had the day off so she came on our adventure with us, which was wonderful!  I had the kids read up on the Orphan Train on the way up for some background.  When we got there, we watched a short intro video - turns out that the Concordia museum is the the main depository for Orphan Train records, etc... - go Kansas! :)  When we got into the actual depot, we all scattered: Daddy to his CCC display, and the kids to the kids area, Nana and I just wandered where we could. 

the kids room

CCC display

  I was so impressed with the museum.  The displays were interactive and they had a scavenger hunt for the kids to fill out along with other activity pages. 
  Our next stop was the Cloud County Historical Museum where they had a local CCC collection on display in the Annex & then a research area in the main building.  While Daddy conversed with the museum volunteers about  CCC things, the rest of us investigated the vast collections. 

the coolest artifact for the kids was an antique funhouse mirror!

Margaret Emma Talady Kariger Grinstead obit.

Seriously, I've been to a ton of local museums and this was the biggest and had the largest variety I have ever seen.  Now, I couldn't let Daddy have all the fun and since his ggg-grandma was buried in Miltonvale, in Cloud County, I tried to find her obituary.  Success!  Not alot of new information, but it did verify some info that I didn't have good sources on.  A note about copying obituaries: always make note of the paper and date you got it from (either get it in the copy, or write it on the side or back).
  Our last stop was the site of Camp Concordia a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers during WWII.  Bubby had seen a display at the museum and we made his day by going to see the buildings that are still standing.  It was too cold and windy to stay long, but we did get a picture.

Camp Concordia tower

This was one of the best field trips ever!  Something for everyone! :)

My Little Potter

Today we had our monthly Keepers at Home meeting and we focused on getting our pottery patch.  My friend who does her own pottery taught us the different styles and techniques in pottery making.  I knew she was an excellent teacher, Mookie and Bubby loved her art class at our homeschool coop, but this was my first time seeing first hand how amazing she is! 

She had the girls make a pinch pot, a coiled pot and then showed them how to throw a pot on a potter's wheel.  Some even jumped in, got super messy and tried their hands at the wheel too!

Mookie was in her element with creating the pottery.  She enjoyed both styles she tried, but really took her time with the coiled pot.  

She's a little regretful she didn't dive in and try the potter's wheel - she's never been into messy things - but maybe we'll have another chance sometime:)