W.I.P. Wednesday

It has been a while since I posted one of these.  That doesn't mean I haven't been knitting or crocheting though.

Anyway...I had a Michael's rewards coupon ($10) that was about to expire. Well, I wasn't going to let that happen, so I went to Michael's to find something for around $10.  I lucked out! I found 2 skeins of Lion Brand Scarfie yarn on clearance for $5 each.  I thought it would make a nice prayer shawl, so I got them both, for free!  You can't ask for anything much better than that.

I found a nice Shell Scarf shawl on Lion Brand's website and while my kitties were sleeping, I was able to get started on it.

I like this yarn a lot, it is super soft and I like the color changes.  I wouldn't have necessarily chosen this color, but I am glad it was what was available, because the shawl is coming out nicely.

Taqueria del Sol's Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

This recipe was printed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on September 3, 2020.

Click on image to enlarge.

52 Ancestors - Week 4 - Witness to History

I have a lot of ancestors that were witness to history...so many involved in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, one that was the sister-in-law of Henry VIII and so much more! 

However, I decided to write about Thomas Rogers.  Thomas Rogers is my 11th great-grandfather and he witnessed history by traveling to America on The Mayflower!

Thomas is listed on the passenger list, along with his son, Joseph, who was 12 at the time.  Joseph is not my direct ancestor (rather he is my 10th great uncle).  Thomas & Joseph's family arrived in America later, including my 10 great-grandfather, John Rogers, who arrived at Plymouth, Mass in 1628.

Thomas Rogers signed the Mayflower Compact

In my research, I discovered that he was born in Watford, Northhamptonshire England.  He became a citizen of Leiden Holland in 1618.  In 1619, he sued a baker and a miller of Leiden to free a lien on his house, probably in preparation for his journey.  He won the suit and was awarded the court costs.  He built the house in 1616 and sold in April 1620. 

Unfortunately, not long after he arrived, there was a great sickness amoung the settler's and Thomas died during the "first sickness" as it was called.

I just can't imagine what it would be like to leave my family behind, take my 12 year old son and get on a ship, travel across the Atlantic Ocean for 2 months and settle in an unfamiliar, barely inhabited land.  To be there and actually sign the Mayflower Compact.  

He not only witnessed history in the making, but he was also part of it!  

Easy 20 Minute Chili Mac

My friend, Anita, told me about someone on Tik Tok that makes budget meals in 30 minutes or less...I'm not on Tik Tok, but I did find her on Instagram, Kennedy Chugg.

I saw her made an Easy Chili Mac and decided to give it a try.  It's been bitter cold these past few days and so a nice warm Chili Mac was just what was needed.

20 Minute Chil Mac

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I used fire roasted, yum)

1 can Bush's Chili Magic (I used Homestyle)

1 can water

1 can full of macaroni

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Brown the ground beef (or turkey) in a deep soup pot, drain off fat

Add 1 can Rotel Tomatoes

Add 1 can Bush's Chili Magic

Fill Bush's Chili Magic can with water and add to pot.

Fill Bush's Child Magic can with macaroni and put into pot.

Cook on medium-high heat until pasta is done, add shredded cheese to your liking (I used a lot, because I like it cheesy).

If desired, top with sour cream, serve and enjoy.  

This was sooooo good.  I added some extra cumin and chili powder, because, well, I wanted to, and I think cumin just makes chili taste like chili.  

This would be a good basic chili without the macaroni and cheese add to it, but the macaroni and the cheese, just elevates it to another dish.  

I had some trouble finding Bush's Chili Magic.  Kroger or Walmart didn't carry it, but I found it at Publix.  

2024 52 Ancestors - Week 3: Favorite Photo

I can't believe we are already in week 3 of #52Ancestors.  This week's prompt is "Favorite Photo". THAT IS HARD!  I love all my photos, it is difficult to narrow it down to just one.

But...I decided to pick this one.

The reason I chose this one as a favorite is because it is a rare photo of taken in the late 1800s of my maternal great grandparents and 4 of their 5 children. The very tall man on the right is my third great grandfather, Jeremiah Sidney Truesdell. The lady in the middle with her arms folded is my third great grandmother, Georgia A. Segars Truesdell. The lady standing beside her, with the long ribbon on her dress, is my great-great grandmother, Frances. 

So...my grandmother use to tell this story that her great grandfather came "from somewhere over the water" in a horse and buggy and married her blind great grandmother and he was a doctor of some kind.

Well...part of that was true.  I discovered that J.S. Truesdell was born in Cattaraugus, New York. At some point, his family moved to Michigan.  When he was 25, he was in the Civil War, serving in the Navy on the Union side.  Of course, a great deal of the fighting took place in Georgia. While serving in Georgia, he somehow met Georgia A. Seagars, (Some info I found said her middle name was "America" but I haven't been able to validate that. 

So, just before the end of the Civil War, he did get on a horse and buggy (which was the main means of travel for the average person at that time) and he rode it down to Georgia to marry her.  They married in St. Andrews, Florida (which is near Panama City Beach) and they settled in Daleville, Alabama (just above the Florida panhandle border).  

He was indeed a medical doctor. His wife, Georgia, was blind, but I haven't been able to find out if she was born blind or her blindness developed later in life.  

So...some of the story, a good deal of it, was true...he just didn't come from Europe, as my grandmother thought.

2024 52 Ancestors - Week 2: Origins

There are so many things I can think of for the #52Ancestors prompt of "Origins", but I typically think it is best to write about the first thing that comes to mind.  For me, that was the Origin of my last name, Slaughter.

Slaughter isn't an especially common last name and I love that. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Slaughter ranked at #1,295 in terms of most common U.S. surnames. About 9 people out of every 100,000 in the U.S. have that last name.

The Slaughter family name has its origins in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.  The name originated from the Old English word "slohtre", which means "muddy place".  

Just over a mile from Bourton-on-the-Water are the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. The name comes from old English 'Slohtre', which has nothing to do with killing things and means, simply, 'Muddy place'.

Today's villages are far from muddy places. They are the epitome of idyllic, civilized Cotswold charm. Straddling the banks of the River Eye, also known as Slaughter Brook, the two villages have remained utterly unchanged for more than a century with no building work taking place at all since 1906.

It isn't known to be a touristy spot, but I have traced it back that my family first came from here.  The only attraction is a restored nineteenth century flour mill in Lower Slaughter, where the River Eye meets the north-west corner of the village. The mill was last used commercially in 1958 and its tall chimney cuts an imposing figure. The chimney is made of red brick, in sharp contrast to the other buildings in both villages, which are made from the traditional Cotswold stone. The mill features a giant working waterwheel and has a tea room and ice cream parlour for visitors.

The mill was originally part of Lower Slaughter Manor, which was built in 1658 for the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. The Manor is now a grand country house hotel.

Lower Slaughter is home to the pretty church of St Mary. The church and its impressive spire were re-built in 1867 but some arches between the nave and the south aisle date back to the thirteenth century while the church of St Peter's, in Upper Slaughter, is a historic Norman church with parts dating from the 12th century . Francis Edward Witts, who wrote 'Diary of a Cotswold Parson', was rector of the Slaughters from 1808 to 1854.

The less-visited Upper Slaughter lies, as its name suggests, minutes upstream from Lower Slaughter. The cottages around the square were reconstructed by the famous architect Sir Edward Lutyens in 1906. The River Eye flows between neatly-mown grassy banks and is crossed several times by quaint old bridges. There are charming stone steps leading into the river which must have been built to enable villagers to more easily get water and a tiny Methodist chapel dating from 1865 also nestles by the brook. It is now used as a pottery.

My ultimate dream is to visit Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter to see where my ancestors came from and to stay at the beautiful Slaughters Manor and have afternoon tea there with Battenberg Cake and nice hot cup of Assam Garden Tea.

2024 52 Ancestors - Week 1: Family Lore

Back in 2018, I started the 52 Ancestors Project, where you are given a weekly prompt, and you write about it.  Needless to say, I wasn't very diligent in keeping it up, so I am going to try to give it another go this year.

Week 1's Prompt is "Family Lore"

The first story that popped into my head is the story about my paternal great-grandmother, Dora Donahue Thomas (1884 - 1951).

Dora was my father's maternal grandmother. 

As it goes, when Dora was very young, her parents, who were both \Indigenous People (some say Cherokee and some say Seminole, so it is unsure). They had to leave their land were made to go to the Oklahoma Indian Territory, at the time. They wanted Dora to have a good life so they asked a local doctor to take her.  

The doctor, E.P. Webb and his wife agreed. Dora lived with them the rest of her life and never saw any of her biological family again.  

I never knew how much of this was true but my research shows me that it does appear to indeed be the case and several other relatives (who've I only met through my research and were on different family lines) had told me the same story.

I've never been able to find any birth records for her but that isn't entirely uncommon in 1884 and certainly isn't uncommon for Indigenous People.

My dad remembered that she had very long hair that went to her ankles and she wore it back in a bun.

I do wish I could find out more about her, but sadly, I think I found the end of the family line when it comes to here.  

She is buried, along with my great-grandfather, James William Thomas, in Campground Cemetery in Holmes County, Florida

2023 Year in Books

2023 was apparently my year for re-reading books.  I decided to re-read the Harry Potter series.  The first book, I finished in a couple of days, but boy, that last book was a LOT longer than the first one and it took me a while to finish it.  I also re-read "The Firm" because a sequel is out (next on my list after I finish my current book that reading).

I see so many of my scrapbooking friends books and boy, they read a LOT more than I do...One of them read (or listened to) over 800 books!!  Many read 100 or more.  I can't ever see me reading (or listening to) that many books in a year.  In fact, I hit a record this year with 25.  That is a lot for me!  I can't imagine how you get through 800 books a year, they must be super short books or you are reading/listening practically all day long.  I would love to read 30 books this year, but set my goal at a realistic 15.

Click on photo to enlarge

December 2023 Project Life

The holidays are not easy for everyone.  Christmas and New Years are difficult for me since my dad and brother passed.  My dad was in the hospital from Oct 31st until Jan 13th.  His birthday in Jan 16th.  My brother passed on Oct 29th and his birthday was Jan 1st, so the holidays just feel empty.  This year I tried to focus on the blessing in my life.  It helped a bit.  I know my dad and brother wouldn't want us sulking, but it is hard to sit around the holiday table when they are missing from it.  

Our family is small, but Christmas dinner use to have my parents, my 2 siblings, my sister-in-law, neice, her husband and now she has a daughter.  Now, usually it is my mom and I having dinner together.  Dad and Billy are no longer with us.  My sister usually stays home to take care of the pets (which I am so grateful for).  My sister-in-law is in Minnesota and my niece and her family are in New Zealand.  It's hard sometimes...but I am so grateful for my family, even though we can't always be together and what an incredible blessing that I can spend Christmas with my mother!!!  My friend Susan was able to join us this year for Christmas too, so that was nice. 

Bittersweet moment this month: My beloved dentist and his assistant retired.

A highlight this month...my friend's daughter got married!! I'm so happy for her and her groom is one lucky fella!!

Click on the photo to enlarge

                    

Some Crafty Gifts I Made This Month