Weddings: Celebrating the present, remembering the past
At family celebrations, and especially at weddings, we tend to think about those relatives who are no longer with us.
My colleague Javier showed me an article in the Spanish magazine Zankyou, which discusses marriage as the merging of two family trees, and therefore the perfect occasion to honor our ancestors.
The article suggests some very original ways to not only think about those relatives who have passed on, but actually incorporate genealogy in our wedding celebrations.
One way is with jewelry. Some people choose to wear a special family heirloom, like a brooch, others use their ancestors' rings as their own wedding bands.
Artist Ashley Gilreath takes it one step further. Ashley specializes in creating pieces that fuse heirlooms with their story, and like the necklace below, with genealogy. Continue reading "Weddings: Celebrating the present, remembering the past" »
Family History: What’s in your attic?
Aren't attics - and cellars - magical places to explore?
When I was a young girl, we spent our summers in upstate New York, with our grandparents. I often went with my grandmother to visit her friend Fanny, who lived a few miles away.
I remember the old country farm house set amid large surrounding fields. While Grandma and Fanny were talking downstairs, I was given permission to go up to the attic and scrounge around.
Continue reading "Family History: What’s in your attic?" »
Family: Top baby names 2012
Expecting a bundle of joy? Don't know what to name the new arrival? Here's some help for you.
A Florida hospital, which delivered nearly 14,000 babies in 2012, issued its list of the most popular baby names for the year.
Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies (Orlando, Florida) said that Isabella (111) and Jayden (90) were the most popular names.
The hospital is one of the top three labor and delivery hospitals in the US and many names on its list were also on lists in other areas of the US, according to Babycenter.com's "100 Most Popular Baby Names of 2012." That site's data comes from nearly 500,000 parents who shared their baby's name with them during the year. So if the top 10 (below) aren't enough, check the link for the top 100 names for girls and boys.
Palmer Hospital's top 10 lists:
Holiday Competition: And the winner is…
Before the holidays we offered you the chance to win a digital camera by sharing with us your favorite holiday memory or photo.
We received many beautiful photos and touching stories and it's been really difficult choosing a winner.
We decided to divide the competition into two categories - pictures and stories - and choose a winner from each.
So, without further ado, the winning photo is: Continue reading "Holiday Competition: And the winner is…" »
Family: Grandmother’s favorite dish
When we think of our grandmothers, we immediately t
hink about their warmth and their food!
Grandmothers around the world are famous for the culinary treats they lovingly prepare for family.
Both my grandmothers died many years ago, but I remember their cooking as if I tasted it yesterday. Although they came from different countries and backgrounds, each had her specialties. These matriarchs' dishes were the family favorites!
An article on My Modern Met compares dishes of grandmothers around the world, and shows photos of the women with their flagship dishes.
Continue reading "Family: Grandmother’s favorite dish" »
Resolutions: Here’s some help!
Some people may have been holding off their resolutions for 2013 because of the Mayans. However, now that we are still here and 2013 has started, it's time put those resolutions into action.
Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) researchers have released some great tips (13, actually!) for the New Year.
- Learn something new
Learning never ends, so commit to continuing on this path. Explore new interests, and uncover something great!
- Walk in the park
Decrease stress and increase focus by visiting a park. Research has show that visiting parks improves mood, concentration and positive feelings. Seeing nature produces reduced feelings of depression, anxiety, anger and tension. Make 2013 a healthy green year.
Continue reading "Resolutions: Here’s some help!" »
Poll: Favorite holiday family game?
For many of us, the holidays are about family time.
Presents, food, jokes, games, are all part of the traditional celebrations and experiences that we look forward to sharing with our families each and every year.
We want to know whether you have a special family game you play during the holidays. Let us know in the poll below.
(P.S.: Don't forget our holiday competition for your chance to win a digital camera!)
Happy Holidays!
South Africa: Fashion, photos and family history
Leigh Toselli with her sons (from left) Devin, Rowan and Kieran
Listening to family stories as a child sparked Leigh Toselli’s interest, but - for her - it’s all about photographs and their stories.
A South African fashion, beauty and decor stylist, Leigh, 52, lives in Johannesburg with her French photographer husband Patrick and three sons (Devin, 25; Rowan, 23; and Kieran, 20).
Her biography reads like an A-Z of fashion, and she’s worked on every facet of image in the industry. She authored a series of books on beauty and image, and was also co-presenter of the South African version of the BBC show, What Not to Wear.
A few years ago, Leigh was trying to find a way of restoring, filing and sharing old family photographs.
Old photographs that gather dust seem so sad; all too often these are neglected and the names and faces forgotten. So I started asking the older generations to put names and anecdotes to the photos.
Family trees didn't really interest me, as they were simply a list of dates and names. That is, until I realized I could put faces to the names! Suddenly, my family’s history became a fascination - seeing family resemblances and spotting faces in old albums became a bit of an obsession.
Continue reading "South Africa: Fashion, photos and family history" »
MyHeritage: Holiday competition!
Many of our most special memories come from spending time with our families over the holidays.
We remember the dinners, gifts, songs and jokes we shared. Wonderful testimonials to these unique moments are the photos we will treasure for ever.
For this year's holiday competition, we're asking readers to share their holiday memories for a chance to win a brand new digital camera!
The MyHeritage team
Sleigh Bells Ring: Holiday music
What is it about holiday music? Those catchy tunes we can’t get out of our head? The musical notes that bring us back to earlier times?
It really doesn’t matter if the listener celebrates Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza; that winter music - religious or secular - just gets deep inside our bones. Important family events take place at the holidays, and a particular song may bring back all kinds of warm, fuzzy memories.
A favorite of mine is "Sleigh Ride," in the instrumental version by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Written by Leroy Anderson in 1948, Mitchell Paris added the lyrics in 1950. Here's the story behind the song. It is considered one of the top 10 most popular Christmas songs ever, even though the holiday is never mentioned in the lyrics.
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