Hobbies: 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History

From Genea-bloggers and Amy Coffin.  Did you have any hobbies as a child? Which ones?

Some hobbies I had as a child have stuck with me to adulthood, such as reading.  I loved Baby Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, Goosebumps, Fear Street and anything by Bruce Coville, Lois Lowry, Judy Blume and Shel Silverstein.  I also loved to write stories, which now tends to show in my blog posting.  In my early teens I found out how much I enjoyed planning trips and traveling, another love I have kept.  A big part of this is my enjoyment of research and learning new things, which, also in my early teens, led to my beginnings as a genealogist.

Not all hobbies lasted.  I used to love making things out of plastic canvas.  Although I haven't done this in years, my mom still hangs up many of my creations for holiday decorations.  For a long time I collected and learned about Barbie dolls, but I haven't participated in that since I was a teenager.  Lastly, when I was younger I was a big fan of video games, especially Zelda and the Sims.  Now I haven't played a video game since the Wii first came out.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History: Food

From Geneabloggers:

Week 5: Favorite Food. What was your favorite food from childhood? If it was homemade, who made it? What was in this dish, and why was it your favorite? What is your favorite dish now?

(Source)

My how times have not changed.  My favorite foods, then and now, are the same.  Mashed potatoes and dill pickles (not together, of course).  Simple, delicious and probably not changing any time soon:-)

Winter Memories – 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History

GeneaBloggers and Amy Coffin's newest series, 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History, week #2 – Winter Memories Week 2: Winter.  What was winter like where and when you grew up?



Growing up in Buffalo means a lot of winter memories.  Memories from the past, such as this picture of my Grandpa Casell during the Blizzard of '77, when the snow reached higher than the telephone wires and memories of the Christmas Eve when I was young whenwe got over 2 feet of snow in just a few hours.  I remember measuring with a yard stick when we got home from my aunt and uncle's.

My favorite winter memories are of the smell of a clear winter night, when a million stars filled the sky and my sister, cousin Matt and I would play outside as my Aunt Amy cross-country skied around the yard.  Snowmen, snow angels, and making "igloos" are the best things of a childhood in a snowy area.  The smell of winter takes me back to my childhood every time.  I remember making "feet" on the frosted over front door while waiting for the bus, brushing snow off the car and hoping for snow days.



Another part of winter is the hearty food that gets made to warm one up after shoveling the driveway or having a snowball fight.  Beef stew, chicken noodle soup and roast with vegetables are my favorites that I still enjoy for a cold night spent in my warm apartment.  And don't forget the hot chocolate with marshmallows (Swiss Miss is my favorite)!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - New Year's Memories

GeneaBloggers is hosting a new 52 Week Challenge focusing on our personal genealogy and history.  I think this is wonderful, as we so often get stuck in the past, that we do not remember to save our traditions for future generations.

Week 1: Did your family have any New Year’s traditions? How was the New Year celebrated during your childhood? Have you kept these traditions in the present day?!

Growing up my Grandma Casell would have all of us grandkids over every New Year's for a sleepover.  We would have snacks like pigs-in-a-blanket, chips and dip and pretzels, watch movies and the ball drop, wear tiaras and make lots of noise at midnight.  Then we would get in our sleeping bags, spread all over (there were 7 of us there) and go to bed, with our parents picking us up in the morning.

I don't know that I realized how wonderful this was until recently.  That is to say, how unique and amazing my grandmother was for doing this so that her children and their spouses could enjoy New Year's, all the cousins could play and she could spend time with us.  When we helped through a party this New Year's many people had trouble coming due to the problem of finding a sitter.

I have spent New Year's in many places as an adult: Pretoria (South Africa) Paris, the Bronx and many towns in Central New York, but I will always treasure those memories of my childhood New Year's and they will always be my favorite.