Updates and Upgrades!

April 15, 2020April 29, 2020Leave a comment

UPDATE: Despite having more time than I know what to do with lately, I still don’t fee like I’ve caught up on chores. Ugh. That being said, I am getting ready to pot up my little seedlings, dig up some new beds, and I have a ton of posts in my draft section. There should be a good mix of history, genealogy, and plants in topics coming soon!

UPGRADE: I have acquired 24 landscape timbers to start laying out two new garden beds in the vegetable area. After doing some research on landscape timbers, I decided I am OK with using them in the veggie garden. I have been watching so many British garden shows lately that I am starting to want to call it a “veg patch.” Oh. Boy. The newer process of treating lumber means they are now safer to use in gardens. I did some research and double checked the description on the lumber I bought. So, I feel confident in using these. But, be sure to double check any lumber you choose to add in your garden!

UPGRADE: I have a fancy new camera. I bought it in January, but I am just now starting to get it figured out. It’s aNikon D3500 which I got as bundle from Target while I still worked there. I was able to stack several discounts and get a good deal on it. It will definitely be an upgrade from my S7 phone and my Nikon Coolpix L310. I also bought a few accessories: this Altura wide angle lens and this Altura viewfinder eye piece. The camera and both accessories are great starting points for people like me. I like to take beautiful photos, but really only have high school photography class knowledge. Todd and I both agreed we need to document more adventures and visits to ancestral places!

Enjoy photos of life so far! Can you guess which are from my phone and which are from the new camera!?

Well, here’s to catching up, praying for a lift on the stay-at-home order, warmer weather, and more posts! I can’t wait to get more projects and posts rolling.

~p.s. I am trying out ‘affiliate’ linking. There are affiliate links in this post, but they are only for products I appreciate or use personally!~

A Facebook Page: Test

February 6, 2020Leave a comment

I have created a Facebook page for Grow Your Roots! Currently, I am just playing around with settings, trying to decide if I want to commit to the upkeep of a page.

Pros: I would be able to automatically share my posts, and allow others to share their stories of heritage gardening and family history.

Cons: It’s Facebook. It can be horrible and overly complicated. I already struggle keeping up on this!

Anyway…link below to the new page.

Grow Your Roots Facebook Page

Don’t be surprised if suddenly it’s gone. I’m still working out some ideas.

New Year, Deeper Roots

January 6, 2019Leave a comment

2018 was a struggle punctuated by some really good moments and some really, really hard moments. I’m glad it’s over. Usually, I’m not one to set new year’s resolutions, but I feel like starting this year off with some clear challenges and goals.

I was really excited to get this website and my Grow Your Roots project started last year, but fell way short when it came to where I wanted to go with it. So, this year, I am setting some reasonable ambitions for it.

Post weekly, I have chosen Sunday for posting

Um, that’s actually the only solid goal I’ve set.

BUT, I have a solid list of topics and ambitions for the project itself, which encompasses family history and gardening. Here are some of my more particular goals for the year:

Solidify, confirm, and cite the several generations of Swedish and Danish ancestors I discovered in 2018
Track down my grandmother’s grandmothers…one was Norwegian, the other Dutch
Continue trying to solve the mystery of James Oscar Adsit/Petersen (I may need to do more DNA testing)
Contact the owners of Todd’s Hall family farm in Viroqua. AND visit it!
Begin researching Todd’s family
Improve my storage system for family photos and heirlooms
Improve my Iris beds, and continue to collect historic varieties
Continue planning and expanding my heritage garden (inside and out)
Visit more cemeteries, court houses, libraries, and archives
LEARN MORE!

I’m hoping some of these ideas will translate into great posts and stories. I also hope I finally make good on some of my previous posts’ promise of follow-ups!

Well, this is a short and sweet post, but it’s a start!

I look forward to the year and sharing my family history and horticulture stories with you all.

The New Year’s Resolution

December 28, 2017Leave a comment

I have had this idea kicking around in my head for a few years now. I’ve done bits and pieces, and I’ve definitely collected some family history and a lot of flowers. Now, it’s time I start putting it all together and making these ideas a reality.

My goal for 2018 is to get this site up and running and start sharing more about my family and flowers. I also want to share ideas for you to try with your own family histories and gardens. So, here is to the end of 2017 and to a new chapter, yet to be written!

Start. Stop. Start Again

May 19, 2016Leave a comment

My original goal for this website was to launch it May 1, 2016. I have had plans of having a handful of my projects started or planned out, pages created, photos, and citations. From there, I was going to build on the already posted projects, add little bits of news, and a lot of other cool family history and horticulture related things.

Alas, my plans were a bit lofty amidst a full on home renovation. Every bit of my time has been sucked up by demolition, panic, Lowe’s, more demolition, panic, sweeping, flooring, painting…you get the idea. Not to mention, working in a garden center in Spring gets a bit wild too!

My new plan is to have this beautiful page and project going sometime mid-summer. (Maybe by my 30th birthday?!) that would be June 29th.

We will see!