FHF

Memoirs can be a treasured part of family history should be included in your preservation efforts. But, does the thought of writing about yourself feel intimidating. Writing glimpses of your life doesn't have to strain your brain. Pick one small segment of your life and then follow these five tips to pre-writing your tale. Pre-writing is the process of accumulating resources necessary for storytelling. A memoir needs memories. Many memories love hiding behind iron cages when you're earnestly attempting to accomplish planned reminiscence. To tap into nostalgic moments, you need keys that open the locks on the doors. From Metal to Rhinestones is available on Amazon. Before we review those tips, understand that I've completed the challenge. My memoir “From Metal to Rhinestones: The Quest for the Crown” covers the three-year personal ugly duckling transformation during my teen years. The path to swan-hood utilized Texas beauty pageants. The 100+ page book answers my husband...

Why is it that we overlook or ignore easy tasks? Is it because those easy tasks are too readily forgotten, despite how important they are? It’s easy to scan through your email inbox and quickly delete the unwanted material. Right? It seems simple enough and is a time-saving decluttering tip repeatedly shared in social media. But, how often do you, or I, follow the advice? Yeah, for more people, not often enough. I'm not a decluttering expert, but I do know what the number one task in family history is and it's not adding new names to the tree. In fact, it is so simple that people often fail to do it. Then they kick themselves when it's too late. What is this simple, crucial task? Labeling Photos Ha! You thought it might be something earth-shattering. But honestly, you don't know just how important labeling photos is until after someone dies. Flipping through my grandmother's photo album after she, the oldest surviving member of her generation, died I felt a...

Do you treasure a china set that has been used in your family for years? Did you receive a China Set for your wedding? Or do think China is a country that makes great electronics and the home of Great Wall? Your answers to this question could give you a clue as to how you would go about beginning in family history. Think I’m insane. I’m cool with that, but seriously, stay with me. My mother had a china set that belonged to her ancestors. Sadly, this photo of the fact that we had a massive china cabinet is the only reminder of this collection. My mother received china for her wedding and then would add fancy dishes to her collection throughout her life. She thought she had arrived when she and dad had earned enough money to buy a china cabinet for all of this. Were we allowed to eat off that fancy dinnerware? Rarely! It was a treasure and treasures should be looked at but not actually used. Fast forward to my home. I specifically asked for a functional dinner set when I got married. We ...

New Year's Resolutions are worthless. You're not going to remember any of them a week now, a month from, or even next year. Why do we both setting worthless 'goals'? I'm convinced it's because we're not spending the time: Reminiscing Reviewing, or  Revisititing We rush through December at breakneck speed and then January slams into us like a semi-truck on the interstate highway. And somehow we're supposed to make resolutions that we think will stick? Um, no. 2017 Goal Setting Failure Last year, I attempted to follow 30 Days to Build a Better Business by Tonia Kendrick.  She had several daily exercises to get the year going, and I thought this would help me grow my startup business. I was off to a good start, completing the exercising and articulating the vision for Family History Fanatics.  We promote the fun in family history and provides quality education at affordable prices After that early step, I was stuck. I had no idea how to break down this vis...