One of the most challenging stumbling blocks to genealogy research is tracing female lines. The tradition of women taking their husbands’ surnames means that a woman loses that link to her family line when she gets married.
In the past, female ancestral lines meant little because women held little importance. The male line was all that mattered for inheritance purposes and for carrying on the family surname.…
One common challenge in genealogy research is how often people neglect to label their photos. You might have a shoebox filled with old photos with few of them actually labeled with first and last names of those pictured.
Fortunately, there are ways of figuring out who these people are. Technology can help, but most of these tips involve getting assistance from other people in a variety of ways.…
I’ve researched my family’s genealogy for more than two decades. Genealogy is a fulfilling and somewhat addicting hobby that’s easy to start and doesn’t cost much money to continue.
One of the challenges of genealogy research is making sure that your information is accurate. How do you know whether a source is reliable?
I’ve created this list of 10 common genealogy research sources and rated their general reliability on a five-point scale.…
It’s easy to see why furniture makeovers are such a popular topic on Pinterest. Almost everyone will have an extra piece of furniture at some point.
Or, you might need a certain piece that you can’t find in stores, but could make from a cheap thrift store or flea market find. There might also be an item of sentimental value that you don’t want to get rid of, but would like to make use of somehow.…
I love finding ways of recycling clothing and household items. For my latest upcycling list, I’ve put together 10 amazing ways to upcycle old t-shirts.
You don’t have to throw out your family’s old t-shirts anymore. Start keeping a box of shirts that kids outgrow or anyone in the family discards. Soon, you’ll have enough of a pile to make several of your favorite T-shirt crafts.…
You may have already figured out that Google probably knows more about your dead relatives than you do. Among Google’s many free tools is their image search platform. It might help you figure out who is in some of your old, unlabeled photos.
Once you’ve checked with everyone who could possibly know who is in your photos, it’s worth checking to see if Google might have the answer.…
No matter how savvy you are about your smartphone, you might make these six common smartphone mistakes.
Do you assume poor battery life is always about the battery itself? Do you pay too much for your mobile plan?
Are you using a lot of mobile data without realizing it?
Do you accidentally delete emails and wonder how it happened?
Do you buy phones based on marketing hype rather than your own individual needs and research?…
Do you have a closet full of old towels that never get used? Perhaps they’re ratty or faded or have just seen better days. Maybe they don’t match your current decor, so you don’t bother to get them out anymore.
I’ve put together a list of 10 fabulous things you can make from old towels. My list includes ways to upcycle towels in all conditions, whether they’re still in great shape or too embarrassing to ever use.…
One post that often appears on my list of top 10 most popular has to do with clever Android smartphone hacks.
Did you know that you can take a screenshot – a picture of what’s on your screen?
You can also easily sync photos and videos to your computer and share them with others. There’s no need to email huge files individually anymore.…
Thrift store shopping is a fun and easy way to slash your family’s spending. Whether you’ve shopped at thrift stores before or plan to give them a try, it’s important to find out what you need to know in order to make the most of thrift store shopping.
Then, you’ll want to plan for the items which you’re most likely to find at thrift stores that will also save you the most money.…