lucinda's blog

Summer is almost over

2010-08-04T10:11:00.004-05:00

A lot has happened since May! I finished my Master's degree in Educational Administration and was able to get the promotion I was hoping for where I teach. I am very proud about that. I am excited to start this new chapter in my career! My dream of taking the summer off went out the window when I was promoted, however. It was a good thing, though. I was able to train for two weeks with the woman that was leaving the position. She was very kind and helpful in giving me good tips and information that will help me do my job and do it well. THANKS, KARI!!! I am looking forward to the new school year with an anticipation I have not felt for a while now. Wish me luck! Happy rest of the summer to all the teachers and students out there! School will be starting again really soon!
See ya!

Cindy

visit my web site at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cindyblankenship/

I HAVE been working too hard!

2010-05-18T23:15:00.002-05:00

I noticed tonight that I only get the chance to post to my blog once a year. As I said a year ago that means I am working too hard. I am taking the summer off after finishing my Master's degree this year. Maybe I will have some time to do the things I really enjoy in my free time. I may actually HAVE some free time for a change. I have a whole list of things I want to accomplish this summer. Hopefully I will get at least part of the list done. Happy summer to all teachers out there!

Cindy

It's been waaay too long!

2009-07-21T22:39:00.003-05:00

I've been too busy lately to blog, can you believe it? My daughter got married and moved out/bought a house/moved in-that took about 8 months of our time. My son bought a house/moved out. That was at the same time my daughter was doing all that. We have done a lot of work on the kids houses as well as ours-that kept us REALLY busy. Fun with home improvements-yeah. Now I'm teaching summer school again. I swore after last summer I wouldn't do it again. I am doing it again. I haven't done much in the way of genealogy research lately. I've done some small things but nothing that was really on my "to do" list. Maybe I'll get a chance soon. I will be finishing up my Master's Degree this year finally. I've only been trying for about ten years. I will be done in May. Yahoo. Well, gotta go. Hope it isn't a year until I do this again. That means I am working tooooooo hard. See ya.

Cindy

What was I thnking!!??

2008-06-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it is summer break again and I have chosen several projects to do while I'm off work. Oh, wait. For the first time in 30 years I have agreed to teach summer school. What was I thinking!!?? I have stripped the wallpaper from two bathrooms and repainted one of them. I have been trying out the spong painting technique using 3 shades of paint and a sea sponge. It looks really nice. I also added a nice decorative shelf in the bathroom as well. It will be my guest bathroom when the kids finish moving out this summer. I am starting the painting process on the second bathroom today. I have to work really quickly and get it done because I have agreed to teach the last half of summer school. I finally feeel like doing something inside the house (NOT cleaning technically) and I don't have my whole summer break to do it. Oh well. It'll be FUN to go to work for three weeks. It will get me out of the house. It will probably save me from stripping the wallpaper in the family room!! YEAH! That is going to be an awful job when I get to it. Maybe next summer? Who knows. Well, gotta get to work. I'm doing this instead of my favorite hobbies. It has really surprised my family I think. Always need to keep them on their toes LOL. See ya!

Cindy

Time Flies Again!!

2008-03-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is...Spring Break 2008 already. I haven't blogged in 8 months. It's been a pretty bad year, though. Job is great, kids are great, but family deaths and illnesses have been rough this year. Hopefully things will get better. I'm going to rest, clean (the dreaded C word-oh no!!) and maybe later in the week I'll have something happy and or nice to say. In reference to my last post about the DAR-I have been accepted as a member. YAHOO! I have located another 4 or 5 ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War and will be checking those men out in the near future. It would really be great if I could find a woman ancestor that helped out during the war. I would be especially excited about that find! Well-gotta get going. I'm still in my jammies the first day of break and it's getting a bit late in the day for that. HAPPY AND SAFE EASTER TO ALL!!

See ya!

Cindy

Summer is here again!!

2007-06-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

WOW! I feel like I've been in a time warp! I feel like the school year had just started and now it's over already. I've been off school for a couple of weeks now and have been trying to get back to my genealogy and other hobbbies.

I have finally been able to make my application to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution or DAR for short. I have documented my fathers family all the way back to the beginning of the United States. Since today is Flag Day I just wanted to take to opportunity to mention all the members of my family that have served in the military for our country in defense of that flag. Take a visit to my family web site at Rootsweb to see the information about them. Here's a link:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cindyblankenship/index.htm

During the time I was documenting the patriot that I am using to enter the DAR I was able to find three other direct ancestors that were also in the Revolution. I've been able to do that thanks to the kindness and generosity of other people researching the same family. So I'm also publicly thanking them now as well.

Well, I need to get back to my cleaning. As you can tell from my previous posts it is a never-ending job. Today I'm cleaning up my computer files. I have a tendency to create MANY documents and JPEG files but never take the time to file them correctly so I can locate them again. I am taking several hours out of my day to fix that mistake. Hopefully I can become more organized. HA! Happy Flag Day! See ya!

Cindy

Good decisions!

2007-02-22T20:37:00.000-06:00

I have been so busy lately I haven't had time to blog-so here is the news since October. Good news-I REALLY enjoy my job! I like the people I am working with. They are all very nice and helpful. It's nice to know there is a place where people care about their students AND co-workers. I've been out to lunch and dinner with a few of my favorite folks from my old job. They are about the only thing I miss from there. I do miss seeing my students, though. It's tough when you have them for several years and then watch them grow up and really bloom! Bummer. Well, I hope to have the opportunity at my new school as well. Bad news-my father-in-law had been very ill for a while and was in and out of the hospital and the nursing home. He finally gave up and stopped all of his treatments and medications. They had been too much for him and was in pain. He wasn't the same person we had known in the past. It was very hard to watch, having seen my parents go through similar circumstances before they passed away. He passed about five weeks ago. I still wish we had spent more time together but we all do our best and still end up having regrets. Something more to think about, I guess. Perhaps we should all take more time to spend with people that are important to us. Well, that's all for now. I have to get ready for school tomorrow. My little special friends run me ragged, but it is wonderful to see the progress they make. Talk to you soon! Visit my website at Cindy Blankenship's Family Site on Rootsweb. Google it and I'll be the first site that comes up. Thanks!

Cindy

My Web Site Address

2006-10-10T21:40:00.001-05:00

One thing I forgot to mention in the blog I just posted is that I am down-sizing. I have dumped my house phone in favor of a cell phone, I may dump a couple of my personal web sites and I have dumped my personalized domain names for my family web site. I had no problem with the service from Godaddy, just am getting cheap in my old age. My web address is now known as Cindy Blankenship's Family Site on Rootsweb. The web address is http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cindyblankenship/index.htm so stop by and visit. Let me know what you think. See Ya!

Cindy

A New Day Dawns?

2006-10-10T21:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I found a place to work where I think I will be a lot happier. I hope I am not mistaken. I am gaining experience with special needs children in a place that is close to home. It seems to be a nice place to work. We'll see. I am also finally getting back to my hobbies of weaving and family history. This summer I guess I needed to recover from the garbage thrown at me at the school district I worked for. I had no desire to do anything that I usually enjoy. I hear the problems are still continuing. The superintendent is quitting and leaving them high and dry after all the promises he made. What's new? I guess he figures the problems are too much trouble to fix. Who knows. It is a revolving door there anyway as far as administrators are concerned. I have ALMOST made the decision to eliminate 2 of my three web sites. My new place of work doesn't want me to stress out my co-workers by having a web site for my parents-dumb, but that's ok. I also put out a survey to close family members to see if they even bother to visit the private web site where all of my unedited research is stored. I recieved ONE response-from someone who had never even bothered to visit and see what it is all about. It really pissed me off. I hope my reply wasn't too snotty to him. I get tired of trying sometimes. A lot of times. No one cares but me so screw those that don't, I guess. Those that don't remember history are destined to repeat it (in more ways than one). It is always beneficial to understand where your family came from in order to understand who you are. Perhaps some day more people will understand that.

Back in the saddle again!

2006-06-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

I turned into a workaholic overnight. Who would have thought I would give up my hobbies of stained glass, genealogy, reading, weaving on my loom and wine tasting for my job! I MUST BE CRAZY!! It is time to get a new job. I took steps to do that at the end of school this year. I resigned from the place I was working and am looking for a place where the stress level is not so high and people are valued for their talents and interests. Enough of that.

I finished a stained glass panel for a friend today. I started it on Wednesday by cutting the glass. I ground off the rough edges and foiled it yesterday. Today I soldered it together, put the frame on it and polished it. My friend retired at the end of the school year. I made this for her. I hope she likes it. I'm posting a picture of it on my web site at www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com The link is Another Hobby.

I hope after all that has happened this year my blood pressure goes back to normal and I actually have time for my friends, family and hobbies again. I feel better already. See ya!

Cindy

Time flies when you're having fun!!!!

2005-10-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Where has the time gone??!! I can't believe it is the middle of October already! I set out some goals to achieve for myself this fall and apparently went into a time warp right after that! I guess "Beam me up, Scotty" because I haven't gotten anything done that I set out to do since Labor Day! I have not filed any of my research that I've done. I have not entered anything into my database. I have not mailed letters that are sitting on my desk waiting for a stamp. I think I should check to see if I paid my bills!! What is going on! Every person I have talked to lately says the same thing. They feel like they can never catch up and the work (both at the job and personal chores) are piling up as we speak. I guess sitting here complaining about it isn't getting it done, either. I'm going to get off my rear end, do the dreaded housework, grade MORE papers, and get ready to go to work tomorrow and get even MORE behind!! Cheers, and happy hunting! Maybe a glass of wine will make it all better! HA!

See ya!

Cindy

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

Labor Day!! Yahoo!

2005-09-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

Today is Labor Day and we labored really hard. My husband finished (almost) the new patio under our deck today. It's big; about 10x40. I cleaned up the inside of the house and Freecycled a bunch of stuff. If you don't know about Freecycle go to the web site and read. www.freecycle.org. It's a great way to get rid of stuff you don't want by giving it to someone that does. I hate garage sales-don't have the patience for either having or visiting one. It's like ebay but no money changes hands. It's all FREE.

While I was working I was thinking about my genealogy. When I was in Virginia I found a little bit of stuff on Shadrach Blankenship. I need to research him more. He is my husbands 5th or 6th great grandfather. I also need to do more research on my husband's great grandfather and his family. I recently discovered that he is buried in the same cemetery as my husband's grandfather and gr gr grandmother. A distant relative emailed me a copy of the birth and death pages from the family bible so I have a lot more info to go on. It only gave the dates but it's alot more than I have had in the past! I wish I could have worked on that instead of cleaning, but sometimes ya gotta do stuff ya don't like. If you read my earlier Blogs you know I hate housework. Well, being a teacher I also have papers to grade even though it is a holiday weekend. Parents don't care if a teacher has a life. Their students/children are very important so for nine months out of the year I must do my job and do it well. The other three months are MINE!!! See ya!

Cindy

Back to School

2005-08-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

Well,
I have survived my first week in 2nd grade! I think this year will be GREAT! I have some learning to do, but they say learning something and keeping your brain active can help fend off Alzheimer's disease. At this point I need all the help I can get! LOL At least that is what my friends and family say. I prefer to think they are jealous because I am blonde and they are not. HMMMM. Something else to think about. I may not have much time in the next several weeks to do my favorite hobby-family history- so visit my website and let me know if you like it the way it is or do I need to add or remove info or change it somehow. Thanks for visiting. See ya!

Cindy

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

Summer is almost over

2005-07-31T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, summer is almost over and I have accomplished very little of what I set out to do for myself. Maybe I was expecting too much out of myself. Who knows. Instead of all the chores I had lined out to do I spent a lot of time with my daughter. We traveled to Kansas and Oklahoma to visit relatives she had never met or those we hadn't seen in way too long. We also took a driving trip to Washington, D. C. and then on to Virginia Beach for a few days. I guess if you look at it that way I did something much more important than some dumb cleaning and straightening that can be done any time. I spent time with some very special people and a lot of time with one of my most favorite people. I guess that made my summer a great success. Too bad it is almost over. I have to go back to the real world in just a couple of weeks. I guess I still have time to get in some cleaning. HMMM. I wonder if I can plan another trip instead .
See ya,

Cindy
www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

Civil War research at its best!!

2005-07-17T10:16:00.000-05:00

I have been in Washington, D. C. for the last week playing stupid tourist, but while I was there I also had the opportunity to spend a day doing research at the National Archives. I read records made during the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, War of 1812, and the Civil War. I was able to make a GREAT discovery about my ancestors that fought and died during the Civil War. I was able to find the records of three brothers that enlisted in the Confederate Army after their youngest brother was murdered while trying to enlist in the Confederate Army near Nevada, Missouri. I was able to find where my great great grandfather died during the Civil War, which until this point I was not sure of. Since the records are so scarce and incomplete I will never be exactly 100% certain I have the correct person, but the evidence is very strong that George W. Tucker died at Little Rock, Arkansas January 22, 1863. I will be detailing this information on my family website to a greater extent later at www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com under the link The Blue and the Gray. I'm in Virginia Beach, VA now and need to get outside and get sunburned on the beach by the ocean, so see ya!!

Cindy

Cindy Blankenship's Family Site

2005-07-02T20:09:00.000-05:00

Cindy Blankenship's Family Site. The URL is www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com. This is my web site! I have been working on it for about three years. I have done an awful lot of research on my family history in the last 20 years and have published it here in the hopes of making more family connections. I have researched one direct line of my family back to the Revolutionary War. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting!

Cindy Blankenship

Too busy!

2005-06-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

I thought summer vacation time was supposed to be a relaxing time where I could get a bunch of my research done, get the house organized, enjoy NOT WORKING WITH KIDS FOR A SHORT TIME!!! HA! Seems like everyone else has plans for me. I have yet to really accomplish anything I had planned to do this summer. I thought I could use this blog to detail my research. What research? I am spending most of my time B_____ing about not having the time. Well, today I finally used the computer program I bought called GenSmarts. It gives you hints on where to look for your relatives records, connects you to the record and basically does a great deal for you. It makes research FUN! I am trying to document all the census entries I have found for my relatives by transcribing them into my database. This makes it much easier than searching for them all over again. I actually got a little done today. Who says I'm too busy?

Cindy

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

Finally! A free moment!

2005-06-22T06:40:00.000-05:00

I was finally able to work on my family records yesterday for the first time in about 2 weeks. I updated my gedcom on Worldconnect afterwords and added about 50 new people to my family.

Today I noticed after googling a few key words to my web site that I no longer am the top dog on a Google search for many of my web pages. I had heard Google was going down hill fast. When I did a search on Altavista and Yahoo I came up with quite a few hits on my web site. Thanks to Hugh Watkins, a fellow Blogger, who turned me on to this activity. I am on top for Yahoo because of his blogging as well. He was correct when he said blogging was a useful activity! Cheers, Hugh!! I have to get back to my family records, now. The new cat decided the top of my large stack of unrecorded and unfiled documents was a great place to chase her tail of all things. Now I have a clean up to do! Did I title this blog A free moment? Ha!

Cindy

Housework stinks, too!

2005-06-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm having company today so I thought I'd be polite and get the dog hair off the couch and dig the Milkbones out of the corner of the chair before they got here. I'm looking forward to the visit. We don't see much of them because they live so far away. Maybe I'll get some good family info from our visit. Maybe I'll just enjoy the GREAT company!! I get tired of talking to the dog. She never listens to me anyway. She'd rather chase the new fur toy called CAT.

Cindy

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

HTML stinks sometimes!

2005-06-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

I worked yesterday afternoon to update my webpage on Rootsweb. I added a link to this BLOG spot, addeded a sitemap powered by freefind (which is pretty cool!), then revised all my headers so they made sense when the site map was used. Blah, Blah, BLah. Then I got the bright (or not so bright) idea of adding a counter on my web site. I've had this site for years and got along just fine without one...until yesterday. SOOO Iwent and copied the HTML on Rootsweb for a counter and happily inserted it just where I wanted it. Didn't work. All I saw was raw code. No cute flourescent green numbers or nuthin. Just code. ARRGGGH. Went to a different free site to get different code. Same issue. After fighting it for some time did the usual thing and gave up. HMMMP. Didn't need a stinking counter anyway. Sour grapes. Today I got the bright idea again. A counter would look really cool. It would show just how popular (or unpopular) my site is. Maybe that will be an ego shot. Not sure yet. Let's see the stats first. FINALLY figured out to do the smart thing, you know, follow directions. Went to the FAQ for Rootsweb and BINGO. Frontpage is sneaky and changes the code so it doesn't work unless you jump through the Frontpage hoops per usual. So now almost 24 hours later I have a nifty green counter that sadly says you are the 00002 visitor to my website since the counter was installed. Come visit me so I can rejoice when the number says 00003!!

Cindy

I win!!

2005-06-13T07:09:00.000-05:00

Don't know what I did but I see now that I am published and reading the help section didn't help. Guess I'm a natural blonde genius-HA. So if you vist me here also visit my web page here:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cindyblankenship/

I also own my own domain name which is:

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

That is the same as the first link but I like it better. What do you think?

Cindy

Ain't technology grand?

2005-06-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

After struggling for several hours last night after setting up this blog I gave up and went to bed without being able to publish this. I got up this morning and decided this thing was not going to get the better of me. I have ALL summer to get this up and running the way I want. We'll see who wins. Round one went to the blog spot, but I'm determined to get it right. Even if it means reading the directions on the help page!!

Cindy

Visit my web site at www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

Welcome to my BLOG spot

2005-06-13T06:45:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at blogging. I intend to keep a diary of my research attempts, the steps I have taken and what I have found out about my family's history. Well, here goes nothing! I hope you enjoy my stories, successes and yes, my failures as far as my family history is concerned. Perhaps I will go back to the beginning and write about why I began this search for my "Roots". We'll see. Here is the URL to my website:

www.cindyblankenshipsfamilysite.com

See Ya!

Cindy