I’ve stumbled across a wealth of information about a branch of my family, my maternal grandmothers side. For some reason, I decided to try an alternate spelling on the name I was given for my Indian Great Great grandmother, and happened across an inquiry on Rootsweb that a cousin of mine in Georgia made. I decided to email her to see if the name she posted about and mine were related, and low and behold she shows me a website she put up with ancestors back to the year 1595, including pictures. One picture in particular of our Indian Grandmother whom she does not know the name of.

The name I was given as our Indian Grandmother was on her site, but I’m not sure if the women in the picture was Indian or if it was another picture on the site that my cousin calls our Indian Grandmother. So my mothers information and her information might be conflicting. But until my mother gives me all of the research she’s done, I won’t know for sure.

Despite this, however, I now have information more than Thirteen generations back, AND a picture of my Indian Grandmother. In the picture, you see a beautiful necklace that my cousin (whom is 56) recalls playing with as a little girl. She used to be told stories about our Indian Grandmother, but that much information was kept secret because having Indian blood was a “shame” back in the late 1800’s or so.

I am excited to be corresponding with her though, and I’ve sent her some pictures as well. She says that she believes a relative still has the necklace, but that the relative she thinks has it, lives in Hawaii, and was on Jimmy Carter’s staff when he was president. If I can get the contact information, you better believe I’ll be calling Hawaii to see if I can find her and this necklace. What a treasure it would be to find the necklace in the picture of my Indian Grandmother from the 1800’s.

I ran across a site called RottenNeighbor.com today that apparently lets you place pinned notes on a replicated Google Map, giving people insight on a neighborhood. It sounds like an ideal benefit for deciding where you want to move and what type of neighbors you have. However, after browsing some locals here in Maryland, I’ve run across notations like:

“Do not mess with this neighbor - This neighbor has been know to shoot friends in the face and to have adversaries kidnapped and shipped off to gulags in Eastern Europe.”

“World Class Narcissit - Bragger, Self Absorbed, Moron, Voted Most Absent Minded in HS.” (this has no relevance, why was this even posted?)

“I have parties all the time, play my drums way too loud and let my pet python loose on the neighborhood children. LOL! You should see them run!!”

Though a lot of it seems to be trashing your own neighbors (or people you don’t like), and others seem like people just being idiots, I think it’s good to know what type of people might be living near you. People who are violent, consistent problems with neighbors, etc.

One major downfall I see is will a site like this be up long when people try to get items removed for slander (or whatever the written form of slander is called).

We’ve always decorated for Autumn. In fact, our house is always decorated seasonally, intentionally or not. Right now we have acorns everywhere, spiderwebs all along the front porch, leaves turning beautiful colors. We also add indian corn, bundles of corn stalks on each side of the front door, pumpkins and gourds, etc.

And despite my dads usual Christmas/Yule display, he’s never had the money to do a Halloween display.

So I decided to start one up this year. It’s just a small styrofoam graveyard type thing, but it’s a start, and we can add something new every year.

Still I think it looks neat, and decided to take some pictures last night (even saved one of them to my desktop):

View the gallery.

I think the red light hanging from the tree over the graveyard is a nice touch.

I always keep a regular supply of tea tree oil in my house. My dad is allergic to neosporin (I always avoid petroleum products anyway), and this is a good alternative to fighting infection on any cuts or abrasions he may have. Which is crucial for him giving his leg ulcers condition.

I also keep it around in case any flakes start to show up from my shampoo, so I can add a few drops to my shampoo and conditioner and it sooths my scalp from any dandruff.

But lately I created a 1 tsp to 1 cup water ratio spray and spray it in my shower every night before bed (and sometimes after I shower). This was to help kill any mold spores since our house is so old and the trim around the edge of our shower needs to be redone as the wood is falling apart. I’ve noticed after a week or two, with no effort on my part, that it’s killing any mold that might develop from the humidity and dampness in the wood.

Not only that, but I’m often plagued with big wolf spiders in our shower. Sometimes I don’t even notice them till I close the shower curtain and it’s RIGHT THERE DANGLING and I flip the fuck out. Well not really, but I don’t like spiders in my shower.

But I had read that tea tree oil helps deter ants, so my theory is perhaps it does for spiders as well. Which is just fine by me, you can guarantee I’m going to be keeping up with the spray then!

It also gives the bathroom a nice fresh clean smell, which I like.

I’ll also note that mothernature.com has 1 oz for sale for under $8. Which is a pretty decent price considering drugstore.com has 1/2 oz on sale for over $8

Tea Tree Oil has like 10,000 other uses too, so it’s a worthy investment: teatreeoiluses.com

The Preserve Toothbrush was developed with dental professionals over a two-year period and represents the latest in toothbrush design and function. It is constructed with environmentally friendly materials to let you replace without the waste. The Preserve is available at natural food supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe’s.

The Preserve’s handle is made of polypropylene. This plastic material was chosen for its strength and flexibility. It is an efficiently recycled material–its strength does not break down in the recycling process. Polypropylene’s recycling efficiency means it is commonly reprocessed and cleaned, and we have been able to hire the best in the business to recycle our plastics.

Presently our main source is from recycled Stonyfield FarmŽ yogurt cups.

– Preserve

Might have to give this one a shot.

Of course I have to post this again:

Last weekend I watched an amazing movie called “The Village” starring Joaquin Phoenix and I believe premiering Ron Howard’s daughter. It was filmed in 2004, but for some reason I never once heard of it until I ran across it accidentally last Sunday. The director was the same one that did Sixth Sense I believe, so you can imagine the surprises.

I thought it was going to be a horror film, but it was more like character analysis with a few scary parts. The premise behind it is basically a small isolated village that has an unspoken treaty with some horrific creatures that inhabit its surrounding woods. They are unable to leave, and thus their society has grown into this Amish/Plains-like community. But then the treaty seems like it’s coming to the end. It also has a semblance of romance, and I fell in love with Joaquin Phoenix’s character immediately. There’s just something about his bravery and chivalry that got to me.

I can’t really give away too many details about the movie, because it has several surprising twists that giving away just one would ruin it. But I definitely feel it was well done. I wish the ending was a little more explicit one what happened, but it’s one of those endings where you get to make up your own mind as to what happens (for some reason I hate those).

I am a cheap date, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

7 ways to be a Cheap Date:

1. I prefer a nice home-cooked meal with a night in front of a warm fire or watching a good movie to a fancy dinner date with crappy food and bad champagne. You’d be surprised what the sentiment is behind preparing a meal and a nice evening at home with your loved one can mean.

2. Though I like diamonds, I also like many other rocks and gemstones (I’m a bit of a rockhound) and would prefer a nice peridot, herkimer diamond (quartz) and amber ring instead of expensive diamonds. I actually prefer jewelry made from bone, leather, and wood. I think a ring that represents more than just a pricetag is invaluable. Expensive 2-month-salary diamond rings are -not- an age-old tradition.

3. I own 3 pairs of shoes. That includes 2 pairs of boots for winter and everyday, and 1 pair of sandals. Otherwise I’m barefoot. No need to worry about me spending hundreds of dollars on 100 pairs of shoes. Imagine all the money you’d save if you didn’t purchase all those shoes laying in your closet. (Ever see Clean Sweep? I’ve seen people on there with 150 pairs of shoes) Instead, purchase universal style shoes that can be used with many outfits and attire.

4. I wear eyeliner and eyeshadow, and also brush my hair and go. That’s about it. I don’t need a separate bookbag just to carry all of my cosmetics and grooming accessories. I don’t dry my hair (it’s straight), I don’t put anything in my hair (I like au naturale). I believe that no one needs to spend hundreds of dollars a month on cosmetics to look good. A few barettes or hair pieces to sweep up your mane in a variety of “do’s” is all that is necessary.

5. I hate shopping. I really do. But beyond that, I like to wear my clothes out to the brim. And even then, I like to reinvent them as something else. Whether it’s rags or other garments or being refashioned into bags. The possibilities are endless.

6. My sweetheart knows a well-written letter and a bag of my favorite creme caramels are well appreciated. I don’t want a dozen expensive roses (I prefer plants anyway, so they grow instead of die) or a diamond necklace just to show me how much he loves me. I think people tend to forget the meaning behind gift giving. It’s not about the price tag or having the biggest and best. It’s about the meaning. Prepare a well-thought out gift for your loved one, they’ll appreciate that you didn’t break the bank to do it. Even if it’s just randomly gathering up some wildflowers on your way home from work unexpectedly.

7. The Big Day. People spend a retarded amount of money on their wedding day. It’s just a gathering where people come to celebrate that you’ve decided to be together. Why break the bank by purchasing needless expenditures when you can use this day to have fun and spend time with all the people that love you. Why not make it a pot-luck and allow your guests to provide all of the food? Support a friend or family member who may be a seamstress and have them create all of the gowns and dresses. Have your favorite type of cake made by a friend or family member as well, so there is plenty to go around without the pricetag.

I think the key element is to just not be a high-maintenance date. You should never have trivial financial demands of your significant other, instead you should both put forth the effort to focus on the relationship itself. You’ll be able to save for a comfortable retirement together, and know that you’ll be developing smart financial skills to pass on to your children.