The Gift Of My Family

Hello all...hope the New Year is treating you well and that it's off to a wonderful start! 24 corners seems to be turning into a 'holiday blog', and I realized that if I didn't post in the very near future, my next two posts would be for Valentine's Day and Easter, and we can't have that, not that there's anything wrong with Holiday Blogs, I just never intended for this one to be one!

Question: How do those of you that post regularly manage it..when do you post? Are you working on your blog daily...even when life, as well as one's 'self', is filled to the brim? Do you need to 'feel' like posting before it happens, or do you just post regardless? I'd really love to hear from everyone on this topic and learn any tricks of the trade, so to speak...I'd be most grateful.

 

For me, there has been one new, very enjoyable task that has been occupying my time as of late, and I've actually become quite obsessive about it. You see my Aunt, who is sitting on the pony above with my Dad, her brother, gave to me on Christmas day several boxes containing my history...my lineage...my family...and I haven't been able to stop getting to know them since.  

This incredible 'gift', and the special discoveries it brought with it actually ended up taking over my life, and my dining room these past few weeks. Initially I had intended to slowly go through the boxes, steadily organizing their contents as I went along, and manage the inevitable clutter that such an undertaking could produce...but as I started making one amazing (and very special) discovery after another, all sense of going through these boxes in an orderly fashion flew out the window as I became obssesed with discovering and 'meeting' more and more of my relatives, and their dearest friends. It all turned into a bit of a frenzy really, of the best kind of course...I just couldn't stop!

 My Christmassy buffet went from this...

To this, in only a few short hours...which then turned into days and days of continual discovery and wonderment...along with complete joy!

I was in absolute heaven meeting so many relatives of a bygone era, as well as getting reaquainted with many beloved, long gone family members that I hadn't seen since I was a little girl, but who were a big part of my life when I was very young.

Learning their amazing stories as I pieced together the pictorial puzzles of their lives, became such a thrilling task...and continues to be so as we speak.

A wonderful surprise was that there happened to be more than pictures in these boxes...

 

There was a lovely, now very fragile scrapbook that my Grandmother's sisters (she had five) made as a gift for her, for her twentieth birthday. Here they are below, minus the youngest Lillian, who I learned sadly passed away in 1944.  

My Grandmother Florence is the tall one in the middle, everyone called her Sis...all but one had nicknames actually...on the right (our right) is Ethel, who was called Ed (she's turned out to be a hoot, I love her!), Frances -Frankie is on the left, Helen (she for some reason just stayed Helen) is sitting on the left, and Ruth - Cutie (fitting don't you think?) sits on the right. My Great Aunts, how I wish I had met them...but I'm so thankful to have the opportunity of knowing them now.

Another treasure of a find was my Grandmother's knitting needles and the last project she was working on before she passed away.

I had been reading a letter from one of my Grandmother's nieces who was thanking Flo for the lovely sweater she had knitted her for Christmas,  when all of a sudden, I remembered that my Grandma was always knitting...and with very shiny, pretty needles too. As a little girl I loved those needles, they were pastely shades of pale green, blue...and pink! Well, I continued looking through the box that the letters came out of, and lo and behold...there they were, her pretty pink knitting needles! I had to sit down. Memories came flooding back and my heart did a few somersaults...it was such a special find. I felt four again.

Here's Grandma Florence looking all snazzy...she had the most beautiful clothes, always so classy and sharp, quite put together but never fussy. She even looked snazzy in her house dresses, which she didn't seem to be in very often as she was a working gal. I think the picture above was taken in the late thirties, such great clothing back then.

Being that Grandma was pretty tall, she always wore flats. There's quite a few pictures of her wearing oxfords with her dresses...it's pretty cute.  

To handle all of the memories and what-nots, Mr. 24 brought home an extra long table from his office and we set it up in my studio/office...this endeavor forced me into making room for it, which entailed clearing away the piles of boxes that had formed an island in the middle of the room since our move in two years ago. The above photo was taken about half way through the clearing out process...files, my art stuff, tile, paint samples, books...you name it, it was there.

Now it's all scattered around the room, in a semi 'organized', seperate pile fashion...with each pile awaiting it's proper spot to call home. It really needed to happen, and I thank my thoughtful 'family' for graciously forcing me into making it happen!  

Here's the nice new clean table...with a $2.00 party store plastic table cloth I puchased to cover the lovely faux wood graining.

And here is the 'first' round of sortings...

Which allowed for us having our dining table back...

But there's still a few more piles to contend with...I think another table, or two might be in order.

So this is what I'll be doing in my spare time...organizing and trying to honor a now cherished dynasty...and my office of course (what a can of worms!).

I hope you won't mind joining me on this new journey every once in a while...I'd love to share it with you as I learn more about these long ago loved ones and the interesting lives they led, such as those of the gentlemen you see above...the grand patriarchs of the family on my Grandpa's side, who came to the states at the turn of the century from Syria! I think the one on the left is my Great Grandpa...still trying to figure out who's who.

Above you see Great Uncle Phil, Aunt Marge, and my Grandpa Amos...they were very close and seemed to have loads of fun together, along with other family & friends. Phil and Marge had quite the love story...he looks pretty dashing and gangstery (they lived in Chicago after all!) in his white fedora and scarf...I don't believe he was in 'the business' though, no Capone connections have turned up as of yet.

I finally learned that these little ones are l-r, my Grandpa, his little brother Harry, and his big sister Helen...this was before Phil was born. Love Helen's big bow, she looks a bit worried though...maybe the bow was starting to teeter a bit and she was trying to hold really still...and Grandpa's in a little dress, which I learned little boys wore until they were old enough to wear short-pants...wonder what age that was?

And last but not least...for now, this is my Grandma Flo and her two best friends...Emma's in the middle and Sadella's on the right. At first I thought they were two of her sisters because she's in so many pictures with them, but it turns out they just  had tons of adventures together and documented all the fun. As you can see, this adventure happened in 1937...again, great clothes!

I've found a few pictures of Sadella as an extra on a movie set...a big, biblical production, with temples, enormous golden cows, and towering movie lights. I'd love to know which movie it and if she ended up in any others. Another exciting mystery to solve, and adventure into the past to embark upon...happily, one of many!

 

Thanks for letting me share my family with you...and remember, if you feel so inclined...please let me know how you manage your posting times and duties...when your favorite time to write is, do you piece the posts together or go for it all in one sitting, or both...I'd really love to know so I can get a handle on not becoming a 'holiday blog'. ;)