A facebook family history story

God bless facebook!
Why this exclamation, you might ask;
Well, I have many reasons, and some of them include:
1) Living on the other side of the ocean from my homeland, I have been able to keep in touch with my family and friend.
2) I have found long lost friends from school
3) Through the creation of last name facebook groups and hometown related facebook groups, I have been able to connect to many distant cousins that I would have never found otherwise
4) It allows me to share pictures with my family and friends in a user friendly way.
5) It has been the means through which I got back in touch with a few of my cousins in Italy.
This last point is what is making me jump for joy right now because I have finally been able to have all the pictures and birth dates of the descendants of my maternal grandparents.
Here is the story.
I left Italy for the USA in 2003, and already hadn't seen this cousin of mine for a while as she had left for the North of Italy a few years before, and when she would come to visit her family in my town, she would stay too little for us to get together, so once I left for America, we totally lost track of each other.
Even if I came back to visit a few times, it was never when she was there.
After years and months of patient waiting for her or her siblings to join facebook, it finally happened last year, it was actually her nephew first, and then his father.It took one more year for me to come to the point where I was finally able to get in touch with the one cousin I had been wanting to talk to for more than 10 years!

The first time I asked her nephew for her email address, even if she had one, it was not a working one, so she never responded to the emails I sent her because she never got them!
I also created a facebook group for the descendants of our common grandparents, but that wasn't moving the waters fast enough.
Finally last week I decided to ask again as I was finishing the 2012 calendar for my mom, and the only pictures missing were the ones of this cousin and her sister's family. Luckily her sister had joined facebook the week before, so it was a matter of asking for her FB friendship, and she already had her family pictures posted on facebook.
This one cousin, the one that I really wanted to find, the one that we had so many things in common, and who was born only 11 days before me, as it turns out, she really doesn't like facebook, but fate (or should I say Somebody up there) wanted that her husband had been working in Brazil since September, so they were using Skype to communicate.
Can you imagine me as soon as my cousin's nephew gave me her Skype username?
I was on Skype in 2 seconds!
I sent her a message, the next day she answered, and finally a day later, we were having an hour plus long video chat talking like these 10 years never went by!
But the pictures, no, she didn't have them on her computer, so she got me in touch with her husband and finally,  TONIGHT, he sent me his family pictures!!!

Yeah!!! It's complete!!! I can publish the calendar for my mom (and mine too)

 (Sorry, cannot show the pages inside the calendar to respect her privacy)

 and then, after I get a little of my cousin's family stories, I can complete the descendants book I have been working on too!

Now you can understand why I love facebook so much(starting today Skype too;)).
While sometimes it can get people frustrated, I really believe that facebook has done so much for genealogy and the more people  realize how to use it in its full potential, especially using groups for people with the same last name, or that come from the same town, the more long lost cousins will be connected.

Do you have a facebook family history story?

Wedding pictures at hand

Remember your wedding? That was one of the most special day of your life...
If you are like me, and love those pictures that were taken on your day so much, if you could, you would bring your wedding album with you everywhere you go...
But..let's face it... That is not something that is really practical...
Well, I have found the solution for me: a swatchbook!

A swatchbook is small enough to fit in any purse, funny pack,  even in your pockets!

I choose my favorite wedding pictures, and I had fun putting them together..

Here is a couple more pages:

Swatch books come with 10 pages, that can be printed on both side, which gives you freedom for 20 different layouts, if you choose so. If you like the layout I created for my wedding pictures, I will transfer you the template when you sign up for your free account at www.preservemyheritage.com, and contact me to purchase your swatchbook and let me know that you would like to have this specific template.

Note: This swatchbook has been created with premier art, so you will need to have a premier membership(free 1 month for new clients on their first credit purchase) to be able to access it, but you can create a beautiful wedding swatchbook even with basic membership.

Swatch books are so affordable that you can make copies to give to your spouse, your parents, grandparents, and anyone that would enjoy having your wedding pictures at hand.

Swatchbooks are also a great wedding gift! Your friend/family members will thank you for giving them such a thoughtful gift, and you will be sure to give them something unique, and that they will cherish for years to come.

Holiday hits, week 3: Gallery wrapped Canvases

When this evening I found out about this week's offer, I almost couldn't believe it!

I had been thinking about creating a genealogy tree suitable for a canvas format, and here comes the offer on canvas... Is somebody trying to tell me something?

Ok, I will try to cut some time in my super busy schedule and create a family tree template for canvas ASAP!

These canvases are such high quality that you can use them to proudly display any image on your walls!

You will feel like a million dollars when you sit on your couch and look at them!

Here is the flier:

That's right!

16x20 canvas: 2 for $134.95 so less than $68 each

20x20 canvas: 2 for $ 149.95, so less than $75 each

20x24 canvas: 2 for $164.95, so less than $83 each

You can find many canvas templates in the template gallery and just drag and drop your favorite pictures, click publish and have it shipped just on time for a perfect Christmas gift for your mom, your grandma, and why not, for yourself!
I create an album with as many samples of canvases as I could on the CavaGenealogy facebook page, to give you a vision of the many possibilities at a glance.
You can see it here.
Choose between 16x20, 20x20 or 20x24(inches): these canvases are gallery wrapped, which means you can hang them on the wall as they are, or frame them according to your taste.
Don't wait!
This offer ends at noon MST December 7th!
Contact me today!

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You can get a free Publishing account by signing up at http://www.preservemyheritage.com/ and start creating unlimited projects at once!

Want more? Check out our incredible host rewards and fantastic package deals!!
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I did it!!!

Today is a great day!
I finally was able to complete my husband's 4 generations cheat sheet fold out!
I had started it months ago, but couldn't publish it because I was missing the birth places of 2 of his great grandparents.
I couldn't find the info anywhere on the internet and all the family members I asked knew even less than what I had already been able to find...
Finally I got to meet a side of the family I hadn't met before, my husband's 2nd cousins.
Sadly it was because their mom's journey on earth had come to an end, so we were at her funeral, but I am so glad I got to know them because they are such nice people and I could ask about their grandparent's info.
They couldn't answer me at once, but after a week or so I had the info on their granddad's birthplace(thanks Sue^_^).
I still needed to find their grandmother's birthplace info, and I remembered that once I did see that name on family search even if not connected with her husband. Last night I went to look again and there it was, even if the husband wasn't listed, the parents matched, and the birthday was very close so I came to the conclusion that that was indeed my husband's grandmother and I could enter the birthplace in the genealogy cheat sheet.
Now my work is complete, and I can publish it!!!My husband is going to be so happy!!!!The nice thing is that now all of his sibling have their four generations cheat sheet ready, I will just have to swap my husband's picture with each one of theirs, and change their data!
Gotta Love our online software!^_^

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You can get a free Publishing account by signing up at www.preservemyheritage.com and start creating unlimited projects at once!

Want more? Host your own workshop to get in this month's fabulous host rewards! And don't forget to check out how you can get a FREE family fold credit, but hurry:only 3 days left!!

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Today's Chrismas in July Idea

Do you like seeing your Christmas gifts in next year garage sale? Do you like giving always the same kind of gifts?
I don't, and I am going to give you some wonderful and thoughtful ideas this month that will help you create some unforgettable and very meaningful Christmas gifts.

Picture CD idea:Make a CD with all the family pictures you can find. If you still have most of them in shoe boxes under a bed or in the closet, take them out, and scan them. If you don't have time to do so, hire a professional photo scanning specialist, it is totally worth it! Make the CD even more personal, by creating a beautiful cover with some of the key pictures on a 3panel family fold!
You can make as many copies as you like, and you will have made so many family members happy, and probably some will even shed some joyful tear!
I have already scanned many of my husband's grandparents pictures, and I am going to look for more. As soon as I have found all the pictures I can, I will burn the CD, including pictures, maybe a word document telling them what I felt going through their story in pictures, and I will have this CD cover that will really make the CD stand out!
I am so anxious to see their reaction when they see it!!!!

Stay tuned for more Christmas in July gift giving ideas!

Family Reunion ideas

Do you have a family reunion this summer? Here are some great ideas of fun things you can do at your family reunion to strengthen your family’s heritage!

1. Family Treasures Card game: This is a fun family game that has a playing board (laminated poster) that goes with it. To view the instructions click here.

2. I AM a Heritage Maker Activity Book: This is a great way for your kids and their cousins to get to know their heritage in a fun activity book.

3. Personalized Card Deck: Does your family like to play card games? Create your own custom deck of cards with pictures of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. There are lots of templates to choose from in the gallery (rook, old maid, go fish, face cards, etc.)

4. FAMILY LAND: This fun game is just like Candy Land, but with your family name and the family activities you enjoy doing together. It will keep the kids entertained for hours! Also, it has a deck of cards to go with it.

5. Family Cookbook: If you have time before the reunion, have family members send you a favorite recipe and a picture. Put together a family cookbook. Take the cookbook to the reunion and if family members would like a copy, you can take orders. If you don’t have time to put it together before the reunion, have your family bring their picture and favorite recipe to the reunion. Then put the cookbook together later.

6. BINGO: Create your own Bingo cards with pictures of grandparents and other relatives. This is a great way for the young kids to learn the names of their great grandparents.

I got all these ideas from the Heritage Makers blog

Make and Take:

Do you need fun craft ideas? Here are some that are simple, fun, and affordable!

Special Memories Box: This is a great way to keep all your favorite cards, notes, letters, etc. all in one place. This is made using 2 12×12 pages and a 7 inch craft box ($2 at Walmart).

Family Clock: Super easy and a great addition to your home. This is made using 1 8×8 page and a 9 inch clock ($4 at Walmart). Blocks: Create your blocks to say whatever you want. Does your reunion have a theme? If so make a block per family or per kid with the theme or family motto. 1 12×12 page will make 5 blocks. Cut a 2×4 into 7 inch blocks.

Tiles: Create a tile with a picture of an ancestor or of grandma and grandpa that includes one of their favorite sayings. 1 12×12 page can make 4 tiles. Get 4 6×6 tiles at Home Depot or any home improvement store.
Scanning: If you have a scanner, offer scanning services to the persons in your area who will be attending reunions. Have them ask each family member to bring the pictures they have of great grandma, great grandpa, etc. (The pictures don’t leave their sight). You can scan everyone’s pictures while at the reunion and then everyone gets a copy of everyone’s pictures. It’s a win, win for everyone!