Ancestor Approved - For Sassy Jane and Jenny L.

During the past few weeks I have received the Ancestor Approved award from Sassy Jane at Sassy Jane Genealogy and Jenny Lanctot at Are My Roots Showing?

I have previously received the award, passed it on, and written the “surprised, enlightened, and humbled” post (the image has now been retired from the main page to my “Woo-Hoo Wall” above); you can read my list here. Greedy creature that I am, I appreciate and adore receiving awards from my fellow genealogy bloggers and I do like to “sing for my supper,” so my expression of gratitude will be:

Top Ten Comfort Items I Like to Have When I Am Researching at Home

1. A cat on my lap. Once the little stinkers settle down, they are a warming and soothing presence, and I am less inclined to pop up from my seat to do various household chores that might otherwise distract me from my work.

2. A cup of coffee to keep me alert. Yeah, I drink too much coffee. That’s why I have Emergency Coffee.

3. Whatever random piece of chocolate from the previous Christmas I have stashed away in the recesses of the shelves next to my desk - Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are good. Okay, so that’s extra caffeine. You can’t have too much caffeine when you are hot on the trail.

4. My iTunes on full blast. Cajun music, Hardanger fiddles, Hungarian recruiting songs, and Bulgarian women’s choirs are incredibly inspiring.

5. My USB Hubman (see “What I Do”). He lets me upload pictures, transfer files, and all sorts of other stuff without having to mess around on the scary back part of my iMac box. And I can vent to him when one of my ancestors is ticking me off.

6. My Saint John of Rila icon that hangs over my desk. When things aren’t going well and I can’t find what I need, a saint’s prayers could always be helpful.

7. My green tension-relieving rubber squeezy thingy shaped like a hand-grenade. Self-explanatory.

8. 3x5 cards. I don’t generally use them in my research, but they make me feel like I’m organized and on top of things.

9. A Beenie Baby/lovey to throw to get #1 to leave my lap - gotta get up some time.

10. Photos of my family. For inspiration.

Thank you, SJ and Jenny - you inspire me!