Skip to main content

Featured

What's the Plan for 2026?

Image by rawpixel.com Happy New Year! Ah, there's something about a fresh start. I have my shiny, new hardback notebook/planner, my favorite black Pilot pen, and I've been thinking about what my genealogical priorities should be for 2026.  After reviewing what I accomplished in 2025, here are my ideas for this year:  Genealogy Projects First is a project on my 2x great-grandmother Maria Jane Darragh with a research goal to discover more about her cause of death: "acute mania." Complete research begun on my aunt's ancestors. I recently researched her ancestor Bruno Albaugh, who served as one of Lincoln's bodyguards during the Civil War . There are more goodies in her family lines with surnames Laughlin and Phillips in Ontario, Kelling and Schuber in Lorain County, Ohio, Albaugh and Rittenour in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and more. Can't wait to finish the research and share it with her. Research discoveries found in my ancestors AR-2 Alien Registrati...

The Thumb's Christmas

 

Our daughter, Anne, was a prolific artist when she was young. Our refrigerator door was full of her drawings, paintings, and school artwork. She liked to create little books, too, as she was also a natural storyteller.

One Christmas when she was about eight years old, Anne wrote and illustrated a Christmas story for her little brother, James. If memory serves, she drew her inspiration from a book she had recently gotten from the library by illustrator Ed Emberley. He wrote and illustrated The Great Thumbprint Drawing Book. In it, Emberley showed how to make a variety of animals and people using a thumbprint as a starting point. The creations are simple and charming. It's amazing what you can do with a blog of ink and a few black lines. It's art that's accessible to anyone.

Anne's story is called "The Thumb's Christmas," and is based on our family. There is a thumb with glasses (Anne), a thumb with little hair (toddler James), a thumb with a mustache (Jim), and one with a half-circle of curlicue hair (me). There is even a thumbprint Santa, bear, and Christmas tree, along with a little story.

I get a kick out of reading it every year. Not only is it creative, but it was a gift from the heart from our daughter to our son. I'll always treasure it. And hope you will like it too.



It's Christmas at the Thumbs!



 

They went for a walk in the snowy woods.


 

They wrote Christmas lists...


 

They set out eggnog and cookies for Santa.


 

Where are Mom and Pop going?


 

Shh!


 

What a nice surprise!
The End.

 

Until next time... 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.

P.S.  When Anne was a little older, she wrote a story called "Spider's Christmas," which I've featured here in the past. It's always fun to read again. Share it with a little one in your life this Christmas.



Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Isn't it delightful? She really got the expressions right!

      Delete
  2. Such a precious book! Fun and fanciful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be sure to tell our daughter you liked it! Happy Holidays!

      Delete
  3. What a wonderfully creative imagination she had. So cute! My youngest used to make Christmas gifts like this for us as well! The best gifts to treasure always! Thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She really did...still does. I love these handmade gifts the most of all. Gets me where I live!

      Delete

Post a Comment