BOO! 

 

Here they come again. Little ghosts, goblins, aliens from outer space, Hollywood stars, and all sorts of other rascals, scamps, pixies, and pirates. And we are ready for them! Our house is now the house to go to. Last year we had 108 creatures and are expecting more this year. But besides the traditional candy treats, we are adding something so unusual that it just might catch on for others to replicate. And this idea solves a dilemma everyone is familiar with.

My post dated October 7^th talked about participating in a flea market and how disappointing it was to end up bringing 99% of our goods back home. So as I was re-organizing this stuff once again, I got this idea of giving away all the little games, puzzles, and other fun things for Halloween. I wrapped these items in brown paper grocery bags, taped them up and place the packages in the basket with the bags of candy. (We put a small assortment of candy and chips in the bag with little practical gifts like pencils, toothbrushes, chalk, playdough, etc.) When the Halloween guest reaches into the basket, they have their choice of either a package or bag. Rest to sure, I know the gifts will go first because nobody will have anything like this.

So, next time you do not know what to do with all those little things, make them gifts as a treat for your next Halloween.

 

And here are a few pictures of us from Halloween’s past, that are not only great memories, but the costumes are in our Family Museum to be handed down to the next generation.

When she was just a tot, we lived in Illinois where Halloween was always cold. So we put her in her winter coat and draped it with a while sheet, and voila, she was a ghost. As she ran from house to house, she spread her ghostly arms and laughed. When she was about twelve years old, Laura Ingles was her idol, so I made her a prairie outfit complete with bonnet and pigtails. She wore this for several Halloweens until she outgrew it.    

 

Star Wars was very popular, hence just about every young kid wanted to be Luke Skywalker. This was a usual character for him to be as he was into trains and sea-going vessels, not spaceships, but he had a great time. His costume is tucked away in our Family Museum and perhaps someday, his little boy or girl will want to save the world.

 

 

And then there is us; a real rock-n-roll couple out to have a roaring good time. His black tee-shirt was designed by our daughter and my black leather jacket was the real thing, silver studs and all. We went to a party and danced the night away. His tee-shirt still hangs in his closet and my jacket is stored away, for sadly it doesn’t fit any more. But perhaps someday, I will give it to a family member of the next generation.

Some things are just too priceless to give away, and as I have said all along, don’t give your memories away. Keep and display them.

Happy Halloween!   

      

 

Last week I announced the publication of my book on our Family Museum and it is now available on Amazon. Check in out and start saving your family’s heritage today!

https://www.amazon.com/Create-Family-Museum-Save-History/dp/0788457640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509310664&sr=8-1&keywords=elizabeth+goesel

   

Get ready to save your Heritage . . .

Time is of the essence. And the time is now!

Human nature being what it is, we all possess the fundamental need to be remembered. We also want to be able to reminisce and recall our family history, where we came from, who came before us, and all that which is our heritage: Our legacy, birthrights, traditions, customs and culture; all the things that make you who you are.

For these reasons and more, I started this Family Museum blog, which developed a broad following for several years, and then with fortitude and determination, I gathered a variety of diverse blog posts and additional writings to make an edifying and entertaining book on how you can create your own Family Museum. The book reads like a how-to manual on the methods, the ways and means, techniques and processes that are easy to follow.

So without further ado, here is the link to the website for my book:

https://heritage-books.myshopify.com/products/create-your-family-museum-and-save-your-history-how-to-find-space-create-organize-preserve-and-display-family-heirlooms-treasures-and-memories

Heritage Books is currently printing this book and orders are now being accepted. Please visit their website at www.HeritageBooks.Com and peruse this special interest publisher that specializes in genealogical and historical material. 

Thank you for considering my book and I encourage you to give this endeavor serious thought, for your family’s history is a vital aspect of your genetic material and a valuable source for your family’s future.  

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Goesel                                                      Family Museum Curator

Flea Market dilemma . . .

OK! I am going to do this.

Being the curator of my Family’s Museum, I keep, save, protect and preserve, and most of all display the family’s memorabilia, heirlooms, antiques, etc. So what was I thinking when I decided to gather things up to sell at a flea market sale? I really can’t say, but only for the fact that the family had a plethora of stuff not used or wanted anymore. So I asked everyone, could this stuff go into the family museum? Did this stuff have any value, be it monetarily or emotional? Would we use any of this stuff again? Resounding NOs were the replies.

So for about three weeks, I gathered, organized, priced (which not knowing the current value of the things, I did a lot of research online, finding info I needed, only to discover that there was no way I was going to sell something that was either extremely rare, or not-made-anymore, which designated it to be of more value than I was going to sell it at). Then I boxed the stuff, hauled it downstairs into the dining room where it sat until the day of the flea market sale.

The hours of the sale did not please me, or my daughter and son who helped me set it up and stay with me. When we got to the community center, busy flea marketers were setting up their tables, displaying their stuff, and look as if they were have a genuinely good time.

When we entered, we were told our table number. Finding it, I looked around and thought it was a good location, if you could say any of the places were better than others. We hauled the boxes in, placed what we could on the table, putting some boxes on the floor in front of the table.

While we were there, each of us perused the other tables, noticing many had same-like items we did. I also observed the vendors, most of them of my generation, the Baby Boomers. This explains why the stuff was repeated table after table. Our generation wanted everything our parents didn’t have and bought it all, therefore, creating an over-abundance of stuff, decreasing the value. The theory of supply and demand was apparent, squelching the desire to purchase not only what I had but many of what the other vendors had as well.

The sale was from 7:00 AM to 12 noon. After the first two hours, we sold one old book and one jigsaw puzzle. In the next couple of hours we sold three more puzzles and some picture-frame glass. By 11:00 AM, we collected a whopping $11 dollars, not even enough to pay for the admission of $15.00, which the organizer gathered from all of us vendors. By 11:30, we called it quits, as many others did, boxed up our stuff and hauled it back into the car, then back into the dining room.     

The flea market sale was a no-win situation. Lesson learned – nobody wants to buy your stuff. Either give it away or keep it. So I re-packed the boxes, setting aside the things that were too valuable to give away, such as a Vilroy & Boch vintage Coffee set, two Talbot wool pleated skirts, all my jewelry-making pieces and jewelry, and a box of vintage Dominos my daughter insisted on keeping.

The next day we took the stuff to Goodwill and felt better for donating it then selling it for less then what it was worth. So if you should participate in a flea market sale, don’t think you are going to make a lot of money. If you do, that’s great. But remember, make sure what you sell is not important to the family, because everything has a history, and that history may be yours.