Posts

Hit a brick wall? 20 reasons why you can’t find your ancestor

By Hazel Thornton | June 25, 2019 |

Can’t find your ancestor? Getting frustrated? We all hit a brick wall in our genealogy research now and then. Or, as we call them here in New Mexico, adobe walls, lol!

Thornton Family Resemblances Revisited

By Hazel Thornton | June 10, 2019 |

I once wrote an article for APPO (Association of Professional Photo Organizers) called Who Do You Think You Look Like? The Mystery of Family Resemblances. It featured a small selection of photos from both sides of my family. This time, in honor of Father’s Day, I’ve gathered photos from six consecutive generations of Thornton fathers…

Are You Getting to Good Enough?

By Hazel Thornton | June 2, 2019 |

Janine Adams and Shannon Wilkinson don’t know it yet, but I’ve become obsessed with their podcast, Getting to Good Enough, which recently aired its 52nd episode! That’s a whole year of 30-minute weekly episodes of “a podcast to help you let go of perfectionism so you can do more of what you love”.

Mom’s Boxes Part 8: The Gangster Hideout

By Hazel Thornton | May 23, 2019 |

READERS: This is the sort of story I intend to write more of over the next few years to share with my family. It’s also the sort of story I encourage you to write about your own family! It doesn’t have to be fancy, with links to articles and such. Just capture the memories for…

The Gift of an Organized Family Tree

By Hazel Thornton | April 30, 2019 |

Who wants their chart done? Family tree pedigree chart, that is? If you think pedigrees are just for royalty, dogs, and horses, think again! Genealogy makes history personal for everyone. And a family tree makes a great gift for a loved one…or for yourself!

Climbing your never-ending family tree

By Hazel Thornton | April 29, 2019 |

Your family tree is never really finished! It is forever growing on both ends. New descendants of your ancestors are continually being born (even if not to you, personally), and no matter how many branches and leaves you’ve added in the past, there are always more for you to discover.

How clean does your house really need to be?

By Hazel Thornton | April 22, 2019 |

I love nothing more than a clean, tidy, organized home! But those are three completely different things.  

Organizing on the Edge of Chaos

By Hazel Thornton | March 18, 2019 |

Last week I attended a lecture on Chaos Theory. I’d heard of it before, but didn’t really know what it was, exactly. The lecture was my dad’s idea for something to do together. And it turned out to be really interesting! He said he expected it was going to be about The Butterfly Effect. And it…

Planning my virtual funeral – who’s with me?

By Hazel Thornton | February 17, 2019 |

I’ve been talking and writing for a while now about organizing for your legacy. This involves doing things to make it easier on your grieving loved ones when the time comes, by preparing for your own death. Activities can range from writing your own obituary and planning your own funeral; to preserving your memorabilia and…

Clutter Counseling: Are You an Odd Couple?

By Hazel Thornton | February 11, 2019 |

Are you and your spouse, or partner, or roommate, like Oscar and Felix, of The Odd Couple? (Are you old enough to know what I’m talking about?) Do you need Clutter Counseling? I am not a marriage counselor (or a psychic, or a magician), but I am sometimes called upon to mediate disputes as to what…