President James Madison

Presidents’ Day is observed the third Monday of February. For me, it’s more than a day off, it’s a chance to learn more about my ancestry.

You see, I have a lot of knowledge on the fifth Vice President of the United States: Elbridge Gerry—as I am one of his descendants. I and the rest of my family however, know very little about the president under which he served.

Part of why we know so little about the president VP Gerry served, is we can’t remember which president it was. You’d think it would be easy to match VP to President. Gerry was the fifth Vice President but served under the fourth President. Furthermore, the fourth and fifth presidents are similarly named “James Madison” and “James Monroe”. So to make Presidents’ Day more than just another day off, I  sat down and read about James Madison. At the very least, I’ll know my family history, and maybe I’ll be the person my family turns to when they want to learn more about our heritage.

Through my research, which you can read below, I decided I would combine this information and photos into a photo book to have on hand for any family questions that may arise.

 James Madison

Before being elected into office, James Madison served in the Continental Congress and the Virginia Assembly. He contributed to the earliest drafting of both the United States Constitution and the Virginian Constitution. He later took great part in the Constitution’s major ratification and helped frame the Bill of Rights.

Madison served as Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State and thus had the responsibility of negotiating with France and Spain the purchase of the land west of the Mississippi River, which became known as the Louisiana Purchase.

Madison was elected President in 1808. In his first year, the U.S. had prohibited trade between Britain and France, due to the two countries’ conflicts with one another. However by May of 1810 Congress authorized trade with both countries as long as they respected the U.S.’s wishes to remain neutral.

This did not go well. Napoleon only pretended to agree and British ships stopped American trading ships and seized American seamen. Later, Britain was blamed for causing resistance from the American Indians in regards to settlements in the western region.

The United States declared war on Britain June 18, 1812.

Madison commanded American troops on the field—the only president to do so while in office.

While he was away, the British burned the White House and the rest of the nation’s capitol. They then attempted (and failed) to launch a naval assault on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The battle was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key’s poem, The Star Spangled Banner, which of course, would become the National Anthem.

The War of 1812 ended on December 24, 1814 when both sides agreed on terms of peace.  It is said that the war set where the United States stood as a nation in relationship to the rest of the world.

In April 1812—just before the start of the 1812 election, Madison’s Vice President George Clinton, died. After an intense period of “election-eering” by potential VP candidates, Madison announced Elbridge Gerry as his running mate for his re-election campaign.

Vice President Elbridge Gerry

When Madison’s second term ended in 1817, he and his wife, Dolley Madison, retired to the family estate: Montpelier, in Virginia. He stayed active in politics, finding the American Colonization Society, which was dedicated to freeing slaves and transporting them to Africa’s west coast; He served on the board of visitors at the University of Virginia. In 1829 Madison came out of retirement to attend the Virginia Constitutional Convention.

Madison died at the age of 85 in 1836.

The signers of the Constitution. Gerry and Madison are depicted 3rd & 4th to the left of Washington.

Sources:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesmadison

http://montpelier.org/explore/james_madison/

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_George_Clinton.htm

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My kids gave me a gift this weekend, though at first, I didn’t see it as a gift. Why? Because they gave me something that was given to them, the flu.

When illness hit Saturday morning my first thoughts were “but I have things to do today and a big pile of laundry.” By Saturday evening, firmly planted on the sofa with my laptop providing much needed heat, I realized the gift I was given – time. Time to organize my photos and upload them to Inkubook to make my Fall-Winter 2011 photo book. On Sunday, day two of the gift, I was able to tweak photos, play with backgrounds and add in comments. As soon as I’m clear-headed (which I hope will be today), I’ll give it a final review, then order. I wonder who I can pass my gift on to (I mean the photo book, of course)?

“Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.” Max Frisch

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Whether you’re in high school, engaged or have been married 25 years, you likely have a box (or two) of love notes, movie stubs, pressed flowers, photo booth photos, greeting cards, pictures of you together at parties or on vacation and other keepsakes. Consider taking those sweet nothings that your SO may not even know you’ve kept, scan them and make a photo book of all of the small things that have added up to big, lasting love.

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Want to show the one you love how loved they are this Valentine’s? Want to do it in a personalized, creative and unique way that’s sweeter and longer lasting than a box of chocolates? Here’s the recipe to make one thoughtful Candy Hearts Brag Book.

Ingredients:

• Scissors
• Construction paper
• Marker
• Camera (or phone)
• Teaspoon of creativity
• Teaspoon of sweetness
• Dash of sauciness [optional]

Assembly:

Take 14 pieces of construction paper and fold them in half. Cut hearts from each piece. Then write sayings like “Be Mine”, “I<3 You”, “U R Cute” as well as some of your own [sweet if for your child, saucy if for your SO]. Once your hearts are ready, take pictures or have someone take pictures of you holding each heart. Upload them and create a book. Add more sweet nothings by adding text boxes. And since the minimum Inkubook page count is 20, you could make a few more hearts and take a few more pictures.

Candy Hearts Photobook

Give a sweet gift that’ll last way longer than a chocolate filled heart.

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Every family has its special holiday traditions from when they put up the Christmas tree to where they put the Minorah. Traditions are part of what make the holidays special and memorable.

Cookies & Trees

Since they first had teeth, my daughters each get a 99 cent Advent calendar with the waxy chocolate on the evening of November 30^th. They enjoy the daily candy and I enjoy it helps countdown the days until Christmas instead of being asked each day. Come to think of it, my mom did the same for me and my sister. And, while we generally skip seeing Santa at the mall, we do have breakfast with him every year. Another tradition is my father reading ‘Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement C. Moore on Christmas Eve to all of the grandkids complete with voices and sound effects. Partnered with that, is the “you get to open one gift on Christmas Eve and it’s going to be holiday pajamas” tradition. A good friend of mine has his children decorate the tree without adult interference and they spend a Saturday in the kitchen making all sorts of good treats to give to the church, neighbors and family. What special holiday traditions does your family have?

Santa Visit

From the first snow, St. Nicholas Day, breakfast with Santa, and the first night of Hanukah to the First day of winter, The Twelve Days of Christmas, and exterior illumination, December is full of photo ops. Capture your special traditions in a Holiday Traditions photo book and smile the whole year through.

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The lights, the music, the holiday cheer and the big guy in the red suit – something about the Christmas season seems to bring out the child in all of us. And while you may not look as young as you feel, you can relive the days when you did with Inkubook vintage Christmas photo books.

This year, while you’re up in the attic getting down the decorations, look around for some boxes of old photos. You’re bound to find stacks of forgotten pictures that will rekindle the memories of Christmases and haircuts past. Once you’ve collected enough pictures, simply scan them to a computer and upload them directly into an Inkubook. Vintage Christmas photo books make great presents, especially for those in the difficult-to-buy-for category.

But photo books aren’t your only option. Instead of hassling with getting the entire family together for a picture, use one of the classics for this year’s holiday greeting card. It’s sure to be one of the most unique cards anyone receives, and it’s much less embarrassing than the matching holiday sweaters families usually wear in the pictures.

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It’s a magical time of year for sports fans. Football season is in full swing, basketball has just tipped off, and whether you prefer the hardwood, the hockey rink or the gridiron, everyone, players and fans alike, will love Inkubook team sports books.

If your season has just begun, start taking a camera to games, practices and pep rallies to capture every aspect of your favorite sports. Collect newspaper articles and box scores to include in your book so you won’t miss a stat. If this year’s season is already in the record books or about to wrap up, make a photo book to tide you over in the offseason, or as a gift to an athlete or coach on the team.

You can include interviews with players, coaches and even referees to cover every angle of the game. Also, Inkubook has a variety of sports-themed backgrounds and art to decorate each page and help you show your team spirit.

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Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life. All of your friends, family and loved ones are gathered to celebrate your transition into the next phase of life. After months and months of countless hours of planning, the day itself will go by faster than you can say, “I do.”

And with all the activity and excitement it can be easy to miss out on special little moments. So, to capture everyone and every event from your reception create an unofficial wedding photo book with Inkubook.

All you need to do is place a disposable camera on each table and let your guests be the photographers. Afterwards, collect the cameras or invite others to upload their own pictures with Inkubook’s photo sharing feature. You could also include cards on the table to allow friends and family to write well wishes to the newlyweds to include in your book. While the majority of the pictures probably won’t make the cut for your official album, together they can create a fun flipbook to help you relive the more casual side of your special day.

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More so than any other time of year, the holidays are about spending time with family. This is the season when everyone, whether immediate or distant relatives, clears their schedules and comes together in one place. But now, with Inkubook, you can keep the entire family in one place year-round with family tree photo books.

It seems that from Thanksgiving until New Year’s we are surrounded by family and loved ones. And in the midst of traditions, stories and family recipes, wouldn’t it be fun to take a look back to see just how you and your family came to be where you are today?

Hundreds of websites, such as Ancestry.com, exist to help you trace back your lineage. But exploring your family history can be as easy as gathering stories and pictures from other family members. Either way you will be creating a beautiful photo book that celebrates your history. And with Inkubook, shipping photo books within 7-10 business days of purchase, you could be ready to share your book by the end of the year.

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It may take weeks before your wedding photo proofs arrive for your review, then another week or so for you to decide, and then another week or two for the finished pictures and album to arrive to you. In the meantime, you’ve taken your honeymoon, written your thank you cards and have settled into life as blissful newlyweds.

If you’ve already walked down the aisle, keep the honeymoon feeling alive by making a photo book of your post-wedding vacation before your tan fades – or  you get too busy with life. Write [type] letters to each other in the book about the fun you had, the memories you created and your goals and dreams.

If you haven’t yet gotten married, consider these honeymoon photo opps for your photo book:

• Checking out of the honeymoon suite
• Heading to the airport / Picture of the airport sign
• Waiting in the terminal, on the plane, arriving at the destination airport, baggage claim and taxi
• Your honeymoon hotel, room, view
• Just married flip-flops, his-and-hers towels and other fun newlywed touches
• Pictures of each other at meals, on the beach, on tours
• Make sure you ask others to take your picture so you can both be in the shot

Display and share your honeymoon album as you would your wedding album. Now, start thinking about where you’re going to travel to celebrate your one year anniversary.

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