Early morning walks

Nauvoo is right next to the Mississippi river and so early morning walks can go next to the river or through the old town.  Both are amazing with their flowers, birds, squirrel, rabbits, and other surprises along the way.  I keep expecting to surprise a deer, badger, or such down by the river.  This post though is to inspire you to my early morning Nauvoo.  Just wish you could feel the cool breeze and hear the birds singing like I did!

The Wildflowers are amazing!

And out pop the bright colors

The sky here is full of insects.

Shady paths

I love how the sunlight plays through the trees

Brigham Young Home

The older homes have beautiful flower beds

It was worth the strolling, so hope you enjoyed the scrolling.

Heber C Kimball home and being a guide in Spanish!

The joy and consternation is that so much goes on here that sometimes my head spins. We went and practiced for the finale of the British Pageant last night after doing Sunset.  Stopped in the Visitor's center for a minute and one of the Sisters said, "oh, there you are, we were trying to find you"  another young sister hung up the phone, turned around and told me they needed someone to help a family in Spanish for today.  Was excited to spend half the day showing them Nauvoo.  One of the homes they wanted to see was the Heber C. Kimball home where I was earlier this week.  I didn't show them, nor mention the door to the cool balcony!!!

The Heber C Kimball home has a beautiful parlor, most of the homes have a spinning wheel in them.

Linsey Woolsey blankets are special to that time period as the material is no longer made.  It is a combination of linen, made from flax seed, that is a 3 year process and the material won't accept dye so it it is always beige.  It is woven then with wool that they would dye, thus this one is blue and beige.
One of the joys of being a missionary here is the opportunity to study and learn about the people who lived here, also getting to open doors...  like the one we found to the second floor balcony!

The story of dedication and sacrifice of these early saints is pretty remarkable.  They were willing to do whatever it took to follow their beliefs.  The Kimball family had been from Kirtland to Missouri, lost everything in Missouri.  Made it to Nauvoo where they first lived in a lean to before they were able to build a home.  The brick home they were finally able to build they only lived in for four months and five days before they had to leave to make the trek west.  The question then I pose myself is am I willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to follow the Lord.  Sure trying to make sure the answer will always be a resounding YES!

When we are in the homes waiting for tour groups we are able to study, visit, write letters....  My problem at first was that I was getting bored, so I started a project.  Last week when I was in the Family Living Center I was helping cut strips for the looms.  To do those strips they sew them with a bias, which means that for each strip they were cutting off and throwing away triangles on the ends.  I started to collect them to hand sew a baby quilt.  I went back a few days later to take a zip lock bag and ask them to collect more triangles, only to find out that the sister I had been with had labeled two large plastic boxes where they were putting all of the scraps for me.  A lot more than I will need for sure!  We are going to use them to make quilts this fall and winter for humanitarian services.  Those will be done though by machine!

So Many Sites

Welcome to the Lucy Mack Smith Home!

 The children's room upstairs,  super cute teacup set

 The cooking area in the main room.  You can see the bustle oven right behind me.

 The alcove for Lucy Mack Smiith

Out back for the smoke house and area for making lye soap
Everyone talks about the steep stairs going to the upstairs living area in the Lucy Mack Smith home, but if you ever look down to the basement where we are supposed to go in case of a tornado, it outdoes any I have ever seen in a home.  Looks more straight up and down like a ladder.

Each day we switch to a different site, so we are getting to know many of the homes and areas of Nauvoo.  Lucy Mack Smith was a very strong woman who stood up in defense of the gospel and her family.  She stood up for what was right, and didn't care who was doing the asking!  She lived in this home for four years close to the end of her life.
Saturday evening we were able to borrow bicycles and go riding through the town which was a fantaastic end to a very busy week, although each day is so full and busy it is hard to keep your head from spinning.  I love one of the things we were taught last week in training meeting.  Nauvoo is about growth and change and we are here to help. Hard to imagine still being in a place where over 250 people are here, all of us because of our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with the desire to serve and help others.  Makes for a great place to be!  There are so many things to learn, trying to apply some of that learning in my life.
This morning I got to work with a crew in the gardens, pulling weeds and mulching.  It was hot, hard and exhausting.  I think I was the youngest one out there and left with great admiration for the women I worked with.  Had a great time, and worked!  Luckily afterwards I was able to come home for a shower,  dose of Benadryl and a nap.

After our bike ride on Saturday, Harold went to get the mail, then called asking me to grab the camera quick.  We headed up and got these amazing shots of the Temple.  Then afterwards we went into the town and got frozen custard.  Have I mentioned that life here is pretty fantastic?

Yes, I know they are sidewise, but I can't get the computer to let me switch their directions on here!  They are turned straight up before I put them on the blog.

We have to figure in advance when we are able to fit in the temple, with programs to be in four nights out of the week, then our schedules in the sites, it stays very busy.

Sites-

We took time to go uptown and get a picture in front of the temple on Monday and then went out to breakfast for my birthday.  What a great blessing to be here in Nauvoo!  The time flies fast and is so full this time of year it is hard to stop and catch up.  Each day we work in a different site, although this week I repeated some of the sites from the first week.  I love the messages I am learning and teaching in the homes.  I will try and spotlight a different site each week.  In the Tinsmith shop this week one of my thoughts as I showed how to bend the tin is the fact that we can be made into something beautiful and useful by the pressures around us, or we can just be bent out of shape.  It is up to us which way that goes!  

 I was in the Sarah Granger Kimball home also one day this week and she was one very spunky modern woman for her time!  She worked a lot for women's rights, but seemed to see the bigger picture in lots of things.  The Relief Society got it's start in her home because she and the lady who was her seamstress wanted to do something to help the workers on the temple.  That beginning conversation and then acting on it has led to the largest women's organization in the world.  The focus for them that continues today is Charity.  Serving and improving the lives of others.  The people here suffered and sacrificed so much, but the greatest points came when they reached out to help another.  The same is a lesson for us today in our world.  When we lift ourselves to serve others, we are on the right path.
   On top of working in the sites this week we have had some amazing training meetings, been to the temple,  drove out and seen a historic site, performed in Sunset and Rendezvous and watched the International Folk Dance troupe.  Did manage a little sleep also...
   Two last bits of excitement for me that have me thrilled, I made friends with some of our younger missionaries playing with the Brass band.  One of them plays the clarinet and said I should learn the Clarinet Polka they do and perform it with them during Sunset.  She brought me a copy of it and I have been working on it every day,  not sure if I will get it good enough to perform, but it sure is fun practicing.  The other amazing thing in the music area is that I met a sister here who makes musical instruments and while on our Prep day today I went out to her home and she gave me my first lesson on the Appalachian Dulcimer and has loaned me one so I can learn how to play it!  I carry my spoons in my apron pocket and play them with various people on the sites, so that keep me entertained also.  Now off to help sing in Rendezvous!

Object Lessons

A very busy week!  We have worked on the sites, I was in the Tin Shop, Sarah Granger and Brigham Young homes and the log school.  Harold was in the Family Learning Center, Browning Gunshop and twice with the Oxen!

As you can tell he enjoyed working with them.  Not sure if he is good with them because he is so methodical and logical, or because he is just as stubborn as they are...  Elder Spradlin told how two of the oxen did not want to listen to one of the drivers and ended up in the woods off of the trail.  If you don't listen to the right voice and obey the commandments it is easy to get off the correct trail and those that follow will also be led astray.
We were able to perform in Sunset twice, and will start with the Rendezvous production this coming week.  In the sites there is much to learn, and we are meeting amazing people.  I even got to teach a young girl how to play the spoons this week.  So much happens in these very full days that there is not enough time to write it all.
Our flower beds when we got here were in need of some loving attention, we have now been able to get all of their weeds pulled and yesterday during our prep day we were able to buy and plant flowers.  It looks much more loved.  One thing I have noticed this week is that almost everything can become an object lesson,   Those weeds were easy to pull when they were tiny and the soil soft.  there was one bigger guy though whose roots went deep.  Getting them all pulled, then planting flowers made a great difference.  Now to work and keep the flowers alive!
So -  when sin in all it's many forms pops into our lives, it is easier to repent and get rid of if we grab it fast before it sinks roots deep.  If it does though we have tools we can use, like fasting, bishops, prayer.  We apply the power of the atonement to clear the ground.  That isn't enough though, for it to be a place of beauty we  have to plant, or incorporate Christlike attributes into our lives.  Takes work, and is an ongoing process, but definitely worth the effort!
  Fun days!