A year's worth of cookies

Yesterday was my last day to bake Gingerbread cookies for the Scovil Bakery. Since August 8th I've been assigned 1 or 2 days a week to bake cookies in the basement kitchen in the Visitors' Center. I've always had a helper and we've had a GREAT time in the kitchen. It's been so much fun. We kept track of how many we've baked each day. Our goal was to fill all three large chest freezers. Which we did. We figured that would be enough for the guests who come this year. We don't know how many cookies we actually have in Nauvoo right now because, of course, there have been many guests since August, but the total we've baked is - drum roll please ............... 59,613. (one at a time) In case you're wondering, these are good cookies but, they are even better after they're frozen and thawed. So, anyone coming to Nauvoo this year, please stop at the Scovil Bakery and know that a lot of love and fun went into each gingerbread cookie. (And if you get one that you think is a duck, it's not, it's Sunbonnet Sue)

Our new assignments and random thoughts

I'm moving the list of places we've served to a post. We have now been lucky enough to serve almost everywhere in Nauvoo! What an experience. I even got to make a couple of horseshoes. Of course I've never seen the horse that could wear them! It would be a sad horse. But it was fun making the shoes.
It's now time to begin practices for "Sunset by the Mississippi". We began last week and everyone has been great. This is going to be a fun, interesting calling. Ron is still in the sites during the days and helping me with practices at night. My days are now spent in the Nauvoo Productions office finding and copying music and working out schedules and other "to be determined duties". We're in charge of the annual mission talent show which will be Monday Jan. 25. Elder and Sister Camp, the new Directors of Nauvoo Productions. will be here for the talent show/auditions for Sunset and then they're staying for 2 weeks. I'm so excited for them to get here. We'll be able to go over the Sunset show and decide which numbers should be in it this summer. We've been practicing the ones we know are staying in the line up.
So, my days are very different now. This week I will have 2 more days of baking gingerbread cookies then we will be cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the surghum. And no more sites for me and also, now I have a bigger decision to make in the morning, since I will no longer be wearing site dresses. Before it was "Hmmmmmmmm, blue one or brown one? White apron or colored apron" Now I have to think about what to wear. Also, I will miss my apron, I love the pockets! It was like having 2 mini purses with me at all times. Aprons are an underused gem! Another change is that our days perfoming in "Rendezvous" are about over since our evenings will be spent with Sunset. I guess this means I could cut my hair if I want to. It's longer than it's been since about Jr. High. On the nights we do Rendezvous I have to put it in a bun so I've let it grow. I had a scary moment the other day. I was wearing my blue site dress with my white bib apron and a little white collar. I was running out the door and caught sight of myself in a mirror. It was terrible. I thought, "If I had a head band I would look like a dumpy, chubby, REALLY over the hill Alice in Wonderland!!!
...and it's time for District Meetings ... I'd hate to be late for a very important date! That's all for tonight.

*Blacksmith/Wainwright Shop - Ron & Bren
*Brickyard - Ron & Bren
*Browning Home & Gun Shop - Ron & Brenda
*Carriage Ride - Ron
*Carthage Jail & Visitor's Center - Ron & Bren
*Cultural Hall - Brenda & Ron
*John Taylor Home - Brenda & Ron
*Lucy Mack Smith Home - Brenda & Ron
*Lyon Drug & Variety Store - Brenda & Ron
*Nauvoo on the Road - Ron & Bren
*Nauvoo Restoration Inc (NRI)(working in the greenhouse & in the gardens)Brenda
*Nauvoo Visitor's Center - Ron & Brenda
*NRI Building walls and painting a wagon - Ron
*NRI raking and raking and raking - Brenda & Ron
*Oxen Ride - Ron
*Pendleton Log School - Brenda & Ron
*Pioneer Pastimes - Ron & Bren
*Print Shop - Brenda & Ron
*Riser Boot Shop - Ron & Brenda
*Sarah Granger Kimball - Bren
*Seventies Hall - Ron
*Stoddard Home & Tin Shop - Ron & Bren
*The Family Living Center - Ron & Brenda
*Trapping & relocating distructive wildlife - Ron
*Wagon Tour of "Old Nauvoo" - Brenda
*Wilford Woodruff Home - Bren

More Photos

Christmas in Nauvoo

December was an eventfull month in Nauvoo. We began decorating just before Thanksgiving and the town looked beautiful and festive. The shops along Mulholland Drive all had Christmas trees out front and their windows were decorated. It was great. I went crazy taking pictures inside every site and outside all over town. The first Saturday in December (I think) was the Christmas Walk. We had a tree lighting ceremony at the Visitors' Center and there was a band and then chorus from the High School. The Mayor spoke, and President Ludwig then they lit the tree. Horse drawn wagons took people to Main Street where they could go to the Cultural Hall for a live Nativity and short program with wonderful music, then to several other sites for Chrismtas stories. The evening ended with a stop at the Family Living Center for refreshments. It was a really neat event.

On Christmas Eve we gathered with the Temple Missionaries on the Temple Steps and sang Christmas Carols. It was cold and raining but nice. Christmas Day we closed our sites early and met at the Stake Center for a delicious dinner with the Temple Missionaries.