Familes are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts







Things we do

So my last blog was about places we go. This is about things we do when we stay home. We exercise - I got David involved with my "Fitness tree" this month. This is a photo of mine but his looks the same (except that he missed a day!
I haven't missed a day yet
I do silly crafts - hope your kids are enjoying this one.
I do crafts and make quilts. This one took more time than I anticipated.
Daisy's quilt
 This is what David does - he makes things beautiful for me. He repainted the master bath and I got new towels and things. He also stripped the bedroom wallpaper and textured and painted. We got new carpet and it really looks nice.
It's the same but different

I like the colors

I picked the color to go with the quilt Grandma Schwieder gave me
It looks really nice.
David and I like to take classes. I took two water color classes this fall. 
I'm learning but I have a LONG way to go 
Bechler Meadow (Do you recognize it at all?)
My Grandma Haroldsen was born in the upstairs room on the left of this house in Elba, Idaho
We also celebrate birthdays. Lots of them
David's birthday - he has binary candles for 62.
I don't understand but the menfolk did - it's about computers

Hailey laughing at a birthday card

Katelyn made her own cake this year
I can't believe she is really 12.
Great Grandpa celebrating Elden's birthday with him.
These are just some of the things we keep busy with. Life is good!

Places we go

This summer and fall we have been visiting. In August we went to Wyoming to see Brett and Leslie and their family. In September we went to Mississippi to Zachary's baptism. In October we went to southern Utah to spend Halloween with the VanDykes. Then in November we took my dad to SLC to a Condie reunion. All four places were well worth the travel, and the company was superb. It was great to see everyone!
Andrew and Dad at the "water hole". We had a picnic here
Zachary and his baptism blanket.

Hiking with the VanDykes
While we were in Kanab we went on a hike to see a horseshoe bend in the Colorado river. I was a bit slow but I hiked it okay. (I was quite proud of myself.)

Cool rock formations
The Colorado River before it gets to the Grand Canyon
Actually, I was more nervous about the heights and the sheer cliffs than about the hike itself. They need rails or something. This was as close as I dared get. 
 
We took a photo of most of the descendants of PM Condie who were at the reunion. These are my aunts, uncles, cousins and sisters and of course my dad.

more summer photos

So, I never finished posting summer pictures. Of course I still have lots more photos but these ones are cute!
Abbie in SLC

Like grandfather like grandson - Aren't they both just cute?

Elden performing one of his amazing tricks!

Cute!!!

even grown ups can be cute

playing in a Wyoming water hole - great fun!

Our yard this fall

This Fall we put up a fence around the back yard. It looks nice. We also got the play set area finished with a border and rubber fill.
This summer we finally got the front of the house landscaped. It filled in very nicely and this is how it looked this fall - the end of Septemer. The blue petunias kept blooming just like this clear until late November. I just took them out last week. They were beautiful. We'll see how everything does this winter.



Just before Yellowstone closed we took my Dad for a drive. It went much better this time - no flat tire! It was chilly but beautiful.


Remembering Summer

Well, summer is over and I never got my summer and fall photos blogged. I have a thousand of them (at least), but since I don't want (and you don't want) a mile long blog, I've picked out a few choice photos to show some of our summer activities. 
Clark playing at the park

Hailey on our back yard swing - notice Dad's nice garden in the background
Parks and swings are always a fun summer activity. Water is also. Kyle set up a water slide in the yard for the kids to play on. He also instigated a water fight. Mark was willing to take him on - everyone else ran.
Katelyn on the slide

Mark was brave enough to battle it out with Kyle -
Kyle you should be ashamed of picking on someone smaller than you!
We decided to stay home for the 4th of July this year and it was a good decision. We had a BBQ in the back yard. The great grandparents joined in
enjoying the shade while the kids play

Grandma and Grandpa Schwieder
watching the fireworks


At the end of the day we enjoyed sparklers and fireworks. We did the sparklers while it was still light  - safer for the kids - but we waited until dark for the fireworks. It was a fun day.
I'll share more photos at a later date.

Our Nauvoo Experience (a long blog)


David and I had a wonderful time in Nauvoo this summer helping with the pageant. It was a marvelous experience so though it is several months past I wanted to share some of it with you.
Our cast spent the first week practicing and David, Lyn and I spent that week entertaining and teaching children when they were not on stage.
These are the girls in our cast practicing - we got to know them all very well
The second week our cast performed the pageant each night. David, Lyn and I spent the night backstage tending little ones and keeping them happy for their times on stage. 
Joseph Smith with the children. Joseph is kneeling center stage. At right is Brigham Young. The man at left is Elijah Fordham, our district leader. His wife stands behind him. The narrator, Parley Pratt is kneeling second from left.
Our cast performing a dance - you can see some of "our" kids
Lyn, Myself, and David
Each night before the pageant we put on a "country fair" for anyone who wanted to attend. We had many activities and crafts going on all the time. We got to dress up for our assignment in the Cousin's booth.

The main story of the pageant is building the temple and why we need temples. Each night the pageant began with the temple showing behind the stage. For that month, the temple closes early and turns off the lights so that as it gets the dark, the temple disappears. Then, each night they build the temple on stage as the pageant progresses.

The temple behind the stage as the cast dances
building the temple on stage



this is what it looks like from the back

The on-stage temple - this night it was a bit windy
Then, towards the end of the pageant, when the saints must leave Nauvoo, the temple falls into ruin and comes down. But at the very end of the pageant as they speak of hope and the future, the lights of the real temple on the hill behind the stage light up and the temple is spotlighted. It really is quite effective and touching.

David tending Maylie back stage
The Nauvoo Bagpipe band - another fun part of  the pageant - they performed all over Nauvoo and all of the surrounding cities plus every night at the Country Fair and at the pageant.
Linda and Wallace Carroll - They were kind enough to let us stay with them the two weeks we were in Nauvoo. They are now in the Dominican Republic on a mission. Linda is Gay Willis's sister.
The Mississippi River from the end of Parley Street - this is where the Saints gathered to cross the frozen river when they left Nauvoo.
The Nauvoo Temple - it is a beautiful temple. David and I were able to attend two sessions in the temple while we were their. We even got to see Allen Haroldsen's oxen at the baptismal font. 
The Nauvoo Pageant totally teaches the Gospel and emphasizes families, the temple,  missionary work, the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel. It is a fantastic production. Go see it if you ever can. Even better, take your family and be a part of it for two weeks. They are taking online applications now. ;-)