It's May, and next month will be June, and the wedding of my daughters Lovina and Danielle is getting closer and closer. I try not to be nervous, but it always feels so far away. Yesterday, her daughter Susan told me that her wedding was 7 weeks away, so I thought I might as well start sewing. My goal today is to cut all the clothes, but this is a task I don't care about as much as the sewing part.
My husband Joe went back to work this week. His hands are working pretty well. I think he's just tired of thinking about all the work he has to do before the wedding. We'll take it one day at a time.
Joe and I planted the garden on Saturday. Elevated beds certainly save our backs. I still don't have enough beds, so I planted potatoes, corn, green beans, zucchini, and peas in the garden. I have seven, and they fill up quickly with sweet onions, radishes, lettuce, bell peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes, and more. I felt relieved that I was able to get my garden in order. Now you need to remove the weeds.
After work on Saturday, Joe and I showered, packed up, and drove the horse and pram to our daughter Elizabeth and Tim's house, less than 11 miles from here. Tim asked us to come. Tim and his kids found lots of mushrooms, and he said they'd love to come and eat them once he fixed them up.
When we arrived in the car, all four children ran toward the buggy shouting, “Grandma and Grandpa!” Even little Andrea, 2 years old, was jumping up and down screaming our names. What a warm welcome! We felt luxurious. Tim started a campfire and Joe and I sat at the table next to it and enjoyed the delicious dinner they had cooked. They grilled chicken, cooked potatoes over the fire, and fixed mushrooms. Afterwards, I had peanut butter pie and ice cream for dessert.
Abigail, 7, and Timothy (TJ), 5, took turns riding miniature pony Prancer. Prancer was once our family pony. It brought back memories of when his daughter Lovina and his son Kevin rode him like that. Prancer loved children, and he helped them climb up and down, but sometimes he wanted to eat grass without walking around. Abigail combed and curled his hair and he loves it. We had a very relaxing evening!
The next morning we slept a little late and enjoyed a delicious breakfast consisting of fried eggs and potatoes, bacon, toast, cheese and chili peppers. A table was prepared for 8 of us. Alison and Andrea both wanted to sit between Grandpa and me, but the argument was resolved with Alison giving up. She is a cute little girl with very blonde hair and blue eyes, and she plays very quietly by herself.
We played games with the children. I was surprised at how well TJ played checkers. He gets very excited when he plays. Then we played Uno and found Abigail didn't say Uno when he got down to one card. They thought it was strange that I had to take two more cards. We had a great time.
We met all 12 grandchildren as Dustin, Loretta and their sons, and Irvin, Susan and their six children came to Tim's house for an afternoon snack. Each one is very special. Isaiah will celebrate her 6th birthday on May 10th and her son-in-law Irvin will celebrate her birthday on May 11th. Happy birthday to both of you.
Lovina wants to bake a cake for Isaiah someday. Next week, her daughters are coming over for a day to make frozen noodle and strawberry jam for a wedding. You should also can the rhubarb juice as soon as the rhubarb is fully grown. We still enjoy meals with asparagus.
Thank you for continuing to pray for Brother Albert. I am extremely grateful! god bless!
The author of Lovina's Amish Kitchen Lovina Eicher Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight children. Her two cookbooks, The Essential Amish Cookbook and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers may write to Eicher at Lovina's Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a stamped return envelope for return). Or email her at LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and her message will be passed to her to read. She does not respond to her emails personally.
