I ended up not going to the comfort knotting last week. Instead, I went with daughter Susan and Ervin to the hospital. Now I have exciting news to share. Ervin Jay Yoder Jr. was born to Ervin and Susan at 6:17 p.m. on November 14. He weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and is 19.5 inches long. Joe and I now have 12 grandchildren. Ervin Jay is so sweet and has won our hearts already. Now you will hear from daughter Verena:

Hello! This is Lovina’s daughter Verena. I decided to write the column for Mom since I was really in a writing mood. It is currently 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 18. This week sure has been a busy one for me, but also very exciting.

Tuesday I went with Dustin and sister Loretta to an appointment to help with Denzel and Byron. We left at 11 a.m. and didn’t get home until 5:30 p.m. I then went over to sister Elizabeth’s since Ervin and Susan had dropped their five children off there. It was fun and exciting to let Kaitlyn, 7, Jennifer, 5, Isaiah, 5, Ryan, 4, and Curtis, 4, know they have a baby brother, Ervin Jay. They couldn’t wait to meet him.

Tim and Elizabeth took the five children and me back to Ervin and Susan’s place that night. I stayed there with the children and woke them up at 6 a.m. on Wednesday to get ready for school. Ryan was up most of the night worrying about where his parents were, so he did not get the best sleep. I kept him home but sent the other four. Ervin and Susan did not get home until 9 p.m. that night. Kaitlyn and Jennifer were the only ones who did not go to sleep, because they were super excited to meet Ervin Jay. They both got to hold him a little bit before they went to bed.

Thursday morning, Ervin helped me get the children ready for school. Getting five children ages 4–7 ready for school can be a hassle. There’s always one missing something.

Elizabeth dropped off a casserole on her way over to Mom’s. She brought a ranch potato casserole, corn, and garlic cheese bread. Allison and Andrea were with her. They all came in to meet baby Ervin.

Thursday night, Ervin’s dad and mom, his brother Glen, and Glen’s girlfriend stopped in to meet Ervin Jay. Ervin’s mom brought two homemade pizzas. I heated up Elizabeth’s casseroles along with the pizza for all of us for supper. The children were glad that Grandpa Yoders and Uncle Glen and his girlfriend came for supper.

Friday morning I only had to get Kaitlyn, Jennifer, and Isaiah ready for school. Ryan and Curtis don’t go on Fridays.

Dustin and Loretta brought supper. My parents also came. It was really enjoyable, and the children were excited that they came.

This morning my boyfriend Daniel and I washed all the laundry. It sure adds up fast. I had washed it all on Wednesday. I’m trying to wash clothes three times a week so it’s not so big each time. Ervin and Daniel hung the laundry on the wash lines for me while I prepared lunch. Sister Loretta and I made a breakfast casserole last night for this morning, so breakfast was easy.

All the children are down for a nap right now. They have been getting up extra early because they are excited about the new baby. Jennifer got out of bed way earlier than she normally does to hold baby Ervin. Susan has to set a timer for the children because they argue about who gets to hold him. Haha!

I want to sweep and mop yet, and clean the bathrooms, and laundry has to be off the lines yet. Kaithlyn and Jennifer will help me clean the bathrooms after their nap. The children will help get the laundry off the lines. They are pretty good at that. They are also good at putting their clothes away after I fold it for them.

Sometime before bedtime I need to bathe the children and wash their hair. Saturdays are always extra busy.

It is now Monday. Yesterday my parents and siblings, Tim and Elizabeth and children, Dustin and Loretta and boys, cousin Steven, and Daniel were all here. Dad grilled a turkey and Mom brought mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, dinner rolls, apple cake, and cookies. Elizabeth brought lettuce salad, and Loretta brought peaches and brownies.

I’m going to sign off on this. I have work that needs to be done. You all take care, and God bless!

Apple Doodle
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 heaping cup finely chopped apples

Beat egg well. Add sugar and cream together well. Add almond flavoring, then add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold in chopped apples. Pour into an 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees on top rack of oven for 25 minutes, or until brown. Serve either hot or cold.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold.  Because Lovina is Old Order Amish, she does not have email or a telephone in her home. Lovina does not respond to comments on this website, if you would like to contact her directly, click here.

Son Joseph’s 21st birthday was yesterday. Joseph and his special friend Grace, daughter Verena, and son Benjamin went out to eat in honor of his birthday. We couldn’t have a birthday supper here as I ended up at the ER with son Kevin, 17.

Kevin fell when getting up from his mobility scooter and fell face-first on cement. He had a big cut by his eyebrow. The doctor did a great job in putting in nine stitches. He has a sore eye from it.

Saturday was the wedding day of nephew Menno and Diane. Joe and I were unable to attend, but some of our children did. Sons Benjamin, Joseph, and Kevin, daughter Lovina, Daniel and Grace (Lovina and Joseph’s special friends), and nephew Henry had an Amish driver take them to the wedding in Clare, Michigan. It was almost three hours north from here. They started out around 6 a.m. and arrived back home at 6 p.m.

Church services were at our neighbors Levi and Leah’s on Sunday. It was held under a tent, and when it started raining, it was a challenge to keep the rain drained off the roof of the tent. We are glad for the much-needed rain, even if it wasn’t when we would have wanted it to come. After so much dryness earlier this year, we will gladly take the rain. The grass looks so much greener now.

I don’t often see cousin Esther and cousin Johnny, but they were both in church Sunday. Brings back memories of years ago, when we were all in the same church growing up. Life has brought so many changes.

Joe and I were invited back for supper at Levi and Leah’s. They had grilled chicken, potato casserole, various salads, and desserts. A delicious supper!

Those assisting daughter Tim and Elizabeth recently in preparations to host church services in two weeks were: Joe and me, daughter Susan and Ervin and children Kaitlyn, 6, Jennifer, 5, Isaiah, 5, Ryan, 3, and Curtis, 3, daughter Loretta, Dustin, and son Denzel. Lots of jobs were accomplished.

Son Joseph and daughter Lovina will have Class 7 in baptismal instructions at Tim and Elizabeth’s church services. Our children need encouragement and our daily prayers. May God always be their guide as we travel into the unknown future.

This coming Thursday, plans are to go help daughter Elizabeth again. Those also going (Lord willing) are sisters Verena and Emma, niece Elizabeth, niece Emma and children, nephew Benjamin’s wife Crystal and son, daughters Susan and children, Verena, and Loretta and son. We should be able to get a lot accomplished for Elizabeth. It is always just enjoyable to be together for a day.

Thursday (July 27) will also be grandson Ryan’s fourth birthday and niece Emma’s son Menno’s third birthday. Daughter Lovina plans to bake a cake for them to have with lunch while we are there at Tim and Elizabeth’s house.

We are getting lots of goodies from our gardens. It is so easy to make a meal. Tonight we will have sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumber salad, and fried chicken.

Last week Lovina and I made meals for the neighbors who had new babies in the past six months. There were four little girls born within a half-mile from here since December. I’m sure the young mothers were glad for a meal brought in. Lovina made cakes to send along to each family. She enjoys decorating cakes.

God’s blessings to all!

Chocolate Cake
3 cups all purpose-flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sour cream or buttermilk
1 cup shortening
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. In another large bowl, cream together sour cream and shortening. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Mix flour mixture into sour cream mixture, then stir in boiling water. Pour into a greased 10 x 15-inch jellyroll pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30–40 minutes.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold.  Because Lovina is Old Order Amish, she does not have email or a telephone in her home. Lovina does not respond to comments on this website, if you would like to contact her directly, click here.

Yesterday we finished up with the rest of the beef. My husband Joe, son Joseph, and sons-in-law Tim and Dustin had dressed two beefs on March 11—that was the day we heard Aunt Lovina passed away. We waited to start on ours until we were back from Ohio. Dustin and Loretta split half of their beef with his brother Clint and Hannah. Clint picked up their two quarters and Dustins cut up their meat here. We had a lot of nice hamburger and steaks to fill our freezer. I canned some beef chunks, and now I want to make beef jerky today. We had another cold spell, which was nice to keep the beefs chilled. This puts an end to our butchering for this season. It sure is a relief to be done, but it is such a blessing to be able to have meat in the freezer and in cans.

Granddaughter Jennifer, 5, is back to good health since she had surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. She was very happy to receive a sunshine box from our church on Sunday. She had a lot of nice gifts.

Our church also made a sunshine box for grandson Timothy (T.J.) on Sunday. While we were in Ohio, he had surgery to reattach part of his right pointer finger. He somehow got it in a bike chain, tearing it completely off. Tim and Elizabeth’s neighbor took Tim and T.J. to the hospital, but it was bleeding so badly that they didn’t know part of the finger was off. After Tim left, Elizabeth found the other part of the finger and had someone take her to the hospital to see if the doctors could reattach it. They did surgery at a bigger hospital and have his whole arm in a cast for six to eight weeks. The doctors hope it will reconnect with the rest of the finger. If not, it will be taken back off. T.J. is an active little four-year-old, so the cast is driving him crazy. He sat beside me Sunday in church and kept trying to scratch the cast because his arm was itchy.

He was very excited for the sunshine box, and he also received nice gifts. Hopefully this will keep him entertained while his right hand and arm are casted.

Brother Albert and Sarah Irene, nephew Albert Jr., sisters Verena and Emma, Joe and I, and daughter Verena traveled to Baltic, Ohio, last Tuesday morning. We attended the viewing/visitation of Aunt Lovina on Tuesday then went to a motel for the night. We attended her funeral on Wednesday, and we arrived back home Wednesday evening.

Aunt Lovina was 83 when she passed. I was named after her. My mother said Aunt Lovina took care of her five older children when I was born at home, so they decided to name me after her. Lovina was married to Uncle Toby for 39 years. She later remarried Abe Raber from Ohio and was married to him for 17 years. Abe passed away in August 2020. Lovina had recently moved to Kentucky to live with her daughter Leah and Elmer.

Uncle Toby and Aunt Lovina had nine children and lived around four miles from us growing up. We were in the same church ever since I was born until Toby died in 1999 and Aunt Lovina later moved to LaGrange, Indiana, and then on to Baltic, Ohio, after getting married to Abe.

I have many so memories of our two families together. I spent many nights over at Uncle Toby’s. I was right between their daughters Emma and Verena in age. It was very nice to see all the family again, and also many other cousins and friends. Aunt Emma was also there. She fell somehow while traveling to Ohio, by slipping on ice if I understood right. Aunt Emma is 82. My mother has three sisters living.

My cousin Leah’s daughter brought Aunt Lovina here for a day last year. Sister Emma and her daughters and my daughters were all here, too. We had a good day with Lovina. She still had a good mind and was active for her age. She will be missed greatly by all who loved her. I called Aunt Lovina on her 83rd birthday, which was on July 20, and we had a nice talk. She had left me a voicemail on July 18, saying that she was thinking of us on Mother’s 86th birthday. Rest in peace, dear Aunt Lovina.

Our sympathy goes to all her nine children and spouses, 87 grandchildren, 67 great grandchildren, 10 stepchildren, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

On Friday morning we received word that Joe’s Uncle Jake died in Ohio. We regret that we were unable to attend his funeral. We are glad we got to visit with him at his sister’s (Aunt Nancy) viewing. Our sympathy goes to Aunt Mary and the family.

On April 1, some of my family and I will be at the Plain and Simple Craft Show selling and signing cookbooks from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lord willing! I would love to meet any readers that can come. The address is 345 South Van Buren Street, Shipshewana, Indiana 46565. God’s blessings to all!

I’ll share a recipe that is often served at our local funerals. Slips are passed out and there is always a variety of pie fillings and cake used. A great dish and very tasty.

Cake Delight

1 cake mix (any kind)
12 ounces cream cheese
12 ounces whipped topping
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 quarts pie filling, any flavor

Mix and bake cake mix as directed on the box. Pour into a greased 11×15 inch jelly roll pan. Then cream together cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar and spread on cooled cake. Top with pie filling.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold.  Because Lovina is Old Order Amish, she does not have email or a telephone in her home. Lovina does not respond to comments on this website, if you would like to contact her directly, click here.

Canning season is in full swing around here. We are a week into September already. September 10 is granddaughter Abigail’s 6th birthday. Her birth brought us much excitement, as she put Joe and me on the grandparent list. Every grandchild brings excitement, but that first grandchild makes a change in your life.

Last night all the family were here for supper. We had mashed potatoes, beef and noodles, cucumber salad, cheese, cookies, and canned peaches.

Son Kevin turned 17 on September 2. Daughter Lovina and I made him a horseshoe-shaped cake. We celebrated his birthday a day earlier, as our family gathered here for a farewell supper for our dear friend Jodi.

Jodi, whose husband Dan was killed in same accident that took the life of daughter Susan’s husband Mose, has moved to Alabama to live with her daughter Krista and family. We have come to be good friends with Jodi and will really miss her being close by. I understand that she wants to be closer to her daughter, though.

We made a haystack dinner for Jodi and her son James and family. It was nice to spend a night together before she headed south.

Daughter Elizabeth and Tim are glad that church services at their house are now over. It’s always a good feeling to have everything cleaned again. A baptismal service for son Benjamin was held there on Saturday. After most of the people left, sister Emma’s family and our family helped pack up the dishes in the bench wagon, and the men put all the benches back in. The tent was taken down and packed up in the tent trailer to be pulled to the next ones that need it.

Tims served a good church lunch of homemade wheat and white bread, ham, cheese, peanut butter mixture, pickles, red beets, hot peppers, butter, grape jelly, coffee, iced tea, and a variety of cookies.

It was a nice, sunny day to have services under a tent. The sun warmed up later in the day, making the iced tea sister Emma made taste extra good.

It always seems to make a parent’s heart so thankful when another child takes that precious step in life and accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior. May God continue to be Benjamin’s guide as we travel into the unknown future.

Today my husband Joe stayed home from work, as he has several appointments. First we will go to the doctor’s office to find out the results on some blood tests he took. Then we will head over to the hospital, where he has to take a stress test. Joe has been having some health complications, so we hope to get good results. I can’t believe the cost of doctor and hospital visits, but like everything else, the prices go up. We will take one day at a time and trust in our Heavenly Father above.

I want to apologize to readers who have written letters to me that didn’t receive an answer yet. I managed to get a few more answered this week. If you have a stamped envelope with your letter, you will get a reply, but I can’t promise when. Also, if you are requesting recipes that I haven’t had in the columns, then I will try to print those in a future column to save time. I appreciate all the kind, encouraging letters I receive. Daughter Loretta appreciates all the get well and baby cards and gifts she has received. May God bless you for your kind deeds. Until next week… God bless!

This recipe was requested by a reader.

Whoopie Pies
4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch of salt
2 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour milk (2 tablespoons vinegar added to sweet milk to make a cup)
1 cup hot water

Cream filling:
1 3/4 cups butter at room temperature
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
10–14 ounces marshmallow crème

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; in a separate bowl, cream eggs, sugar, shortening and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients alternately with sour milk to creamed mixture, then add hot water last. Buttermilk can be substituted for the sour milk. Drop on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees about 8 minutes or until done.

For cream filling, cream butter and powdered sugar; whip until fluffy, then blend in vanilla. Fold in marshmallow crème until combined. Chill for 20 minutes. Put two cookies together with cream filling in between.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold.  Because Lovina is Old Order Amish, she does not have email or a telephone in her home. Lovina does not respond to comments on this website, if you would like to contact her directly, click here.