Category Archives: Cookies and Bars

Lovina Marks 20 Years of Column Writing

This week brings us into autumn already. This week always takes me back to twenty years ago when my dear mother so suddenly passed away. She died September 17 but was in Blue Springs, Missouri, at the time of her death. The funeral wasn’t until September 23. My mother penned this column for eleven years, … Continue Reading ››

Holding On to Precious Memories

This week I have been busy sewing for nephew Benjamin’s wedding, which will be next week. Once again, I put off my sewing until it was too close to the day. I sewed my dress, cape, and apron on Tuesday. Yesterday I cut out dresses, capes, and aprons for daughters Verena and Lovina and sewed Verena’s … Continue Reading ››

A Day in the Life with Lovina and Her Family

Diary of June 28, 2022 4 a.m. The alarm rings, and it’s time to start another day. I pack lunch for my husband Joe and make him breakfast. For breakfast, I make him an egg, sausage, and cheese in a soft tortilla shell. He likes to stay away from too much bread, so I get the … Continue Reading ››

Taking Time for Coffee Breaks with Family

We ended up with 10–12 inches of snow in this area last week. Now the temperature is above freezing this morning. This forenoon, my plans are to go with daughters Verena and Susan and grandchildren Jennifer and Ryan to have a coffee break with Martha. Martha is a widow with five children in this community. Her … Continue Reading ››

December events penned by Daughter Verena

This column was written the week before Christmas. Hello Readers, I am Lovina’s daughter Verena. Mom has been telling us girls we should take a turn writing. It has been over ten months now that I have moved in with sister Susan. When I first moved in, my niece Jennifer (almost 4) had a hard time understanding why … Continue Reading ››

Try a new recipe for your holiday baking

Since the holiday season is here, I decided to share some recipes. These were shared with me and my daughters by readers over the 19 years of my writing. So, as you do your holiday baking you might enjoy incorporating a new recipe! Christmas Cookies 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups flour, sifted 1/2 … Continue Reading ››

Trying a new recipe to celebrate Thanksgiving

It’s probably our coldest morning so far this fall. The mercury on the thermometer dipped down to almost 20 degrees. How thankful we are for a cozy house to live in. Some are not so fortunate. We should thank God every day for our many blessings, but as I write this, with Thanksgiving Day in … Continue Reading ››

Mourning the Loss of a Mother in the Community

Son Kevin is spending the night at daughter Elizabeth and Tim’s house. He will go deer hunting with Tim in the morning. Tonight we attended the visitation for a 41-year-old woman in our community. We were shocked and saddened when son-in-law Mose’s cousin, Ruth Ann, passed away after giving birth ten days earlier. Ruth Ann leaves … Continue Reading ››

Making friends with Hatchi, a new dog

4 a.m. Our alarm rings, and it’s time to get up. I was so used to getting up an hour earlier with daylight savings time that I always wake up at 3 a.m. now. Sometimes it’s hard to fall back to sleep for an hour until the alarm rings. I make son Joseph and my husband … Continue Reading ››

The Eicher Family Mourns Another Loss

It is with a heavy heart that I write this column. Brother-in-law Jacob (sister Emma’s husband) was admitted to the hospital while we were at the Outer Banks. We were able to talk to him and Emma on Thursday night, but Jacob was very weak and losing out fast. He was airlifted to a bigger … Continue Reading ››