We are having some warm days after a week of cool weather. I am hoping this heat will be gone, so we can have cooler weather for son Joseph’s wedding next week.

Yes, it’s only ten days until Joseph and Grace’s wedding day, Lord willing.

As the wedding day for son Joseph and Grace gets closer, I treasure these last days of having son Joseph around even more. I will really miss him. He comes home from work and always finds something that needs to be done around here. When he sees me getting laundry off the lines, he’ll come out there and carry the baskets of clothes in for me, saving me lots of steps. This is just one of the many good deeds he does for me, and I will truly miss these days that will soon be a thing of the past.

Last night, it was so warm, and I was dreading having to cook supper. Joseph said, “Mom, I’ll order pizza out for supper, so you won’t have to make anything.” What a treat it was for me.

May God bless him and always be his guide as he takes this next step in life.

Son Kevin will also really miss not having him around. With his handicap, he relies a lot on his brothers Benjamin and Joseph. I hope gradually we can make our house more accessible, but it all takes time and money. He is looking forward to his power chair that we have ordered! This will really help keep his feet from swelling up so much. Being over six feet tall in a mobility scooter all day is not good for his long legs and feet. They are too cramped up and make his feet swell up. Living with a handicap can be a challenge for him and being a caretaker takes a lot of patience. I am so glad my health permits me to be able to help him.

It hardly seems possible that my youngest (Kevin) will turn 19 on September 2. I recently read one of my old columns from 2006 where I wrote “our biggest thrill lately was seeing Kevin taking his first steps and walking short distances. I think he enjoys the attention when everyone oohs and aahs when he stands up.”

Time does not stand still, that is for sure.

August 22 was sister Verena’s 58th birthday. Sister Emma and sons Jacob and Steven, her son Benjamin and Crystal and Isaiah, her daughter Elizabeth and Manuel, her daughter Emma and Menno, Jessica, Menno Jr., and Jazlyn, our family… Joe and I and sons Benjamin, Joseph, and Kevin, daughter Verena, special friends Daniel (Verena) and Grace (Joseph), daughter Elizabeth and Tim, Abigail, T.J. Allison, and Andrea, daughter Susan and Ervin, Kaitlyn, Jennifer, Isaiah, Ryan, Curtis, and Ervin Jr., daughter Loretta and Dustin, Denzel and Byron, daughter Lovina and Daniel all took supper in for Verena’s birthday.

My husband Joe grilled 40 pounds of chicken to take over. Also on the menu was cheesy ranch potatoes, pizza casserole, cucumber salad, chips, bean dip, cake, desserts, watermelon, and more. We had more than enough food and ate outside in the shade. It was a nice evening. Corn hole was played, and the evening went much too fast. Nephews Jacob and Steven make regular and mini corn hole games, plus custom signs, washer toss games, home décor, and much more. They do a great job. They also both have muscular dystrophy, and this helps keep them occupied.

Butterscotch Pie
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) pie crust, baked

In top of double boiler, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken, about 20 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks; continue to cook and stir until filling is thickened.

While pudding mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove filling from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake until the top begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, The Cherished Table, The Essential Amish Cookbook, and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email  [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.