Greetings from our home to yours! This is Elizabeth, Lovina’s oldest daughter. I have decided to take a moment and scribble out some lines.

I have laundry to fold, lunch dishes to wash, and sewing that is beckoning, but I suppose it’s the little things that count, so I’ll pretend not to see the housework as I write.

The children are on spring break from school. They have been looking forward to a week at home for some time now. Me too! No morning rush, just a slow pace, and no alarm clock to interrupt the children’s sleep—all is peaceful quietness. After the children woke up, sleepy eyed, and smiley after a good night’s sleep, I made “Egg in the Nest” for breakfast (a favorite in our house).

Once the children picked up their logos and put away their story books from their afternoon play, they ventured outside to bike around the circle drive. It was a warm breezy evening. Abigail, 7, was very excited when TJ, 5, learned to bike without training wheels several months ago. He has become a little whiz on his bike, giving his older sister a challenge to try to stay ahead of him. TJ reminds me a lot of my brother Ben when Ben was a little boy. Same as Ben, TJ is always up for adventure. Allison, 4, still bikes with training wheels, and Andrea, 2, still hasn’t mastered the art of pedaling a trike without help.

On Sunday afternoon, Tim, the children, and I went for a bike ride. Tim pulled an enclosed bike trailer with Allison and Andrea tucked inside. Abigail and TJ biked along side us. It didn’t take TJ long to wear out, but he enjoyed it none the less. After we returned home, we took a walk out back in our woods and through the hay field. The north side of our property is bordered by a river, which draws a lot of wildlife. Abigail found a four-leaf clover that she was excited to find. TJ ran ahead (not very far) looking for adventure. Allison skipped along, singing and quite happy in her own little world. Andrea was content to sit in the wagon that Tim was pulling.

Tim is still a sawyer at the sawmill. He enjoys it, and we are thankful that he has work and is able to work. Too often, the normal day-to-day things can be taken for granted. We heat with an outdoor wood boiler, so he chops the wood from our woods. Tim planted corn by hand in our five-acre pasture field last spring. We do not have the equipment to plant and pick corn, so he has done it all by hand. I help when I can. Tim is not going to plant corn every year, but our pasture wasn’t doing the best, so he decided to switch it up for a year. It has definitely helped with the feed bill. Tim grew up on a farm, so farm work is nothing new to him.

The children enjoy riding on our open wagon that our trusty old mare Shiann pulls as we pick the corn. It is an enjoyable old-fashioned experience. She loves to steal a corn cob or two as we work. Tim bought Shiann years ago when I first started dating him. I hope she’s around for many years to come. I remember back when I was a child riding on my grandpa’s wagon as my parents, aunts, and grandparents picked corn. Beautiful, treasured memories!

Easter is almost here! Good Friday and Easter are great reminders that we are not walking alone. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). It’s a favorite verse of mine.

Tim and I are considering using our colorful chicken eggs for hard boiling and egg coloring this year for the children. We usually use white eggs, but we have every color egg except white. I’m not sure how the colors will turn out, but we’ll find out. Abigail and TJ do the chicken chores and are always excited to let me know how many eggs they picked. For the time being, our eggs are plentiful. We love deviled eggs so that will be something I can make from the hard-boiled eggs.

Wishing everyone a blessed Good Friday and a lovely Easter!

Ranch and Cheddar Pretzels
2 pounds pretzels, your choice
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Place pretzels in a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over pretzels; toss to mix. Bake in cake pans at 200 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 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.