It is 9 p.m. as I sit here on our front wraparound porch—a cool place to relax at night. My patio table and chairs are in the corner, so I get the west and north breeze. It is so peaceful. Daughter Verena is here tonight. I can hear her and daughter Lovina talking in the distance. Typical sister chatter, but it warms my mother heart. They love to catch up when they get a night together! I am always glad when Verena comes for a night or two. Verena drove her mobility scooter over to my sister Verena’s house this afternoon to visit with her awhile.

Sons Benjamin and Joseph left right after they came home from work. They are helping son-in-law Tim put in some hay. Church services will be held at daughter Elizabeth and Tim’s place in four weeks, Lord willing, so their work is extra right now to clean and prepare for that. They will have the services under a big tent in their yard.

With the boys not being home for supper, we had an easy supper for the rest of us. Fried eggs, toast, and Colby cheese were on the menu.

This is Monday night, so we did laundry today. My Maytag washing machine had been giving me problems for a long time—the wringer would swing around when a thick piece of clothes went through it, so I would always have to hold on to it to prevent this. On Saturday, son Joseph took it to our neighbor and he fixed it, plus did other repairs that needed to be done.

By Saturday afternoon it was ready to come back, so son Benjamin went to go bring it home. I told the girls this morning that it probably sounds stupid to say, but I felt like I had a present, having a remodeled Maytag washer to wash our laundry in. Haha! It worked great today! Oh, how happy I was to have it working good again.

Today, July 10, is grandson Denzel’s first birthday (Dustin and Loretta’s son). The year sure went by fast. On Sunday night, Dustin and Loretta hosted both sides of their families in honor of Loretta’s 23rd birthday and Denzel’s first. Loretta and Lovina made the cakes, and I think they did a wonderful job with them. Denzel wasn’t too thrilled to have a little cake to dig into. I think he was tired, though, from having been to church earlier in the day. On the menu was grilled hamburgers and all the trimmings, french fries, lettuce salad (brought in by Tim and Elizabeth), mocha pudding (brought in by Ervin and Susan), cherry and butterscotch pies (brought in by me), cake, and ice cream.

Now I will share some sweet stories about sweet little granddaughter Allison, age 3. Allison asks, “Mom, does it make God happy that I prayed?”

Mom Elizabeth replies, “Yes, it makes Him very happy.”

Allison—“Then will He take us along?”

Not sure what she meant, her mom asks her, “Along where?”

“To heaven,” says Allison. “Will He take us along to heaven if I pray?

On the way home from Dustin and Loretta’s house, she asked her Daddy Tim if she could have a drink of water. She remarked, “Water makes me grow bigger and bigger.” Also, one day as she was eating lunch, her brother Timothy (T.J.) wanted her to come see the dump trucks go by. She said, “I can’t, I’m eating.”

T.J. says, “Come anyhow.”

She said, “No, food is important. Dump trucks are not important.” Such sweet innocence. Allison is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little sweetheart. God’s blessings!

Icebox Butterhorns
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (110–115 degrees)
2 cups warm milk (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter, melted
Additional melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, sugar, egg, salt, and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Beat in butter and remaining flour (dough will be slightly sticky). Do not knead. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, punch dough down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Cut each circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Beginning at the wide end, roll up each wedge. Place rolls, point side down, two inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush tops with melted butter. Yield: Two dozen.

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.