Breakfast, Casseroles

October is Lovina’s 12-year column anniversary, with four preschoolers

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Another week has already gone by, which makes it time to get this column written. The weeks just fly by. I write my columns in one-subject notebooks which have amounted to quite a few in the years of penning this column. This month 12 years ago is when I wrote my first column. I think … Continue Reading ››
Salads

Grilling for 60 at family picnic: 12-layer Jell-O salad echoes colorful fall

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We have entered the month of October. It’s so hard to believe that autumn is here and the trees are showing their autumn splendor. Our yard is accumulating more leaves every day.
U-pick grape arbor
U-pick grape arbor.
Daughter Verena, 16, and I just came home … Continue Reading ››
Casseroles, Meats

A pony, A wedding, and a children’s cornfield hideaway

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A lovely Tuesday evening! It was a chilly 41 degrees this morning but warmed up into the 70s. Right now it is pretty quiet in this house. Six of our children decided to go the four miles to sister Emma and Jacob’s house. Some rode the ponies and some biked. They wanted to go see Jacob’s … Continue Reading ››
Breakfast, Cakes

Memories of loved ones flavor the week

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It’s a little after 7:00 a.m. As I look out toward the east, it looks like it will be a beautiful day. The red glow of the sun is beaming over the trees. What a sight to behold. And only our Master Artist can create such wonderful art. The four youngest children left a few minutes … Continue Reading ››
Vegetables

Remembering an uncle and enjoying an autumn haystack meal

Another week has passed, and it is time to get this column on its way. Last Friday around 8:30 a.m. sisters Verena and Susan; sister Emma and her husband Jacob; and my husband, Joe, and I hired a driver with a minivan to take us to Lafayette, Ind., to Uncle Andy’s funeral. It took us more … Continue Reading ››
Meats, Vegetables

Busy butchering day proves a blessing

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Today is our youngest child Kevin’s ninth birthday. Has it really been that long? It was also the first day of school, so he was a tired little boy tonight. Daughter Verena baked a horseshoe-shaped cake for him today since I wasn’t home all day. He requested a horseshoe cake and wanted chocolate cake. [caption id="attachment_194" … Continue Reading ››
Cakes, Desserts

Family visits and a caramel cake for summer’s end

Sister Verena’s forty-eighth birthday was Friday, August 22. She recently had our family and Jacob, Emma and their family there in honor of her birthday. We enjoyed a pizza dinner. Sister Susan made a cake for Verena but then surprised her with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Continue Reading ››
Breakfast, Casseroles

Routine surgery takes scary turn

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It is Sunday evening around 9 p.m. All is quieting down here at the Eicher homestead. Tomorrow looks like a busy day and this column needs to be in the mail. Son Joseph, 12, had surgery on Thursday to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. We arrived home by 4 p.m. and were thankful all went … Continue Reading ››
Snacks

Wedding invitations—and soft pretzels—abound

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Canning season is in full swing. This past week we canned hot peppers (Serrano), dill pickles and salsa. I have a lot more tomatoes that need to be used, and I still have plenty of tomato juice, so I will make more salsa. What a blessing to be able to fill all those empty jars … Continue Reading ››