Lovina sits in a warm comfortable home remembering her parents on their anniversary

These two horses belong to son-in-law Tim, who just recently celebrated his birthday on October 18.

It’s October 17, and although my parents have both been gone for over 20 years, I still think of their anniversary date. They were married October 17, 1957. Rest in peace, dear parents. You are still so greatly missed.

Tomorrow (October 18) is son-in-law Tim’s birthday. He will be 35. Happy birthday, Tim! We wish you many more happy years.

Our house feels so much more comfortable since my husband Joe started the coal stove on Saturday. We had four tons of coal delivered, and we will probably need more than that later. When it turns real cold, we heat part of the pole barn where we keep our phone and battery packs for the solar. We also have a kitchen sink and a bathroom in there, so it keeps that from freezing as well. Hard coal sure went up in price but so does everything else. The cost of living is so unbelievable. God always provides it seems. Sometimes we forget all the many blessings he sends to us.

It has now been almost five weeks since son Benjamin broke his leg. He went to the doctor’s last week and had his 17 staples removed. The doctor told him four more weeks of no weight on that leg.

Benjamin is still receiving cards, and he looks forward to that. Thanks so much to everyone for the cards and gifts. This had been a hard time for Benjamin to not be able to go to work and not be as active as he usually is. May God grant him the patience and help him through this trial in life.

Daughter Loretta is here again today with 10-week-old Byron and 15-month-old Denzel. Byron weighs 10 pounds, 1 ounce now. He was 6 pounds, 7.8 ounces at birth. Byron is starting to coo and giggle. He likes to watch toys hanging from the swing too. You can see he’s getting older and is so much more alert. Of course, Denzel loves to pick on his little brother. Denzel is starting his terrible twos already. He loves finding everything he isn’t allowed to have. My cabinets are his favorite place, and if someone forgets to close the gate on the upstairs steps, he gets up there so fast.

On Thursday, daughter Susan and Ervin will be table waiters at Ervin’s first wife Sarah’s Aunt Carolyn’s wedding. Carolyn is a widow and is getting married to a widower. We wish them God’s many blessings as they join hands.

Church services were held in the pole barn at niece Emma and Menno’s on Sunday. Their lunch menu included homemade wheat and white bread, ham, cheese, peanut butter spread, pickles, red beets, hot pepper butter, butter, jelly, hot peppers, coffee, tea, and cookies.

We went back for supper, and barbequed chicken was on the menu with various other food. Joe and I took our horse Midnight but had to come back in the afternoon to let Midnight’s four-month-old colt nurse before we went back for supper. Midnight gets rowdy when she’s away from her colt for too long.

Tomorrow is our final cooking and baking day for my forthcoming cookbook (June 25, 2024) called The Cherished Table.

God bless!

Chocolate Pumpkin YummyCake:4 large eggs, at room temperature2 cups sugar1 cup vegetable oil2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking soda1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups canned pumpkin pureeGlaze:1 cup chocolate chips1 tablespoon light corn syrup1 cup heavy creamPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch bundt cake pan. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until blended. Beat in oil. Sift flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into egg mixture. Fold in dry ingredients and pumpkin puree. Pour batter into pan and bake until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.Make glaze: Place chocolate and corn syrup in a heatproof bowl. In a pan, warm cream over medium heat until it simmers. Pour cream over chocolate, let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Place cake on a rack over a baking sheet. Drizzle glaze over cake. Let sit until set.

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

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Amish Kitchen: Lovina remembers her parents on their anniversary