Lovina and her family celebrate Easter

I need to write this column this morning before I leave. Sisters Verena and Emma, nieces Elizabeth and Emma, Crystal (nephew Benjamin’s wife), daughters Elizabeth, Susan, Verena, Lovina, and I are going to daughter Loretta’s house to clean today. Walls, ceilings, windows, furniture, floors, etc. will be cleaned thoroughly. It’s always a good feeling once all is cleaned again. This is in preparation for communion services, which Dustin and Loretta will host on April 30, Lord willing. It will be an enjoyable day to spend together.

I cleaned some windows yesterday here in my house. Some of that rain makes the windows dirty, and then of course there are the little love prints on the inside left by my precious grandchildren. I need to do some spring cleaning since we won’t host church services again here until December. All the families that need to have a tent to host church take it during the summer months. Since we have a pole barn we can heat, we take our turn in the winter months, early spring, or late fall. The last time we hosted church was in May 2022. So I almost need to do deep cleaning in between that time. We have around 35 families that host church, so it’s a while until our turn comes around again.

Loretta is going to make breakfast for us all this morning before we clean. She plans to have pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and rhubarb juice and coffee. Lunch is being brought in by everyone.

Sister Emma has four grandchildren, and I have 10, but four of those are in school. We will still have 10 children there, ages four and younger. It should be an interesting day!

We are having a lovely week weather-wise. Son Joseph hauled manure on the garden and in the garden beds last night. My husband Joe wants to till the garden again now since the manure is added. We have a small tiller that they use to till in the garden beds. Joe is getting eager to get potatoes planted. I also want to plant peas, some radishes, and sweet onions soon. This week, the temperature is in the 70s. I do hope our cold weather is pretty well over for this season.

On Good Friday, we had a nice day with the family all being home. The menu included mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, pork and beans, grilled chicken, lettuce salad, a veggie tray, cheese, hot peppers, colored eggs, and more. There were a few dessert options of berry cream cheese muffins, swiss roll bars (homemade of course), and dirt pudding. The desserts and salad were brought in by my daughters, so that made it easier for me. Sister Verena also came for lunch and then stayed a few nights.

After lunch, Joe and I gave our 10 grandchildren Easter baskets. I make them myself, filling them with little goodies such as a coloring book, colors, bubbles, and more. It’s much cheaper to do it this way. Then came the time for the children to go look for the plastic eggs we hid filled with candy. They were beyond excited, and it was so fun to see their excited little faces when they found the eggs. The day was nice and sunny but chilly. At least it wasn’t raining. I hope everyone had a blessed Easter.

Sunday evening, Joe and I went to daughter Verena’s for a hobo supper by the campfire. It was a nice evening to sit by the fire. Daughter Elizabeth, Tim, and children; daughter Susan, Ervin, and children; sons Benjamin and Kevin, and nephew Henry were also there for the evening.

I need to get started with the morning work before I head over to Loretta’s. God bless!

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

Olive oil for panfrying

12 to 15 large Morel mushrooms

Stir the flour, milk, egg, and salt together in a large bowl. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet until sizzling. Dip the mushrooms in the batter and put them in the skillet. Fry each side until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Readers can write to her at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her.