We are having some warm days after a week of cool weather. I am hoping this heat will be gone, so we can have cooler weather for son Joseph’s wedding next week. Yes, it’s only ten days until Joseph and Grace’s wedding day, Lord willing. As the wedding day for son Joseph and Grace gets ..read more

It is 5:15 a.m. and the house is very quiet because my husband Joe and sons Benjamin and Joseph have already left for their daily jobs. Daughter Verena left at around 4 a.m. to go across the road to help daughter Loretta while Dustin is at work. Those two little boys (Denzel, 2, and Byron ..read more

We are in the middle of August already. Happy ninth anniversary (on August 14) to daughter Elizabeth and Tim. May they have many more happy, healthy years together. God has blessed them with four sweet children: Abigail, 7, Timothy (T.J.), 5, Allison, 4, and Andrea, 2. Grandson Byron turned a year old on August 7 ..read more

July 27 was grandson Ryan’s fifth birthday. He was excited to be 5 years old. Our whole family gathered on July 24 for supper for son Joseph’s 22nd birthday. On the menu was mashed potatoes, gravy, barbequed chicken, tomatoes, sweet onions, green peppers, hot peppers, colby cheese, zucchini, brownies, and ice cream. We all ate ..read more

I (daughter Lovina) decided to write Mom’s column for her today. It’s been a while since I wrote, and a lot has changed. Daniel and I are married now. We’ve moved into our small place on a secluded dirt road. The house is very cozy. There’s quite a bit of wildlife around here. Deer roam ..read more

Yesterday my husband Joe and I celebrated 31 years of marriage. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been this long. We were married on brother Albert’s birthday. He would have been 60, but God had other plans for Albert. My thoughts were with Albert’s widow Sarah as I thought of the first birthday Albert ..read more

Today daughter Loretta and sons Denzel and Byron came here after my husband Joe and sons left for work. Daughter Verena left last night; she went to daughter Susan and Ervin’s house. She will stay with their five oldest children today while Susan will go help prepare for Ervin’s brother Steven’s wedding, which is Thursday. I’m still trying to get used to not having daughter Lovina home in the mornings. We miss her here, but I am happy for her and Daniel. It seems different seeing her sit with the women in church instead of with the young girls. Denzel is snuggled up with Loretta on the lovesea ..read more

July 1 (yesterday) was daughter Loretta’s 24th birthday. I wish her many more happy, healthy years ahead. Her two little boys keep her busy. Denzel will be 2 years old on July 10 and Byron will be 1 on August 7. On Sunday Joe and I drove with Dustin and Loretta and the boys to the park. Byron was sitting with Loretta and me in the back, and he wouldn’t quit fussing until he could sit up front with Joe, Dustin, and Denzel. Then he would look back at Loretta and me with a grin on his face as if saying, “Ha ha, I like it better up here.” He enjoys watching the horse run. Denzel will hold the line ..read more

I am Lovina’s “English” friend Ruth, and I had the opportunity to help Lovina shop for food, take pictures of the wedding preparation, and then attend Daniel and Lovina’s wedding on Friday, June 21. Lovina asked me to share with you what happens in the days leading up to the wedding, and she will share more about the wedding in her next column. Lovina and Daniel asked Lovina’s sister Emma and her daughter Elizabeth to be the head cooks for the wedding. That is a special responsibility because they were in charge of organizing all the food, deciding what dishes would be prepared in the days lea ..read more

Inside the wedding cook kitchen is enough space and equipment to make all the food. Oh my! Three days left until daughter Lovina and Daniel’s wedding. Everything is starting to fall into place, but once again, I feel nervous that I might have forgotten something. I’m sure I have, but how fortunate I am to have a good friend like Ruth. She’s been so helpful once again. When we are shopping, and my brain seems to fog up, she is my thinker. This is the fourth wedding she has helped me shop for; plus, she also helped with Ervin and Susan’s wedding. I can never repay her for all she has done. I h ..read more