A new year, a new decade lies before us. What does it hold for us? Only God knows. A new year always seems like a fresh start or new beginning to break some old habits or make new resolutions. It doesn’t take a new year to start fresh, though. Our God is such a great help, and we have much to thank him for during this past year.

Baby Allison is 12 days old today as I write this. She is back to her birth weight now, 6 pounds and 1 ounce. She went down to 5 pounds and 10 ounces. She is doing well, but daughter Elizabeth is still a little anemic and feeling as well as can be expected.

Daughter Lovina is helping daughter Elizabeth and Tim with household duties this week. Little T.J. is a busybody and keeps them on their feet.

Daughters Verena and Lovina were staying with them last week, assisting them with their work and children. Last Thursday I also spent the day there, helping out with the work and spoiling the grandbabies.

Last week we washed their bedding and, since it was a nice sunshiny day in the upper 40s, I hung the quilts and sheets out on the line to dry and then put them back on their beds. Daughter Susan and children also came in the afternoon. With five children ages 3 and younger, it takes a lot of care with the little ones but is so much fun.

Sunday, our family and Mose, Susan, and children went to Tim and Elizabeth’s house and took in dinner. We had barbecued chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, lettuce salad, blueberry pie and Jell-O cake. Sisters Verena and Susan also came and stayed to eat dinner with us.

Monday, Jan. 6 was Old Christmas (Epiphany), a holiday that the Amish in this community honor. Those who gathered at my sisters Verena and Susan’s house for the noon meal were brother Albert, Sarah Irene and their children, Leanna, Andrew, Susan, and Sylvia; sister Emma, Jacob and their sons, Jacob Jr., Benjamin and Steven; niece Elizabeth and Manuel; niece Emma, Menno and Jessica; Mose, Susan, Jennifer and Ryan; my husband, Joe, and I and children Verena, Benjamin, Loretta, Joseph, Lovina and Kevin, and Loretta’s special friend, Dustin.

With everyone bringing food, we had a good dinner. On the menu were mashed potatoes, gravy, meatballs, corn, potato salad, cheese, hot peppers, bread, butter, jelly, a variety of pies, peach dessert, brownies, cookies, etc. A variety of snacks were also set out, such as party mix, deer jerky, Christmas candy, etc.

The afternoon was spent playing games. Brother Albert, brother-in-law Jacob and Joe teamed up against their wives in Aggravation. The game’s name proved true for the women’s team. We lost almost every game, but it still was fun.

Other Aggravation games were also being played, as well as Ten Thousand with dice. The house was a bit noisy from all the games being played in the same room.

The Aggravation boards were made by nephew Jacob. He makes them to earn money, as he is limited in what he can do by his muscular dystrophy. He still has both legs / feet in casts up to his knees. He seems to be doing OKwith the surgery so far. He will need lots of therapy after he’s out of the casts.

Daughter Verena has been going to the eye doctor about a scratch on her cornea that flared up. She has already made two trips to the eye doctor and needs to go back again tomorrow to have the contact lens that the doctor put in removed. They want to check if it’s doing better. Our eye doctor in town has several locations and wasn’t in the office nearby so Verena needs to go to the other office, 25 miles away. It sure isn’t cheap with all the trips, but it’s worth taking care of it. She was so miserable and had lots of pain since Monday morning.

Until next week, God bless.

Brownies

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick margarine

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting:

1 stick margarine, melted

4 teaspoons cocoa

1 box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons milk

Mix sugar, flour, and salt; set aside. Bring to a boil the margarine, cocoa, water, and shortening and pour it over the sugar, flour and salt mixture. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, soda, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour into a greased cookie sheet pan with edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting: Mix the frosting ingredients well and pour over brownies while hot.

Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. She, her husband, Joe, and their family live in southeastern Michigan. She is the co-author of four cookbooks; her latest is “Amish Family Recipes,” is available at 800-245-7894 Contact Eicher at P.O. Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply) or at LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org.