I am excited to announce the birth of our 14th grandchild. Sharlene Lovina Yoder was born July 17 at 6:13 p.m. to Susan and Ervin. She weighed 7 pounds 11.8 ounces, and measured 20 inches long. She is greeted by two sisters and four brothers. Sharlene evens out the grandsons and granddaughters for Joe and me. I went along to the hospital to attend the birth. Once again I am amazed at the miracle of birth and how God creates such uniqueness. Mother and baby are doing as well as can be expected. Little Sharlene has already won this grandma’s heart. She’s a precious bundle of joy and has plenty of attention from her six siblings.

I stayed with Ervin and Susan’s six children this afternoon while they took Sharlene to her first doctor’s visit. I made spaghetti and meatballs before I left to take along for supper. Susan doesn’t have anyone helping her during the day while Ervin is at work, but Kaitlyn and Jennifer, two of my granddaughters, are good at helping out. I did some of Susan’s mending and cleaning while I was there. I brought the rest of the mending home and also all the dirty laundry. I will wash it here tomorrow. That will help out so she doesn’t have to worry about getting their clothes washed.

While I was at Ervin and Susan’s house, I asked the children a few questions about the new baby and school.

Kaitlyn Rose, 8 — “I am so happy I have a baby sister. I will be in third grade. I will be in the same class as my cousin Abigail. I wash dishes and watch brother Jr. and the baby for my mom.”

Jennifer Susan, 7 — “I am 7 years old and I just love my baby sister Sharlene Lovina. I help my mom by washing dishes and sweeping the floors. I help babysit (Ervin Jay) Jr. and Sharlene. I will be in second grade when school starts again.”

Isaiah Edward, 7 — “I like our new baby. I am glad to go back to school. I will be in second grade.”

Ryan Isaiah, 5 — “I am 5 now but I will be 6 on Sunday (July 27). I love my baby sister Sharlene Lovina. I am excited to go to school. I will be in kindergarten.”

Curtis Dale, 5 — “I like the new baby. I wipe dishes and rinse dishes. I want to go to school. I will be in Kindergarten ALREADY.” (He put a lot of emphasis on the “Already.”)

I then asked 20-month-old Ervin Jay Jr. what he thought of someone replacing him to be the baby. He laughed at me and said, “Blah blah blah.” The children laughed and said, “Grandma put that in your column, too.”

They were a well-behaved bunch and listened well to grandma. It’s amazing how their two sets of children didn’t even know each other until a little over three years ago.

To readers new to this column, Susan was first married to Mose and they had two children, Jennifer and Ryan. Mose died of injuries due to an automobile accident when he and his driver Dan were on their way to work. They were hit head on by a car crossing the center line. Dan died instantly and Mose lived five more days but was never conscious. Ervin had lost his wife three months earlier after a battle with breast cancer. He was left with three children: Kaitlyn, Isaiah and Curtis. Ervin and Susan together have a son, Ervin Jay Jr., and now this new bundle of joy. They all have had many adjustments but are a happy blended family. We don’t always know why things happen, but God has a plan for each of us.

We are invited to a wedding Wednesday and another one Thursday. It doesn’t look like we will be able to attend either one, but congratulations to Daniel and Marilyn, and Micheal and Christina. May you both have a long happy married life together with God as your guide.

Happy birthday to son Joseph who will be 23 on July 24 and grandson Ryan who will be 6 on July 27. Some of our family enjoyed a delicious grilled supper at Joseph and Grace’s place in honor of his birthday on Friday night. My sister Verena went with us and spent the night here.

Did you know my editors have a Facebook page for me — Lovina’s Amish Kitchen? You can find pictures and short posts there.

God’s blessings!

ZUCCHINI SALAD

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini

2 green onions

1 green pepper

1 celery rib

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Slice unpared zucchini in about 1/8 slices. Slice green onions. Seed green peppers and slice thinly. Coarsely chop or thinly slice celery and carrots. Beat together sugar, vinegar, oil and salt until well mixed. Pour over vegetables and gently toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When ready to serve, spoon into a glass bowl. The salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least two days.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight who lives in southeastern Michigan.