It’s a hot and humid week with the temperatures hovering close to the 100-degree mark by midday. It doesn’t cool down much at night. I’m so thankful for our fans. We have some that run by batteries and others by solar power. With the windows closed and shades down, it isn’t too bad in here. We do have a nice cool basement to sleep in if it gets unbearable.

Growing up we didn’t even have fans. My dad had asthma and hay fever, and he struggled in the heat to breathe. I remember when he finally bought him a little square battery fan and would sit in front of it.

Joe and I lived with my parents for the first 16 months after our marriage. The night our oldest Elizabeth was born seemed like the hottest night of the year. Dad knew I was miserable with the heat, and he came up to me and offered his little fan.

I don’t know what helped me more, the fan or knowing what he was sacrificing to give up his little fan for me. He was a great father, and I will forever treasure the memories I have of him. I wish my children would’ve been able to know him. He died much too soon in life, but we know God makes no mistakes.

Last week I went to daughter Susan and Ervin’s house three days to assist her with cleaning and preparation for hosting church services on Sunday. She’s a busy mother with seven little busy bodies, ranging in ages from 11 months to 9 years. I helped wash walls, ceilings and furniture, cleaned out her refrigerator, gave her stove and oven a cleaning, made two batches of cheese spread, two batches of peanut butter spread, made egg salad with 10 dozen eggs and 12 pounds of hot dogs. Peeling and chopping all those hard-boiled eggs is time consuming.. I was so glad to be there to help her.

I was telling Susan that my dad died when I was 29 and my mother when I was 31. Susan is 30 now and she said she couldn’t imagine not having a mother there to help her. She asked how I ever managed. I told her that my sisters Verena and Susan came a lot to help me. Also, sister Emma and I helped each other a lot as well. Susan has three sisters that are handicapped and only one sister (Elizabeth) that can help with washing walls, windows, etc. All my sisters were able to do that kind of work when they came to help before our move to Michigan.

Daughters Elizabeth and Verena and daughter-in-law Grace came to help one day too. Some more of the family including some of the men went to help them one night. A lot was done in a short time. The tent was set up, benches set up under the tent, grass mowed, trimming done, etc.

Sunday morning brought lots of visitors including Mose’s (Susan’s late husband) parents and two of his brothers and families and his sister and husband, and Ervin’s parents and three of his brothers and their families. It was good to see them all! Most of our family and sister Verena were supper guests at Ervin’s. On the menu were mashed potatoes, noodles, meatloaf, cheese, egg salad, cheese spread, peanut butter spread, pickles, red beets, hot peppers, homemade bread, peanut butter and strawberry pies (I took the pies), doughnuts, cookies and peaches.

Ervin and Susan have an A2 cow. They use milkers so they don’t have to milk her by hand the way we used to. She gives 4 gallons a day. Susan used the rich cream from the cow to make the cheese spread, and it sure tasted good. Next winter that will make some good ice cream. They also make their own butter. She wants to make cheese when her schedule allows her to.

Our week is a lot quieter with daughter Verena and Daniel Ray being gone for nine days.

They left Saturday morning with Daniel Ray’s parents and siblings bound for Monte Vista, Colorado. They boarded the Amtrak train in Chicago, Illinois. They are spending the week with Daniel Ray’s uncle, aunt and cousins. They were going to go camping up in the mountains one night. I think they are also taking the train one day to New Mexico. Maybe Verena will write a column about their trip. Daughter Loretta, Dustin and children and daughter Lovina, Daniel and Brooklyn are spending some time at the Great Smoky Mountains.

They also went to Kentucky on their way there. So with all three families gone it’s pretty quiet here.

I will share the recipe Susan used for her peanut butter spread, which is yet another version of it.

God bless!

Church peanut butter spread

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

3 cups brown sugar

3 cups water

108 ounces peanut butter (six 18-ounce jars)

2 cups corn syrup

1 gallon marshmallow creme

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Heat water, brown sugar and butter until melted. Do not boil!

In a large bowl mix peanut butter, corn syrup, marshmallow creme. Add sugar mixture and vanilla.

Optional: before serving, mix in 16 ounces of whipped topping.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, “The Cherished Table,” “The Essential Amish Cookbook” and “Amish Family Recipes,” are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email her at

questionsorlovina@gmail.com and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.