• 4:30 a.m. The alarm rings. My husband Joe gets ready for work while I pack something for breakfast, which he’ll eat at break. He doesn’t eat this early.

• 5:10 a.m. Joe leaves for work.

• 6 a.m. I walk over to daughter Loretta and Dustin’s house. Dustin is leaving for work. Loretta and the boys are still in bed. 7-month-old Kylie wakes up, so I change her diaper and make a bottle. I lay her back in her bed after some snuggles. I take a nap on the recliner.

• 7:30 a.m. Byron wakes up but goes back to sleep on the recliner with me. He will be 2 on Aug. 7.

• 8:10 a.m. Denzel, 3, wakes up and smiles when he sees I’m there. He crawls onto the recliner with Byron and me.

• 8:30 a.m. The boys get up and ask me to get them “cocoa milk” which is actually Nestle’s Quik and milk. I brought a mug of coffee along, but I decide to make myself a glass of chocolate milk. Both boys stand there and smile like it’s funny to see Grandma drinking chocolate milk with them. I remember daughter Elizabeth saying that Grandma Coblentz always added more chocolate to their milk than I did. I think I might be doing the same for my grandchildren.

• 9:15 a.m. Loretta, the children and I head over to the house. Daughter Lovina decides to come over, bringing a few dozen eggs from their chickens.

• 9:45 a.m. Breakfast is pancakes, smokies and fried eggs. After breakfast, Loretta and Lovina stuff banana peppers with cream cheese and shredded cheese and wrap with bacon. This will be for tonight’s supper at Dustin’s. After that, Lovina heads back home, and Benjamin mows our pasture field. I mix up bread dough for 12 loaves. I have to take some to church on Sunday and make extra for us. The boys want to visit Daniel Ray and Verena. The couple fill the kiddie pool for the boys. They think it’s funny to throw water at Verena, and laugh when she acts surprised. They must have inherited that “Coblentz blood” and the love to throw water at someone.

• 1 p.m. Joe is home. The boys are glad to see Grandpa. I put the risen dough into bread pans, and make a light lunch for everyone.

• 2 p.m. Dustin is home, so Loretta heads home with the children. She has a wagon hooked behind her scooter for the boys and Kylie to sit in. I bake the bread, and while that is baking, I do other jobs around the house.

• 6:30 p.m. We sit around the grill while Dustin makes supper. Daniel and Lovina come over to join us. After the dishes are done, we play some games before heading home to bed.

God’s blessings!

ZUCCHINI GARLIC BITES

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded zucchini (squeeze out excess moisture)

1 egg

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine zucchini, egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Shape into small balls and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and firm. Makes 6

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