Berne, Inc., Trip Brings Back Memories
Posted: February 20, 2013
The Amish Cook
School will be closed Friday and Monday for a mid-winter break. Today is Valentine’s Day, so the elementary classes are having a party. Last night, Joseph, 10; Lovina, 8, and Kevin, 7, signed cards for their classmates. This is Joseph’s last year in elementary school, so this is his last Valentine’s party.
We headed out for the two-hour trip to Berne, Ind., on Saturday around 7:15 a.m. We had set our hired van driver to be here around 6:30 a.m. He got out of his van and somehow left his keys locked inside. His son brought a spare pair and we were on our way 45 minutes later.
Nine out of the 12 siblings were at Joe’s sister’s house for the late Christmas family gathering. There was more than enough food for the 10:30 a.m. carry-in brunch. Snacks were served later in the day. After we left the gathering on Saturday, we drove to the place we used to live before we moved to Michigan almost 9 years ago.
From there, we stopped in at the homeplace where I lived until after daughters Elizabeth and Susan were born. The family that lives there now was kind enough to allow us inside the house. We were running short on time, so we decided not to.
The three oldest daughters seem to remember the most about the place. It brought back a lot of memories, but the saying proves true that “Home is where the heart is.”
We stopped in for a short visit with sister Liz and Levi. From there, we headed to brother Amos and Nancy’s house. Amos is recovering from bronchitis. In the van accident on Jan. 9, he had badly bruised lungs, which seems to make it harder for him to get rid of his cough. He hasn’t been back to work since the accident, but wants to go soon. It is difficult for Amos not to be able to go to work.
The results for the 23-year-old boy who was also in the accident are better than first thought. He does have some feeling in his feet and one of his thighs. We hope and pray he continues to improve with therapy.
After we left Amos’ house, we stopped to see sister Leah and Paul, who had been scheduled to have hernia surgery last week. The doctor didn’t do the surgery due to his blood pressure being high and signs of weakness in his heart. He will need to have some tests done.
Hopefully, everything will work out and good health will be restored.
Last week, daughter Susan made monster cookies to take along to the family gathering. Seeing the bag of M&M’s brought back a lot of memories of my Grandpa Coblentz.
When we were little children, he would bring us a bag of M&Ms to share every time he came to visit. We were always so excited and evenly counted them into piles. We tried to make our pile last as long as we could, savoring each morsel.
We recently took Loretta to the children’s hospital where she had surgery on her feet last fall. The doctors were pleased at how well she is doing. She now can go six months without her braces to see how she does. Also, she is doing all her therapy here at home now. We pray she will keep getting stronger, but we need to accept God’s will no matter what. I want to thank everyone for prayers and encouragement. It helps to know others care. God’s blessings to all.
Daughter Verena made this pudding last night as a treat for us all. Sister Emma prepares this pudding a lot and our family always enjoys it.
Dirt Pudding
1 (12-ounce) package of Oreo cookies
2 (3-ounce) boxes of instant vanilla pudding
1 (16-ounce) Cool Whip
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese
1 stick margarine, melted
3 cups milk
We headed out for the two-hour trip to Berne, Ind., on Saturday around 7:15 a.m. We had set our hired van driver to be here around 6:30 a.m. He got out of his van and somehow left his keys locked inside. His son brought a spare pair and we were on our way 45 minutes later.
Nine out of the 12 siblings were at Joe’s sister’s house for the late Christmas family gathering. There was more than enough food for the 10:30 a.m. carry-in brunch. Snacks were served later in the day. After we left the gathering on Saturday, we drove to the place we used to live before we moved to Michigan almost 9 years ago.
From there, we stopped in at the homeplace where I lived until after daughters Elizabeth and Susan were born. The family that lives there now was kind enough to allow us inside the house. We were running short on time, so we decided not to.
The three oldest daughters seem to remember the most about the place. It brought back a lot of memories, but the saying proves true that “Home is where the heart is.”
We stopped in for a short visit with sister Liz and Levi. From there, we headed to brother Amos and Nancy’s house. Amos is recovering from bronchitis. In the van accident on Jan. 9, he had badly bruised lungs, which seems to make it harder for him to get rid of his cough. He hasn’t been back to work since the accident, but wants to go soon. It is difficult for Amos not to be able to go to work.
The results for the 23-year-old boy who was also in the accident are better than first thought. He does have some feeling in his feet and one of his thighs. We hope and pray he continues to improve with therapy.
After we left Amos’ house, we stopped to see sister Leah and Paul, who had been scheduled to have hernia surgery last week. The doctor didn’t do the surgery due to his blood pressure being high and signs of weakness in his heart. He will need to have some tests done.
Hopefully, everything will work out and good health will be restored.
Last week, daughter Susan made monster cookies to take along to the family gathering. Seeing the bag of M&M’s brought back a lot of memories of my Grandpa Coblentz.
When we were little children, he would bring us a bag of M&Ms to share every time he came to visit. We were always so excited and evenly counted them into piles. We tried to make our pile last as long as we could, savoring each morsel.
We recently took Loretta to the children’s hospital where she had surgery on her feet last fall. The doctors were pleased at how well she is doing. She now can go six months without her braces to see how she does. Also, she is doing all her therapy here at home now. We pray she will keep getting stronger, but we need to accept God’s will no matter what. I want to thank everyone for prayers and encouragement. It helps to know others care. God’s blessings to all.
Daughter Verena made this pudding last night as a treat for us all. Sister Emma prepares this pudding a lot and our family always enjoys it.
Dirt Pudding
1 (12-ounce) package of Oreo cookies
2 (3-ounce) boxes of instant vanilla pudding
1 (16-ounce) Cool Whip
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese
1 stick margarine, melted
3 cups milk
Crush cookies with a rolling pin. Place all the crumbs (except for 1 cup) in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Pour margarine over crumbs. Mix milk and cream cheese. Add pudding and mix well. Pour over crumbs and then top with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with leftover crumbs and chill.
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