Daughter Susan, 14, who is home-schooled, has some catching up to do on her school work. She didn’t do too much of her work over the last two weeks. My husband Joe is off work today. He has a three day work week due to inventory today and Epiphany on January 6. Today six years ago Joe started working at the factory. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been almost seven years since our move to Michigan. On January 6th Joe’s family will gather at his sister’s house for the annual Christmas gathering. We will have a carry-in brunch and then snacks for later on. I will take a breakfast casserole and snacks.

We had an enjoyable Christmas Day and over the break we managed to put a 500 piece puzzle together. We usually do 1000 piece puzzles but daughter, Lovina, age 6, likes to do puzzles. We thought we would put a 500 piece together so it would be easier for her. She didn’t leave that puzzle very often until it was finished. My editor Kevin and his wife Rachel gave Lovina a “book puzzle” for her 6th birthday. I don’t think there are many days where she doesn’t dump all the pieces out and puts back together again.

On December 22 Joe turned another year older making him 42 years. Joe and I went Christmas shopping on his birthday. Jacob, Emma, and family and Elizabeth’s friend Timothy came for a pizza supper in honor of Joe’s birthday.

We spent Joe’s birthday evening playing games and singing. Kevin, 5, can sing “You are my Sunshine.” His class sang it at the program at school. They did some sign language along with it while singing the song. It was really cute. This Christmas I didn’t make any Christmas candy for the first time, but we did do some cut-out cookies and we had our peanuts in the shell, oranges, and Clementines for snacks. It doesn’t seem like Christmas around here if we don’t have peanuts in the shells and the oranges. The children enjoy Clementines more than regular oranges so I buy those also The peanuts and oranges at Christmas time are a family tradition, something my parents and their parents always enjoyed, so now it is passed to a new generation. I always put a bowl full of peanuts out around Christmas time for everyone to snack on. I guess it was much healthier than candy. The two week break went really fast and Joe has the dry-wall upstairs almost ready for sanding. He is putting on the skin coat. Once he is done with the sanding the girls and I will paint that room.

In February it will be 4 years since we moved into ourr new house. We keep doing more finish work a little at a time. Even though the house is not completely finished yet we are enjoying the bigger living quarters while we take our time. Joe’s plans for this afternoon are to go ice-fishing. He hasn’t had a chance to go yet this winter. There is a cold wind outside but when they use the ice shelter and a small heater they stay pretty warm.

Here is a good, easy recipe to try. Most of our children don’t enjoy plain pineapple, but they like it mixed with other fruit or in a cake like this one.

Pineapple Cake

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 /4 cup chopped nuts

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients in the order given and bake in ungreased 9 X 13 inch pan. Do not use glass. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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