I am trying to get this column written so I can go help daughter Elizabeth, 16, do laundry. She is folding Saturday’s laundry now. I am sitting beside the puzzle writing and once in awhile I catch myself working on the puzzle instead of writing. I would probably get done faster if I move to another table.

Meanwhile, Susan is doing her school work. Next Monday the 24th she will have her 15th birthday. It is so hard to believe how the years fly by so fast. We were living in a trailer house across the drive from my parents when Susan was born. I still remember all the snow we had and blizzard-like weather. Needless to say I was relieved once Joe’s aunt, the midwife, arrived. The drifts were as high as the trailer house windows. It wasn’t until Susan was two weeks old that I decided to walk over to Mom and Dad’s house. Joe shoveled a path for me and carried Susan and 19-month old Elizabeth. It felt so good to leave that trailer house after being stuck in there for two weeks. Going home to Mom and Dad’s house always renewed my energy when the children were younger. I miss the days when I could go spend a day or two in a week at their house. Mom’s cooking always tasted so much better to me than my own. Memories, that is all we have left, but they are very fond ones.

Daughter Elizabeth tried her first time at ice fishing She went with her friend Timothy on Saturday. They had their limit of 25 each of bluegill in 45 minutes. They also caught quite a few perch. Elizabeth never cared much for fishing but this ice fishing she said was fun. She said almost every time she put her pole in the water, she caught something. I think maybe I would like it better too since I always have trouble casting my line. In ice fishing you have small rods and just drop your line into the hole. Joe plans to go ice fishing with Timothy tonight.

Last week e had my editor and his wife Rachel spend the night here. They brought pizza for our supper which is always a treat for us. We also played the game Aggravation with them for the first time. Kevin and Rachel had never played it before and since Kevin will be editing my column I should probably add they won both games. (To see a photo and video of the Aggravation board, visit www.amishcookonline.com.)

We couldn’t all attend church services yesterday. Daughter Verena seems to be having more post-concussions this month than last. She is home from school today. We were treated with pizza for supper again last night which was a surprise to me. It sure made my night not having to cook supper. Pizza is also one thing Verena really enjoys. I made apple oven pancakes for our lunch today. It was delicious. Try the recipe:

Apple Oven Pancakes

Two tart apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced

1 /4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 /4 cup flour

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 /4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 /4 teaspoon salt

3 /4 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 425. Put an oven-proof 9 or 10 inch skillet in the oven. In a bowl combine the apple slices with brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss gently to coat well. In another bowl, mix flour with salt. In a large cup or small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and one 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Take the pan from the oven and add remaining butter. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange apple slices over the bottom of the pan. Pour batter over apple slices. Bake at 25 to 30 minutes until cooked and lightly browned.