Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a time of renewal and rebirth of the spirit, when hope is brought to life through the resurrection of the Lord.

Easter Morning we had 13 extra guests for breakfast. They were some of daughter Elizabeth’s friends who dropped by unexpectedly. We served them a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Later on we had an Easter egg hunt in our yard for our children. They were excited to find the candy-filled eggs. We then took the buggy to a local park where the children enjoyed the slides, swings, and merry-go-rounds. The children also colored 10 dozen eggs last week. It is always a big mess but it was worth hearing the children talk about what Easter is all about. It was touching when Kevin came up to me and said “We have Easter because Jesus died on the cross for our sins.” He had been listening to the older children while they were reading the Bible story about Jesus’s resurrection.

Husband Joe returned to work today after being off a week. He accomplished quite a bit of work here at home last week. On Saturday the boys and Joe planted 50 pounds of red potatoes. We can see the radishes and the peas popping through the soil. Dandelion greens are still on the menu. The hard-boiled eggs the children colored get used up in the dandelion salad that we make. The girls will also make egg salad with the eggs.

Good Friday was also a quiet, relaxing family day for us. The afternoon we had a surprise visit from sister Liz, Levi, and their four children who were visiting from Indiana. They had spent Thursday evening and Friday forenoon at sister Verena and Susan’s. Levi assisted them in tearing out a wall in their house. Verena and Susan asked brother Albert and sons to put in a supporting beam where the wall once was to make more room for them. Albert was to start on Saturday. I imagine he was glad that Levi gave him a head-start on tearing out the wall.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty also stopped in for a short visit on Thursday evening. We were ready to leave for a doctor appointment so we did not get to visit with them long. The children enjoy homemade egg salad as a sandwich. We also make this for church. Sometimes it is like a mock ham salad.

Egg Salad

3 pounds cooked hot dogs, ground up fine (or you can use your own equivalent home-butchered pork product)

2 1/2 dozen hard-cooked eggs ground up fine

1 32-ounce jar of salad dressing (Miracle Whip type, or you can make your own homemade version)

1/4 cup onions

1/3 cup celery diced fine

Mix ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on sandwiches. The onions and celery are optional.

COOKBOOK SALE ENDS APRIL 9: To order The Amish Cook’s six softcover cookbooks DIRECTLY through Amazon.com go www.amishcookonline.com/books.Orders can also be placed by calling . Telephone and online orders will ship same day. Orders accepted by mail by sending checks for $85 to Oasis Newsfeatures, PO BOX 2144, Middletown, Ohio 45042 (allow 4 – 6 weeks for delivery). Additional sets can be ordered for $70. All orders will be placed through and will be filled by Amazon (including backorders). Individual titles are also available for $20, plus $5 shipping. Snail mail orders should be postedmarked by April 9.