"So I get to be a human piñata?" asked my nephew, Austin. He wasn't really complaining— when I asked if one of the older boys could wear a t-shirt with candy glued all over it while being chased by the younger kids, Austin was the first to volunteer. Last weekend, my family was planning to go camping in a remote area near the Juanita river. Unfortunately, there were heavy thunderstorms and flash floods in the forecast, so we decided camping with small children next to a river wasn't safe. … [Read more...] about How to Make a Candy Scramble T-Shirt
Family
A Brighter Springtime
I remember clearly what I did on Easter 2020: I went biking alone. No church, no family dinner, no socializing. Of course, that's how the season was for most everyone. Stay home and slow the spread. I was fortunate to keep my job, but everything else pretty much halted. For good or for ill, that was spring 2020. So while I have been seriously neglecting Penny Letters in the last few months, it's because of happier days! I took a Saturday job answering phones at a mulch business, church … [Read more...] about A Brighter Springtime
How to Pack a School Lunch Like It’s 1962
In this post, I'm going to show you an example of what my parents would eat for a school lunch in the early 1960s. They attended rural public schools and all the students brought their own lunches. Baloney Sandwich Mom's school lunches nearly always had a sweet baloney sandwich, with buttered white bread. If lettuce was in season, they would add lettuce. (Since I'm writing this post in January, no lettuce.) "Everyone we knew thought brown bread was terrible." (By the time my siblings and … [Read more...] about How to Pack a School Lunch Like It’s 1962
The World Is My Oyster… Soup?
On Christmas Eve my sister said to me "I have a gift for you, but you might not like it." She then gave me a cold jar of oysters and a bag of oyster crackers. The oysters in the jar were gray and slimy. "Thank you," I said. "I've never made oyster soup, but I can try." On Christmas Day I was invited to a friend's house, so today was the day for making oyster soup. I found a recipe in the Mennonite Community Cookbook. To prep, I watch a YouTube video on how to make oyster soup. … [Read more...] about The World Is My Oyster… Soup?
An Unwelcome Guest
Keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes is their job. Mom and Dad are on the board at Martindale Mennonite Fellowship Center, which is a venue used for church services, hymnsings, meetings, funerals, and of course, weddings. Last Saturday morning, like most Saturdays, there was a wedding at the center. There's always a board member present to take care of the air conditioning and the sound system, etc. It was my parents' turn to be there, and in the late morning, Dad was … [Read more...] about An Unwelcome Guest