Even though Joseph's wedding is days away, Lovina and Joe take a break from their work

Sunday was baptismal services in our church for two young souls. Church attendance was bigger than usual due to relatives coming in honor of the two getting baptized.

Monday was Labor Day, so no one here had to go to work. It was also son Kevin’s birthday.

On Saturday, the tables were set for son Joseph and Grace’s wedding in daughter Loretta and Dustin’s pole barn. The cook wagon, cooler, and so on are all set up there as well.

Tonight, a 40 x 60-foot tent will be set up with benches for the wedding service on Friday. Another smaller tent will be set up close to that one as well. A 30 x 40-foot tent is set up beside the cook wagon and cooler for meal prep and dishwashing.

Everything seems to be falling in place. In three days, the wedding date will actually be here, Lord willing. It sure did go fast. It had seemed like a long way off.

I want to wash laundry today since I didn’t get that far yesterday. I also want to sew a white cape and apron for daughter Lovina yet today. I have all my other sewing done.

Daniel Ray and daughter Verena and son-in-law Daniel and daughter Lovina will be Joseph and Grace’s witnesses at the wedding. The girls will wear raspberry-colored dresses with white capes and aprons. The mothers of the bride and groom will wear a shade of burgundy.

Yesterday afternoon Joe asked me if we wanted to go for a ride and take a break from our work. Before we left, daughter Loretta and her little boys Denzel and Byron came over awhile. We stopped at Daniel and Lovina’s first. They showed us all the animals on their mini farm. They have a calf, chickens, pigs, dogs, and of course their horse Buddy.

We then left and stopped in at daughter Susan and Ervin’s. Ervin was busy hauling away trees he had cut down. They are cleaning up a lot of the outside area. They are getting permits and have the shelves set up for their small discount store they plan to open in the near future. Ervin has worked in several stores, so he knows a lot about the business end of it.

Six little children were happy to show Grandpa and Grandma all the new things going on. Well, Ervin Jr. just loved to be carried everywhere with Grandma and getting lots of love. He’s growing fast.

Next, we headed two miles farther to daughter Elizabeth and Tim’s house. No one was home so we started home, but before we were a mile they came driving with their pony and pony buggy heading toward home. They told us to turn around and come back to their house, so we did.

Their four children were excited to see us as well. I helped Elizabeth get her laundry in from the wash lines. Andrea, 2, made me laugh how she carries her doll everywhere and then jumps up to try to grab laundry from the lines to help us.

Six of our grandchildren started school this morning for another term. The children were all excited about going back to school.

Saturday we also canned nine quarts of banana peppers and 11 pints of serrano peppers for Loretta and Dustin. Gardens do not stop growing even for a wedding!

I must get busy. I have way too much that needs to be done today.

Until next week . . . God bless!

I will share the recipe that daughter Elizabeth used to make the casserole Saturday to take to Dustin’s for the lunch. Everyone brought something to make it an easy lunch.

Taco Pasta Casserole12 ounces elbow macaroni1 1/2 pounds ground beef1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning1 (10-ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained4 ounces Velveeta cheese1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained1 (15-ounce) Alfredo sauce2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, dividedPreheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add elbow macaroni to the pot and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add taco seasoning and undrained Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add Velveeta cheese to the skillet and cook over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together the beef mixture, black beans, corn, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and cooked pasta. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan.Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Top the casserole with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, "The Cherished Table," "The Essential Amish Cookbook," and "Amish Family Recipes," are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, P.O. Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and yourmessage will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Amish Kitchen: Final preparations done for Joseph and Grace's wedding