Here I am again. Can't believe it's been 4 months since I've written! Well, where do I start? Life this summer has been full of firsts. It's been fun but also overwhelming at times. Canning was one of the overwhelming things but thanks to the internet and remembering some of the things Mom taught me I got through it OK. Dennis helped a lot too after work.
We now have
tomato sauce
salsa
tomato veggie juice
red beets
zucchini relish
beef chunks (my mother-in-law helped me with these earlier this spring)
In the freezer we have
green beans
blueberries
applesauce
corn (went home to Mom and Dad's for this and also got some from my sis-in-law)
slush
strawberry jam (wished I would've done more just plain strawberries n not so much jam)
peaches

I also mustered up the courage to try baking a peach pie! The crust actually turned out very well thanks to a recipe from my aunt Bernice called Favorite Pie Crust (the more you mix it the better it gets)! The problem was I couldn't get it in the pan without it falling apart so it didn't look very pretty.

I've made a few batches of yogurt using a cooler and jars of hot water to incubate it. Works good!
I'm finding I really love baking and cooking! To think cooking was what I dreaded the most when I got married!

I sewed curtains for our bedroom and the kitchen and sewed a dress for a wedding. It really has me in the mood to sew again! But, there are lots of other things calling for my attention so I don't know when I'll get to that again.

My next project is tending to our neglected flower beds. I'd love to get a few mums (the hardy kind so they come up next year) and some pumpkins for the front of the house. There are some dead flowers that need to be pulled up too. If I get it done I'd like to plant some bulbs (not sure if I want daffodils, tulips, or hyacinths or maybe all three?) I LOVE spring flowering bulbs. We have a red bud tree and lots of peonies along with some other spring flowering plants that the people who used to live here planted. It was beautiful this spring! Maybe it was more beautiful because last year I was in India over that time. The last two falls I was in India too so I'm looking forward to enjoying the changing leaves this year! I do miss India though, especially when we go eat at the Indian restaurant in Canton. I need to learn how to make the lentils (papu in telugu) that they eat over rice. I had some at the restaurant and it was sooooo good again! I tried making them once but they didn't turn out the greatest.

Right now we are having mtgs. at church (Sharon Conservative Mennonite) held by Dave Yoder from Maryland. He is a very captivating speaker. One of the older men was commenting to me that "he can make a sermon out of a couple of verses!" Dennis is an usher so we need to be there early every night. It's good for me! As you know I'm not normally a "get there early" type of person. It's given me a new appreciation for ushers and how nice it is for them when people get there early or on time.

As far as my jobs go... I'm working for our neighbor lady 2-3 hours on Monday and Fri. over lunch time. I cook and clean and do anything else she needs done. She is 93 and her eyesight and hearing aren't good anymore but she is determined to keep taking care of herself as much as possible! I'm also working part-time for A Better Home Healthcare. Right now I'm scheduled for Wed. and Thur. to be a companion to a 95 year old gentleman who used to live Colorado and now lives with his daughter in New Philadelphia. I cook for him, do some housework, go on walks with him, and converse about what is going on in the world. He likes when I tell him what the Wall Street Journal has to say. He also loves history and knows a lot about it. I'm the only Mennonite he's ever known so he has had lots of questions about the Mennonite and Amish religions. So, it's amazing how I don't really get bored being there 5-7 hours a day like I was afraid I would! It's very laid back so I don't feel exhausted when I get home.

This is becoming an epistle and I hope you haven't been bored with reading about my life! One more thing I wanted to mention. Saturday is a very important day! It's the 1st day of bow season! Dennis is looking forward to that. I've gone with him and some of his hunting buddies down to the farm where they hunt (about 45 min. away) to put salt out for the deer and also to see how many we could find. Unfortunately the two times I was along we weren't in the right spot to see any! Maybe it was because I was along. Anyway, I hope he has more luck on Sat.

Bruce and Connie came for the night last night enroute to PA for a wedding. They are picking up Bruce's girl-friend Amber who lives about 15 min. from here. So, I'm looking forward to a walk and a sisterly chat over coffee and breakfast at the Mocha Cafe!

Last Saturday we took Dennis's Mom and Dad to an outdoor flea-market in Hartville. It was such fun to browse through the little stands and see all the old things! There was a lot of junk too but if you want bargains it's worth looking at all the junk. The buy I'm the most tickled with are to old original books from the early 1900s, Elsie Dinsmore (the 1st book) and The New Chronicles of Rebecca for $1 each! They are still in good condition too. I had to think of Naomi.
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For anyone who enjoys birding...

Holmes County Tourist

This rare bird, Northern Wheatear, showed up at an Amish home close to Bunker Hill. It nests in the far northern part of Canada and Alaska, then will migrate through Greenland and Europe and winter in Africa. This bird got off course and ended up in the area much to the delight of birders. This is only the third recording of this species in Ohio. It was first discovered on Saturday morning and hung around through Tuesday. Cindi and I went to observe it on Monday (over 400 visitors were there before us). We really wished we had Bruce's camera but another observer was there and got some quality shots of it with his Canon 30D and has em posted on this link...
Northern Wheatear

Taken from an e-mail written by Dennis
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Have a lovely day, week, month until I write again!

I had full intentions of crawling back under the covers after my hubby left for work but then I checked e-mail and saw my xanga sub. digest. Reading everyone else's news just put me in the mood to update. It's been way overdue! I have a Facebook but I don't spend much time on there either. I like reading the short little updates but I always wish I could write more than one line. One line is better than nothing though! Having food fights etc. with a few people is fun but when you have a slow computer connection and can't reply requests just pile up and you have to take the time to delete them all. I like the simple straightforwardness of Xanga. I have a cool Grandma... she signed up for Facebook and sometimes I help her with it when I'm over there.

Well, I'm getting used to this new life of being a wife. I'm lovin it! Although it does tug on the heart to not be able to spend Mother's Day at home because of baptism at church. I am so blessed to be close enough to be able to zip down for an evening for a graduation like we did on Fri. I'll try to keep this short... Here's a list of what's been happening in the TROYER household. Sorry, no pics. Our internet is sorta slow...

• The honeymoon in Hawaii was awesome!!! Once we got there... We had our flight canceled leaving Canton/Akron and couldn't get another one until the next morning.
  
• I loved all the beauty of the blooming flowers this spring! Last year this time I was in India so I didn't get to enjoy spring. The people who lived here before Dennis planted lots of perennials so I'm having fun watching everything bloom. I love gardening!
• We went crappie fishing with Dennis's little boat on Tappan Lake on Sat. It was extremely windy so we had to find protected spots. The fish didn't seem to like those spots the best so we only had 4 keepers to bring home.
• The Maranatha Chorus sang at church (Sharon) last night. They did an awesome job! Loved their rendition of the song with the chorus that goes... "My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Savior's always there for me, My God He was, My God He is, My God He's always gonna be..."
• This last weekend starting Thursday were the Sugarcreek communtiy Garage Sales. It was amazing to see all the people who turned out for them! Our neighbors had sales and I would've enjoyed staying home and watching the show if I hadn't wanted to try to find some bargains myself! I am finding that Garage Sailing can be addicting. Hopefully I'm making wise descisions on stuff I bring home! My favorite purchases... A $1 framed picture that fits perfectly in my kitchen and a $1 dollar Granite Kettle that leaks so I'm planning to use it as a planter.
• I love the discount grocery stores around here too! Sat. night we had a delicious Indian Meal from a canned sauce I got at one. (Tasted much better than what I tried to make from scratch the other week!) I just added potatoes, broccoli, and bell pepper then served it with rice. Yum! Still doesn't compare with the real authentic South Indian food eaten over there but it does satisfy a craving!
• Time to eat breakfast and get my day started... I have lots of laundry and ironing to do and I'd love to plant flowers if it's nice. Maybe I'll get a walk in too... Plus, all the little things that pop up during the day that you hadn't planned on. I'm still looking for a job that has decent hours (Hours that coincide with the hours that Dennis works). Seems like all the nursing homes just have 2nd shift available. I keep praying and trusting that God will lead me to the right place for me.
  

Y'all have a good day!