Finally!  The kids are down for bed and I have a little bit of time to myself.  Tomorrow is Klara's 4th birthday!  I cannot believe that my baby girl is already 4 years old!  We have a few little things planned and I am sure I will have plenty of pictures to share.  You know your little girl is getting older when you give them the choice between a toy or clothes for their birthday and she announces that she wants to pick out a new dress!  Unbelievable.

Tomorrow also holds another, quite different, occasion.  My mother is having a complete knee replacement and will be in the hospital for three days.  I'm concerned, of course, because of the normal risks.  However, I really hate all of the pain she will have to go through.  But, in the end, I know that she will feel so much better and will have some activity back into her life....activity without pain.  So, it's worth it.

She doesn't get out of the hospital until Friday and Aunt Judi's memorial service is Saturday.  I don't know if she will be able to go to that or not.  That weighs on me a bit, but maybe it is for the best.  Just to remember her and the good times that they had.  That last day she went to visit her is much more valuable than any service put on for the occasion of her death.

Yesterday we went to church and they had a covered dish dinner afterwards in the basement.  It was so nice to get out of the house and do something besides cry and snot around.  The food was excellent, as usual, because nobody can cook like a West Virginia Methodist woman!  LOL  I can't even begin to name what all we had to eat, but it was great.  The company was superb and that was most important.

Can you believe that I am still baking all our bread and making yogurt?  It's almost second nature now.  It saves so much money, I just cannot believe it.  I figure the only reason I have to go to the store in between paydays is to pick up milk and bread.  I have been mixing 1/2 gallon of whole milk with 1/2 gallon of instant powdered milk to make 2%.  This gives me two gallons for each one gallon I buy.  And with baking the bread, I seldom have went to the store.  And, with me at least, when I would go to the store I would buy a lot of unnecessary things as well.  So this is working out quite well.  If I avoid the store, I can't spend money.

I keep meaning to try and make mozerella cheese, but I put it off repeatedly.  It just seems intimidating?  Is that the word?  I don't know.  I might go in tonight and try.  The worst thing that will happen is it won't turn out and I'll have to throw it out.  I guess worse things have happened.

Well I think I will go watch CSI now and get some rest.  I will try and update tomorrow or the next day about Klara's birthday & Mom's surgery.  Please keep Mom in your prayers.