In the new year

Three days off for the holidays plus four days of vacation and four days of weekend can mean for a lot of time at home.

Christmas was good. Among other things we got a cheese fridge, so now we can hold more cheese. I already have the top layer packed pretty much to capacity, but there is also room for more cheese on the bottom level.

Over the last week Rea has started to say things like: "Mommy, thank you so much for this lovely, lovely dinner that you made for us" every time that we sit down to eat. It is pretty funny, but also makes me feel bad that I didn't say it first.

She was also sick recently, and one time when we were giving her medicine she said: "This is the worst thing ever!"

Grandparents Sheila and Mike gave her a picture of Jesus for Christmas which she really enjoyed. Commenting on it she said "Rea has a pretty picture in her room and now everyone can know who Jesus is."

Saturday we started a Butterkase. 4.25 gal milk, 1 quart cream, yogurt, buttermilk, Thermophylus, flora danca, calcium chloride, and rennet have been added. I used up all of the rest of the rennet, so we will have to buy more.

The process was fairly successful, though the curds stuck to the cheese cloth when we pressed it the first time. Brining was successful (it was 6 lbs 7 oz, and 3.5 inches, so we brined for just over 16 hours). We will age it for a while and hopefully have an awesome melting cheese soon.

Rea has been refusing to stay in her room when it is time to sleep, and so we got a lock for her door. When she was trying to get out one time she said "Rea wants a new door knob!"

I have been trying to convince Rea that she wants to learn how to play chess. We currently talk about the different pieces, I have shown her how they move and she knows most of their names. Knights are horses, and pawns are 'little boys', though. She likes that knights jump, and thinks that they are the most fun piece.

Alison tried Stratego for the first time, and she didn't like it. It is funny to me that she doesn't mind 'Race for the Galaxy', 'Dancing Robots' and 'Polynesia', but she just doesn't like games where you move pieces around a board.

I have, in a bit of spare time, made a mock up of a Dancing Robots card. I drew the artwork myself, (only because I didn't have access to the internet, so I had to have either no artwork or my crudely drawn stuff.) Perhaps when I slow down with my changes to the game I will have a real printing made.

I still have not received my last printing of Polynesia that I ordered (in November). I emailed the SuperiorPod guy multiple times, but he has not yet replied. I really like the quality of the cards that he produces, and his services are pretty cheap, but he seems to take so long that I think that I will have to quit using his services.