Looking for a good book to read?

The work team last week brought me a book I wanted: Betrayed, by my friend, Jeanette Windle. I am half way through it now, and thought I'd pass on a recommendation for her books. If you want a great book, a political suspence, Christian book that YOU won't be able to put down, try one of hers.

Jeanette was a friend from Bible school, and we worked with her and her husband, Marty in Bolivia for a bit.

My favorite of hers is CrossFire, and the sequel, FireStorm. Maybe because they are about Bolivia, and we lived there for 3 years.

Mrs. Sippy

When we stopped in Mississippi last November for LiAnne's Jiangxi reunion, we were given a stray cat that had showed up at the camp. We had wanted one--for mice--but could not find one in Bernal. People keep their cats for the same reason--mice.

Mrs. Sippy is a good cat.....and will soon give us some kittens, for which I already have families.

Janelle Update

It's been quite a while since I updated about how Janelle is doing. Yes, Janelle. She has decided that she wants to be called by her new name now. I find it hard to remember, and often call her MinMin, but Janelle it is!

Last week she finished her 4th grade math book, and started the 5th grade book. She has amazed me this week. She does two lessons, or four pages, a day, as I want her to finish the book early in the fall so that she can start the 6th grade book and be "caught up" in math. This week, she has almost always had 3 of the 4 pages with NO ERRORS! I find that amazing, since not too many months ago she could hardly add or subtract. All of our hard work is paying off.

She is reading through the 2nd grade Science and Health books pretty much on her own. I ask her questions about the pages she reads each day, but she is listing the vocabulary words she doesn't know and looking them up. Maybe second grade doesn't sound too impressive for a 13th year old, but remember, six months ago she didn't know any English. Richard figures that by the time she is with us one year, which will be October, she will be speaking pretty fluent English.

She likes her Cursive book.

The one subject that she doesn't like is her new spelling book. She doesn't like the idea of having to learn to spell words....but then, she has pretty much reacted about the same every time I introduce a new subject. She doesn't want to do it until she has been doing it awhile and finds out it is not so bad after all.

She loves to help around the house, and every Saturday washes the car for Dad. A couple of weeks ago she decided to wash the windows....as you can see in the picture. Ok, maybe they were still a bit streaky when she was done.....but she had fun, and she tried.

She continues with her drawing class twice a week, and is trying to learn guitar. That is a bit challenging when neither mom or dad play it, but she has learned a few chords.

Braces keep us running to the dentist every couple of weeks, but it will be worth it when her teeth are straightened out. Her hair is growing out quite nicely.

All in all, things are going very well.

Work Team Week

We have a work team of 11 here from Kansas this week, so I'll not have a lot of time for new scrapbook pictures...;0 I'm feeding 25 people three times a day---that's the 11 visiting, plus our team, and a few extras here and there.

If you'd like to see what we are doing, head on over to:

ricknstarla-kull.blogspot.com

Taylor

Coming home from Queretaro yesterday we stopped and bought 8 watermelon's off a truck on the side of the road. They were small, $1 each. That was a bargain, as they were $3 and $4 in the store. Today we opened one to make sure they were good...and it was red and sweet. Taylor sure enjoyed it. The rest we will save for the team in a few days.

April 12

Yesterday I went shopping to Sam's and Walmart and spent $600. I like spending money like that....someone else's money! We have a group coming down to work on Monday evening for the week. That means that I'll be cooking for about 25 three times a day for 7 days. The goal for the week is to get the roof on the Sunday School rooms upstairs--which is a big job. There are also lots of little jobs: sealing the bovedas on the church--those are the rounded roofs that are typical of this area, sanding the inside of the same and sealing the brick, painting the inside of the church, and some little painting jobs around the house. I'll try to get some pics up during the week.

In the meantime here is another LiAnne picture. Next I have some good ones of Taylor to do.

Sunday Stroll

A few people have asked what I use to scrapbook. I started out with a HP scrapbooking program, which worked well. Now I use Photoshop. Tons of stuff out there to learn.....lots of fun.

Visitors to my Blog

It just amazes me that there are still so many visitors to my blog. Today, besides those from the States, there is one from Australia, Thailand (my daughter), China and Spain. I would love to know who is visiting here. Please feel free to click on "comments" and leave a comment for me.

LiAnne

I Need Someone Who Needs Me

What can you do? Everyone can and should do something.
http://www.hope-ccm.blogspot.com/

Celebrating Six Months

I'm a few days early, but I just got these pictures done and thought I'd go ahead and post them. The before and after pics show just a bit of change, don't you think?