Good Times!

Cute picture of Rosemary before her performance at the Christmas program!

Things have slowed down just a little since all the children have gone home for the break, but time is still going by super fast! I have been busy with the cleaning staff making sure everything is cleaned and ready for the kid's return..everything needs to be deep cleaned and washed. Steele has been busy with the office staff making sure the construction on the new part of the school and the new dining hall is still moving forward and that the little house that is being remodeled is getting done so we can move into it shortly. On top of these tasks, Rising Star is in the process of expanding the micro-credit program and Steele is meeting with Padma again to iron out the details. I thought we would be less busy when the children left, but it seems like there is never a shortage of work that needs to be done here. While Steele is working hard we have had quiet days here on campus playing games as a family, Uno, Monoploy, Settlers, badminton, soccer, basketball, you name it we have played it! We are excited for the weekend so we can go to town and do a few fun things and then go to church the next day. This week we are going to stay over Saturday night at an ex-pat's house so we don't have to drive two hours, sit in church three hours, and then drive two hours back all in one day!

On the way home from church!

We received our Christmas package from Becca and Alan and the family..it was very exciting! My favorite things were onion salt, soup mix, chicken bouillon cubes, and cereal. The mail is delivered by bicycle so he had to strap the large package on his bike!!

The mail man leaving on his bike--we got a Christmas card from the Hendershots and a card from Nate and Audrey announcing their new baby, Flora May!

We had a great dinner tonight, rice, vegetables and soy sauce! It was nice to have a different flavor on the rice. A friend found us some soy sauce at the store in Chennai and knew we were looking for some so she bought it for us..what a treat! We also decided that it is too expensive to buy syrup, so we are now making our own with mapeline extract, sugar, and water..it tastes great! As you can see, we are being creative and figuring out ways to use what we have here.

It is a little cold here, almost 75 with a few rain showers. It actually is perfect weather but the Indian people are freezing! Some of them have sweaters, others have beanies or wool ear muffs..it is really funny!

Pictures of the Girls helping at school before the break!