Maica's IGP and Other Updates...

These pictures aren't great - maybe they were taken with a disposable camera?- but they will give you a good idea of Maica's IGP project in action.



Here's Maica and her mother posing at their food vending site. They sell the food they cook as street vendors. The umbrella makes the job more comfortable and attractive.



Man that food looks good! I don't even know what it is but I would totally eat that! I hope that if I ever get to go to the Philippines I will be able to sample some of Maica's mother's cooking.


Serving a customer.

Maica says that she helps her mother serve the food in the morning before school and then she helps after school. She also helps by washing the dishes. I don't think she has to work there all the time. I think she just helps out as much as she can. It sounds like the whole family pitches in together.



Maica's family income has doubled since I started her IGP. I can tell in her letters that she feels happy and proud of her mom and in how she helps out. Maica was always a good letter writer but I think this project has also brought us closer together. I think she sees me as a "real person" now and someone who is a friend. That makes me happy!

Aura's House update:

Ana's Project: $1100/2770
Nyslin's Project: $169/550
Zoila's Project: $230/824
Joey's Project: $200/723
Lesly's Project: $295/393 (only $98 to go!!)

Fundraising is getting there - slowly but surely. I'll be very excited when the first project is fully funded!

In other fund raising news...

My Hubby has been making some things to sell in our Etsy shop in order to raise funds for our sponsor kids and their Income Generating Projects. He's made some coffee/tea mug sized quilted coasters and who knows what he'll do next. He will probably take requests if you ask him. :) I know some of you have been hoping he would turn some more pens and nostepinnes. The weather is finally warming up so maybe we can convince him to get back out there and fire up his lathe!

In health news...

Turns out that the mystery virus that felled me and my daughter last week was Fifth Disease. The tell-tale rash has appeared and now my poor daughter has super pink cheeks. (It actually looks kind of cute on her. But then, doesn't everything?) Fifth's is no fun to have as an adult. I don't recommend it. The joint pain can be severe - in my case I really felt like I had been hit by a mack truck. And this effect can linger for months. Months! Cripes! So I guess that explains why I just don't feel back to 100% yet. Bah!

In crafting news...

In my continuing quest to finish projects that have been lingering...I have finished the sleeves on my Debbie Bliss sailor coat. Now I just have to sew it together and knit the collar. Which I will do just as soon as I can get the pieces blocked. Which I will do just a soon as I can find my double pronged pins that I like to use for blocking. Drat! Where have those little buggers gotten to?

I'm nearing the end of the pile of "to be finished" projects (otherwise known as UFO's). :) Pretty much everything that is left has been put in a timeout while I consider frogging. I'll probably frog all of it it. So many things were started when I was a new knitter. So at this point, I either no longer have any interest in the project or my knitting has improved so much that it would come out looking like it was knit by two different people and cobbled together. Yuck.

So there you go. Now you are all caught up. Pat yourself on the back if you made it this far with this long, long post. You are obviously a trooper - or maybe just really really bored at work? Whatever, I thank you for hanging in there. Lol!