A busy weekend

I finally managed to wrap and send off my presents and my swap goods for the traditions swap. I did actually manage to make a few gifts before the sewing machine gave up the ghost, I used Amy Karols book Bend The Rules Sewing to make some bibs for the babies back home....

and the simple tote for my four year old nephew who loves bugs, his mom isnt going to be too impressed ;o). I changed the strap to one long one instead of the two shorter ones shown in the book and filled it with bug collecting equipment and a 3 way viewer so that he can study his poor victims! I did make a couple of other things but they have to stay under wraps because the people they are intended for might pop in for a look!

We also went to our playgroup Christmas party, sadly quite a few kids were sick so the attendance wasnt that high but we all had a good time and had a couple of new members join too. The group is for kids with at least one English speaking parent, our aim is to get the kids bilingual and keep their English level as high as their Japanese, not easy when other English speakers live a 30 minute train ride away but we try and meet on a Thursday and every other weekend too. BabyEbi has been going since he was 6 weeks old so he is happy there, I think he sees some of the older boys as his big brothers.

We also dug the Christmas decorations out of the back of the pantry, no small challenge and put up the tree, it isnt very big so it looks kind of lost,we are hoping we can drop on a big one in the sales ready for next year. The only real trees I have seen on sale are very expensive and well, if Kate Moss was a tree, she would be a Japanese Christmas Tree! Then finally I finished off last night by making a new wreath for the door, a sneak preview before I hang it...