Normal work resuming....

Ebi-kun is finally back st yochien on a normal schedule, yesterday I went to help take down the artwork and the the mothers had arranged to go out for lunch, we had a private room at at restaurant, 19 moms, 6 under 3's and 2 babies and it felt like there was always at least one of the kids screaming! Everyone was talking really loud (talking over each other) so by the time we had finished my head was spinning, I can just about cope with one on one Japanese conversation but everyone at it plus screaming kids, I was in serious need of a stiff drink we we got home lol.

Instead of hitting the bottle, I hit the pantry and dug out the Christmas decorations out so I could at least put the advent stockings up. This year the Christmas elf is leaving a couple of Where's Wally playing cards, a Christmas joke (print yours here), a Christmas quiz question (sneaky maths question) and a candy or craft idea. Every evening I every evening  the elf puts the goodies in the stocking so I can plan ahead for the next day, works so much better than trying to do it at the start of the month.

Now, I am trying plough through my to-do list and to catch up on emails, if I owe you one, I will be with you soon... the weather is cold, wet and miserable so I feel like curling up on the sofa with some hand sewing and a big mug of coffee. Oh yes, my sewing machine is back, she had to go to be fixed, the engineer looked exactly like this but a bit less orange! 

He had left me a loaner but I was happy to get my own machine back, the loaner was a different model and a bit scary. All but one of my presents have been sent so now it is time for family (in Japan) sewing and enjoying the festivities - whilst watching everyone else run round like headless turkeys....