busy, busy before Christmas

Hi everyone,
as you all would be very busy before Christmas (as I am!) I will only write a short story this time about what I did the last two weeks. I couldn't write earlier because I was at an 'internet-less' household! Yes, those still exist, even in Holland!
On Tuesday and Wednesday (November 28 and 29) I had some days at home, doing newspapers early in the morning, some shopping during the day with my mum and I had loads of old e-mail on my home-account to work on. I ate real Dutch food again: Sauerkraut (German, haha) And I liked it so much, that I burnt my mouth!
On Wednesday evening we had a transmissing about the glory and power of Gods Word.
On Thursday my brother Martijn's sister-in-law, Ruchama paid us a visit and on Friday her parents came to us on their way to Amsterdam. On Thursday afternoon I went to the Dick Bruna House in Utrecht, the Miffy-museum! Child's stuff, but I had a great time. I also went to Dick Bruna's workshop to deliver one of my books as a payment for a visit at his workshop 2 years ago with my students. Next day I received a card from him!
On Saturday we worked hard on our 'surprises' for Sinterklaas and a poem. I made a flight ticket for one of the girls and an airplane. In the afternoon we worked in Den Bosch for the fundraiser. Next morning I finished my gift, went to the meeting and afterwards we had the Sinterklaas-party with all the girls in the attic of the 'garden-room'. It was very nice and cosy. And so nice to see everyone again, especially the little ones and the new baby, Shifra.
Next week, Monday till Wednesday my parents worked in Germany again. On Monday we had company in the evening, two sisters came to us and I showed them my pictures from Detroit. It became very late and next morning we had to get up early because now I had to do my own newspapaer'circle' for a boy who was going to play 'Zwarte Piet' for the Sinterklaas-feast. On tuesday eveening we had a Sinterklaasparty at the Achterbergs, the family who told me they had missed me most! We had a great time together, eating, playing and doing presents and poems.
On Wednesday I worked on an album on the internet, so everyone could see my pictures in 'reality' soon. At the meeting that night I got two giant curtains for the background of the scenes of the Chritmas Carol, we are going to play at Christmas. I had to draw the scenes, so we could paint them at the youth's before-Christmas-party. First I draw a cemetary on Thursday and Friday and when it was finished I started with a snowy parc. In the meantime I tried to finish the picture album, too, but when I tried to open my pictures, the files were empty, so everything had been for nothing.
On Thursday evening and Friday evening I visited two young families to show them my pictures and talk about my time in America and play with the little ones. Sander and Bettina Westermann are well-known to Lewis and Sureese, right and somebody would know Bas and Machteld Kruijswijk, too.
On Saturday I found out this way of making an album wouldn't work, so I tried another one. The HEMA is always good, my grandpa worked there, so I started all over again and this time it worked. In the afternoon and evening another fundraiser, inventory in Soest. I did almost everything wrong and got some 'whippings' because the rules were different this time.
On Sunday another workparty, this time a nice one in Leerdam, where I also bought a wooden castle for my German friend's children.
On Monday I was supposed to go to my friend Elisabeth in Helmond but finishing my picture album took me so much time that I left 3 hours later than planned, so I took the train. I was very nice to see eachother again and have 5 days together. We decorated the christmastree and the manger with the wooden figures around, walked in the woods, bought a little Christmastree for the kitchen, prepared lovely meals together and had a lot of fun and fellowship. On Thursday and Friday Elisabeth had to work, so I was home alone but I had lots of things to do, so that was okay. I finised writing Christmascards and cut some material to do some sewing. On Fridaynight we ate in a pancake restaurant, went into town to see the Dickens people and then Elisabeth too me to the trainstation.
On Saturday we had our youth party. We did lasergaming and we ate in a grill restaurant. In the evening we started painting the Chritmas backgrounds. Some of us worked until 12 o'clock at night. I was so tired that I tilted a pot of paint and we had to clean it up first.
On Sunday we went to the meetinghall to paint again. We cancelled the meeting because the curtains blocked the whole building inside! Some kids came to help me with the painting and then some others, too. That was very nice, they were good at it, too, so we were almost finished on Sunday afternoon. In the other building the repetitions for the play were going on, so sometimes we had to run over there to participate.
Today we will be going to Germany again to work there today until Wednesday again, my parents and I. We will sleep at Elisabeth and René's home, so we'll see them soon.
Have a nice time, all of you and good luck with your Christmas decorations and preparations. We won't have a Christmastree this year, we have no time. But maybe the Christmasfigures,... I hope. God bless! Till next time, Crazy Crocodile Claudy