The day before yesterday I made ”Kagami-mochi” with a breadmaker.  I bought the machine about a year ago.  Since then I’ve used it to bake breads and cakes.  But for the first time I made “mochi” with it.   What an excellent machinde it is!  

Usually I buy a plastic set of “Kagamimochi” for a new year’s celebration, so I’m so happy to make it by myself this year.  

When I was a child, at the end of the year  I used to go to my grandparents’ house to make a lot of “mochi”.  But not with a breadmaker, of course.  There were “Kine” and “Usu”, a mortar and a pestle.   It was a big event and every relative gathers there to make mochi.  

To children’s eyes, my grandmother’s steaming rice on a huge kiln and my father’s and uncles’ pounding the steamed rice with a help of my mother and aunts looked fascinating.   How delicious a hot mochi that was just made was!  I used to eat mochi with soy sauce, grated radish, powdered soy beans and sweat red beans paste. 

I wish I could go back to those good old days!

I started the year-end house cleaning at the begining of this month, much earlier than usual.  Thanks to it, I’ve been able to clean in every corner of each room and all the windows.  There are few more things to do. 

Whenever I finish cleaning, I feel great!

Today is a very important day to me.  Is it not only because of Christmas, but also it is because on the 25th of Dec. 8 years ago, I gave birth to my first child.   How can I forget the splendid day to my husband and me?   Mana, my daughter became 8 years old today.  I’m really grateful to God and everyone around me.

I’m writing this blog while listening Christmas songs through http://www.1faithfm.com/index.php, an Amerian web site.   I feel very happy and comfortable now.

My husband and I gave her a birthday present this morning.   I chose it.  It is a painting by a british woman artist.  She painted a girl who was practicing a ballet.  The girl is really pretty and taking an arabesque pose.  My daughter has been taking ballet lessons for about 4 years and she loves ballet.   Now the painting is on her desk. 

My family is going to have dinner at an Italian restaurant tonight. 

今年もあっという間に年賀状を書く季節になりましたね。今日から私も少しずつ書き始めています。

年賀状だけのやり取りしかお付き合いのないお友達も多く、その人たちのことを思い出し懐かしい気持ちになりながら筆を進めています。

＊＊＊今年も家族全員健やかに過ごせたことを感謝・感謝＊＊＊

I held my English class Christmas party the day before yesterday.   Before the party, my students presented their achievement in English.  In the presentation, they read picture books, chanted Jazz chants, and recited some phrases in a textbook they use.  All the students did their best.  I was proud of them. 

After the presentation, we had dinner together.  I asked each student’s mother to bring one dish.  Every meal was wonderful.  I forgot to take a camera so unfortunately I can’t show those dishes here.  There were cream stew, cheese and sausage bread, Sushi, fried chiken, salad, boiled chiken with soy sauce, meat loaf, Onigiri and Oden. 

While eating dinner, we did Bingo!

I prepared small presents for each student and all other participants.   I chose two kinds of picture books for my students.  One is “Santa’s Special Day” and the other is “Corduroy’s Christmas Surprise”.  I hope they like those books.

After the dinner, we ate a cookie house I made. 

It was a good day.

These are a Santa bread and a Christmas cake I made today.  Santa’s face is a little bit funny but lovely, isn’t it?