Thursday, 31 March 2011

have you seen it....


Yep, I have lost my creative mojo. I have hardly opened my sketch book since the quake and when I have, I have come up with a big fat pile of nothing. I have tried doing some sewing, managed one drawstring bag and cocked up a little coin purse *sigh*. Instead of my mind wandering and discovering rainbows of colour, new shapes and designs, I find myself thinking about the Silent Samurai, many of these men have lost everything themselves, their homes and families or they have yet to hear if their family members are safe and have no idea if they will have a home to return to. They have had little rest since the quake and yet they carry on, risking their lives for others.
I am finding it really hard to get in a creative mood with everything that has happened and is still happening but tomorrow marks three weeks since the quake, it is time to get a grip on things and start moving forward, I'm just not sure which direction I am headed.

Socks For Japan

Ebi-kun and I went to buy socks yesterday, he picked out which ones then when we got home we decorated the paper for the letters. I decided it would be easier to print the actual letter so we just decorated the edges. Each one was an individual piece of art and Ebi-kun thought hard about which person should get which design (girl/boy/lady/man). We didn't quite finish yesterday so he did the last couple this morning. Daddy-ebi translated the letter into Japanese, so it was a family effort.
 Then Ebi-kun and I packed all the socks and care letters into bags and he made labels for them. We popped down to the post office this morning, so they are winging there way up to Tochigi. If you would like to donate some socks, then check out the Socks For Japan page, please make sure you read through their instructions properly so that you save them time at their end.
Whilst we were out we also dropped by the doctors, which is on the way to the post office so I could get some more hay fever drugs. The last lot sort of helped but I am still really bunged up and the tablets make me really sleepy. The doctor had given me a new prescription, this time with some gadget I have to stick up my nose, I couldn't quite catch what I was supposed to do with it so I will wait until hubby gets home, hopefully it will clear the passages some what.
I keep forgetting to add, some people asked how my moms operation went, well... she went off to the hospital (to have a pacemaker fitted), they got her all ready then... 'Oh, we are sorry, one of the machines we need for the operation is broken, can you come back another day?' Ha! So, she is going in tomorrow, yep, April 1st, starting to wonder what they might put in for a laugh.....

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

How To Make A Business Card Stand...

with Lego!
I was planning to share this after the art show but since it never happened and I don't know when it will, I thought I might as well share it now. I wanted a fun way to display my business cards, something that fit the theme of the show which was Children and Rainbows. I started playing around with Lego and this is what I came up with, simple but effective.

punch two holes in one of your cards. I have a Muji Lego punch which
works great for the job but with a bit of fiddling you could use a regular hole punch. 
Then push a piece of Lego from the back, through the holes and
push the second Lego piece onto the  back piece

Then it stands up, like so!
Of course, once you start you will probably end up with a whole design
feature, just to display your business cards....
You still have time to bid on the Mothers day Bracelet for the Japan Quake Appeal
Just click HERE.

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Running Total...

I have added a box on the top right of the blog with the running totals in it, some people joined the raffle late and there are others raising money but haven't got the totals in yet, plus the bracelet raffle, I am hoping we can hit the ¥400,000 mark!

If you are looking for the Bracelet raffle it is HERE

Monday, 28 March 2011

The Being Prepared MTD

If you are looking for the Bracelet raffle it is HERE 

We we scheduled to have a blackout this afternoon 3.00pm - 7.00pm so I thought it would be best to be prepared and made Ebi-kun's dinner early so I didn't have to worry about cooking. Of course, the blackout never happened but at least his dinner was already prepared and it has been a while since he had a MTD.
From the top left
red and yellow pepper, pasta, senbei (rice cracker) more red and yellow pepper
pineapple, egg, egg, pineapple
ham, mixed dried fruit, konbu (seaweed), carrot flowers

Now, I did have big plans for the egg but it all went wrong, when I boiled it, the shell cracked and some leaked out which meant it was a funny shape once I had peeled it, so I got the food pens out and drew silly faces on them instead - as you do.

Looking for more muffin tin fun, head over HERE

Mothers Day Love...

Rita, from Surfing Silver contacted me a few days ago, she wanted to contribute to the appeal but doesn't have a blog so we came up with the idea of running on my blog. For those who read my blog on a regular basis you may remember this post about the bracelet and key fob made by Rita with Ebi-kun's designs on them.
Rita suggested giving away one of her mommy bracelets like the one Ebi-kun designed and since it is coming up to Mothers Day, I though it would be an excellent idea.
At some point over the last couple of weeks Jacqui posted this picture of a boy, Toshihito Aisawa, aged 9 from Ishinomaki (one of the towns devastated by the tsunami). One of his messages reads 'I will come again tomorrow'. He is looking for his family and cousin. I'm not sure if he has found them but there are going to many children like him, who won't be able to celebrate Mothers day and many mothers who won't be receiving gifts from her child this year and for years to come.
Photo by Kuniaki Nishio
That is why I think this raffle is that little bit more special, I wear my bracelet all the time, it makes me smile when I look at it...

and I am sure having one yourself will also bring a smile to your face, if you are not yet a mommy or your child is too young to create some art to use, then Ebi-kun has offered to draw something special for you, a one of a kind piece. This is a tension bracelet, the thing I really like about these kind of bracelets is that the focal piece stays on top of the wrist (like a watch) and doesn't constantly spin around; also that I can see it while I'm wearing it (can't see my earrings)
I also like this design because the focal piece serves as the clasp and it is much easier than a regular clasp!


If you are not a bracelet kinda gal, then Rita will happily do you a pendent instead


The Rules....
Donate to one of the following organisations, it doesn't matter which. When you have donated, copy the receipt number that you will be given, come back and put a comment on THIS post. You MUST include a receipt number and a valid email address. If you forget your email address then delete the previous post and re-write it.
The raffle will close Monday April 4th at 12pm JST.
Winner will be drawn by random generator.

US$10 to Global Giving
US$ to Red Cross
₤6 to Global Giving UK
₤6 to The British Red Cross
AUS$ 10 to Red Cross

the total so far...

I have totted up most of the auctions and raffles, there are a couple more to add and I will add the total for the Ebay auctions that Di has been coordinating once that is finished.

So far we have...

US$ 1807.88
GB₤1031
AUS$ 1075

which all added up and converted into one currency is...

US$ 4564.96  
or
  GB₤2,845.54
or
  AUS$ 4,449.06
or

  ¥ 371,884

Amazing, a big thank you to everyone who took part, I could not have raised that amount just by myself, what a generous, lovely group of people you are. Most of that money already on the ground helping people, sadly the reactor news is taking the spotlight away from all the homeless and injured people that need our help. I will add a button or something to the top of the blog with a running total.
 On a personal note, I feel so lucky to know and have met some amazing bloggers over the last couple of weeks, everyone who has shown their support, some of which have already taken part in a couple of big fund raisers recently, I really hope that no-one needs to do another one for quite some time.

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Prickly Love

which has nothing to do with earthquakes, just cute little balls of prickles...

Socks For Japan

Jason Kelly has set up Socks For Japan where they are getting new socks shipped to those in shelters, the socks are shipped in ziplock bags which then become useful items for the people in shelters to keep there various bits and bobs dry. If you are looking for another way to help then send off a couple of pairs of socks! Please read the information carefully, it helps those processing the socks if the packages are put together as they have requested. More info in the red box on the this page.


Send only new socks.
Put each pair in a sealed plastic bag.
Enclose a note: Care Letter Creation Page
Label, compress, and seal.
Write your email address on the package.
Write "Urgent: Relief Supplies" on the package.
For details, see our: Guidelines

Ship to:
Jason Kelly
Plaza Kei 101
Wakamatsu-cho 615-6
Sano, Tochigi 327-0846
Japan

stop running from radiation...

sounds like daft advice until you read this article,
 if only he had written it a week or so ago!

Montessori/educational goods up for grabs......

Elsa from Tintinnbuleuse missed out on the main raffle appeal but has put up raffle anyway to win some great educational materials, check out the post here.

I have a GREAT raffle lined up which is perfect for mothers day....just working out the details, stay tuned.

A week in pictures...

Wakayama catsle, we visited with Jii-chan and
went to play in the park there the next day
Osaka aquarium, we met up with Wendy who arrived in
Japan for a holiday, the day of the quake.
Some fishy looking cakes, this is all edible, amazing.
Ninja moves with Wendy
Hanging out with the Japanese cousins,
it was great they had time to meet up and play.
Making pudding at Jacqui's house, the boys did it all by themselves.
At the park with Jacqui's youngest.

Saturday, 26 March 2011

and the winners are....

for my mixed bag of goodies...


Congratulations verypurpleperson, I will drop you a line xx

and the last bid on Ebi-kun's butterfly painting was Nana and Pappy bidding ₤105
whoo-hoo!

Some of the auctions and raffles are still open, check them out!

Thanks so much for everyone who has taken part, if those who ran raffles/auctions could drop me a line and let me know how much they raise and in which currency, a ball mark figure is OK, then I can tot it up and let you all know, it is nice to have a final figure isn't it?

yes, we are back

We stayed a couple of days with Jacqui which was great, the boys had fun playing together and Jacqui and I chatted our lower jaws off. The journey back was not very exciting, the trains worked well so the longest we had to wait for a connection was 15 minutes.
We have had a couple of small tremors since we got back at the supermarket most of the shelves are stocked with exception to a few odd things like natto and that was due to the delivery not getting through. There is a shortage of bottled water, we found some in Hanamasa but there is a limit to 2 bottles per person.
Of course there is now the reports of Iodine 131 in the tap water which has sent everyone into a flap, even if it is safe levels for an adult, the thought is in the back of my mind, do I really want to be drinking it? Ebi-kun hasn't been drinking tap water and we have a charcoal filter which is supposed to take out 50% of the Iodine 131.
It has also made me re-think cooking, we eat a lot of pasta and of course that gets boiled in water and rice soaks it up too, sounds like the perfect time to try out some new recipes!
I have re-opened the shop, daddy-ebi isn't likely to be able to overtime for a while and considering the state of things there will be little or no bonus. The bonus system in Japan is VERY important, the bonus is often the same as 4 months or so salary and you get two a year, so having no bonus is going to mean some serious tightening of the belt buckles round here.
I have a couple of new patterns to share with you soon and I am looking for shops/stores that will stock my patterns if you are interested or know someone who is please drop me a line and I am going to sort through the stock that I had kept for the art show and see what I can get in the shop. I have no idea when we will put the show on now, Yasuyo has gone to help with relocating families, I'm not sure when she will be back.
I will, of course keep you updated with everything that is happening but I feel that we need to get back to some kind of routine, some type of normality, as best we can anyway. For me, that means sorting out the kitchen and my fabric stash and for Ebi-kun it means tidying up his desk, not that you would know that there is a desk under all his stuff!
Thank you for all your support and help, I will be back in a couple of hours to draw/announce the winners of Ebi-kuns auction and my raffle - still time to get a bid in!

Friday, 25 March 2011

Two weeks on...

More than 17,440 people listed as missing, hundreds of thousands are homeless and the confirmed death toll is over 10,000.
Japan: earthquake aftermath
photo credit RECORDED PICTURES
Rolling blackouts are still affecting the kanto area and will continue to do so for some time yet oh yes and then there is that nuclear reactor problem... and the announcement that they found iodine 131 in the tap water in Tokyo, incidently, there is an excellent piece written about that here.

Japan: earthquake aftermath

The clean up will take years, looking at images like this make you wonder where it will all begin....
Japan: earthquake aftermath
photo credit RECORDED PICTURES
The auctions and raffles will be closing soon, so if you haven't made a big yet or you did make a bid, pop back to the blog where you found it and check that you haven't been outbid. There are some raffles/auction with very few bids on them, a great time to snap up a bargain.....

quake appeal
the master list

Thursday, 24 March 2011

don't forget the kiddies...

A birthday coming up? or just a special treat, even more gorgeous goods....

you don't have kids, well treat yourself instead...
quake appeal
click for the master list

for the crafty or sewing types

There is a selection of books, patterns and crafty bits plus lots of delicious fabric,
what you are still here?





quake appeal
click for the master list

For your home...

There are some gorgeous pieces for your home and a couple of these items have no bids on them yet, yours for a bargain price!





find all the above in the home decor section on the master list....
quake appeal
click for the master list

Are you a bag lover?

If not? Why? Bags are brilliant and one can never have enough, although my husband would argue differently. We have some lovely bags and pouches being offered for the Quake appeal, take a look

quake appeal
click for master list

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

on the move again...

For the master list click HERE
for Ebi-kuns auction click HERE
for my raffle click HERE

We are going to stay with Jacqui AKA Mee A Bee for a couple of days, I'm thankful that the in-laws put us up as such short notice and feeding us like we are starving waifs, which we are not! They must be quite tired after being invaded by us, they usually have such a quiet life.
If eveything is looking OK up north we will go back on Thursday, if the reactor takes a turn for the worst we will come back here for a while.

It is quite frustrating not being able to do more, watching the images of Tohoku last night was heart-breaking but hearing the news of an 80 year old gran and her grandson being rescued yesterday was amazing, the gran looked so well too, she didn't look like she had been trapped in a house that had moved 100m in the quake! These oldies are so resilient. The TV also showed a report of the relief agencies getting supplies out, nappies by the truck load, one problem they were having is sorting the donations, some people had put in one of this and a couple of that which means each box needed to be sorted, time wasted. I know the donors heart was in the right place but it seems that sending a box full of one item is the way to go.

For me, it still seems so surreal, like I woke up from a really bad dream but then realising it wasn't a dream at all. Ebi-kun knows it is serious but he doesn't understand the ins and outs of it all, sometimes I think kids should be left in ignorance, I know he will get stressed out if we tried to explain it all to him, he does keep asking what the lastest bid is on his auction !

I have been wanting to do some round up posts for the auction but I can't figure out how to get the pictures using this computer, no point asking jii-chan, he only uses his for checking stocks and shares lol. I did have a look through some of the auctions/raffles on the master list yesterday (using my iphone) and noticed there were quite a few with only a couple of bids, so you have a good chance of winning! I don't like using paypal on my phone so I will be going and buying more tickets/bidding when I am sure I have a secure connection.

I have been adding new auctions each day, so check back and have a look!


Sunday, 20 March 2011

a normal day...

Well, if you exclude the fact that the first thing I do is check the news and British Embassy website as soon as I wake up, and the fact that a rattling window makes me want to dive under the nearest table and that we are at the in-laws, yesterday was a pretty normal day. We went to Osaka to meet up with Wendy, I thought she had been in Japan a day when the quake hit but I was wrong, she had been here a few hours! It was great to see her again, it was like we had met up only last week although in reality it has been years, she won Ebi-kun over with a big bag of liquorice and talks about ninja lol.


We went to the aquarium, which is really big, I have been a couple of times before but it was many moons ago and Ebi-kun hasn't been before. I feel guilty saying it but it was nice to have some fun. I have a tonne of blurry fish photos to share with you but I didn't bring the camera cable with me so you will have to wait for them, there, something to look forward to!


It looks like daddy-ebi is going to head home tomorrow, we are going to stay here for a little longer, friends from home are reporting that the situation is getting better, food in the stores etc. but there are still after shocks. I heard that found a man alive yesterday, his house was swept away with him trapped inside, absolutely amazing.



I have just updated the master list, there are some wonderful things up for grabs, absolute bargains, go and take a look, click on the image below and it will take you, as if by magic to the master list


Saturday, 19 March 2011

Where is my money going?

This is a copy of an email I had from Global Giving this morning so you can see where the money you are donating is going to...

One week after the earthquake hit we are distributing $725,000 from Global Givings Japan EarthQuake and Tsunami fund to six organizations already in Japan working on relief and long-term recovery efforts.

We wanted to share with you more information about the organizations receiving these first funds and the valuable work that each is carrying out with the help of your donation.

Japan Platform - Japan Platform is an emergency humanitarian aid organization working with Japanese NGOs, the Japanese business community, and the Japanese government. Funds provided by GlobalGiving will be used to provide disaster coordination and financial support to the 18 Japan Platform partner NGOs that are responding to the emergency by providing short-term food aid, medical assistance, and tents, while planning a long-term response.

Peace Winds - Peace Winds is a Japanese organization that has focused on emergency humanitarian relief for the past 15 years. GlobalGiving funds will help Peace Winds distribute emergency disaster relief supplies - including food, cooking supplies, and blankets - to people at shelters in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture and to provide free satellite telephone services and mobile phone charging so that survivors can ensure family members of their safety and to check on family members in other affected areas.

Save the Children - Children are always among the most vulnerable during emergencies. Save the Children is working with children and caregivers to provide psycho-social support and materials and to establish Child-Friendly Spaces in affected communities in Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwata, and Ibaraki Prefectures.

Architecture for Humanity - Architecture for Humanity and its teams of professionals in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are partnering with other organizations to mobilize around the long-term reconstruction effort. GlobalGiving funds will support communities and design professionals in the safe and sustainable rebuilding of community structures, health clinics, schools, hospitals and civic structures.

International Medical Corps - International Medical Corps has an emergency response team of doctors on the ground in Sendai, and is coordinating with local officials to fill critical gaps in the response efforts. These funds will help the group focus on reaching isolated coastal communities that were devastated by the tsunami and have yet to receive aid.

Lifeline Energy - Lifeline Energy is working with local partners to distribute wind-up and solar radios and specialized programming to non-Japanese speaking survivors, who are lacking access to critical information following the disaster. These radios are also equipped with flashlights and cell phone chargers and are designed for especially complex emergency situations.

GlobalGiving is committed to keeping you informed about the impact your donation is having on the ground. In the coming days, weeks, and months, you'll continue to receive updates about how these funds are being used and stories about the people whose lives you have helped change for the better. For additional insights into how GlobalGiving is handling donors' funds, read our Chief Program Officer's recent blog post.

Morning!

All is well in this neck of the woods, Ebi-kun thinks he is on holiday and the in-laws are spoiling him rotten!
We are meeting a friend in Osaka today, I know her from uni, she has wanted to come to Japan for years, finally got the funds together, arrived here the day before the quake and well, let's say it is not exactly the holiday she had planned!
She has managed to get her flight changed so she will fly out of Osaka which means she won't have to tackle Tokyo again.

The situation in Japan is still hard, I feel bad leaving friends behind, especially those with small children or babies. Apparently Second Harvest are getting supplies through, they have a special permit to take trucks through to hard to reach places so hopefully the supplies are making it to those who need it. Of course, the nuclear reactor situation is a worry, I think everyone will relax a bit once that is under control. I wish the foreign media would lay off and stop sensationalising the problem, they seem to have no idea what kind of problem they are causing.

I don't know what is being shown overseas but Tokyo is a  bit chaotic (well more than usual) the trains are not running properly and there are the rolling black outs to contend with. I know some media have also picked up on the Japanese wearing face masks, let me reassure you that this is perfectly normal, it is hay fever season here and about half of the population suffer from it, wearing a mask helps, I will be wearing one today, it has noting to do with the radiation scare.

The media here are being very thorough, updating often and providing charts and diagrams to explain the situation of the reactor. For a country that has survived two nuclear disasters I think they are doing a great job, the people in themselves are calm and level headed, there are no reports of looting, muggings or murders. If I were to choose where to be if I were to find myself in the middle of a disaster, it would be Japan.

Right, I am going to try and up date the list before we leave this morning, please keep spreading the word, so many people need help and for many of us, the only way to do this is by raising money.

Thank you for your emails and good wishes, sorry that I haven't been able to write back individually.
jo

Friday, 18 March 2011

Auction Appeal Q&A


I have changed the code for the badge so that it will take you to the master list now that it is up.

I have had some questions and rather than try and reply to all the individual messages I am going to answer them here.

I want to get involved, what do I do?
Read through the rest of this post and then have a look at the explanation post here. It is a guide line on what to do, you can run the auction/raffle anyway you like, this is just to give those who have no idea a starting point to go from.

Do I have to use Global Giving?
When I decided to get the ball rolling on this auction appeal not many of the charities had got pages set up for the Japan Quake Appeal which was one of the reasons why I chose to go with Global Giving. If you are running an auction or raffle I don't think it matters which charity to decide to go with as long as the people that are buying 'tickets' can post proof of payment. For those running an auction please ask the winner to forward the receipt after they have donated the winning amount.

Global Giving doesn't accept donations less that $10 what should I do for me raffle?
You can either ask people to comment twice, so $10 buys two tickets or just set the minimum for one ticket at $10

How do I know if someone isn't using the same ticket more than once.
This is a tough one, we have to believe that most people are honest. Please put in your post a gentle reminder that a new donation is needed for each entry.

My blog isn't very popular, I don't have many followers.
This shouldn't matter, now the master list is up everyone can see who is participating and people can see where to go, it is worth bidding on small blogs items because you have a better chance of winning :o)

I have put up my blog post for the auction/raffle now what?
Post your link in the comments section on the master post and I will add it to the list then tell all and sundry about the appeal.
When the appeal is over send me an email with the amount you raised (and which currency) so that I can reckon up how much we raised together.

If you have other questions, please post them in the comments section of this post, it is easier that way for me rather than trying to sort through all the emails. Thanks.

The Master List for the Japan Quake Appeal

Here is is, a list of some amazing bloggers, please take some time and have a good look at whats on offer. Think of it as early Christmas/birthday shopping with a good cause to boot. If you have joined the appeal but your name is not yet on the list then please leave a comment on THIS POST with the link to the post and I will add it as soon as I can. I will up date the list daily, so check back to see who else has joined.
***UPDATE*** I have added some more links this morning, they are marked with ***

BAGS & PURSES

ART and HOME DECOR
A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That - painting by Ebi-kun
Jacob and Natalli - auction 2
Jacob and Natalli - auction 4
BOOKS
Make It Perfect - plus fabric!

JEWELLERY
Jacob and Natalli - auction 1
Jacob and Natalli - auction 3
***Olives and Pickles plus Peruvian goodies
***Chasing Cheerios

WEARABLES


FABRIC


SEWING NOTIONS / VINTAGE GOODIES / MIXED BAG

EBay auctions
ETSY Shops donating funds
This and That from Japan - will donate 15% of sales
KitKnitty - will donate 50% of sales
Hopeful Threads has a linky for people to add their fund raising efforts to.

Thursday, 17 March 2011

We are in Wakayama

We arrived at the in-laws yesterday evening, seems so  weird down here business as usual, only a couple of the channels on the TV are showing the earthquake news. I met someone on the train that I haven't seen for years, she was booked on a flight back to Ireland with her 7 week old, 18mth old and husband.
I still keep thinking that the ground is moving and have to check if anything is swinging or whether it is just me, it's like the feeling you get after getting off a rough boat ride.

It is really hard for foreigners here, the information we are getting from the Japanese is that, yes it is a concern but nothing to panic about, the radiation levels are low the foreign media are swinging the other way and making it sound like another nuclear disaster like Chernobyl. Which means we have family back home worrying and us here wondering what the hell is the best thing to do. If you are overseas please take a moment before contacting loved ones here and think about the comments/messages you send, media hype that had no scientific back up does not help the situation and do read articles properly not take the headline out of context. For those of us here, the decision to stay or go is hard enough but it should be based on sensible facts not hyped up media rubbish. The Brisish Embassy have good solid info written in simple English (that is to say I understand it), it is clear and answers a lot of questions. If you are worried about the radiation issue I recommend you take a read, here.
Several of my friends have either left or have flights booked but many don't have that option and my Japanese friends think that it is unnecessary. Who knows?

Hopefully they will get things under control at the power plant soon and then we can head back home. I will keep you updated here, although I am using ji-chans computer and it's all Japanese and a windows machine so this will be at a basic level until I can figure it out!

I am hoping to catch up with Jacqui AKA Meeabee whilst we are down here, she may be putting the friend I met on the train up so we will see.

I went to the eye doctor today, yesterday by the time we got here, my eyes were a right mess, I could barely see and just wanted to scratch them out. Turns out I have a type of hay-fever which is caused by the campor trees, I have never had it before and yesterday just happened to have an extremely high pollen count!

I never thought I would say this since I was never a big fan of Facebook but it has been a godsend for keeping people back home and keeping in touch with friends here. (After the blog started getting more popular (you know, not just my family and mates reading it) I decided to keep FB just for close friends and family, please don't be offended if I have no accepted your request, I am sure you appreciate that I need somewhere a little more private sometimes.

I have a little time now so I am starting on the master list for the appeal, thank you to everyone who has got involved now we are here I will try and keep on top of things.

Wednesday, 16 March 2011

today's update...

Had a bit of a panic yesterday hearing that the radiation levels in Saitama were 40 times higher than normal. Of course I had no idea what that meant so I spent ages trying to get my head around it. Turns out it was nothing to panic about, concerned yes, but not panic. 40 times the normal is less than a tooth x-ray.

The most difficult thing is getting level headed sensible advice and information.
Anyway, we have decided to go to the in-laws down in Wakayama for a few days, hubby is coming too and then we will decide what to do depending on how the situation evolves. Part of the reason for leaving is to put moms mind at rest, she is due to have an operation on Thursday and doesn't need the extra stress and worry over us, at least we will be in a safer area.

I have had a lot of emails, appologies on not getting back to you, we are scheduled for a blackout this morning so I am trying to let those who need to know first, I am sure you understand.

I will have net access at the other end so I will keep you updated. If you have any questions about the auction, please take a read through this post, if you still need help can you write the question in the comments section, that would help me out a bit, thanks.

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Want to get involved with the appeal

if you are not a blogger but you do use Ebay then pop over to Di's blog, she has a great idea on how you can help.

Crafty Toyko Mama has this beautiful purse up for auction, see more here

and how about this pretty, pretty blouse being raffled at Nette

Japan Crafts has this stunning vintage kimono jacket up for auction

and Diane from monkey magic blog holding a raffle for 25 fat quarters of gorgeous Japanese fabric! 

and lastly, for now, the lovely Emma from Bagladee is having a raffle for a whole load of Bagladee goodness
I will be adding more as they come in and posting a master list on the 19th. If you are taking part please email me you link.
I am deeply touched that so many of you have got on board with this and although it doesn't feel like I am doing much, at least it feels like I am doing something, thank you all xxx

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