Restore contact groups from time machine

We have had enormous problems restoring contacts from a TIme Machine backup. Does anyone know how to do this so that it works?
1. All contact data disappeared. We still don't know why
2. Opening the contacts program and then opening Time Machine allowed me to restore all contacts but not the contact groups
3. Resptoring Username/Library/ Appication Support/ Address Book failed repeatedly because OSX kept recreating the Address Book folder with Configuration.plist in it before the restore took place. This obstructed the restore process
4. After checking the user groups we turned off iCloud. OSX still kept on recreating Configuration.plist making it impossible to complete the estore from TIme Machine
5. The process that worked (below) is very messy and demands a very quick hand. Please can someone tell me that there is a better and more foolproof method than this:
5.1 Disconnect Contacts from iCloud  and Shut the Contacts Application
5.2 Delete Username/Library/Application Support/Address Book
5.3 Restore the Address Book folder from Time machine to a different location
5.4 Rename the restored Address Book folder to "Address Book 2"
5.5 Move Address Book 2 into the Application support folder
5.6 Select Address Book - you've just deleted it but OSX will have put it back. Press Get Info
5.7 Select Address Book 2 (the one you have restored from Time Machine) and press Get Info
5.8 Quickly before OSX has time to think using the two Get Info windows rename Address Book to Address Book Old and IMMEDIATEY rename Address Book 2 to Address Book
5.9 If you are lucky / fast enough the restored Address Book will now be there when you open Contacts
6. I have not yet checked to see what happens when we reconnect to iCloud. According to another user group post we may have to
6.1 Export the (now correctly restored) Address book
6.2 reconnect to iCloud
6.3 Delete all the contacts
6.4 Reimport the exported address book
Please someone tell me there is a better way than this. When it works Time Machine is marvellous. But this isn't how it is meant to be
Many thanks
Julian

With Mail in the foreground and the browser window showing, enter Time Machine. Scroll back to a snapshot that contains the messages you want to restore. Select them, then click the Restore button in the lower right corner of the screen.

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