2013 Thanksgiving, Journal

There were two cooking for dinner gathering one week.  Actually Hiroko cooked three times; 15 lbs. Turkey for Church Thanksgiving fellowship luncheon after the Sunday Worship Service, one dinner for Shearin family, who didn’t come last two years, and Ham and Fried Wantons for Thanksgiving Dinner at the home of Lisa/Dave.

Here is Shearin Family

Jassie and Natalie, the daughter of Tets (Dan-san’s brother)/Saeru

Jassie/Natalie's daughters

Son of Jassie/Natalie, his eyes were closed, so Hiroko took another photo next day.  Isn’t he handsome like his father?

Elsa came to entertain them.  Thanks for Elsa, we can catch up how all these young people are doing and talked about their future.

We are amazed to hear the age of Jessie and Natalie.  They both had already passed half century.  No wonder we are getting so old.

Right after the giving grace for the foods, everyone started to eat.  They drove 9 hours from their hometown.  

By their request, Tonkatsu, curry, vegetable sauté with shrimp, goma-ae, and little cake and fruits for dessert were served.  They loved goma-ae so much, that one serving wasn’t enough, so Hiroko made one more bunch of spinach and they ate them all.  It made Hiroko so happy.

Give thanks to our Lord for His providence and care for their family.

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2013 Thanksgiving Dinner at the home of Lisa/Dave

Here is the 23 lbs. of turkey made by Dave.  They made couple more turkey breast, so there were enough left over for taking home.  Thanks for Lisa/Dave for their thoughtfulness.

Lisa and Dave with Turkey.  

Dave was checking the internal temperature of turkey.

25 people came for this dinner party.

 

4 children, 2 boys who were playing electronics games, and two girls

These two girls have been making the ribbon yarn scarves.  They said they love to make the scarves.  One of the girls, Dave’s niece, gave one scarf to Grand-ma already.  It made Grand-ma so happy, and she told Hiroko she would wear it every day to her work.

Dave’s mother and her grand-daughter and her niece niece’s friend

Dave’s father had bad headache, so Hiroko didn’t bother.

Steven and Amanda

Amanda and Dave’s sister-in-law  Her husband Chris was in and out feeding the parking meter.  Chicago’s parking meters have been so ridiculously too expensive.  That is one reason Dan-san didn’t want to drive to the downtown Chicago, and other one is he can’t see well at night because the light was bothering his eyes.  He might need to do the cataract surgery.  Steven and Amanda picked us up and drove back us home.  Thanks for that.

Jessie and Chris’s neighbor who came from England, and Saeru’s friend’s son, who came from Hawaii.

Shearin’s daughter and Elsa’s neighbor; 

Natalie and Jay

Shearin’s daughter and Elsa.  Elsa taught her how to take sexy looking photo.  Aren’t they sexy?

Lisa and Elsa.  Where is Richard? 

Dinner time!

Dan-san gave the grace, especially thanks to our Lord for our lives.

Here is the foods for the day.

Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed-potato (no photo), salad, corn casserole, beans with bacon, cranberry sauce, cauliflower casserole, ham, and broccoli/rice casserole

There were so many appetizers as usual, 7 different types of pies, and many, many drinks.

Give thanks and praise the Lord for His abundant care and provision to our family and friends.

Snow in Chicago

It is November 13, Wednesday.  Yesterday, November 12, morning, snow was piling up on the yard and on the top of garage roofs.  The temperature was below freezing all day long, so the snow had not melted.  The first snow had already been fall 3 or 4 weeks ago.

These photos were taken November 13th morning.  Yes, there was snow. 

All the stinky plants on the porch were frozen. 

It was cold, cold day yesterday.

It was busy, busy day yesterday.

The Bible study session was held yesterday morning from 10 AM, and one of the ladies made spaghetti for everyone who attended this session.  It was very tasty spaghetti.  Jell-o and mini cheese cake were also served.  Everyone enjoyed the lunch.

From Matthew 7:1&2, our Pastor talked, and everyone questioned and talked more at the morning Bible study.

Judging Others (Matthew 7:1-2)

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

It was a very interesting discussion.  The result of the discussion, and everyone learned that before going to sleep every night, every Christian confesses their sins committed the day.  Here is the list of how to ask the forgiveness according to one of the Bible Scholar:

·         First, I thank God our Lord for all He does for me and all humankind

·         Second, I ask God to enlighten my mind to see my sins, and to help me live without them

·         Third, I ask myself what I have done.  What have I said, or left unsaid?  What have I done, or left undone?  I examine my day, perhaps with a little system—by time period, or places, or some such method.

·         Fourth, I will identify anything that I do not approve of according to my own conscience, and turn to God asking forgiveness

·         Fifth, I will look forward and decide how I will act tomorrow, provided God gives me that gift.  And I end with the Our Father.

If you have any question, please write the on comment space.

Afternoon, Hiroko had to go see the eye doctor for the last appointment.  Dan-san drove Hiroko to the doctor’s building, but the parking lot was closed for repair, so Hiroko came home by bus.  Anyway, it was good result of the eye surgery.  The doctor said Hiroko’s both eyes are the best condition and able to see 20/20.  Hiroko needs the glasses to see for reading, but the doctor told Hiroko that do not need the prescription glasses, just buy from the drug store if necessary.

Give thanks to the Lord and everyone who prayed for Hiroko’s eyes surgery.

THANK YOU!  ARIGATO!

Two Parties, Journal

The first party was Self Making Sushi Party for Devon Church Puppeteer Group

These Puppeteers are not Japanese, so they don’t eat Sashimi fish.  It is good for Hiroko.  At least Hiroko prepared cooked with soy sauce and sugar canned Unagi (eel) and Saba (mackerel), canned Shake (salmon) crumbs, cooked shrimp, and crab meat, and many vegetable, 

such as cucumber, green onion, and spinach for sushi.  Hiroko made Tofu and green onion soup.  One of the young girl can’t eat Nori (seaweed), so she was eating Tamale and Spam Musubi (rice-ball).  Hiroko should take photos how they made the sushi.

This is Birthday cake for everybody, so there were six candles on the cake.  One of the girls became 21 a week ago.  She said, “Now, I can officially drink alcohol.”  Her elder sister wanted to taste margarita, and brought tequila, so Hiroko bought margarita juice.  Three of us enjoyed drinking.  Well, not three of us, only two of us.  The girl just became 21 couldn’t drink.  She said she didn’t like alcohol because it did not taste like juice.

These four girls and one boy came to this party.  They are willing to put puppet show any time.

In couple of week, there will be a Thanksiving Worship Service in Devon Church.  These girls will again do the puppet show called “Grateful Leper” based on the Bible story from Luke 7:11-19, and one more.

Luke 7:11-19  Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy  ¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a 

distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  ¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.  ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud 

voice.  ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.  ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” 

Based on these pictures, Hiroko will make patchwork pictures and decorate the puppet stage.

Hiroko missed to post the blog about the puppet group party previous week, because too busy making this Christmas tree skit for Lisa’s Bday dinner.

Charlie Brown and Christmas tree.

One week after the Puppet group party, Lisa’s Bday was celebrated.

Lisa’s requesting Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) with curry were served as main.  There were many other dishes, Saba no miso-ni (mackerel cooked with Miso), vegetable with shrimp, sausage, spinach goma-ae (spinach mixed with grated sesame seeds), and one more vegetable dish.

This is Lisa’s B-day cake.  How old are you?

Starting the dinner with Dan-san’s prayer

Here is Lisa and Dave

Lisa’s cousin, Steven/Amanda

 sister Elsa/Richard












Having wonderful time to eat, to drink, and to talk, talk, talk the night, especially the night was changed summer time, so everyone could sleep one extra hour. 

Happy Occasion and Sad Occasion in Autumn, Nursery

Happy and Sad things were in the Autumn.

Well, let me tell you the sad thing.  It is funny to say “sad thing” but no more delicious fresh vegetables in Autumn.  It is sad.

There are no more cucumber and tomato plants.  Only sad looking green pepper plants are in the garden. 

Starting to wither are the Konnyaku plants, and trying to get matured cayenne pepper plants are in the Porch Garden.

No more delicious crunchy cucumber and delicious juicy red tomato to eat.

Hot, hot vinegar made with red cayenne pepper.  Putting this hot vinegar and cayenne pepper on the food makes very delicious.

Tsukudani made with cayenne pepper leaves.  It is very delicious eating this with rice

In the Japanese saying, Ogles will be laughing to hear talking of the following year things.  Let me make Ogles to laugh.  Hiroko can’t wait for 2014 summer to eat those delicious fresh cucumbers and tomatoes again.

Now, Happy things!

The Opera season has opened.  This year, Hiroko looked forward to see the Opera, because she would like to test her new eyes.  The first opera in this season was “Otello.”

This is the advertise board hung of the Otello on the wall of Lyric Opera House in Chicago.

No explanation for Otello by Shakespeare, but it is much better to be able to understand the lyric of the songs by reading the English subtitles.  Hiroko could not see any English subtitles last year, and everyone was laughing but not Hiroko.  It was so funny.  However, this year, you would not believe it.  No need to use the glasses to read the subtitle and understand everything.  Two days later of the eye surgery, the letter got blurred, but Hiroko could read them all.  It will be taking around 30 days to settle the vision of those eyes.  Hiroko appreciated so much for this new sight and those wonderful music and singers in the opera “Otello.”  Thanks again!

Since it was our dinner time after the opera, so Hiroko stopped at the restaurant called “Yokozuna” by the train station, and bought sushi called “Ozeki” for Dan-san, and for Hiroko “Una-don (eel-rice). 

Ozeki Sushi and Una-don.

The Sushi from this restaurant is very suitable taste to the Americans, so Dan-san was very happy to eat all those Sushi.  Hiroko has not eaten eel for a long time, so the food made Hiroko happy, too.

It was full-moon that night

It was a very big and beautiful moon, but Hiroko couldn’t take a good photo. 

At the both side of the moon, two airplanes were flying that looks like Venus and Mercury.