Matane

Today we said "Matane" to Tsukasa.
We did not say sayonara.

Matane is a non-permanent goodbye that essentially means "I'll see you soon."

She is moving about 2 hours away to live with my dad's uncle and aunt while she attends school in their town. Somehow, perhaps because she's been in and out the last six months or because she'll be in the safe-keeping of family, it doesn't seem as though she's left.

I was at a conference Thursday-Saturday, so when I got home yesterday I soaked up my time with her. Before I'd left she'd asked me what Japanese meal I'd like her to cook.

I grinned when I replied that I'd like tempura. Tempura is delicious, but it takes a lot of time to make.
Nonetheless, we made tempura yesterday.
:)

In case you're wondering what in the world we're doing, let me tell you about tempura.

Tempura is a fried dish, and here we are coating the mixed vegetables with the flour/other special things mixture. In addition, we fried zucchini, sweet potatoes, and chicken.

Somehow I neglected to photograph our huge feast after it was all prepared. Too late now, because it didn't last long!

The best part about this stage is that you get to get messy! I love putting my hands in gooey things like finger paints, so this is my favorite part!

After your vegetables are thoroughly coated with the frying mixture, you place a handful in the hot oil. The difficult part comes when you flip it over in the oil. After all, it's not flat and round like a pancake; it's a handful of mixed veggies, and each handful is a different frying experience. A true master can do it with chopsticks. Of course Tsukasa can, but we all mostly stuck to the spatula last night.

Here is our master chef.

Oops. You caught me taste-testing!

Julia and Carissa also came over for the night. Julia is a fantastic cook, as well, so I learned so much hanging around Julia and Tsukasa. (Did I mention Julia made homemade strawberry ice cream last night? Mmmmm!)

So cute!

Sisters!

(I just look like I know what I'm doing with those chopsticks.)

Since my last post, I feel like it's only fair to mention that my dad had a roaring fire going from the time I walked in the door yesterday until bedtime.

You must understand that it's a real labor of love for my mom to allow us to cook tempura in her kitchen. The stove is her baby, and we made a huge mess on the stove. (We always do.)

Here she found some interim period where the stove was not in use and set to work.

Caught you! You're so cute, Mommy.

Last night, Erin joined us for our traditional Japanese meal. After dinner, Blue managed to escape out the front door, so here we're outfitted for dog hunting. If you're questioning our fashion (okay, my fashion), don't judge. It was freezing outside.

Tsukasa's friend, Hiroko, also came for dinner. Sadly, Tali Rose was busy and couldn't be there. :( She loves tempura, too. I'm thinking I'll "make" Tsuchan come back for my birthday and make it with me! :)

After dinner and dog-hunting, Tsu called us all into the family room for a family meeting. She shared from her heart something special with each member of our family. It was so sweet and made us all cry! Since she's Tsukasa, she also made us all laugh. :D

Here she's recounting her many "dinner dates" with Papa ("while Chuck and Pam were out and Jessie was on dates with Tyler").

Papa couldn't quite hear her sweet words and naturally assumed she was teasing him.

Our whole dinner gang (minus James, who'd already left)

Our little family.

We love you, Tsu.

And you will always be just that: family.