Will the REAL witch please stand up...

Today was a gorgeous day in Salt Lake City, I don't know what the official temperature was but, it definitely felt like it was in the 70s. Since the kids are out of school until Tuesday(because of UEA, Utah Education Association, a time when teachers go to workshops) and I took off work yesterday and today so that we could spend some time together as a family, we decided (okay, I decide) that we would take advantage of a photo opportunity at Gardner Village which is decorated with different themed witches throughout the historical type village.

It was VERY busy today at Gardner Village and little did I know that Blade was scared of the witches and wanted nothing to do with them, even though he knew that they were decorations for Halloween. That frustrated me a bit and I was not too happy that Blade was not going to take advantage of this "photo op" and was not going to be in the pictures, hence the title "Will the REAL witch please stand up". I made sure that Nicole and Chay posed with almost ALL of the witches we discovered (don't worry, I'm not including ALL the pictures). Please tell me that you other Moms out there know what I'm talking about when I write that I was frustrated when all my subjects did not want to cooperate.

There was a scavenger hunt where we had to find certain themed witches and write down their location and when we found them all, the kids (12 and under) could go to the bakery and purchase a chocolate chip cookie for 25 cents. Dave provided the "solid" surface we needed so that we could write our answers down.

In the above picture, there is a cat chasing a mouse under the witch's skirt but I couldn't get the timing right and so you can only see the grey furball by the witch's foot which is the cat.

I used whatever tricks I could to capture some of the witches AND Blade in the same picture...

Proof again that I do indeed exist...

After we had spent time walking around the village and decided to head out, Blade became more comfortable with some of the witches and was willing to sit with this witch if "everyone" went.

Then he got brave and walked towards the "cowboy" one.

And what a relief when we found the outhouse...

As we were leaving the parking lot, Blade was already talking about returning to Gardner Village to see the Elves tomorrow. He heard me talking earlier about Elf statues being there at Christmas and I guess to him, everyday is like Christmas...


For some unknown reason, Blade decided that he wanted to grab Nicole's hair and whenever she tried to sit up, he would pull her hair again and yank her back. So, she decided that she would pull his hair so he knew what it felt like and would let go. However, in the above picture, it doesn't look like it was hurting either one of them.

"My first caramel apple since I got my braces off"

After seeing all the festivities today, Nicole felt like a caramel apple and I just happened to have all the ingredients we needed to fulfill her wish. It was simple compared to the caramel apple that Grandma described making at homemaking but it sure tasted good!

"Happy Birthday to Dave..."

Happy Birthday to Dave
(or as Blade would say, Happy Dirthday)

Dave's birthday was yesterday and we finally had a chance to celebrate after I got home from work and after Chay had his soccer practice. I had the thought that a black forest cake (no pun intended) would be nice for Dave and also thought "why should I make one when I know that Sam's Club has a great one" (thanks Doug for exposing me to this cake when we had to pick one up for Alana to celebrate her birthday her first year at BYU!). Dave is so cute smiling big and everything in this picture but that little face on the edge almost steals the show.

Group pictures to mark the 46th year of the man in my life. And the Japanese half of Blade is showing in the above picture, you can see it in his eyes...

Dave hasn't aged much but the kids sure are growing up.

And, Dave cooked his own birthday supper on the barbeque outside. The special touch I like, and had to laugh about, is the lamp Dave had to take outside so that he could see his work. We have to add some class to the event... (okay maybe the lamp minus the lampshade neutralized us out on the classy part). And again, Blade is there to steal the show... I love that little boy...
...I love that big boy also...

She's Beautiful

Blade looked at this picture, pointed to Grandma and said before he
turned to look at me,
"She's beautiful just like you".

You really are beautiful Mom.

Thank you Doug for posting this memorable picture and creating one
of those touching moments that made me say "ahhhhhh" and just
hug my little Blade.

Icing recipe

This is the recipe for icing that I used.

2 cups powered sugar (icing sugar for us Canadians)
2 Tbsp softened butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk or cream

*Combine egg white and milk, set aside.
*Beat together powered sugar, butter and flavorings.
*Add small amounts of the milk mixture until icing is spreading consistency. (I used about half of the milk mixture)
*Tint with desired colors.
*Using the egg white will give you a nice finish on the icing, the butter will keep it soft on the inside.

I have also used meringe powder instead of egg whites in the past with other icing recipes but he meringe powder makes the icing hard throughout. I may have to try meringe powder with butter to see what happens. I'm still experimenting with recipes so if I find a great icing recipe for glazing cookies I will share that.

If anyone likes a real flaky sugar cookie I have a recipe for that. Nicole doesn't like it as much as a regular sugar cookie but I thought that for a variety it was okay.

And unfortunately, I do eat quite a few of the cookies after we're all done. I have to eat the first one to make sure that it tastes okay and I can give them to others to eat but then it's like potato chips, I can't eat JUST ONE.

A time for change

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all you fellow Canadians out there!

This week end was a time for change.

First, we FINALLY changed the light fixture in our bathroom. For those that have been to our home, you know what a treat that is. I know I should have taken a before picture but Dave and Nicole got going on the project before I was aware, and there wasn't a picture before because I'm not stupid, and didn't want any evidence of it "hanging" around. ( and again, those that have been to my home, know that that old fixture was literally just hanging there, and it wasn't a chandelier)

Why we waited so long to change the fixture I don't know...

I finally made some cookies to Thank the Millers for giving us their left over sod.

On Sunday morning, I woke up and saw that it was snowing! The beautifully warm Spring that we were having ended "overnight", we're not ready for that change. It continued to snow off and on throughout the day but the roads and sidewalks were warm and so no snow piled up.




We went to the Yale Ward for the first time today (at 9:00am instead of 1:00). In the past we have have gone to the Yale 2nd Ward but, over the years the Yale 1st and 2nd Wards have decreased in number and so the two have combined. It was a big change from sitting in Sacrament meeting with maybe half the Chapel filled to sitting there with the Chapel full and people sitting in the foyer. AND it was a change to have Blade sitting quietly(relatively) throughout the meeting. However, it was kind of humorous during the closing prayer when Blade was standing and then laid back on my lap and he must have moved the wrong way because all of a sudden there was a THUD as he fell on his back onto the floor. He didn't make a sound verbally so he was okay, but Nicole and I couldn't help but snicker. It'll be different to have a "normal" sized Ward but I'm sure we'll adjust (we'll just have to make sure that someone skips out of class early so that we can get a row in the chapel...)

Because we had the "whole" day left now that we were home at 12:00, we ate and then decided to make more sugar cookies since we gave most of the others away and now had the taste for more. Dave was at work but the rest of us all joined together and made and decorated cookies. I felt like my Mom at that moment because while I was growing up, she always made the best sugar cookies for all the different Holidays.
Chay and Blade did most of the cutting out of cookies. They both now know that the key is to make sure you flour your cookie cutter first.
Then Nicole got involved in decorating the cookies. I was so proud of her, finally a moment when I felt like she was truly my daughter, finding joy in decorating cookies. I don't think I'll get her to the point of enjoying sewing but, cookie decorating is a start.


Here are some of our cookies. Nicole and I really like how the witches turned out.

And on this Canadian Thanksgiving Day, I say "Thank you" to my family. My vocabulary is insufficient to adequately express how I feel towards my family but my Mom and Dad are the strongest people I know. They grew up during a difficult time for Japanese in Canada and had the strength to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints . Because of their strength and courage, I grew up with everything that I ever needed and had the bonus of being able to spend quality time with them and my siblings camping, fishing, skiing, and going on great vacations every summer. Just going for day drives were fun, or even just to Park Lake. They also had strong parents who made the journey to Canada. I didn't have the opportunity to know my Dad's parents but I do know that my Dad's mom loved him so much that at birth she disobeyed the doctors and instead of using her strength to nurse the stronger baby, she nursed my Dad. And now, as a result, there are a lot of us Takahashi's around. And to think of all the lives my Dad has touched through his career as a caring physician. And my Mom's parents had the strongest work ethic and showed so much love to their grandkids. Even with "my" memory, I will always remember the parties at Grandma's and Grandpa's home filled with EVERYONE and playing bingo.

I also learned on Sunday that Blade knows more than I give him credit for. When Blade starts to act like a baby doing the baby talk thing, thinking it's cute, I tell him he's a big boy. Yesterday he told me,
"I was a baby when I was in your tummy".
"Yes you were".
"Then you sneezed".
"Then what happened?"
"I popped out".
"Yeah, you kind of did". At this point I was amazed, my baby is growing up...then he said,
"You sneezed and I popped out of your mouth!"

I had to laugh out loud on that one, I couldn't keep that laughter in...my big boy is still my "baby".


Life is good.
This picture is for Mom to show her that Dad's supplies did indeed arrive on Thursday! So it is safe for them to come down whenever they want and stay as long as the supplies last. I'm looking forward to their visit and it would have been nice to have them down sooner but, as we all know from recent posts and comments, there is a reason their beautiful new car was damaged and postponed their trip. Mom and Dad, we'll enjoy your company whenever you can make it!

"You're it...!"

Do you know who your Guardian Angel is?

That's a question that Chay asked me when he and I were alone driving in the car. I was surprised by the random question, and told him I didn't know. Without hestitation, he told me
"I know who mine is".
"Who?"
"It's Nana. (Dave's paternal Grandmother) When she got my picture she showed me to all her friends".
"She was so proud to see her great grandson and knew that you would carry on the Gathers name".

Shortly after showing off her great grandson, Nana unfortunately passed away before seeing her precious Chay face to face. We were fortunate to fly out to New York as a family and attend her funeral service.

I agree with Chay and believe that Nana is his Guardian Angel, watching over him. Lately Chay has been putting in a lot of thought about the spirits of loved ones visiting us, and remembering stories that Dave has told him about his experiences.

I don't know if I have one special guardian angel that has taken me under his/her care but I do believe that we are each surrounded by loved ones that have passed through the veil and are watching over us and protecting us on a daily basis. I believe that coincidences are miracles that are happening because our Heavenly Father is truly there watching over His children. I believe that after we leave this mortal life, we will reunite with our families that have died before us and will find out that each one of them has also been watching over us and helping us in whatever way we needed at any time in our lives. I believe that as we live, we are answers to individual prayers. I know that years ago, I must have been the answer to Dave's prayers because we were brought together because of different "coincidences" and despite me initially not being interested in dating Dave, he knew I was "the" one and stuck it out, enduring the torture I put him through until I "saw the light" (and I don't mean any of that in a conceited way, he was and continues to be more spiritual than me and upon meeting me, "knew" that I was to be his wife. Isn't that romantic?).

As a nurse working on the neuroscience unit with pts with brain trauma, brain tumors, strokes, all neurological disorders, I know that I was the answer to prayers of loved ones praying to have their family member watched over, protected and kept safe. There were MANY times when I would be busy doing something and then get the thought to check on someone and act upon that thought and walk into a room to find an unstable pt just starting to climb over the siderails, starting to pull out a central line, or starting to have respiratory problems...the list goes on. I would be so thankful that I acted upon that thought and prevented a negative experience, thus, the answer to someone's prayer. The most humbling experience I had on the neuro floor was when I sat with a daughter, supporting her, while her mother passed a way. She said many kind words to me afterwards and genuinely compared me to the Savior. The main joy I find in nursing is being able to make a positive psychological difference for the pt and the pt's family. I may not be "saving" lives working at the Moran Eye Center but, I hope I'm stilling making a difference.

When Blade was about 1 1/2 years old, he wanted a helium balloon that was trapped in the front peak of our vaulted ceiling and had been for days (the top peak in the picture below. And that "thing" on the ledge is an upsidedown gargoyl that we saw years ago and cracked up in laughter and it has been with us ever since).

When I was on the computer, Blade was by the railing (a room length a way from the peak) saying "balloon", I looked to see that the balloon was trapped in it's peak and then looked a way to continue on the computer. I heard him say "balloon" again with a change in his tone only seconds later and looked to see that this balloon was now right in front of him where he could grab the attached ribbon and hold on to the balloon. I was stunned, this defied any laws of physics. I knew that one of Blade's great grandmothers was watching over him and could not deny her grandchild the balloon. I tried to logically figure out how this could have happened but just gave up because there was not a logical explanation. (the furniture you see in the above picture was once Nana's, and so she is always close to us as sitting on the furniture is like being in her apartment)

So, who is your Guardian Angel? Who are you the Guardian Angel to? I think "you're it" to everyone!

"I do"

Last night we had the privilege to attend the wedding of one of the sons of "mission parents" of Dave's while he served his mission in SLC. They have been family to us and my kids know them as "Grandma Ginny and Grandpa Ritchie". The wedding took place at Millcreek Inn, a beautiful and quaint cottage in Millcreek Canyon.

It was a perfect setting for pictures, I wish we had the time to take family pictures and that I had Sheila there to take them for me.

This next picture may be the "before" picture like the Disneyland picture Doug had in his trio of pictures.


I thought this simple but elegant piece at the top of the tent was the perfect touch.Blade was well behaved while we waited for the food to be served and found things to keep himself entertained. A folded cloth napkin was such a novelty for him, who knew that people used cloth napkins and not just paper towel...

Nicole and Chay looking mighty fine...
Chay and Grandpa Ritchie after the ceremony. They both clean up so nicely.
Ritchie and Dave looking just as fine...I think Ritchie was Dave's inspiration for his hairstyle.
sorry about the blurry picture but I wanted to share the colors of the trees in the canyon. I was taking this picture while others were taking pictures of the bride and groom during a musical interlude part of the ceremony.
Leaving the festivities. Chay is holding a jar candle which was one of the party favors (I hope it was...because we took one... don't worry, it was) It was dark and so I wasn't sure what would be in the picture but I'm sure Blade was standing by Chay when I started to take the picture.
And I just thought this was so cute to have Chay give up his jacket to his sister who was chilled. And the fact that it pretty much fits. My, how they have grown... (I know Sheila, I need pointers on taking pictures at night)

I couldn't get this picture to change spots in the post but this is the food we were served. Presentation get an A+ and I thought it tasted great also.
Grandma Ginny, Erika(her granddaughter the same age as Nicole) and my Nicole.

I have to leave for work now but I think I now have a blogging problem because I wanted to enter something before I left for work, I didn't want to miss a day...