That’s Denakis-land, NOT Denak-island! February 6, 2012

Such a happy place.

That is my life right now.  Is everything perfect?  No, not even close, but the contentment that I’m feeling is unlike any other that I’ve felt in my adult life.  Probably my whole life, but really, who knows how content I was at 5 months old, so I really can’t make the comparison.

With all the crazy, amazing, baffling, terrifying, out-of-my-control transitions last year held I am really surprised that things have fallen the way they have in the last 5 months or so.  The kids are doing really well in school, I really like my job and Jason does, as well.  His job didn’t really change, as he is still working for the same company, he just transferred locations, and that was a big change in itself. 

This upcoming year will hold a few more transitions.  Hopefully, moving again (we love it in Saint Helens, however, this house is just NOT for us!), Caden moving on to High School and Jaizy to Kindergarten *sniff!* are just a few more changes in store for our family.  And I’m ok with that.  I think that the amount of change that has come at us and the way that we have handled it says a lot for my family. 

Which, naturally, reflects on me as the Queen of Denakisland

Flashback December 12, 2011

–Copy and pasted from my **old** myspace account.
Oct 8, 2006

It’s a girl

Current mood:anxious

We found out that we are having a girl. For some strange reason this scares/worries me. I don’t really relate to girls well, never really did. And I remember what I was like (especially as a teen-ager) and that is what really worries me the most! I mean, I had 4 kids by the time I was 23! Does it matter that we were married, and that we wanted our kids young? Maybe.
So now with 3 boys, we have to look foward to the “girlie” stuff, (did I mention that I HATE the color pink?) and of course the boys, who by the way are 8, 9 and 11 years old, are way excited to have a baby sister on the way. Matthew (my oldest) had to inform me that when Jaidelyn (that’s going to be her name) is his age (11) he’ll be 22! What the hell is that?!?!?! He’ll be finishing up college and she won’t even be in middle school yet!
I’m sure I’m freaking out unnecessarily. I was a girl. I have a sister. My boys are pretty well adjusted and behaved. I just worry about having a “mini-me” running around. I don’t even get along with myself half the time! BTW— Jason couldn’t be any more excited! I guess it’s only fair that he gets his “little girl,” since I have my “boys.”

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My daughter turns 5 in a few days.  I’m shocked how fast the time has gone.  I don’t know why, I have three other children who are all now teenagers.  I mean, I GET how fast that seemed to go!  I guess with all the life transitions we’ve had this year, I feel like I’ve lost some time somewhere.

5… amazing!

BTW- If you ever want to see how much you’ve grown, go log into your myspace account and you’ll instantly feel more “grown-up.”

Stuffed Squash – 2 varieties! October 15, 2011

Stuffed Acorn Squash:

(I doubled this)
2 acorn squash, halved
1/2 pound of Ground Meat, any variety
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ onion, sautéed
1 cup mushrooms, sautéed
1 carrot, peeled, chopped roughly, and steamed
1 cup spinach, chopped
¼ cup vegetable broth, or 1 Tbsp Better Than Bullion
2 tbsp  butter, melted
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Cut the squashes in half and roast for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.
• Cook the rice in the rice cooker according to directions.
• Sauté meat and onion in olive oil until softened. Add in mushrooms and spinach for the last five minutes of cooking.
• Steam carrots  for a short period of time.
• Combine broth, butter, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.
• Combine rice, sautéed veggies, steamed veggies, and broth mixture in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Stuff mixture inside each squash half.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

*Will post pictures later, when I find them!*

 

Stuffed Zucchini/ AKA Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis (plus chopped meat from other squashes)
1 onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 tbsp sour cream
1 egg
bread crumbs
salt & pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese
half pound of bacon, chopped and fully cooked

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 (200C).
• Wash zucchini, cut in half, lengthwise
• scoop out zucchini innards, and coursely chop
• chop up meat from any other squashes
• (wring out excess moisture from squash guts)
• combine all ingredients, and spoon into zucchini.
• Place in baking dish or sheet and cover with foil
• Bake for 35 minutes and remove foil, baking for an additional 15 minutes.
• Enjoy!

Unfortunately, I have no “finished” photo, we were HUNGRY!  But here it is before it was popped into the oven:

Before baking

It was good…

This is how I’ve been living my life lately: September 18, 2011

And I’m ok with that.  For now.

And if the image doesn’t show up for you, don’t hate, just click!  Then all will be revealed.  I’m just too tired to figure it out right now.

Work, work, work. Work, work, work. September 5, 2011

I am just so not used to this.  Working full time.  It’s exhausting me.  I feel behind.  With sleep, wife duties, mom duties, me-duties.  I haven’t been eating as regularly as I had been. Adjusting to a new schedule.  I’m trying.  I’m eating decent choices, just not at regular intervals like I worked so hard to get into in the first place. And work schedule is changing again.  More than likely temporary, which means more change down the road.  But I’m rolling with it.  It’s good. I like my job.  I like where we moved to (not the house, but the area/town) and I know we have made the right decision. The boys start school tomorrow.  I know they are nervous.  Not only are they starting a new year, but new schools too.  And not just new schools, but in a totally new district.  They know just about no one.  They have met a few people, but don’t “know” anyone.  I hope they first day is kind to them.  Matthew technically doesn’t need to go tomorrow since it’s Freshman orientation day, but he’s going so he can become orientated with the school and I think, just a little, to be a support to Nathan, who IS a freshman. Caden is starting 8th grade tomorrow.  I can’t believe it.  He has been welcomed into the new district, over-throwing his expulsion.  I’m so grateful.  They took a look at his WHOLE transcript and school history and realized that what had happened (long, boring story) was an isolated incident, not 100% his fault and not worthy of the punishment he was given.  YAY!  So back to regular school he goes. A new change in our lives is that Jaizy is going to child care.  Without me.  This has been a hard decision to decide what is best for her, our family and my sanity.  I’m sure we (I) have made the right decision and I’m confident that she is going to LOVE it!  She will only be there for a few hours a day so that’s even better.  She is so excited to be going to “school” but will have to wait just one more day, because her first day isn’t until Wednesday. My back to school breakfast in the morning?  Oy, I have no idea what I’m making.  I was thinking about Cinnamon Rolls, but I just don’t think I have the time.  Maybe I can make the time…  Last year’s back to school breakfast was so good! It’ll be hard to meet or beat. Hope you all have a great back to school week!

Menu, recipes and control. August 9, 2011

I recently started a new job where I work 2nd shift, most commonly referred to as “swing.”  It starts at 1pm and gets over, well, when I’m done.  Sometime between 9:30 and the next day.  (Last night I clocked out at 11:16.  I think)

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to implement the family control journal for a few years now but really lacked any motivation.  I originally got the idea from flylady.net.  I recently bought a set of journal/planning pages from Etsy and got re-motivated.  I then mashed the two ideas/formats together and came up with this:

(As we start using this I will share how it’s working and how to make your own customizable family planning center)

Since I do get to come home for lunch/dinner (kind of) I will try to prep dinner if it’s not already in the crock pot.  Jason works long, hard hours and right now he’s commuting 2 hours a day (until next week!  YAY!) so I don’t want him to have to deal too much with meal making if he doesn’t have too.

So, lots of crock pot and casseroles it is!  The casseroles are easy because I can prep and assemble and then slide it into the fridge and when Jason’s ready, or when I pop in at my lunch break I can put the dish in the oven, turn it on and let it works it’s oven-magic.  Don’t do this with glass dishes.  I made that mistake once, it was a bbq rib disaster.  Stoneware is the way to go with this.

Here is this week’s menu and recipes:

Sunday:  Shepherd’s Pie
Easy peasy: brown up ground turkey (cook it all the way!) add some frozen veggies, add a soup base (like low sodium cream of mushroom) and place that in 9×11 casserole.  Make up some  mashed potatoes and spoon over the top.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  I used swiss cheese and it was yummy!

Monday: CP Cashew Chicken over rice   I will repost a better link by the end of the week.

Tuesday: Pork Carnita tacos
Pork shoulder roast in crock pot.  Add whatever seasonings you want!  Mole, crushed red peppers, garlic, onions, etc.  When done (8-10 hours) shred with fork and serve with regular taco toppings ie:  shredded lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, avacado, etc.

Wednesday: CP Beef Stroganoff with noodles
I use Smart Taste noodles that have added calcium and fiber!  Stock up when they are on sale!

Thursday:  CP Macaroni and Cheese   I use regular medium cheddar cheese instead of sharp.

Friday: Potato Soup   Don’t want cheese or ham? Leave it out!  GOOD recipe!

Saturday: Baked Chicken and Cheese Risotto
1 can cream of mushroom soup, low sodium (or make your own creamy mushroom sauce!)
1.25 cups water
1/2  cup milk
1.5 cup frozen mixed veggies
2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 cup uncooked Arborio (risotto) or regular long grain rice

1. Stir the soup, water, milk, veggies, chicken, cheeses and rice into a 13×9 baking dish.  Cover with foil.
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  Uncover the dish and stir.
3. Bake for 10 minutes more or until hot and rice is tender but still firm.  Let the risotto stand for 5 minutes before service.
Delicious with homemade bread and salad!

Um… I suck! June 28, 2011

Here I promise to post more and then I don’t. Well, I have a handy dandy excuse, if you care. If not, oh well.
Life had been a basket full of crazy! Where to even start! I’ve been attempting to keep facebook somewhat updated, but even then things slip through the cracks.
But here I am, relaxing on the couch, kids upstairs (one of the new things- house with upstairs) chilling after a full morning at the unemployment office – oh yeah, that’s another one of the new things to deal with – and wait for a phone call from the new school district on whether or not Caden gets to be enrolled in their regular school or have to go to a private school.
Uh-huh, I told you lots of changes, didn’t I mention that?
And oh, by the way? I have a ridiculous amount of romance items for sale cheap, cheap, cheap since BBP went out of business. Contact me to get a list! I ship all over!

Menu for 4.10 – 4.17.11 April 10, 2011

Sunday: Cheesy Penne Pasta Smoked Sausage Casserole
Monday: Sausage & Ravioli Bake
Tuesday: Crispy Chicken Burritos
Wednesday: Crock Pot Chicken Cassoulet
Thursday: Chicken with Cheesy Chili Sauce (Carry over from last week)
Friday: Burgers and Fries
Saturday: Chili
Sunday: Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Gravy & Broccoli

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Crispy Chicken Burritos (A Copy Cat Recipe)

• 3 pounds of Boneless, Skinless Chicken breast, boiled until done
• A Brick of Cream Cheese, (Low-fat ok)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• green onions, chopped (a bunch)
• taco seasoning, about 1 tsp
• Garlic Pepper seasoning, to taste
• 20 8 inch tortillas

Shred or chop chicken.  Mix with all ingredients except tortillas.  Assemble burritos by placing about 1/8 cup (I use a scoop from Pampered Chef and do 2 scoops) of chicken filling onto tortilla, roll like a burrito and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Assemble until you run out of ingredients.  Spray assembled burritos and bake in oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.

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I was so upset while grocery shopping today.  It seemed like a lot of my every-week purchases have gone up in price.  I’m mostly upset because it seems like they never went down after the last gas hike, so now they are just adding to it.  I was especially floored with the price of milk.  It’s gone up $.49/gallon in 4 weeks.  I spent $170.29 this week, which is about $40 more than I usually spend.  Add in extra gas expenses (simply because of the increase of gas prices and extra trips made) and this week is going to be EXPENSIVE!  This does not make for a happy me

On a side note, anyone want to have a party so I can afford groceries and gas? lol… no, seriously…  www.partywithdesiree.com

Menu for 4.3 -4.9.11 April 3, 2011

Sunday: Spaghetti with cheese bread
Monday: Panacakes
Tuesday: Crunchy Tacos
Wednesday: Saucy Chicken and Noodles
Thursday: Soup (variety)
Friday: Chicken with Cheese-Chili Sauce (crock pot) Kind of.  I really am going to alter this recipe with healthier options.
Saturday: Turkey Dinner.

Well, we were supposed to have a turkey dinner on Saturday, but then I remembered after I menu planned that we are having a potluck thing at my sister’s house for a long-lost family member.  Sooo… I’ll probably save it for Sunday of next week!

Then, I’ll be ahead of the game, and that almost never happens!

Ok, so… April 2, 2011

I’ve met 2 of my 4 March Resolutions!  YAY!  I’ve registered my domain and combined my two blogs.  So all the posts that you used to find at denakislanddomestica.wordpress.com can now be found here.  I will be closing that account within the next 30 days!  I will be also attaching my new domain www.denakisland.com to this blog by then as well!  Yipee!

Now I have to just get caught up on my blogging and continue writing on a regular basis.  No problem! lol…

I messed around with different blogging sites and I really like all the features that are on wordpress.com so I won’t be switching, however staying does actually require me to pay to forward my domain.  I think that bites!  There are many, many blog hosting sites that do not require a fee to do that, but since I don’t really want to start over, so to speak, and mess with exporting and importing (again!) I will just suck it up and pay the $12 a year.

So… here’s to goal accomplishments and success!  (and winning!)  (Sorry, had to add that in, my kids have been driving me nuts playing a Charlie Sheen game and it’s stuck.  How do I get it out?)