hello.. is anybody home?

We are, in fact, still alive. I just haven't been posting too much since everything is a bit chaotic, and time for creative inspiration is lacking. We were very busy this summer breaking ground on the new house. We have been very busy this fall with the building of the new house. We hope to be very, VERY busy in the next few weeks finishing up the new house, and MOVING IN! Finally.

While we are very thankful for our rental house (we have been able to avoid a lease and pay month-to-month), it certainly isn't home. Now that the weather has turned and forces us indoors most of the time, we are realizing how close our quarters are, and that we left all our "winter" clothes in storage.. in the back of the unit.. under everything else.

Recipes will be posted again as I have time to come up with new creations. I hope to get a little more inventive once we are in a functioning kitchen. Don't get me wrong.. the oven works here, and the refrigerator stays cold, but there's a lot of juggling going on. One example: make sure you have turned the dining room light off before using the microwave. You want another one? If someone is ironing clothes in the bedroom downstairs, don't attempt to use the hairdryer upstairs. Why those circuits are connected is beyond me.

I'm starting to feel a little more ambitious, as my hopes are high for being more organized again once we are in the new house. Hopefully this will lead to posting more on here, getting the Watkins stuff up and running, and a few other ideas..

out of the mouths of babes..

Things that came out of my daughters' mouths this evening:

1. Madie: "Mommy, I was born with Barbies on my brain (mind)."
   
   
2. Madie: "Mommy, I like to watch the news too."
   Mommy: "Why do you like to watch the news, Madie?"
   Madie: "Because I want to be like you."
   
   
3. Adrie: "Mommy, you best my friend." No grammar error here, that's exactly how she said it.

I will go to bed smiling tonight.

what's cooking

Working more hours has turned Deanna's world upside down.. in a good way, but upside-down nonetheless. Being gone more has required me to make a few changes, and I'm starting with a weekly dinner menu. Last week was chaos, as I returned home each evening to a houseful of hungry mouths. I didn't seem to have time during the day to figure out what we were having for dinner, so it progressively got later each night. Thankfully, Dave was there to pitch in and help me get things going.

This week, we are starting fresh! Our dinner menu is on the fridge (really only took a few minutes to write down five of our favorite meals - i'm not planning for the weekends), and I'm feeling a little more at ease. I took into account the warm weather, and planned accordingly. It's supposed to be much cooler at the end of the week, so I planned a "hot" dinner for that night. What does ours look like? Take a peek - I've included a recipe for veggie dip at the end.

WHAT'S COOKING THIS WEEK:

(June 8-12, 2009)

• Monday:
  Spaghetti & Green Beans
  
  
• Tuesday:
  Tuna Fritters, Chips, and Veggies
  
  
• Wednesday:
  Build-Your-Own Sandwich, Chips, and Veggies
  
  
• Thursday:
  BBQ'd Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries, and Fruit
  
  
• Friday:
  Taco Pie and Green Salad

Deanna's Dilly Dip

• 1 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 cup lite mayonnaise
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving (overnight is even better). Voila! Serve with veggies and/or chips.

betcha can't paint just one..

We have set a "move in to the rental" date for June 20th. That's still two weeks away, and yet it's only two weeks away. Get my drift?

Our plan was to paint the master bedroom and the kitchen. We painted the master bedroom today. There was a mildew issue in the closet (The DampRid bucket that Dave put in the closet three days ago had already hardened) that was remedied with an anti-fungal wash and a good coat of killz. I started taping off in the kitchen. We figured the rest of the house would be fine with just a good wipe-down on the rest of the walls. Hopefully you're not eating while you read this, because the best way to explain the condition of the rest of the walls is someone must have been fly-swatter happy and not too keen on cleaning up the mess left behind from those buggers :p

Also, there was an issue with the fireplace, and the top of the walls being covered in a nice coat of soot. Dave took a damp rag to the soot covered part of the walls, and off came the soot.. and the paint. New list of walls to paint:

• 1. Master Bedroom - done


• 2. Kitchen


• 3. Dining


• 4. Living


• 5. Entry

We will get through this, and we keep reminding each other, "it's temporary." Thankfully, I don't think it will be too hard to leave the house in better shape than when we arrived. That's always a plus! Yes, it's a rental, but it's also a home to those of us just passing through.

Dinner tonight? Li'l Caesars.

crazy.. but good!

That is our life in a nutshell right now! Life is good, life is incredibly (insane, really) busy right now, and it looks like it will be this way for a while. We are doing our best to adapt to this new speed, which is why some things (like this blog) have been on the back burner until we can find a new routine.

So what's going on that's keeping us so busy?

1. WE'RE MOVING! We have waited a couple of years for things to fall into place, and though there are still some things that we wish were more clear, we are trusting that God knows what He's doing and are just walking through the doors as they open. We will be moving into a rental in about 2 weeks, and then about 6 months later we'll be moving into a new home that we are building. Yes, we're nuts.

2. DEANNA HAS ANOTHER JOB! Yes, I am still working for my dad at Blueprint Design Consultants. In addition to this, I am working at Blue Skies for Children. A great non-profit organization whose mission is "To raise hope and self-esteem by sponsoring enrichment programs and other essentials for homeless, low-income and foster children in Whatcom and Skagit County." This is my first week there, and as much as there is for me to learn about the non-profit world, I am loving it so far.

3. MADIE HAS TAKEN UP A SPORT: Madie is currently taking ice skating lessons and loving it. She will be taking a break just in time for moving day, and then lessons start up again in July sometime I believe. Olympic gold medalist for figure skating in 2014? :)

Those are really the top three things going on in our household, but in addition to all the things that go with day-to-day living, it's plenty for us right now. This is a busy time for Dave at work (and we're thankful for the busy-ness!), and Adrienne still hasn't figured out that we're moving, but that's okay for now. I think she'll have a good idea when the furniture disappears!

All in all, the Lord has been so good and we are really seeing Him work in our lives as we are doing our best to be obedient. Although I would not say that we are "comfortable," the Lord is providing for our needs, while still keeping us on our knees. A life verse if you will:

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." - Proverbs 30:7-9

With the weather turning warmer and with all that's going on, I haven't had as much time in the kitchen. Never fear though.. I hope to be posting some quick and "cool" recipes soon.. here's one to tide you over:

Deanna's Lower-Cal Chicken Salad:

• 2 cups cooked/diced boneless/skinless chicken breast (I used leftovers from the previous evening's bbq'd chicken)
• 1 container plain non-fat greek style yogurt (has a consistency similar to sour cream)
• 1/2 tsp ground chipotle (dry)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh minced onion
• Salt pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients together. Lay out your tortilla, place a leaf of romaine the on the left side. Place a couple spoonfuls of chicken salad mixture on your lettuce, place a slice of cheese on top.. wrap like a soft taco and enjoy!

---> You can find "greek style" yogurt at Trader Joes, and I recently saw it at Haggens.

pounding the pavement

March 12, 2009

Dear Prospective Employer,

I have been a mostly stay-at-home-mom for the past 5 years (working one day a week) and am currently looking for work (in-office, or from home) to supplement our household income.

Previous 10 years experience includes:

• Reception/Secretarial/Administrative/Light Bookkeeping (familiar with QuickBooks)
  
• Computer Skills (MS Word, Publisher, Excel, Outlook, MS PhotoDraw, Digital Image Suite, a *little* bit of Adobe Photoshop Elements, Very basic website building, Internet)
  
• Making travel arrangements for family, clients, employees
  
• Keeping the owners’ offices clean and presentable
  
• Setting up for client meetings (boardroom readiness, refreshments, etc.)
  
• Maintaining stock of office supplies
  
• Making coffee, “coffee runs,” etc.
  
• Have assisted in planning events, or for presence in major events
  

In an ideal world, I would love to be able to continue the one day a week at our family business. If full time is what you require and we are a good match, I will accommodate.

Resume, complete with references, is available upon request.

I appreciate your consideration for employment with your company.

Sincerely,
Deanna Kangas

chicken enchiladas a la deanna

I keep getting requests for this recipe, so I figured it would be easiest to post it here. Enjoy!

Deanna's chicken enchiladas

2 cups cooked chicken - shredded or diced
1 cup shredded cheese - mexican style
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 can green enchilada sauce (la victoria)
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Season with pepper to taste

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas


Preheat oven to 350°, spray 9 x 13 with olive oil spray.


Combine chicken, 1 cup cheese, and sour cream - season with pepper to taste.
Divide chicken mixture evenly among the tortillas - rolling each one up and placing into pan with the seam side down. (when you are making them this size - not mini - there is no need to tuck in the sides
Pour enchilada sauce evenly over top of the enchiladas, sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese over top.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbling.

Serve with extra sour cream

Enjoy!

FYI: I usually cook my own chicken, since i really don't like canned chicken. I just put the chicken (boneless, skinless thighs or breasts) in the slow cooker (or you could bake it) with the smallest can of green chiles (ortega original fire roasted chiles), salt, black pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1/4 tsp ground chipotle.

Another option is to get the pre-cooked/diced chicken in the meat/cheese section of your grocery store.