New Favorite Recipe

I have discovered my new "favorite thing" this week. It's NOT low-fat by any means but I don't care at this point. Anyway, have y'all heard of "Creme Fraiche"?? I'm sure you foodies out there have and I had too...but I finally tried it last night. It is basically just a "fancier" and more expensive Sour Cream. It was DA BOMB! I will never go back to regular sour cream again...I'm now a Creme Fraiche SNOB!!!! LOL!! Anyway, here's the recipe I used with some Halibut I took out of the freezer. My only regret was not making potatoes to go with the fish...but my thighs are thanking me for THAT today, y'all!!! It was bad enough I was eating the cream as it was. Sigh......

Mustard Roasted Fish

1- 7.5 ounce Container “Crème Fraiche” (pronounced “Crem-Fresh”)
1 ½ TBLSP Dijon Mustard
½ Tsp Stone Ground Mustard
1 TBLSP Chopped Shallot
1 TBLSP Drained Capers
Salt & Pepper

Mix together above ingredients and slather over fish (Halibut or Snapper works best!) Cook fish until liked doneness. Enjoy!

**You will find Crème Fraiche in the “fancy” cheese section at Safeway!

Hope you all try this...it's DA BOMB!!!! :)

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

I was on my way to work this morning and went around the "famous" corner by Jud's and Talbot's and LOW AND BEHOLD there before me was a CRUISE SHIP!! And there were TOURISTS in their matching little wind-breakers and such....I literally GASPED OUT LOUD at the absurdity of seeing a ship this early in the year. It's APRIL for crying out loud...there is still FRESH snow on the mountain. What the HAY is going on??? And in THIS economy??? Are you kidding me??? So, I collected myself and made it to work...taking pictures from the car for "evidence" without getting myself into an accident...thank you VERY much. But I am still reeling from the shock of it all. Usually, shops and businesses start bustling and opening up and we are sort of "forewarned" before such a ship makes an appearance. But nooooo...no way, no how...not this time. Ahem. Even the crossing guards were out in full force. I could NOT believe it!! Where does all the time go??? I guess I should be happy because supposedly this means "summer" is here. Well...I can tell you FULL WELL that "summer" is indeed NOT HERE!!!! It's barely 50 degrees out these days. Sigh.

So, that's the latest from K-town. Another season is upon us. It's inevitable I guess. I will post a picture of said cruise ship when I get home tonight. Until then...be cool. :)

Nan~

Egg Hunt 4/12/09

The hunt is on!

Dad made him slow down long enough to "pose".

Alec is determined to find those eggs!

Still looking!

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!

Bloggy Kind Of Day

Wow! It's been a little bit since I posted but boy did the time go fast! It's been a whirlwind, it seems, even tho there really hasn't been that much going on. Guess I'll start with the fact that we had a very nice Easter. Went to church, as usual, then came home briefly before heading to Rick and Margie's for a nice Easter dinner. Kelly and Alec were there...Kelly is their daughter & my friend (she's my age) and Alec is her son. He is one of Jake's best friend's and they are about a year apart (Alec being older.) We ate, talked, and played the Wii for a bit before calling it a "day". A good time was had by all. Oh! We even had an Easter egg hunt...man...guess you're never too old to get excited over finding those eggs! The boys really enjoyed it. I will post pics of it later when I have a chance.

The rest of the week is kind of a blur. A friend I work with lost her father on Monday night (the 14th actually) and so that kind of threw everything up in the air for me. I wanted to help and be there for her. I was just so sad for her. I ended up helping at the front desk a lot since she was out and we also had another gal out on vacation soooo...I am the "back up" Admin. person these days. I tried to help with that as much as I could. I did manage to work out at least one day but I can't for the life of me remember what happened the other evenings. We did have Kessa over on Thursday night, I believe. She is the girl I used to babysit when she and Jake were little. It was fun having her over. She's so grown up!! I taught her how to play Backgammon. So, I guess between making extra meals, housework, the usual stuff...the week flew by. Saturday was the service for Renee's dad so I went to that for moral support. Afterwards, ended up taking Jake out to a friend's on the other end of the island...he stayed the night. We went out for dinner, which was nice. I was pretty fried by the time Saturday night rolled around! :) Sunday was spent going to church, getting groceries, and all the usual "stuff". I think I got a nap in there somewhere! LOL!!

Yesterday it was back to work. I ended up taking Renee a "cheer you up" kind of basket last night after work. We chatted for a bit then I made it home and made dinner. Nothing too exciting.

I guess that pretty much sums it all up. The weather has been "better" but we are getting quite a bit of rain. I'm not complaining, tho, cuz it's better than SNOW!! :) We are going to be getting Jake a new bike soon...that will be awesome for him! It's that time of year again...to be OUTSIDE!! I am planning on doing more hiking this year and even plan to head up Deer Mountain...something I haven't done since my first year in Ketchikan. It will be even more of a challenge then it was then. Wish me "luck". Hope I don't keel over at the top. LOL!!

Well...I better run. Hope you are all well. To all my bloggy friends...keep up the good work!! I love reading all the blogs that are out there. Facebook just isn't cutting it any more...not for ME anyway.

Take Care, Y'all!! Nan :)

Over the Hump

Well...we have been blessed the last two days with sunny and WARM weather!! It's been in the lower 5o's, which by Alaska's standards would be considered "warm". LOL!! I would say Spring has finally arrived. Yay! The birds are back and singing away and I saw a hummingbird drinking from the Crocus yesterday. The picture above is of the sunset last night. I never get tired of watching the sun go down out here!!

Anyway, it's been a busy week. Jake has been "testing" all week at school and he has been really "tuckered" out by the end of the day. I dragged him out for a walk yesterday since it was so nice. It was our first walk OUTSIDE in quite a while. It felt really good to be out in the fresh air. I am REALLY hoping we get a nicer summer this year. If not, at least we have a week in Portland in July. We are *almost* guaranteed some sun in Portland!! LOL!! I say "almost" b/c it is, after all, the Pacific Northwest!!! But it's not Southeast Alaska so the chances are good we will have nice weather.

Wow...got off on a tangit there!!! Where was I? Oh yeah...busy week. And there's a busy weekend to follow. Tonight is "Good Friday" service at church. I am working for Dr. Mesdag tomorrow for most of the day then, of course, Sunday is Easter. We will be going to church and then to Rick and Margie's for dinner that evening. It's going to FLY by!!! I'm already tired just thinking about it. Hopefully, the clinic will go smoothly tomorrow. That can really throw a "kink" in things if it doesn't.

Well...I can't think of anything else going on. Oh! My sister is quickly approaching her due date. I haven't spoken to her for a while but plan to call her soon to see how she's doing. She's hoping for a little girl. She has 3 girls and 3 boys at the moment. What a brood!!! :)

Have a great and blessed Easter weekend!! Many blessings to you~ Nan XOX

P.S. Jake asked me this week if he could start a blog! I said YES!! It's not quite up and running but when it is I will let y'all know. You will be able to find him at www.jacobnewellspage.blogspot.com It's so exciting that he's growing up and getting interested in such things, don't ya think? :) Ta Ta For Now, Y'all!!!!!!!!!!!

Haircut Time!

Shhhhhhh!! Don't tell Jake I posted these. He would KILL me!! He DID NOT want me posting that pic of the leopard print cape on him!! LOL!! Sorry, Buddy...it's a parent's job to humiliate their kid once in a while!! Snicker-snicker............

Well I Spoke Too Soon

It snowed, sunshined, snowed, sunshined...ALL DAY today. And the north wind it is a blowin'....AND IT'S COLD Y'ALL. It has really picked up, too, since this morning and there were/are "white caps" galore out in the channel. Brrrrr!!! I've been thinking about Rachael all day today (my co-worker.) She headed to Vegas this morning. Man...wishin' I was with her about now! LOL!! She's not going to want to come back and I wouldn't blame her. :) Anyway, here's a few more "nature" shots. The sunset was from last night and the other is from this morning. The fresh snow on the mountains is gorgeous that time of day. The pic does NOT do it justice!!!

Did Hades Freeze Over?

My kid NOT ONLY asked me for broccoli tonight...but he asked me to save some for his lunch tomorrow!! I have woken up in the Twilight Zone today. That, and it's not raining...OR SNOWING!!!!

Wonders never cease!

Nan

Snow and Warts

LOL!! Did that catch your attention? Well, that's what WE are dealing with these days at the Newell house. It's April 1st and we are still getting snow. Sigh. It is no longer "funny" to anyone around here! LOL!! I don't know how people live further north where this is the "norm". I am DYING for some warm weather...even 50 degrees would be nice. I think the high has been 39 in recent days. Oh well...whatya gonna do? Put on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT!! :)

Not sure if I mentioned it in any previous posts but Jake has had a wart issue on his foot. We've had it removed by the podiatrist 3 times now. Not sure yet if it's coming back again but we are doing everything we can to prevent it. Extra Vitamin A and Zink are what's "prescribed" in that area. However, I came home from work yesterday to the news that he now has what looks to be a wart on his hand. Sigh. Have any of YOU dealt with this problem and what was successful for you in the area of getting rid of them???? HELP!!!!!!!

So, the countdown to summer break is ON! Jake is getting excited for school to be out (June 5th). And other than having to pay for daycare...so am I!! We also have plans to be in Portland for the 4th of July...Yay!! It better be NICE and HOT while we are there...that's all I can say! We will be staying at my dad's new house and plan to see most of our family that lives close by. We leave July 3rd.

Got the Subaru fixed this week. That is such a relief let me tell ya. Did I tell you the head gaskets had to be replaced?? Is this normal?? My car is a 2005...what's the deal? Anyway, PTL it was covered by my warranty!!! Yay for THAT! I have put a lot of money into my "new" car already....brake job, new tires, new battery, oil changes...yada, yada, yada! The good news is, however, that we used our PFDs last year to pay that sucker off so I don't have a car payment any longer. I don't mind spending money on maintenance if it means I will have NO car payment for a very long time. Yes maam...thank you very much! :)

Not much else is happening. Time is flying by. Work keeps us busy. I love my new office!! Today my department is going to Cape Fox for a strategic planning meeting which will last all afternoon. It will be nice to break up the monotony of being in the office all day. That and free lunch! Who says "There's no free lunch"?? LOL!!!

Did anyone see Biggest Loser last night?? It was the bomb!! I am so inspired today and plan on getting back to the gym starting tonight. I am three months away from vacation and turning 40. Time to hit it hard and lose that extra 20 pounds I have yet to get rid of. I want to look and feel my best when I turn the big 4-0...(how did I get so old??? LOL!!)

OK...I'd better get busy. Have a great rest of the week, y'all!!!! Hugs~ Nan