The Excitement of a Grandson Arriving !

Without sounding like I am wishing my life away, I have been longing for daylight savings time to arrive, as it surely means Spring is fast approaching with the hint of Summer following right behind.  Here we are on the brink of it all with our clocks springing ahead that extra hour at midnight (for those of us that remember to reset our clocks before bed this evening) towards the dawn of a new day of extended daylight.  I love it !  Bring on the Springtime!

Southwestern Ontario got quite the Winter Blast yesterday, however my prayers goes to Japan for it is unimaginable what that Country is dealing with in the throes of an Earthquake aftermath.

It looks as the weather is going to be much better today then the heavy wet accumulation of snow we received yesterday, so here is what Wiarton Airport had to say at 5:00 AM this morning:

Today:

Becoming cloudy this morning. Showers beginning this afternoon. High plus 3.

 

Tonight:

Rain showers changing to flurries early this evening and ending overnight then cloudy. Snowfall amount 2 cm. Wind west 30 km/h becoming light late this evening. Low minus 2.

Daytime isn't looking to bad except for maybe wet roads, however once those wet roads freeze up in the evening would be a good time to find me cuddled up in the warmth of my four walls, safe & sound.

I never did get around to those bananas sitting in that bowl on my kitchen counter.  I suppose I should be popping them in the freezer for a Banana Bread or Muffins at a later date.  That would probably get rid of those little fruit flies that keep passing in front of me upon my entry into the kitchen?  Another favorite of my "boys", young & older, banana muffins with chocolate icing.....ummmm, they dont' stay on my counter top for too very long let me tell you.

Thinking of doing up a new Crock pot favorite of mine this weekend that has been tried, tested & is true by my sister Donna, niece Joanne, cousin Paula, friend,Jiba, and myself.  It was in one of the Kraft's "What's Cooking Magazines", and is soooooo very good.  Hope others will find it as good as we did.  Here is the link to the Slow Cooker Pantry Chicken Stew recipe:

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/slow-cooker-pantry-chicken-stew-120585.aspx

What I love about most Kraft Canada recipes is that the ingredients are most common to what I keep in my pantry, and geared to everyday people.  I am not a renowned chef and never will be.  I was brought up with everything being pretty much  plain & simple....meat, potatoes, vegetable & bread.  I must say I certainly venture away from that routine on occasion, but it is still down to the basics in our household, especially with Rob being brought up on a Beef/Dairy Farm, where the basics of a good homecooked meal was the core of their being.  Let me tell you, does that man ever love making a crater in his mashed potatoes & overfilling them with gravy!  He told me, when he was growing up, that way he had extra gravy because once the gravy boat was passed around the table, there would probably not be a second helping coming back his way !

Rob & I just love our slow cooker.  I became a big fan of using a slow cooker when I went back for a course at Conestoga College, when we lived in Waterloo.  I found I would go to class in the morning, and by the time I got home with a load of surmountable homework & studies, we would have been eating supper at 10:00 PM, if I didn't use a slow cooker some days.  It was great, I would prepare the veggies the night before, throw everything in the slow cooker the next morning, along with whatever meat, turn it on & when it was time to for supper that evening "Viola!" supper ready to be served up.  How easy can that be?

I am also a 'big fan' of 'big batch' cooking.  If there is a soup, stew, chili or spaghetti sauce to make, I always double up the recipe.  I figure if I am going to go to all the work of chopping and dicing, I might as well do double at the time.  Once whatever I have made is done, it is for supper that evening, then freeze the remainder  in 2 lb. containers for a meal another time.  This way when I have had a busy day or spent too much time out walking, or with Bandit & Lexus, or in my gardens and too tired to prepare something (or too much time has slipped by is more like it some days) I then have something good & nourishing already prepared for that nights meal.  I do love easy & simple!

I have been awake and up since the wee hours of the morning.  I suppose at times I am worse then a child being so excited for upcoming events to happen.  Here it is, the day our grandson, Aiden, arrives.  How much more exciting can life be (I obviously lead a very mundane life).  I do enjoy our grandchildren !  Ha, ha, ha...I was just thinking about the one weekend the kids were up visiting & were leaving to go back home....as they are going out the driveway here I was waving good-bye to them saying, "bye, I love you, don't come back for awhile now"  LOL, I am sure glad my family "gets" my sense of humor !

I am tired before my day has gotten started, so hopefully the excitement will stay with me to keep me going throughout the day.  I suppose I need that second cup of coffee to 'jumpstart' me again.  Off & running (or not) into the beginning of a brand new day.....