Nesting?

I don't remember nesting with Little Lady.  Yeah, I painted the nursery and set it up, but that was done over the course of the pregnancy.  I don't recall any spurt of energy towards the end where I got a ton of stuff done.  Of course, she was evicted a bit early - induced at 39 weeks. 

This time around, I think I might actually be nesting.  It isn't how I expected it to be, but what is?  I hoped nesting would be a burst of super human strength and energy that resulted in a clean, sparkling house with a place for everything and everything in it's place.  Instead I am finding myself spending countless hours in the kitchen.....pregnant.....and barefoot.

We went strawberry picking on Labor Day.  Much more successful than our blackberry picking!  I did insist on paying a bit more when we settled up because of the massive quantity Little Lady ate while we were picking.  Organic strawberries at $1.50/lb.....not bad.  The plants they use here also keep going - you can pick all summer, not just May/June. 

 

Inspecting before she eats it...I realized after the first 20 she was eating ALL of it - leaves and everything.  Well - she didn't seem to mind....

 

Strawberry picking with the Fam in Idaho.....not bad.....life is good.

 

 

Big belly Mama watching over Little Lady playing in the sand.

 

 

She enjoyed dumping sand in a box and sifting it out - she left the picking to us.  Anything she picked went straight into her mouth anyways!  Apparently, strawberries grow best in sandy soil.  Now you know.

 

Mama and Little Lady!  I got more than my weeks share of squats in that day....

 

 

Now......what did we do with 11 pounds of strawberries?

 

 

ADVENTURES IN CANNING ROUND 2!!!!

 

 

This time I set it up so I could sit at the table and process.  Washed 'em and removed the leaves/stem.

 

 

Mashed them up and combined them with the pectin and sugar.  I must say, I'm dismayed by how much sugar is required when using pectin.  I'll have to explore what other, healthier, options there are.  I just used the recipe that was in the pectin box.

 

I then also realized I was supposed to have a tray of some sort in the pot for canning.  Solution: trivet.

 

Canning round 2 was ALSO a learning experience. I used a pot larger than the directions called for and....hmmmm...as soon as it reached a boil (which you are supposed to maintain for a short period) it boils over - crazily - ridiculously - seriously.  Nothing comes easy...

 

 

We got the strawberry jam into the jars, boiled and took them out to cool.  She kept an eye on them and listened to the "pop" of the sealing lids!  I will say, it is very satisfying to hear that sound.

 

SO - strawberry jam was a success!  And still a learning experience for the whole foaming thing.....

 

Next up - packing fresh strawberries in a simple syrup!

 

I got some great strawberry info from Local Kitchen Blog.

 

I got the recipe for this from Recession Depression Therapy.  She gave the option of substituting honey for half of the sugar.  Great way to use some Idaho honey!

 

Fresh, cleaned strawberries, ready for syrup.

 

Filled up and ready for a lid and boiling!

 

 

Still had some more strawberries - so I decided to dry the rest.

 

 

All done - with a couple left over for snacking on!

 

 

There you have it!  Strawberry Jam, Strawberries in simple syrup and dehydrated strawberries!

 

Alrighty, all the strawberries done....what next....

 

My friend Erin had a great suggestion for prepping for when Bambino gets here.  Freezer crock pot meals!  Basically you just prep everything ahead of time in freezer bags, write the cooking instructions on the bags, and freeze them.  Stick them in the fridge the night before to defrost a little - then the morning of dump it into the pot and you've got dinner all set that evening.

 

I got some of the recipes from Mama and Baby Love.

 

So, now we have a bunch of meals all ready to go when Bambino gets here!  Also got two loaves of bread baked and a couple cookies baked and the rest of the dough in ready to bake balls in the freezer for quick easy treats later on.

 

 

That was all last week.  This week, I'm pooped.  Exhausted again.  Trying to get the energy to empty the dishwasher.  Appointment today had me slightly more dilated and effaced, but he still seems to be hanging out for a bit.  My "bishop" score last week was a 4 and this week is a 5 - so moving along. I've started napping while Little Lady naps.  Essential since I can't seem to sleep for longer than an hour at a time at night and feel like I'm more exhausted in the morning than I was at night!  Looking forward to wrapping this up!