The time is nigh!

Okay, so according to the inexact science of baby due date predictions, I am supposed to be giving birth sometime in the next 24 hours. I shouldn't scoff...it may happen...but then again...it probably won't! In fact I am kind of praying it won't happen until Tuesday or later...why?

Well here is an interesting piece of info for all those who haven't been preggers before...As soon as you tell people when you are due, and they have a birthday within 2 weeks either side of the "big date", they'll let you know how cool it would be for the baby to be born on their particular birthday (not too sure cool for who...they make think it less cool if they knew that you will probably be too preoccupied to buy a big present, attend a party or think of them generally). This is not limited to family, friends, rather extends to colleagues, anyone who you have been stupid enough to give the due date to really! So far, Grandpa Mercenary (my father), who had a birthday this Wednesday gone, my bridesmaid (Thursday - but I have to say, she was actually the least insistent!), Mr Mercenary's boss (Birthday on Sunday), my cousin's fiancee suggested we have the baby over two weeks after she is due, to which a long standing friend (who has a coinciding birthday) agreed with. That's not to mention all of those passing comments of people who have birthdays within 2 months of having the baby who suggest their birthday month has some superiority over all others!

It's funny really...It doesn't bother me as much as it bothers Mr Mercenary (who is already developing defensive strategies to protect our Baby Mercenary from all real and percieved dangers). He is rather indignant that she has her OWN birthday, not sharing with Grandpa, any other rellies or anyone vaguely likely to be a continuing presence in our lives. It's kind of ironic really though...I mean she is bound to meet someone who she has a long term relationship with that shares her birthday. My best friend from across the road growing up shared my birthday (although she was 1 year older)...it was never an issue for us...in fact it was kind of cool really...

Anyway, back to the question...why after Tuesday? Well my OBGYN has decided to take himself and his reception staff to his family winery in the Clare Valley (if having a family winery doesn't say overpaid, I don't know what does!). They'll be back on Tuesday...which is when I have my next appointment to discuss the date we'll need to book an induction if she is being stubborn!

I could also forgo all of the advice of how to bring on labour...so no, I am not:
Going to eat hot curry
Going for a drive over a rough road
Jumping (carefully) down a flight of stairs
Going to have sex doggy style
Going to eat castor oil
Or any other crazy way to bring labour on...None are proven anyway!

So...here we are, with the Mercenary Mum and Mercenary Baby still as one for the next 10 days at the most. In spite of the recent additional (and slightly painful) activity in my womb, the additional pains, lack of sleep, nesting instincts (I cleaned the laundry today...refolded the linen closet...is that not nesting or what?) and not being able to touch my toes, I am still enjoying my pregnancy and love the closeness I have with the bub, that will never be the same again...

I do occasionally wonder if I am subconsciously preventing the labour by my inate fear of pain, or my enjoyment of keeping bub close and protected...or if she is just really, really comfortable (read: Lazy).

Oh well...come what may. By this time in a fortnight, I really will be a Mercenary Mum...not a Mercenary wannabe Mum...

Operation Wooden Words - Creating fancy patterned wooden words

I just LOVE the finished product - shown on the wall in the nursery, pride of place, next to the bunting!

You will need a selection of scrapbooking paper. I used the same paper stock that I used to make the bunting, so it would tie in with the nursery theme.

You will need a cutting mat, or somewhere you feel comfortable making lots of gouges! And of course a VERY sharp craft scalpel. If your scalpel is not sharp enough it will tear the paper in hard to reach places, instead of cutting it. This could have a TERRIBLE effect on the finished product...TRUST ME!

You will need the following tools - Hot glue gun, scissors, pencil, eraser and ruler.

 

 

 

I used pre-cut MDF words purchased from spotlight. Using a silver spray paint, I painted the entire word (front, back, all sides) silver and left to dry.

Once you have selected the paper for each section (I did mine letter by letter), cut a rectangle piece of approximately the correct size, and using a hot glue gun, glue the paper to the wooden word.

On a cutting mat, place the word with face down, and use a VERY sharp scalpel to cut the excess paper off, leaving the front of the letter covered with paper.

I found it easiest to trim the edges down, then really carefully cut out the template.

The finished product - close up - Don't get too hung up on the little details...ultimately these will hang on a wall, and NO ONE but me will know where I have cut a mm too far out, or slightly torn the opa

Okay, so as promised, I have done my freezer inventory....I am actually really quite proud of my efforts considering I haven't been at home very long (what 3 weeks now?)...and I am quite limited by our freezer size (TINY!).

So here is what we have:

The staples (ie. non-meals)

- Frozen peas and corn
- Frozen Brussel Sprouts
- Potato gems
- Borgs Spinach and Ricotta Puffs
- Frozen Fish Fillets (for Mr. Mercenary - EWW!)
- Rustic cut potatoes
- Frozen Yoghurt (Mr. Mercenary has a smoothie for brekky in the morning...)
- Chicken fillet crumbed
- Chicken tenders
- Mince x 2 (500g packs approx)

- Chicken breasts x 2
- Bacon x 2
- Homemade garlic butter

The Meals:

- Bolognaise meat sauce - 4 serves when added to pasta
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom casserole - 4 serves when added to pasta or rice
- Meatballs - plain - 2 serves when added to pasta
- Meatballs with Mrs. Mercenary's famous tomato sauce (+ two extra small pots of sauce) - 4 serves when added to mashed potatoes

- Enchiladas - 2 serves
- Individual Chicken Roast with potatoes - 2 serves when served with steamed veggies
- Lenards Chicken Kievs (2 per meal) - 2 x 2 serve meals when added to roast veggies.
- Lenards Marinated Chicken Steaks - 2 serves when added to pasta side dish or salad

- Homemade stuffed chicken breasts - 2 serves when added to roast veggies
- Homemade sausage rolls - 2 x 2 serves when served with salad
- Woolies pre-prepared Lasagne - 4 serves
- Woolies pre-prepared Beef Mac & Cheese - 4 serves
- Woolies marinated Mexican Steak Meat x 2

- Coles Herb and Mustard Lamb Roast
- Pork Roast

Some Recipes:

Homemade stuffed chicken breasts:

2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)
2 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese, one per breast (I used garlic & herb instead)
Italian seasoning to taste
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I used 1/2 regular and 1/2 Italian seasoned)
Handful grated parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Open each chicken breast up and spread one wedge of Laughing Cow inside the middle. Sprinkle Italian seasoning inside to taste. (I actually mixed my cheese and Italian seasoning in a bowl before spreading it on the chicken to give a nice even flavor) Fold chicken back over to original shape.
3. Mix together bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Freezing instructions - Do not bake the chicken. Do all the steps right up to baking, wrapped each individual breast in foil and then sealed them in an airtight bag. For cooking- I'll defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bake as normal. Just be certain to check your chicken temp to make sure they are cooked thoroughly! Also- I made sure to use fresh chicken breasts so I wasn't thawing, freezing and re-thawing the chicken.

Sausage Rolls:

1 x 250g jar tomato chutney

1 x 400g can Woolworths Select diced Italian tomatoes

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed

500g pork or sausage mince

70g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbs poppy seeds

Directions

1.      1.  Reserve 70g (1/4 cup) of the chutney. Combine the tomato, chilli powder and remaining chutney in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the basil leaves. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Place in a small serving bowl.

2. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Cut pastry sheets in half. Combine the mince, breadcrumbs, onion, thyme and reserved chutney in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Divide the mince mixture into 4 portions and shape each portion into a 25cm log. Arrange sausage logs along the centres of pastry sheets.
3. Brush 1 long side of the pastry with the egg. Roll up to enclose the filling. Cut each roll evenly into 5 pieces. Place rolls, seam-side down, on the lined trays. 
4. Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush the rolls with the remaining egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with the spicy tomato sauce.

Freezing Instructions:  The cooked sausage rolls may be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, preheat oven to 180°C and bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Operation Baby Bunting

I have been looking for bunting to brighten up the new bub's nursery in colours that I like and fit with my colour scheme. Unfortunately the only ones I have found have been ridiculously expensive, or U.G.L.Y!
So I decided to give it a go making some...I researched and found very average how-to guides, that involved sewing and all sorts of excessively crafty ways to make something that I will eventually get rid of. So I decided to give it a go myself. Here are the pictorial results collated as a how-to.

By the way, I already had the paper, and I had to (*read: decided to) purchase a hot glue gun. All up a 3.5m
bunting in the exact colours I was after cost me approximately: $16 and about 1.5 hours of labour (not in the baby's coming kind of way, but in the slave labour kind of way!). Wayyyyyy cheaper than buying it anywhere I have found and I actually enjoyed myself!

You will need a selection of papers that fit the theme you are after. This is a combination from a number of Fiskars paper packs bought at K-Mart. They are designed for scrapbooking, so the card weight was good. Don't use paper that is too flimsy.

You will need ribbon or cord to attach the pennants together. I did not end up using the green sequining, although you could use it to add a little jazz at the end if you wish.

I found this type of cloth ribbon perfect, as the herringbone style helped keep me on track when gluing.

You will need some tools. I used a 30cm ruler, a lead pencil (preferably pretty sharp), an erasers (for those little imperfections!), a low heat glue gun with sufficient glue for the size bunting you are making, and the all important scissors.

You will need to measure and make a template for the pennants. The paper I used was square, so I decided to cut off a 6cm strip from the bottom to get the desired shape. I measured one of the long sides and marked half way (15cm with the paper I used). On the opposite side, I made a mark at 1/4 of the way (7.5cm) and at 3/4 of the way (22.5cm). 

I then ruled a line from the corner of the long side which was marked half way down to the 1/4 mark. I drew a line from the 1/4 line back up to the half way point on the opposite side of the paper. This created a V shape. I then repeated from the 1/2 mark to the 3/4 mark, then back to the corner of the side divided in half. This created a W shape. I had three identical pennants templated on each sheet, with a 6cm strip of paper and the two triangles on the short edges to discard.

You will need to repeat this template on all of the paper you wish to use. Then take your scissors and cut the pennants out.

The pennants should be of equal size.

Arrange the pennants in a pattern that appeals to you. I did a repeating pattern with each of the types of paper.

You may wish to identify where you are going to hang the pennant at this point. You will need to leave a slight gap between penannts if you wish to create a scalloped effect when you hang it. Whilst you are deciding on your pattern, plug the low heat glue gun into heat up. Don't forget to put something under the nozzle in case there is any glue drips.

Lay the ribbon out on a flat surface. You may wsh to place an additional piece of paper under the ribbon to prevent any glue dripping on to your working surface. Leave enough ribbon on each end to use to tie on to something when hanging. On half of the ribbon, place a line of hot glue. Make sure you leave the top half of the ribbon above the pennants, as this will fold down over them later.

Lay each pennant on the hot glue and ensure good adhesion. Continue until you have all pennants glued to the ribbon in the pattern you have selected. Do not forget to leave any gaps for scalloping if necessary.

Place a line of hot glue on the top half of the ribbon, and fold over the pennant.

Your ribbon and pennants should look something like this...Allow to dry.

Hang pennants in selected spot.

Admire, and brag to your friends how cheap and easy your project was!

General news bulletin

Okay, so last time we spoke, I was planning to clean the house to within an inch of it's life on a weekly basis. I am pleased to report that this is actually easier than it sounds!

I have been pleasantly surprised that with a little planning and a pinch of motivation, the house actually looks comfortably lived in, but clean (in a healthy, I've actually gone to effort kind of way, not I've done a half assed sweep and spot mop, and put everything out of place in that spot I hope you don't find kind of way!). I will admit, I do still need to work on the whole dinner thing...It's a love/hate relationship...I love cooking...when I feel like it....I hate cooking when it's is a necessity and I am not in the mood!

I'll admit, there were days over the past two weeks, when I didn't stick entirely to the schedule...but isn't that what schedules are really about? You aim for the moon, and when you miss you are still amongst the stars? I can tell you now that I have done more cleaning in the past two weeks that I have done in the past two months, and I am sure Mr. Mercenary has even noticed!

***Aside Note*** I really should give credit where it is due....Mr. Mercenary is actually the neat freak out of the two of us...I mean Mr. Ex-Army - Lover of Routine - Mercenary was the epitomy of the perfect house husband! In fact if he could breastfeed the new bub and had good paternity leave benefits like I have, I guarantee I wouldn't be the SAHM - I'd be the working mum, with a Stay At Home Husband/Dad (SAHHD).

Anyway, what I have found, for us...changing the sheets once a week - OVERKILL. Seriously....I am not doing that every week...But doing the floors once a week....way, way too little! We have 2 x pet hair accumulation and an amazing amount of dirt from the back verandah, that finds it's way into the Mercenary home. Combined with the fact that the massive white shiny tiles that looked so clean and attractive when we looked at the house during open inspections, actually are a B*TCH to keep clean! 

So rather than beat myself up about not sticking to the schedule 100% - I am totally giving myself kudos for giving it a serious go and actually making it work for me. Doing 80% of the schedule, or even 50% sure is better than giving up and doing 0% - then feeling guilty about not doing stuff!

On top of the cleaning roster, I have actually been making some headway with the little things that I NEVER thought I'd get around to...ie. I have refolded all of the towels in the linen closet, and made them look nice. I have to confess I am avoiding the sheets though....honestly how hard is it to fold sheets identically? I find towels a challenge!

I have also begun to accumulate freezer meals for after the big arrival...In fact, I have done some much shopping and cooking for the freezer, than I now need to convince Mr. Mercenary that we really do need to buy a chest freezer...as our fridge freezer is FULL to overflowing! I need to take a bit of an inventory, so I don't forget about the homemade kievs stuck in the only spot they'd fit, underneath the brussel sprouts at the back corner, that may remain undiscovered for centuries, unless I know they are there!

Next entry I'll post a list of freezer meals and the recipes for all to see...WATCH THIS SPACE!