Making Mixes

Nesting. It’s a wonderful thing.

Except I think I would do all of these tasks anyways, even if I was not having another baby.

For our family, getting ready for baby really only involves the following:

– strip cloth diapers {done}
-air out baby bed with fresh linens (although the baby co-sleeps with us for quite some time)
{someone’s still sleeping in this bed so not done yet}
-clean out diaper bag (which needed to be done anyways) {not done}
-empty out a drawer for new baby in nursery dresser {done}

And that’s about it.
Babies don’t really need a lot of “stuff” – they need their parents, a warm blanket (maybe a new knitted hat?) and lots of love.

Because we don’t know the gender, I don’t really feel too inspired to wash every article of baby clothing that we own.
It would only take one laundry load and it would all be done after baby’s born so it’s not an urgent matter.

So for me, one way to nest and prepare for a new baby, especially when you’re already a mother and have a household full of children, is de-clutter, clean and organize your home.
This includes the basement, closets, cupboards and pantry. If I can manage, I’m hoping to get to most of said items before the baby arrives, but that may be shooting for the stars. I figured if I clean at least one drawer a day – or tackle on project a day – I might just get it all done.

Or maybe not.
Because I am blogging right now – and my closet is a serious disaster (however, just to mention,
I did clean out one homeschooling/craft cupboard today as part of my overall-to-do-list, not to mention my other chores for the day).
One great thing about knowing a new baby is joining the family is the sudden urge to throw out clutter and junk.
I love it. It’s all too amazing how fast “things” accumulate when you don’t even notice.

                                                                                                          But yes, back to the nesting. Or just plain ‘getting organized’.

 

Besides throwing out clutter and trying to get organized, I have been stocking the pantry and canning/cold room  … this week, I’m working on make-ahead mixes.
I thought that perhaps it would also help as the girls are older and may want to bake some cookies or muffins one wintery afternoon while I snuggle the newborn on the couch. 🙂

So far, we have mixes prepared for the following tasty treats:

muffins
scones
pancakes and waffles
brownies
cookies

I have pasted the instructions to the backs of the jars so it is easy to assemble in a moment’s notice.

I have often wanted to be “one of those moms” who has a nice hot breakfast warming up the kitchen on cool autumn and winter mornings. These mixes definitely help in that category.
We tested out the scones with tea for a warm, tasty breakfast this morning and they were delicious. Perfect way to start a chilly morning!

If you are interested, here are the links to the recipes I used:

Pancake & Waffle  Mix from Hearts, Hands, Home blog

Muffin Mix from Thrifty Couple{really liking this recipe!}

Cookie Mix {will come back after I find the link!}

Scone Mix from Little House Living

Brownie Mix from Hearts, Hands, Home

Do you have any make ahead mixes to share? I’d love to swap recipes … 🙂