October 14, 2014 by Stephanie

George’s Nursery Reveal in Video

I want to remember things about this time. Every minute I get to spend with George is special. And I have no idea how long I will get these moments of just me and him, so I want to remember them here for years to come.

Part of that is remembering the place.

I spend most of my day in this room. I do most of his feedings in the rocking chair because it is the most comfortable for both of us. I read him stories here, and I introduce him to music while he makes faces at my singing. We play on the floor-really it’s him just flailing around as I pull him around on a blanket trying to imitate crawling and making sure the dogs don’t drown him in slobbers. I also spend a lot of time in the room just staring at how perfect he is and how lucky I am to be his mom.

So it may seem simple to outsiders, but this room is our world right now.

I love how light and airy everything turned out. It is just a friendly environment.

I did my first attempt at a video tour, so enjoy my commentary. (I have no idea what I am doing.)

If you have any questions about anything don’t hesitate to ask.

I also want to remember the sounds and the little things we do together. This may be a boring video to the soundtrack of “The Lion King,” but again the gurgles and faces made are my everything. And I don’t want to ever forget how precious these moments are.

So if you are inclined to watch a baby do nothing but baby things (which is honestly not much) for a couple minutes, this is the video for you. Spoiler alert, there are baby hiccups. Adorbs.

I still need to try to capture him searching for a pacy. Best George moment ever.

So that is George’s room. I can’t wait to see how these pieces grow up with him and transition into other uses as he changes.

Do you like decorating? Do rooms turn out they way you imagined?

October 9, 2014 by Stephanie

35 Before 35 Update

The last month really seems like it flew by. I think I did pretty good this month on my list.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year

I made a tie and hat for a photo prop. It was my first successful attempt at a hat!

2. Do a photography challenge

My challenge is to get my DSLR out at least once a week to photograph George in some way. I have been successful so far! Here are a couple shots.

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3. ~~Visit 5 cities I have never been to before~~ (5/5)

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the KY/TN area

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

I am pretty proud of myself that I have kept up with this each month. And let’s talk about how expensive stamps have gotten!

6. Become a “professional” photographer

I have some shoots coming up with some friends of ours that I could not be more excited to help capture!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

I am thinking of doing one over Thanksgiving. I just got cleared to go back to my normal workouts this week. Passed that 6 week post-partum check up like a boss. Anyone want to do a 5k with me?

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

We haven’t eaten out at all this month, so there is that..

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. ~~Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville~~

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

Work in progress. I am making gains in both areas. Slow and steady.

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

I totally rocked this one this month! I have decided crockpots will be the thing I buy for wedding gifts. Seriously the best kitchen invention ever. (Ok maybe a tie with the Kitchenaid) Here are the recipes I tried out this month and whether we thought it was a hit or miss.
- Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken-We loved this! It was super duper easy too. Lot of left overs!
- Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies-I loved these! (And they have helped with my breastfeeding, just saying) Tom thought they were too fancy and lacked the appropriate icing.
- Meatloaf-This recipe was perfect, and fairly easy. Another must keep in my cooking repertoire.
- Corn Mac and Cheese-another crockpot win and stupid easy. Tom says this is the best mac and cheese he has ever tasted! Yes! It also makes a ton so there were lots of yummy left overs.
- Chicken Teriyaki-Great recipe for us to put in that didn’t have cheese. (Pretty much every meal finds cheese, so I have really tried finding recipes that don’t.)
- Garlic Asparagus-Almost always our vegetable ends up being peas, so again I am trying to get us to branch out. This is a easy, quick, and yummy recipe!
- Pot Roast-We used deer meat for this and actually made this on two separate occasions. It was perfect to get in the fall mood!
I am really loving meal planning. I find it is helping me get more creative in the kitchen instead of having the same chicken dish or hamburger helper each night. Any recipes you recommend? I like easy…

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (16/20)

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

We are wanting to make a trip to the zoo sometime soon, but we are still trying to figure out the best “out of the house” schedule for George. I feel really limited since we are breastfeeding.

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (2/10); Documentaries (7/20)

I watched Argo which won Best Picture in 2013.
I watched two documentaries.
- Schooled which is about college athletes and the price tag of collegiate sports. Great watch, and so many discussion topics! I could see this being used in any higher education curriculum and Student Affairs professional development round table.
- Happy which is about just that-happiness. It interviews people from around the world and describes different levels of happiness. Happiness research is fairly new, so it was really interesting to see a positive spin from psychologists. I also liked that it compared different cultures.

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. ~~Become a mom~~

Ok, maybe I just thought I did really good because of all the recipes…Until next month.

October 6, 2014 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom Royals Version

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I have LOVED watching the Royals this past week. We have seen some of the most exciting games, EVER.

(in my humble opinion of course)

We were thinking that we couldn’t have a game without going into extra innings.

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I am so sad that I do not get to be in Kansas City during all this. It is certainly a fun time to be there. The stadium looked electric last night, even with the rain. Such an amazing atmosphere. And it has been awesome seeing my Facebook newsfeed pretty much being taken over by KC, AND to see them in the “trending” section!

Be Royal friends.

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Here are some quick Tom comments concerning the Royals:

This quote happened last night early in the game.

“If we win the series, I am going to shit my pants like George just did.” (He did not crap his pants in case you were wondering, but there were some tears.)

Some night this week, Tom was looking up Royals memorabilia that we could have in our future home when he found Royals themed candy.

“Sweets and Treats? (this was a category on the website) Of course I want the Royals in my mouth.”

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George is passing on his baby magic by sharing his favorite facial expression.

I can’t wait to see what unfolds during the rest of this postseason! So excited for my Boys in Blue!

To Baltimore we go!

Take the Crown!

October 3, 2014 by Stephanie

Friday Filter: Movies Recently

I am still trying to take advantage of our cable package especially since going to the movies is something of the past and far future right now. We have been able to get through quite a few since George has been born.

There isn’t much else you can do during 8 feedings a day…

Plus it’s nice to have a pantry of snacks and being able to pause to go to the bathroom.

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Enjoy my quick thoughts.

1. Zero Dark Thirty– This film is based on the missions to find Osama Bin Laden after the attacks on September 11th. It is a harrowing depiction of the man hunt and is not for the faint of heart. We really enjoyed the movie and felt that they did a good job with what is known about the events. I believe this was also a breakout role for Jessica Chastain. She did justice to the main character. Definitely a must watch!

2. The Normal Heart– This was a made for TV movie. It was so good. I laughed and I cried. I felt anger and disappointment. This movie is a play adaptation starring Mark Ruffalo (love him) who is a playing a gay activist in the early 1980s. It tells the story of the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis specifically in New York. Ruffalo’s character starts an advocacy group to try to get better medical care and attention to this issue. It shows how quickly things escalated with the disease and spread, and how so many were trying to understand why no one (in power positions) cared about all those that were dying. This was an era where being gay was widely viewed as a sickness in itself. This was a heart-wrenching movie. One because it shows how far we have come as far as acceptance and advocacy goes, but also saddening to see some of the issues that are still around today as if nothing changed. Another must watch! (There are a lot of big name actors in this too! Julia Roberts, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons…)

3. The Internship– This was a kitchy comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. The two friends lost their jobs and embark on a journey to be the new interns at Google. The whole film follows their antics to keep up in the Google world. It had some funny moments, but it was not the best movie. I felt like they were trying to use the mojo of Wedding Crashers, but they missed the mark. I love them both and I am glad I watched it, but I won’t watch it again.

4. American Hustle– This movie got so much hype last year. It had a high billed cast: Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Christian Bale. It was about two con artist who were used by the FBI to run a sting operation to bring corrupt politicians down. As I said, this movie got a lot of hype and award nods. The acting was good, and the design was good. However, I just couldn’t get into it. I just don’t see what was so great about the movie. So I am probably alone on not appreciating this movie…

5. Monsters University– This movie was adorable. It is the prequel to Monsters Inc. It tells the story of how Mike and Sulley met in college. It is unbelievable what they can do with computer animation now. UNREAL. You don’t have to be a kid to watch this. Great fun watch.

6. Veronica Mars- I loved the TV show Veronica Mars. I was so excited to hear that they were making a movie from the Kickstarter campaign. Who doesn’t love a little Kristen Bell action? Anyway, this movie is set a few years after the series finale. Veronica comes back to her hometown to help her old beau free his name. It was just as good as the series-quippy mystery solvers. Just delightful. I also loved the cameo appearance of Dax (Bell’s husband).

7. Brave– This is another Pixar film that was cute. I enjoyed the turn that the main character isn’t so much a damsel in distress as many movies were as I was growing up. Merida defies family traditions, but in doing so she enacted a curse on her mother. The movie follows Merida’s transformation and realization about family love. I am kind of excited having a kid just for the sake of having a reason to watch kids movies again.

8. Frozen– I know I am way behind the Frozen craze, but I finally got there. Another cute kid’s movie. While I think it was good, there is still a lot of room for growth to beat out Beauty and the Beast. Also I watched it with my niece who knows all the words. ALL THE WORDS. The movie is about two sisters who had grown apart due to ice magic and how they come back to each other. Olaf, the snowman really steals the show. I am really glad that I watched this before Once Upon A Time came on so I knew the plot line.

9. The Heat– Um talk about a dynamic duo Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCartney! This comedy was about an FBI agent who is working with a local police officer to bring down a drug lord. They are both stuck in their ways but they are forced to work together by their higher ups. They were a great pairing. I may be biased though because Sandra is my favorite actress so there is rarely something of hers that I don’t like. I loved it for pure comedic relief.

10. Lee Daniels’ The Butler-This film is a historical drama. It follows a White House butler through several administrations. Throughout it you see how segregation changes and the impact and evolution of the civil rights movement. I really enjoyed this movie. It was smart and fascinating to watch. I enjoyed the historical context, and the screenplay was great. There are a lot of big name people in this one too. I highly recommend this one!

11. Argo– This was Ben Affleck’s breakout film into directing. He really hit the mark on this one. This film is about the rescue mission of six diplomats during the Iran hostage crises in 1979-1981. The CIA mission was to use a fake film to be a guise to get these ix people out of Tehran under the radar during a time when people were being captured for knowing an American. This was a really good film, and rightly so since it won Best Picture at the Oscars. It did raise some similarities for me to what is going on in Iraq now as far as the direst. I think we often live under a rock as Americans and have no idea how bad things are in other nations. This is also another high recommend!

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

Have you seen any of these movies? Do you share my views or did you feel something different?

September 30, 2014 by Stephanie

Party Like It’s 1985

Today something is occurring that hasn’t occurred in 29 years.

My beloved Royals are in the Playoffs.

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The Royals have not been to the playoffs since 1985, which is the longest playoff drought in the MLB. Not exactly the greatest title to hold…

When they went the last time, I was 4 months old. So I have never fully experienced a Royals post season. Although I am sure I gurgled and cooed as any loyal fan would.

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My dad always says that I was their good luck charm since their 1985 World Series win was the year I was born. Tom was also born that year too. So we are convinced that we produced the miracle child in George to help the Royals once again. Nothing like putting the pressure on our kid from the day he was born. They did win the night he was born just saying…

Baseball is the sport of superstitions. You can thank us later Royals fans for procreating. This little bundle of goodness got us to the post season right?

It has not been easy being a Royals fan over the past 29 years. There have been many ups and downs (unfortunately a lot of downs) over the years.

But we made it, and it is so sweet to be here.

It may be hard to be a Kansas City fan, but we are not fair weather fans. We have believed and hoped for this since we clinched that World Series title in 1985. We have waited patiently…ok maybe not so patiently. But we have still flocked to buy hot dogs and get into the royal spirit to support America’s favorite past time in the 816 area code.

So to all the cynics and other teams who didn’t see us coming, we are going to enjoy today. We are going to #beroyal and #takethecrown how we do.

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And who doesn’t love a good underdog story and sporting events that are not predictable? And this season, game to game, was anything but predictable. This season has just been fun to watch! In all honestly though, there were some games that I had to watch through my fingers because it was too intense to see. We were ever hopeful.

Through it all, Kansas City fans have always come out for our boys in blue. (We also come out for our boys in red. During Monday Night Football last night, Kansas City made Arrowhead the loudest stadium in the World! Get it Chiefs!)

Let’s Celebrate Kansas City.

No matter what the end result is today, this has been a fantastic season to witness. I have enjoyed watching/reading through every game. (KY/TN don’t seem to be fans of KC so we haven’t been able to watch every game live.)

One day at a time. Enjoy every win, and move past every loss.

(Rest assured though, I would love a win today.)

George says, “Don’t worry. Party like it’s 1985 Mom.”

I do as the infant says.

So here’s to hoping for the best today! Soak it up while we can! Can we get a Blue October?

I wish I could be in Kansas City today to take part in all the festivities that are going on in my hometown, but we will be watching and cheering anxiously from KY.

We believe! Come on Royals! Take those A’s!