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Crochet Tie and Hat

In my quest to expand my crochet skills thanks to my 35 before 35 list, I knew I wanted to make something for George.

I saw lots of cute things on Pinterest.

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I need this baby in my life…

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Cute right? Well some of the things I found either didn’t have patterns, the pattern wasn’t free, or the pattern included things such as buttons or I couldn’t understand the stitches. Problems.

I finally settled on this pattern for the tie. Then I used this video for the hat (which is way to big for G right now since I made it before he was born.)

I used yarn that I had left over from other projects, and it didn’t need very much for either.

This is my first successful attempt at a hat!

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It will be fun to take these pictures again in a few months to see how he has grown. That tie looks huge on him now!

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This last one is possibly one of my favorites shots of him.

For the first time ever, I am feeling a crochet drought. I just am not feeling inspired to do anything. We’ll see how long that lasts. I do have projects in mind, just no gumption to do them right now.

Everything has it’s season I guess.

Have you done any projects lately? Any crochet ideas to share?

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Friday Filter: A Year in the Blue

I was given access to this documentary as compensation for my review. All the thoughts are my own.

I was contacted by Passion River Films to take a look at a new documentary they have available.

“A Year in the Blue” is a film following a few cadets during their first year at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

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When I was told documentary, I was pretty much sold. When I saw that it was related to the military, I definitely knew I would find it interesting.

This film portrays the difficulties and triumphs of entering the Air Force Academy. It runs you briefly through the obstacles that each person must face to enter among the ranks in this particular branch.

They show you pieces of basic, when they choose their majors, how invested they are in their studies, and why being part of the Air Force is important to them. You witnessed struggles they faced as they were tested. You were able to experience the emotional toll that occurred throughout the process. You saw how pride and passion carried them through it all.

I liked being able to see glimpses of traditions at the school from the Ring Dance to the sporting events. I found this interesting to see on the film after hearing some of these events from my friend, Janelle’s, perspective of watching her husband go through these very things.

What I liked most about the film was the interview structure. They would show group interaction, but then they would interview individuals so you got to actually hear their emotions and see their reactions first hand. They also interviewed alumni, which I thought was a pretty neat way to show continuity and longevity of the lessons learned and the take away from the program. Most of you know that I love a good personal story!

Since most of my “military” experience is with the Army, I enjoyed learning more about the Air Force. They do things WAY different than the Army. I think what I found to be most intriguing about the film was being able to compare it to what I have seen in the Army and how vastly different the experiences are, but ultimately that these men and women are in it for the same reasons that Army folk are.

I really do appreciate all that our Armed Forces do, no matter what their training and experiences look like. Each branch has their own way of doing things, but they all give a lot of themselves and their families as a sacrifice to our nation.

I would highly recommend this film. It is an easy watch and gives you some great insight!

If you would like to view the film, it is now available for public viewing. There are a few ways you can get a hold of it. You can purchase the documentary on the public website at www.passionriver.com and various retail stores like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or CD Universe.

Have you ever visited the Air Force Academy in Colorado?

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Rockaway

Have you ever looked at prices for rocking chairs and nursery gliders? Absurd.

Normal people cannot afford those. Especially on top of everything else needed for a nursery.

We got this rocking chair from my grandparents. Instead of trying to purchase something way out of our price range, I decided that we would just make a chair cover for it and call it good.

Off to Pinterest I went looking for patterns and inspiration.

I cannot take credit for actually making this. My mom came to our rescue again. Off my pins, she made made up our own patterns to fit the chair.

I did help cut out the fabric!

We used two fabric patterns, foam cushioning, and 550 cord.

The 550 cord is for the piping on the side.

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I really like that it is reversible. And I am obsessed with these colors…obviously.

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She added orange ties to all the corners so it can be easily tied to the chair.

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We also made this side pocket thing. I actually did do some of the sewing on this one. My mom had a pattern for this from a bedding set.

It is really helpful to have on the rocker. I have it stuffed with wipes, bibs, granola bars, and anything else that I may need during a feeding.

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I think this helps pull together all the different patterns we have in the room.

The chair is pretty comfortable pretty comfortable! I may have fallen asleep in it a few times.

Here soon I will try to do a full tour of the nursery so you can see the full set up of everything. I may even attempt to do a video tour, but don’t hold your breath.

Have you done any furniture coverings or upholstery?

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Puppy Love

Everyone wants to know how Crosby and Grace are reacting to Little G.

Our first response is great and better than expected.

When we left the hospital before George, we brought home his little nursery hat so the dogs could get a whiff of him before we brought him home.

Crosby thought it was a toy and snatched it out of my hands.

Oh boy.

That’s enough to make you nervous.

When we brought him home, they tried smothering him with kisses. Then they didn’t really know what to think.

Who is this new puppy we brought home? And why does he get held all the time?

(I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. Dogs don’t know how to stay still for a camera.)

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Now they have gotten used to each other for the most part.

The dogs don’t react when George cries.

George doesn’t react when the dogs bark, even right near his head.

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Crosby does not seem interested in George most of the time. He kind of keeps his distance, unless he is trying to sneak in a full head lick. We try to discourage his licking because he is a little rough when he licks us. When he licks George it’s like he is trying to make him a bobble head.

Grace, however, wants to be near George All. The. Time. She loves to dote on him. She never is very far from him and is so sweet with her kisses.

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The other night Tom and I were laying in bed doing our nightly routine of watching the baby monitor for a few (more like 10) minutes to make sure that G is doing ok in his crib before we fall asleep ourselves. We hear this weird noise on the monitor like a scratch, but George wasn’t moving. We scrolled the monitor out a little to see a paw reaching in between the crib bars. We pull it out even more to then see Grace try to GET IN the crib. She had put her paws over the top of the crib like she was going to jump in to cuddle with G. I laughed so hard I could barely breath.

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It is probably my favorite moment since bringing George home.

Once he is in a big boy bed, we are sure Grace will be cuddling with George more than us. (That’s fine with me because that means more space in our bed!)

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Until this last weekend, we didn’t have any issues with the dogs grabbing dirty diapers or George’s toys as their own. Our family was here this weekend, so I think they just got over-excited with all the people and couldn’t control themselves. That is the only time a diaper or toy has been grabbed. In Crosby’s defense, the toy did look like it could pass for a dog toy. George got his first stuffed animal this weekend, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous that it may become a chew toy in the future. So hopefully they stay away from it!

Grace does try to lick all the spilled milk off the burp clothes and bibs. I will pull one up and find it so wet from her trying to get all the taste off it.

We try to give the dogs intentional attention so they don’t get jealous. And as soon as I am released from the doctor to get back to exercising full force, they will get their daily walks again. I think it does help that I am home all day with them so they do get attention that they weren’t getting before anyway.

George is now three weeks old, and so far they have done really well together. I can’t wait to watch their relationship blossom even more as G gets older.

I just know they are going to be best friends.

Were you best friends with your pets growing up?

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Talks with Tom #28

In recent weeks, there have been so many new parent conversations with Tom that have left me dying laughing or with my jaw on the floor. Unfortunately, I always think I am going to remember them to post, but then soon forget before I have time to write a post.

Just know, we are having lots of extra giggles due to our sleep deprivation and new parentdom.

This particular one happened late at night after George wet the bed.

I was changing the sheets, and Tom was holding a fussy George. (I mean who wouldn’t be fussy after wetting the bed?)

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We had just fed him, but he wasn’t really settling down.

Me-Maybe he is still hungry.

Tom-Uh, yea I am going to guess he is still hungry since he just latched on to my nipple.

George will latch on to anything when he is hungry…collarbones, bibs, his own hand, my hair, the inside of my elbow…

Tom has resorted to letting this happen fairly often now to keep the fussiness at bay while we are trying to get bottles and milk ready for him.

The things we do as parents.

But seriously, I would do anything for this face.

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On a related note, George’s due date was today. Crazy to think we were supposed to be just meeting him now, but he has been on the outside now for 3 weeks.

He also got to meet one of his cousins this week.

They were seriously adorable together. Ava was so sweet with him. She has volunteered to be his babysitter and teach him all the words. George of course was perfectly content being dotted on all weekend.

I can’t wait to watch them grow up together!

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