Back to school, xmas quilts, and a messenger bag

So this week I started "back to school" so to speak. I am taking a certificate course in Electronic Health Records Management. My employer is converting from paper charting to electronic over the next few years and I figured this would be a good jump start. I am also considering going back to school and getting a degree and certification in Health Information Technology. But right now that's just a thought :)

Little one turned 3 months old today! He is growing so fast. Starting to teethe already. And still hating tummy time lol.

So now for the rest of the title. For Christmas the past few years I have been making homemade gifts for some of my family members. I have been into quilting but decided this year I wanted to do something even more personal for my mother. But before we get to that, here are the 2 quilts I made as xmas gifts:

This one was for my mother - it is queen sized, backed with a lime green flat sheet, and stitched with hunter green thread so there is a design element on the back.

This one was for my aunt - it is also queen sized,backed with a black flat sheet, and stitched together with yellow thread so there is a design element on the back.

As I mentioned above, this past xmas I wanted to do something more personal and much more challenging than a quilt (because my quilts are just squares  sewn together- not very hard). So I got together with my aunt and got a hold of some of my grandfathers Air Force uniforms. He was a retired Senior Master Sergeant and passed away when I was one. So, I made something that my mother could use for multiple occasions (including a diaper bag) and she would have something to remind her of her dad. This is what I came up with:

The bag is 85% used/worn uniform with a navy lining. The side pockets are his actual rank (although from his Technical Sergeant days) and the front flap has his actual name tape and branch tape. And it goes without saying that it was a HUGE hit.

Not sure how I am going to be able to top that this upcoming xmas season but I better put my thinking cap on now!