Kids and Deployment

Daddy Ali Cat is in the Navy.  He actually re-joined the Navy on the same day we got married. The Captain that commissioned him said he was ruining his life in a single day.  Ha!

I digress.

Since re-joining the military, he has had a great desire to deploy during the current war.  He compared not deploying to seeing a friend in a fight and not being able to help the friend.  It hurt him to not go.  

While I do not share that feeling, I am compassionate and glad we have people in this country that WANT to do it for our nation.  He wants to protect our land, family, friends, and strangers. I think he also wanted to experience war. Men and their curiosity. As much as it hurt me to see him leave me and the girls, I could not hold him back. What kind of wife would I be if I restrained him doing something he desperately needed to to? Not to mention that deploying is also good for his career.  

We have two daughters Ali (3) and Madeleine (16 months).  Madeleine is a mamas girl and dainty like moi.  Ali is a tiny female version of Daddy.  She likes rough housing, playing chase, being dirty and defiant, and LOVES her Daddy.  They are two peas in a pod.  When Daddy Ali Cat was doing his deployment training, he was gone for about 6 weeks. We were able to see him once in a while during but it was a nice trial period before he actually left.  Ali seemed to handle that well, probably because we saw him on the weekends.  

We ordered a Daddy Doll for Ali and he gave it to her as a present.  She loved it!

Zafarani Saffron Twirl Dress Neckline Options!

Yesterday, Zafarani Designs released her first PDF sewing pattern!  

Introducing the Saffron Twirl Dress! You NEED this pattern!

It comes in sizes 6-12mo to 8 years.  Until next Monday, it is only $6! After that it's $9.  $9 isn't all that bad either, that's only $1 per size!

(Click the first link to like her Facebook page and click the second link above to go buy her pattern.)

I was one of the lucky pattern testers for this gorgeous dress.  

It features a V-neck front with button tab closure on the back.  

The back of the skirt portion has a bit of elastic for dressing and playing ease.  

Along with a long sash to tie in the back or double wrap around for a tie in the front

With a full skirt, this dress has MAJOR twirl action!

The Saffron Twirl dress is a perfect fit for the little girl in your life.

Ali's $154 Room Makeover!

Updating rooms can be very expensive, but it certainly doesn't have to be if you shop right and DIY the hell out of it!

After we moved in, Karl and I painted Ali's room a wonderful light yet bright yellow.

My Dorothy Day Tripper Bag Giveaway

Ali Cat & Co recently hit 100 likes!  Wahoo! We are actually up to 120 likes now. 

I have been pondering what to do to thank you. 

Well, it hit me in the shower this morning (yes, that is typically where I get all my good ideas.)

So, I am happy to announce that I will be giving my chevron Dorothy Day Tripper bag away to a lucky Ali Cat & Co. fan.  

This is the actual bag I made, NOT the pattern.

As a reminder what it looks like.

Little Lizard King Retro Glam Skirt Pattern Test

I am very proud to have tested for Little Lizard King and her new Retro Glam Skirt! You can buy as an all size bundle or from 6 months -5T + doll or 6-14+ doll.

When I showed my 3 year old a picture of the skirt, she was THRILLED! We headed to the fabric store and she picked out the two main fabrics.  A little bit sweet and a little bit sassy!

The skirt took me about 3 hours to sew up.  Very simple instructions and easy to follow.  Great pattern for an advanced beginner sewer.  

The skirt has a flat front and elastic back waist band.  You can use regular elastic or there is also an option for sizable elastic (the preferred method) AND a tutorial for making your own sizable elastic, which is what I did! The pattern also comes with a Rockabilly hair wrap pattern and a doll size pattern.

This skirt is very diverse, which is why I love it so.  Kari from That's Sew Kari made hers the Candy Corn Cutie.  Check it out!  Perfect for the entire fall!

Another tester chose fabrics to mimic a cheerleader skirt.  It was equally adorable.  (Once I receive permission to link photos, I will).

I also think this skirt would be awesome made from bandanas and denim for a cowgirl look.  Some of the other testers also suggested a skirt for each Disney Princess or Minnie Mouse.  All great ideas.  Like I said, VERY versatile!

Here is Ali enjoying her skirt "tutu".  She receive many compliments on it at school.

Sew Much Ado: Seafarer Pattern Review

First, administrative information. If you look at the top left of the page, just above the "about me" and my picture, you will see PAGES!  Yippee for me figuring out Blogger.  I have a page for all the pattern reviews thus far plus a page for recipes.  There are many more patterns I've sewn but never posted pictures.  I will slowly start adding all of the beginner patterns I did when I first started sewing.  It's scary when you first start and I had no idea what kind of patterns to buy.  Hopefully I can help some new sewing mamas out.  

Movin' on.

Recently I was introduced to Sew Much Ado's Seafarer pattern. It's a classic pattern and a staple in the closet.  I think this took me 1.5-2 hours to sew up.  Pretty quick.  It's a great fit.  Roomy and forgiving yet still flattering on the figure.  Most importantly, comfortable! If you are in between sizes, I would size down.  That's the most wonderful aspect of knit, sizing down! :)

I don't have much else to say other than I love this shirt and will definitely be making many many more in all the different ways possible.  

Prepare yourself for some ridiculous pictures.

My Boyfriend's Apple Pie

A few weeks ago (maybe a MONTH?), I was a guest blogger on Welcome to the Mouse House.  This is one of my all time favorite blogs.  Hayley is amazing.  Her sewing and crafting skills are out of this world!  You should really check out her blog.  She has a tutorials page that will give you all kinds of ideas and inspiration!  My apple pie recipe is on the tutorials page under recipes, but here it is as well.

Enjoy!

My sophomore year in high school, there was a new boy.  

(I'm sure all of you remember that feeling!) 

And he was SOOO cute!  He started dating a friend of mine.  Every single girl in the school was jealous.  Lucky for me, he was in my Spanish class. Hola, guapo! At the end of the semester he began talking to me a lot and we started hanging out during winter break.  He had broken up with

"the other girl" a few weeks before.  If he told me the reason why, I don't remember.

Who wants to talk about other girls when you have a hottie senor looking you in the eyes?

We officially started dating before school began for the spring semester.  When my friend

found out she was no longer my friend.  She was pretty peeved at me, to put it nicely.  Double lucky for me, she was super tall and skinny and got picked up by a modeling agency and flew

out to Spain for 5 months to model. 

(I heard she did topless pics on the beaches, but I was never able to confirm that.)

At some point, I met his family for the first time.  We had dinner at his house.  His mom had made

an apple pie.  It was love at first sight.