~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ 31 weeks down, 9 to go!

Wow!! I have to say the time is starting to pass more quickly these days! It seems like in a very short time, there will be another person in the house!! EEP!! Either way, we made our first big purchase for the baby today! It's our shiny new black rocker recliner!! It's not your "typical" baby purchase, I know, but I spent more time rocking Rachel in the rocker recliner than doing anything else with her! We also took great pictures of her as she was growing up that chronicled how big she had gotten in that recliner. And, there is nothing nicer when baby is fussing than rocking them to sleep, putting your feet up and joining them! I have photos of myself, my mom, my dad, and Gramz all sleeping with Rachel on our chests in that recliner. So, it was something I was really looking forward to having for Curtis as well.

Buying the recliner gave us an excuse to do one of my other favorite activities- moving the furniture around!! It was less fun but just as satisfying to direct Chris & Rachel as they did all the work. Now, my living room looks a little different and I love it when that happens!

Meanwhile, you are all probably wondering how things are going with the baby. Curtis has stepped up the kicking in the last few days. His kicks are much stronger, and happen pretty often, especially when I'm trying to sleep! Chris and Curtis were both restless last night! Hubby woke up at 430 for no reason, which woke me up, and then Curtis was kicking so much, I couldn't get back to sleep for almost an hour and a half. He is an active little one!! I am doing well! This week, I had my first real swelling incident that I can't blame on sitting or standing too much or anything I did really. I just swelled up like a pregnant chick a little. It passed quickly and I'm glad to report it has only happened the one time. The emails say he is weighing in a little over 3 pounds now, I think he's probably a little bigger than that, but it sure helps him kick me harder that he's growing so well!! :D

I am tired, though. I am really glad I had dr gynie check my iron levels last week and am looking forward to hearing next week what the levels are. I'm quite curious to know if this is pregnancy tired alone or pregnancy tired plus low iron levels tired.

I am about 100 pages into the Breast Feeding Book, and about 80 pages into the Vaccine book. I have decided that if you can write a book that is 300+ pages long about a subject, it is highly unlikely that you are simplifying it. So, I have put the breast feeding book down for a while. I think it will be a useful resource when I actually have a baby to feed but, for now, it was just making me really nervous that I was going to have difficulty breastfeeding. That is not why I was reading the book, so I'm taking a break from it. Meanwhile, the vaccine book is a bit repetitive for my tastes- turns out there are really only 3 ways to make a vaccine so every chapter is a little more of what you just read... I'm pretty sure at this point that we will go with a delayed/modified schedule because we just don't feel comfortable giving him vaccines before we even get to know his normal, nor do we feel ok with introducing as many as 6 vaccines into his little system at a time.

Anyhow, the baby and I are doing well! Considering he'll be born between 37 and 41 weeks, I have 6-10 weeks left. That seems like a super short amount of time, doesn't it?? I will not freak out! I will not panic! There's plenty of time! lol... We had Ashley over for a couple days this weekend! It was super great to see her! Also, Rachel has the choir Variety Show this week, where she will be singing a duet with the Theater teacher, Mrs. Duvall! I will be making cake pops for the occasion! This week promises to pass quickly as Chris had the day off for the Holiday, so he only has to work 4 days this week, woohoo!! :D

~*~ Maternity Monday ~*~ 30 weeks!! 7-11 weeks to go...

I cannot believe that I am 30 weeks along, that in as little as 7 weeks, I could be holding my little man!! I had an appointment this morning, and Dr Gynie says that he is measuring at 34 weeks (this is according to her tape measure, not an ultrasound). Of course, I'm only 30 weeks so she is warning me about this a little. Then, she asked how big Rachel was and I said, "8 pounds, 10.5 ounces, 19.25 inches". She said, "Wow!! And, you had her natural?" Yes, definitely!! She was impressed!

So, I took the opportunity today to ask her about some stuff that weighs on an expectant Mom's mind, like "What if I go into labor and you're not there? Who will deliver my baby then?" She had good answers for me, which made me happy. She says they will not try to force me to have an epidural and that the policy is that they will give it to me if I ask for it but won't try to get me to have it. She says there are 7 doctors in the rotation that split on call times and that they are 6 girls and 1 boy. And, she said she is taking her vacation in March, so she'll be around during April! :D She also said if they feel an episiotomy is necessary, they will tell me before doing it and be sure to give me a local first (last guy didn't on that one, so I was sure to ask, because I remembered that!). 

Oh! And, the last time I did blood work, the lab lost some of it, so she did a CBC and ferritin level today too. This is good because it will give us a clear idea of how my iron levels are for the end of pregnancy! She agrees with me that it will be a lot easier to do an infusion or two before the baby is born than to wait until after he is born for them! So, if my levels are low at all, I'll be scheduling that with Dr. Hematology!

Chris took a sick day from work today, so he's been here keeping me company and got to hear the heartbeat with me this morning! It's going to be so nice having him home with me for Paternity leave, but also so sad for me when he goes back to work again. We are having a pretty mellow day around here, although we were told we need to get our DTAP shots, and she suggested flu shots too, but I'm not incredibly big on those, so we'll get the first but probably not the latter.

This Facebook thing keeps asking me "How are you feeling, Sarah?" I'm feeling very pregnant and quite tired after the amazing Sing A Thon on Saturday. I may have joined in a bit too enthusiastically during a dance break because yesterday I could barely move at all and today I'm still a little sore and super tired! But, it went great, and I think a good time and lots of good food was had by all! Rachel's trip to New Orleans is almost completely paid for, to which we owe an amazing debt of gratitude to all her sponsors! Other than her choir trip and the choir Variety Show (Feb 20), Rachel's big focus now is on choosing songs for her College Auditions, of which she will have 3! They will be March 2, 9, and 16th! Ashley is in San Diego for a vacation, but we might get to see her on her way back home, and we are looking forward to that very much!  And, that's what is going on with all of us this week!! :D

Bohemian Chic & a Freebie!!

Ok, so yes, I've been dropping the ball like a crazy woman around here lately. But, I have a reason, I promise!! And, here it is:


See, my hubby and I have been married for almost 7 years now, and we have been wanting more kids this whole time. We've been to a lot of doctors and tried a lot of different things to get to where we are now, which is pregnant!! I have been pregnant before, I have a 17 year old daughter. But, it's been an awfully long time, and I remember being tire, but not like I am this time. Sleep is my friend!! :D

Anyhow, last week, I released the Bohemian Chic Bundle!!

and I totally slept through my scheduled time to tell you about it!! SO, I've decided to do a bit of a flash sale on it! I gave it a special price even lower than the New Releases price so head on over and give it a peek!! This new and super low price is good for the rest of today and tomorrow only!! Once it's Sunday, the super low price will disappear!!

Meanwhile, of course I have a freebie for you, it's another alpha to match! If you check out HERE and HERE, you'll find even more freebies that match this super cute kit!! :D

Here's today's alpha freebie: (Click it if you want it, always a direct download!!)


I hope you like it and I hope you will bear with me on the whole sleeping my life away thing! I did get it together a little bit so I will have some awesome offerings for you in October's Lovely Colors section so be on the lookout for those on October 1st!! :D

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

Friday Freebie! I will catch up!! :D

Woohoo!! So I woke up this morning to awesome news, which is that I made it to the second round of the Designer Contest at theStudio!! So, I'm pretty excited, especially since that little kit I made is the first thing I've designed in CS6... Now, I have to get cracking on my kit for next week, which is to be much bigger than the one for last week! So, that's a big YAY for you because it means an external force will be forcing me to get my freebies done, and you know that it will be posted before Wednesday night, which is not to shabby for a Tuesday freebie these days, lol...

Anyhow, I have also been making scrapbook pages in my CS6. I'm trying to tackle one job at a time and getting it all set up how I like it for each of the different tasks I do regularly! I used Notes In Class to scrap a picture I took of my daughter Rachel the other day, when she had her appointment for senior photos. I can't believe she is a senior this year, the time has just passed so quickly!!

Here's my layout:


And, to fully complete my CS6 layout making skill set, here's a quickpage for you!!  Click it if you want it! Always a direct download!!


CS6 has a very cool png compression option, which means that this quickpage file came out smaller in MB than some that come before it. But, don't worry, it's still the same pixel and inches size as the others and should print beautifully!!

Have a great weekend! I'll see you next week with my Round 2 entry for the design contest!!
Huggles!!
~Sarah~

Welcome AliSarah, lol!!

What a crazy day today has been... It started with my husband badgering me about the taxes and thinking I may have missed something... This sent me on an almost all day odyssey looking for records of whether or not we received Economic Stimulus Checks... I still don't know because the IRS has evidently never heard of my husband's social security number... So, maybe tomorrow I'll get to be on hold with the IRS for 20 hours, woohoo!

Then, I had to go to the dr. It was a pointless trip to the office as far as I could tell. He didn't have the results from my blood draw last week and said I should call dr. hematology to get them. *rolls eyes* So, I'll see what dr. hematology says on the 27th when I get over there.

Meanwhile, I got a weird email that said one of my websites was phishing... This happens sometimes when hackers find some back door way into your site and then set up a whole operation, so I had to deal with that... Which I did promptly and efficiently.

Later, I get an email and phone call from my host that my site has been hacked. again. twice in one day. the same exact site. This same site had been hacked a couple weeks ago, so for some reason that name just really attracts the goobers who have nothing better to do with their time...

So, I decided to bring in the blog from that site to this blog... And, that site will just point people over here where they can get my awesome Scrapbooking stuff! But, my Candy Bar Wrapper Designs no longer have a place to live... SO, WELCOME to everyone who came here thinking they were going to my Candy Bar Wrapper site! I'm still in the planning stages of whether or not (and how) to make them available again.

I hope you had a less frustrating day than I did!!
Huggles!!
~Sarah~

Follow Me to Enchanted Studio Scraps!!

That's right!! My new store will be opening soon at Enchanted Studio Scraps!!(Link disabled due to store closing, 5/21/2012)




I'm very excited! And, I'm hard at work getting all my products QC'd and repackaged for my opening at ESS ASAP!! :D

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

More Trendy & Cute Inspiration!!

More layouts from my super awesome OKC!!

From Nicole:





From Joy:



You can get Trendy & Cute at Scrapable!! (Click it if you want it!!)



Thanks for stopping by! I'm going to a baby shower today for a friend from high school who I have seen in tons of years! I'm pretty excited!! :D What's on the agenda for your Super Saturday?? :D

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

New Year!! New Life!! :D

Hey Everyone!! :D

Happy New Year!! I didn't dream when I posted that bit about the CT that it would take me this long to get back to blog something new! But, I have spent a month being SUPER SICK!! But, YAY!! I am well again!! :D

I have some really cute stuff coming out on Friday!

But, first an ANNOUNCEMENT!! I am now an EXCLUSIVE Designer at Scrapable!! So, from now on Scrapable is the only place to find all my new designs!

Let me take this chance also to draw your attention to some alphas I made, which happen to match perfectly with the kit I will be releasing on Friday!

You'll receive all 6 alphas for just $5!!



But, if you really love them, you might want to wait for Friday, when I will release a whole kit that matches them and I might just throw them in with the kit for a while!! **wink wink**

Thanks for stopping by!! Keep coming back! This blog is going to be a super busy place this year!!

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

p.s. If you want to CT for me, send me an email!! sarah@candycuteness.com I will announce a formal call in the next week or so!! :D

Gobble Gobble #1

SO, this month, I'm Featured Designer at Scrapable!! :D That means I've made some freebies for you!! BUT, you have to be registered at the Scrapable forum in order to get them!! So, if you aren't registered there, you should be!!

This is this week's freebie!! (click it if you want it)



Next week's freebie!!



What else is coming up?? Well... Next week is the Surf's Up Event at Scrapable, which is going to be super fun!! I have made some stuff for that!! Also, all the designers at DID (myself included) are working on some great stuff for this year's Digi Express!! It's going to be super fun!!

Lastly, I am thinking about having another CT call, which I think will be super great!! I hope I'll get to see you there!! :D

Thanks for stopping by!!

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

Happy Easter! :D

I hope you and yours are having a fabulous Easter celebration! :D

My family and I went to church this morning and had a lovely time! My kids enjoyed their "baskets" this morning... (I don't use real baskets)

This morning, we sang My Redeemer Lives at church and it reminded me of another time I had sung it, which was actually a really lovely memory! And, now we are enjoying the family traditional Easter fare at our house, which is deviled eggs & Tuna egg mac salad, lol...

It's a beautiful day to celebrate the resurrected Lord and Savior!!
Huggles!!
~Sarah~

Friday Friday Friday

Well!! Yesterday, I bought a lightscribe for my computer, installed it, and learned to use it!! SO, I'm pretty excited about that!! I'm a burning fool, lol... Plus (and this is gonna sound really stupid to the computer geeks among us), it's black and silver so it looks really pretty in my case, whereas my old burner drive was not as pretty and just wasn't that fancy in the case... I'm laughing at myself, so I hope you're having a giggle with me too, lol...

Meanwhile, I've been staying up super late watching the Olympics, sleeping in late, and working all day long... Tomorrow, I'm gonna move furniture, lol...

I had a super cute idea for my first ever "for sale" for real kit!! I've had my girls working on some pieces for it that I want to do extractions for... Hopefully it will turn out as cute in real life as it does in my mind!

In the last two days, I have sold and set up two different zen cart installs with my semi custom templates (available at AliSarah) so, YAY!! It's been a banner week, as far as me being busy actually working!! :D

Thanks for stopping by!! I promise to have some new freebies for you very soon!! :D

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

A little update... and some questions for you!!

I'm almost back to "normal" because my Scrap 4 Hire progress is 15/20 done!! I'm hoping to finish at least 3 or hopefully even 5 tomorrow!! Today, I did 3 so I should hopefully be able to do 3 or 5 more tomorrow!!

Meg is on vacation, so they haven't posted any updated download numbers... I'm actually super curious to see what they are!! YOU GUYS, my brand new fans, have brought me to the top of the list for 2 weeks in a row and neither of those weeks are on the most recent numbers that have been posted! Ohh the excitement and curiosity!! :D

So, I guess now I'm at the point where I need to decide if I really want to sell in a store in case they offer the position to me. I have received quite a few downloads of my freebies in the last couple weeks, so now I'm wondering if anyone out there would pay for my designs... What do you think?? Should I take the plunge if they offer me the chance??

Do you guys want to see the pages I've been making for my scrap for hire job?? I can blurry the faces if you want to see them... :D

Leave me a comment so I'll know what you think!!

Thanks in advance for sounding off in my questions of the day!!

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

WOOHOO!! :D

Check this out!!



That's my kits in the number 2 and 3 positions!! I gotta tell you, I wasn't thinking I was doing very well in this contest the first 2 weeks, but this week and last week have made me feel better about it!! I am just hoping to get to sell my stuff in a store, because I love making stuff, and I love sharing my stuff with people who like to use stuff!! :D

AND, yesterday, I was listed on the IKEA Goddess Blog!! with both my Henna Henna Bo Benna Kit and the Add On Kit for it too!! I'm so EXCITED!! :D

Scrap for hire progress: 12/ 20 completed and approved, YAY!! :D

Back to work for me!! More news coming soon!! :D

Huggles!!
~SaraH~

OMGosh, I'm tired!

Well, I just wanted to pop in cuz I am getting ready to go to bed, but I figured I'd post at least a little update before I did that...

Scrap For Hire Job Progress: 11 of 20 pages completed. 5 Completely Finalized, 6 in the proof stage, where she is sending me changes for reworking. A new agreement was ironed out, where I will print her pages at 8x8 and put them in a small album, the ones that are done, hopefully at least 10, which she will wrap and present to the recipient (her husband) and then we will all 3 work on the rest of the pages next week so we know for sure he'll be happy with the final product, and then we'll go ahead and print full sized or as a hardback book...

I'm exhausted... In 2 hours and 2 minutes, my Rachel will be 13, I can't believe that... And, almost all the preparations for a SUPER party have been made- in the midst of this major Scrap 4 Hire RUSH Job!! It's been a CRAZY week!!

I got tagged, I'm excited, but I don't have time to do the tagbacks right now... SO, I'm gonna do it tomorrow or Monday, LOL... I'll catch you on the flip side!

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

HOLY Canoli!!

So, I'm spazzing out, because my Traveling Man Freebie is the Number 2 product at Designs In Digital!! :D That is good stuff!! I'm moving up in the world!!

The last time our numbers were posted I was in 6th place in the contest, but Traveling Man being the number 2 product means I am leading for this week, which is groovy!!

They say there will be more than 3 winners, so, I just got to get up there in the top 4 or so, cuz I REALLY want to sell kits at DID!! :D

And, I needed to brag just a little... Progress on the Scrap For Hire Job: 8 out of 20 pages done!!

It's been a busy day!! I also went to Walmart and got everything we need for Rachel's big party except the food, LOL...

Thanks for stopping by!!
Huggles!!
~Sarah~

A Sneak Peek!!

Well!! On the off chance that anyone is reading this thing, and is interested or wondering what I am going to do for week 4 in the midst of my major creative craziness... I hit a major slump today, I couldn't design anything, it was horrible!! I had to go to Stampendous and pick up some gallon cans for Candy Cuteness so at least I did have one thing I could get done without trying to design something...

SO, I went to Stampendous, got the cans, came back, went to the paper store for a box and some bubble wrap. Still wasn't feeling very "designy"... But, in the parking lot as we were waiting for traffic to clear, what happens but an EARTHQUAKE!! It felt like two football players hopped on the back bumper of the car and started jumping up and down. It was very exciting!

Still, I wasn't feeling very "designy" so we went and hung out with Donna (our friend from church) at Woody's Do It Yourself Doggie Wash (she owns it)! It was SUPER FUN!! And, we stayed ALL AFTERNOON!! oops. So, we picked up Rachel, bought all kinds of inspirational foods at the grocery store, gorged ourselves on taquitos, guacamole, and tuxedo cake while watching Greys on DVD and then The Secret Life of the American Teenager (JUST TELL YOUR PARENTS ALREADY FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!)...

And, then I felt "designy" so here it is, a sneak peek at what I'm doing for week 4 of the contest, lol...


WOW!! That was a lot of explanation for such a small peek, huh?? LOL

S4Hire Job Progress finished 0 pages out of 20 tomorrow is going to be a very busy day!! It's my week to design Wrappers for the AliSarah Design Club, lol... Yep Busy Busy Day ahead!!

Thanks for looking!!
huggles!!
~Sarah~

Only 10 left!!

See, I promised myself I wouldn't make any more layout until I had put all my layouts on this blog!! Reason being, I am eventually going to get some business on my Scrap 4 Hire store, it's going to happen, I'm sure of it!! AND, I want to be able to link the site to my blog with a little, "See my most recent layouts here" kind of thing... But, I can't do that until all my pages are here... Plus, who wants to tell their family, "oh you can see 1 or 2 of my layouts on my blog", lol...

SO, here I am dredging through them all and adding them to this page. It's actually been kind of fun, because it gives me a chance to look back at some of the older stuff I have done and think about how I would do it differently now if I were to redo it. I can see areas where I have totally grown as a scrapper, and it is kind of exciting to see that.

It took me a long time to find a good outlet for my craziness but it seems scrapbooking is it!! :D Well, there's painting and drawing too... I think Chris would like to see me do more of those things too, lol... Actually, I bet if you asked him, he'd tell you that he wants to see me doing more stand up comedy. I did a small set at the Family Reunion last weekend, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it!! :D

Well, I just added this link to my sig today, so if you aren't me and you are seeing this, it is very likely that you are my first visitor ever!! Isn't that kewl??

Huggles!!
~Sarah~