still pregnant!

I know it's so good for the girls to still be developing but I am READY to have them exit the womb! I am 37 weeks now and if they haven't debuted by next weekend - I think I'm going to give the go ahead to the Dr. to induce me (I am usually anti-inducing... but truthfully don't think I can physically handle being pregnant any longer than 1 more week!)
2 weeks ago - we got a little glimpse of the labor... I was really feeling back pain and regular contractions so we went to the hospital and went to the Triage unit to get checked -- turned out I was dilated to 4cm and contractions were every 5 min. So they admit me and get me all hooked up to the IV's and get the epidural on standby. I was kind of worried and kept telling dh "it's too early for them to come! they need another week or so!" He reassured me that if they were born, it was Heavenly Father's timeline and that everything would work out to be fine, etc... so I accepted the fact that the girls would be born at 35 weeks and then.... after progressing to 4.5cm dilated - labor stopped! After being monitored for an additional 8 hours (those L&D beds are sooooooooo uncomfy!!) I was sent home on bedrest until I hit 36 weeks. Knowing bedrest was only going to be for 5-6 days and I had an end in sight - I actually enjoyed it :) So, now I have been up and off of bedrest since last weekend and am just waiting for the labor signs to start back up (at my last appointment - I was still 4.5cm). I'm not too surprised though - the same thing happened with my last pregnancy - I went into labor and was dilated to a 5cm and then labor just stopped.... he was born 4 days later. My dh and I went for a walk last night and it was soooo painful! I kept telling him "this had better be doing something because this hurts so bad!" I have another appointment on Tuesday morning - so I'll know more then to report. Thanks for all of the well wishes and comments :)

Update

Just wanted to come on and give everyone an update (and also for those of you who religiously check in and haven't seen anything new for a VERY LONG time!).

First of all - I'm sure many of you are wondering if I've had the twins yet - and I'm happy to report that they're still with me developing and growing each day :) I'm just about 34 weeks and I'm expecting them to make their grand debut within the next 3-4 weeks. I promise I'll hop on and give the details of their arrival. Physically, things are going rather well.... I'm not HUGE by any means and most people wouldn't suspect that I'm carrying twins - although I really feel the ailments in the evening and will be glad once I can breathe again and get up off of the couch without assistance - LOL

Mentally and emotionally - I think I'm pretty much ready for the upcoming adventure (ok - without really knowing how it's going to be - I'm just ready to keep a positive attitude and take things day by day). We got the nursery all done up this week - we went with a monochromatic pink scheme with green accents for the decor. Here is the crib bedding I won on eBay - and I LOVE it! Isn't it just too cute?! It was for the full 9 piece coordinating set (brand new and I won it for $40.36!) Mama was happy - LOLI'll need to take a picture of the actual nursery all put together and post. I also need to pack my hospital bag (and since it's been over 10 years since I delivered in a hospital I had to do some research to find out what I should take - LOL). and on a final note - the names that we've been kicking around for the girls are.....

Lexi and Aubri :)

so that's about it for now - I'll try and do better and keeping you all updated :)

Freebie... Reveal...& a Winner!

Hi everyone! ok... last Thursday (Feb. 7) was my 1 year anniversary from my first designer freebie and I had planned on doing something fun to commemorate the date... BUT... my computer went bazerk and I had to take it in (turned out I had some bad RAM that was messing up everything!)... so I just got my computer back today and was excited to hop back on and blog :)
First of all... it's time (finally!) to reveal my February Grab Bag! Here's what was inside (and it's still available as a bundle pack for just $5): I also wanted to do something a little FUN -- so I went to all of the comments left on the last post and closed my eyes and scrolled down to "randomly" select a winner for a $20 Gift Certificate to my store - and the winner was JENN MURPHY! (I've emailed you the coupon code so go check your email :) I'm thinking I'll keep doing this periodically so don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be entered into my SURPRISE drawings - LOL

Last - here's a cute template for the taking -- enjoy!
Download here

Twirly Template Freebie

So DH and I went out on a shopping adventure for a twin stroller (that accomodates the infant carseats)... decided to come back home and do some research online - so no major purchase made yet... (and if any of you have personal experience.. it's welcomed!)
I just wanted to pop on and say THANKS to those of you have jumped on my Grab Bag this month :) Also - the 40% Storewide sale will only be in effect for a few more days.
For those of you who are going to be scrapping during the Super Bowl tomorrow - here's a template to help out :) Enjoy and thanks for all of the comments you guys have been leaving lately:)

Download here

Freebie and New Releases!

Hello, hello peeps! This is going to be short and sweet (just like me -LOL - actually I'm not that short so I guess that doesn't really apply...) anyway, I have some New Releases to share with you guys.... Pictures are better than words so have a peek below (pay special attention to the "Packages 4U" a.k.a. my February Grab Bag - I've put some hints on the preview of what you'll find inside - and all for just $2).... AND these (along with the rest of the designs in my Store are currently set at 40% OFF!) ok.. now for the freebie - it's a mighty grungy Valentine themed paper pack - this will only be a freebie for a limited time (it'll be going into my store next week - so pick it up while you can!) Download it here -- guess that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by today!

CT member spotlight

First of all - I TOTALLY loved reading all of your comments! It was fun to identify with others who shared in our excitement (and to hear from you other mothers of twins!) We had another ultrasound the other week and I asked the technician "Would you mind just confirming the gender again for me...." -- It was still showing 2 girls so I'm feeling more confident - LOL

ok.. but the real reason for this blog post was to give some props to one of my Swass Posse CT members (they REALLY work hard for me and I don't praise them enough!! so I thought I'd occassionally do a CT spotlight to highlight their awesome work and just so you can get to know them better as well) :) Since I didn't quite know which one to chose (since they are all so fabulous! I decided to just go alphabetically - LOL)... so this first CT spotlight is for BRITTNEY!

I feel so blessed to have her on my team! She really is a talented scrapper :) Not only is she a great scrapper - she is also a designer as well. You can check out her stuff (with links to her stores) at her blog.... http://brittishdesigns.blogspot.com/ - she's got some freebies available too - so check her out!

Here are some of my favorite LO's that she's created up with my designs (get ready for some inspiration!)....

Swass Template... Background paper from "Graphables" paper pack.....Solid Blue paper from "6th Street" paper pack........ Swirly Twirly Ribbons (some recoloring)...... Froggy sticker from "Fanciful" kit-.........Cardboard Cut-Outs with Glitter Outlines........ Star paper (recolored) from "Spangled Glory" Kit

Background paper (darkened) from "Intuition - Solids".......Orange paper from "Ledger-ables" paper pack......Cardbaord H (glitter added) from "Cardboard Characters"........Stars from "Add A Border"

Yellow paper from "LedgerAbles" paper pack ........Red paper (slightly recolored) clipped to frame from "Spangled Glory" kit ........ Brown paper from "6th Street" paper pack ....... Other clipped papers (some recoloring) from "5th Avenue" paper pack ........."Swass Leaves" brushes ....... Cardboard Photo Corners

now for a quick PSA: I've been hard at work the past few weeks and have some new designs that will be hitting the shelf on Friday! Be sure to check back then for all of the info (as well as a big ol' freebie paper pack!)

Double WHAT??! a Freebie & Reveal!

Alright all you faithful blog readers of mine (all 3 of you! LOL) I have been a bit MIA the last few weeks... But I have some juicy gossip to make up for it - ok, it's not really gossip since (1) it's about me and I'm the one telling you (2) it's true and (3) I'm excited to tell you all!.... So... My dh and I decided to take the plunge and find out the sex of the baby I'm carrying (mind you, we haven't done ultrasounds with the last 2 babies but since this is our last baby... my dh was dying to find out if he'd finally get a little girl!)... Alright, so on with the juice... the Saturday before Christmas we went in to get the ultrasound (hold on a minute.. my dh actually wrote up the blog entry at our family blog about it... and am thinking you might like a different "voice" to read for a change - LOL) so I've cut and pasted the blog entry that he wrote....

For some news of monumental proportions, hang on to your knickers and read on.
So Shandy and I went to the doctor on Saturday to get our first ultrasound of our new arrival. We wanted to see what the sex of the baby would be. We had decided that this would be our last child and so I was really anxious to see if we were finally going to add a little girl to the family.
Now these ultrasounds are never 100% positive however all indications point to the fact that they are girls.
That's right, girls. Plural. As in more than one. As in twins.
The nurse starts ultrasounding (is that a verb?) and after less than a minute he says, "Well, the first thing that I see is that there are two." I keep waiting for him to say that he's joking. Shandy and I look at each other. My left eyebrow raises like The Rock. I look at the Nurse in disbelief.
"Dude, serious?"
"Yup"
I believe that my first words after that were, "Holy Crap..." followed shortly by, "I guess we'll need to trade your van in on a bigger one."
So the dude starts going through all of the areas of the exam on the ultrasound. There's quite the laundry list of things he's got to look at. We determine that each baby is in it's own amniotic sack which is indicative of fraternal twins. It's 40 minutes before we find out the gender on Baby A. I'm thinking, So what's it going to be in our family? Six boys? Five boys, one girl? Four boys, two girls?
We end up discovering that both babies are girls. Both are about identical in size and are completely healthy and at the right stage of development.
Needless to say, Shandy and I are completely ecstatic. What a wonderful blessing. We look forward to the girls joining us with both great anticipation and a small measure of fear. Twins on top of four boys will be a tough job but we are up to it. I think we are still in a little bit of shock as we try to digest everything that will have to happen in the next few months. One thing is for sure: I need to get neutered here pretty soon.

So there you have it! I'm still in shock and I've known for almost 3 weeks! so with that fresh in our minds.. I came up with a Double Page LO in honor of the little babies that will be soon joining us! (Mid to end April for all of you inquiring minds!) You can Download it here

oh, I almost forgot!... I was going to reveal my grab bag from last month (yes, I know.. I'm a tad bit late... LOL) but for all of you who snatched this up for the bargain of $2.00 I sure hope you were pleased when yo unzipped everything! For the rest of you... all of the below products can be found at My Store with a 25% savings for the next few days :) ENJOY!

Happy (Freebie) Template Saturday :)

Happy Saturday everyone! Just wanted to hop on real quick and say THANKS to all of you who have snagged up my Grab Bag and new Rustic Winter (see next post down for previews...) You guys are the best! I also thought I'd post another "teaser" of a LO that my CT member (Katie) scrapped up only using iemts in the grab bag -- (she just found out that she'll be having a little baby girl!!! Congrats Katie!) and here are a few more CT Lo's using Rustic Winter (top one by Brittney & bottom by HeatherB) -- ENJOY!!! and now for the freebie (hooray!)... just a quickie one made to look super swass using the designfruit brushes :) You can Download it here ... oh, I also wanted to post our Christmas cards but I'll do that soon :) Have a great weekend and hopefully you're not fighting the crowds too much on your Christmas shopping!

New Releases and a Freebie Template

Guess what?! no, we didn't find out that we're having a girl - LOL... but... I did get 4 brand new products created and packaged nicely up for a December Grab Bag!Just as a little teaser - I added the product type of each item on the little tags in front of each bag (so look closely at the preview!) and then I went a step beyond that and actually scrapped this LO using ONLY items found in the grab bag. It's only available for the next week so be sure to snag it for the $2 if you want it (and come on.. who wouldn't want it, right - heheheheh - oh, and you can think of it as an early holiday gift to yourself that won't break the bank! LOL))ok.. next in the area of New Releases - I also have a brand new kit out - Rustic Winter - I guess nothing is better than a pic so here it is... AND here are some LO's that my awesome CT has scrapped up using it (I'll be adding new LO's each day so be sure to check back daily :) and just to add the cherry on top of this - it's on $ale for 40% off right now :)One final note (and then it's on to the freebie....) All of my Templates are also on Sale for 40% off for the next week... ok... NOW it's time for the freebie! (I know.. I can hear all of the cheers roaring away right now :)... you can Download it here.

Back to Reality (& a Template Freebie)

well, it's back to reality for me... my dh went back to work on Thursday after his 60 days of leave from the military. I'm telling ya - those 2 months FLEW by! I really enjoyed having him here and being able to do all of the daily errands/grocery shopping without any kids! I will say that the house somewhat suffered. I suppose I felt like we were both on vacation - as I've had lots of catch up to do on the housework - YIKES! Speaking of which - I spent Friday afternoon on a date with 17 boys shirts that desperately needed ironing - so I brought them all down and watched some good shows on the Food network (and some BBC show about how clean is your home -- made me realize mine wasn't all that bad - LOL).... Just because I was so proud of my efforts I took this picture - impressed, aren't ya - heeheheheh

On another note... I just REALLY, REALLY REALLY want to thank all of you guys - my supporters! When I decided to put my store on sale for $29.95 for those 48 hours, I had a goal in mind of how many I *wanted* to sell (and would have felt like it was a success...) and I have to say that my goal was MORE THAN DOUBLED!!! I know that there were hundreds of awesome sales you guys could have taken advantage of and so to have you spend your hard earned $$ at mine - really meant a lot and was sooooo appreciated! (in fact, at the Thanksgiving dinner as we went around the table to say what we were thankful for - my dh mentioned my business doing so well - made me feel good!) so thank you guys! Just FYI ('cause you know I like to tell my peeps where I spend the $$ I make...) We got a trampoline for the boys for Christmas (the one we've had for the past 6 years finally died this past summer - so this will be a great surprise for them :) and we bought Sod for the whole backyard (yah! say goodbye to the MUD!) and of course used the rest to help out with some more Christmas gifts :) Again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! You guys are the best! and on on that note.. here's another template for you! I really hope you like it - You can Download it here Also - here's the preview of this months Mega Kit at Elemental Scraps - isn't it gorgeous!!! Also the designers have put together a mega Grab Bag and it's FREE with any $10 order - PLUS there's a storewide sale up to 50% off the entire store :) Check it out if you've got some time/money to burn - :) Have a great Sunday guys!

Thanksgiving Freebie & Doorbuster Deal!

woohooo! I'm really excited for the Thanksgiving meal -- I've been watching the Food Networkk lately and I've got a couple of new recipes I'm going to try -- along with a new Weight Watchers Spiced Pumpkin Cheescake Bars recipe (3 pts)... how about you? Any new recipes you're going to venture out and attempt? Pass along any links to some yummy recipes -- I always appreciate a new taste!
ok... every year I fight the crowds on Black Friday to get that super duper cheap gift that someone on my list *needs* - LOL... will definitely be checking out the ads to see if there's anything we need this year! It's much more fun when I go with my mom and sister but since they are way off in Nebraska - It won't be as much fun going solo :( Anywhooooo... I always get excited with stores start their Black Friday deals early so then I feel like I'm getting away witih something - kwim? So this year, I thought I'd start my Doorbuster Deal early and let it go through Friday ... what is it you ask? Well.. only for the next 48 hours you can Buy My Store for just $29.95! There are 70+ products currently in the store (and I know that there are several of you who can claim that they already own my whole store - I love you guys!!!). I initailly started it out for $50 but then thought... nah! my peeps and supporters are the best and they deserve the best! so as my personal gift to you - I have decided on the ridiculous price of $29.95.... I also wanted to reveal my grab bag to you guys - I hope those of you that hopped on this deal were pleased when you unzipped it :) For those of you that missed out... these are now in my New Release section of my personal store and they are currently 40% off...

(just FYI these flowers are all hand drawn AND hand painted :)

and here's another template for you guys to enjoy this holiday season! I made this a while back after being inspired by an incredible LO at DST - but for the life of me I can't remember whose LO it was - and I would have liked to have given credit to them... so if you recognize this template - give me a shout out so I can give some proper credit :) In the meantime.. you can Download here

SURPRISE! and a freebie :)

Heidy Ho there neighbor -- ok.. I've been watching a little too muck Nick at nite while I fall asleep lately! but nonetheless... I do want to welcome you to today's post :)
ok... all of the fun happenings are still going on through the rest of this week over at Elemental Scraps - which includes Instant Win & Collect and Win coupons with pretty much every single product purchased ... you can read here for the full rules (or read my previous entry that explains things a tad more...)

Anyway - I had to giggle at a comment amyu left a few weeks ago... she wrote: "Thanks for the template Shandy! I thought maybe you were posting to tell us how with DH being home non-stop for the past month that the next little Vogt boy was on the way ;)" ... well people... WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! Yes.. we will be adding one final Vogt "addition" to the family in early May (I'm just about 15 weeks along) and thought I'd take this time to tell all of my digi friends!! That's also been a big reason why not too much has been happening for me on the business side of things - I have been so incredibly tired! But I seem to have been getting my energy back so hopefully you'll see a steady stream of new goodies over the next little bit....

ok.. with that happy news out in the open... I've got another little freebie -- and *gasp* it's NOT a template! LOL.... just a little paper pack with a fun sticker... enjoy! You can Download it here.
ummm.. let's see... just one final note -- I wanted to thank ALL of you guys who have been supporting me with your purchases and leaving me fun comments :) I'm glad so many of you have taken advantage of my latest Grab Bag and I hope that you were happy when you unzipped it! It'll only be available for the rest of the week during the birthday promotion so be sure to snag it now if you're tempted - LOL

ok... gotta go clean the house - i was only *supposed* to be on the computer for 30 min but it's been well over an hour and half so I've got LOTS to do before the boys get home from school -- toodles for now peeps!

Birthday Bash and a freebie!

Hey everyone! I had to hop on and tell you all about the happenings over at Elemental Scraps that will be going on for the next few days.... so here's the lowdown... the skinny... the 411 if you will:
Today (Saturday) Elemental Scraps officially turns 2 years old! We wanted to mix things up and make things interesting over there so....
EVERY SINGLE item in the store has an additional download attached to it - either an INSTANT WIN COUPON or a COLLECT & WIN CARD (think of the monopoly game pieces you collect -- if you collect the letters to spell "ES IS 2" then you win THE WHOLE ES STORE! The Instant win coupons can be literally anything from any of the designers - % off, $ off, free products, etc...
Really, everyone wins - I think it's pretty cool!
oh, and just so you guys don't think I've been on the slacking end of designing... I have a brand new Grab Bag available with 3 new products! (yes.. if you look closely at the preview here I used the actual product previews in the ad! and yes - that IS a new template pack you see there peeking out towards the bottom! - hey, I like to give little hints to my blog readers :)and just one final note... how would you like to snatch up another free template from me.. well then, it's your lucky day.. this one will available for a limited time only so hurry and Download now

update and template for my peeps!

Prologue: (thought that would be fun to write in my blog) but thought I'd give a brief synopsis of where I've been ALL MONTH! I seriously cannot believe it has literally been a whole month since my last post! I hope my peeps haven't forgotten about me - cough, cough....
As you know, my dh has been home on leave from the military and we have literally just spent each day together :) also, one of my boys had reconstructive ear surgery (and the recovery for that was a couple of weeks) and my little baby got quite sick for about 2 weeks - so having dh home was actually REALLY nice! We had a great halloween (with everyone well and healthy!) and of course have been feasting on too much candy since - LOL....

*KEEP READING FOR AWESOME SALE DETAILS*

Anywho.... I hope you are all celebrating DSD in a BIG, FUN WAY!!! and just in case you're needing a little incentive of where to *do* some of that celebrating... Elemental Scraps is having an incredible sale! We decided as a team over there to do something a big more fun - so we're having a $1, $2, $3 sale - and it's just what it says -- EVERYTHING in the entire shoppe is priced at 1, 2 or 3 bucks! Some of my products are over 70% off! So if you've been eyeing some of my goodies and have been waiting for a steal of deal - it's on baby!

Also.. here's a little template for all of you guys - especially for those of you who faithfully check in frequently (and haven't had much new to read this month.....) I might be sporadic over the next little bit (dh is home for another month - hooray!!!!) but I've got the itch to start creating... so I'm hoping to get some of that energy out! Until then... you can DOWNLOAD this template to play with :) again.. happy DSD and happy shopping!

New products and Freebie Template

ok.. where in the world did September go???? I'm so shocked that it's OCT already! yikes! My dh was gone the entire month and got back on Wednesday. Now it's playtime!! He has 60 days of paid vacation that we've had saved up (and it's not trasferring to his new job at the first of the year) so he's home with us unitl December! I can hardly beleive it! He's gone so much that this is going to be so wonderful. So I can see the designing going one of 2 ways -- (1) me designing LOTS of new goods while he has quality time with the boys or (2) me just wanting to spend the days with him and not much designing getting done.... we'll see what the month brings! But for now... I DO have some new products to share with you guys. But before I get to it - I wanted to send a big ol' shout out to IkeaGoddess! I stopped by her blog earlier today and was floored to see that she used a TON of my templates to do a scrapping project! I was so honored that she chose mine (as I know she MUST have a large stash of awesome templates to choose from!)

ok... I'm pretty tired to I'm just going to post the previews of my new goods so I can get to bed! Also both stores Elemental Scraps and my personal store are on sale - so head over there to pick up these new products at 50% off.

This Ledger-a-bles paper pack is actually part of the Mega Grab Bag at ES (if you spend $10 in the store then you get it for free - and it has like $40 of goods in it from several of the designers!) but dont' worry - it'll be available on it's own next week after the grab bag promotion is over...

and here are 2 other packs that celebrate our love of office supplies in the paper department!

and from the suggestion of a couple of my CT members -- here's a new template pack focusing on LO's with LOTS of journaling!

and here's an additional template that didn't make it into the pack that I thought I'd share with all of you gals! The fun flourishes on these templates are from the talented Cindy Irvine :) Enjoy it! Download here