Not Just a Mommy!

I'm realizing that all of my recent posts have been Gabby-updates! But I do exist as more than an extension of my daughter - once upon a time I was even my own person. All my own. Recognize me trying to convince and remind myself :)

Lately:

I have been busy trying to rent apartments. I've got 2 that have sat empty this entire month of April, 5 more coming available for May (only one of which I've found a renter for) and I just got notice for 2 more for the month of June. And not for lack of showing apartments. Not for lack of cleaning the building. Or advertising. It's frustrating. Because normally, not only is this building full, but I even have a waiting list of people wanting to live here! Stupid Economic Slide. So if you know of anybody who is looking to move to Calgary and wants free rent, a $500 moving allowance, and only $350 for the SD, send them my way!

On a more fun business note, I've started my own business! Check out my other website at www.PrintedJewels.com - I am having SO much fun with this, helping people preserve their memories - it's easy, it's efficient, it's affordable, and I love it :)

TV Shows - Heroes is over, apparently (Paul said so. blame him if I'm wrong :)) but I still haven't watched the last episode - such is the life of a nursing mommy :) Also still loving 24, I'm kind of waiting for them to kill off Jack Bauer, but still hopeful because Kim came back :) and the newest - I LOVE Dollhouse! Joss Whedon has done it again, has come up with an awesome idea for a show and has run with it, terribly TERRIBLY addictive. Paul dl's all of these and we watch them after Gabby is in bed for the night - silly silly, since we're already sleep-deprived. Such is our addiction.

I've discovered Microsoft One Note. Is this old news? Am I finally catching up to everybody else? The age-old dilemma of "what should I make for dinner" is hopefully being solved - I'm making a notebook of all of 'my' dinner ideas (taken from all of my cookbooks that I otherwise never use) and using Outlook's calendar and hyperlinking (am I lame? :)) them together to create a menu, so that I can create a shopping list for Safeway's customer appreciation day, when we do most of our grocery shopping, so that we never run out of meals and food again! It is so satisfying to me to be organized... my brother once called me OCD, he may be completely correct. But it totally stresses me out to have things unorganized, I've always been like this. My backpack in school was probably the most orderly you ever would've seen... but the point is, for the first time in my life, I'm creating a menu in advance. It's pretty thrilling. And using Outlook's Calendar - Every year, I've been seen purchasing a planner, and then spending an hour or two putting in all of the birthdays of my friends and family into it... no longer! I found the "recurring" button in the calendar, and it even reminds me 2 weeks in advance so that I have time to send a card! Fantastic!

Also in organizing, our stake recently had its annual Housewares Giveaway. I love this. I love going through my cupboards and thinking "what is taking up too much space? What could somebody else use, that I could give them???" and getting rid of it. I got rid of a set of knives (my mom bought us some really expensive ones, so we didn't need our original set anymore) and some sewing patterns, fabric, books... it felt great.

And more organizing (hmmm. maybe my brother has a point) We've set up a whiteboard; let me explain: Every day, I was getting so stressed out. I'd wake up thinking "I've got to do these 12 things for resident managing. I've got to do this, that, the other... and it feels like it all has to be done NOW!" Like I said, very stressful. So Paul and I divvied up all of the household chores between the two of us, between the days of the week, between what is daily/weekly/monthly/whenever, and put it all up on the board. Now when I get up in the morning, I go and take a look at what ACTUALLY needs to be done for today, and I can breathe easier. 5 things is easier than 50. Anything else is extra.

I'm still sneaking by in our ward without a calling. I asked Paul whether he thought I should approach the bishop about it, and his response was "maybe just worry about what's already on your plate" lol. And I'm not totally slacking at church - I do my VT every month (I have a fantastic companion and we visit some really fun girls) and I also do the spotlight for the Relief Society bulletin board - the best calling of all :)

Earlier this year I posted my New Year's Resolutions - I think I'm doing pretty good so far!

My spiritual resolutions: to finish the BOM and to have better timely church attendance. done! In fact, I finished the Book of Mormon at the beginning of April (when I was supposed to, Paul! :p) and it was awesome - I've never read it cover to cover before, and it was really neat all the little things that I found. Very testimony building. And church attendance - it doesn't feel like a question mark every week anymore. as in "OF COURSE" we're going to be at church! Feels great.

My physical resolutions:... hmmm... not as on top of these. Maybe it's a really good thing that I'm reviewing them! MOST of my pregnancy weight is gone, and SOME of the time we have healthy, homemade dinners (see above: OneNote menu planning. I'm on my way!) and now that the weather is warmer, I want to start a walking group. - I was going to start on Monday, but there was a blizzard... I was going to start this morning, but Gabby is teething and had me up every (EVERY) 2 hrs last night so I was sleeping between 9 and 12...

My personal resolutions: to scrapbook at least 1 page a week. HA! SO easy now, not even a goal worth mentioning :) I sold ALL of my papercrafting tools, and am totally excited about digital scrapbooking with Heritage Makers. (see www.PrintedJewels.com) In fact, I've scanned ALL of our memorable paraphenelia from the last 5 years, and I'm finally catching up! My current project is re-doing our wedding album - aka finishing it :) It has sat in its glorified, unfinished state for the last 4 years, and while showing it to somebody, it got dropped and its existence has gone downhill from there. So I'm re-doing it so that it will always be replaceable (so that my kids can look at it whenever they want and I won't be paranoid) and finished and better!

Beyond that... I've got a running list of projects that I want to get done "eventually" (I'm not allowed to go to Michael's until that list is gone) I've re-read the Twilight Series (I read while I'm nursing if I'm not scrapbooking) and Heidi by Johanna Spyri (one of my fav kids' books) and am currently re-reading Great Expectations. loving it.

These are the things I do when I'm not blogging! But I know you were all really checking back here for more Gabby-pics, so here you go:


And because, even though I'm Not just a Mommy, I am STILL a Mommy, I have to share this with you: Gabby did that "bbbbb" thing with her lips today for the first time. It was really cute!