This is what happens

when you leave a camera lying around:

Alas! Alas!

Readers. We were supposed to be moving back into our condo today. Just like we were supposed to moving back into the condo last week. And like last week, it is just not going to happen. I can't even explain how frustrated (and distraught) I am. I HATE being in limbo like this. I HATE living out of a suitcase, for a month now.

This is how I feel:

And poor Peanut, who feels bad about putting me in this situation and is extremely frustrated and I'm sure I'm not helping by being so upset. And really, should I be upset? Not really, we are staying in a very comfortable house and everything is great otherwise. I just feel so disconnected from my normal life and I feel stymied. I have no access to any of my art books or art supplies. And I feel like I haven't been able to eat properly. Even when a kitchen is well stocked and there is every sort of gadget you could want, it is not the same as being in your own kitchen. I'm sure that this is all in my mind. But I'm dying to sleep on my tempurpedic mattress. But most of all, I wanted to be out of the house before J's parents returned from vacation. I know that after a long vacation all I want to do is return to normal, and they can't really do that when there are two pugs (adorable as they might be) squatting in the laundry room and a messy future daughter in law camped out upstairs (sorry guys!).

Anyhoo. No need for you to feel sorry for me....I feel sorry enough for myself to cover it (plus some). Now, I just need to quit whinging (since we will be in this Friday).

Dressers, pulls, colors

For those of you out there who read both of my blogs meticulously, along with watching with rapt attention to the videos posted on my work blog (I know there has to be at least one of you out there, stalker!), you will know that due to moving and various furniture swapping (work dresser/cabinet now in the living room, bedroom dresser now at work), I have no dresser, and for the short time I was at Jonathan's (a week maybe?) all of my clothes found a place on the floor. (How was that for a run on sentence? Suck it 4th grade language arts teacher!)

So to remedy this, I was drooling over dressers at Room and Board. If only I wasn't (comparatively) poor. Who can afford these?

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=3094&catalog=room&category=rm_bedrooms&subcategory=dresser

I want this dresser with a passion. But my passion doesn't extend to spending that much money on a piece of furniture. So I bought this one instead:

It was on sale at the unfinished furniture place here in town. I forget what wood (ash?), but it has cedar lining. I plan on finishing it with the baltic green color below:

I love colors more than plain wood anyway. It's not as stylish, but I can live with that. I also plan on switching out the pulls to these:

Or maybe these ones:

Either way, it will be nice to finally have a functioning dresser. I can't describe how excited I will be to not be living out of a laundry basket!

Oh Pugs! And Apartments...

(From the NE apartment, to be known in the future as the Old World Charm)

Dearest Gunter,

It has been an epic adventure....moving into J's condo, and then moving again a few days later to J's parent's house. You have been a champ. Except, of course, that time you "marked your territory" on that bag of stuff after Rosh Hashanah brunch. In front of the whole family.... But besides that, you've been great.

Dearest Dieter,

You've been great. Stay out of the bathroom garbage. That is all I have to say.

p.s. We will finally be moving back into the condo this Wednesday...knock on wood. I also have big plans for a dresser we bought and unveiling the changes that we've made to the condo. I hope to have before and after pictures up soon!

Good Gravy!

(this exact post is also posted on my studio blog, sorry jewelry fiends,

I'm still too busy to blog regularly. See below for details.)

I'm sorry folks. Most of August feels like Wedding D-day in the singleB studio. There are so many weddings happening over Labor Day that all I do is work (at least that is how it feels to me!) And there are always a few last minute rush projects for people going on vacation or visiting with family etc. and they NEED to have a ring by then. And as much as I love them, rush jobs make my life hell. I'll be honest. I'm not the most organized of people (truly). I just tend to rely on my giant brain (ha! Better keep popping those fish oil supplements!) to keep track of everything, instead of having a system in place to keep track of things for me (like what an organized person would do....I'm not even sure what that would look like. Sticky notes? File folders? Spread sheets?) It has worked so far.....I haven't missed any weddings.....yet. (Fingers crossed, knock on wood!)

But besides being the busiest business month out of the year for me, I also had my brother's wedding, a visit from my sister, and worst of all, a move. The studio is still in the same spot, but the cute little apartment that the pugs and I inhabited was left behind for a cute little place that has room for me and the pugs and the Shop Monkey. I'm sure I speak for many when I say that I HATE moving with my whole soul. (Can I get a show of hands?) I swear, every time I move I think "I'm never buying a single trinket ever again. I'm done. I hate you Amazon!"

Now that the move is over (almost a week you say, from the 1st, which surely was the date your move finished?) you would think things are going to calm down. Sure. Except that a good friend of mine from my Navy days got married on the 4th, and that wedding was in Maryland. So the Shop Monkey and I packed our bags and traveled across the country for a lovely wedding (where I had waaaaay toooooooo muuuuuucccchhhhh to drink. A flash back to my Navy days as well?). And then when we arrived back in Portland (which, by the way is much better than any other place on the planet. Our tap water is the best in the country. This is true, google it.), we had to repack the things we had just unpacked a few days before in order to move to the Shop Monkey's parent's house while our condo is torn apart in order to get rid of mold in the walls of the two bedrooms. Good Gravy! I actually RAN to work today in order to get away from the chaos that is my life at home. And now we* will be staying at the parentals for who knows how long. As much as I hope they like me now (hi Fanny!), I hope they will still like me after their house has been invaded by me and the pugs.

So, dear and gentle readers (including you, Nancy!), I will be back to regular (and by regular, I mean random) posting soon. Just as soon as I am not living out of a suitcase/plastic bag, perhaps.

*and by we, I mean me, the Shop Monkey, AND Gunter AND Dieter. Poor Shop Monkey parents.