The move is going at a glacial pace, but before I make yet another trip to the old house (measuring tape in hand), I wanted to drop in to say that I’m alive! I’ve actually been having a fabulous time since my girlfriend, Paula, had planned a trip out to visit us long before we knew we’d be moving smack dab in the middle of it. So we took a break, took some time on the patio & got to play tourist in our own city (one of my favorite activities).

I’ve got lots of great photos to share, but I’m forcing myself to finish getting my desk set up first (I’m typing this seated on the floor in my new bedroom). The plan is to ditch my old desk & do some Ikea hacking with a long curvy tabletop & shelving underneath for support. I’ve been nerding out with the graph paper & my little cut outs again trying to determine which shelf will work best for providing enough storage while still giving me leg room. And as much as I hate mass produced Ikea crap, they really are good eggs when it comes to sturdy shelving that looks decent. So. Off I go!

Er, actually that should be more like moving week. We’ve got most of our stuff at the new pad, but I haven’t even touched my office, desk or any of my art supplies or shipping materials. I really don’t have time to take off work, so I need that stuff taken over & set up right away, not lingering in boxes while we figure out what new shelfing systems to buy. Plus it’s a little hard for me to let go of the old place (where I’m sitting right now as I type this). We’ve been here for 2 and 1/2 years. I love being able to walk 2 blocks to little markets & coffee shops & indie clothing stores. I’ll miss my neighbors. And I know eventually the new place will feel like “home” too, but right now? This feels like home, even when it’s almost empty.

The pug on the other hand? Not having any trouble moving. He’s already explored every nook & cranny of the new house with his usual pug enthusiasm. Have pig, will travel.

Fortunately my mother-in-law goes home tomorrow & then my oldest friend from Edmonton arrives for a 4 day visit. I don’t have time to be sad! And sometimes that’s exactly what one needs – a little distraction to get you over the mopey hump & on with your life.

So. Coffee, packing, no moping. Oh & lots of mopping.

Weekend deals are here! I was tickled to discover my shop was included in Etsy’s Weekend Deals gift guide today. All of the shops listed are offering free worldwide shipping. I’m on page 4 (oops – now top of page 5), but do poke around & check out the other shops. My friends Tamara Garvey & Kelly Rinehart are also included. And now that I’ve edited all 98 listings in my shop to reflect free shipping…phew! I’m ready for  a nap. hehe

In the tastiest way of procrastinating I’ve found yet, I baked a batch of Black Apple’s favorite brownies yesterday. Yes, I should have been packing, but technically I finished up a bag of white sugar, so that counts as one less thing I’ll need to pack, right? Right.

They turned out fab with my only modifications being adding the rest of my walnuts (ha! also counts as packing) & pouring them into cupcake liners instead of an 8″ square pan. That was completely unplanned, but after mixing up the batter & getting ready to pour, I discovered that I do not have an 8″ square pan. I’m not sure what happened to it exactly, but I was left with 2 options – super thin, possibly burnt brownies in a large rectangular pan or cupcake brownies. I went with the latter & they were delish.

And now that I have a sweet burst of energy? Back to work. I’m hanging 3 paintings for the Wee Show tomorrow & will be setting up my table at Britannia’s Artful Sundays market on the 16th. Oh & packing!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

I’ve been a busy little bee this week with organizing & sorting & planning. Unfortunately very little work has made it through the madness, but hopefully that will all be rectified next week when the boys & I settle into our new hive. That’s right! After months of searching, we’ve finally found a new place to call home. Huzzah!

The new pad is probably a little bit smaller than our current space, but it’s laid out in a way that will work much better for our family. Right now we have a huge open concept living room/kitchen/computer area, but very little storage. That means the one living area that everyone spends time in is constantly covered in bikes & hockey equipment & laundry & yes, sometimes even MY stuff. hehe

The new place is the main (top) floor of a house, so we have a slightly smaller living room, but then a big kitchen that opens up onto a huge deck. And our own backyard where the puppies can run around. And I can grow stuff. And I can sit outside & paint on warm days! Ahhhhh!

We’ll have access to a garage to store our bikes & sports stuff, plus a downstairs laundry room with space for seasonal stuff like the Christmas tree & boxes of old tax returns & paperwork I currently have stuffed under our platform bed. But since the new pad isn’t really bigger, just different, there are a whole host of planning issues that I’m attempting to tackle. The living room has one wall that’s a full window (yay! LIGHT!!!) & one that has 2 smaller windows & the fireplace. The 3rd wall has 2 doorways on it & is basically the pathway from the front door into the rest of the house, so that leaves us with only 1 wall to put furniture up against. In a battle between the TV, a large shelving unit that holds 90% of the things we own & my old antique piano, guess which one lost?

Getting rid of the piano that once belonged to my grandmother, that I played as a little girl, that has moved across 3 provinces…well, it’s going to be hard. I don’t play anymore & it hasn’t been tuned in a decade, but I like the idea of playing. And I just really love this piece. It’s currently at our front door, basically sharing space with our kitchen & it works pretty well as a beautiful piece of furniture. We throw our keys & sunglasses in a basket on top. We drop the mail & things to take back to the library on the sheet music ledge. With the lovely carved details, it’s like a hall table – albeit an enormous, heavy hall table that I have an irrational attachment to.

I’m trying to let go, I really am. Watching the new A&E show on hoarders while I pack has definitely helped. I just want to see it go to a good home, you know? And unfortunately, in Vancouver, very few people have space for an upright piano. *sigh*

OK, back to packing & prepping for my shows this weekend. If you have any stories about how clearing out clutter was a really good thing for you (including getting rid of things you really loved), please share! I need all the help I can get.