Gulp. With my heart in my throat, I clicked “Open Shop” on my Etsy site, Bells Barks & Babes. My first foray into online art-selling, this shop specializes in handmade, customizable items for one’s home including wedding certificates, pet portraits, and decor for baby’s room. (You can buy one of my original works of art there, too.)

Customizable “Critter Collage”

This week, the time that I would typically use to narrate my misadventures in Almaty was instead dedicated to getting my shop up and running…aaand getting the government pre-employment process rolling, as I’ve recently accepted the position of CLO (Community Liaison Office) Assistant here at post. Since last week’s article, it appears, I’ve gone from having no job at all to having, well, two.

Meanwhile, Sam chose the ideal three-week period to hang out in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as all of our things from the U.S. arrived in his absence. This means that I had to put everything away by myself…but this also means that I got to put everything away by myself! I may have spent the first 24 hours after the delivery eating rice cakes, spinning in circles, and cursing. But one week later, nearly everything has found a home.

That’s it for now, folks. Disappointed that you don’t have a lengthier blog entry to enjoy this week? Take a spin around my new shop instead: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellsBarksBabes.