Can Anyone Help Me With This?

Remember that wonderful little memorial heart the vet sent me after Sophie passed away?  I had it sitting on my hutch for several weeks ... admittedly dusting around it & other things located there rather than moving them ... & this is what I discovered when I finally did lift it up.  I actually had to pry it up, hoping all the while that it wouldn't break.  It didn't, but it left its mark. Whatever the heart is made of, it sort of ate into the finish, but not into the wood itself.  You can't see it from across the room or anything, but it's there.  

I immediately contacted a cabinet maker in town but he was unable to help.  I even suggested sanding & staining the entire top of the piece, but he said no.  I thought I had found the answer today.  I needed to do a bit of painting & saw a couple cans of stain/finish in the paint cabinet. Hoping beyond hope that it would work, I applied the stain/finish & left it sit for a while, then wiped it off.  It didn't help one bit.  This is, in fact, how it looks after that process.  

Is there anything else I could do to make this heart shape less noticeable, or to get rid of it altogether?

Many thanks for any suggestions you can send my way.    

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Our house was listed on the MLS yesterday morning.  A short time later I received a phone call from our realtor.  He had a couple who would like to view our house at 3:30 that afternoon ... would that be okay?  I said yes.

At 7 o'clock this morning, the phone rang.  Once again it was our realtor.  Our house was just what this couple was looking for!  They wrote an offer last night ... FULL PRICE!!!  They want the closing to be June 26!!!  I am having an EXTREME emotional & physical reaction right now.  I am literally shaking!!!  WE GOT A FULL PRICE OFFER LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER THE HOUSE HIT THE MLS!!!

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Aunt Vera Update

I am humbled & in awe that I am writing to all of you with a praise report already!  I just spoke with my cousin who told me that my Aunt Vera is feeling so much better!  She has had several visiting medical techs & nurses coming to the house, but two of them told her that they aren't coming anymore ... she doesn't need them!  She is able to walk without anyone helping her, & best of all her appetite has returned!  She is able to eat & drink without becoming horribly nauseated after just one bite or sip!  My cousin said she wanted to talk with me, & when he gave her the phone she sounded tired but wonderful!  She has a great outlook.  She was even laughing!  I told her that people all over the world are praying for her, & she is very appreciative & extends her thanks.

Please keep praying, & add praise as well.  God is so good   : )  

Asking for Prayers

Please pray for my Aunt Vera.  From the time I was a little girl, she has been my favorite aunt ... always nice, always making everyone laugh.  She has always been like a mother to me ... always in my corner ... & I have always been the daughter she never had.  I just received a call from my cousin.  At the age of 86, my dear Aunt Vera has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  The way I understand it, this is a type of cancer that feeds on estrogen.  She is receiving injections to "dry up" her estrogen, & she is also receiving chemo & radiation.  The doctors all say that the next two months are going to be rough, but her outcome looks good.

The chemo is making her very weak & very ill.  She is supposed to have a lot of liquids to help keep her strength up, but my cousin says she can barely get down a sip of tea every now & then ... & she can only manage to eat a bite or two of dry toast.

Your prayers for her will be very much appreciated.  My immediate thought was to go to Pittsburgh to visit her, but my cousin said she does not want visitors until her chemo & radiation treatments are over & she is feeling better.

Thank you.

Almost There

Yes ladies ... this is my realtor   : )   

Mothers Day, eBay, and Other Stuff

Yesterday ... Mothers Day ... Mrs. Robin became the proud mother of two healthy babies   : )

Aren't they cute?  The new mommy & daddy have been busy flying to & from the nest with food for their little ones.  There are still two eggs in the nest.  I do not know if they are going to be hatching soon.  I will keep watching.  

I have been asked for my eBay ID, & some of the people who have asked me are no-reply bloggers, so I am giving my ID here.  It is lv2stitch53.  That first character is a small letter L, not a number 1. People get that confused sometimes, although it confuses me when they do   : )   I didn't get the PS charts listed yet but do have a bunch of other cross stitch charts & kits listed.  I will hopefully get the PS stuff listed in the next day or two, so if you're watching for that, keep watching   : )

The house is ready!!!  The bug guy hasn't shown up yet.  He told me he'd be here last week, then when I called this morning he said "Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ... sometime this week."  Sigh!

I have spent hours researching realtors & this morning called the guy who has the best reviews everywhere I've looked.  He is also voted "#1 in sales" on various sites which is encouraging   : )   I talked with his assistant this morning, gave him our information, & he said Ken will give us a call.  I hope so   : )

I've also been researching places to live & thank everyone who has made suggestions to me.  John & I have maybe 3 or 4 places that are at the top of our list, but that doesn't mean we won't change our mind.  The important thing is that if the house does sell, we have several options.  

Ah ... I see it's lunch time.  I think a salad sounds good today   : ) 

Seeking Suggestions ... Where Should We Move???

The in-depth cleaning & clearing & yard work & what not has just about been accomplished. There is just a tiny bit of clutter from my eBay sales here in the dining room & a bit of daily dusting to do, but otherwise we are ready to call a realtor & list the house for sale.

 

Of course when I get everything neat & tidy & sparkling, I start to think "Hey, this isn't such a bad place after all."  Then I come to my senses. 

My irises are at the start of a blooming frenzy.  

Naturally I had to pick some to bring inside   : )   Please ignore the clutter on the kitchen counter.  I haven't tidied up there yet this morning.

My clematis is still so small but already blooming   : )

And remember the robin couple who had their nest destroyed a while back?  I noticed back on April 24th that they started making a new nest (I'm assuming it's the same robins) out back in one of our Japanese maples.  

 

On May 4th I was able to get a photo of their eggs   : )

I hope to get a photo of the babies once they are born   : )

My eBay sales are going extremely well!  I still have quite a bit to list, including a bunch of OOP PS charts which I will be listing today.  Once I get all the cross stitch things listed, I will start on the tatting things.  Then the wool rug braiding strips. Busy, busy, busy   : )

And now, as the title of my post indicates, I am asking where we should move should our house sell.  I am truly seeking serious suggestions.  Since we are both retired, we don't have to be in any particular place.  We love mountains but will be happy with a hilly area if need be.  No flat lands. Lakes are nice, but not a necessity.  Of course we love snow ... don't care much for heat & humidity. Excellent medical care is desirable, as well as no smoking in restaurants or other public places.  A rural area would be nice, within an hour or two of a city ... or a nice, quiet, suburban area. Friendly townsfolk & neighbors would be a plus.  Really don't want to be anywhere where there are a lot of bugs.  (Even if the tiniest ant bites me, I swell up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.)

If you'd like, feel free to email me with your suggestions rather than post a comment.    

Wherever we go, we will be renting a house for at least a year to make sure we like the area.  We don't want any surprises like when we moved here.

So that's it for my post today   : )   I hope you enjoyed all the photos, & I wish all the mothers who are following me a very happy Mothers Day weekend!       

Catching Up

My thanks to everyone who wrote me such nice emails & made such nice comments on my last blog post.  I haven't had the chance to respond to anyone yet.  Please be patient with me.

John & I have been busy getting the house ready to sell.  The almost constant rains these past few weeks have really put us behind on outside work as well as having people come to make needed repairs.  It seems we are in for a bit of a dry spell for the next 10 days so we are scrambling around trying to get all that work scheduled & done before the rains come again.

One thing about the rains ... everything is so green & growing beautifully.  Even our willow bushes, which we were sure were dead, have sprung to life.

I haven't posted any finishes for the longest time. I kind of lost my stitching mojo in mid February ... I really don't know why ... but prior to that I had completed three designs.  Carol of Stitching Dreams inspired me to stitch this first design.  I had actually put it into my no-longer-want stash pile because I decided it was bigger than I liked. When I saw that Carol had stitched it on 40 ct to make it into an ornament, I retrieved it from the pile & began stitching.  Who would have thought to do such a thing?  Well, Carol would have thought it!  I'm so dense sometimes ... lol!

      Designer:  New York Dreamer

Design:  Frosty Night

Fabric:  I believe this is Examplar or Light Examplar

Floss:  Can't remember

I really should take notes while I'm stitching something so I can accurately tell people what I used.  I know I changed the red color as the original leaned more toward pink.  

I love this next design.  The Little Stitcher has so many great designs.  It was a fun stitch   : )   

Designer:  The Little Stitcher

Design:  Little Red Bird

Fabric:  I believe this is Examplar or Light Examplar

Floss:  DMC as suggested by designer

I stitched this next one but am not really thrilled with it.  I used the suggested fabric but changed the floss, not taking into account that it might not look so good with the fabric.  It also turned out much larger than I anticipated, & I didn't like stitching with 2 strands.  I don't know what will become of it.

Designer:  With My Needle

Design:  A Needleworker's Pocket from

2003 JCSCO

Fabric:  32 ct Light Mocha

Floss:  Gloriana Silk Black Cherry

You might remember that in February someone sent me an RAK from my Wish List.  I had loved this design for a long time but could never find it being sold anywhere.  I plan to stitch it again ... maybe on a smaller count.  Maybe a few of them! I stitched this last month during a time of frustration with "that" pair of socks.  I just had to put them down & work on something else.  This was it.  Thank you once again, whoever gifted this to me   : )  

 Designer:  primitivebettys

Design:  My Favorite Kitten Pinkeep

Fabric:  30 ct Old Salem linen by The Primitive Hare

Floss:  DMC as suggested by designer

Of course I have to finish this into a kitten shape. I wish me luck on that ... lol!  When I do get it finished, it will be a little commemoration of Sophie.  I will place it with the paw print heart our vet sent to us.  Now that I'm thinking of it, I probably should have changed the date to either the year she was born or the year she passed away. 

When I lost my stitching mojo I began knitting socks.  It has been a wild ride but I did finish two pair & have another pair on my needles.  The socks  shown below haven't been blocked yet.  I just put them on sock blockers to take photos of them.  I'm not too happy with how either pair turned out, but I can wear them & it's a learning game so I am cutting myself some slack   : )   The first pair are knitted from a sport weight yarn. They will be warm & toasty.  The second pair are knitted from regular fingering weight (sock) yarn.

  

So I guess that's it as far as catching up goes   : ) I've been having good eBay sales for my no-longer-want cross stitch stash, & yesterday I went through my stash a third time & pulled out even more things to sell.  I've also listed rug braiding stuff (still need to take photos of the wool strips), & I have some yarn, knitting tools, & primitive doll/ornament/decor patterns still to list. eBay only lets you list 50 things for free each month, so after I get that number listed over the next couple days I'll get to have a break until June. Of course I'm wishing that my break will be longer because we'll be busy packing to move to an unknown destination because our house will have been sold.  Wouldn't that be wonderful   : )