Wow -- thanks, everyone, for responding! It's fun reading about what you're working on. Mscsippy -- I don't have photos of any of the stuff I've made; and none of the stuff that's currently in progress is at a point where a photo would make much sense, because my camera just doesn't seem to take decent closeups (they always manage to end up out of focus or blurred in some way - I guess I need a tripod!). But, I'll try to get photos of all of these things as I finish them. Taigen -- my paternal grandmother tatted. I have many beautiful things that she tatted. I tried, but failed, to learn to crochet, so I don't think I'd be able to master tatting, either. Cherbo -- you're much more sane than I am! Moni -- your secrets are safe with me. ;-) Donna37 -- I haven't done any embroidery in sooo long! I'd like to start up again with embroidery and also counted cross stitch. I've got a counted cross stitch Christmas sampler that I started soooooo many years ago! The horrid thing, too, is that there's not that much more to do to finish it. I have completed many, many counted cross stitch projects, I just don't know why I've never gotten around to finishing this one. One of these days... Dances -- my sister wants some fingerless gloves/mitts, so that's a project that is on my "to do" list. I'm sure this Winter will be long gone by the time she gets them. LOL! But I, too, have vastly different yarns on each of my projects-in-progress, and I'm certain that must be why I have so many going at once. Eliza Ann -- knitting is supposed to be very good for relaxation and stress relief. Maybe you should spend 15 or 20 minutes knitting each evening to help relieve the stress of getting your house ready for sale. :-) Linda -- that is a really cute poncho, and I love the color! I also think it would make a cute skirt (not without a slip/petticoat of some sort, though!). But, as I've said, I can't crochet at all, not even one stitch or chain or whatever it's called... :-( Donna Loomis -- you're my hero! Keep adding to your list of projects so I won't feel so bad, ok? :-) Zipper -- I'll be sure to pay attention to what I'm doing when I finally get around to the Baby Surprise Jacket. My niece isn't due until mid-July, and since it's her first, it could easily be late July or early August by the time she delivers, so I'm counting on having enough time to finish the two baby blankets that I'm working on (I've already given her one, and all three are totally different from each other); and I also want to get some booties and caps done, too. Janie -- I haven't experienced the "knot on the wrist," but I HAVE suffered from cramps in my left thumb from gripping the left needle too tightly when it's a small size needle and lace weight yarn. Another reason why I like to have a bunch of projects going with different yarns -- so I can relieve that stress on my thumb. Socks -- I keep each project in a separate bag, and I always have paper and a pencil (mechanical pencil, so I can retract the lead) with each project so that I can make notes as to where I am when I stop. And I try to always stop after I've finished an odd-numbered row, which somehow helps (like a placebo, I'm sure!). Susanjf -- yarn outlet??? WHERE??? Ivamae -- what color poncho are you going to make? Jannie -- your project will turn up when you least expect it! What size bamboo needles were you using? I use bamboo needles for everything that I knit that is knitted on straight needles. I also have the Bamboo Sister interchangeable circular needles set from Plymouth Yarn Company, and some fixed circular bamboo needles. One of the baby blankets is being done with the Plymouth interchangeable bamboo circulars, but for the other I'm using the Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needles from Knit Picks. I love those needles because the points are much "pointier" than on the bamboos, so it makes it easier to knit lace weight and fingering weight yarns. I've also got an afghan going on another size of the Harmony needles and the varigated-color yarn is nearly the exact same colors as the needles, so it's a challenge! Sheila Joyce -- what a great thing you're doing! I'm a tight knitter, so I certainly hope that no one ever has to attempt to finish anything I've started... Would using a smaller hook (than the one called for in the pattern) help at all? Have you tried taking the partial cloth into a yarn store to see what they can recommend to match the thread?

I third lkplatow's comments, and I do the same thing as far as comparing an item to what I would have to pay for a similar item in a conventional furniture store (if I could even afford to buy it new, which I usually can't!). I don't buy attempting an "investment" and counting on maybe there being some future value increase, I buy things to use and I think about whether it is worth $X to me. I rely on eBay a lot since Craigslist where I am has a nasty habit of sucking like a black hole - I think there are too many people watching "Antiques Roadshow" and thinking their junk is so teddibly teddibly valuable! ;-) I can't afford the days of downtime to recover from two or three hours in the car to go look at and maybe buy something, so I just find it a lot more manageable to have things delivered right to my door. There's a very charming and well-priced end table on my eBay watch list now, but it's local pickup only and more than an hour away so I'm waffling on it. (DH fulfilled his quota of playing fetch for me with that trip to Boston!) One bit of advice I do have is don't be shy about asking questions of the seller, many have a bit more information but are just lazy about posting it in the description or don't volunteer it as it may turn off potential buyers. Ask for additional pictures if at all possible. Try to get photos of the underside, the back, any labels or stamps, and the drawers (both side view as in brutuses' first photo and interior to see if the bottom has split or separated from the sides). If it's veneered, ask if there were any cracks or lifts in the veneer before it was reglued, because sometimes if the veneer wasn't glued down just right with the right glue it can pop back up later. Ask if the drawer operates smoothly or is tight or loose. Ask if there is an odor to the piece - a musty smell may indicate poor storage, like in a barn or basement, which can negatively affect a piece of furniture by causing cracking or loosening of the joints and lifting of veneers, and it can be tough to get a cigarette smoke odor out of some furniture. I once came across a piece that had been stored in a barn and even on that cold day there was a perceptible odor of cat spray - I cannot imagine what it would have smelled like under warm conditions! If they don't respond well to my questions (as opposed to maybe they just don't know), I better want that item pretty desperately to purchase from that seller. Check out their other auctions, current and completed, and look for a pattern. If the item's been listed half a dozen times with no bids, there is likely a problem with either condition or price. It's quite a cute table although it looks like it's a lift-top which I find rather inconvenient since to get at the storage space you have to take everything off the table, so make sure you think about its functionality along with its appearance.

That island already has very tight clearances, and if you try to cram seats in the space, you're going to end up with a traffic jam and some accidents. It already needs to be narrower, and then you want seating for 5? Gonna be tough to accomplish safely. There's only the single drawer stack to the right of the sink. That's not great for your storage needs. Drawers hold a lot more than do doors with shelves. To be able to put in a large pro style range, you will need to rework the entire stove run, base and uppers. The easiest thing would be to take the cabinets down entirely, as you'll need a larger vent that won't work with that size uppers. That vent will need to vent to the exterior. Which means going up through the roof or horizontally through a wall to the exterior. If you also want to add a wall oven, probably beside the fridge or at the end of the run on the fridge wall, then that entire run will need to be redone as well. There are several other issues that need remedy such as the shallow above the fridge cabinet. Potentially the soffit itself. You've already spent more in labor than the cabinets cost the builder. 2-3K in labor. The cabinets do not look to be worth paying labor to paint. It's certainly not a granite kitchen without new cabinets. Professionally painting would be around 3-4K for your layout and you're still left with builder's grade cabs with paint with all of their current storage issues and lack of quality. If you can DIY paint them as an interim solution for a couple of years until you do a full scale remodel that would be a different story. DIY labor is always worth doing if you don't kill yourself doing it. But the moment you start having to pay labor, that becomes the point that this kitchen isn't worth reworking cosmetically. It's time to address the bones. Take the 7K that it would cost you to do the cabinet alterations and paint and buy new cabinets after posting your layout here for suggestions for optimum efficiency. That means that your project won't be done before you move in, but it's better that it's delayed and done right than done in a rush with not so great results. Also, be very sure that you want to live with a dark floor if it's as dark as it sounds. Dark floors show every bit of dust and dirt and aren't the easiest thing to live with even if you don't have kids. Medium toned floors are more forgiving. But, if you LOVE that floor, and you're fully informed and willing to take on it's upkeep, then by all means go for it! Buy plenty of extra so that when you redo your kitchen, you have enough to work with an altered layout.

My phoebes had skipped a year of nesting in their usual place (above the porch light fixture near my office door). My mirror set-up had scared them away. I should have realized that birds do not "like" mirrors -- but I didn't think about it at the time. I did see a bird pecking all day at the mirror, looking behind it, then pecking angrily at it when seeing the "intruder" again. That bird came back the next day to peck at the mirror again. I felt sorry for him wasting his time. But, I didn't think about the phoebes reaction being the same. So, they never nested there last year. I removed the mirror, but they still did not return to nest there this spring. Instead, they nested on another side of the house -- under our raised deck (same as last year). But, after the 1st brood was fledged -- THEY MOVED BACK TO THEIR OLD NESTING SPOT! So, the phoebes apparently got fed up with the disturbances created by our toy poodle (who is let out onto our raised deck several times a day.) The poodle would be walking directly over their nest, and possibly pissing over their nest. The nest building started May 25, 2021 and completed on the 30th or 31st. The mother was sitting on the nest on May 31, and there were 2 eggs in the nest. So, the first egg was likely delivered on May 30. By June 3, there were 5 eggs. All the eggs hatched on June 17 -- so, exactly 2 weeks after the last egg was laid. Interesting that all eggs hatched on the same day, even though each egg was laid a day apart. When I peeked, all the shells were gone. So, even tho I didn't see it, I assume that the parents removed all the egg shells. I also see the parents flying away with baby-bird poop. The poop looks like worms, and the parents carry it away from the nest. They either drop it or eat it (it is undigested food). Today is June 23, and the parents are often very busy bringing food. The bay birds are still too small to see without using a mirror over the nest. Here is a link to a very interesting article from 1937, detailing the observations of nesting habits of phoebes as studied over a 3-yr period. A few interesting details: Female does all the nest building. Incubation starts at varying times - sometimes after 3rd egg, sometimes after 4th, sometimes after 5th. The male apparently does none of the incubation. After fledging, the young birds remain close to the nest, getting farther way as the days pass. Both parents still feed the young after they fledge -- feeding them for periods of up to 18 days. Reliance on the parents gradually decreases. The parents may eventually show harsh treatment of the young to get them to go out on their own. Interesting. https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v059n03/p0410-p0417.pdf