MY LAST FIELD TRIP TO LA WITH BFF MAGS - BOO HOO!

Yesterday, Mags and I went up to Buena Park to see Dr. Yoon, our accupuncturist.  I really needed it, as every muscle in my body is being taxed with the moving prep.  After that, we went on to west LA to go to Mood, a fabulous contemporary fabric store whose New York venue is featured on Project Runway on TV.  Check out Mood for more info.  Here are some shots Mags took which barely begin to capture the gimongous amount of fabric, notions and accessories in this universe of sewing regalia!  After exhausting ourselves at Mood, we went to Versailles for some great Cuban food.  Don't ask about the name of the restaurant - we didn't get it either!  Traffic sucked on the way home, but we chatted and passed the time pleasantly.

Mood is fabric heaven on earth!



Scale of human to fabric!

 



Fabric inundation!





Val scores buttons at Mood!



SAN DIEGO HOUSE IS SOLD!

How lucky could I be?  My house was on the market only 6 days when I got a good offer and with a tiny bit of back and forthing, we had a deal!  One by one the impediments to the Colorado move are falling away - I must give some credit to St. Joseph, whose statue is buried upside down facing the gate in my courtyard.  That and the fact my friend Sheri smudged the house a while back to rid it of all bad energy and memories helped a lot, but I have to say my real estate agent Nancy Beck was the biggest contributor.  The staging advisor, the great photos (see slide show at Val's SD house) and video, and the savvy advice on pricing were the major factors!  Many thanks to Nancy, winner of the Century 21 Centurion Producer Award for 2010 Individual Sale Production.  Find Nancy at  Nancy's link and meet a real pro and genuinely lovely person.

SISTERS!

We love to sew - here we are with our "Little Britches for Africa" that Terri taught us how to make.  These and "Little Dresses for Africa" get packaged up and mailed to needy villages where little ones have nothing to wear.

Speaking of sisters, here is a painting I commissioned a couple of years ago.  It's called "The Sisters' Reunion" and I just love it.  Guess which one is me?  Hint - look for the cat!

COLORADO!

This is yet another photo of my new house.   The difference is now it is really mine!  I closed escrow on 26 May 2011 and as you can see from the difference in the lawn, it's springtime in the Rockies.  The plantation shutters are ordered (thanks to sister Susie), washer and dryer being delivered today (thanks to brother Mike and brother in law Nick), and the a/c will be installed soon (thanks to Nick again).  My sister Terri is doing all the business stuff that needs to be done, is finding me an AWD SUV, and has been repeatedly coming to San Diego to help me get the move together on this end.  Thank goodness for family!

Here are sisters Susie and Terri, getting the food together for our celebration on closing day.  Friends and family came by to eat Terri's famous enchiladas, celebrate the recent birthdays of Stacie, Nancy and Mark and to toast the move!

This is a shot of Mike and Stacie at my closing  party.  The house is pretty bare, but will be full of  Valerie things soon!  Stacie's son Brandon has his back to the camera - he's a great kid and just moved from Windsor down to Denver while all my house buying process was coming together.

Jeff was my Colorado real estate agent and spent many afternoons driving the Miller girls around to look at potential houses for me.  He says we were fun, but that's a lot of crazy girl energy in one vehicle and he was very patient and mellow!  Sometimes Nick went with us and the men folk took the front while we rocked the back seat!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR MILLER

My first cat Bear's twelfth birthday is Wednesday May 25. Here he's getting an advance birthday hug from Aidan Patrick.   Having Aidan around really highlights that Bear is a senior.  He used to be the highest and most athletic jumper I've ever seen and these days when we play feather-on-the-stick, he doesn't leap any more.  It's baby brother now who is performing the impossible feats.  Bear has grown into a truly loving lap cat, but then we've known each other now for twelve years so I guess he figures I'm okay.  I truly love this serious and sensitive boy!

STAGING IS DONE AND HOUSE IS READY

Here are some of my  pix of the house as it looked for the official MLS photos and video yesterday.  I'll post the remaining ones later on today.  The plan is for the house to go on the market Wednesday May 25, the real estate people will caravan through on Friday May 27 and there will be an open house on Sunday May 29.  More (and better) photos available at Val's Flickr slide show .

 LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN

KITCHEN DESK

GUEST BATH

GUEST BEDROOM

GUEST BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM OFFICE NOOK



A MOMENT OF LEVITY WHILE WAITING FOR THE FURNACE GUY

The New Yorker ~ May 9, 2011

Those who know me well are aware of my disdain for fad platitudes that catch on and are used excessively, especially in the business environment. I was tickled to find this comic. It could have been even better if "Sooner rather than later" would have been included as well!  I guess we all have our pet peeves and almost all of mine center around language, punctuation, grammar and spelling.