Oh no! I'm sorry to hear you were struggling. This is helpful feedback. It was a 4hr game so not thoroughly playtested or optimized. I like the idea of a verbs list. Or at least I might publish the solution so people can check if they get stuck somewhere.
Now that it's Dec 1 I'm about to publish a post-jam version 2 with themes and an easier key location. But I think that won't even help in your case. Spoilers for the next step: I think what you were missing was taking the crow statue from the entryway and dropping it in the kitchen.