Progress, progress ...

Hey ... the saw is gone!  It's really gone!  We are adjusting to not having to squeeze past it and the dishwasher to enter the kitchen.  So much space!  All of the lower cabinets are in place (no doors or counter top yet), except for the island which isn't built yet.  It's looking terrific!  We purchased an island hood and a cooktop at amazing prices, what a blessing.  Todd had to go through Longview, Washington, on his way to Portland and stopped at a Lowe's (they are like a Home Depot) where they had a clearance section.  He found the island hood and cooktop which happened to be styles/models he was pleased with.  He came home and talked to me about them, and then I called to see if we could purchase them over the phone.  The appliance manager I talked to offered me the hood for $300 less than the price Todd saw on it (I almost cried).  Seems that she's been wanting to sell this for some time and there wasn't a demand for island hoods in that community.  It's not been out of the box, in perfect condition.  The cooktop is gas which means we'll have an extra monthly bill but fortunately there is a gas line already run to our house in the finished basement, we've just never needed to use it.  I'm sure there's a fee to hook it up again, there's always a fee, right?  Anyway, these purchases take care of a couple of big ticket items we were going to need to buy.  I believe we saved more than half of what we expected to pay if we had bought these items elsewhere.  And Lowe's kindly allowed us to open an account online and gave us 6 months interest free.  I feel so special.

I honestly have trouble remembering life before this remodel began ... and it hasn't been all that long!  It's funny how something can take over your life so quickly and easily.  I'm so thankful for how God has blessed us in different ways through this.  

My husband and our sons took a road trip last Sunday to see the annular eclipse.  Since it was cloudy here on the coast, they drove until they found sun, which turned out to be about a 4-5 hour drive one way.  They didn't get home until nearly midnight but they had fun and took some great photos with their cameras and sun filter.  Carmen and I spent the day talking and playing games.  We made a simple dessert also.  It's fun to see her so interested in cooking.  We made dinner together, a new recipe that we modified to suit our tastes.  It was a great day for our whole family, and I got to see some photos of the eclipse as it was happening, via computer.  

Todd has time off through Memorial Day (the doctor is gone as well).  Hopefully, he can move forward with the kitchen, despite the torrential rain and wind we have been having since yesterday.  And the weather is looking just as foul for the rest of the week.  Springtime on the coast, you know!