Long time, no post

So I've obviously been slacking on the blog. I have no excuse other than we've been really pushing forward on The Kitchen (it deserves to be capitol I believe) and other minor house projects. I've also been painting the upstairs living room/dining room. I'll upload some new pictures to our picassa albums of the progress soon.

The other big event (and more fun that working on the kitchen!:) was a visit from the Parents in late June. They came out and stayed for almost 2 weeks. It was wonderful! We had so much fun, although it's never long enough. Jeremy and I both got our fishing licenses while they were here and we all tried our hand at fishing. We all caught at least one fish while they were here but not without effort;) We still have to find all the good fishing spots as I know they abound here but the Tiller-Holman's (Sarah and Jeremy) are newbies at finding them. We camped at the end of my parents visit in the Detroit Lake area. We found a beautiful campground that was right on the North Santiam River and camped under huge douglas firs. We had the best time! Thanks so much for coming to visit us!

Kitchen Remodel: Month 8

Welp, here are the latest updates. I haven't posted pics of the kitchen in awhile so I'll throw a couple out there to show you how it's coming along. We are know on month 8 of our kitchen remodel, which has gone on for a "little" longer than we had anticipated. The cons are obvious I suppose, but there are also some pros, which I try to list in my mind at least once daily so that I keep a positive attitude.

1. The whole process has helped Jeremy and I to work better together. It has also given me an even greater respect for my husband's work ethic and abilities. I am so impressed every day with his perseverance and work ethic. It's not an easy task to work 40-60 hours a week and then come home and work on a kitchen remodel, yet he does it month after month. Even more surprisingly, he rarely complains.

2. Patience was never my best virtue. I have become so much more patient, which is a quality that I have always really wanted to work on. The kitchen remodel has given me a perfect opportunity to work on this quality in myself. I can now honestly say that I am a much more patient person and I'm proud of that.

3. It's summer and the weather is beautiful and perfect for grilling and eating outside. We've been doing a lot of both. Food tastes so delicious on the grill and I've become a much better grill cook! I never had much confidence in my grilling ability before and now I am starting to develop that confidence.

4. I have learned so much from this project.

5. After we are done with the kitchen, all of the other things that we want to fix up around the house seem simple.

6. The finished project is going to be so beautiful and we will appreciate it so much more having done it ourselves.

And, now, the latest pictures!

upper cabbies installed

upper cabinets, full view

pantry cabinets

It's coming along!