These counters are tops!

I'm so sorry you guys.  I tried and tried to think of a better title for this post, but every time I did, this was the only thing that came out.  I'm hiding my face in bad-pun shame.  It's like when you're told not to think of a pink elephant; it's all you end up thinking about.  I hope to redeem myself by showing you our kitchen updates.

But first, a word about being a woman:  Sometimes, it's really annoying.  For the past few days, I have been on the verge of tears - constantly.  I've been in a funk and I've felt hopeless and down and all melancholy.  I haven't been able to put my finger on it and I haven't been able to just have a good cry and get it over with, so I've been all mopey and dumb.  I straightened my hair because my curly hair was getting on my nerves and I haven't had the time to fix it properly. At least with straight hair I don't look like I have a rat's nest on top of my head, but that didn't even do it.  The shower curtain for our bathroom came yesterday and I couldn't even be happy with it, and usually, anything to do with house decorating makes me happy.  I couldn't figure it out, and I was starting to get scared that I was falling into some kind of depression.

And Then!  Poof!  I woke up this morning and guess who'd come for a visit?!

Aside from the cramps, I feel completely normal now.  The melancholia is gone, the hopelessness vanished, my will to live has returned.  Stupid PMS.  You'd think after all these years of having a period, I'd recognize the signs.  Shaking my head....

Anyway!  Back to the kitchen!

The guys came to install the countertops last week and let me tell you, I have a new respect for people who live in their homes while it's being renovated.  I have mad respect for Young House Love because fixing up houses NEEDS to be your passion to put up with all the nonsense that comes with it.  Thank God our kitchen was usable the entire time! 

Our dry goods pretty much lived on the dining room table until Drew worked his engineering magic and made everything fit in the cabinets.

One upper cabinet

Plus one lower cabinet

With cool swing-out storage!  This was actually one of my favorite parts of the kitchen when we first saw the house.  I loved how so much could fit in such a compact space.

Add some storage on the basement door, and we've got us a pantry!

Since Drew worked his magic and made everything fit in the kitchen, we're looking at making a mudroom in the laundry room now.  

Maybe something like this

But the countertops!  Gah, I'm all over the place...

So the guys came and the whole process was pretty straightforward.  They'd already drawn the template and cut the slabs so it was just a matter of placing them and sealing them.  I'd originally wanted soapstone but Drew had heard good things about Silestone and when we found out it was cheaper, I was sold.  We went with the Gray Expo because it kind of looks like concrete, which satisfies Drew's industrial cravings without being too hard and cold looking.  I actually really like it!

However!  Whatever the heck they used to seal it is the fumiest stuff on the planet!  I caught that first whiff and promptly whisked Sofia outside and told Drew that we were going out to dinner.  I could feel my lungs disintegrating and I was so concerned for the guys because they do this every day!

I sacrificed my lungs to get a shot of them mixing the sealer.

I suffer for my art!

After the placing, the sealing, the buffing and the polishing that in all, took about three hours we had our countertops!

They're so pretty!

Drew installed some under cabinet lighting and the reflection off the countertops gives just the right amount of light in the kitchen.

They even cut a drain board just to the right of the sink!

Laying down the tile to get a feel for how it's going to look.

Putting up against the wall color to make sure it's not to matchy matchy.  

I think we'll be just fine.

I love how the kitchen looks with the recessed lights.  It's not too bright or dim and 

we don't have to use the pendant!  Which is a shame, because it's really pretty when it's off.

Next up is the backsplash which is going to change everything.  I know it's going to make this look like a completely different kitchen and I can't wait!  It's the final big project and then all we have to do is paint and stain.  It's slow going but I know it's going to be worth it - at least that's what I tell myself when I look around at the fifty million things we still have to do.  I've made a list by room of all the tasks and bit by bit, it'll get done.

Drew goes out of town tomorrow and my goal is to have our bathroom painted by the time he gets back.  It's a teensy room so I'm crossing my fingers I'll be able to do it one night after Sofia goes to bed.  Now that I feel human again, I might just have the energy to stay up since I've been nearly falling asleep at the dinner table the past few nights.

I sure do miss my low maintenance vagina...