Hi Brooke, Thanks for asking. We actually are progressing and after lots of headaches, I must admit we are not too far off schedule and I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Cabinets and counters are in. Backsplash is finally in place but waiting for two trim pieces and will be finished and grouted this Friday. Initial sanding and staining of floors was done (now there's a story), final coat/finish will be after appliances are in and everything is done. Painters start tomorrow and since we are painting lots of trim, will take a while (week or a little more?). Then appliances are scheduled to be installed next Fri - I can't wait for that. Should get working sink/faucet by then or shortly thereafter and final on floors, so as the days check off, think I am looking at two more weeks, or realistically three?? There have been a few cabinet snafoos so waiting on some replacement doors (and a couple originals) but I won't mind that as much once I have a functional kitchen.

As for my reaction to everything... it has been interesting. What does it say about me that I have first looked at everything with some degree of either indifference, doubt or all out panic (despite having spent months researching and picking everything out) and only later come around to ... yes, I think I can say it, liking everything? I must say it has been pretty unsettling spending money on this project (initiated and committed to months ago) while the economy has been going down the tubes. I am more of a saver than spender so that has deflated some of my excitement over the experience. Also had a few weeks at the beginning of truly overwhelming anxiety which is one reason why I haven't posted much. At least I have now learned that as things go wrong (which it has with pretty much every trade, product, etc., and I suppose that is pretty much par for the course), some solution generally comes along, not necessarily what I had planned, but something that works, so I have tried to be more zen about it. And of course I keep telling myself we will love and enjoy it when it's done - right? I sure hope so.

I must say I love my calcutta marble island (love my perimeter in nordic black antique too) - but I am kind of paranoid about it. I found what I thought was a new "crack" that I didn't think I saw in the first few days and was convinced some worker dinged it. When my slab guy came back he assured me it was just part of the marble, thank goodness, and that I'd have to take a sledge hammer to it to damage it (?? - not trying that any time soon) but I hope I get over the impulse of needing to baby it too much.

Hopefully in a few more weeks I won't sound like as much of a downer, because it is pretty and I have not forgotten that we are lucky to even be doing this right now. Just excited to get back to regular life with no shuttling from room to room between toaster oven and microwave, eating at more than a card table (and ruining the carpet underneath) and where kids can do homework more easily. Think I'll miss the Halloween decorating but looking forward to Christmas time!

I have started to do the whole photobucket thing a couple time but haven't made it through it. I promise I will do that soon and send some photos.

Thanks again for checking it. How's life with you?

katmandu, how are you liking the nordic black antique? I'm a couple weeks behind you. Sounds like it's going to be beautiful. When you make it through the photobucket I can't wait to see pics.

As someone who has seen a few progress photos...I can tell you all - "It's turning out positively GORGEOUS!"

Katmandu - as I've told you before, and you know from my posts/e-mails, everyone second guesses their decisions and has a ton of little things come up that you never would have expected! I'm glad for you that you've found a few Zen moments and that the end is in sight! Have fun "Nourishing every mind" tomorrow!

Well I'm excited to see your pictures too. From reading about it from time to time it sounds really lovely!
I can only imagine your floor drama. I had a bit of it myself....really slowed my whole project down. But in the end I'm still really glad I went with site finished floors. They really look just how I wanted them to.
I do understand what you mean about feeling a bit of doubt, then realzing you really like what you chose. I'm famous for "buyers regret" but often come right back around to loving it again. It is so hard to tell the real regret feelings from my normal freaking out about committing to something. :)
Keep us posted. :)

Testing a photo. If this works, I'll post later tonight with some more and my disclaimers. haha

Ok, yay, it worked, but oh no, it's sideways. I rotated it in photo bucket but didn't come through that way.

I have to run DS to music so I'll have to fix later, and will post a few more. Just know that hood and backsplash not done yet. : )

Looks great!

I could have written your post. On second thought, you said it better than I could.

I'm feeling exhausted and ready to have my house back though I'm slightly worried about having it done and facing whether or not I like it.

Back to my cave...

WOW, that is looking good! You don't need disclaimers, just details. What a gorgeous piece of marble! It appears honed, is it? Also, your nordic black antique looks so black in the pics, did they put a color enhancer on it as well as a sealer? It looks great. Which subway tile? I can't wait to hear more! You must be very excited.

Thanks choux and pluckymama for the kind words. Choux, fill us in on what's going on with your project?! Glad to know I'm not alone in my neurosis. : )

Plucky, yes, it's honed calcutta marble. Funny, the nordic black looks very black from a bit of a distance but not so much so close up, although if I am able to post a photo of it here, it's also not nearly as grey as it appears in the photos, nor do its variations show up as much - think that must be the flash. No color enhancer but it was just sealed - although it doesn't really look different than pre-sealed. Here are (hopefully) two photos of it, one really shows its veining which I love.

Here is another wall with the glass cabinets which I have always wanted. It might also show up sideways.

And two more of the marble:

And just for good measure, here is about where we started after removal of appliances:

So all the honey oak trim is about to be painted as are the walls. Cabinets should pop a bit more with new paint color. Of course, no sooner did I say in my original post here that the painters start today than they have been delayed a bit.

Let's see, what else, I originally intended the floors to end up darker. They don't have their final finish coat but I ended up liking this color enough, and since this whole side of the house faces north against a forest, am mindful on not going too too dark, and basically didn't want to bother re-doing it and giving up another few days (ok, and the fact that the floor guys showed up stoned on their last day - yes it's true, even left their evidence behind) so I have left them as is and think I'll be happy.

The hood needed to be raised upon installation so waiting for new doors for the uppers there (seen in original photo in previous post). Also in that photos, advantium will go where red bag is. Anyway, I guess that's it for now...

Haha, now that I previewed this post it is clear you only need one of the marble, but oh well. And there is probably a way to make my photos not so gigantic. I'll await a tutorial. : )

That marble is just gorgeous. I am turning a shade green. :)

We started cabinet install today and the best way to describe is -- my cabinets look an awful lot like yours! They are shaker style but don't have the bead insert (at least I think that is what it is called). Very similar hardware. Granite fabricator comes on Friday to template for the honed costa esmerelda granite. Thanks to mamadadapaige, I am using the Walker Zanger Grammercy Park bone china subway tile for the backsplash. I fell in love with her backsplash a few months ago though the area over the range will be a bit different so I'm not a total copycat.

Anyway, the cabinet install today had me in a bit of a tailspin. Are these really my cabinets? This is what we wanted, right? Um, wow, should we really be spending this money right now? Eek.

Your kitchen looks fantastic and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Ah, choux, it sounds so familiar. Take a deep breath. On the day our cabinet install started, the sight of my cabinets combined with a counter height/window issue that was supposed have been addressed, had me literally sick to my stomache. On the upside, I think I lost a few pounds in those first few days. I, too, love mamadadapaige's kitchen and backsplash. That area behind my range is recessed, although since I decided on that, I have heard it will gather lots of gunk, but oh well.

Hope you are feeling better about it all soon and looking forward to photos!! Hang in there!

I wanted to do a recessed area behind my range and found it was a load bearing wall so we couldn't! I love that look and it may gather some dirt, but it's tile, it will wipe off easily. Thanks for the pics of the NBA granite up close, they are great and it's such a unique granite. It has the look of matte black from far away, but so much interest up close. Your marble is magnificent!

i love it!!!!!!! although, i always seem to love the white kitchen look!!!!!!! i think your nordic black is beautiful with the veining. what a difference from the before pictures......

Geez kath.... Did you hear the news? I was told that our property taxes are going to go way up around here because of your FABULOUS kitchen! You are single handedly raking the rest of us over the coals here! (hee hee!)

Sorry, I couldn't help it! I know you've been stressed through this process, but I wanted you to know how absolutely wonderful it all looks! Now that you are hearing everyone's response, you have to feel satisfied, right?

Of course, I love your Calacatta - where did your slab come from? That Nordic Black is beautiful too! I've been chomping for another project so I can try out soapstone somewhere, but your perimeter slabs sure are pretty!

You even have the arched recess I wanted behind my range, DH would have built it for me -but in the end I couldn't figure out how to make it work with my thick beveled tiles.

BTW - I wonder if your floor guys are related to some framers I heard of in the old days around here....can you imagine - stoned framers? There's an L&I claim waiting to happen.

Hope you're having a great week tying up the details!
Mindi

I am so excited to come online and see all these scrumptious pictures and details! Thank you for sharing them.

My husband looked over my should and saw the photo of your kitchen and he paused and squinted: you could see the bemusement. He said "at first I thought that was our kitchen but it's not, is it?"

I want to write more but it's snack time and I am having a devil of a time making caramel -- lots of curse words. But I had to say both thank you and how excited I am about your pictures and progress! Fingers crossed it's smooth(-ish) sailing from here on out ....

Thanks all for you kind and encouraging comments! I hope hope hope to be all done in a couple/few more weeks.

Very funny mindi - but that tax assessment was because of your faboo kitchen!! And the marble was from Michaelangelo, the nordic black from Dal. Dal had a finite number of the black slabs, (and stupid me it never occurred to me to hold more than one). By the time we started, I knew they had sold all the other slabs and no more were expected, nor did any other place have that nordic black. Well, finally templating time came and sure enough, we were short. Lucikly someone had just released one slab of nordic black they didn't need so I "got to" buy another slab. Good outcome but again, kaching kaching.

Stoned framers ... amazing your house is standing! : ) We are thinking that what the floor guys were doing that last day wasn't that smelly so they needed to "bring their own" high rather than getting it from fumes at work like usual.

Brooke, so jealous you are making caramel. I am going through kitchen-use withdrawals. Ready to get a big pot of soup going on the stove - can't wait to cook again!

Thanks again and hope you are all enjoying fall!

Your new kitchen is looking great! Its going to be a fabulous space to cook in when you're done, which I know can't come soon enough! I like so many of your choices - I couldn't find specifics on your cabinets - would you provide details?

Your 'before' pictures look very similar to mine. We're trying to decide on finishes as we complete the layout design. Very interested in following your progress as we are thinking of painting out our wood trim as well. Is your kitchen open to the family room? Are you updating that as well?

pepper, the cabinets are dynasty/omega. The door style is Barrington (I think), the white color is called Oyster and the island is chestnut (I think). Who'd have thought I wouldn't recall those details? I guess other details have pushed those details out.

EVERYTHING is currently masked off for them to prime and paint the wood trim for the kitchen, family room and a hallway area. It is like a freaky wasteland in there right now and I miss the kitchen I was just starting to enjoy seeing.

I wonder if I have made a mistake on the trim - making the trim a different color than the cabinets. This means the crown molding will vary in color and meet up or change in four places. This is because we are also doing a built in bookcase in the family room also and matching that paint to the kitchen cabinets. The only reason I didn't make that color the trim color everywhere is I decided to match the trim to the rest of the house. So cabinets are a greyish/creamy white while the trim is a yellowish/creamy white. Any opinions on that? Still can change my mind by tomorrow or Thursday I think.

We put Dynasty/Omega Oyster cabs in a bath - very happy with them! We also are looking at the chestnut stain for our kitchen, so its good to see on cabs rather than just a sample. Is that on cherry? Your counters are gorgeous!

Its not an exact match to the oyster, but we painted the bath trim BM Linen which is much creamier than the rest of the trim in our house - SW Classic Buff which is lighter, yellowish. We were lucky. The trim only comes together in one spot, which is a framed doorway. We painted one side one color, the other side the other color, and the inside of the doorway arch the linen color. Not sure what we will do in the kitchen/family room if we paint out the trim as planned.

Can you have the painters do a small section of trim, and then decide if it looks right next to your cabs? Maybe on a scrap piece of trim that you could carry around. Of course, if its all masked off already, that won't work!

Good luck - its really beautiful so far!

Hi Kath!

OK, I was just buzzing over some old posts and wondered:

"Are you still lurking here from time to time as I am?"

"Is your kitchen complete?"

If so "Why no more pictures?"

Sorry we never sat down for coffee! Maybe someday...

Hi Mindi!

Yep, I am still lurking - not as frequently though. Pipe in now and then but not often. Have seen you post occasionally here and there and yes, I'd still like to meet up for coffee! Maybe after this snow let's up and we are back on track in the new year.

Yes, my kitchen is complete - final touch ups are scheduled for first week in Jan. (Frankly, after basic completion around Nov. 1, I was not in any hurry for anyone to come back into my house, but finally scheduled the few last things to be taken care of.)

Don't know why no more photos, other than been crazy busy. Maybe I'll post some now since I am basically house bound with all this snow. (Does that mean I have to clean up though?)

How bout you, enjoying the season and your kitchen still? Let me know if you can do coffee in January and thanks for checking in. Merry Christmas!

kat