The kitchen countertop is in, and even without a dishwasher, faucet, microwave, and lighting, I'm absolutely thrilled. I walked the dog this evening and the blinds at the big front window were open and I could look in and see the lovely warm glow of the cabinets and a peek of the rich granite countertop and it looked like a magazine. The magazine would be called "Itty Bitty Kitchens," but it's very cool, if still itty-bitty, and that's fine, that's what I had in mind. It looks much bigger, much lighter, and much more elegant, and it's not even done yet.

I will spare you all photos until after the appliances are in place, so you can get the full effect without interim "Okay, here are the cabinets. Here is the countertop. That big hole is for the dishwasher, and try to ignore the electrical tape on the walls and the hole in the ceiling...." blow-by-boring-blow shots. But I'm thrilled. I am not half bad at this design thing. The "designer" at the Depot didn't make any of the decisions for me, her role was simply to figure out which individual cabinets would fit into the small allotted space, all the selections were mine. It's quite daunting to buy thousands of dollars worth of stuff based on small samples viewed under bad lighting in a warehouse, but damn, it all worked together just like I imagined it would. I'm really happy, even without finishing touches.

This evening I met lighting guy at Home Depot and we bought the ceiling track and pendant lights, but they didn't have the under-cabinet lighting he had in mind, and I agree that his idea is way better than those hockey puck spots HD did have in stock, so he will have to order the other lighting from an electrical supply house and put it in separately. No biggie, I have lived without under-cabinet lighting my entire life, I'm pretty sure I can last another week, or 40 years, for that matter. But now that he has me all hot for how it'll look this is the right time to go for it. The track lighting and pendants go in on Sunday. Monday afternoon the microwave goes up and hides the electrical tape on the walls, and then we're DONE for a couple of weeks, until the finishing touches go on when the last cabinet is delivered.

Meanwhile I have tales of synergy (thank you Bess, that was the word I was seeking, my brain kept giving me synchronicity, because my brain is a Sting fan) and the peace of mind simple walking has brought me and work issues and felting and crocheted shawls to share at some point this weekend. But not now, because I'm beat. Pleased with how things are coming along, but beat.