The countertop guys from Pinnacle Granite place the largest piece into place...
Making sure it's even...
Finished product! Yea! We have countertops!
Another view...
The faucet. It caused me much anxiety. A lot of time spent searching on the internet for exactly the right thing, then I decided just to pick it up at Home Depot one night and be done. Very traditional---the nozzle comes out to be used as a sprayer. Soap on the left, hot/cold water on the right. I think it'll work!
Well, I should have stuck with my gut feeling and gone with what I really wanted, but I listened to the designer at Benjamin Moore. Maybe for some the Medieval Green might have worked, but I think it's a bit much for us. Here are the new paint choices: Palladian Blue, Castleton Mist, and Dill Pickle...hard to decide. I've always wanted to do a blue in the kitchen, but most would say I should stay away from that since the rest of my house is done in warm colors. But, this time we need to pick what we really like! I'll keep this updated to let you know what we choose!
Brooke begins taping off around the trim to start the paint job...
First coat of paint...Benjamin Moore Medieval Green...do we like it? Actually, still trying to decide. I think it might be more saturated than we originally thought (like all paint, it's always darker than you think it's going to be). But, it is a nice contrast to the floor and the white trim.
Wider view...
And, looking back from the breakfast room into the main kitchen...
Into the breakfast room. There is quite a glare on this because the paint wasn't dry.
FINALLY! Mr. Petty and his son arrive with the new cabinets...ready to install! We found Mr. Petty through our real estate agent, Jean Smith. He was certainly the most reasonable quote we received for ALL hardwood cabinets---even the boxes are solid wood. Amazing!
And now for the bases...
The finished (somewhat) product! Mr. Petty is done, Brooke installed the microwave and now we wait to have the granite installed. They should be by tomorrow to measure. Maybe by next Friday I'll be cooking in our new kitchen!
We're beyond pleased with the way everything's coming together. We decided to have Mr. Petty do the glass front doors and I think they look really great. Of course, Brooke says I'm already being obsessive about how I "display" everything in those glass cabinets, but it must look nice, right?! We love the apron front sink and are glad we went for the one with some detail on the front.
Brooke hooks up the fridge. I'm excited about the bottom freezer. 
We woke up Saturday to bagpipes. First, in the distance, then closer and closer. We walked out our front door to the above picture. Apparently a tournament was going on and the bagpipers kicked it off. Fun!
Boone sits between the new evergreens on the front stoop (thanks Connors!) and pretty mum from Mom and Dad. It's starting to look more like home!
Brooke wipes on the first coat of stain.
And now the taping begins...we were literally doing square roots to figure out how to tape off these squares. I'm sure glad Brooke knew what he was doing!
And, the maze of painter's tape. We'd never done this, just came up with the idea and were praying that none of the ebony stain would bleed into the natural stain.
Hey, not too bad! Actually, I think Brooke could get paid the big bucks for doing this for other people. Maybe he's got a new career!
And, looking back into the breakfast nook...
After 10 hours of work, the floors are done!
Brooke puts in the LAST piece!
I think he would have stayed in this position for a week had he not had to get up and go to work!
Brooke finished the sheetrock on Friday. This is the passway into the living room.
The first few rows of the hardwoods go down! Had to rent a nailer and compressor, but that sure made the job easier.
Progress! The floors ACTUALLY look fairly straight!
My job---find the next piece to fit, tap the plank into the groove and wait for Brooke...
...to come nail it in place. Our knees and backs were sore. Guess we're getting too old for this! Ha ha!