Today "should" be Day 16---- Day 10 (October 17th) was the last time I posted here, so have a lot of catching up to do! Key phrase "self discipline"....I have been allowing myself to become side-tracked for the past few days and don't want to lose myself in this, so have come back to the boards for motivation. It's Tuesday (trash day)----the box my neighbor was to pick up a week ago Monday went out to the curb before bedtime last night. No wonder we've been friends for so long! LOL! She is into the procratinating mode too! But.......like I warned her before, if it IS NOT picked up on Monday night it gets kicked to the curb. Since I have been away for a few days and not checking in like I was doing before, things have gotten off track for me at home. No way to go back and explain what's taken place each day now as I don't remember what excuses I had for not doing my 15 minute routines. Anyone that has been following my posts here might recall that I was working on my tiny bathroom decluttering and cleaning. This job was started but not completed! During the times I did not post on the boards, things however were accomplished at home. We tossed an old radiator (had a short in it) from my dad's room, as well as the neighbor's box of goodie AND a huge trash bag of "junk", not to mention I started de-cluttering the bedroom (can see progress now). Still in the "de-cluttering and fluttering" stage, which means going from room to room with a trash bag in hand. Sometimes I don't always allow myself to see the trash from the functional items, or end up putting on the blinds because in my heart I'm not wanting to part with the item. This is why it takes so many trips with the bag in hand (fluttering)...LOL! What I view as being something necessary one day is viewed differently the next, so it's an on-going adventure for me. Since my father passed away last Thanksgiving, I am saving his room for last as I catch myself pondering over everything in there. This energy needs to be focused elsewhere for now (our living space to be exact). Today is Day 16-----I have to keep in mind my 15 minute routine and just do it! As I've stated before.....you can get a lot accomplished in 15 minutes and it also serves as a starting point since getting motivated is generally hard for me to do. There is still hope!! I have not lost the motivation...just took a break to deal with other things that needed my energy and time! BTW, at least I don't have to backtrack and redo anything that has already been accomplished! WOOT! Rules were laid down and now being followed both by me AND my DH! He knows that the mess causes stress=) Just wish he'd learn rinse the bathroom sink after shaving! Hate scouring anyone's stubble droppings! Will post results later in the day>>>>

Looking at it today I can see two spots that I messed up. The paint had started to dry when I noticed these spots..so I used the almost dry paintbrush (dumb I know) and swiped over the spots. Now you can see just where that was done. Overall, I think it looks nice. It was a cheap fix for what we wanted. And didn't take long to do. I left the sink in place and used painters tape around the edges to protect it. The Rust-Oleum paint was easy to use. No need for primers. I sanded the counters with fine sanding paper and wiped clean, then just rolled the paint on with a foam roller. The parts that were hard to get with the roller, I used a paint brush that is made to use for trim work. Here is a link to the paint I used.. Here is a link that might be useful: Rust-Oleum Countertop Coating

I wish there was more to tell on my progress, and I suppose there is, but it is mainly just boring, frustrating stuff. I am so close I can taste it, though! As some of you might know, according to my Problems with Paint thread, I decided not to use the tile backsplash and accent I purchased for this project and am sticking to my original vision of beadboard paneling to complement my island. The BIG issue is, still, PAINT COLOR! Argh! I have done three samples, now, and none seem right. Actually, BM Gray Owl is the right color, hands down, but it seems way too dark. Today I am going to experiment with mixing in white to make it half-formula and hope that does the trick. My other option is to simply paint the beadboard the same color as the cabinets, but then I think I have too much of that color. I love the look in my favorite inspiration kitchen, but she has a lot of other features that break up that plane of color, like glass-fronted cabs. So, more playing with paint today. Last week our new living room furniture arrived, and our kids asked for our old furniture for their family room. That is not going until this weekend, so the old furniture is hanging out in my dining room. I also have an extra large piece of furniture in the DR because I bought that cabinet for the sideboard but still have the antique buffet that will take the place of the piano in the living room, but the piano is going with the kids, too. In my HEAD I know this situation is all changing in a few days, but in the meantime it feels like I am going backwards in my goal to finish and reduce. Anybody want to come work with me for a week? I am having the most awful time finding help.....

Guess I should clarify: we (me, my sister, my b-i-l, and my niece) did the demo about 3 weekends ago (had to do it then to work with everyones' schedules). It took 2 days (plus extra since I had to later steam off another layer of vinyl stick-on tile). The carpenter on Monday said that we did an excellent job so I'm really glad that we did it "in-house" to save some money. On the downside, I've been without a kitchen for over 2 weeks! Kitchen update: The drywall went up (for areas that needed patched) and 5 cabinets were installed! I LOVE THEM! I got Pioneer, which is a semi-custom company from Michigan. The cabinets are cherry in a tawny stain and the style is "Madison". Since Joe (the carpenter) was doing the work while I was at the office, it was a surprise when I got home. He called me in the evening to see if I was happy with everything and explained what he was doing next. That phone call really raised the comfort factor because it made me feel like I was still part of the process even though I wasn't there and also that my input and approval was important. I'm taking tomorrow off since the appliances will be delivered, so I'll be there all day to observe (and try to stay out of his hair) I'll try to post photos when completed but my kitchen is so small it's difficult to get good photos! Thanks for the good wishes! It's keeping me going during this (somewhat) stressful time! Beekeeperswife: my wine cubbies were installed yesterday and they are my favorite part so far! Is that silly or what??!!