Have your tilers already sealed the stone? They may have. The bottle of Miracle 511 that I have said you only need "...at least 6-12 hours before grouting". Grout release is a type of product that helps keep the grout out of the pours, I believe, and help with the cleanup process. I am a DIY tiler. I tiled my kitchen backsplash with marble 2x4s. I cut the mesh backing off and laid the stone the way I wanted. It was a cheaper product and the spacing was not perfect on the mesh. When I finished with the tile, I did what you suggested in your comment above, used a rag and applied the sealer over the face of the stone, not letting it run into the grout spaces, where it might interfere with grout adhesion. I followed the instructions. I then grouted. I had no troubles with the cementous grout that I used. On my slate floor, I used epoxy grout. Again, I sealed my stone, then grouted with epoxy. I really don't know if it helps with clean up with epoxy because epoxy grout is a different animal when compared to cementous grout. Be aware that an "enhancer" type sealer will darken your stone. Can look nice but if you want the look you've got don't use an "enhancer". I am almost positive that my stone fabricator used Miracle 511 impregnator sealer on my carrara counter that I just had installed a few months ago.

We started demo this week of our kitchen and family room. The refrigerator and some of the old base cabinets have been moved into the dining room to make a temporary kitchen. We first put down some masonite to protect the carpet. In our laundry room, we have a freestanding utility sink that will be removed and the old sink base cabinet, complete with the old sink and disposer, put in its place. We will at least have a sink for washing dishes, unlike our last kitchen reno where we only had a bathtub. We will plug in an extension cord to an outlet when we need to run the disposer. After the reno, that cabinet will get a new countertop and a drop in utility sink. Unfortunately, we will be without our dishwasher for awhile. So, we will be using paper plates and plastic utensils. We will also be without our range. So, we will have to make do with a microwave, hot plate, crockpot, toaster oven, and BBQ grill for cooking. We might consider getting a portable induction cooktop.

Good morning all, quick check in here, then I've got to get moving. Little GD is coming over today to play with Gma, and then we are going over there for dinner tomorrow evening for Mother's Day. Our weather warmed up again this week, but is only hot for a few hours. Mornings and evenings are still cool, so we haven't even had to use the air conditioner yet in spite of the 90 degree temps. Bebe, I remember you saying that you like dishes too. You really have allot to work with, but are you like me and don't bother since it is mostly just the two of you? My DH prefers to eat in front of the tv, so I mostly decorate the table when we have company coming. Once in awhile, I'll set the dining room table just to "play" then leave it a couple days just to enjoy how pretty it looks! ;o) If I had the storage, I'd love to have all kinds of dishes and accessories because I think they are so pretty--but we downsized a few years back to get ready for retirement so not much extra space now. I sure enjoy seeing what the gals on Holidays put together, and love checking out Tablescape Thursdays on the blogs. ;o) I also keep trying to find things to paint that can be used in tablescapes too. Guess I really need to try painting on glass to be able to do more of that. Have hesitated to do it because I need to buy special paints for that. More money and more storage issues! ;o) Punk, hope you get lots done at your son's house. Have they moved in to it already? Nice that you are close enough to be able to go help. Sure sounds like you will be eating well this weekend with those two events going on. Hope you have lots of fun too. Anj, you are right, a crockpot is a really good idea. I only have two, one small and one large oval one and love using them. Used to be so nice when I would come home from work and dinner was already cooked and the house smelled so good. I like to watch that Semi Homemade show on tv and she has done several shows with crockpot meals. I think those countertop grills make good gifts too and most everyone likes them too. I always hate trying to think of gifts for people, always want it to be something they will like and use, but never sure what they like. LOL Okay, gotta run. Have a good weekend. Luvs

One bit of advice, is if you have cats, keep them contained at all times. Our contractor (he's wonderful & from the East Bay) demolished last week and we didn't see that there was a way that the cat could crawl in the wall. She was in there for over 18 hours. We almost had to stop construction. We also put a large board over our claw foot tub and that has made for a good place for dishes, like a large counter. Putting dishes in a clear plastic container allowed us to find things quickly. I'm not sure how a crock pot would work - they have had to turn our electricity off a lot! Trader Joe's has some great frozen oatmeal that is very good in the micro and of course there's lots of other frozen meals. I agree with others to get rid of stuff as you pack. Also, covering everything up. The dust gets everywhere and our crew has been excellent about covering everything up, putting plastic, cardboard, etc. down and vacuuming everyday and it's still dusty! Good Luck!!