I am not familiar with a satin finish. Is it at all bumpy? I saw a sample yesterday with a flamed brushed finish and it was slightly bumpy. I am not sure it would be good for writing. I am also considering soapstone, but I am just doing a small peninsula and am hoping to get a remnant. I am assuming the the AB is more popular and therefore I will have more remnants to choose from. If I got lucky and found a SS remnant that is the right color, size and price, I will go with it. November - I like the AB with the oil, although I probably like the charcoal color without the oil better. I am going to try the oil on the sample later. Right now I have two plumbers under my sink and I would have to climb over them to get to my mineral oil!

I always post about the alcohol water spray! Love it for my granite and on my SS appliances. I use anywhere from 1/2-2/3 alcohol, 1/3-1/2 water, and 20+ drops of essential lavender oil (for fragrance and additional antibacterial quality). Basically I go by scent, and evaporation rate, lack of streaking after refilling or topping off my spray bottle, and adjust amounts as needed (if it smells "right" and cleans without streaking, it's good to go!). I spray it on, and wipe dry with a microfiber cloth. It's great on the black enamel burner pans on our Wolf range as well (for light cleaning, or follow-up after scrubbing with soap and/or BKF), and on our glass backsplash tile and grout. Over the range, I spray it on, let sit a few minutes, and wipe with a paper towel (or cloth). Does a good job loosening and lifting vented cooking grease and grime from the range from the grout. I repeat spraying and wiping a few times as needed.

Thank you all for the hugs and support. I couldn't dare vent to my husband b/c he would probably flip his lid with the amount of extras we put into the kitchen above the allowed budgets via the builder.. I know in time it won't matter. My children are only 4 & 6 so I am trying REALLY hard not to let myself get crazy.. LOVE your poem Buehl- Funny enough I just received this email from a friend today.. LADIES!!! Remember...a layer of dust protects the Wood beneath it. 'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture .' I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over' Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun! NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice. Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must ....... but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . . with beer to drink , rivers to swim and mountains to climb , music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around, again. Dust if you must , but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. . . And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust! Share this with all the wonderful women in your life. I JUST DID. It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

Rupes, After you tested the lemon juice on the sealer did you try to remove it? I'm wondering if it'll be permanent or if it can be dealt with. When our honed AB counters were first installed we had quite a few "stains.". For example, grease splatters. I could not get them out. They have since disappeared...whether they were absorbed into the stone or what, I don't know. I do periodically use the Method cleaner so I'm wondering if that helped. What I do now to clean the counters is use hot water and a tiny bit of dish soap, then use the Method cleaner every few days or so, with a microfiber cloth. I haven't seen anything on our counters like what you showed with the test above, even though our marble counter has etched quite a bit. I've heard the Cambria Black is less prone to fingerprints,etc., if that's an option for you.