(Counter) Top THAT!

I'm proud to announce that we've (finally) finished the counter top on the extra cabinets we added a few months ago!

As some of you may recall, it was quite an ordeal to even figure out how to cover the cabinets.  Having it completely done feels like a dream.

When we last left off, we had just finished cutting the tile for the majority of the counter.  And, you guessed it, the counter sat like this for longer than we'd like to admit.  (Stupid business trips get in the way of everything.)

It was basically a big puzzle; you'll notice how the middle section is just hangin' out, unloved and unfinished. It was hands-down the hardest part to figure out. But once Hubs was able to spend a whole Saturday working out the details, he managed to come up with a final design and cut all the tiles.

That's when we made some serious progress (yes, finally).

For the edge of the counter, we decided on a decorative rope-like tile. We were able to glue these on fairly easily (...once we acquired the correct glue. Note: contact cement will not work, and will cause you to have to drive to Home Depot for the second time in one day.)

(And, Daddy? You'll be proud - I did most of this step on my own, AND I figured out the correct glue to use, even after Hubs bought nails to nail them in because he thought it was impossible to glue them.)

Next came the mortar.

Hubs spread out the tile, while I followed closely behind laying out the tiles.

After we double-checked the spacing and edges, we let the mortar dry overnight.

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Tonight, we applied the grout (thank you, Home Depot grout color key).

Hubs applied the grout while I (again) followed closely behind him with a damp sponge, cleaning off the excess from the top and sides of the tiles.

And again, we double-checked the edges.

I'm pretty darn proud of us. Just look at how great it looks!

On a side note, you may have noticed the nifty shelving we added above the cabinets.

These little beauties are from Ikea and were only $14.95! It sure beats the $99 ones we had originally scoped out at Crate & Barrel. Theresa has the same hooks and white hanging thing in her kitchen.

Hubs is most excited about having a place to find his bread; it was the first thing he added to the shelves.

Of course, no kitchen addition can be installed without its fair share of problems. Let's just say that I knew the screws would be too long for the wall, and that caused Home Depot trip number three (in one day), and a trip to Ace. Also? Toggle bolts are ridiculously tricky. AND - WHY are there NO studs in the wall?!

Ahem. Sorry.

The kitchen is ALMOST DONE! Just some kick plates, baseboards, and cabinet hardware left!  I just have to get mushy for a second and say how proud I am of Hubs for learning all of this on the fly, and not being scared of the challenge.  He is super amazing (and super patient with me as I learn, too).

Anywho!  It's slowly becoming a functioning kitchen, and I can't wait to share the 'before and after' pics soon.