Kitchen bitchin'

For those on the edge of their seats wondering which paint dab we chose ... we went with the lighter one.

Blog comments aside, the split had been exactly 50-50 between the two. My carpenter (most likely in exasperation) suggested I get the kitchen designer herself out here, and yesterday she came. She liked both (see? See?) but thought the darker one would make the space seem smaller. She said green was absolutely the way to go considering the green streak in the granite, especially now that she has seen our yard in full bloom. (Of course, the carpenter may have been slipping her cash in order to get her to make a decision quickly.)

Actually, the designer's choice only reinforced what I pretty much thought I'd do. Among the many qualified people who preferred the lighter shade were a friend who does color consultations professionally, and, via e-mail, my very tasteful mom.

In other big kitchen news: The plastic curtain is open! A.J., from the new vantage point of the hall, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to what he saw today, exclaiming, "I like this so much better than the old kitchen!" Considering this is the kid who is still upset with me for replacing the old toaster oven, this is very nice to hear.

So what's left? The floors. Any inconvenience we have endured to date will pale in comparison with the floor project: We are staining and refinishing not only the kitchen, but the hallway and living room as well. This will require closing off the staircase to prevent dust from migrating to the upstairs; sealing the bookcases; moving everything from the living room into the (carpeted) family room; shutting the cat into the basement so she doesn't become a floor fixture; and quite possibly performing death-defying leaps from the door to the stairway if we have any hopes of doing anything in the house for three days.