House Tour: The Kitchen (Update 10/4/12)

First, just let me say that Patrick and I so appreciate all of your prayers/wishes/advice about coping with grief.  Knowing that we have a community of family and friends that cares about and is praying for us has already been a huge blessing to us.  Please keep those prayers coming.

So much has changed since our last kitchen tour.  And thank goodness for that; this place was a hot MESS!

To recap, here was my list of goals for the room (in bold), along with their current status:
-Replace flooring-Check!
-Replace countertops/backsplash- Not so much.  I have painted the backsplash (again) to make it blend in more, but the ugly countertops unfortunately haven't changed a bit.
-Repaint the stovetop- Nope.
-Paint (or replace?) vent hood- Not even a little bit.
-Paint refrigerator-Never mind.  The fridge is sadly going to die soon, so we're waiting it out.  Once it dies, we'll just buy a black one.  Because we're conventional cheap like that.
-Install island-Patrick is trying to talk me out of this one.  The realtor is on his side, but I still haven't admitted defeat. 
-Buy/make barstools-Not necessary unless (who are we kidding, UNTIL) I get my island.
-Paint base of table-Done!
-Build window seat- Nope.
-Install recessed light over sink-Nope.
-Find shallow drawer pulls-Nope.
-Finish painting trim (including column)-Close, but no cigar.
-Touch up paint-Pretty much done.
-Upgrade electrical switches and outlets to GFCI-Nope.
-Find/DIY art for wall behind table-I changed my mind.  Now I want open shelving there, a la YHL House 1.
-Stencil or otherwise decorate the soffit.-Eh, changed my mind.  Now I'm okay with the soffit.  I will, however, be stenciling the backsplash.

And now for a current picture, as of Tuesday morning:

But wait, there's more!  After enjoying my first Lo-Carb Monster (it's an energy drink) in TWO LOOONNNG YEARS, I managed to paint our backsplash to match the rest of the kitchen walls in about an hour and a half during Madison's nap.

 After finishing the backsplash, I had ample time in her nap to make and eat lunch, list my mom's car on Craigslist, and write half this post.  You've gotta love artificial energy.  Sure, if I drank one every day I'd probably shorten my lifespan by about half, but just think how much more I could get done in that time!  Just kidding.  Kind of.

Mmm, good.

Sorry about the lack of pictures of the other side of the room.  It's pretty much the same as the first picture, except we got rid of the kennel (yay for fully house trained dogs!), cleaned off the top of the fridge, then let more junk accumulate on top of the fridge.  We (I) really need to clean out some closet space.

I can't believe how long it took me to get around to painting the backsplash.  It offered instant gratification, changed the whole feel of the kitchen, and was FREE (we had leftover paint/supplies).  Now I'm racking my brain for what other projects might have the same work:reward ratio!

Have you indulged in any guilty pleasures (like my Monster) lately?  What about finally getting around to something that's been on your list for a long time?  Am I the only one who only notices things like Madison's toy bowls on the floor once they're on film (er, in digital form)?

Happy Thursday!
-Kelli