September 29
New windows are installed. Wow, now I have real light. Paul and I do a field measure so Janice can finalize the cabinet design and place the order. Over my lunch hour I run out to a tile showroom and see some beautiful corbels I could use on the range hood.

October 5
I decide to use two rows of 1x1-inch tiles in an assortment of colors as a border band. I’m also planning a trellis design using 6x6-inch tiles above the range.

October 6
Scott is brilliant. I couldn’t decide between two quartz-surfacing colors, so Scott asked, “Why not do both?” I’ll use the rust color on the cherry cabinets (island and mudroom sink) and blue everywhere else. The two colors look great together and will make the room much more interesting.

November 9
Our house is pretty much a war zone. Will I survive this? I keep repeating: This will be worth it, this will be worth it…

November 16
They rip out the driveway today so, of course, the cabinets are delivered, too. The delivery crew rolls the huge boxes over the rutted dirt to store them in the new garage.

November 28
Break my toe on the sawhorses in our temporary kitchen. Owww. My knees are already sore from kneeling on the tile floor to wash dishes in the bathtub. What happened to getting this done by Thanksgiving? Hang in there, Janice tells me.

December 4
Driveway is poured today. Yippee! We beat the freeze. They widen the pavement, too, so we should be able to park two cars side by side. What a change. No more car jockeys.

December 20
Appliances are delivered and stored in the garage. The crew starts setting the cabinets. Another big holiday dinner without a kitchen. Bah humbug.