This was a REALLY good week. I was worried it would go slow waiting until Thursday – THURSDAY – for the counters to come in, but it moved really fast! We didn’t have school on Monday for President’s Day, so I painted, painted, painted. Of course, after painting the trim I decided that I didn’t like the paint after all, so I still have more painting in my future. But that’s what spring break is for. The only heat I’ll be feeling this spring break is when I crank up the 22K BTUs on my range. Boil, baby, boil.

But on to the main issue. Countertops. The process of picking our countertops was a new experience for us, and it required a leap of faith. We knew we wanted soapstone, but discovered we were in the minority when we walked into the stone warehouse and there were slabs and slabs and slabs and slabs of granite and marble, and a total of 3 different kinds of soapstone to choose from. At least made the choices easier! After we picked our soapstone, it was taken over to the fabricator, where they have these amazing saws that cut the stone to measure, sand the edges, and prepare it for installation. It was pretty fun to visit the fabricator to pick out where we wanted the cuts – these people look at stone all day, so it’s cool to hear them say “you have beautiful movement here….this would be perfect for the island” and “that’s a terrible edge, we’ll cut that out.” I know it’s all salesy talk, but it’s still nice to hear. Then – they bring it in to install!

We love it. It’s a soft bluish gray when it’s not oiled, but we like it with some mineral oil to bring out the charcoal and blackish tones. It grounds the white cabinets and adds a little “heft” to the kitchen. Game changer – I think I can make it though the last few decisions!