So far, we've removed (the experts call it demo) the tile countertop and backsplash. We've had new countertops installed and a new sink (with basically new plumbing). Now we're waiting to install the backsplash, touch up the nicks on the lower cabinets, and touch up the paint that was messed up by the removal of the backsplash. I'm hoping this will all (or mostly?) be done by the end of next week. We're having people over for Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day) in a week and I'm looking forward to using the kitchen to its fullest again.
It's all material--literally. It's different, gorgeous, even (I'm a little biased), but still only stuff and things. I 'love' my black-charcoal-subtly green-veined soapstone counters, my soon-to-be white beadboard backsplash, my future kitchen island (when the budget gets built up again) and my new QUIET dishwasher (it actually cleans the dishes!). I'm thankful that we were able to finally do our kitchen remake that we talked about since we bought the house. It's actually been a really good time of the year to do it, schedule-wise. But we could have waited. I would have waited.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am content. I'm thankful we could afford to improve our kitchen so that we can enjoy it and use it more effectively. But I know there is a time and place for change, including home improvement, material change. This is our time; if it weren't, then we would be using what God has made us stewards of somewhere else. We do use it elsewhere: kingdom work, college tuition, music lessons, family, . . .
Our project isn't finished--there will probably always be something that requires fixing up, if not in the kitchen then somewhere else or for someone else. But I'm happy about how it is right now. A work in progress, moving toward completion.
