Okay, so this is decision 956 out of 1 million, but it's an important one that we need to make, like today, so I'm putting it out there for some input!

Information you need to know:
We have cabinets purchased and installed.
Here is our floor tile.  20x20 size  This picture is more on the cool tone side, warm it up a bit to know what it really looks like.  It coordinates with our cabinets pretty close to perfect.
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Other information to note:  Walls are white, the pony wall (on front side of island) is white and I'm thinking of doing some version of wainscoting on it, so it will stay white.  Appliances, sink, faucet, will be stainless steel.  And we intend on having a tile backsplash under all the cabinets and behind the hood up to the top of the cabinets, however that is not selected yet, so any ideas are appreciated!!  But let's focus on the granite today.  So we have 2 options.  Again, it's hard to see the true colors in photos, but try to imagine as I describe each one.
Option A:  We didn't want the typical speckled look that just isn't very interesting to look at and you see in every standard home.  We wanted to see some movement and interest in the stone to look a little more snazzy ;).  This option has a lot of pizazz, but not TOO much swirl and movement that you get dizzy.  There are a lot of colors including the lighter being on the peachy side, and a lot of rust tones throughout.  Overall more of a orange, warm tone.
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Option B:  This slab is a little more conservative, not as many colors going on.  We will need 2 slabs to cover our island and counters.  This slabs are cut like a loaf of bread, so the matching second slab would be a mirror image to this, however when they install they will follow the same direction the fissure goes for each slab.  Not sure where the fissure will appear on final layout, but that's not really important.  Overall tone is more of a brown brown with more cream colors in it....haha...I'm not very good at describing this!  Also this slab was outside so the colors seem a little more washed out to me.
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Option A

Option B

So after compiling these pictures, well and even before, I know which option I like best.  But with Dan liking one and me liking another, I think I need more votes, though I can't tell you which. Let us know what you think!  And keep this in mind when I start asking you to pick out our backsplash tile!
 
Current Goal Date to be sleeping under a new roof:  SEPTEMBER 1

The kitchen is the major redo here, so its current state is:
  • wall down: check
  • previous cabinets/counters/tile floor removed: check
  • floor leveled: check
  • window addition: check
  • frame for new arched wall into "game room" up: check
  • plumbing/electric: check
  • all drywall and patchwork: check
  • primed and painted: mostly
  • new upper cabinets installed: had some setbacks and some shifting needs to be done, but mostly done
  • new lower cabinets taking over my current living room: CHECK
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The "left to do" list:
  • Install remaining cabinets
  • Tile floor
  • Select and install all appliances
  • Check Dan and Kristen's mental and emotional well-being
And that list is just to make the kitchen "live-able."  We still have to add baseboards and then with the rest of the house - PRE-move in to do's include painting EVERYTHING and re-carpeting.  SOOOOO much work ahead of us, and I didn't even add the mere fact of packing and moving and unpacking with two little girls, not that its easy without children either.  

As much as we complain about how much is all involved, we are really fortunate to even be able to do this.  A fixer upper is definitely not what I had in mind, but when it's all said and done, we will be "moving up" residentially speaking and it feels good to be accomplishing that.  This is definitely the trial of all trials (that we've faced thus far), but we walked down this challenging road on our own so no complaining, only venting and expressing our exhaustion through this whole process all the while recognizing the blessing that it is that Dan is employed and we have the means to venture into something like this.

And if you are in the area toward the end of the year, and you keep in touch with us, and we still like you (haha...I kid...) then we hope to have you over to celebrate the fruits of our labors!!  Party at our house!!  One of these days...
 
Not so recently (like December 2009??) my sister so generously acquired and shared all the materials necessary to make some really cute ABC books.  I FINALLY got around to completing mine last month, but have yet to let the kids touch it before I can maximize its durability (I almost wrote "durabilitalize it" for those of you who know about me and my suffixes ;-) haha)
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As you can see from this photo, there is a lot of bumpy action going on.  What you may not be able to see is that the chipboard cover/back cover is covered in paper.  That means dirty finger prints, tears, and marks are inevitable.  The inside pages are a card-like thickness (thicker than cardstock) and has chipboard little figures too, so those are not flat surfaces either.  I've been to two places to try to get them laminated but everyone tells me even the inside pages are too thick.  What do I dooooo???  I don't think self-adhesive lamination would come close to looking good, or be as durable.  If anyone out there has any advice or some home remedy, it would be much appreciated.  Short of having my girls wear plastic gloves, haha...I don't know what else to do.  Probably just suck it up and figure this book will get trashed, but hopefully enjoyed as long as it lasts.... sigh....

 
In June we got a visit from cousin Connor and thanks to my dad and sis, a bunch of cute pictures were taken.  Also during their stay at the end of the month our A/C upstairs, where we sleep, went out.  Uuuuuugh..... We had to get a new compressor and it was this huge ordeal that took way too long to be resolved, but we survived... naps in the living room and all.  Our dishwasher was the next to call it quits and that took a week to remedy... I guess moving to this new house isn't looking so bad afterall! 
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Not quite enough light, but we made do and got a couple sister shots in their matchy matchy shirts...Ally would not hardly crack a smile. Maybe because she was sitting in a corner by the front door? haha!
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