Happy (well almost) ending! I found a beautiful laminate. I was surprised at how nice some of them are. It actually ended up costing me more than the porcelain tiles. Problem is that I chose one that is special order and won't be delivered for 3-4 weeks! My contractor is great. He settled me down before I launched myself to the moon and said he will complete the kitchen this coming week as planned and come back to install the floor when it comes in. This way I will have full use of the kitchen (cross your fingers) by the end of this coming week. I hope I NEVER see another frozen dinner as long as I live! I've never used processed foods very much. Cooking has always been a stress reliever for me and being here alone has given stress a new meaning. So not being able to cook has been really hard.

I decided to do the painting myself (trying to save money where I can) so the contractor suggested that I do it this weekend before the countertops are installed. I've been so down lately that I didn't think I had the energy. But I forced myself to do the prep work last night and realized that the physical activity was really helpful. I actually enjoyed doing it and it felt so good to get away from my own thoughts for a while.