Home Transformation: Stage 1

We are moved!  I feel like we'll be unpacking boxes for...ever.  The difficulty is that I have many things I want to focus on to make this home mine while unpacking in the process.  I need a clone to get everything done, the way I want done, and the time frame I want it done in.  Jason is a pretty good clone, but he's also counter-acting the process as he breaks things along the way.  Plus, since he works all day the last thing he desires to do when he gets home is to work on the home while listening to my perfectionism ways as I ask him to re-do something or tell him how to do his Jimmie Rig jobs.
I will probably post things over the next year on house updates as it will be a work in progress.  My first line of business was the kitchen since that's where I spend most my time.  Not because I'm busy baking all day, but that's where we seem to congregate as a family while staring into the refrigerator.  
First, the cabinets were not my style.  I'm not an oak person.  I love the color yellow, but not as a kitchen/ceiling color and it seemed to clash with the granite and tile back splash.  To me, it was too country for my taste and I wanted a style that was classic and timeless.  When we first looked at the house, the kitchen was the only big hold up for me.  Once I convinced myself that I could copy it to the image which was in my head-- there was no stopping me.  Summing up what I pretty much said to Jason was, 'This is what I'm doing, and don't try to stop me.'   Fortunately he trusts my judgement.  The only question he's learned to ask is, 'How much is this going to cost me?'  My answer...honey, you can't put a price tag on this:
BEFORE:

AFTER:

I've ALWAYS wanted to do black cabinets, but in my other homes the lack of light would've made it look like a dungeon.  With all the light in the kitchen, the colors in the granite, tile, and with my new paint job I thought it looked ah-mazing.  We replaced the almond color appliances with stainless steel.  We got great deals...with all appliances a year old (with the exception of the microwave being brand new) on Craig's list, all for $900.

I decided to paint the cabinets rather than stain them.  The longest part was taking the hardware off.  Just a little sanding, prime work, and Dunn-Edwards paint mixed with a tiny bit of water so it would go on thin enough without streaks and allow the wood grain to show through like so:

And for the final step, I added all stainless steel knobs to match the appliances.I'm in love with my kitchen and admit sometimes I just sit and stare at it.  Now if I can just bewitch my way through the rest of the house...