Is that Bacon? I Swear I Smell Bacon.

It's been a while since my last blog, but I pinky swear it's for good reason. Four of them actually...the kitchen, laundry, master bath and guest bath. They are (mostly) done. I say "mostly" because there are still tweaks that need to be made, but the main (read: expensive) stuff is done. And since it felt like an eternity to complete (in reality not very long, considering), I want to spread the results out over several posts. I'll start with what I think is the coolest part of the kitchen, the microwave.

Wait, what?! Indeed, the microwave. And a pretty awesome one at that.

Yeah, this is an epic tattoo...

A little background on the microwave situation...we didn't have one. While it was somewhat quaint going back to a simpler time, when microwaves didn't exist and your only options were stove or oven, that is not a place I want to visit permanently. There is a reason almost 95% of U.S. homes have at least one microwave, according to the first Google result I found with absolutely zero fact-or-source checking.

Just because you can heat food up without a microwave doesn't mean you should. Sure, I guess I could technically walk to work, but it'll take two hours and will absolutely suck. No thanks, I'll drive. Can I offer you some antibiotics to take care of your cold? "Nah, I'm gonna ride it out and see how long it takes my immune system to tackle it..."

We couldn't go with a countertop version because it would eat up too much room, and our stove is on the island, so no over-the-range version, either. That left "built-in" as the only option. Challenge: accepted.

Unfortunately, as I soon found out, even the most basic built-in models are expensive. Not because they are in any way better, but because they require trim kits to make them, by definition, "built in." I'll save you the time...no, the trim kit usually does not come with the microwave, and yes, it is almost as expensive as the microwave itself.

Solution? The Sharp KB6524P 24" Microwave Drawer.

Yes, I said "drawer." All controls on top, at an angle - you know, just to make things easier to read. Even cooler, for those of you who enjoy taking as many shortcuts as possible, it has an easy touch auto open/close button. And, with so much space, you could fit all sorts of things in there. Like a mid-sized cat, for example. Not that I've tried. As far as YOU know.

Easy, right? Not so fast, my friend. It required a hole to be cut out and then a support frame to be built, which in hindsight, would've been a lot easier had I waited until the granite guys tore out the countertops. Who am I, Bob Villa? Lay off me!

And here is how the rest of the kitchen turned out, in short-attention-span-friendly before/after pics: