Today has been a most excellent day. First, I got a book contract. OK, the downside is it has to be finished by November 1 for publication in January, which means I'll be working like a dog, but hey, I'm organized. Second, I got an offer accepted for a buyer in Midtown. Third, I have an appointment with a new buyer tomorrow morning and a listing presentation tomorrow afternoon. Business is fabulous. But wait, it gets better!

I can crow a little, can't I -- that I finished this kitchen in 15 days? From demo to completion, I suspect I pulled off a miracle. And the nice thing is I didn't have to sacrifice quality for speediness. Except for the first slacker painter, I had the help of super fabulous professionals. I'd like to give a plug for Von Rotz Construction.

This is the view of the kitchen sink area, toward the breakfast space. OK, I did move the clock after I shot this photo. It doesn't belong in the corner. I am very glad the counter top guys were able to cut the counters with only two short seams at the back of the sink. The wrap-around corner is all one piece.

So, I suspect, if you've been following this remodel, you are wondering what happened with the green screw problem with the dishwasher. That was the one thing I could not do. I was able to hook up the hot wires to the hot and the neutral to the neutral, but the grounding wire was a problem because I could not get the screw to turn past a certain point. I put a plug on the dishwasher instead of wiring it directly into the wall, and I had a receptacle installed under the sink for it. The reason is two-fold, actually. Apart from ease to change it out, if need be, it also let the plumber put in the dishwasher. Plumbers can't touch electrical.

I did not want to call back the electricians for this simple wiring job. They would have done it when they were here except Filco had not yet delivered the dishwasher. That's because the wrong dishwasher arrived in the initial order, which is a reason to order earlier than you want the stuff. So, the dishwasher arrived after the electricians were finished.

Talk about being frustrated because I could not fasten the grounding wire . . . so I sent an email to the electrician and asked him if I could hook up the grounding wire to another grounded connection. I mean, did the stupid screw have to be green? Could I insert another screw that would actually allow me to turn it into the stinkin' hole? I guess he took pity on me because he came over this morning. The problem was I did not have the right tool to turn the screw. It does not turn with a screwdriver. Ahhhh.

Not only did the electrician guy hook up my wires correctly, but he also helped the plumber move the GE Profile range and oven into my kitchen. It wasn't his job, of course, but that's the kind of guy he is. He did me a huge favor. And he came over here at 8:30 this morning to do it. If you ever need an electrician for a home in Land Park, or anywhere in Sacramento for that matter, I suggest you call Shields Electric. They go above and beyond to offer superior service, and the quality of their work certainly can't be beat.

The hood vent guy showed up today and brought piping to connect in the attic so he could use the old water heater roof jack to vent out the range. I have a tankless water heater on the outside of my home now, so I did not need that roof jack. It came in handy, and at least the stuff from the stove range will now vent directly outside.

After the stove was moved into the kitchen, the plumber went to work on the sink. He not only hooked up the plumbing under the sink, but he installed the dishwasher, hooked up the water supply to my refrigerator, connected and installed my gas range (yay, I finally have a gas stove after six years cooking on a crummy electric stove -- I hate electric stoves), and he re-plumbed all the plumbing under the house.

If you could see my corroded pipes before, you would never accept a glass of water from me in this house. Ick. I can't believe our drinking water came through those clogged pipes. You people with old galvanized, trust me, get rid of it. My pipes were 60 years old, for crying out loud.

P. S. Dont' ask me about the door. Yes, the door has to go.

I scurried about the house, vacuuming, putting away stuff, hauling more crap to the garage, folding up cardboard, dusting, polishing. The clock was ticking. Just was I was finishing watering my plants in the living room, I happened to glance out the window and there was my husband, pulling his luggage up the sidewalk. Apparently, he took the light rail to 8th and O and walked all the way home -- because he knew I was preoccupied.

It was finished just in time.

Well, the back-splash does get installed later this week, but for all practical purposes, this is a completed kitchen. I am so totally thrilled that I feel like crying right now.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you what my husband thought when he walked into a brand new kitchen. It's not what you would think.