Kitchen Remodel - Two Years Later!

I am currently sitting here in a puppy chow coma... I can't move... I need water... and probably a treadmill.  It is hard to believe our kitchen remodel was finished almost 2 years ago!  I wanted to fill you in on how things are holding up because we DIYed most of it.  Remodeling a kitchen is no joke and I can see why most people hire the job out.  Every time we contemplated a project I would read every blog/article I could find.  It drove Tall Tan Man crazy that I couldn't make any rash fast decisions.   I absolutely LOVE our kitchen and it had set the bar high for future houses.  We only budgeted and spent about $5000 on our kitchen remodel. Pretty awesome, right?!
White Subway Tile!
We love, love, love our backsplash but two words.  Pasta Sauce.  I would do the white tile again but I would choose a darker grout.  Even a light gray would be better!  One insider tip is to use DAP 230 between the tile and countertops.  This caulk looks great and doesn't crack!
Ikea Farmhouse Sink!

A farm house sink for $313 is really hard to beat!  This sink is big, beautiful and is great for giving babies baths.  The only part about this sink that drives me crazy is the slats on the back of it.  They get so dirty ALL. THE. TIME.  I like things to be super low maintenance and the sink looks dirty way more than it looks clean.  The only problem is that there is no sink of a similar size that is even remotely they same price.  Dirty sink, it is!  
Butcher Block Countertops!
Oh I would of loved beautiful white marble or concrete counter tops, but neither of those were in our price range or DIY abilities.  These butcher block countertops ran us for about $600 and I love how they bring warmth to our room.  We got them from Ikea and refinished them ourselves.  Poor Tall Tan Man, I was supposed to do them myself but then I got pregnant... and couldn't be around stain or sealer.  I read 20+ articles on this DIY and I got polar opposite opinions on them.  My biggest concern was they are going to be super high maintenance.  I even read that I needed to buy special pads to go under our mixer and knife block?!  We don't do well with high maintenance and thankfully for us the countertops have held up well.  We have accidentally left water sitting on them for hours, cut sandwiches, and sat hot pots {on a oven mitt} on them.  With our budget, I'd do these countertops again in a heartbeat!  
Painting Kitchen Cabinets!
Benjamin Moore Advance, FOR! THE! WIN! This paint is self leveling and awesome! Our paint has held up really well and we are not easy on our kitchen.  We have had to do a couple touch ups, specifically on the trashcan cabinet. If you are going to do this I have two tips, 1) Prime Twice 2) Caulk Open Seams so you don't see any gaps!
Removing the Kitchen Island & Open Shelves!
These were both no brainers and great decisions.  Open shelves are an easy project you can totally handle and they really open up the space.

Ahhh I love a clean kitchen.  High five for it being Friday and Momma not cooking tonight!