ta da!!!!

(these pictures aren't the greatest, but i'm too lazy to try again.)

we went with quartz countertops from home depot--their brand is called silestone. i read about quartz in consumer reports, which gave it the top rating of all the different counter-top materials. we got a very good deal at home depot; somehow we were able to combine multiple discounts, which felt a little devious, but all i did was ask for them/remind them they agreed to honor the new credit card discount as well as the promotion they were running, and the coupon we had. they're ours now, home depot, you can't take them back! i'm stoked that it's real stone (93% stone, mixed with a resin) and yet is non-porous and more durable than marble or granite, and there's no need to seal it. plus silestone is anti-microbial, and so safe that you can let your baby crawl on it and he won't fall off, as evidenced by their brochure (or perhaps, if he does fall off, the silestone fairies catch him and gently place him in his crib; the brochure doesn't really specify.)