If you've been following along with the tales of my renovations, you know that I've been tackling my one-bedroom condo one room at a time. After completing my bathroom renovation, I think it was just a matter of time before my eyes wandered on over to the kitchen. Though I'd recently made some changes in the kitchen, it wasn't perfect and that backsplash still caused me anxiety. Let me walk you through it: OK, this is what the backsplash looked like when I first moved into my condo eight years ago: The lobster, the tomato ... is that beer in a Champagne flute? I just couldn't handle it but you know how it goes ... you get settled into your home and before you know it, eight years have passed and you're still rooming with a lobster. Once I'd renovated the bathroom and updated my living room, it was really time to do something about the backsplash. Because funds were limited, my amazing and talented designer Lisa Canning encouraged me to paint the existing backsplash. It was a quick and easy job and really did make a difference; at least I wouldn't have to look at those lobsters any more. Problem: I took a shortcut (never a good idea!) and painted around my existing stove. I know, I know - I should have moved it but it was too heavy for me so I did the best job I could. But when I got around to replacing my appliances, the new stove was lower than the old, thus exposing the shortcut. So I suppose it was inevitable that I'd have to rip the whole thing out and start from scratch, which I finally got around to a few weeks ago! And, as many of you probably know, once you start one job, it tends to snowball. My contractor convinced me to replace the countertop at the same time. "Once you put the backsplash in, you can't replace the countertop without damaging the tiles," he said. Before I knew it, the countertop was off and out and the real fun was about to begin! Off I went to Home Depot to choose my backsplash tile. The choice was a no-brainer. I LOVED this tile and knew it would look great with my white cabinets: This Marble Mosaic tile ( Home Depot, $19.99/sheet) is beautiful and looks wonderful contrasted against the dark countertop I selected. The Home Depot sales associate was so helpful, not only helping me to choose my tile, but making sure I knew exactly what kind of mortar and grout I'd need, and pointing out which sealant should be used following installation. He gave me step-by-step instructions, which I listened to carefully, then imparted to my contractor. Finally! My kitchen looks polished and complete - no lobsters and no amateur paint job peeking out from behind the stove. After all these years, it still takes me by surprise when I walk into the kitchen and see it looking so ... finished. There's nothing more to be done in there now and it feels (and looks!) great. It was really worth the wait. What around-the-house task do you keep putting off?