finally got back to work on the kitchen. There's still quite a bit to do like finish the back splash, paint, and change out the lighting, but i decided to work on the seating. we don't really have a good area for a kitchen table, or seating in general so i decided to build a banquette (aka a bench). took me about a full day.

before; you can see that we have a small area for the table, which gets smaller when there are chairs you need to pull out to get to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6121447565/
the base for the bench. had to make sure to leave room for the dog food container:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6121449259/
another during:http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6121450819/
pretty much finished:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6121995922/
just have to add some finishing touches:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6121997302/
i ran out of baseboard after the stores had closed. i also plan on adding some crown under the bench top to make it look a little nicer. and then i'll be painting it white and making some cushions and pillows to make it more comfortable. I think it tripled our available seating.

now we just need a table that fits better:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flippedcracker/6122023032/