Mini Kitchen Update - Under Cabinet Lights

Last week, Esposito decided to take a staycation and I put his extra free time to good use.  One of the kitchen projects that had been pending since we purchased our house in 2008 was under cabinet lighting (along with a backsplash, fridge surround, pantry closet, etc.).  We purchased the lights and everything (from Home Depot) but never got around to installing them until last week.

Esposito did all the work while I was at work, so I don't have in progress shots, but he tells me the install was pretty easy.  Luckily, we have a hidden outlet in one of the upper cabinets, so it was just a matter of attaching the lights to the under side of the cabinets, drilling a hole through the cabinets to string them across, and plugging them into the outlet.  Behold:

No lights

Lights

No lights

Lights

And a few close-up shots for your enjoyment:

Next up is a backsplash, though likewise we've had the tile chosen for at least 3 years now and just haven't gotten around to putting it up:

I love how the colors in the tile bring together the tones in the cabinets and countertops

I'm debating whether it makes sense to have a 3" granite backsplash made and add tile over it, like so:

via

Since the wall space between the upper and lower cabinets is around 15", a 3" granite backsplash would cut down on the amount of tile that we need, as well as make install fairly easy. Thoughts on this? I'm mostly afraid that the granite won't match up since it will be cut from a different stone than our countertops were. Has anyone added a granite backsplash after adding counters?

In any event, I'm super excited about scratching this project off the list - the extra light comes in handy when cooking and I think it adds an extra something to the kitchen.  And it was virtually free since I had written off the cost of the lights years ago!  Have you completed any mini projects lately?