We started in May and completed the painting (including stripping, and applying a coat of poly, and cleaning) in late October.
It was quite the learning experience and much of the reason for why it took us so long to complete this project was the fact that we were newbies to DIY and had to start from scratch. We did a lot of research into what to do and what to buy.
Of course being new to the world of home improvement, it also meant we made a lot of mistakes and had to do rework.
After the painting was completed, we "rewarded" ourselves by allowing ourselves to buy some furniture for the kitchen. We got a wheeled desk from CB2 (not really a traditional kitchen cart, but we liked it's simple lines and the ability to move it around the easily) and two chairs from Crate and Barrel. Here are the before-and-after pics.