CrossRoads:
"we all did it !"Ha! Many of us still do!
DAILY! 
@Quadrophonic84, one suggestion, if you haven't already, break the project into pieces and conquer one at a time, then put it all together. For instance, just print the countdown to the serial monitor for starters. Might be easier than figuring out the LED hardware at the same time (although that serial display that CrossRoads linked does make things easier.)