There have always been higher priorities here than new kitchen cabinets, and Will wanted to hand-make ours. But time seems to fly by and finally I couldn’t stand my messy kitchen any longer. With no doors to shut to close out boxes and jars, it seems like stuff is piled everywhere!

New cabinets are very expensive and not particularly well built. I would have liked custom cabinets that were well built, but Will just has way too many other BIG projects he’s working on to do it. So we bit the bullet and found some pretty big-box cabinets at our local Lowe’s. They are expensive, so we can only afford a cabinet every so often, and that’s how we’re doing it. So far I have three. It’s a start and it’s very encouraging to me, just having them sitting there. Only fifteen more to go — plus sink and counter top. But it’ll get done, sooner or later, just like everything else on our homestead, and we won’t end up with a big loan when we’re done, either.

Meanwhile, Will is continuing his work clearing the new pasture on our new forty acres. He’s got most of the dozing done and is now loading all those hundreds of small poplar trees onto the truck to stack for “small wood” firewood that we use in our cook stove and in the wood fired stock tank heater. We’re supposed to get several inches of snow tonight, so he wants to get as much hauled as he can before that happens.

None of my peppers or petunias are up yet, but I keep peeking at them, waiting impatiently for those first tiny curled sprouts. — Jackie

16 COMMENTS

  1. Patricia,

    I’d like to see your cabinets, too. And I’ll bet a lot of readers would, too; send a photo and I’ll see if it can get on the blog.

    Jackie

  2. Katherine,

    Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, our nearest Home Depot is 70 miles away! But I’ll check on it, anyway.

    Jackie

  3. Joanna,

    There are so many good sweet corn varieties out there today that it’s hard to pick. Last year we grew Seneca Horizon and simply loved it. But this year nobody carries it! I’ve really liked Kandy Corn, but it’s hard to get mature up here in zone 3. Sometimes we get it; other times not and it’s disappointing. Kandy Quik is an earlier maturing relative that we’ve grown and like a lot.

    Jackie

  4. Deborah,

    Yes, they are hickory. Lowes calls them Denver. They are pre-finished, so you don’t have to seal them, which is a bonus for busy homesteaders!

    Jackie

  5. Jackie, we took unfinished cabinets from Mennards and my honeybunches has remade them with hickory wood flooring, and they look awsome! I would love to send you a pic!

  6. Cabinets look good. I know all to well about paying as you go or when we can afford.

    Jackie, what kind of sweet corn do you like? and I like it sweet! with large kernels.

    I really enjoy your blog, and always look forward to your articles at Backwoods Home. How does one person know so much about a lot of stuff? I’m always amazed at your knowledge. Wish I had a $1 for everytime I mentioned your name to someone. :-)

  7. Congrats Jackie…. had we not just last year redone our kitchen from the walls out, i would have told my husband how much I liked those cabinets when I saw them at Lowes the other day. I could see them in our home,just not for another 25 years like the last ones. enjoy

  8. Hi Jackie,
    These are the same cabinets I am hoping to get someday for our little 750 sq. ft. cabin. I saw them at Lowes, they are Hickory, aren’t they? They looked rustic and perfect for a cabin in the woods. Are you sealing them with polyurethane or varnish? Do they need any kind of finish? I value your advice.
    Thanks, Deb

  9. Pretty cabinets! They look kind of like the hickory ones that Home Depot also has and it appears the ones at Home Depot are on sale, it thats any help to you. I got some to replace other ones and like them.

  10. Your new cabinets are beautiful! Wanted to mention that my husband and I took some inspiration from you and Will and bought our first baby Holsteins to raise for beef last week. It is definitely taking some getting used to getting up extra early every morning to feed them. They aren’t the smartest things in the world but they seem to be catching on to the routine. Every time we go out to the barn and hear them calling out when they hear the door open, it makes us feel good that we’re that much closer to providing our household beef!

    Also, I made your recipe for rolls but substituted some of our freshly ground wheat flour and they were super tasty! My husband asked that they be made again which is the highest compliment he bestows!

    Thanks for the inspiration and great recipes!

  11. Congratulations! We got the same cabinets at our local Lowes when we built our kitchen. I love them very much! I think they are great quality for something you can find in stock. Whenever someone comes over for the first time, they always comment on the cabinets. I am sure you will be very happy with them.

  12. I love the natural look. Be careful or aware…We purchased solid wood doors from HomeDepot, purchasing what we could afford with the intent to purchase more as we could. We were ready to purchase our next 6 doors and were very disappointed to find out they had discontinued carrying our doors!!!! In fact NOBODY was selling the same door. So we have half of our 18 doors in one style and the others well lets just say thank goodness they are in the basement!
    :(

  14. I love the wood grain and i can’t believe that you found them at Lowes! They look hand made.
    That’s how we are doing things here…I have 1 cabinet so far….between the fridge and stove…and I love it to peices. Can’t wait for the rest. In the meantime my things are stacked on shelves and rubbermaid standing units and covered when possible. Looks a little cluttery but without regular kitchen cabinets that’s how it’ll be for a little while. Debt free.

  15. Good for you! They are so pretty. We have old cabinets, but they are nicely built and made of solid wood. Once I decide what color to paint them, I’m going to get busy on them, but for now they work fine and keep stuff out of my sight. I’m sure it lifts your spirits every time you look at your new cabinets and envision your completed kitchen!

  16. Oh, you’re cabinets are beautiful! Your kitchen will certainly look a lot different when done! Enjoy the incoming snow!

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