So I was really looking forward to having a kitchen for Thanksgiving. Two main things I was excited for: a kitchen sink to clean up in and an oven to help with the many dishes our family likes to cook for Thanksgiving. Guess what!! We got our sink in and plumbed before Thanksgiving!! Guess what else? We did not get an oven, even though I placed the order on Labor Day weekend. That’s right. THREE MONTHS AGO. I have since cancelled the order and placed a new order with a local company. Keep your fingers crossed we might have a FULL kitchen by Christmas. I have zero faith it will happen. Which means I can only be pleasantly surprised.
We also got our stovetop hooked up! This thing is AMAZING. We went with induction as it is supposed to be very energy efficient and easy to moderate the heat. What we didn’t realize (we clearly should have done more research) is that induction stovetops only work with pans made with magnetic metal. We have ONE magnetic pan 😂. But we were able to find an affordable induction ready set on Amazon that should be arriving soon!
The sink took 2 tries and 3 days to get all hooked up. We have found that no matter how hard we try to nail the plumbing supply trip the first time, it inevitably requires a second – and maybe even third and fourth attempt! We currently have the garbage disposal installed, but we are not using it yet as we want to get the dishwasher connected to it as well (whenever it arrives!).
We had a small Thanksgiving with just the In-Laws and us (as is probably the case for most this crazy year), and I was in charge of the stuffing and a side I picked. The brussel sprouts with cinnamon (homegrown) butternut squash, walnuts, and cranberries was a hit! The stuffing I am going to have to try again next year to make a little better…with a fancy double oven…I hope! On Friday we got to work again and put down flooring!
Laying down flooring was definitely one of those things that we thought, “this won’t change anything. It’ll just be a little easier to clean, but the function is already there.” We were so wrong. Putting the flooring down transformed the Cabin into a home. We still need to finish putting trim down, but at this point we are feeling very happy about the Cabin progress.
And to really drive home the new cozy feelings the Cabin was providing, we decorated for Christmas on Sunday!! Maybe, just maybe we will have a full kitchen before Christmas. We will be continuing to make progress and some day get the Cabin fully self sustaining with a full bathroom (so maybe we can shower and sleep in the same building – WHAT?!) and eventually even a washer/dryer addition. But for now, look at the difference just one year can make!
The Homestead Journey 