A few Saturdays ago my little girl was taking a nap and my son was playing quietly so I thought I would get a small DIY project started. My kitchen has been driving me crazy since we moved in and needs updated badly. So with some new cabinet door pulls (found on clearance) and a recipe for a homemade wood polish to try, I was ready to give my cabinets a little facelift.
As I was getting all of my supplies ready, my son became suddenly very interested in what I was doing and wanted to help and went to find himself a screwdriver. On the first cabinet, I showed him how to remove the old door pull and replace it with the new one. Then I let him do the work himself on the second cabinet. I watched as he carefully and delicately worked on the project and finished the first cabinet perfectly! He had done such a fantastic job, and was excited to move on to the next cabinet!
As I stood back and watched him work, I was struck by how fast he is growing up, and what a wonderful and talented young man he is becoming. As I watched him do a skillful job on the cabinets, I couldn’t help but think of him as a toddler helping his dad work on projects using his little plastic tool set. Wasn’t that just yesterday?
As he worked on the cabinet pulls, I worked behind him polishing the cabinets with the homemade furniture polish (recipe below) which did an amazing job of smoothing out all of the scrapes and wear showing on the cabinets. This gave them the a very clean surface that looked as though we had completely re-finished them. Along with the new cabinet pulls, I felt that my cabinets looked 10 years younger! We were both very pleased!
With my son doing the cabinet pulls, our work went slowly but it was fun! We chatted and laughed as we worked, making it a really special time with my little boy who is growing up so quickly. It made me realize that we really only have a few more precious years to enjoy fun projects like this, before he gets older and doesn’t want to do them with me anymore and then leaves home for his own projects and adventures in college. With that in mind I decided to use the time that we have now wisely, so that I don’t regret wasted opportunities with either of my kids in the future.
After finishing our first set of cabinets my son and I where both so proud of our work! We decided to make it our project to finish the rest of the cabinets in the house. I guess, having my son grow up isn’t such a bad thing, as long as I take the time to make the most of all of the moments and Saturday afternoon projects along the way!
HOMEMADE WOOD POLISH
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Whisk together in a resealable container until fully mixed. Dab a microfiber cloth into the mixture and apply and work evenly into wood. Wipe any excess off with a clean, dry cloth. Whisk mixture between each use. Any remaining polish can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
(Note: try polish on a small test area before using full-scale)
Cali says
Heartwarming story, you are so very blessed. My cabinets look like your before ones, I will give this polish a try. Thanks so much.