Well, my best laid plans for getting you some updated pics of the cabin did not occur. My latest health adventures prevented me from trekking to the cabin. I’d like to say that I will be there this next weekend to do just that, but I have other commitments on the plate and that just won’t happen until the end of this month–my apologies for the delay.

It’s ironic that I used the term “on the plate” because today I’m telling you about our fantastic kitchen and laundry room appliances. You need to know a few things first:

1. The hubby’s a great amateur chef. He likes better than average kitchen appliances.
2. I can cook and bake, but I can go 335 days without either activity, and be perfectly content.
3. The only time of year I cook and bake is at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The hubby and I go all out for those two holidays, food-wise. Thus, we need a LOT of room when we do so.
4. I like appliances that either self-clean or are easy to clean, since I’m “the maid.”

Perhaps the last thing you should know is that we have practically fallen in love with our local appliance dealer here at home. Typically, I would love the ability to look at 1000 refrigerators and kitchen set-ups in a big box store to buy appliances, but our little “mom and pop” operation here is so good at recommending the best appliance for each job and for efficiently servicing all that they sell that we trust them implicitly.

Not only that, they usually beat the price for the big box competition. What’s more to love, right?

You’re probably thinking that we just automatically ordered all of the appliances through them, hunh? Wrong. Our hometown is only 3.25 hours away from our log cabin. We assumed that they wouldn’t want to haul appliances all the way to the Reserve, let alone service them, if needed.

While we were talking to HVAC contractors in the log cabin vicinity, we noticed that one contractor also sold kitchenware and kitchen appliances. I instantly fell in love with KitchenAid’s black stainless that is fingerprint-resistant. Black is a bit of a misnomer–it’s more of a dark gray with a brushed metal finish. What’s better about it versus other brushed metal surfaces is that the black stainless is very smooth and easily wiped down. I tried, time and time again, to get a fingerprint to appear on the display models in the store, but to no avail.

Since our home appliances always seem to show fingerprints, this was a huge plus for me. There was a huge negative, though. To buy an entire kitchen-full of appliances in black stainless was going to be over $ 15,000. We decided to keep looking and hoping to find it on sale sometime soon. But, since it was a brand-new line in 2017, that wasn’t likely.

I looked everywhere and we were right–no sales and actually, the $ 15,000 was a fair price for everything we wanted. We were almost ready to say yes to the HVAC contractor when the hubby smartly said, “Let’s just ask Chris to see what he can do.” While I protested that he wouldn’t want to send a truck that far, the hubby reminded me that we could really tell if the price was a good price if Chris priced everything for us.

Another occurrence prompted that visit even more: our aging home washer was giving me more and more problems. While shopping at a nearby store for our son’s and daughter-in-law’s wedding gifts, the hubby said, “Let’s stop in and see Chris about a new washer.” I asked why, since we were limping by with it the last time I did a load. He said, “Because it completely stopped working when I did a load last night. Happy Mother’s Day, early!”

So, in we went and Chris quickly steered us to a floor model that he could deeply discount because the color was about to be discontinued. Since the floor model was gray and our current dryer was blue, the hubby surprised me further by just getting both the washer and dryer. These were no entry level appliances. The washer has a reservoir where you can load in a pile of liquid detergent and it will tell you when it needs more. It also senses how much detergent is needed and actually saves us money on detergent! It self-cleans and circulates air to prevent that mildew smell a washer can get if left with some moisture inside. The dryer is equally impressive with a steam setting to prevent wrinkling. Maytag for the win!

But then the hubby told Chris about the cabin and asked if he could price appliances for it. Chris ran the numbers for the black stainless and threw in 2 smart TVs for the cabin and said the total price would be $ 11,000! We up front told Chris that the cabin was over 3 hours away and why we wanted him to price things for us. Here’s what ensued after that:

Chris: This cabin sits by a private fishing lake?

Hubby: Actually, 4 of them.

Chris: If you’ll let us fish those lakes, we’ll bring your appliances to you.

Hubby: Really?

Chris: Yes. To get these prices, we’ll need to run it through a promotion that is coming up in a few weeks. Can you wait that long?

Hubby: Yes. We’re not in a big hurry. We need to finish up a few things first before we can put in the appliances. Do we have to take possession of them during the promotional time?

Chris: No. We’ll store them for you and when you’re ready for them, just let us know.

Hubby: Do I need to pay for them now or give you a deposit?

Chris: You can do whatever you want. I know where to find you. (We all laugh.) Hmmm…there’s a 0% financing offer as well for KitchenAid. Do you want me to run it through that?

Hubby: Sure!

About a month later, we had a stainless-steel microwave, two black stainless self-cleaning wall ovens, a cooktop with a “warming burner” and four other burners that warm up based on the size of the pot or pan, a dishwasher with 3 racks, a 5-door refrigerator/freezer, a trash compactor, a washer-dryer set and the two TVs.

The microwave works exactly like our ancient one at home and is equally as roomy and easy to clean. The ovens work like a dream–the only problem? We need to get a lot smarter to use them better–it even has a bread-proofing cycle. The 3rd rack in the dishwasher is great for utensils, lids and pizza pans. The refrigerator has soft close doors and is remarkably flexible space-wise. The bottom freezer compartment has 3 different areas: the roomy bottom part and the two pull-out drawers above it. All are KitchenAid!

The cooktop is the only disappointment–while it works really well, it is a royal pain to clean, so I’m reminding my resident chef to wipe up spills immediately when cooking there.

The washer and dryer are identical to the ones at home, but they don’t have the detergent. It’s a good thing–I can’t imagine trying to explain the reservoir concept to renters!

The LG TVs are awesome. But we seldom have them on. Why? Because we don’t have a dish or cable out there. The whole idea of the cabin is to enjoy the scenery, the cabin and each other! We have a DirecTV and AT&T account that allows us to stream our favorite shows and movies to them via our smart phones without cost, so when we really want to watch TV, we can.

The only non-Chris appliance is our second refrigerator in the laundry room. It largely gets used for beverages when we have big crowds. While Chris’ guys delivered a whole house full of appliances without incident, the laundry fridge crew nicked our entry door severely and got stuck leaving the Reserve. But, I like the fridge and the price was right, so if it isn’t long for this world, no biggie.

Oh, and the hubby got a brand-new KitchenAid mixer so he could make his famous homemade ice cream at the cabin as my 35th anniversary gift to him…it seemed fitting in a kitchen full of their appliances. Conclusion?

Don’t you wish you had a Chris? And…get a fishing lake near your home.

Friday’s Post: Claw Torture…

You Might Also Like: Log Rhythms: Plumb Crazy and Log Rhythms: Door Staining