Yesterday I went to the store with my friend & Mom came along. I decided to get up a bit earlier than usual to go-- good thing I did because it turns out one of the cats had snuck into the truck the day before when we were unloading the water & groceries. Got in the truck, started it & cat started yowling from the back seat. He was too freaked out to move so I had to pick him up & carry him into the house. We had a dog who died from getting stuck in the vehicle during summer one year so it really upset me that the cat got locked in. I always close the door after taking something out to keep the pets from getting in, but my brother had been helping & he didn't close the door (he was the one who accidentally locked the dog in the vehicle). Fortunately, the cat is fine.
Got the 30"x30" cabinet. Popped in to Office Supply to look at desks to see if my Mom liked any of the styles (I really hate the desk she has now), she got a small item but wasn't interested in desks. In fairness, they were particle board garbage with the veneer peeling off. But I got a sense of what she likes. May have to make her a custom one at some point.
Texas Roadhouse was open earlier than usual but only doing take-out orders. We ordered & waited for the waitress to come out to take payment. Her mask kept slipping & was giving her trouble so my mother gave her a better mask (had a bunch in the glove box) and I gave her a tissue to put under the mask to make it more comfortable.
Food came out awhile later & I gave her a tip-- she seemed surprised. We drove to a shadier spot & ate in the truck, then went in to the Source Plus Liquidation store where I picked up a couple of things (they had a really nice tub spout for 70% off) & a Brookside back rest that was very comfy. My friend got two ceiling fans that were open box (but didn't check to make sure the right products were in the box).
Got back to his house & brought the kittens out to see Mom. My brother showed up awhile later (he'd had a doctor's appointment in town) with food for our friends. He & Mom held the kittens while I sanded & stained the new cabinet. My brother took my mother home for me so I could stay longer. While first coat was drying, my friend installed the ceiling fans and discovered one of them was the wrong fan & neither one of them worked. I handed him parts, picked up screws that kept falling, and ran him to the store to grab some extra screws that were missing from the box. Lights come on but aren't as bright as they were supposed to be-- was supposed to be 1,000 lumens but was more like 400 & fan wouldn't budge. Turns out he got two of the same fan but one was in the wrong box (box of a more expensive fan w/ better features). Receipt said all sales final no refunds. He's going to call to see if they will do an exchange or work with him since the wrong product was in the box. One of the fans had the light keep flickering but it finally stopped. He looked up reviews & they were 1 star saying the fans were garbage that didn't work.
I did the 2nd coat a couple hours later after the fans were installed. My favorite kitten crawled out to explore while I was waiting so I held her. My friend called my brother to come back over to help put the cabinet up & asked him to be there in about an hour. About 2-1/2 hours later we were still waiting so my friend called back & was told he was playing a video game & would come over. Got a call about an hour later that he was on his way. I was still holding my kitten. She had crawled around on the back of my neck to nap, then crawled back to the front. She started staring at my nose and I saw her following it when I turned my head. I put my sweater over her & she fell asleep instantly. She liked having her chin & sides of her face rubbed & started purring a little. My friend's fiance put the kitten back with her mother when she woke up and was hungry. The fiance then asked me to stand in the bathroom while she took a shower to make sure she didn't pass out (her pregnancy has her feeling woozy). I helped her dry off & moved the cabinet (which I stained in the bathroom so the smell wouldn't permeate the kitchen and bother her) so it wouldn't be in her way. My brother finally arrived & helped put the cabinet up.
Now, earlier, my friend had removed some small plywood blocks that were used to hold something in place in the cabinet & I wanted him to keep them rather than throw them out. I said they could be used as shims. He laughed because he knows my hoarder tendencies & wanting to keep scraps of wood & such & thinks it's funny. He was trying to level the cabinet & couldn't find the shims. I remembered I had some in the truck so I went out to get them. When I came back, he told me "Guess what!" and said that he used the plywood blocks as shims & said he knew I was going to be amused. So, the cabinet is now up.
Toekick trim still needs to be cut & stained. Then we need to get some baseboard & molding to cover the gap on the side of the cabinet to the floor (it's about 1" after stuff got adjusted). I need to do some wood filler & touch-ups in some spots & will give it at least a day to dry before I do a coat of poly. I got some aluminium foil sheets to use on the underside of the cabinets so when we put in under-cabinet lights, it will reflect more light down.
I almost forgot, I got some rope putty (used for installing window screens I think) to put in a gap between the counter and the pantry cabinet. It will be covered with something else later, but the putty will keep stuff from falling in the crack (which was too wide to just caulk) & we'll put something over it later. Trying to figure out what to cover it with. It stays soft so it needs something harder to go over it.