Meanwhile: Do not fret about 15 years ago. We all have done stuff that was right for the time, and may in fact still be just fine. Hey, I love the sound of your scalloped, routed edges!

Finally - thanks - I had a much better day. Very productive, and everyone is in such a good holiday mood!

Great website. I look at it every day!

I have to admit something that I’m very ashamed of (in a renovation kind of way). When we moved into our ranch house about 15 years ago, I tood the old wood cabinets down and had them stripped (they were very yellowed from the old varnish). That’s not the bad part. I used a Minwax white stain on them for making them look “pickled,” which was very trendy at the time. I’ve liked them, but they don’t really look 50s. But I guess they could fit into the “antiqued” sort of look that was around in the 50s and 60s. Believe me, my mom antiqued everything in our house in that era. (OH, by the way, practially every kitchen in our neighborhood in that era had those wrought-iron-looking hinges and handles.)

But here’s my dilemma. What do I do with these cabinets now? I’m not sure what wood they are—could be birch, or even poplar (often used in Indiana), but they have a lovely grain. I don’t even know if that stain can be removed! I’ve been thinking of painting, but I love the wood. They have a routed outline (the corners are scalloped) that originally was painted black. I did clean and re-use the original copper hardware. Any suggestions as to which way I should go on these?

Pam, I’m sorry you had such a bad day yestereday and hope you’re feeling better now. You certainly help my day along with all the work that you put into this blog!!