I don’t know anyone in the world who doesn’t appreciate a good before-and-after.  It doesn’t even matter what, exactly, is being made over, as long as people can see adequate Before shots and successful After shots.

Right now, it’s a blank wall.  Soon, it will be a work of art.  I hope.

It must have something to do with the psychological effects of instant gratification…instant facelifts.  Never mind the fact that hundreds of dollars/hours generally go into room or personal makeovers…a five minute before-and-after recap makes people believe that positive changes are easy and painless.

Before-and-after photos make me happy.  Ugly Before?  Beautiful After.  Done.  Have a nice day.  I will, thanks.  You too.

Because I so appreciate a good before-and-after, I will not tease you with all the before shots of a room makeover my sister and I are doing for our mom’s Mothers’ Day gift.  This project is the main reason I’m staying in Mesa for another week before heading back to Canada.  It’s going to be amazing.

My parents added on to our house when I was a junior in high school (grade 11, Canadians!).  The addition turned out beautifully—it doubled the size of their kitchen and added a “great room” that has hosted many a family party since then.  Despite the fact that it turned out well, we never really added the “finishing touches” that it deserved.  It got blinds, but no curtains.  It got paint, but sparse wall hangings.  It got french doors, but random furniture.  We’ve really been meaning to finish it off for years—nothing’s stopped us but lack of time/energy/motivation—but this is the week it’s finally happening.  My sister and I have a plan.  It’s going to be good.

We are in the midst of it now, having hired out our favourite contractor to do crown molding and thick baseboards, plus a wee bit of wainscoting around the bar area (for charm, of course).  The painters (We got to hire some!  As in, not us!  As in, score!) came and caulked this afternoon and are due back tomorrow to start the ceiling (I’m sorry, but I just need to say it one more time: Score!).  The whole room should be ready to go just in time for my brother-in-law to take charge of his kid for the weekend, leaving my sister and I with nothing but time.  It’s going to be excellent.

Once it’s all done, I’ll do a solid before-and-after post.  Until then, I hope these mid-process photos will tide you over…

We aren’t touching the actual kitchen part—the cupboards and counter tops will stay the same (they’re brand new with the addition).

I spy wainscoting.  Charming.  Those stools will be black.

My sister made that ribbon memory board, but it’s time to make a few changes to it.  Plus, it looks so lonely there (as does the overstuffed chair).  This wall is my biggest worry.

I’d like to paint that chunk of cabinets to make them look like a separate piece of furniture, but my mom would never go for it.

That wall has been blank all its life, save for a brief period when it hosted my brick-red hutch, glimpsed here (which I found through Craigslist right before my wedding for a total of $120.00, and subsequently took to Canada when I moved away).  Since that month, I’ve always envisioned another hutch against that wall, but my sister is thinking more along the lines of shelf+bench.  She’ll probably win, because she’s the good daughter.  Also, we’re painting that table.  And my dream is to find eight mismatched chairs and paint them all the same colour, for a very vintage look.  We’ll see…

Anyway, if you’re the type of person who hates home-y DIY projects, Archives of Our Lives is going to be very bad for your chi this week.  Just warning.

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