We’re back in Arizona, having left a whole slew of unfinished to-do items at the house. But we did accomplish a thing or two that make us proud enough to warrant some before/afters:

One of my favorite things about the finished product is how many of the furnishings were given to us by family (THANK YOU!!). We barely had to buy a thing, and many of the pieces are sentimental as well as unique. My Godmother Kris gave us my grandmother’s old glider rocker and coffee table (seen in the first photo), my Aunt Nancy gave us a old iron sewing machine base that we’re using as a desk in the reading room and a sweet wicker hanging chair (my cousin Chris had the coolest bedroom back in the day) which Andrew is going to hang in his own special corner of the attic bedroom (in-process photos forthcoming), and my sister gave us a lamp and a few pieces of furniture as well.

My parents have managed to hold onto tons of amazing furniture and artwork during all their various moves, for which I’m eternally grateful. Pieces from them include six framed prints, two lamps, a set of amazing blue dishes, a complete bedroom set, a huge old upholstered chair, and my Grandma Marion’s (other) dining set (we have one here in Tucson), which you can see in the last photo of the dining area. I love the sturdy build of it paired with the sweet little painted flowers. I think it makes the default oak cabinets feel like they belong. And though baby blue is not my favorite color in the world, I went with an “if you can’t beat it, join it” approach to the countertop to see if I couldn’t get it to blend in to the room (as opposed to stick out like a sore thumb against macaroni and cheese yellow as seen in the before shot!). The color, in case you are as addicted to paint colors as I am, is Ozone by Behr. A few other kitchen details: the pendant light you see was $8 from the Habitat ReStore. We got a matching chandelier (identical but larger) for the dining area, also for $8. And when we go back, we’ll hit the ReStore for some replacement cabinet doors for those two open cabinets. That place is amazing if you are trying to save money and don’t have too rigid an idea of what you are looking for.

Soon we’ll post a more extensive slideshow of photos, so please check back!