What's wrong with this picture?

Before:



After:



The first picture is of our home in Nebraska after we did a minor renovation. We replaced the hardware, the appliances and the counter tops. We also spent three days scrubbing the black filth off the cabinets to reveal surprisingly pretty solid oak. And when I say "we", I mean "I". Mister C was ready to replace the cabinets because they really did look done for. He went on a work trip and I got out my bucket and started scrubbing. The cabinets were so disgusting that I had to change the water in my bucket every other door. And that was just the outsides. I spent another day rubbing lemon oil into the wood and then replacing all the handles. We did the rest of the renovation almost a year later.

The second picture is of our current home. Where we haven't done anything except replace the lighting. We need new hardware, new appliances and new counter tops. We also would like to eventually replace the cabinets because these are cheap and not very attractive. So effectively, it's a major renovation.

I hadn't really thought too much about the downgrade in my kitchen when we decided to move back to Sunshineville. We were moving back to an area that we loved and were willing to look past the less than lovely decor throughout. And honestly, the ugly cabinets aren't exactly the most glaring issue in this house. The carpets that look like they previously lined the floor of a motorcycle repair shop are probably the most stand out item for renovation.

But I was going through my photos looking for an example of the granite to send to some friends of my folks and found the first picture you see above. And then I looked at my current kitchen. Ugly cabinets. Cheap and ugly hardware. Cheap and ugly laminate counters. Original (1996) appliances in my least favorite color of bisque. And then I checked to see how much money I've made in commissions this year and I realize it's going to be a loooong time before the "before" picture becomes the current one again. Bummer.