HGTV, FRANCE EDITION!

Nine suitcases, seven carry-ons, six purses, one Bumbo and one stroller later, with two kids in tow, we arrived en masse at 18 Rue 11 de Novembre, L'Etrat, France, late Monday night.

Armed with nothing but ambition and our Beauchamp know-how (which is all you really need), we proceeded to turn a sparse apartment into an organized, efficient, and appealing living space for the Simmons family.

The players: Aunt Veta, whose organizational skills are legendary and work ethic unmatched; Aunt Donna, whose language skills are invaluable and whose patience and attentiveness kept Tae and Eli from feeling neglected, and who was willing to do anything put before her; Aunt Jan, whose imagination and creativity took the transformation to a whole other level, and matched it with a tireless effort; and me, who, motivated by a mother's love, put whatever I could into making sure my daughter's nest was well appointed. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will let them do the talking.

PANTRY BEFORE:

PANTRY AFTER rubber gloves, masks, and 2 gallons of bleach:

 

KITCHEN BEFORE:

KITCHEN AFTER!

DINING ROOM BEFORE(with the new lampshade we added):

DINING ROOM AFTER!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER!





MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

And a little comic relief.