Mother-in-law Apartment Reveal

Today was graduation day for my mom. She stepped through the gates of heaven at 12:23 this morning.

God is good.

Can I say that again?

God is good. His grace is sufficient.

I thought it fitting that on this day, on this my DIY blog, that I share with you the before and after pictures of her apartment.

This one is for you mom…

We bought our quad level home two years ago after nearly 2 years of searching for a home in the country with a yard for our grandkids and a MIL apartment for my mom.

It was in rough shape, but we knew we could make it ours (and hers).

Here are the before pictures.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

What do you think of that black flowery wallpaper?

B.L.E.C.K.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

The carpet had been…uh…let’s just say, the animals graced the carpet with their presence.
When we first walked into the house, we had to cover our noses – it was hot out, the house had been closed up…

Nuff said.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

DH put up a wall here to make this a separate room for my photo studio.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

Mom’s kitchen is bigger than mine. When we moved in, she told me, “There are so many cupboards, you can use half of them!”

After she got all her stuff unpacked, there wasn’t an inch left. She had a lot of stuff!

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

This was her bedroom “before.”

The wall to the right was bright red. That was a bugger to paint over.

While Mom was in the hospital for her bypasses and aortic replacement in October, we worked on doing the little things we hadn’t done when we first moved in. She came home three days early from heart rehab so I had her wait in the car when we brought her home so I could snap some pictures for you (before she messed it up!). When someone is sick off and on for a year straight, you tend to let things go. So I spiffed up her apartment and put cards and gifts on her dressers from family and friends. My DH replaced her sink and faucet – something we’d planned for some time. 

Here are the after pictures.

Let me know what you think. I truly love your comments.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

When I am old, I shall wear purple…

Her fave color was plum, so you will see a lot of that throughout her apartment. My DH used to tease her and say it was purple, just waiting for her to correct him. Contact the experts from PIC Plumbing Services about water leak signs.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

Doesn’t this look like a Meemaw Pepper’s apartment?

Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too? (Some of you won’t get that.)

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

She even had plum colored frying pans.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

…and plum serving dishes.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

She made plum afghans, quilts and curtains.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

She bought plum rugs and a plum bedset from IKEA. April made her a plum scarf for her window.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}

Friends and family sent their well wishes – all lined up on her dresser.

MIL Apartment Reveal {Love My DIY Home}There are plum candles all around.

Family literally had her covered from head to toe.

She had plum colored leggings, plum colored shirts, pants and even her coat and scarf were plum.

Jillian had bought her a plum bubble vest and hat for Christmas.

April bought her a plum sweater.

Whenever I see plum I’ll think of my mother.

And I know that when she entered the gates this morning at 12:23, my Dad met her and said with quivering lip, “What took you so long!”

As you celebrate Christmas over the next few days, hug your family tight. I know I will.

My family sustains me, especially today.

God bless all of you who lifted our family up in prayer. You have been my Aaron and Hur.

You Got This | LMDH

And I’m glad you do – blessings, my peeps,

VAL @ Love My DIY Home

If you’ve not done so yet, please read more about this story – I’d like to encourage you:

12 thoughts on “Mother-in-law Apartment Reveal”

  1. Thanks Val for sharing this. I loved looking at the photos. I’m so sorry for your loss. Pepper was such a special lady! You did a great job on her apartment. Love, Gina

    Reply
  2. Aunt Val, You've done one such a beautiful job with Grandma's apartment. I know she just loved it. It was plum perfect and restful for her, filled with love. I'm sure this Christmas (and likely many to come) will be hard for you. She leaves such an amazingly rich legacy and countless wonderful memories – I know you will be buoyed by those, and the fact that you know just exactly where she is. Therein lies our eternal hope…another part of her legacy. Our love to you. 

    Reply
    • Thanks, Sarah. Merry Christmas! And thank you for sending G’ma the postcards these past few years. She loved them (and I enjoyed reading them too!).

      Reply
  3. Dear Val, 

    I'm so sorry for your loss.  And I'm so grateful that you blogged through it & shared with all of us.  Sometimes it can feel jarringly glib when a Christian's response to grief is, "His grace is sufficient".  But, by you sharing your life and how you go through the ups AND the downs, it makes it a lot more clear for those of us who are just trying to figure out how to do this thing – this Christian life! Heart hugs, Julie

    Reply
    • Thanks, Julie. I too dislike religious platitudes, but for the most part they are genuine but used wrong. We should never flippantly use truths – they should be lived first, then shared. Blessings to you, Julie!

      Reply
  4. Val, I stumbled upon your site today, somehow rerouted here through HomeTalk. I was blessed by your posts about your mom's journey Home & reminded of my mom's & baby sister's as well. I loved seeing the sewing machine in your mom's apartment in its rightful place—the living room! Mine is on the floor, tucked into the corner by our dining room table, ready at a moment's notice…

    Serving Jesus with you, Greer

    Reply

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