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.
What do you think of that black flowery wallpaper?
B.L.E.C.K.
Nuff said.
DH put up a wall here to make this a separate room for my photo studio.
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!
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.
When I am old, I shall wear purple…
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.)
She even had plum colored frying pans.
She made plum afghans, quilts and curtains.
She bought plum rugs and a plum bedset from IKEA. April made her a plum scarf for her window.
Friends and family sent their well wishes – all lined up on her dresser.
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.
And I’m glad you do – blessings, my peeps,
If you’ve not done so yet, please read more about this story – I’d like to encourage you:
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
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.
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!).
Hey Val, Debi sent me this. Thanx for sharing this. You have a great mom. We will all miss her.
Thanks, Denise. Nice to hear from you. I hope all is well with you and your family – Mark and i miss you all!
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
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!
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
I’m so glad you found my posts about Mom. I have her things all over my house and miss her so much! Blessings to you, dear sister!