In-Law Home Refresh: Take 1
Afternoon ya’ll!
No, I’m not from Texas. But I have southern roots and every now and then it just comes out and my fellow mid-westerners give me funny looks. That’s ok. We all have our quirks.
Today I wanted to start a series following the progress of my in-laws “refresh.” I’m not going to call it a remodel because I’m not tearing down walls. And in my mind, wall demolition is required to be considered a remodel.
So a few months ago my precious father in law asked if I would consider helping my mother in law redecorate one room in their house. What I will call, the front room, as they so lovingly call it. Now let me stop right there and say that for some people, decorating anything with their mother in law sounds down right horrid. But not for me! I have been blessed with a saint of a mother in law. She doesn’t meddle. She doesn’t nag. She doesn’t judge. She babysits for free. She prays for my family. She is a hospice nurse. There, enough said. It takes a special someone to give care to those passing from this world.
There she is! With my FIL and kiddos. Isn’t she lovely?
Now, I don’t say all this to brag. And no, I don’t even think my MIL knows I have a blog yet, so I’m not brown nosing. I just say this to say that the idea of redoing a room with my mother in law was not something I groaned about. In fact, I did the exact opposite. I jumped for joy, agreed without hesitation, and then promptly went home and created a Pinterest board just for the occasion. We all need a little inspiration, right?
My husband laughed as I outlined all my plans. And then I realized that they had asked me to help with the FRONT ROOM. And my plans detailed changes I would make not only in that room, but also the dining room, entryway, hallway, and family room. They are all connected, so in my mind that just meant they all needed to be freshened up.
Here’s the problem. I tend to take on more than I bargain for. So I had a little chat with the in-laws, laid out my ideas, and they agreed to start with two rooms. The front room as planned, as well as the dining room. Ok. Got it. I can reign in my ideas and go slow. I then proceeded to offer to do all of the work in 10 days so I could surprise my MIL with a completed project when she got home from a medical missions trip to Guyana. (I told you-amazing.)
So there you have it! I’m committed. Let the wallpaper removal begin. Stay tuned for progress updates!
As a little teaser, here are a couple of front room BEFORE PHOTOS:
{“Grace, then, is grace,–that is to say, it is sovereign, it is free, it is sure, it is unconditional, and it is everlasting.” ~ Alexander Whyte}
Update: The project is done! If you are interested in following along with the process click below.