When we built our present house, we built a guest room on the first floor for my mother to stay when she came to visit. Her health was declining and she lived alone in Florida. I wanted her to live with us so I could spoil her rotten. It wasn’t meant to be. As she got older, she became afraid to travel or even to leave her house. No matter how much I pleaded with her she stuck to her guns.
Full of wishful thinking, I decorated “her” room. I wanted it to be bright and cheerful and welcoming. I painted the walls a bright pastel yellow. The comforter on the queen bed was green and yellow with flowers scattered around the fabric. I hung matching full length curtains on the windows. The furniture was bright white. I hung framed prints of colorful flowers on the wall above the bed. I painted a table lamp yellow to match the walls. The room (and me) waited for her to come visit.
My mother who was my best friend passed away July 20, 2006. She never got to see her room. She passed away in the home where she raised all four of her kids, where she lost her husband and oldest son. Her wish was to die in her own home, dependent on no one. She was a very proud, strong, beautiful woman and I miss her every day. I still pick up the phone to call her about nothing and everything. I love you Mom!
The next year, after much begging, Son #1 got his own room. When he was away at Winter Retreat with our church youth group, we surprised him by converting the guest room into an NC State University room just for him. The school’s colors are black and red.
In two days:
1) We painted all the furniture black
2)Painted the walls grey and the corners red
3)We covered the bed with a black comforter, white pillows, NC State sham pillows, hung NC State red valences, painted a lamp red that was yellow, and painted the ceiling fan blades red. Sadly, I don’t have pictures of some of the things because I wasn’t thinking like a blogger back then. I know better now!
4) Each of the kids found a picture on the internet that represented things that Son #1 loved and we printed them out, framed them and placed them on a shelf we painted black.
What was neat about this room, besides surprising Son #1, was watching all the brothers working hard to make their oldest brother’s room for him. Son #1 absolutely loves his room!
Have you ever done a surprise decorating project?
