My husband and I recently made an offer on a house and were thrilled when it was accepted. After fifteen years of renting, this will be our first home. We immediately called our families with the good news. An hour later my MIL called me back to talk decor and promptly vetoed all of my interior design ideas. I listened politely and told her that we weren't going to be decorating for the foreseeable future anyway. The downpayment ate up most of our savings and we'd prefer to use what we have until we can afford new things. I thought that was an end to it but the next day she called to let me know that she would like to come "help" me decorate this summer, and has researched flights to our area (I live in the NE US and she lives in the SE US). I reiterated that we weren't decorating anything yet and reminded her that, since I'm pregnant, I am strictly social distancing until after the birth (which she already knew). She's still pressuring me to accommodate her. For goodness sake, we haven't even closed on the place yet! She is a nice person and I know she means well, but this is one of a series of instances in which she has been totally overbearing. I'm usually sympathetic to her because her husband and other children have made her life very difficult. I really don't want to hurt her feelings but I often find myself struggling to politely temper her expectations. My DH is no help. He says this is precisely why he avoids her and it's my fault for bothering to speak to her. Can anyone offer any advice for dealing with an overbearing MIL?