And don't forget, she needs to wear her granny boots too!

Sooooo sorry to hear that! I would let her know that you appreciated her efforts to help straighten up but your sewing area is totally off limits to EVERYONE. Everyone in my family knows they don't even touch a single thread on the floor in my sewing area. They don't move anything, even if they think it "looks" messy. If she has never done that before, she may have thought she was helping. Next time, post a sign on the door.......

Wow, now there is a keeper! :thumbup:

I feel you pain. My husband let my exDIL clean the house while I was in Europe (I had told him many times to stay out of my sewing room). She cleaned (??) the sewing room of all of my bag of scraps. I couldn't even go up there for about 2 weeks after I got back, everytime I looked up there, I would start crying. Can't say anything to her because of the grands, so I just fume, quietly. I can't find patterns, fabric, and books. No one can decide was is important to you. She also cleaned off my computer desk and the desk in the kitchen. I can't find my IRS reports for the last several years, I had a stack of papers to file and they are gone ?? somewhere. She stuck things everywhere and anywhere. Needless to say, it took all I had to not do away with my DH. However, I would think she would known better, too. But thinking back she doesn't have a lot of snap. Sorry about the long vent, but I can't do it here. And I am working on letting it go.

The BEST advice yet ...

AND post a BIG BOLD sign and be sure to be explicit to dh about what 'won't happen' if he ignores it too, LOL.

I would ask her where they are and explain they are expensive!!!!

I would be looking in the trash. Can you ask her nicely what she did with them?

When I was growing up, I had some cousins (young) who would go through my dresser drawers. I caught them and told then the next time I would close the drawer on their hands. I also told my parent, their parents and my grandmother. About 15 minutes later all you could hear was the cousins crying because someone closed the dresser drawers on their hands. You know what, they never did that again. Their parents mad and grandmother was very mad. My parents just said good girl. lol

We were taught to respect other peoples things. If it wasn't yours, you kept your hands off. unfortunately some people think they have the "right" because they are "helping". Or need to feel "needed" Not in my house!!

OK...that seriously cracked me up!!! Too funny!

and this is why my MIL is over 3,000 miles away. we get along better. :)

Girliegirl...I have two thoughts on this.
If she is babysitting and puts the child on the bus at noon, does she still need to be at your house?
Why hasn't your DH told HIS mother that there are boundaries and she us not to cross them?!

let everything else go, its not worth the stroke, but you must find out about any paperwork dealing with banking/taxes things like that!
and, pls, make sure hubs knows in plain english no one NO ONE is to go thru your stuff ever again unless you're dead and buried. Let him know it would be a terrible inconvienence and expense to him if you have to buy a handful of lockboxes at the bank in which you store everything on paper you value.

the computer - get a laptop and take it or lock it up in a safe when you leave for any amt of time. I usually take mine with me, hubs takes his - we don't ever use each others computers unless its some kind of emergency. I cannot imagine someone else going thru my personal files on my computer! sharet

(Things are only things, stuff is stuff, and your stuff is yours to do with as you wish. I've given away as much as I bought or got over my life. The key is this , its your choice. When others step in and start doing the deciding of what you value as a bit of stuff then you are out of the picture, as if you dont exist.)

If your house is like ours - it's not all that easy to create an area that can be locked.

It sounds like having MIL take care of child was not completely (or at all) your idea - and this has not improved things one bit.

you poor thing. My family knows not to touch the sewing stuff, no matter how messy it looks. and it gets really messy. good luck on finding them.

Could you just put up a permanent sign saying 'NO TRESPASSING!'

have you tried to sit down and talk with her and explain that even though she may think she is helping, It is an intrusion on your privacy when she does things like that. Maybe she doesnt realize (hard to believe but possible) that you resent her doing this.

Have you ever thought of putting up a sign "Off Limits" on your sewing room

I guess I have to be glad about my DMIL, the messy hoarder, who would never dream of cleaning up my sewing room because shes so busy straightening up the mess in her house. LOL I laugh because she comes to my house and thinks I am too neat and controlling of her son's acquisitions. Both she and my DFIL were furious at my DH for helping me clean the kitchen one night after we had invited them for dinner. Oh blessed messy MIL. I will never be ungrateful for her again!

Have you tried asking her where she might have put them? Maybe she will remember and save you some work.

don't feel lonesome. my DH came into the sewing room and saw me sorting the big scraps from the crumbs, he didn't say nothing just kept on going. The next morning he saw my box of crumbs all nice and neatly packed into a box next to the door way (because I hadn't found a place to put them yet) and thought they were ready for the dump so he did me a favor and took them while I was sleeping. I looked for 2 days trying to find where I put them when he came in to see what I was looking for. When I told him his mouth hit the floor and I knew right away he did something bad. I just looked at him and "Oh! No you didn't!" and he said "I'm afraid yes I did"
End of story.
Time to collect more is all I can say.

Amen to that!

;-)

Oh froggy, never feel guilty about your scraps, just send them here to me and I promise to put them to great use in some nice cuddly therapy throws that I donate for chemo and dialysis patients!!! I make them for kids having chemo too, so kid print scraps work too. hugs and smilesss

I'm sorry about your missing "crumbs". My husband won't even go into my sewing room. I have to tell him it's okay. He also won't look into my purse for anything. He brings it to me if I ask him to look in it and get the checkbook if he's going to the store. He holds it like it might bite him. LOL

Put a lock on the door. :?

Dear MIL, You have committed a quilting faux pas. :shock: Crumbs are part of future projects. Shall I show you, when I get ready to use them?

Gotta love them, they are ' being helpful'.

And with that did he pass you some "hu$h" $???
Hope so!!

You know what...maybe forget the talking and reasoning....just threaten her with a rotary cutter ROFLBO....only teasing hmmmm although....lol

Ouch!

You could always get rid of something she doesn't need the next time you visit...

Last night my hubby was helping me clean house and said he'd vacuum the 2 back bedrooms (1 is my sewing room) and I politely (very adamantly!) said I would take care of the sewing room, he could do the other one. So he closed the door on my sewing room and did as I asked. Such a good man!

Never read all the posts but this one kept me reading to the end.I keep out of my hubbies garage and he stays out of my girl cave.We never tell each other to straighten up or touch anything.The rest of the house is both ours even the kitchen.Sorry to her about your crumbs and I know it's not just that bothers you.I'm the perfect mother-in-law.I stay out of my daughter-n-laws business.......

Dying to know, did you ask MIL about them yet and did she tell you where she put them.
I have a quilt studio in another building, not my house.
Everyones in the family knocks before entering, and no one would dare to touch anything in it. They are all afraid of me, LOL, It is always locked when I'm not there and I have the only key.......
Best of luck to ya.

mmmmmmmmmmm well she did leave her coat here!! maybe it will get lost.........

she also takes him off the bus! next year he can be in the school program and he is going too!

OMG........ GOOD ONE! love your avatar!

:roll: I don't have a clue, you mean you sure you left it here, I haven't see it. LOL

Oh I don't think it's here .... wonder? would it be under the china cabinet?

You know I think I saw it under my crumb squares. I'll bet they are together somewhere!!!

Hey if she left her coat, you could use it to make new crumbs!! just saying