This is not right. Have you asked her not to clean your space? If you have, do it again very firmly. It is not fair for you to be so upset in your own home. You are the woman in your house and MIL should not intrude and if she can't listen nicely, then she is asking for it....hold your ground girl and speak up! and don't care who thinks what....

So far I guess I am lucky in that NOBODY trusts
messing around in or near my desk or sewing room.

Although my hubs and youngest daughter use to always
put stuff in my sewing room until I told them the next
time they did that I was going to start putting junk in
their areas. That my desk and sewing room was completely
off limits to them regardless of what they might think.

I fear that if ANYONE came into my home and messed in
my fabric or sewing rooms they would end up on the very
|short end of my temper.

No I am NOT a nice person when you mess with my stuff.
Even my own mother never did that.

That door needs a lock! You don't need to say a word; just lock the door.
What is in your sewing room, desk, dresser is no one else's business and if DH won't say anything because it's "easier not to", put locks on your private area. This is ridiculous

Maybe shes bored and trying to keep busy while trying to help you. Have you tried to ask her if she would mind getting a meal ready, making cookies, doing the laundry or maybe try to get her involved in quilting - ask if she wouldn't mind cutting a quilt up for you for starters(show her how if she doesn't know how). Explain how not to throw away scraps as those can even go into a quilt. Maybe find some scrappy quilts on here to show her and some that even use the edge. When you're at somebody's house babysitting you can get bored very easily with nothing to do. Give her something to do and/or talk to her about bringing something she enjoys doing(if she doesn't want to learn quilting). Tell her you know she means well and you appreciate having a trust worthy person and someone who loves your child(ren)watching over them but anything in your house could have a purpose and you would appreciate it if she would ask you before tossing or putting anything away unless she or the kids get it out while she is there.

Good luck and hope everything works out.

Are you paying her to come and babysit every day?

How old is your child?

How old is your MIL?

Have you ever considered that babysitting every day at her age may not have been in her plans?

(Not all grandparents live and breathe for the opportunity to take care of grandchildren on a regular basis.)

I do agree that the only person that should be messing with your stuff is you -

Oh my goodness, I had to laugh at this one!! ;)

Amen to that! someone from DH's family (not MIL)tried that once and believe me all H+++ broke loose when i came home and found out. Never happened again.

Hm, I am having devious thoughts. (Funny, but those seem to happen more and more) Can you go to her house and return the favor (just pretend of course)? Is there anything she is fond of that you could move around or misplace?

I truely understand where you are coming from. my DMIL lived with me for 37 years and While I was at work she would do her thing and it was always "Just trying to help". I really don't accept this excuse. We should all respect each others space and not intrude. She had the whole house to do her thing in but just had to do it in my little sewing room too. And she never knew what I was talking about when I had to ask her where she put something. I replaced so many things over the years because I just could not find stuff after her helping out.

She is not of this world anymore and I wonder if god is missing anything!

I always used to ask her if she would like it if I rearranged her bedroom dresser drawers every week and threw out her crossword puzzle books.

My DH follows her lead and I can never find anything in my own house but it does keep him close!

Just look at all the trouble Neat freaks cause!

If all the mothers out there could teach their kids one thing it would be to respect other peoples stuff and space. They will get along with their future partners much better!
:-D
peace

ube quilting, I just cracked up reading your post. I was getting kind of frustrated and cranky, reading about people coming in and "rearranging" one's possessions, until I came to your post. Thanks for lightening up my evening.