Gift idea- with

[marilynd]

My MIL has worked in the bra industry for years- she has always fitted woman. She now works at one of the hospitals boutique here fitting woman for nursing bras anyway...I love the SanLori designs (the set with the panties)and though it would be cute do do something for her. Any ideas??

[T-Bags & Rags]

How about a sinfully soft bathrobe?

[marilynd]

Thats a great idea. I could stitch out that cute lingerie (SP?) design. She would love it. She is not real fond of personalized items- I think b.c it is to rebal against me- you know how some people have to go against others. She is that way. So I thought just the design with no name or initials would be nice.

Last Christmas she wanted new bathroom towels- I got them and told her that I would monogram them. SHe said no thanks- I do not like monogrammed towels. Sweet hun?

[ShirleyC]

Oh gosh! I love monogrammed towels, and I give them as gifts all of the time. I never thought about someone "not" liking them.:confused:

[T-Bags & Rags]

You have to love in laws! Especially the Mom-types! I think any woman would be crazy to turn down the bathrobe and it doesn't need to have her name or initials... Just that great design!

[marilynd]

My in-laws have always made commets about what I dress my girls in. They say things like...well since they are dressed alike I guess you can't hand that one down or they will not have anything new- she will be wearing that sameoutfit for ever.
OR
Well I guess you can hand that down b/c you put her initials on it.

They know it gets me- I hate hand me downs anyway. My kids are not the clean type so their cloths get stained anyway. gee

SO my MIL can not stand that I am successful at embroidery. I think it gets her goat if you know what I mean. She hates the fact that it's popular and I do it. Not sure why but she does. She will have me sew a changing pad as baby gifts but will not let me monogram it. Oh well- her loss. She could be the best gift giver but nooo.

[T-Bags & Rags]

Well, let her be jealous and you get to be the best gift-giver! You'll never please someone who doesn't want to be pleased! Maybe you should consider giving her a gift with the "Big Girl Panties" saying in it! That would be a howl!

[marilynd]

Oh that would be too funny!!! I may have to do something along those line. If she gets mad- oh well. She gets mad at ANYTHING. She does need some big girl panties. HA HA HA

And see- why am I so nice to keep trying to make something nice for her??? I need to quit that! Im a people pleaser.

[T-Bags & Rags]

Do what you're good at and make no excuses for it!

[marilynd]

Your right- she is the one that is misserable. It kills her when she sees anything I do with a monogram on it.

[T-Bags & Rags]

Make sure she's the only one without a monogram for Christmas this year!

[momma4anna]

My MIL can be kinda hard to figure out, but I think it is just that she wanted the "best" for her little boy. Still frustrates me to no end though.

Mine is the opposite. She calls me up and asks me to emborider baby blankets and hats all the time! Anytime someone she even remotely knows, like her best friend's niece's daughter, she gives them a blanket and hat or bib.

I kinda like it though 'cause at least I know she doesn't hat me.

[marilynd]

She will be the only one w/out a monogram this year. Everyone I know loves to get anything monogrammed.

I fell like she think all I do is spend her sons money- b/c I dont have a job per say. Then she will say in the same breath how the other daughter in law works so much her poor daughter is in daycare full time...so she is never satisfied.

[T-Bags & Rags]

She sounds like the poster child for "She Dog of the Month." I hope that you don't put a lot of stock in her dysfunction!

[marilynd]

She sounds like the poster child for "She Dog of the Month." I hope that you don't put a lot of stock in her dysfunction!

HA- no. I am pretty used to it. I take what she says and does with a grain of salt. After knowing her 13 years...she is very pridictable now. LOL

[momma4anna]

She will be the only one w/out a monogram this year. Everyone I know loves to get anything monogrammed.

I fell like she think all I do is spend her sons money- b/c I dont have a job per say. Then she will say in the same breath how the other daughter in law works so much her poor daughter is in daycare full time...so she is never satisfied.

She sounds like one of those people that cannot be happy unless there is complain about. It is hard not to get sucked down by those types.

[T-Bags & Rags]

My daughter's boss is that type of person too. If he dosen't have something to complain, or whine about, (he'll make something up) he's just not happy. But then again, I don't know that I've ever actually seen him happy... I've known him for 25 years...? Hmmm... Something to think about.

[deesmom]

Sounds like my MIL. And I cant stand having ppl comment on what you choose to dress your kids in. I heard way to often about how much clothing my kids have. Yep...they do. I am well aware, lol.

[T-Bags & Rags]

I think that people that spend their time making those kind of comments have far too much free time on their hands. That and an unhealthy amount of jealousy that they need to deal with.

[momma4anna]

Sounds like my MIL. And I cant stand having ppl comment on what you choose to dress your kids in. I heard way to often about how much clothing my kids have. Yep...they do. I am well aware, lol.

Mine do too, but I try to make myself feel better by thinking I do not have to do laundry so often and they still have clothes to wear everyday LOL

[marilynd]

We do not go out to dinner with my MIL b.c she ALWAYS has something wrong with the food she orders. It is so embrassing (SP?) to have her complain so much about everything!!!

[sew blessed]

My in-laws have always made commets about what I dress my girls in. They say things like...well since they are dressed alike I guess you can't hand that one down or they will not have anything new- she will be wearing that sameoutfit for ever.
OR
Well I guess you can hand that down b/c you put her initials on it.

They know it gets me- I hate hand me downs anyway. My kids are not the clean type so their cloths get stained anyway. gee

SO my MIL can not stand that I am successful at embroidery. I think it gets her goat if you know what I mean. She hates the fact that it's popular and I do it. Not sure why but she does. She will have me sew a changing pad as baby gifts but will not let me monogram it. Oh well- her loss. She could be the best gift giver but nooo.

I'm sory to hear how inconsiderate your mother-in-law is of your feelings. Doesn't she know how much time & energy goes into the things you make? Some people just aren't sentimental, and they don't appreciate these things. I had some ideas though. Have you considered embroidering some kind of character instead of a monogram? You could add an applique heart or square & monogram it, add some decorative stitching, etc. Then the monogram could be easily replaced with something else (sometimes the area underneath the applique will wear differently, like hemmed pants do.) Sometimes the old folks just hate to see waste. Society today is not like it was years ago, everything is disposable these days. As for stains on children's clothes, I buy greased lightening by the gallon at Lowes, it is an awsome stain remover & household cleaner at $7 a gallon. I have been able to donate lots of my sons baby clothes by pre-treating stains with greased lightening. I just spray them as soon as possible, and wash them whenever I get around to it. Also any clothes that have stains remaining after I wash them, I don't put them in the dryer. I hang to dry instead & usually the stain will come out in the next washing. The dryer sets the stains. These are only ideas, Don't let a critical Mother-in-law get the best of you! ;)

[marilynd]

I will have to get that greased lightening stuff!!! My middle kid gets dirty just looking at something. I do not know how she gets so dirty- my first was so prissy and hated being dirty. LOL

I have put applique designs over monograms. I just did a dress for my middle and youngest. It was my oldest last year for Halloween. It's orange Gingham with a black monogram. I put an applique turkey over it. Then I did the other dress for the baby. Most of the itmes I monogram are the cheap shirts from WalMart, Target and Khols. So I dont feel bad throwing away the shirt. For $4 I have gotten my fair share of use out of it.
NOW, my FIL did make a comment about how just b/c it has a stain on it I threw it away? AGGG ya!

[dana]

I feel your stress- I think my MIL runs a close 2nd.
All I have to say is- you are the bigger person for still providing her gifts that you have worked so hard on.

Another great stain remover: at Joann fabrics- they are specific to the stain ( grass, grease, ink, etc). They are called Carbonna stain removers- in a small yellow bottle.
My daughter is the human napkin- at the end of the day, you can pretty much tell what she did, and ate. These are great. They have gotten every stain out!

Good luck with the MIL!