Tell Me About It: 'Wonderful partner'? Define your terms

Question:

I'm a 30-year-old who has a wonderful partner of five years. We've lived together for four. My problem is I don't like living with him anymore. Now that I have some disposable income I want to decorate; I want my home to be clean and inviting. My partner thinks a house is a storage locker and a place to sleep. He gives me a hard time for spending (my own) money on decorating or furniture.

I'd be perfectly happy to live in a duplex with him. Our own space but close together. I could invite him to sleep over. It would be sexy. He hates this idea and feels insulted and unloved.

Answer: "Insulted and unloved" - was that a direct quote from him?

Because it isn't much of a stretch for me to imagine how you feel when he gives you a "hard time" for spending your own money on things you care about: insulted and unloved.

If he is indeed a "wonderful partner," then he'll realize that supporting what's important to you (your freedom to nest), will yield what's important to him (sharing that nest with you).

Q: My husband's sister makes me crazy. First she named her son after my husband, meaning the name is "taken" and we cannot use it if we have a son. Then, she bought her daughter a puppy for Christmas, of the same breed we've been talking about getting for years once our beloved dog passes. I know these things are not a big deal, but I can't help but feel like she keeps trying to beat us to the punch! Do I say anything to her or just remain silently frustrated?

A: I'm going for (C): Get ahold of yourself.

A woman named her child after her brother? That's not only common and perfectly acceptable, but also really kind of sweet. And if you want to use that name for your kid, have at it. They'd hardly be the first pair of cousins with the same family name.

I don't even know what to do with the dog-breed thing. Laugh? Cry? Laugh harder?

It looks like you're taking a routine dislike of someone and blaming her for it. I can't help but think that if you liked her, you'd have been touched by the name, and eager to take credit for the dog.