My son is allowed to drive

Jason got his learner's permit today. I feel so old.

He actually failed the first time he took the test, missing just a couple over the allowed limit, so David took him again today.

I am so excited for him because I think it's a big deal to get your driver's license.

I remember when I got my first license.... learner's permit. It was freedom, even though there had to be an adult sitting in the front supervising.

At the time, the "adult" in my life was Nana; my grandmother. Whenever we drove anywhere, she was by my side and my sister was in the back criticizing.

At 16, I could drive solo. Nana suddenly ended up in the back seat. I was cool then. And, driving solo made me feel grown up. I volunteered to drive any where, any time, and for any reason.

Now, I get to teach Jason to drive and I am terrified. I know he will be a good driver but it's scary to think of him controlling something so big.

Here he is. Good pic, I must say, considering his hair is so long. At least he parted his bangs so his eyes are visible.



I asked him if I could take his license to work with me tomorrow because I wanted to show it off to my coworkers.

He said no.

The shirt that wasn't

I was folding laundry and came across a girl's shirt that's wasn't Jessie's.

It is not uncommon to find myself folding unfamiliar laundry. Laundry that is way cooler than the stuff I buy my kids. I swear, Jessie has the best wardrobe going... and it consists mainly of items she has inherited from friends.

But for every piece she has inherited, a piece has been bestowed... believe me. I can't tell you how many items of clothing I have bought her only to see it worn once or twice before it "disappears."

So, anyway, I am folding laundry and find a shirt I don't recognize.

It was the kind of shirt that has the illusion of a shirt on top of a tank-top. They are cool indeed, but when they are inside-out and you are trying to get them rightside-out, they are not cool.

I fussed with it. I fought with it. I twisted it this way and that, but I could not get the shirt to look right. And I would need it look right before I could fold it. After all, I am compulsive that way.

Maybe the extra shirt was supposed to drape off the left hand shoulder, I thought to myself as I wrestled with the fabric.

I held it up and studied it. Then something became obvious to me.

The combo shirt was not a combo shirt after all. It was a tank top AND the skirt that went to her bathing suit held together by static electricity.

I'm quizable

I have to say, I take these kinds of quizzes a LOT.

So much, in fact, that I have learned that you can evoke a different outcome just by clicking the refresh button.

I don't usually post the results from the quizzes I take, but with this quiz, I think the results are dead-on. Well, dead-on except that I don't make decisions easily..... For better or worse, I make them rather quickly, actually.

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Bedfellows

I gave away Jason's bed today.

A few weeks ago I heard about a really neat site from a friend of Dale's. It's a Yahoo group called tallyfreecycle. It's free to join but you have to live in Tally... I am sure there are sites like this in other cities... Anyway people either offer things they don't want anymore or people ask for items they want.

So I joined and, for the heck of it, posted a WANT ad asking for a double bed for my teenage son who had outgrown his single bed. I figured it was probably unreasonable to ask for such a big-ticket item but I had nothing to lose. The next morning I had an email from a woman who had a bed for me.

I couldn't believe it. I got what I asked for!!

Dale and I went to pick it up last Sunday morning. It's a beautiful Windsor-style bed with head/foot boards and a brand new mattress.

So then I had his bed to deal with. First I asked Jason if it wanted to take his bed to his Dad's apartment to use. He said no. So I decided I would give it to someone on the freecycle site.

Before I could post an ad, I saw a WANT ad from a single mom who needed two twin beds. I emailed her and told her I had one I could give and she gladly accepted. She arranged to come over tonight to pick it up. Around 7:30 she called and told me her mother was coming in her van and confirmed the directions.

When her mother arrived, she pulled into the driveway but didn't get out. I walked down and introduced myself. She told me that she was deathly afraid of cats. Jess and I put all the cats in a room and proceeded to help her carry out the bed frame and mattresses.

Now I have to tell you, the van this woman was driving was filled up with stuff... 3 child seats and at least a 48-bulk pack of toilet paper... I swear to you.... and I couldn't help thinking, "What was this woman thinking by sending her mother to pick up a bed in a van loaded with crap??"

She loaded the head/foot boards in the front passenger seat.

She loaded the rails in the middle section.

Then, after some experimentation, we loaded the box spring through the back so that it rested on the head rests of the middle seat.

The main problem was the mattress. There was no way it was gonna fit inside the van. NO WAY.

Then the woman said she was going to fold the mattress.

OMG, I thought to myself. First of all, everyone knows you can't just fold a mattress. And second of all, even if it could be folded it would surely break. But the woman, who was a seasoned mover, had it under control. So we loaded the folded mattress into the van and off she went with many thanks.

All in the family

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Here we are.

Me (Liane): 45, overweight, curlyish greyish-black hair, bifocals, usually stressed out... a/k/a mommy or "mother" in the event one of them is put out with me. I prefer Queen of the Universe... only I can't seem to get anyone to refer to me that way.

I try to do everything right.... hence the halo... but I don't always get things right.

P.S., I do have eyebrows.

Jason: No aliases that I know of. 15 1/2 and in the throes of adolescence. About to be a sophomore in high school and knows everything. His hair is longer than the cartoon depiction and almost covers his eyes... it's also much darker than many of you may remember. He is tall and lanky with a low voice... monotone for the most part, as he usually only speaks in one-word sentences. There wasn't a soccer outfit choice, so I went with golf because that is his new sport interest. He watches it on t.v. for hours (yawn). He is also interested in tennis but only plays occasionally with his friends. He's rekindled his interest in soccer. He tried out for a new travel soccer team last week and we are waiting to find out if he made it.

Jessica: a/k/a Jess or Jessie. 13 1/2 and going into 7th grade. Also in the throes of adolescence but speaks (or yells) in fluent sentences. There is no doubt that she will be taller than me as an adult. She is almost as tall as me now... at least in her platform flip flops. Of course when I tell people that, they always reply, "what's your point?"

She definitely has a figure now and looks well beyond her age body-wise. She is into cooking, but not cleaning, and wants to be a chef. Next school year, she will be in chorus. She loves to wear jewelry but is not good at keeping up with it. After she lost all of her earrings, she lost all of mine. She is obsessed with Vera Bradly bags and other name-brand clothing thanks to her friends whose parents can afford them.

Spot: a/k/a spottums or bott bott. Our oldest cat. He is black with white. He is very aloof and spends most of his time sleeping in strange places and hissing at the kittens.

Stinky: a/k/a stinky boy or stinkweed or stinkwad. Raised from the bottle at 2 weeks; thinks he's a person. He is very social although he is scared of everything, which is highly annoying to me. He is very vocal and talks to us in tones we seem to understand. He tolerates the kittens and tries to play with them occasionally.

Bacon and Spike: a/k/a bacon-bit and spikey. Our newest family members. Raised from the bottle at 2 weeks; now 8 weeks old. They bounce all over the house and explore everything. And by explore, I mean get into places where they should not be. Funny as hell to watch. Bacon (named by Jessie) looks almost exactly like Stinky... grey/black tabby. Spike (named by Jason) is grey and white tabby.