Best Mother's Day... Ever!

I've been a mom for 16 years now, which means a rollercoaster of Mother's Day experiences. One forgotten, one horribly over the top to make up for the forgotten, a few obviously almost forgotten, and many spent taking care of someone else's mother.

This year goes down as my idea of the perfect Mother's Day.

I was shooed out of the house late morning with my bicycle, after presentation of kid-made cards & art projects. Came home to a basket of folded laundry, two freshly scrubbed dogs, and dinner being pulled off the grill.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A bit windy on the way out, but that just made for a good workout for the first half of the ride, and a super speedy return trip.

Just me, audiobook version of "The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe", and miles of lovely trail.

Stitch & Learn

Used a vibrant print fabric from Alexander Henry, and a few scraps of black/charcoal cotton to make a sundress. McCall's M5654. (Photo doesn't do it justice - will try to swap out tomorrow, when there's more light. And with an actual camera.)

Learned a few new things - box pleats, inset pockets, a new way of inserting a zipper. Stayed up late to finish it, I was so excited.

It looks great. The set of the straps shows of my lovely broad shoulders. I love it!

It will only be worn as a swimsuit cover-up.

Why?

Because the way it hangs from the widest point of my bustline will cause folks to ponder my due date. Might even make them brave enough to ask.

Don't confuse this post with a bitch session, because it's not. I do love this, and will wear it often. Just not out to dinner. Or a lot of other places.

This is a "things I need to learn about choosing patterns" post. And, it's a perfect opportunity to play around with the pleats. I think if I take the pleats down a little lower, so the dress doesn't flair until about 4-6 inches lower, it just might work.

Bit of a dilema

The backstory:

Last night, sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., a fellow over-corrected coming around the curve, and flipped into ivy at the drop near my driveway. Neighbor across the street made the phone call.

Guy climbed out of the car on his own. Took off his necktie and walked around. Seemed pretty calm and composed, especially for having just flipped over.

Police, fire department, and ambulance came. Tow truck hauled everything away.

This morning, when I walked out to see if any trees had been battered, and to clean up any glass which could have been a problem for walkers, runners and cyclists, I noticed a few things on the ground. Large sections of the windshield, a necktie, the pocket of a door or center console, a leather folder of CDs, a business card... and a big ol' empty can of Fosters. It was shiny and on top of one of the windshield chunks, so I'm pretty darn sure it had not been hidden in the ivy before the accident.

And now, the questions:

• Do I call the police, to find out if this was an official DUI? If they didn't charge him, do I mention the Fosters can?
• As for the personal items on the ground, would this also be a call for the police? I think the name on the business card is probably the guy in the car, but I'd hate for us to contact him, only to find out it's his boss.

TV Time - Way too much time, in fact.

Between Hulu and Comcast OnDemand, I may never get anything done... ever again.

Well, I'll get some things done. My ironing basket is completely empty, and I'm very close to the seeing the bottom of the hamper most days.

Watched The Dresden Files on Hulu last week, while stitching up girl and doll clothes, along with a top secret apron for my mom. Since it's on the laptop, I carried it along to the kitchen, to entertain me while I peeled veggies and such.

This week? I'm folding and pressing my way through Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock - I mean Raylan Givens. It's over the top, but so well written, directed and acted, that you just dive right on into the story. I love it!

Givens has a much better sense of humor than Bullock, by which I mean he has a sense of humor. But the righteous anger and good heart - both there. Givens seems so like Bullock, that I keep looking for him to come across Ian McShane running a rural Kentucky town. (Heck, probably at least half the state.)

One thing I've found interesting is the lack of awkwardness seen in most new series. There's an awkwardness between characters, but only in the way you'd expect to see when somebody returns to a place and group of individuals after a long absence. There's the work to feel out how each have changed, and struggle to avoid falling into old roles... it's played quite well by the ensemble.

I noticed a similar natural awkwardness about the first few episodes of Parenthood - as everyone tries to figure out how they fit in today's group in relation to the past.

Oh, dear. Here I am, typing about TV, even when not watching. Better walk away from all screens for the rest of the day, as I have a walk/run to take, and the upstairs of the house to clean.

But, hey... at least I'm a few days ahead on the laundry :)

I want to pee alone.

(I may type it as seen above, but I say it with the accent... a lot.)

Is that really so much to want in life?

I know it's not just me. It's probably the lament of every mother on the planet.

When the kids are home, I'm constantly shooing them out of the bathroom doorway, only to have them continue talking to me through the bathroom door. It's not like they're with me every moment of the day - I'm not even sure how they get to the bathroom door. It must be a bit like telephone calls - kids spidey senses let them know I'm about to be unavailable for a minute or two, which causes them to race in my general direction.

It is not just the younger kids who excel at this. My teen has been known to text or call me with some minor question from the basement playroom - lazy teen isn't a stereotype for nothing - at the very moment I start walking toward the bathroom.

When the children aren't home it's the dogs. They'll follow me right in. If I shut the door, they'll lie down on the other side, making a 130-lb expanse of canines to climb over three minutes later.

And, today... children are playing video games. Dogs are napping by their feet, worn out from playing outside. I head down the hall, walk into the bathroom, turn

to shut the door...

... and in rolls Annabeth, my daughter's teddy bear hamster.

...sigh...