Lisa Souers Designs

Milestones

 

 

I tell you.

 

There is something about

One Amazing Red Head

 
 

4 Best Friends

 

 

One Fabulous Hotel

Where Girls Think they are the Cat's Meow

 
  

And Greasy Fries

 

That make the best Birthday Party "eva"

 

You see...

 

My H said I couldn't be "emotional" when she turned 18.

 

But it's a milestone in my book.

 

But to her

It's being with her Forever Friends.  Doing what Forever Friends do.

 

They Play

 
 

They Shop

 

They Eat at High Class Restaurants with People that mean the world to them

 

And I get the Parents

Out on the Town

 

And I get to see

 

"My" Forever Friend whom we only know each other as "Cuz'ins"

 

And to this day she still thinks I am the one who taught her to swear in our "backyards" at the wee age of 4 on our swingsets.

This time we got to blame it on my Dad because we could "tag team him"in person

 

But I get this that makes it all worth while

 

 

So yes.  A bit emotional.

 

My H is 18 today.

 

And yes she got her stink'in boots

 

 

A wee bit early. 

 

We had a Party for Goodness Sake... What's a Party without gifts?

 

 

Such a Bad Mom

 

 

I've been told

 

I'm a Bad Mom

 

I'm holding out

 

You see

 

There is a "certain Red Head" who is kindly been named

H1

 

 

who thinks

"I'm a Bad Mom"

for not

"gifting her"

Her "oh so chosen gift

 

Before Her 18th Birthday.

 

If I was

"such a bad Mom"

 

Would I have "so allowed" this Little Red Head

 

To Dress Like a Ninja Turtle and Go Trick or Treating at Such a
"Fine Young Age"?

 

 

Or Act so "Gangster" in Such a "Fine Attire"?

 

Or "Be Left Unattended" with Such Fine Goods as these

at The FarmChicks Show?

 

Or Been Able to "Be Royality" with her Bestie and also so named an "H"

For a Weekend?

 

Or Paint Trees in The Backyard when we have enough fine trees already Planted?

 

Or let her ride in Police Cars?

 

"Just Because"

 

Or Act Like Such a Tom Boy when she's really such a Little Girl in my Heart?

 

Or Hang with Such A Bunch of Other Tom Boys every Summer and Get so Grungy Dirty that we have to stop apologizing for the dirty clothes every weekend?

 

 

I must be such

"A Bad Mom"

 

Because I get Smiles Like This Every Day

 

 

And Random Notes that Tell Me

 

 

 

So This Bad Mom is

 "Holding Out"

 

She can wait to

"Get The Goods"

 

 

Because as she learned along time ago

 

Tantrums never worked to get her way.

 

(but she's such a good kid she usually got what she wanted anyways)

 

This time

she just has to wait

 

 

A Joyful Easter

 

 

Easter's long ago in the Souer's House consisted of

 

"The Easter Bunny up at the

"wee crack o dawn"

Hiding Eggs

 

 
 

And forgetting to count how many "she hid"

 

At least I didn't paint them in camouflage color like the paint commercial

 

I like using my humor for my 17 year old in a better way this year.

 

Her "Easter Bunny" this year left this for her

 

 
 

 

With a note stating

 

"17 Year Old Good Children get the Bunnies with their ears broken off because little children would be so sad if they got a broken bunny"

 

(It was really because I was late getting to the store to get her "spiral honey ham" for her favorite Easter Dinner")

(and Mr. Souers and I do love a good chuckle with our daughter)

 

No I did not eat the ear and "repackage" it before leaving it for her

It's hanging right at it's belly

 

The cashier was more than happy to discount the abandoned bunny that was tossed aside the destroyed  "Easter Section" at the store tonight

 

Knowing someone else would think it would be given a good home

(no really, the cashier didn't get the humor of it all)

 

And we did buy her a "secondary bunny" in case she thought our humor "wasn't so funny".

 

Just in case

 

Either way

 

In my Great Auntie's Happiness Book

 

listed and marked by her

 

 

Because  I remember many an Easter Dinner with her as just that

 

Happiness

 

Even a broken bunny and a Spiral Ham

 

A joyful Easter with my most favorite possessions

 

 

 

A True Running Start

 

Just paid for another quarter of Running Start

 

For My Hannah

 

 

Such a great Check to write in so many ways.

 

15 Credits

$102.50

 

Do The Math

 

$6.83 A Credit.

 

Close your mouth now.

 

Yep

 

$6.83 a credit

 

 

Hannah will have her AA degree before she graduates

from High School

 

And she's loving every bit of it.

 

And you can tell she's

"so unhappy"

 

 

Missing so much of her "highschool years"

as we have heard would happen.

 

Um.

 

Nope

 

She's enjoying her Junior and Senior years

more than she ever thought she would

 

Playing Varsity Softball

 

 

 

Hanging at the Junior College and learning much more

than she would of at the

 

"Regular Classes"

 

Yep

$6.83 a credit

 

And Happy as a Clam

 

 

 

The Happiness Project. February

Wow

It's February. 

  I am still deep into my Happiness Project Book and wanted to post February since tomorrow is Valentines Day.

February is stated as

Remembering Love

 

 

I love the main parts of this chapter and have to chuckle a bit as how hard it is to

"not nag"

 

But realizing that nagging is such a negative and no one likes to be nagged at.

 

 

I had to underline the part that nagging doesn't work... because it's so true.

And so hard not to do

 

I love February

 

Not just for the February rules but February is such a month for me.

 

Mainly for the last rule.

 

Give Proofs of Love

 

 

 

I have gotten so many of these in my life and February is My Month.

 

With my Birthday a couple days ago, and my Auntie Beths on the 15th, she taught me to always

 

Give Proofs of Love

 

On her birthday, she always "gave presents to others" on her birthday.

 

This year, I followed her tradition.

 

At my "Out of control Red Robin" birthday with a bunch of girls who so named me

 

"Momma Lisa"

 

(after Mona Lisa I was so told)

 

I gifted them

 

 

Like My Auntie Beth used to do on her birthday

 

I told them if they gave me gifts.

They would have to buy their own dinner after Maddie's basketball game

I wanted to do for them and not have them do for me

 

They showed me "proofs of love" in there own ways instead.

 

 

Maddie's Mom surprised me with

Smuggled In Red Velvet Cupcakes at Maddie's Basketball Game Before Dinner

 
 

 

The Happiness Project in February

 reminds me

 

 

How important everyday thoughtfulness is

 

 

Even when Mr. Souers acts like Mr. Souers in a photo op.

 

 

Priceless.

 

Yep.  There was some nagging here.

 

But I look back at these pictures and I like the first one best

 

 

Fight Right and Why Nag?

 

Better read that part of February again.

 

 
 
But I am reminded that he chose me.

 

 

Back to the

Proofs of Love

 
The Girls  started there own tradition of "Girl vs Food" competition 

 
 at Red Robin soon after Smuggled Cupcakes

 

"How many Freckled Strawberry Lemonades can you drink

(it is you know "all you can drink for one price")

at one sitting

 

Whitney is a bit competitive and

 "likes to win"

 

Hannah doesn't go with peer pressure and didn't partake

 

 

Whitney won.

 

And so did the RR septic system that night.

 

But I think we all won, even the great waiter as he was bringing the lemonade

 as fast as they could drink them

 

The last part of the February Month is another reminder

 

A Week of Extreme Nice

 

Sounds a bit Cheesey

 

Shouldn't we all just be nice "to be nice"

 

She states

"try for a week just to aim for a week of a high standard of behavior"

Be more considerate to friends, family, no snapping, no nagging,

"Act the way I wanted to feel"

"fresh joy"

"When you give up expecting someone to change (within reason) you lessen anger and resentment and that creates a more loving atmosphere"

(and there is so much more in this chapter like not expecting praise and recognition for doing for others)

(do because you want to because it's right)

Sounds easy?

 

Not always the case

 

But when I have nights like this

 

 

 

It does make it easier

It's just a number.

 

 
 

Someone asked me one day how old I was and I lied.

I really didn't remember how old I was.

I really didn't remember.

Sorry Tiffany.  I really didn't know how old I was.

Birthdays are a funny thing.  It's something we can't change.  They just keep coming.  And some people really get hung up on the "number" part of it..

 

 

At times I do. Most of time I don't.  Because I truly don't remember how old I am most of the time.

So today, as I sit and celebrate with my family my birthday differently this year, a little sad as traditionally in the past it would be a "birthday week" with my Great Auntie Beth's birthday is Feb 15th, and my Mom's is Feb 18th...we would do a Birthday week,  it's okay that different is okay.

I was going through some old pictures and thought I would share.

Okay, I didn't share all of them as some.

Way too embarrasing.

Even though it's just a number.

I do have some pride on "numbers past"

 

On the back my Mom wrote that I was a week old..

Sometimes I still look at my Hannah and wonder who she really looks like

 

Then I pull this Picnic  photo with my Brother, Sister and Cousins and think

Yep,  She's Mine

(I'm this toe head top right, short hair)

Still not sure at times where Hannah gets all that Red Gorgeous Hair

 

I know she didn't get my

"Love For The Outdoor Wildlife"

 

Aka

She would never touch a Dead Fish If Her Life Depended On It

 

Okay maybe now she will since she wants to be a Doctor and loves her biology and science classes

But not at a wee one age.

 

 

We had a pretty Cool Childhood

 

 

Our Grandma Powell would take us on Field Trips to local places in Spokane

 

We went to a place that had brand new baby chicks.

 

With her it was always about a

"Photo Op"

 

She was in the Spokane Camera Club

 

I remember her always saying

"Hold still, I have to get the shot"

 

I think the baby birds were crapping in our hands

But we still had to

Hold Still

Grandma's taking the picture

 

 

Yep

I remember this one too

 

Sister and Brother

Climbing the Tree in Grandma's Yard

 

Wouldn't let me up

 

I was again sooo mad.

 

(I think that is why today I am such a spitfire)

I had to fight for my rights as the youngest of three)

 

Grandma's voice is coming back

 

Wait!

Let me get my camera!

 

My thoughts

 

"Hey"

"What about letting me up in the TREE GRANDMA"!

 

 

My Mom had a way of making things for us.

 

I think I had wrote before about our  matching clothes.

 

But she also had a knack at Halloween Costumes

 

 

I vividly remember this.

 

But I remember wanting to be Jaws

 

Excited about it.

 

Giving my Mom one day's notice to help me with it.

Like the night before school

 

So why was I "not so happy"  before Trick or Treating?

 

I didn't have to  dress like my sister or brother?

 

I had the Cool Costume?

 

I remember always out playing with my brother so there were quite a few with him and myself

 

My sister was the one that hung with Grandma learning how to sew and cook

Shoulda hung out inside with her more

Would of actually learned to cook better

The sewing part.

Still no real desire.

Got the artsy part from my Auntie Beth.

 

Highschool was "fun"

Being Unique

 

Um yea.

 

Remember the Prom Dress?

 

 

 

Texas Hair To Match

 

 

This was Signe

And her cool dress too

It was Taffeta 80's I guess

 

But I don't think her's was vintage

 

I always wonder what happened to my best friend

 

 

We both beat to our own drums

 

I was just more comfortable doing it.

 

Even after Highschool

 

But these guys looking back

Probably should of had background checks.

They followed me around at Disneyland

 

Really

 

In not a good way.

 

So

Going down memory lane today, I am reminded that Birthday's are really just a number.

I learned that from My Auntie Beth

Who on Feb 15th she continues to remind me that she lived to be 96 and lived everyyear as it was just a number to her and never regreted another year she was given.