My Sudsy

My Sudsy

This is an adorable picture of my Sudsy...some of you may know her as my niece, Lisa.  She is so cute!  I literally want to reach through that picture and pinch her cheeks!  Look at how she is rocking that hula-girl-hair-thingy.  Wacky went to Hawaii and must have brought that back for her.  Lisa is also holding a hula girl doll.  I remember getting one of those dolls...but not the really cool hula-girl-hair-thingy.  It makes me a little jealous...because I think I would have really liked to wear one of those.  

Lisa is only 4 years younger than me, so we grew up more like sisters.  And with that came a little (teeny tiny) bit of sibling rivalry.  I always had to be the older, more responsible one and as the baby of my family, that didn't come easy.  There was a school near their house that had a great playground.  I remember a time that I was heading up there for some intense swinging and Lisa wanted to come along.  I really didn't want to take her...well, because her hair was a mess.  (I'm sure mine was too...but that is besides the point.)  I told her she had to brush her "Raggedy Ann" hair if she was going with me.  The details get a little sketchy at this point...I don't remember if I took her or not, not sure if she brushed her hair or not.  What I do remember is the lecture I got from my sister, Pat (her mom).  Apparently, it isn't nice to tell someone that they have "Raggedy Ann" hair and I promise you that I never made that mistake again.

While Lisa was my constant playmate, she did kind of annoy me with copying everything I did.  One time she asked me what my favorite color was and I told her green. She proceeded to tell me her favorite color was green.  So, I decided to change my favorite color to purple...and guess what...she changed hers to purple!  Like any mature 8 or 9 year old, I told my sister that Lisa kept copying my favorite color.  My sister replied with that dreaded saying, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."  I really hated that one.

Lisa has grown up to be a wonderful woman of God and pours her life into teen girls at her church.  She has 5 children.  The oldest 3 are girls.  All four of them have great blogs...Lindsay's is about being an ordinary girl, but she is anything but ordinary.  Her twin sister, Courtney, is a gifted photographer and just got back from a 6 month mission trip in Thailand (and I think) New Zealand.  The oldest girl is Brittany.  Brittany is an ER nurse and much of her blog is about fixing up her home in an urban renewal area of Detroit.  I love to look at pictures of what she and her roommates have done to this place.  (Yes, I'm a lurker.) I love her sense of style and decorating.  The first time I looked at the pictures is when I realized I had sort of lost my whimsy.  I remember thinking (months ago), if I was her age, I'd decorate my house just like that.  It occurred to me this week, I can decorate my house like that, even at my age!  And so, step two of getting my whimsy back is to start collecting and making awesomely whimsical "stuff" for my house.  (Step one was this blog, not that anyone asked.)

One last thing...if you looked at my blog and Brittany's (makingitinmidtown.blogspot.com) you might notice a slight resemblance.  I'm a copier.  I even had her background at first...but thought it might creep her out if she ever saw it.  But then again, there is that old adage, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."  There is another saying..."what comes around goes around"...so, Sudsy, I guess that's true, even if it means the daughter has to pay for the sins of her mother.  <3