Friday, April 26, 2013

Cardboard Cookies, Consolation Pretzels and Carrying Quiet

Short and sweet today.

I was possessed by the brain of a good mom a few weeks back and told my jBird that she could have a slumber party for her birthday. In a few short hours, my house will be overrun by 9-year-old girls who will never go to sleep all night. There will be so much giggling that I will probably die. That is, if I don't die this morning from having to go to the mall. In the suburbs.

You see, I also told my dear, sweet girl that she could have one of those awful cookie cakes from the mall. This is what happens when you have a mom who used to decorate cakes professionally - you get bored with homemade custom confections and you think it's the biggest treat in the world to buy a cardboard cookie. And, when you have a daughter with big brown eyes and dimples and who remembers her pleases and thank-yous, you find yourself agreeing to things. So I'm chugging my coffee and steeling my nerves and preparing to head out into the fray.

My consolation is that right next door to the cardboard cookie place is the pretzel place. You know the ones: the big soft, fresh ones that you can smell from the parking lot. The ones where you can watch teenagers in blue aprons expertly kneading and rolling and twisting them on marble counter tops in the back and you want to touch that dough and stroke it like a thigh as it lies in big, soft, floury heaps on the counter. The ones where you will stand in line to eat a "Sour Cream and Onion" pretzel just because it's the pretzel of the day and only a buck. When in the trenches of mall-warfare, we seek solace where we can find it. Don't judge.

As for the poetry, I cheated today. It's not a poem, exactly, but it's poetic. One of my favorite artists in the world - the whole entire world! - is Brian Andreas. He is most famous for his Story People. They are small and incredibly powerful stories illustrated with brilliantly colored, almost childlike drawings. He manages to plumb the depths of human existence with just a few short words and well-placed lines. I highly recommend you explore his art. There is really something for everyone there.

Today I will share a print that hangs in my kitchen that really explains better than I can why the shrieking slumber party, cardboard cookies and a trip to the dreaded mall.

Check out more of his work here .

Enjoy your weekends, my darlings.
Do things you'll never regret and carry the quiet with you.

4 comments:

  1. Well yes, I don't think you'll get much quiet

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lovely thought in that frame. Enjoy all the giggles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow. Thanks so much for sharing this artist here TL. He and is work are an inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous. I'm late as always but this time it gives me hope that you've by now had plenty of time to recover from the cardboard cookie cake and its aftereffects. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading and taking the time to say hello!