Saturday Morning Dispatch No.10
Bears on trikes, cartoon cakes, whimsical playing cards, and another way to say goodnight.
This week has included two positive Covid tests (both mine), persistent sinus headaches, and a lot of alone time with the basement TV. My husband is, again and always, my hero.
Delighting.
Isn’t that a fun word? Delighting. I love it. It sounds like what it is: delighting. Like something a balloon does. The word delighting delights me. (Is it starting to sound weird yet?) I don’t think your mouth can form the word delighting without also making a bit of a smile. Try it. Can’t do it.
I think delight is a kissing cousin of joy. Joy feels bigger and more immersive, like standing in the sun. Delight is smaller, more surprising, like a ladybug landing on you. Both are worth cultivating, but if I’m honest, sometimes joy feels like part of a full-scale-Oprah-self-improvement program, while moments of delight seem like no-pressure gifts from the universe, you know?
Anyway, Pinterest finally figured out that I’m not interested in wedding bouquets and has started serving up all kinds of little things that make me smile. So maybe these are less “gifts from the universe” and more “digital bubble gum from the algorithm,” but they’ve been a treat while I’ve been stuck in the basement with my iPhone. I hope they’re a treat for you, too.
➵ An old Chinese goldfish kite.
➵ Needle felted bears and donkeys and giraffes riding tricycles, and cats driving funny fish cars, and all sorts of whimsical creations from artist Lindsey Thomas.
➵ Korean-style cakes with their liberal use of frosting, food coloring, maraschino cherries, and totally over-the-top borderline-cartoon retro Baskin-Robbins vibes. They make me want to develop my piping skills. Here are a few of my faves:
➵ These hilarious “piñatas” from Handmade Charlotte: hot potatoes, peanuts, pickles, and corn dogs. And bananas from Oh Happy Day.
➵ Riley Sheehey’s 2024 playing card project, which sent me down the rabbit hole of transformation playing cards. Any of these would make a game of Solitaire more fun.
Playing Card Characters by Patrik Svensson.
Sawdust Circus by Emmanuel José.
Have Fun With Playing Cards by Yinfan Huang.
Odd Bods by Jonathan Burton (below).
➵ The rabbit hole of charming playing cards is endless, so consider yourself warned. I don’t think the next examples are technically transformation playing cards, but they are no less delightful:
Surrealist playing cards by Salvador Dalí.
Simultané by Sonia Delaunay.
Playing cards by Barbara Dziadosz.
And then a thing not from Pinterest making me smile:
➵ Hannah Taylor’s cooking videos. As one person said, “I would watch this woman make ice.” (If you’re afraid of TikTok, some of her stuff is also on Instagram and YouTube.)
One of these days maybe I’ll do a deep dive into delight and joy — I have so many thoughts! But for now, I’ll just say this: Lean into delight, and I think joy will follow.
I’m basically Oprah now.
(Has the word delight lost all meaning? I apologize. Should be temporary.)
Goodnight, beautiful face.
After a week of isolating and masking, I’m really missing my family, so that’s probably why I thought to share this with you, because I miss it so much.
I’m always looking for simple, easy ways to connect with my kids, and our bedtime routine is one of the places I’m most consistent. We usually read a story, each girl has “her” song that I sing, we have a little snuggle, and it’s all pretty low key. A few years ago, I was feeling like my big girl and I needed a little extra something, so I started “saying goodnight to her face.”
It sounds funny, but it’s been a lovely addition to our nighttime ritual. I’m certain it was inspired by something I read in a parenting book, but don’t ask for details because I have no idea. It goes like this:
After we’ve turned out the lights and I’ve sung her special song, I say, “Goodnight eyebrows. Goodnight eyelashes. Goodnight nose. Goodnight lips. Goodnight cheeks. Goodnight chin,” and I touch each part of her face as I say goodnight. Then I say, “Goodnight my beautiful girl,” and give her a kiss and a hug. No matter how busy I feel, no matter how annoyed I am with adulthood, I never rush through this part of my day.
If you feel like your bedtime routine could use an extra something, or you just want one more way to connect with your kiddos and help them to feel loved, this is an idea that’s been a winner for us and I can’t wait to get back to it.
Quote of the Day
“Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.” —Hafiz
I hope you have a wonderful, healthy weekend and that you give your kiddos lots and lots of really big hugs, the kind they’ll be embarrassed about ten years from now.
Love,
Kathryn
Dang Covid! I hope you fully recover quickly and only have mild symptoms, Kathryn. Feel better soon!