songbird cafe

in general i'm a person that loves the internet. it completely satisfies my nosy, need to know everything about everything nature (thank you wikipedia & imdb). i have no modesty about my love of flickr, and as any self respecting six year old would reply, "why don't you marry it?". to which i say, i'm already married, but i'll think about it. but then there is this facebook. i'm not so enamored with the facebook. i claim it is my age, i didn't facebook in my schooling years, so that has to be it. right? anyway, it just doesn't do it for me so much. imagine my complete surprise when facebook brings me a fantastic opportunity. puts me back in touch with a long lost friend and coworker. a talented woman who has her own sweet little cafe, and ever so kindly has asked me to have a little show. a soft little collection, so sweet and gentle it's hard to know whether to roll your eyes a bit or just sigh and smile. at which point i have to scale back my skepticism for facebook a bit, of course the lion's share of thanks goes to courtney. for being there when i ever so slowly crept back into the creative world, and encouraging me, finding me again, and encouraging me even more. the collection will be up the month of february, with an artists reception on friday, the 13th at 7pm. i'm sure there will be many good things to eat, and lots of laughs. so please do come on by.

impossible

smiling is good. chuckling is better, and well laughing out loud is just pretty much fantastic. i mean sure yeah, you could look at this picture and think, ok a dry cleaning place on rainbow street, rainbow cleaners. got it. OR, maybe, just maybe, it is a place that really does clean rainbows. because you know, with smog and global warming and all that, you would think that rainbows would get a little dingy, loose their luster. right? and well, if you're thinking about dingy rainbows, well then you're probably inclined to think that there are some men and women out there who have somehow acquired the skills necessary to clean rainbows. make them squeaky and bright. and maybe they set up shop somewhere, and you know, every now and then, someone wanders in with their dusty rainbow, crammed in a grocery bag, looking for help. i bet that's what dallas clayton would think. as a matter of fact, i'm 100% certain that's what he would think. and i am so glad he does, is thinking that way. i found his blog the other day through camilla, and i can't stop reading it. to me it's shel silverstein reborn. i already have so many favorites, i don't know what to pick. but i can't let you go without sharing a couple, just in case you don't click through. without further ado (and with dallas's gracious permission), please enjoy.

SURPRISING

A friend turned older today.
Many years older than me.
But maybe many years younger than you.
An age where people say things like
“who’s counting, anyways?”
and have stopped giving you
interesting presents
and instead give you gift certificates
for cheese
or take you out for a meal
at a restaurant you’ve already been to
and you don’t really mind.

To help offset this
I got him a remote controlled helicopter
that you can fly inside your house.

It was shaped like a dragonfly
and named something
that sounded like it was shaped like a dragonfly
with a font on the box
that looked like something
that sounded like it was shaped like a dragonfly.

You should have seen his face.

Elation.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Have you already taken
the greatest photograph that you will ever take?
What does it look like?

Where do you keep it?

How do you know?

As an adult
have you run
top speed
naked through a field?

More than once?

Have you been inside every
room in your house today?

How about every closet?

How long since you’ve been in every closet?

Too long I bet.

There’s plenty to be learned in those closets.
Fields.
Wasted snapshots.

And you paid for them.

Get in there.

Root around.

APTITUDE

Today after being asked the question
“Were there buildings when dinosaurs were here?”
I tried to explain evolution to a five year old.

It took thirty minutes.

And I still failed.

Why can’t he ask questions like
“If you were a pair of shoes, what color would you be?”
I know the answer to that.

Gold.

SPEECH

I’d like to thank my parents
for tending to me
in the years before I can remember my own shape.

Their time
is the best thing I’ve ever stolen
from two strangers
and gotten away with clean.

simple happy

it really is the best kind of happy, isn't it? i've been easing into january, nice and slowly. cleaning up some of my piles that occupy various corners in the house. i can gladly report that our bedroom door now opens all the way, and that david is thrilled with this new turn of events. see? the simple things. speaking of simple things, we went to lunch this weekend at the cutest little place near david's office. it's called happy gillis, and i love it. david came home super excited to tell me about his discovery, and we just happened to run out of food saturday morning, what a perfect coincidence! so off to lunch we went. anyone that proclaims themselves the happy soup eater, is ok in my book. i ate soup, and i was very happy.

ps. another reason to be happy, very very happy.

pretty is good

image used with permission from amanda krueger

especially if there are cupcakes involved. or any baked good for that matter. i stumbled upon the perfect store at the perfect time. january kicks off our birthday season here at huffmania (not that eliot is into pretty cupcakes, but still) and so i am set to bake. maybe some new recipes, because taste testing is not only fun, but scientific, isn't it? anyway, enter the store. my new favorite online store. bake it pretty. yeah. i already placed an order. and i can't stop thinking about placing another one. i mean, yellow carnival striped baking cups??? seriously? i really can't think of anything made more perfectly for me. i feel free to claim them as my own, i hope that's ok amanda? my brain is already working away at party ideas for the girls (because they are into pretty cupcakes), i even feel inspired to make invitations again. yes! i also am sorely tempted to get into the chocolate mold habit. this is totally driving me crazy. i love it! i know the chicken was preaching the chocolate molds a while back, and i think i'm ready to join the fun. thanks again amanda for all the hard work you put into collecting such fantastic things for your shop. i love the internet.

slow and steady

wins the race. i like to apply this philosophy to many things. an excuse for laziness? perhaps. but i'm thinking long haul, gotta pace myself. i was telling melissa i have no mojo for 2009 yet. i'm not feeling much inspiration and i have decided to blame it on my old nemesis. winter. now that the high of the holidays is over, i'm pretty much ready for spring. today would be nice. if that's not possible, then a kick in the pants would do. anyone want to give it a go? no? ah well. i guess i'll just wander down to the basement and see about dusting off the sewing machine. my girls have given up on pants, jeans specifically. they want nothing to do with them. and since elastic waist skirts are stupid easy to make, i refuse to buy any at the store. never mind the fact that they currently only have one skirt each. slow and steady. :)

on a completely different note, sheri invited me to do a home tour over at cafe mom. take a look around, be my guest. if you've actually been to my house, please kindly keep your mouth shut, that means you john.