The Funnies
Snoopy Drawings and Things That Make Us Happy
Sunday Mornings
Growing up, Sunday mornings were calm and peaceful. We were a church-going family. But often we went on Saturday evenings, leaving Sunday mornings the most relaxed time of the week.
I would wake at my leisure and make my way downstairs into the kitchen. I would pass my mom who was busy at the stove preparing a warm breakfast—eggs, sausage, maybe some pancakes or french toast.
Walking through the kitchen to the breakfast nook, the sun beaming through the bay windows, I would see my dad sitting at the kitchen table. Having risen much earlier, he would have been to the convenience store and back. He would read the Sunday paper with an open box of Entenmann’s donuts within arm’s reach.
I would pour myself a glass of orange juice and join my dad at the table. The neatly stacked paper would lose its order as I rummaged through to find the Funnies. With a crumb-topped donut in one hand, I would begin reading the comics.
Family Circle—a family that felt familiar,
Garfield—the beloved cat with a taste for lasagna,
and Peanuts—classic.
How They Made Us Feel
Charles Schulz, and other cartoonists, captivated our hearts with simplistic doodle-style sketches. Their drawings were friendly, warm, and inviting. They were pure.
When we read the Funnies, we laughed. Not every comic strip was LOL, some might have just elicited a simple smile, but still, they caused us to stop and think. Did we get it? Could we relate? Whatever the answer, we felt connected.
We looked for that one comic, the one that was good enough to share—“Look, Dad, just like you” or “Mom, isn’t this funny?”
We understood Snoopy and Charlie Brown; more importantly, we understood ourselves.
We were happy.
Snoopy Drawings
Last fall, my youngest son and I went through a Snoopy-doodle phase together. We carved out time to draw side-by-side. We talked about things that made us happy and pulled up images online of Snoopy doing those things.
We drew. First in pencil, then we traced over our pencil drawings with black felt-tip pens.
These drawings represent a few of the things that make my son and I happy: eating, sleeping, reading, hot drinks, sweets, and flowers.
The nice thing about Snoopy is that he has so many interests; anyone can relate. If there’s something you enjoy, likely, you can find a picture of Snoopy doing it on the world wide web.
With that said, I’d encourage you to give this art activity a try. It’s feel-good and uplifting, fun and easy. It just takes a few minutes, and when you’re done, you can share it. You’ll put a smile on someone’s face. You can count on me smiling if you share your Snoopy drawing with me.
My Snoopy Drawing for This Season
If you have been following AJ Doodles this fall, you know that we created a Pumpkin Recipe Book with other Substack writers.
Here’s a little Snoopy drawing to express my happiness in bringing this project to fruition. It’s Snoopy working in the kitchen. He has the Pumpkin Recipe Book pulled up on his computer screen, and he’s making lots of recipes with his pal, Woodstock.
He has baked up...
Sourdough Pumpkin Swirl Bread from Stone — Mountaintop Kitchen
Maggie’s Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes from Rebekah Lynn Pierce
Nana’s Pumpkin Cookies from Ed Goble and Mary Ann Goble
Little Pumpkin Joy Muffins from Shartaya Mollett
Pumpkin Halwa from Neera Mahajan
Pumpkin & White Chocolate Stuffed Pretzels from The Word Before Me
And he’s only just begun!
“Thankful Everyday” Mugs
Need a little gift for someone special? How about a “Thankful Everyday” Doodle Art mug?
Amy, reading your story felt like stepping into a quiet, joyful morning with all the little comforts of home around me. I’m so grateful you included my Little Pumpkin Joy Muffins; they fit so beautifully into the warmth and sweetness of your writing. 💗
I love this idea of turning your sketck onto a mug. That gave me an idea of turning some of my Ms Jolly (my alter ego’s sketches on to mugs as well.