(You've Got)

On any given day, I have a To Do List that's a mile long. It's organized into Must Do (i.e. pay bills), Should Do (i.e. put clean laundry away, unbox the office), and Nice to Do (i.e. sew door draft pillows). There are some pet projects in the Nice to Do column that have been there for awhile. Sadly that's where this blog languished for a time.

You might remember that I resolved to "Do Your Best or not at all." for New Years. With this resolution in mind, I signed up for Blogging Your Way, co-taught by Holly Becker of decor8 and Leslie Shrewring of A Creative Mint. Our first homework assignment had us identify why we followed the blogs we did. This assignment took me awhile as I follow over 300 through Google Reader (and I went through each and every one of them). There are some I skim and read when an image or headline catches my eye. Then, there are those I eagerly anticipate. Those I anticipate cover a wide range of subjects - home renovation, interior design, fashion, cooking, packaging design, paper, and more. The one commonality? Personality. 

'Cause you've got - (personality) 
Walk - (personality) talk - (personality) 
Smile - (personality) charm - (personality) 
Love - (personality)

- (You've Got) Personality, lyrics found on International Lyrics Playground

Around the Thanksgiving Holidays, I had discovered a 1950 edition of Culinary Art Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook. The preface, written by the encyclopedia's editor Ruth Berolzheimer, struck a chord with me (complete excerpt). 

The Personality of a [blog] is as apparent as it is important. ... a mixture as familiar, friendly and exhilarating as a pine woods early on a summer morn. ... that gives a comforting feeling of confidence in the final product. ... but above all a feeling for the kind of beauty that women want about them in their work-a-day world. 

- Ruth Berolzheimer, Culinary Art Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, c1950

With Berolzheimer's words in mind, I made myself a cup of tea, grabbed a blanket and SpriteKat, dumped stacks of magazine clippings onto our coffee table, and settled down in our loveseat to determine what I wanted my blog's personality to be (other than sporadic and scattered - it's current personality) when it grew up. 

After a few cups of tea, I had a mental image. 

The Finds (top row, left to right): 1950 GE Advertisement courtesy of Retro Cookbook; Home Baking Made Easy for Beginners and Experts, 1950s, courtesy of Zinnia Ridge; Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls, c.1957, $7.99, from sandmarg. Bottom Row: 1950s Tea Towel, $42, from Call Me Jasper; The See and Do Book of Cooking: Indoor and Outdoor, c.1959, $13, from Back Stash and Bygones. 

A little later - okay much cutting and gluing later - I had a mood board and a mission statement.

I want this blog to reflect the sights, sounds, and smells of my mom's kitchen where, after school, I did my homework at the dining room table while snacking on freshly made baked goods, and on weekends, I helped my mom make breakfast or bake a cake. 

Hopefully you'll pull up a chair and stay awhile. Everyone was always welcome in my mom's kitchen and she never let a soul go away hungry. Here you'll find the same hospitality with a modern retro twist. Enjoy!