Who is Cakey?

[the story behind the name]

One of my quieter coworkers once said, “Abby, whenever I think about your childhood . . . I sort of picture Little House on the Prairie.”

He wasn’t wrong, per se. In some ways I am an old-fashioned lady. . .Yes, I know my way around a kitchen, I could sew my own clothes if inclined, and I wear a petticoat semi-regularly under dresses. And sure, I usually prefer working on my latest water-colors to binge-watching the latest streaming drama. I will confess that my comfort food does usually involve busting out some hand-written recipes, and I am aware that my obsession with yard-sales puts me into a consumer category that I primarily share with people who learned how to bargain shop and “DIY” out of necessity during the Great Depression. I’ll even admit that I’ve churned my own butter once (or twice) and have owned several bonnets in my lifetime (though I haven’t worn one recently,  just in case you were concerned). . . but Little House on the Prairie?

That might be taking it just a smidge too far. Never once have I been in a real covered wagon and I would have to google prairie dogs to remember exactly what they look like. Frankly, if we’re talking about the TV-show Laura, I’m a little affronted. Our mothers had weird affinities for collared dresses, floral prints and braids. . . but, let’s face it, Laura was just awkward.

Maybe the picture actually proves my coworker’s point instead of refuting it, but just look at her vacant expression!? Anyhow, all this begs the question: If I am not Laura Ingalls reincarnate, then who am I?

I am a lover of life’s details who can usually be found throwing myself into new opportunities and projects! Whenever not immersed in teaching high school or hanging out with the coolest 12 nieces and nephews in the land, I love tackling projects that tickle my fancy, hoarding costumes for the “someday” when I own a dress-up tea-house for grown-ups, baking scrumptious things, and hosting ridiculous (usually-themed) parties! Maybe I am old-fashioned; the true product of a Jane-Austen-Obsessed Mother and a My-Side-of-the-Mountain-Style Father, but at the practically-antique age of thirty-something, I somehow manage to keep up with the times . . .

One last thought . . . in the interest of full transparency with this Cakey blog, there’s one last tidbit you should know: I overuse the ellipsis . . . obsessively. Embarrassing though this is to admit, it just seems to be the punctuation that best captures my stream of thought as it flits off of one subject and towards the next!