This post is sponsored by Tuesday Morning
Let me be the first to admit it: I have a problem with kitchen appliances. And I know this because, when I moved into Daniel’s apartment last November he said, “You have a problem with kitchen appliances.”
The thing is, even in my early twenties, I had a pretty well-stocked kitchen for someone who cooked for only her boyfriend and a bunch of friends on the internet. And, look, I cook my heart out, so don’t follow my lead and end up buried under your Yonanas machine, but there are a handful of things that all of us should consider bringing into our kitchens.
photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography
Having a reliable set of kitchen tools allows us to prep and cook healthy meals and snacks more easily and efficiently–and those tools don’t have to be expensive (although I am 100% available to help you prove the opposite). So today I’m sharing my must-haves over on the Tuesday Morning blog! Click here to see the list on their site!
I find it sad that you mostly do sponsored post nowadays, but surely I don’t have all the facts and i’m not a blogger either, so…. Anyway, I think that we readers are mostly interested in YOU ! I really enjoyed listening to the actorsdiet’s podcast last night. I truly, truly, adore you, and every thing I’ve read or heard from you for several years now went straight to my heart. Thank you immensely, Andie. :)
Sadly Eleonor, sponsord ads like that keep the site going. I’ve been blogging for nearly 8 years and it’s a lot of work – although I view my blog as an online diary – I love the fact that someday my future grand kids can read about my life from the age of 39 on!
Eleonor,
Thank you for writing me, for your feedback, and thank you so much for those kind words. I’m hearing you. The economic realities of blogging make sponsored posts necessary. I understand that they may not always be the best posts for readers but I do try to be conscious of only working with brands I genuinely like and I always try to create recipes or posts with readers in mind. I try to strike a balance of sponsored posts and content that is just from me. This is my first piece sponsored content out of my last 12 posts (believe I counted correctly), and to me that seems pretty balanced.
I know that the personal and emotional posts are what many people find most engaging, but I have to be real with you, it’s difficult for me to keep writing posts like that all of the time. After several years of blogging and revealing very personal thoughts and emotions–and a memoir and cookbook, when I sit down to write something new that’s in that vein, I often realize that I’ve already written and published posts saying the exact same thing. Sometimes I fear that readers will be unhappy if I repeat myself, but I also worry that I’ll get comments that I’m not sharing enough.
And another aspect of choosing to dive into these deeper topics that I have over the years is, it’s just not always easy to write the emotional posts. Sometimes after I’ve written one, I don’t feel a sense of completion, I feel drained. And I think lately, with publishing the cookbook, I haven’t wanted to take away from that.
Through the years, I’ve realized people read for a lot of different reasons. Many people love the personal posts/weight loss talk, some love the emotional revelations, and others just like the recipes or the short form content — for something to read while they wait for a bus. I really can’t tell you how hard it is for me to know that I’m not pleasing everyone–probably a very deep flaw in me that won’t ever be fixed, but still. Next life I’ll work on it?
I’m always thinking of you, as friends and readers, and I will always be sincere and real with you. I hope some posts I write soon will resonate <3
Love,
Andie
Andie, I didn’t think I could love you any more than I already did, and then you wrote this amazing, real, and kind response. Ah, balance. No wonder the group name changed. It’s all about balance, isn’t it? I truly believe that in terms of your blog posts, you have balance. Obviously, everyone has different preferences, but I agree that I do not believe you have too many sponsored posts. A girl’s gotta make a living! You deserve to be paid for your created content and recipes that you’ve developed after working with brands. I have never doubted your integrity in that everything you post, even if you’re getting paid for it, is truly something you would own or eat yourself.
As for your personal posts, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate how open and transparent you’ve been on your blog. I can understand how emotionally taxing it could be to bare your soul for the world and not know how it will be received. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You are a light in this world, Andie. I hope you know how much you’ve inspired countless people through your words. Wherever your pen and keyboard take you now and in the future, don’t ever forget that you’ve got people like me, cheering you every step of your journey.
Jessica, I cannot even tell you what it feels like to wake up and find a comment like this. Thank you from the from the very bottom of my heart, for being who you are and for being so willing to offer me such unconditional love and compassion. I hope everyone has someone like you <3
Dear Andie, thanks for the kind reply. I’m sorry that my words seemed so harsh. I’m French, so as you can imagine I don’t have all the clues to express my feelings properly in another language. On the sponsored posts, I see so many blogs or Instagram accounts relying more and more on sponsored stuff, and I guess I’m simply afraid that the content of your blog, which I love and has helped me more than I can express, would slowly disappear. I sure understand how it can be hard and kind of impossible to dig down on a frequent basis to express feelings and painful things, and I would not want you to do that to yourself for the sake of pleasing your readers. It’s a delight to read any of your post really, I always thought you were an incredible writer, and I think you just keep getting better at it (and that is, with the language barrier). We are the lucky ones for being able to read, hear and see what you have to share with the world. Please don’t ever doubt it, and keep doing what you love. All the best :)
Eleonor, thank you! I understand your good intentions and I so appreciate your kindness! I’m grateful that you are here with me and I won’t forget it xo
Nothing but love,
Andie
Hey Andie your image isn’t working! Just a heads up :).