1 year of blogging. Almost hard to believe.
Mostly it’s hard to believe that my family is still alive and loving me after that first year. 🙂
I’m so happy and thankful that they’ve put up with me spending countless hours here on Carmel Moments. To my wonderful husband 3 children – “Thank You”.
Thank you for eating all the food I make.
Thank you for eating all the food that doesn’t turn out as well.
Thank you for giving me honest opinions.
Thank you for forgiving me when I’ve gotten sucked into the  “web” one too many times.
Thank you for letting me purse a passion and a calling.
I love each of you!
Thank you to all my fellow bloggers and friends, your support and kind words mean SO much to me! Without you there wouldn’t be a support system, so thanks so much!
Here’s some fun stats to celebrate:
Most viewed recipe: German Soft Pretzel Sticks
Most pinned recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Brownies 19,530 (so far)
Most popular post of all time: What to Buy at the Warehouse Stores
Best Lesson Learned: Everything I did Wrong in Our Marriage
First recipe: Turkey Muenster Panini
Most recent recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt
My favorite recipe: Chocolate Crunch Brownies
My hubby’s favorite recipe: Chicken Pot Pie
 I started from scratch with an idea, a love for food and a camera. I’ve come a long way. There’s been a lot to learn and there’s so much room to grow. I still don’t have much of a clue about SEO or the best ways to engage followers on Twitter.
There’s always another idea to ponder, path to travel or blog that I’ve never seen before. It’s a constant learning process.
This is a girl who started with zero HTML skills. I’d never seen the back side of a blog. My hubby is not a computer whiz like some. I have no wonderful friends who offered to start a blog for me.
I was on my own. I started tinkering in February. Added a few recipes over the next few months. And shared the news in June 2013. My friends and family helped spread the word a bit.
In honor we (as in me and a bunch of awesome blogging friends) are hosting a giveaway for a $200 Amazon gift card.
Don’t forget to enter and spread the word!
Thanks for everything!
xo
Melanie
Baking a Moment Brunch Time Baker Carmel Moments
Chelsea’s Messy Apron Cooking for Keeps
Cooking on the Front Burner Flavor the Moments
Five Heart Home Jessiker Bakes Kleinworth & Co.
Life Made Sweeter Runnin Srilankan Shared Appetite
Spicy Southern Kitchen Yummy Healthy Easy
Giveaway: Eligible to one (1) winner residing in one of the 48 contiguous states. Must be 18 years of age to enter giveaway. Starts 12 am 6/20/2014 (EST time) and ends 12 am 7/4/2014 (EST time). To enter the giveaway, you must participate in at minimum, one of the listed entries in the widget and an email address must be provided. Winner will be announced via email and must respond to the subject line: “Congratulations! You’ve Won Carmel Moment’s Amazon Gift Card Giveaway” from carmelmoments@outlook.com within 24 hours of deliverance. Failure to respond will forfeit your chance in winning and a new winner will be chosen.  I will send the giftcard electronically to chosen winner. Please be advised items may appear different from the photo shown. Carmel Moments and its owner are not held responsible for missing/broken items received by the winner. Good luck and thank you for your entries. There will be more fun recipes, as well as giveaways coming soon! See more at https://gatherforbread.com
Aw, Melanie … congratulations! You’ve done so well in a year! All of us fellow bloggers know how hard it is to get a blog started and then maintain it with everything else going on in your life as well. I can’t even imagine how you do that with a family to look after as well. Blogging super-woman comes to mind!
All the best for your next fun year of blogging. Looking forward to following along! 🙂
Thanks Helen! Happy to get to know you. Thanks for dropping by!
Melanie, happy anniversary! It’s been wonderful getting to know you through your blog and my very best wishes for many years of blog happiness and friendship! Thanks to you and the ladies for the giveaway – happy Friday and have a great weekend!
Happy 1 Yr. Anniversary! I’m always trying new recipes…last one was your Cream Cheese Chicken Soup. It was dee-licious! The one at the top of the to-do list is French Macarons…have to get my nerve up for that one! lol…thanks for the chance to win.
Congratulations on your accomplishment! I recently discovered your wonderful blog, and I am so glad I did. I look forward to what you have in store for us this next year.
Congratulations Melanie! It is a big undertaking! I tried! I only got about 4 blog posts in and haven’t gone back….LOL! You should be proud of your accomplishment! Here’s to many more posts!! 🙂
Well Happy 1st year and here’s to many more to come. I know I definitely want to try the Chicken Pot Pie recipe but first I think I will make the German Soft Pretzel Sticks. Oh my Children would love me for that… I know I’d love myself even more too 🙂
Congrats!
Congrats, Melanie! You’re an inspiration!
Thanks Sheila! Honored to have met you.
Congratulations, Melanie! I think your recent grilled cheese recipe is a must-try in our house soon!!
Thanks Julie! Hope you all love it!
Congratulations on 1 year of blogging! Best wishes for many more successful years. Thanks to all of you wonderful bloggers for sponsoring this giveaway!
Happy 1 year blog-iversary!!! Many, many more!
Thank you Tina!
Happy Blogaversary Melanie 🙂
Thanks Kathy! So glad to have met you. 🙂
Awesome giveaway…thank you
Coconut chocolate chip ice cream pie is next on my list to make. I love, Love, LOVE coconut and who doesn’t like chocolate chips and ice cream?! LOL
Congrats on your first blogoversary! Keep up the great work!
Happy anniversary! A great milestone.
Thanks Dionna!
Happy blogiversary, Melanie! I’m SO blessed and happy to have found your blog 🙂
You’ve got lots of incredible looking recipes, but I think I’d like to try your very first one… that Turkey Muenster Panini sounds delicious!
Thanks Becca. You’re so sweet. Blessed to have found you as well. Have an awesome weekend!
I’m planning on trying Carmel Moments Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Bake! I’m going home to Michigan tomorrow morning for vacation and while there, I plan on making this for my family for Sunday brunch! YUM! 🙂 Happy 1st blog anniversary Carmel Moments! And thank you for this awesome giveaway opportunity!
Thanks Pam! It’s a good one. We just had it for dinner this week. WE love breakfast for dinner. Have a great vacation and thanks for stopping by!
Congrats Melanie!! I can’t believe it’s been a year already!!
Thanks Donna! Me neither. 🙂
happy anniversary, the first one is always special
I have to try the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Dip!
Congratulations!
Pickles pickles pickles, the Jewish ones you’ve noted to be precise. I’m currently in Korea and everything pickled and cured is on my mind.
Congratulations Melanie! Wow, you seem like such a seasoned blogger – only one year?? You do a fantastic job (seriously, does anyone understand SEO?) and create amazing recipes. Here’s to an incredible second year of blogging!
Happy Blogiversary Melanie!! Congrats 🙂 Keep on going with your amazing recipes and posts! It seems like you’ve done so awesome in your first year I can’t wait to see what you do in your second!
Thanks Serene! I appreciate your kind words.
Happy Bloggerversary! Glad I found you through Spicy Southern Kitchen! I look forward to seeing what you do with the next year!
Melanie- Congratulations on this incredible milestone! You should be so proud of what you’ve built and how much you’ve achieved. I am so happy for you! Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your celebration. And wishing you all the best for your second year of blogging, and beyond! xoxo
the Chocolate Crunch Brownies sound absolutely amazing! will be trying these out this weekend!
Congrats on your first year of blogging — awesome! Your cookie dough pretzel parfaits look fantastic — pinning to try this summer! 🙂
Happy happy blog anniversary and congrats on your first year Melanie! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration 🙂 All the best for many more years to come and looking forward to following along!
Thank you Kelly! It’s been a great year. Thanks for joining me in the celebration.
The Cheesy Sausage Hash Brown Bake looks delicious!!!
Congrats to you..I just happened upon one of your recipes from Pinterest..pinned it and a few others..then, liked you on facebook..anywho..one of the recipes I want to try is your hubbies fave..Chicken pot pie..and, your brownies..and, your baked portabella fries sound great too…thank you..
Congratulations Melanie & Happy Anniversary! I’m so glad I came by to visit your blog…now it’s off to make Chicken Pot Pie =)
That’s awesome Kim! Enjoy.